Nerd heaven: Recent Episodes
Adam David Collings
In-depth episode discussions. Geeking out over sci-fi & fantasy TV such as Stargate Universe, Star Trek Picard, Star Trek Discovery, plus movies, such as the DCEU (Man of Steel, Batman V Superman etc) Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Currently reviewing season 1 of Stargate Universe (SGU)
š© Exploring the World of Oz ā Books, Movies & Future Adaptations šŖļø
In this episode, Iām joined by special guest Paeter Frandsen of Spirit Blade Productions, who has just released a brand-new audiobook recording of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum**. Together, we take a deep dive into the magical land of Ozāpast, present, and future! We chat about:
āØ Our experiences reading the original Wizard of Oz books
š¬ The iconic 1939 Wizard of Oz movie
š Return to Oz and its darker take on Baumās world
š Oz the Great and Powerful
š Wicked, and how its popularity has reshaped modern Oz fandom
š¶ The excitement around the upcoming adaptation Wicked: Part One (Wicked for Good)
We also share our hopes and ideas for future adaptations of Baumās novels and discuss how renewed interest in the Oz franchise could open the door to new faithful retellings. Whether you're a lifelong Oz fan, love the classic movie, are obsessed with Wicked, or curious about untapped corners of the Baum universe, this conversation is for you!
š Check out Paeter Frandsenās audiobook of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNC7Qz41mx8
or download it from
https://www.patreon.com/posts/44479037
Find Paeter at https://Christiangeekcentral.com
š¬ Join the conversation! Whatās YOUR favorite Oz book or movie? What story would YOU love to see adapted next?
Join me for a full breakdown and character-focused analysis of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ā the hilarious, heartfelt time-travel classic that wraps up the three-part Spock resurrection arc. From whales and alien mysteries to Spockās evolving relationship with his father, this is more than just a sci-fi comedy.
We explore:
š Why the tonal shift shouldnāt have worked ā but did
š The probe's mystery and how it deepens the Star Trek mythos
š The completion of Spockās emotional arc (and how Star Trek: Discovery enriches it)
š Kirkās final "punishment" and why itās so satisfying
š The quiet emotional weight behind key moments like Sarekās confession
Whether you're a long-time Trekkie or just diving into the films, this is your place for thoughtful commentary, nostalgic appreciation, and character storytelling.
š Next up: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ā and Iāve got thoughts.
š Love Star Trek? Youāll probably enjoy my own space opera series, Jewel of The Stars. Grab book one for less than a dollar at: https://books2read.com/jewel
š Subscribe for more deep dives on Star Trek movies and series.
In this episode of Nerd Heaven, Adam David Collings takes you on a passionate and thoughtful journey through Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Often overshadowed by its predecessor and successor, this film is far more than a bridgeāitās a deeply emotional exploration of friendship, sacrifice, and what makes Star Trek so enduring.
We break down pivotal scenes like the death of David Marcus, the Klingon confrontation with Kruge, and the climactic resurrection ceremony on Vulcan. From James Hornerās unforgettable score to Leonard Nimoyās directorial choices and Spockās spiritual rebirth, this episode offers insightful commentary that will resonate with fans of Star Trek lore, character arcs, and sci-fi storytelling.
You'll hear:
š Why Kirk's sacrifice defines his character
š The surprising emotional growth of Sarek and McCoy
š How Genesis represents both hope and destruction
š Thoughts on the āeven vs odd movieā theory
š A tribute to James Hornerās legacy in Star Trek music
Whether you're a longtime Trekkie or revisiting the films with fresh eyes, this episode will help you appreciate The Search for Spock as a beautifully crafted chapter in Star Trekās cinematic saga.
š Subscribe for more Star Trek analysis, sci-fi reviews & geek culture deep dives.
š Live long and prosper.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into Star Trek II The Wrath of Khanāthe film saved Star Trek, as it could be argued. This movie embraced the aging of its characters, leading to a very meaingful character arc for Kirk, which only means more to me as I get older.
Let's geek out over the Star Trek movie that many still hold up as their favourite.
Today we start a new series looking at the original series Star Trek movies, starting with Star Trek The Motion Picture. This is a film with very clear weaknesses, but also some strengths. Let's take an honest look at what I like, and what I don't like about this movie.
This is an author's commentary for the first book in my Jewel of The Stars series. Think of it like the director's commentary on a DVD.
In this episode, I discuss the Babylon 5 animated movie The Road Home. How does it stack up as a Babylon 5 story? Let's dig in and find out.
Blood of the Stars is an epic fantasy novel, the first of a series by debut author Karyne Norton.
Learn more about the book at https://www.karynenorton.com/
And check out my books at https://adamdavidcollings.com/books
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.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 107 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the final episode of Star Trek Continues. āTo Boldly Go, Part 2.ā 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 episodeās great cliffhanger.
Kirk is unwilling to relinquish his bridge. He, Spock, and Uhura all try to fight back. To no avail. Even the security officerās phasers are useless against Lanaās powers.
And then the big surprise twist happens. Smithās eyes go silver. She is uplifted as well.
This was nicely foreshadowed in the last episode where they mentioned that she was holding Garryās 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 āWhere No Man Has Gone Beforeā. She forces Lana and Sentek to retreat to the Kongo.
So ā¦ it seems Smith wasnāt 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, sheās taken aback. After all, sheās one of the good guys right. She helped them against Lana. But after a moment of thought, she relents. Itās probably a good idea. She understands the potential threat she represents. She sees things from Kirkās point of view. Maybe sheād 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 theyāre 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 donāt have unlimited range with their powers.
The Kongoās engines are offline. The crew must have shut it off before they were overpowered. Maybe the espers donāt know how to get them going again.
Kirk hasnāt slept for two days. McCoy doesnāt argue. Usually Kirk would be wrong, but not this time. He needs to keep going.
Iām not sure McCoy is right, actually. As Riker says in Best of Both Worlds, you canāt fight the enemy at the same time youāre 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, itās quiet, This might be the perfect time for Kirk to catch 30 minutes of sleep while the enemy regroups.
Of course, thereās 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 Kirkās command. He remembers the exact number. Of course he would.
McCoy says āweāll stop themā but thatās not the point.
āAt what cost, Doctor?ā Kirk asks. Thatās whatās really on his mind.
Itās fitting for Kirk to reflect back on the cost of his five year mission as itās nearing its end. Especially at a moment like this, when it looks like that cost is about to skyrocket.
But thereās more to it, as weāll 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 didnāt uplift at the time, probably because she doesnāt 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 McKennaās mind. She can feel the power flowing through her, but she claims to not be dangerous. She would never hurt anybody.
But McKenna canāt 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 thatās the case, it looks good for Smith as she seems to have a lower rating still.
So far, itās looking like Smith has a good chance of keeping her humanity long term.
But there are no guarantees here. We just just donāt 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.
Itās 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 Kirkās preoccupation with the deaths of crew under his command.
Iām glad these moments were included. The greatest weapon Lanaās 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, itās actually a miracle they donāt 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 wouldnāt 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 esperās powers cannot deflect multiple simultaneous strikes.
But two vectors will not be enough. Three would do the job, but they donāt have a third shipā¦.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 didnāt really have the budget to make it a reality until Encounter at Farpoint.
What I didnāt realise, until it was pointed out by James Kerwin, is that Kirk referred to the process, which they called āJettisoningā, not āSeparatingā in two different TOS episodes. āThe Appleā and āSavage Curtainā.
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 wasnāt a routine operation like on the Enterprise D. Itās a last resort. Not necessarily indeed to be undone.
Kirk describes it as ājettisoning the stardrive section.ā
So itās 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 itās working. The Kongoās 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 āFairest of Them Allā.
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 āGrant, Iām 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 Grantās 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 āand the children shall lead.ā
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 Iām talking about. The score for TMP had these deep resonant sounds like nothing youāve 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 Kongoās 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 Kongoās captain.
If she doesn't theyāll decompress the hanger deck.
Itās 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 canāt 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 canāt 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. Sheāll 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 theyāve done, Lana knows there is no place for her and her people in the Federation.
She may be right. I canāt imagine many in the Federation would be keen to welcome these people, given the danger they possess.
Lana sees her and her people as humanityās successors. She doesnāt 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. Theyāre now in pursuit, but theyāre a long way behind.
Starfleet has requested help from both the Klingons and the Romulans. Both have said no.
McCoyās 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 esperās subspace disruption, so theyāll 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 isnāt convinced itās 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 sheās meant to do - help.
Either Smith is a very good actor, or she is still herself. Still a good person.
Itās a great speech and a very nice character moment for Smith.
If things werenāt 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 Garyās 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 Kongoās 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 Trekās second pilot, that she would end up here.
But now itās 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 shipās engines.
The espers run.
Her eyes fade to normal. Her lifesigns are gone.
She used the last of her energy to burn out the Kongoās 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 weāll talk about shortly. But after this time through, Smithās 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 Smithās 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, āWhat Ships are Forā, she also wrote Smithās 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. Theyāre not willing to risk the galaxy just for McKenna.
The visuals of the damages Kongo with itās decks exposed looks awesome. Reminds me of the remastered effects in The Doomsday Machine.
Even Charvanek,who is still aboard the Enterprise, doesnāt approve of Talās 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 wouldnāt 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. Theyāre in bad shape. Even Lana has lost the silver from her eyes.
āWell fought, Kirk,ā she says. āFor a moment we knew the freedom of infinity.ā
Their reactor is building up.
Scotty needs a minute to beam McKenna out.
He doesnāt get it.
Heās half got her, but having trouble re materialising her.
It looks like Spock has done it, but it still doesnāt work.
Spockās 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. Itās a painful moment for him.
She says something to him, although it isnāt 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 āThanks for trying.ā She is remarkably brave in the face of her imminent death. Were I in her situation. Iād 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 wouldnāt be around in the movies. Itās 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, McKennmaās death was kind of senseless. She wasnāt able to make a difference, although it does serve an important story purpose as weāll see in a minute.
But Smithās 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 itās not the triumphant moment they had anticipated. Their recent losses, how close they came to disaster, it all weighs heavily on them.
Kirkās log is spoken with a very sombre voice.
We see the spacedock in orbit, where sheāll stay until her refit is complete and Kirk takes her out to confront Vāger.
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. Itās cool to have that character appear in this episode.
In the show, we didnāt see the Enterprise crew saving the entire galaxy. They tended to deal with smaller scale issues most of the time. But itās very fitting that they have faced and overcome such a threat in their final story.
Kirk still feels the cost acutely.
Based on Kirkās 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 Cochraneās 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 shouldnāt 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 hadnāt been established yet.
Personally, I think itās 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 itās worth it for the emotional resonance of seeing it in the lineup. Itās 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 canāt help but wonder if this is a nod to the novel Star Trek Federation.
To Kirk, itās 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 donāt 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. Itās 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 Kirkās 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.
Heās 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 heās 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. Itās fascinating seeing those colourful TOS uniforms in a background plate that looks like itās taken directly from TMP.
I do love the transitional moments like this.
Kirk emerges in his motion picture admiral uniform.
Like most people, Iām not a big fan of the TMP uniforms, but the one exception is Kirkās 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.
Thatās 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 whatās out there, but also about whatās 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 heās done. Heās seen enough death. What he hasnāt seen is his daughter in five years. Heās leaving Starfleet and going home.
I feel that McCoyās departure hasnāt been as well set up as Spocks, which weāll 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 donāt 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 canāt 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 isnāt the end of their friendship. And thereās a nice little nod to Drake.
Thereās 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.
āForgive yourself.ā
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 doesnāt know how to deal with the guilt and regret heās 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 Spockās arc in this episode makes a whole lot of sense. It retroactively makes Spockās arc in TMP even better. I absolutely love what the episode does here. Itās brilliant character work.
Kirk will see his two friends at dinner. But thereās 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.
Itās a powerful scene. It holds similar emotional resonance as the poker scene at the end of āAll Good Things.ā
The episode hangs there. Gives Vic the time just to look and react.
We finish with a captainās log.
Kirkās 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.
Iād put this one right up there with the best of the Star Trek Finales, āAll Good Thingsā and āWhat you Leave Behind.ā This is certainly orders of magnitude better than āEndgame.ā
Iāve 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 Iām 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
Iād 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. Iāve covered all the TNG movies on the podcast, but I havenāt covered the TOS movies. So Iāll make my way through them.
I also have some ideas of things I can do along the way. Iāve been thinking of revisiting the original Transformers cartoon from the 80s, which I have powerful childhood memories of. See if thereās anything in them worthy to discuss as an adult. Iād likely cover more than one episode in a podcast, and probably not go into as much recap detail as Iāve 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.
Iām also thinking of giving periodic updates on my reading of DC Comics, using the DC Universe Infinite app.
Anyway, thereās plenty more to come, so I hope youāll find something of interest in the future of Nerd Heaven.
Until next time,
Live Long and Prosper.
Make it so.
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
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd
This is episode 106 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking about the first part of the Star Trek Continues grand finale, āTo Boldly Go, Part 1ā.
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 todayās episode.
He reached out to me to say heād been listening to the podcast and enjoying it. This was a huge thrill. Itās 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 Iād missed.
Remember in episode three, I talked about how good the shuttlecraft exterior looked. It turns out, they didnāt build that from scratch that was the real shuttlecraft Galileo from Star Trek The Original Series. How awesome is that?
Iāve made mention of Nurse Chapel a couple of times, but that wasnāt 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 weāll learn more about that in the next episode.
But hereās a big one I missed. The actress who plays her, Kipleigh Brown, was the writer of episode 9 āWhat Ships are Forā I didnāt put that together, but I think thatās really cool.
The description on IMDB for todayās 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 Trekās Branon Braga, and Man of Steelās 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 wasnāt 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 itās done so well.
Much like āAll Good Thingsā, it calls back to a lot of things from the past, but it specifically links us back to the very first episode, āWhere No Man Has Gone Before.ā
Even the titles relate, each is part of Kirkās iconic phrase. The symmetry is beautiful.
But hold on, I hear you say. āWhat about the Cage? Isnāt that the pilot of TOS?ā
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 āWhere No Man has Gone Before.ā
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 āWhat Ships are For.ā 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 didnāt 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 āWhat Ships are For.ā Iām 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 itās so private.
McKennaās 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 McKennaās relationship is special. They share private things they wouldnāt share with others.
Time with humans has taught Spock to value his human side.
And then they hold hands. Thatās 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. Youāll remember that back in āEmbracing the Windsā 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 couldnāt remember if it did. Weāll see in this episode that it is definitely followed up.
The Yorktown and the Republic were both damaged while investigating The Hoodās 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 Scottyās job was before the Enterpriseās 5 year mission began.
Interestingly, Vic pronounces the word Sabotage the same way Shatner does. Sabotage. I donāt 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. Itās 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. Itās 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.
Thereās a good sense of danger to this action scene.
After theyāve dealt with it, a human woman, Lana, appears out of the turbolift. Sheās 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 Iāve been known to refer to as āthe whinging yankā. But in fairness to her, Colin Bakerās 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 āIs There No Truth in Beauty.ā
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 āWhere No Man Has Gone Beforeā, 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 āAbsolute power does not corrupt absolutely. It corrupts selectively.ā
I donāt believe that all power will always corrupt. I donāt 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 donāt 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 canāt know for certain what might cause another Gary Mitchell. That, in my opinion, makes what theyāre doing too dangerous.
Kirk asks which she is, and she answers by saying she follows āSas-tar-po-harnā
This is a human spiritual movement that follows the pacifict teachings of Surak and TāMord 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, itās 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 didnāt 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? Iāve never heard of a Romulan conducting a mind meld.
The Romulan ancestors left Vulcan during a time of barbarism. The TNG episode āGambitā 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 weāve never really seen it. Unless thereās some example Iām forgetting.
The Romulans want to use the kidnapped human espers because they canāt create their own. Seems logical.
The interesting thing is, they donāt 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.
Theyāre pursuing the Romulan ship but itāll 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 doesnāt 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. Itās all a bit mysterious.
Kirk has some hard questions for Lana. Why was that one romulan left on the planet? Why didnāt 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 didnāt represent the Romulan government so that will be a very weak excuse as far as they are concerned.
A bird of prey decloaks. Itās 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 sheās 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 sheās also given other names in various novels and games.
She doesnāt attack but her words make it clear she considers a formal declaration of war is all but inevitable due to the Enterpriseās entry into the zone.
Kirk isnāt impressed that Spock contacted her of his own volition.
Spock admits the reason he didnāt ask is because he knew Kirk wouldnāt 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 doesnāt 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 Kirkās 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.
Itās nice to see Doctor MāBenga again.
McCoy has found that Sentek is actually a Vulcan who lived on the colony, and heās 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 Lanaās 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. Itās a shame that Star Trek never explored the preservers more than it did.
When she asks why the preservers did it, McCoy speculates that āit was probably to keep us in, to prevent our violence from spreadingā. This reminds me somewhat of C.S Lewisās space trilogy, which suggests that the vast interstellar distances between stars are Godās 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 āyou donāt know what gods think.ā
Itās very chilling when she replies āYes. I do.ā
The implication, of course, being that she is a god.
When humans start thinking of themselves as gods, youāre 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.
Itās nice to see Sulu taking command on the bridge. Heās showing a good aptitude for the job heāll eventually have.
Charvanek is still working with her old first officer, Tal. He doesnāt seem interested in apologies. Heās planning to destroy the Enterprise. This raises the question of where Charvanek is. If sheās still on the Enterprise, heāll be killing her. More likely, sheās 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 Spockās katra finds its way to Vol-to-vor.
We know from Star Trek 5, that vol-to-vor is the romulanās 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 canāt fire. They think theyāre pressing the button, but theyāre not. Lanaās 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 Lanaās deception. There never were any dissidents. The espers werenāt 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. Thatās 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 āWhere no man has gone beforeā which includes Smith, who is back on the ship now.
Plus others who were not there.
Spock asks Smith if thereās anything she can share of her experience. She was holding Mitchellās hand when they crossed.
She has nothing to add that wasnāt in her report. But her demeanour suggests maybe sheās holding something back.
Scotty is keenly aware of what theyāre up against. Gary was difficult enough to defeat on his own. Theyāre 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 āhe couldnāt even remember my middle nameā which is an amusing little nod to the āJames R Kirkā tombstone in that episode. Canon fixed.
Charvanekās takes the practical approach. Strike first, before they have the ability to grow in their power. Similar to Spockās recommendation all those years ago.
Kirk wonāt have that. These are still Federation citizens. This is a rescue mission.
I get it. Iām all for idealism, and Iād side with Kirk on this. You canāt just shoot to kill while theyāre still human. But calling it a rescue mission? I believe thatās a little naive. These people know what theyāre doing. Theyāre 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.
Thereās 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 itās 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 youāre about to disintegrate your body, and having no power to prevent it. Itās horrifying.
This moment is better than any other redshirt death that has ever happened in TOS, and possibly Star Trek in general.
Firstly because weāve gotten to know this character. Heās been developed of a number of episodes. Heās not just a nameless face. We know heās a person with a life, people who love him.
In addition to that, it treats the moment with the gravity it deserves.
Iām left feeling something very deeply, and that would probably even be the case even if we hadnāt 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 doesnāt give the impression of a neutral party, though. They do, after all, work for Starfleet Command.
But itās a trap. The Halifax is empty. Another ship appears behind them.
A constitution class ship, The USS Kongo emerges from the barrier. Itās 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 wasnāt bad enough, Lana and Sentek enter the Enterprise bridge.
āRelinquish command or the Enterprise will suffer the same fate as the Hood.ā
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.
Itās been a wild ride.
Donāt forget to check out my original science fiction at AdamDavidCollings.com/books
And Iāll see you next time to discuss To Boldly Go, Part 2.
Until then,
Live Long and Prosper
Make it so.
We're taking a brief side-quest from our regular coverage of Star Trek Continues, to look at an episode of Star Trek New Voyages, because it sets up the back-story of Kirk and Carol Marcus's relationship, and I just like to throw it in there when I'm doing a re-watch of Star Trek Continues.
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TranscriptWelcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 105 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about an episode of a different fan series - Star Trek New Voyages. āThe Holiest Thingā
Why? I just like to throw this one in when I do a re-watch of Star Trek Continues, because it does a similar thing to Continues, that is, to help develop the story filling in the gaps between TOS and the Star Trek movies. This one introduces Kirk to a much younger Carol Marcus, for the very first time.
So I figured, letās have a look at this one. Next time, weāll be back with part 1 of the finale of Star Trek Continues.
The description on IMDB reads
Captain Kirk and the Enterprise investigate the devastation of Lappa III, apparently by the terraforming efforts of Dr. Carol Marcus.
This episode was written by Rick Chambers
It was directed by Daren Dochterman
And it first aired on the 15th of January 2016
We start this episode in a very unexpected place. A shuttle flies past the camera. But itās not a TOS shuttle. Itās an Enterprise D shuttle. We cut to the inside where we see a woman in TNG era uniform and an older Scotty. So, clearly this is set some time after the TNG episode āRelicsā where a retired Scotty finds himself in the 24th century.
I have to say, they cast a pretty decent look-alike for older scotty.
A guy named Carl Sheldon. He hasnāt done a lot of acting.
Watching this scene, Iām again reminded just how professional the acting and writing are in Star Trek Continues. Now, donāt get me wrong. I love Star Trek New Voyages. They did some amazing stuff long before Star Trek Continues was a thing. But the acting, and the dialog here just isnāt at the same standard as Continues.
But I want to give this show credit for set design and visual effects. What we see in this episode is great.
And not all the acting feels as amateur as this first scene.
The ensign has been doing some training with Captain Scott. Theyāre approaching the Lappa system. She asks Scotty if heās ever been there. He recalls a time in his past, when the world was still very much on the frontier. It was un-inhabited back then. At least, thatās what they thought.
We then cut to the TOS present day.
A scientist, who weāll shortly learn is Dr. Carol Marcus, is working to terraform this planet. Scotty is there, and in this show, he has a moustache. Another little nod to closing the gap between TOS and TMP.
Marcus says āwe have Enterprise and her chief Engineer watching over our shoulder.ā
This is something that bugs me. That she says āEnterpriseā rather than āThe Enterprise.ā
Voyager was the first Star Trek show to drop the word āTheā when referring to the ship. And I was okay with that because āThe Voyagerā somehow sounded wrong. In contrast to āThe Enterpriseā and āThe Defantā which both sounded completely natural and right.
Then we got Enterprise, and on that show, they did the same thing. They called the ship āEnterpriseā, not āThe Enterpriseā
That annoyed me a little, but I got over it.
But nowadays, in Strange New Worlds, they are referring to the original starship Enterprise, the one commanded by Pike and eventually Kirk, as āEnterprise.ā Iām sorry, but thatās just wrong. That ship was always āThe Enterpriseā so that annoys me quite a bit. I donāt like it. I donāt like it at all.
Here, in New Voyages, we have the same problem. Carol is referring to Kirkās ship. It should be āThe Enterpriseā
Marcus told the science council she could terraform Lappa III in less than a decade. But with recent problems with the equipment, itās going to take twice that long.
Both Marcus AND the council seem to be very inpatient about that, even though, as Scotty points out, itās a whole century faster than anybody else has done it before.
It amuses me to see her pacing impatiently when weāre talking timeframes of decades and centuries.
And centuries sounds about right for terraforming, something that, if it is actually possible, is not going to be quick.
Apparently, theyāre using transporter technology in a whole new way. Scotty wants to see what itās all about.
Something goes terribly wrong and the lab explodes. Scotty and Marcus barely escape in their shuttle. But they crash.
This was a pretty spectacular sequence.
The Enterprise crew have recovered Scotty and Marcus. Scotty is pretty banged up. Marcus is unconscious but should be out of here soon. But Kirk is very impatient to speak with her. He needs to know what happened on the outpost.
Jacy King plays Carol Marcus. Married to Brian Gross who plays Kirk.
Sheās a good choice. She definitely looks the part, a lot more than Alice Eve did in Star Trek Into Darkness. And, of course, she doesnāt have the inexplicable British accent.
I didnāt see Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn at the cinema. I donāt know if it even showed here in Tasmania. But I was only 4 years old. I saw the first half of it on TV, and then watched the whole thing on VHS many years later.
When I watched it, it had been quite some time since Iād seen the original TV series. So I had assumed, from the way she was introduced, that weād seen the character of Carol Marcus at some point in the past. Of course, that wasnāt the case. The back-story of Kirk and Carol Marcus always seemed like this big glaring hole that demanded to be filled. So I liked that Star Trek New Voyages chose to fill that hole.
Carol is shocked and horrified to learn all her team is dead.
Thereās no evidence of alien contact. Kirk is going to begin the investigation assuming it was an accident. Carol wants to be a part of it. She will work with Spock.
But McCoy thinks she needs to work with someone more sensitive to her current emotional needs, given her great loss. So Kirk volunteers.
Carolās terraforming technology uses transporters to re-arrange matter. Seems like a pre-cursor to the Genesis device sheāll eventually create.
Scotty thought he saw a ship on sensors, but now they canāt detect anything.
Spock wants to run background checks on Carolās staff, considering the possibility of sabotage. She doesnāt react to this well.
There is now clear tension between her and Spock. Heās not sure she should accompany him to the surface, given her āemotional outbursts.ā
This episode actually gives a character arc to both Marcus and Spock. Marcus, of course, is trying to figure out how to deal with the painful emotions of having lost her crew, and feeling responsible. Spock, on the other hand, has to learn how to relate to a human who is experiencing very understandable strong emotions. Itās a learning experience for both.
A quick zoom out shows us that there is indeed a ship hiding in the system. Itās not cloaked. It seems to be hiding in a gas cloud. Itās not a familiar design. At least, it wasnāt to me, in this shot, but weāll come back to that.
Kirk goes to see Marcus. He apologises for Spock. Marcus has come to agree that Spock asked the right question, she just didnāt like it.
We get some insight into why Marcus is so passionate about terraforming. She talks of a famine that happened on a world. People suffered. She wanted to help. Terraforming dead worlds is an answer, but itās far too slow to be of any practical help.
She is driven by compassion for people.
She sees herself becoming a mother of worlds
Itās a good conversation. Thereās no flirting or inappropriate behaviour, as you often get from Kirk the minute he meets a pretty girl, Just 2 people getting to know each other.
Theyāre both people with authority. They understand each other
Kir acts s little sheepish as he starts to realise his attraction to her. Maybe heās sensing that he feels more than just sexual attraction. Something deeper.
Sheās feeling it too
Spock and Carol beam down to investigate destruction site.
We see Xon at transporter console. He is the Vulcan character created to replace Spock in the original Star Trek Phase 2 series that was cancelled in favour of Star Trek the Motion picture, because Nimoy wasnāt going to be involved in that show. When it became a movie instead of a series, Nimoy agreed to return.
Star Trek New Voyages chose to bring Xon onto the Enterprise as a new character alongside Spock.
Spock and Marcus are learning to appreciate each other.
Marcus seems to be a little envious of Spockās ability to suppress emotion as a Vulcan.
Theyāve found something on the planet. Not something belonging to the team. It doesnāt belong there. Theyāre bringing it aboard for analysis.
Kirk is seeking counsel from bones on how to help Dr. Marcus through what sheās going through. He claims he has no romantic interest in her. That would be wrong. Interesting to see Kirk say that when nothing usually stops him. But Carol is going through a great deal of emotional pain at the loss of her friends.
Sometimes in older fiction, like Star Trek, youāll see characters who are trying to comfort someone through grief, and suddenly it becomes romantic. Like theyāre taking advantage of the other person. Even Star Trek 2009 did this with Uhura and Spock, but reversing the expected gender roles. It felt really odd.
Iām glad to see Kirk not doing that here.
His relationship with Carol Marcus is one that is important to us as fans, so itās nice to see them doing it right.
When the mysterious object causes problems with their respirators, and even Scotty canāt get a lock on Carol, Kirk has a very reckless plan to rescue her. Beaming down without a respirator of his own to give Scotty something to lock onto.
Itās a plan that could work, but probably not something the captain of the ships should be doing.
Weāre clearly seeing here how much Kirk cares about her.
Fortunately, it works.
The energy reading of the debris they found looks kinda like the graphic depicting the genesis wave in Star Trek 2. But this doesnāt really go anywhere.
Kirk takes carol to the arboretum
Sheās changed into a revealing outfit. Makes me think it's a deliberate date.
Carol is thinking of giving up. Kirk doesn't think she will. She cares too much
Kirk has been there too. At what point do you say, this is enough.
Kirk says heāll tell her when he gets there. Heās not there yet and neither is she
The way this is written it feels much more real than most of Kirkās many romances, of which there have been many. Heās not being creepy. Heās not overly flirty. Itās just two people getting to know each other, going deep, and forming a genuine bond. Basically it feels like a real relationship.
Itās condensed for time so itāll fit into a 1 hour episode maybe, but real nonetheless.
Carol and Spock are also growing in their relationship. A professional one. We get the impression from Star Trek II that Spock knew Carol.
Hereās a question. Why does Kirk think itās appropriate to talk to the admiral with his shirt off and slung over his shoulder? I wouldnāt dream of talking to my boss half dressed. If I got a surprise zoom call from him, even if I was in an unprepared state, Iād throw on a shirt before I clicked accept.
Anyway, Starfleet are itching to assemble a warfleet to engage the alien ship that might not might not be there. The admiral needs Kirk to get him some real answers. Fast.
And then, of course, we get another scene where a woman walks in on Kirk shirtless in his quarters and gets embarrassed. Seems I only just talked about this an episode or two ago, so I donāt have any further comments, other than to notice it happening yet again, in another fan production.
Carol has been working very hard on her investigation and hasnāt eaten for 9 hours. Kirk invites her to dinner, which she readily accepts. But it very quickly becomes apparent theyāre not going to dinner. They have ā¦. Other plans.
Itās really not surprising to me that the actors playing Kirk and Marcus are married. You can see the genuine affection between them. I guess thatās the elusive thing that people call chemistry. Whatever that is, these two seem to have it, as youād expect from a real couple.
The next morning, Kirk is finding himself in a bit of a melancholy place, thinking about how the Captainās chair is a lonely one. It was pretty rare for ships captains in Kirkās time to marry. It was a more wild frontier. Gone from earth for years at a time. They didnāt really have families on board like they did in the 24th century.
That hasnāt rarely bothered him with his past conquests. Perhaps because he sees a potential future with Carol.
Theyāre heading for the dust cloud, to try to find that evidence for Starfleet.
After going to warp, Sulu says ālike a leap on the solar windā which is, of course, a reference to Firefly. Not sure exactly why they added that.
Spock has found the cause of the explosion. Protomatter.
This is something that is mentioned in Star Trek 3. Apparently, David Marcus, Carolās son, used protomatter in the matrix for the Genesis device. It was the only way to solve certain problems. Weāre told itās use is unethical because itās ādangerously unstableā
Here, in this episode, we get a bit more of an explanation of what protomatter is.
Itās a remnant from the creation of the universe. It can fluctuate between matter and anti-matter states. If both appeared at the same time, an explosion would occur.
It seems the matrix from Carolās experiment was contaminated with protomatter. Something she acknowledged as a very minute possibility, but so unlikely as to be statistically insignificant.
Sadly, it happened.
Theyāve found the alien ship in the dust cloud.
My first thought when seeing it this time was āthat looks kinda like a Ferengi ship.ā
The alienās weapons are no match for the Enterpriseās shields.
Theyāre refusing to respond to Kirkās hails.
When we see a camera point of view from within the alien ship, we catch a glimpse of the side of their heads. Itās pretty clearly Ferengi.
They claim that the transformation of the planet is a hostile act.
When Kirk says they werenāt aware of anyone have a claim on the planet, the response is āYou didnāt ask,ā and Spock says they have a point.
But ask who?
It was an empty planet. Nobody there. It was claimed by no government that the Federation is aware of. Remember, they wonāt make official contact with the Ferengi until TNG season 1.
So it seems to me the Federation acted in good faith with all the information they had available. I donāt think they could have asked anyone else.
The alien voice makes it clear theyāre not interested in discovery or friendship. Only profit.
And then, the episode breaks continuity by having the alien not only show his face, but identify his species as Ferengi.
This is a really odd move from my point of view.
They already had the Ferengi communicating by voice only. And if they wanted to show the Ferengi on screen, they could have done so purely on the alien bridge Point of View. No need for Kirk to actually see them. Why they started this way and then flipped is beyond me. Theyād set it up the perfect way to include the Ferengi without breaking continuity, and then they did it anyway.
Enterprise did, of course, have an episode with Ferengi, not at no point during that episode did they mention their name to Archer and his crew.
But it occurs to me now that in Encounter at Farpoint, before that official contact, Picard had at least heard the name Ferengi. So I guess they could have heard that name this early. But it always felt to me like a more recent thing. That theyād heard of this race, The Ferengi, but just hadnāt met them yet.
Anyway, the Ferengi claim to have a prior commercial arrangement with the Federation. Something that is news to Kirk.
And then he say a very interesting line
āThe only thing more expensive than a question, is the answer.ā
I wonder if thatās a rule of acquisition. If it isnāt, then it should be.
The only logical possibility is that a member of the team on the planet had made an arrangement with the Ferengi. The question is, did Dr. Marcus know about it?
Kirk is quick to come to her defence, based on his knowledge of her character. But can he offer any evidence?
Carol is really struggling with having lost crewmembers. Itās somewhat compromising her ability to think clearly. This is understandable. Kirk has left people under his command before. He sadly has to let her know that it never stops hurting. I like what theyāre doing with Carolās character in this story.
That protomatter came from somewhere. Maybe there was a black market going on behind her back she wasnāt aware of.
Theyāve detected protomatter in the Ferengiās cargo hold.
Sabotage is not a logical possibility. It makes no financial sense to kill your trading partners.
The project was behind schedule. Someone could have purchased the protomatter to speed things up, and it went badly.
Kirk is going to try to bluff the Ferengi poker style to get information. Of course, it would be good for him to be aware of the Ferengi love of Tongo.
It was the project director, Dr. Robert Dewhitt, who purchased the protomatter. He was as passionate about the project as Carol was. He must have been desperate.
Carol is going to start over. Sheās learned a lot from this experience. She knows how to make it work now. Sheās going to start inventing the Genesis device.
Three days later, they arrive at the nearest starbase to drop off Dr. Marcus. But first, she goes to see Kirk.
Kirk is hoping they can have dinner before parting ways, but she says no.
Then Kirk proposes.
It seems pretty sudden after only a few days. But ā¦ Carol Marcus is his soul mate.
But she says no.
For the reasons she gave in Star Trek 2.
For them to be together, one of them would have to abandon their dream.
Carol claims she canāt do her research on The Enterprise. A lot of her work would require her to be on planets, but surely much of it, especially in the early days, would be lab work. Hard to see why that couldnāt be done on the Enterprise. A ship of scientific exploration.
Kirk offers to leave the Enterprise, leave Starfleet.
But she wonāt let him do that. Over time, he would resent her for it.
Which is possibly true.
She admits she loves him, but, but asks him to stay away.
For all their sakes - all three.
And this is where it gets really unfair.
She tells him sheās pregnant with David, and asks him to stay away. To have absolutely no contact with his son. Ever.
This is how it has to be, because this is what Star Trek 2 set up.
But I believe Carol is wrong here.
I believe she is hurting not only Jim, but David as well. Robbing them both of the relationship they both deserve to have.
This is heart-breaking stuff.
Kirk gallantly does as Carol wishes.
Honestly, I donāt know how he has the strength.
This must haunt him every day for the rest of his life.
It would me.
This episode relies on accepting a lot of truncated time regarding Kirk and Carolās relationship. Thereās no way around that when youāre telling the story of the entire relationship in one episode. But I forgive it because itās a great story. A very fitting prequel to Star Trek 2.
As fun as it was, Iām not sure what the point of the framing device with TNG Scotty was, other than maybe to show that the terraforming efforts eventually succeeded and people are living there now. I would argue that it wasnāt necessary, and might even distract from the episode. But It was cool either way.
But another little thing. At the beginning, Scotty says that Lappa III was uninhabited - or so we thought. I donāt think they paid off that statement. We learn of no indigenous life on the planet. The closest we get to a payoff is the Ferengi, but theyāre not living on the planet, just trading with one of the crew. So Iām not sure what happened there.
Next time, weāre going to look at the first part of Star Trek Coninueās two-part finale.
āTo Boldly Go.ā
Iām looking forward to talking about it.
Donāt forget the first three books in my Jewel of The Stars sci-fi series are available on Amazon, Kobok, Google Play, Apple, all the usual places.
Until next time
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
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.
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TranscriptWelcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 104 of the podcast. (Yes, Iām counting the chat about DC comics from last time)
Today, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āWhat Ships are Forā.
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 heād be playing a character that wasnāt Q, my initial reaction was āWhat a waste of John De Lancie.ā
My thinking went something like this. The idea of having Q visit Kirkās 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 couldnāt have ever been done in TOS because The Next Generation didnāt exist yet. Itās the similar problem to having Kirk and Spock make references to Archer and TāPol. 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, itās unlikely a fan production would be able to get John DeLancie.
But Star Trek Continues managed to get him. But they didnāt 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 Lancieās great performance. He did a fantastic job with this character, and now itās 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 itās 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 sheād rather be a nurse. You donāt 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 youāll 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 donāt really care for, but itās 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 wasnāt 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 āem.
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 Spockās kindness and gallantry revealed by pure calculated reason.
She notes that in all her excitement at meeting aliens, she didnāt see anything other than his ears. āHow often we look but forget to see.ā This is an important line, not only because of what it says, but because of who says it. As weāll see at the end of the episode.
We also learn that Galisti and Thaius are married. Galisti says āHow fortunate I am to call my friend, my wife.ā
And I totally get behind that. I believe that romantic love is best born out of friendship.Thatās why I donāt understand this whole āfriend zoneā thing that āthe kidsā 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 donāt 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 Thaiusās most promising student, Sekara, Kirk goes all ā¦ Kirk. When he meets an attractive woman, he canāt help but flirt with her.
Things get awkward when Tomiat, one of the council, points a gun to his head and yells that Galisti shouldnāt 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 guyās 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 ātrue believerā.
But a believer in what? Their plan to perfect themselves? What leads him to take the mental jump from āThis would be a good strategyā to āif it doesnāt go as we planned, weāre doomedā? It seems a bit of an absurd leap. I donāt know what heās basing it on.
Spock brings things to a peaceful end with a well-placed neck pinch.
Thatās when Galisti explains that Sekara had a disease. Sheāll be dead before the year is out. This is why they broke their isolation with the distress signal. They donāt know what it is, only what it isnāt. 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, sheāll be shielded from the radiation. Spock isnāt certain whether sheāll 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 youād 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, itās pretty overwhelming.She goes into a panic attack. She asks āis it alive?ā
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 sheās gotten used to it, Sekara has a real sense of wonder about colour. Itās like nothing sheās 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 donāt have shields that can block the radiation. Thatās why they still donāt 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 Iād approach with caution. Youāre 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, theyāre 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 doesnāt 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.
Iām suprised at how shocked and dismayed the crew look. Earth has a number of different skin tones. This neednāt 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 thatās 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 donāt 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 donāt 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. āWhat is the purpose of colour?ā Is that something youāve ever wondered? Probably not, as itās 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 ā¦. Other. Something additional that we canāt perceive that another species might. What could that be? I canāt even imagine it. Itās 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 canāt actually conceive of what a colour unknown to us would look like. Because as humans, weāve 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, thatās how it comes across. Iām not suggesting his advances are unwanted by Sekara. But it seems a little premature. But thatās 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 wonāt respond to Kirkās 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. Theyāve 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 weāve 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 doesnāt know enough about the situation to stand in judgement.
Her parents were murdered by abicians.
Kirk concedes this. Itās 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. āPlease tell me, Sekara. I want to understand.ā
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 doesnāt mean they all are, does it?
And I think thatās 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 āyou 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 sheās 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 theyāve 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 didnāt 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 youāre 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 theyāve 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 thatās good. Our compassion for people shouldnāt 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. āGranting entrance to some is an invitation for all. They would overrun our world.ā
They have limited resources. Theyāre struggling to feed their own people.
This is a legitimate concern.
Kirk isnāt suggesting that they open their borders to everyone, but he says theyāre 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 theyād 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?
Iām more conservative than the average Star Trek fan, but I donāt 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 Hyalianiās position seriously.
But itās difficult to reach any sort of logical compromise when Galisti refers to Abicians as āvulgar, selfish and violent. A scourge .ā
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, theyāre 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 Kirkās response to that.
āSafety and compassion are not mutually exclusive. Conscience requires balance.ā
And thatās 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. āAnd you stand here before me, lecturing me about ācompassionā about ābalanceā You condemn the many for the crimes of none. Who do you think you are?
And Iām sorry to have to say it, Kirk, but heās got a point here. Not necessarily against Kirk specifically, but certainly against the Federation itself. Iām not saying the Hyalnini are right in the way theyāre viewing and treating their neighbours, but the Federation is definitely not morally perfect, as much as theyād like to think they are.
Kirk is concerned about what will happen once they cure the Hyalini of their disease and their colour blindness. Theyāll be able to see the abicians all around them. He doesnāt necessarily think theyāll resort to violence and killing, but heās worried theyāll 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. Heās not just angry, heās afraid. Afraid of what might happen to Sekara. He cares for her.
Given the few minutes heās spent with her, I think itās 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 wonāt 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 doesnāt as McKenna points out, heāll be no better. Heāll 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 ānowhere else to goā sparks an idea in Kirk.
Sekara is feeling desperate. Sheās considering destroying the probe that will save Hyilinus. Because of what will happen next. People will turn on each other. They wonāt see neighbours and friends, theyāll see the brutes and thieves theyāve heard about.
She asks Kirk to help find another way to help her sun. One that wonāt 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 sheāll 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.
Itās 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 youāll 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, thatās impossible. I believe that God says, come as you are.
Then we get an explanation for the episodesā title. An old saying. āA ship in the harbour is safe, but thatās 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 didnāt even know the difference. It was about fear and prejudice regarding the abicianās 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.
Sheās wanted to tell her for a long time, but she was afraid heād reject her.
āIām still me, Iām still the same person,ā she insists.
But Galaisti pulls away from her.
āThis changes nothing,ā he says.
It seems Galisti is still clinging to his attitude. He canāt 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 canāt. He says the Enterprise has been called away on an urgent mission and wonāt have the time.
But then the surprise. It turns out the Abicians have the technology to fix your sun.
āBut why would they help us?ā 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 theyāve had it much longer. Itās no wonder their world has fallen into chaos.
These worlds can save each other, but theyāre 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.
Itās very easy to judge Galisti at this moment. Heās been given the proof. Why doesnāt he see Kirkās point. Heās still being a jerk - which he is.
But changing your attitude and beliefs is not an easy thing to do. If weāre fair, we canāt expect Galisti to change his entire outlook in thirty seconds, but you can see that it is starting, as Thaius and Sekara say āthere is no them anymore, only us.ā
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 doesnāt, 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 weāre going to take a brief detour.
Weāre going to talk about an episode of another Star Trek fan show.
Star Trek New Voyages āThe Holiest Thingā
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.
In this episode, I talk about some of the DC Comics that I've read in recent time. I cover
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Batman: The Killing Joke
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Green Lantern Emerald Twilight
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Zero Hour: Crisis in Time
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Superman: Dead Again
This is a bonus as my next Star Trek Continues podcast is not yet ready. Next fortnight, we'll return to our regularly scheduled program.
This episode of Star Trek Continues takes an alternative look at what might have happened to the USS Defiant after The Tholian Web, making use of a divergence field so as not to contradict In a Mirror Darkly. It also features a guest appearance of Rekha Sharma, before her role in Star Trek Discovery.
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TranscriptWelcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 102 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āStill Treads The Shadowsā.
The description on IMDB reads
The Enterprise becomes trapped on the edge of a rift in space where alternate universes meet and Kirk finds himself having to contend with a ghost from his past and danger in the present.
This episode was written by Judy Burns
It was directed by Julian Higgins
And it first aired on the 1st of April 2017
And this one guest stars Rekha Sharma of Battlestar Galactica fame, and she actually appeared here long before she appeared in Star Trek Discovery.
The Enterprise is investigating a nascent singularity. A gravitational wave engineer has been sent along to help them.
This makes sense to me, while one of Starfleetās primary missions is scientific, and they have their own scientists, if there is no expert on a given field on board, a guest may be sent with them. And if the leading expert on a field is a civilian, it makes sense that a civilian would go along to work with the crew.
Thereās a stronger than anticipated gravitational wave. It has consumed planets 3 through 8 in ten days and is about to destroy a moon.
It seems our guest, Avi Samara, is on a first name basis with Kirk. She calls him Jim, then corrects herself.
Theyāre detecting an interdimensional rift, like the one Kirk was nearly lost in back in The Tholian Web.
Theyāve detected a lifeform, itās not on the moon as they first think, but on a ship. The USS Defiant.
Well thatās interesting. Especially since we know what happened to the Defiant after The Tholian Web. It ended up in the 22 century of the mirror universe. (and that episode aired long before this series was thought of)
Also when The Defiant vanished, there was nobody alive on board.
Samara wants to go aboard to investigate, but Kirk denies her request without explanation.
All the dead crewmen Kirk saw last time are gone. The bridge is empty.
Bones has found the lifesign. Itās a much older looking Kirk. Cryonically preserved.
A DNA scan suggests heās not a clone because thereās no genetic drift. Heās literally Kirk.
Samaraās research suggests that rogue singularities can move from universe to universe.
The Defiant is stuck, halfway between two universes. Her engines have been modified over a long period of time to reach warp 15.
Old Kirk arrives in the briefing lounge. All this time he thought theyād left him behind. Now he finds his old crew, still young, and ā¦. Himself.
Even old Kirk knows Samara, so theyāve known each other prior to this mission. Given their embrace it seems they were close.
Old Kirk remembers the attempt to beam him back to the Enterprise, but he found himself back on the Defient. Samara suggests a divergence field.
Two Kirks. Two Defiants.
They donāt know where our Defiant went, (but we do) but this is the duplicate.
The other defiant has been in another universe for 217 years.
The big question is, who put Kirk in cryo?
The old-age makeup isnāt bad. Along similar lines to what was done in the original series. But not at the level of what could be done today with a professional budget. And Vic does a good job of altering his performance, his voice, to help sell it.
It would have been interesting if theyād been able to get William Shatner for this episode to play older Kirk. It would be a good way to bring him back, something heās sometimes said heād like to do if the role was more than a cameo. Fan productions have had original series actors appear in the past, and Continues is one of the most professional.
Part of me wonders if they actually approached him.
Before we can get an answer, a Klingon ship appears.
They claim salvage rights over the Defiant but theyāre struck with phaser fire from an unknown source and pulled into the anomaly
The only other ship here is the defiant but thereās nobody on board.
Thatās when old Kirk appears and orders Uhura to open a channel to the defiant.
Kirk speaks to someone called Tiberius. It appears to be an artificial intelligence.
It speaks with Jimās voice. It claims to be the protector of James Kirk.
Samara speculates that given the time, the Defiant computer could have developed multi-tronic circuits. Which is a bizarre statement to me. Is she suggesting that the computer evolved? By itself? Thatās a bit out there.
Tiberius wants its friend back. It wants old Kirk to be returned.
Old Kirk warns against firing at the defiant, saying āyou canāt give him the power, it feeds the dark.ā
He then clutches his head and Bones rushes him back to sickbay.
That seems to be a foolish move.
Clearly old kirk has information. Information about Tiberius that is vital, that could determine their safety.
And Bones just gets him out of there before he can give that information.
I understand the need to get the older man medical help, he is clutching his head in obvious pain, but this doesnāt give the impression of a medical emergency so life-threatening that they canāt take a moment to let old Kirk explain.
What makes it even worse is that not long after, Bones will confirm there is nothing physically wrong with the man, heās just old, and will send him to McKenna.
Kirk tries to negotiate with Tiberius but it isnāt interested in the crewās safety. He blames them for abandoning Kirk, which they technically didnāt do. They didnāt know the duplicate Kirk existed. And old Kirk tried to explain this to tiberius.
Scotty has found a recording of Tiberius saying āit is forbidden for you to remember.ā
Thatās creepy. āKnow you are safe. The dark will send you home.ā
A brainwashing device.
Is Tiberius protecting him from something? Something it thinks old Kirk shouldnāt remember?
Theyāve found the duplicateās logs.
Duplicate kirk reprogrammed the computer with a new prime directive, to get Kirk home.
Itās started developing a personality.
Kirk says āheās imprinting on me.ā Iām not sure what he means by that.
Now Iām a software developer. Now you can code an artificial intelligence. Weāve done a little of that at our work, with image recognition, but most of my work relates to an asset management system. It has some cleverness and expert knowledge built into it, but itās essetially a database that stores the details and condition of assets, like bridges.
No matter how much data we store in this system, no matter how many features I code into it, itās not going to spontaneously become self-aware. Itās going to suddenly transform into an AI application like ChatGPT.
You can make an AI, but youāve actually got to code it. Microsoft Word is not suddenly going to turn into Alexa.
Iām just not buying the idea of Tiberius, which makes it difficult for me to connect with this story, because its existence is kind of crucial to that story.
Anway, after 31 years, Kirk is still failing to find a way home.
Old Kirk is back in his old quarters. This was his cabin once. He has a lot fo talk to McKenna about.
It took him 4 months to bury all the crew of the Defiant.
McKenna tries to comfort Kirk with the words of The Ancient Mariner.
He was given a second chance to help ensure that others donāt lose hope.
Kirk is struggling with a sense of betrayal on two fronts, first from his crew he thought abandoned him, and second, from the only āfriendā heās had in many years.
McKenna says what he needs is to know that although heās lost all those years, he hasnāt lost who he is.
Interestingly, the best person to help him might be our Kirk. Who knows him better? What would Kirk need to hear if he was in old Kirkās place?
I like that McKenna gets to be a counsellor in this episode.
They reminisce about knowing Samara. Apparently they were close when Kirk was a teenager. Samara rebuilt a biplance.
Another nice touch is seeing the defiant uniform with its custom logo patch. But weāll talk more about that when we get to the finale.
A question old kirk had to grapple with was
Are you even a captain when you have no crew? Are you a leader when no one is following?
He knew his crew wouldn't leave him, but the decades passed and they never came. You canāt replace them because there are no other societies to integrate into. It was a universe of void. Nothingness.
When does a machine become conscious?
When there is nobody around to say it canāt.
I never said he couldnāt, so he did.
And now heās as self aware as he is invincible.
And this is all nicely poetic, but Iām still not buying it.
If heās self aware, maybe he can be reasoned with.
Kirk says Tiberious is hiding something. Something so horrific that you could never face it.
Old kirk says āthe dark.ā but he canāt remember what that means.
The rift is emitting dark matter.
The Computer suggested a new engine design with the power to open a rift home. In year 51, the computer is sentient.
And bloomin McCoy, just as old kirk is explaining things, he wants to give him another sedative. Why? I dunno, because itās hard for him to get the words out. I'm sure thereās more to it but the episode doesnāt really explain the stakes to us.
IT almost feels like McCoy is the one trying to keep this horrible secret.
Shared realities. Two black holes that must not merge.
McCoy has to finally give him that sedative because old kirkās blood pressure is going through the roof.
Spock speculates on what I think is a really interesting sci-fi idea. Binary black holes. Black holes are basically collapsed stars, right? Two black holes,somehow separated into the two realities? Not sure Iām fully putting together what theyāre trying to explain.
Tiberius was determined to blast through the rift.
That would manifest the additional singularity. IF they merge theyāll destroy the entire sector.
Old kirk pleaded with him, tried to shut him down.
Kirk wanted to get home, but not at the expense of this price. The defiant computer must have drained the oxygen to put Kirk to sleep. But how did he get into the cryo pod?
Scotty may have a way to disable Tiberius, but theyād need somebody on board the Defiant to do it.
Kirk says he canāt send old kirk back, so theyāll just have to forget that plan and attack the ship.
Okay.
Why is it a given that the only person they can send over is old kirk?
They have an entire crew of officers. Itās a potentially dangerous away mission, yes. But isnāt that what Starfleet officers are trained for?
Now maybe Kirk weighs up the risk and decides not to put anyone in that kind of danger, but why does he act like Old Kirk is the only one they could send?
Old Kirk wants to know how things are with young Kirk and Samara.
They chose their separate paths. I think old Kirk was hoping theyād gotten together.
Bones and Spock discuss (rather heatedly, from Mcoyās side) the nature evil.
Spock argues that Tiberius is not evil. It doesnāt have the capacity for that. It only knows logic.
Bones argues that Kirk was able to forgive because heās human. Tiberius doesnāt get that. An intelligent machine with no mercy. IF thatās not evil, he doesnāt know what is.
Spock doesnāt necessarily agree, but he definitely concedeās McCoyās point by agreeing to refer to Tiberius as an āevil twin.ā
I think this. Itās an interesting little philosophical discussion. THe kind of thing you expect from Spock and McCoyās banter.
With the Enterprise hidden, Kirk proposes a game of chess. If Tiberius wins, he gets Old Kirk back. If the Enterprise wins, tiberius helps them close the rift.
Tiberius agrees.
Risky.
But Iām sure Kirk has something up his sleeve.
Perhaps heās going to have the game reprogrammed to let Kirk win. Something old Kirk did to Tiberius once.
This is essentially the same way Kirk passed the Kobayashi Maru.
Tiberius accuses Kirk of cheating, but Tiberius cheated as well when he brainwashed his friend.
Then Tiberius vanishes in a cloud of illogic. Now THAT is a classic TOS move.
Old Kirk hopes that the AI is not dead. Kirk says it just has a bad headache.
Kirkās trick was a trojan horse program.
The defiant auto-diagnostic will restart TIberius in about an hour.
Thereās a nice moment when Kirk makes it clear he includes Old kirk as a senior officer on this ship.
The black hole is still a problem.
Old kirk is the logical one to go aboard and solve the problem. But heās not in great shape. Young Kirk puts his older counterpart in command of the Enterprise. Heās going to the defiant himself.
But thereās a problem. Heāll have to take the defiant back through the rift. Heāll end up trapped there, just like the other Kirk was.
Kirk has some guilt over leaving his duplicate behind, even though he didnāt know the duplicate existed.
Scotty offers to go with Kirk, but Samara says sheās the better choice.
At least Kirk wonāt be alone in that void universe. Heāll have a friend, possibly something more.
They do some good body doubling work in this episode, having two kirks on screen at once.
Old Kirk has sabotaged his younger versionās plan. He uses a hypo on young Kirk and takes him place. Everyone seems cool with this.
But bad news. Tiberius is back. Old Kirk pleads with him to try to feel. To find mercy. Kindness.
Kirkās only option is to destroy tiberius. Once his only friend.
Itās a hard thing for him to do. But he has no choice.
I like seeing the TNG style tractor beam effect in a TOS setting. In TOS they didnāt have the budget to do an effect for the tractor beam. At least, I assume thatās the reason.
Iāve always liked the look of the TNG era tractor beam.
It seems Samara wasnāt sure this would be a one way trip.
Old kirk has to stay but Samara doesnāt. He kisses her and helps her escape.
He saves her, but dooms himself to loneliness and isolation for the whatever remains of his life.
I understand. He cares for her. He canāt put her through what heās been through. IF she came, after he died, sheād be stuck there for decades alone.
ITās a selfless act.
And Samar is showing a lot of selflessness as well, wishing she could be with him.
When Samara says heās all alone, Kirk says āNot anymore.ā
What does he mean by that?
Perhaps that while yes, old kirk is alone, at least he knows he isnāt abandoned.
Itās a bit of a dark ending. But a noble one.
This was a mixed episode. Thereās some stuff I really liked in it, and some stuff I didnāt.
Recka Sharma is pretty good in the episode. For a while there I thought I was going to have to say they didnāt give her anything to do, but they rectified that toward the end of the episode.
There were a few logic things I stumbled over, but that could be as much my fault as the episodeās. But the big issue was Tiberius. I just couldnāt buy that.
What lifts up the episode, and possibly saves it for me, is the character stuff. Old Kirkās pain, his PTSD from what heās gone through. And the relation between both Kirks and Samara.
This isnāt a great episode, but it may still be a good one, ultimately.
NEst time, weāll be talking about the episode āWhat Ships are Made Forā which features a guest appearance by John De LAncie himself, but not as Q.
I look forward to discussing that one with you.
Until then, donāt forget to check out Jewel of the Stars at AdamDavidCollings.com/books.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
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.
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TranscriptWelcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 101 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āEmbracing the Winds.ā
And Iām 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 thatās the number 2 in books 2 read)
Let me quickly read the back cover blurb and then weāll 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 humanityās enemy ā the Dracnor. And there may be an enemy agent on board.
Before the fall of Earth, a madman made doomsday predictions on Captain Les Millerās 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 galaxyās 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 āTurnabout Intruder.ā
That episode postulates that women are not allowed to be Starship captains in Starfleet.
Of course, weāll see a number of female captains after this, in Star Trek 4, Yesterdayās 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 donāt 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 āLolaniā dealing with the fallout in the Orion Syndicate, and how things may be changing due to Lolaniās influence.
And thatās beautiful. This is the kind of ongoing continuity you just didnāt 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 couldnāt have been done in the 60s.
I have to ask, are there any high ranking Starfleet officers who donāt indulge in Romulan ale? Perhaps Admiral Ross really was the only one. Even Spock relents and drinks after the news heās 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. Heās proud of Spock and happy for him, but he doesnāt want to lose his first officer, and his friend.
But there could be a complication with spockās promotion
A Commander Garret had also applied for the job. They decided she wasnāt the best suited for command.
She has an excellent service record.
She has filed an appeal that sheās been selectively overlooked because sheās 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 wouldnāt 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 isnāt 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 āmaybe it should be.ā
Starfleet has never given a woman command of a constitution class starship. Heās 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 doesnāt 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 itās 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 youāre a male candidate, and would make a great captain, your career is basically on hold. Youāll miss out on a job youāre qualified for because of your gender. Which, ironically, is the exact problem youāre trying to solve. Itās just that itās happening to people on the other side now.
There are no perfect solutions. Iām 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 heās been ordered to interview her and form his own conclusions. Spock points out that perhaps Kirkās opinion is coloured by his desire to keep his first officer and friend on the Enterprise. He admits he canāt deny that is part of what heās 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 doesnāt want to talk about it. Her testimony, and her personal logs are all on record. She feels she has nothing more to say, and doesnāt 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 whatās happening. She decides to check in on Spock to see how heās 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 Starfleetās 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 Spockās 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 thatās a good word. I donāt 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 Garrettās past which require scrutiny.
McKenna asks him if sheād be under the same scrutiny if she was a man.
He feels she would.
But one can never be certain about othersā motives.
McKenna adds ābut we can certainly be clear about our own.ā
Gray growls at Kirk for antagonising Garrett, something he certainly didnāt 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. Itās generally agreed that this works best if the two are linked in some way, either by plot, or theme. Although it honestly doesnāt 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 Scottyās head. He doesnāt 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 ānot this time,ā and then gives the conn to another officer. Chekov is feeling overlooked. Uhura points out that heās gifted but unfocussed. He has wide interests, doing a little of everything, but has no speciality. Uhura recommends choosing something heās really passionate about and focusing on that.
Interestingly, Iād imagine being a jack of all trades would be a very useful trait in a command officer. Maybe thatās ultimately why he ends up as first officer of the Reliant.
In any case, itās really nice to see Star Trek giving Chekov some character development. Whoād 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, heās 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. Spockās qualifications are material to this case, which, of course, is true.
Stonn asks Spock how heād 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. Spockās race shouldnāt have any more bearing on the decision than Garrettās gender.
Stonn posits that a personās 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.
Iām not totally clear on the point heās 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 shouldnāt be the reason a candidate is denied, but perhaps it shouldnāt 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 heās on the landing party and uses it to remove something from the Hoodās 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 Garrettās part. An investigation carried out by a Tellarite.
She, and others, āplead the seventh guaranteeā during the proceedings. Iām 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 canāt 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 donāt really know if sheās right. If not then her behaviour here is not appropriate, but if she truly did nothing wrong, then sheās 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 thatās what seems to be holding Gray back. Not the fact that Garrett has made some mistakes, but that she canāt admit to them and learn from them. Nobody is saying a captain must be perfect. But they must be honest about themselves.
Thereās a massive power surge in the hoodās engines. The Enterprise canāt beam them back because the Hoodās shields have gone up. The reactor is going critical. Scotty canāt eject the core. Itās looking hopeless.
We get some wonderful performances from Chris Doohan and Kim Stringer as Scotty and Uhura realise that theyāre going to die. Scotty places his hand on Uhuraās. This could be seen as foreshadowing of the eventual relationship those two will have in the movie era, but I think itās more just a comfort thing, two colleagues, two friends, who know theyāre not going to make it. The look on Uhuraās 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.
Itās 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. āIt may not be my time, but it most certainly is theirs.ā And I think this is an important step in character growth for her.
Gray says āWe are all in agreement with that. Kirk and Stomm nod.
As Spock leaves, Stomm says āPeace and long lifeā to him.
I think thatās his Vulcan way of saying, ānothing personal, Mate.ā
And Spockās reply of āLive long and prosperā seems to say, āYeah, not worries. All good.ā
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. āAnd thanks him for saving their lives.ā
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 donāt know what caused the overload in the Hoodās engine. That worries Scotty.
I donāt remember if they follow up on this or not. But it would certainly be cool if they did. Itās 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, āwho knows, maybe some day a Garrett will command an Enterprise. And if you havenāt 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 isnāt an exact one-to-one parallel to current events, but that it poses difficult questions that make you think.
Next time, weāll be looking at the episode āStill Treads the Shadowā. I donāt remember what this one is about, so Iāll find out when I re-watch it.
Donāt forget to check out Jewel of the Stars Book 3
Until next time,
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
I'm very busy preparing to publish my third book and I have run out of time to produce today's episode. I'll be taking a little break over January to rest and publish my book. I intend to be back with regular fortnightly episodes in February.
Thank you so much for listening to Nerd Heaven and have a wonderful holiday.
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)
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
And itās a big moment. This is episode 100 of the podcast. How insane is that?
When TV shows make it to 100 episodes, itās a big deal and they usually celebrate by doing something special.
Iām 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, weāre going to be talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āCome Not Between The Dragonsā.
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 youāll notice thatās 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 donāt 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, Iāve become quite a fan of Farscape, so itās very cool to see her here.
By the way, I canāt believe I didnāt 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. Iām unbelievably embarrassed that I didnāt notice and comment on it. Sorry about that.
This one starts off seeming to be a monster story. But weāll soon learn that itās 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
Itās very telling of Scotty when Kirk says āat least there were no casualtiesā and Scotty says āthere were - the Lexington.ā
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 sheās not quite part of their little friendship circle, but theyāre welcoming her in. And isnāt that just the way a friendship group should work? I know itās 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, āthat should be impossible.ā But Iād 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 canāt find it.
As we end the teaser, we see that whatever it is has broken into Elizaās quarters.
But we donāt see it, only her reaction.
This is an okay use of the āhide the monsterā trope because weāll almost immediately see what sheās seeing after the credits, but her reaction gives us a powerful hook.
And Taylor isnāt sure what sheās 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. Weāll 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.
Iām 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 wasnāt a thing yet. Itās 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. Itās bipedal.
Taylor cowers in the corner and throws something at it. It retreats.
Iād say Taylor reacts in a very non starfleet way here. Sheās 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 canāt judge her too harshly.
It doesnāt take long to find the intruder. It rips holes through walls. Itās not exactly subtle.
Kirk begins by assuming the intruder is intelligent. He asks if it understands him. The lack of reply certainly doesnāt 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, Kirkās 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 canāt transport it.
Kirkās 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.
Iām not sure what Kirk was trying to accomplish there, but it certainly didnāt help build any rapport of trust between them.
Kirk and Bones have found some fascinating things about the creatureās biology. Itās a unique lifeform - probably natively spaceborn. It has multiple hearts and no lungs. But all McCoyās 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 alienās unique vocalisations. I donāt know that weāve 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 āIām sorry if I hurt you.ā and then asks what itās called. It replies, Usdi. When asked why he came here, Usdi replies āMe. To. Hurt.ā
That doesnāt sound good. Is it a threat? Itās 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. Heās 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 theyāre experiencing without fear of judgement.
Checkov is feeling suspicion and paranoia.
Spockās in a bad way. We learn that the part of the brain responsible for suppressing emotions in Vulcans is called the mesiofrontal cortex. So thatās pretty cool.
But itās working so hard right now McCoy is worried itāll burn up. Spock is filled with powerful emotions. But theyāre not his.
Spock is also physically injured. Possibly from his dust-up with the alien.
He asks Spock to lock him up. Heās dangerous. Something dark and dangerous in his Vulcan mind is being awoken.
Kirk would do well to follow Spockās recommendation here. Spock knows what heās 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 āUsdi is hiding from me.ā He looks like heāll 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. Heās absolutely right. For the wrong reason.
Heās wanting to put Spock in the brig as punishment for insubordination.
McCoy is right that Spock isnāt 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 heās not himself either, that heās 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 wouldnāt 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, theyāre 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.
Itās 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.
Iām embarrassed to say the first time I watched this, I didnāt put it all together until later, but watching it now, it all seems so obvious what weāre dealing with.
Taylor is hiding Udsi in her quarters. She calls in McKenna for help. She doesnāt 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.
āYou must have done something to deserve this,ā she says.
Could it be the proximity to Udsi is what focuses the rage, while those whoāve 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 itās 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. Sheās trying to push through it. But itās 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 āLeave McCoy to meā I wasnāt imagining sheād just slug him in the face and knock him out, but it was effective. She canāt fight the anger in her, but here she was able to use it for something good. Well, not that punching McCoy is good, but itās 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, itās kinda cool that theyāre 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 didnāt allow for filling sickbay with extras.
Scotty is reacting to all of this a little differently. Rather than getting angry at everyone, heās having a lovely old time drinking. Scotty hasnāt 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 heās not talking.
The redshirt figures out if they move Usdi to engineering, the ship might have a harder time locating him. Heās able to simulate Scottyās 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. Sheās still under the influence of the waves. Kirk should be here soon as he told Smith to meet him here. Weāre not sure what heās 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 āWhyā. Smith canāt answer, because sheās being motivated not by logic or reason, but by emotions. Emotions that are clearly not hers.
McKennaās question, and her offer of an alpha generator definitely gives her pause. If Kirk hadnāt called her, she might have relented, but a conflict ensures. Possibly not a great idea of McKennaās to attack her while she was distracted. Smith is clearly the better fighter, and the fight only serves to feed the anger.
Iām noticing that in this episode, thereās a real focus on the female characters. Taylor, McKenna, Smith, Uhura. Theyāre all taking on significant and powerful roles. But the episode doesnāt make a big deal about it. And I think thatās the best way to do it.
I recently watched the Star Trek animated episode āThe Lorlelai Signalā. 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 donāt 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 itās better for it. Contrast this to that scene in Avengers Endgame which just felt a bit on-the-nose to me.
Anyway, Iām loving it because these are great characters played by great actors, and Iām enjoying seeing them get to do much more than the original series would have allowed them. Iām especially enjoying how theyāre developing Smith.
Usdi is communicating with Taylor again. She says she understands, but weāre not hearing a verbal translation this time. So ā¦ Iām not sure how that works.
Kirk beams in with Smith and several security officers. Kirk has a big phaser rifle, so thatās what he was up to.
Thatās 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, theyāll all be able to think clearly.
Honestly, Iām 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 letās 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 itās not a ship. As the image appears on the monitor, we see that itās another Utana, but much bigger than Usdi.
The entire crew are wearing alpha generators now, so weāve resolved that particular conflict and moved on to the next. I think that was a good choice for the script. We donāt want an entire episode of mutiny among the crew, because ultimately, thatās 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 heās 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 heās a child, and heās 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. Kirkās answer āIāll fire you later,ā reminds me of a line heāll say much later in Star Trek 3. āFine. Iāll kill you later.ā
The adult refuses to respond to hails. It attacks the Enterprise.
I wouldnāt 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 adultās custody.
But how can they? That thing wants to kill him.
Kirk finds an alternative. Fire a torpedo at the part of the alienās body that seems to be generating the destructive waves.
When Usdi sees the attack against the adult on the screen, he says āUsdi protect.ā
Taylor misunderstands. Usdi isnāt asking for protection. Heās stating that he must protect the adult.
Taylor goes to the bridge to explain the situation. The alien out in space is Udsiās father.
Usdi has left the ship. Positioned himself between the Enterprise and his father.
The attack has stopped.
If we havenāt 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 canāt perceive.
Now itās time for Kirk to make one of those famous Starfleet captain speeches.
He points out that while all the entityās 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.
Itās a complex paradox.
A difficult one.
Thereās a nice scene between Kirk and Spock. Iām 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. Heās frustrated that he was unable to convince Udsiās 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. Iām sure there are many loved ones of violent abusers who want so desperately to change that person. But itās 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 didnāt expect silence.
But maybe silence isnāt so bad. Maybe silence represents thinking. Maybe a contemplation of oneās own actions is better than lashing out.
Kirk wonders, what would it take to change someone like that?
Spockās answer, āone is better able to lead someone down an unfamiliar path when one has already been down that path oneself.ā
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. Weāll continue to explore it, to see where it might lead.
Theyāve found where Udsi and his father have gone. Kirk goes to see Taylor. āI wasnāt able to reach him, but maybe you can.ā
Spockās words have sparked an idea in Kirk. And I think maybe he knows something about Taylor that we donāt yet.
Gigi Edgleyās 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.
āYour son loves you very very much. Just like I love my father,ā she says.
āI know in your heart that youāre 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.ā
The alien says one word back. āHeal.ā
āChange for Usdi.ā
Iām 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 itās a thematic episode, itās a message episode, but thereās nothing political or controversial about it. Itās the kind of message Iāve never seen in a TV show before, but itās an important message. The creators of this show found something important to say that not many others have said before. And Iām not saying sci-fi shouldnāt 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, itās easy to think, āwell, 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 itās because the child has genuinely done something really bad, or maybe itās pressure in life that has nothing to do with them.
I know from time to time, Iāve taken the time to stop and examine my parenting. To ask hard questions of whether Iām taking my frustrations out on my children in a way that I shouldnāt. To see if there are any changes that I need to make in how I parent.
And I think thatās a healthy thing to do.
For the sake of our kids.
Anyway, Star Trek Continues never fails to impress me. Itās 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 canāt believe Iāve 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 āBest of Both Worlds.ā 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 Iād seen in trailers. It was a fun little series and allowed me to cover some old favourites.
I remember Iād 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 theyād 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 hadnāt 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. Iād watch the episode on Friday night just for fun. Then Iād watch it again on Saturday morning, taking notes. Then Iād 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 couldnāt keep up this pace. And there were so many other content creators covering new Star Trek. I couldnāt 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 Iād 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 itās good or bad.
While this was a less crowded niche, I didnāt 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 Iām 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 Iām having a blast.
So what lies in the future? Iām 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 donāt have all the answers, but at least Iām not burning myself out like I was this time last year.
Iām pleased to say that I have got back into my writing and at the time of recording, Iām nearing the time where Iāll finally publish book 3 of Jewel of The Stars. I canāt wait to talk about that in a future episode of the podcast.
I want to thank all those who have listened to this podcast. Iām sure my audience has changed over times as Iāve covered different shows.
I donāt know if thereās anyone listening whoās been around since the early days, but if there is, let me know. Because that would be really encouraging.
Next time, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āEmbracing the Winds.ā
Until then, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Today in the podcast, we talk about the Star Trek Continues episode "Divided We Stand" which sees Kirk and McCoy living out something of a nightmare in the American civil war. And we discuss what the mysterious nanites might represent in the greater world of Star Trek.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 99 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āDivided We Stand.ā
And if youād like to check out some of my original science fiction, head over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
I recently appeared as a guest on the Yum Yum Podcast with fellow Australian nerds, Ryan and Rachel, discussing the Babylon 5 episode āCeremonies of Light and Dark.ā If you love Babylon 5, as well you should, be sure to check out the episode, and all the other stuff that Ryan and Rachel do at Yum Yum Podcast.
The description on IMDB reads
After an explosion on the bridge resulting from a failed attempt to isolate the ship's computer from a nano-virus, Kirk and McCoy wake up to find themselves in the middle of one of America's bloodiest conflicts.
The teleplay was written by Marc Cushman & Susan Osborn
With story by Vic Mignogna and additional material by Todd Haberkorn
It was directed by Vic Mignogna
And it first aired on the 25th of September 2015.
This episode was dedicated to the memory of Grace Lee Whitney. Another of Star Trekās veterans who sadly passed away during the making of this show.
This one gets right into the action, making good use of the captainās log to skip past all the setup and throw us right in the thick of the crewās trouble. The Enterprise computer has been infected with a virus, or as Kirk calls it, a pathogen, a term I havenāt heard in computer science before. This happened when they tried to make contact with an old Earther probe called Friendship 3. This is significant, because, as you may remember, Voyager once encountered the predecessor - Friendship 1 - in the Delta Quadrant.
What makes this pathogen interesting is that it is of a much more advanced technology than the primitive earth probe. It is quickly migrating through the entire ship, Spockās library computer, scottyās engineering specs.
Spock doesnāt think this is a virus, and itās not singular. He says he detects hundreds of thousands of microscopic objects. Soā¦are we talking actual physical objects? Heās also seeing evidence of high-level intelligence.
McCoy shows a startling lack of awareness as he casually arrives on the bridge and berates Kirk for not keeping his medical checkup appointment. Now if the circumstances were different, McCoy would be well within his rights, but itās very obvious that the bridge crew are in the middle of a crisis. Kirk clearly has a good reason for missing his appointment and this is not the time or place to hassle him about it. That time will come later, of course.
The intelligence of whatever is invading the ship is growing.
As the bridge controls overload, Kirk finds himself in a very unexpected place and time. Heās on a primitive battlefield, surrounded by men firing rifles, and wearing unfamiliar uniforms.
This scene marks āDivided We Standā as the first episode of Star Trek Continues to take us off the ship. If you think about it, the last four have all taken place on board the Enterprise.
If Iām not mistaken, this is the American civil war. Is this a holographic simulation? A fantasy created by a being like Trelane? In Star Trek, there are many possibilities, but in their shoes, time travel wouldnāt be my first thought. I mean, what could have caused it right? So Kirk and McCoy would be feeling understandably disoriented and confused.
But, theyāre in uniform, which means theyāre expected to fight. At the very least, they canāt just sit here and wait for the bullets. They may have to play along until they figure out what the go is. But they wisely manage to remove themselves from the situation to avoid taking any rash actions they may not be able to undo.
They wisely also choose to treat this as real, and not take any unnecessary risks.
Now, youāll have to excuse my lack of knowledge about his particular event in history. Oh, I know the basics. North vs South. I believe it was primarily fought over the issue of slavery, although they may be more to it?
I imagine American audiences would be able to tell immediately by looking at their uniforms, which side Kirk and McCoy are meant to be on. At this point in the story, I havenāt figured that out yet.
The interesting thing is, it seems that they are both on different sides. Now THAT could make things interesting.
And it was cool to see Dr. MāBenga in this episode. Itās only logical for him to step up and take on the role of chief medical officer while McCoy is missing.
I believe MāBenga only appeared in two episodes of the original series, although he is, of course, a series regular on Strange New Worlds. At the time of recording, I still have no idea why, although he was chief medical officer under pike, he seems to have been demoted by TOS. I mean, heās still serving on the Enterprise but McCoy is chief. So what happened? Strange New Worlds is gonna have to address that at some point.
At first it seems strange that Spock is asking MāBenga about the computer virus. Why would you have a medical doctor assess a computer problem? Then we pan over and see Kirk and Bones unconscious in bio-beds, their faces pale. Whatever has infected the ship has also infected their bodies.
I think this episode is lacking some precision of terminology when it comes to what we are dealing with. From what I gather, this isnāt a computer virus, which is simply a self-perpetuating piece of software with malicious intent. Itās some kind of swarm of small physical objects that are interfering with the computer somehow, but also invading Kirk and McCoyās bodies.
MāBenga canāt prevent the spread of these things in the human bodies, he can only slow it, but in a day or two, theyāll be dead.
So, what we can gather so far is that despite the episode descrition, weāre not dealing with time travel here. Weāre dealing with some kind of mental projection from an alien entity.
Kirk refers to McCoy as a southern gentleman, so I gather his uniform is from the south. But then again, McCoy himself IS southern, so Kirk could be referring to that.
A group of Kirkās team find them. They assume McCoy is Kirkās prisoner, at least until they notice Bones still has his weapon.
The leader of this group is pretty aggressive toward McCoy, but then, this is war. He takes Kirkās word for it a little too easily when he pretends to be a famous Kirk from the time, especially given his uniform has the wrong rank.
The leader is shot by a sniper on the other side. And we get verbal confirmation that McCoyās uniform is confederate, which I believe is the south. Kirk wants to bury the confederate sniper. The northerners are hesitant. Afterall, heās the enemy.
Kirk tries to preach the virtue of having compassion for all people, even oneās enemies, but theyāre not very interested.
Itās hard to judge them too harshly. Kirk is correct, of course, but itās not easy to have compassion on somebody who just killed one of your own - probably a friend.
McCoy could easily save this wounded soldierās life with 23rd century technology, but itāll be a challenge with period instruments. But I donāt think itās just technology. A doctor of the time could probably do a lot more because theyāre familiar with the equipment.
McCoy raises the typical time travel problems. What if man is supposed to die and they heal him, or what if he was supposed to live, but by being here, they caused him to get shot? Being in the past is very risky. Of course, they donāt know that theyāre not actually in the past. They have to treat this as if itās real.
Like the previous episode, this one had new music composed by Andy Farber and performed by the STC Orchestra.
Back in the original series, they didnāt write all new music for every episode. Each season, theyād record some new music cues to add to the toolbox, and a music editor was apply them to the scenes of episodes, But when something big, special, or out-of-the-box happened, theyād write specific new music for it.
Thatās kind of how they did this episode. With all the civil war stuff going on, this episode really cried out for new original music. They re-used stuff where appropriate, but created new stuff where it was needed.
Some really interesting trivia. They used the melody of Uhuraās song about Charlie, in the episode Charlie X, but that melody actually dates back to the American Civil war. It was a folk song about union volunteer soldiers. In this episode, it becomes Billyās theme.
Spock and Scotty have found a way to draw the alien presence out of the Enterprise computer. Itās attracted to new sources of information. They can lure it into a backup module and then jettison it.
Iām a little shocked that Spock chose to destroy the jettisoned objects with the phasers. Yes, they were an infestation that caused problems to the ship, but there was also evidence that collectively, they represented an intelligent lifeform. It doesnāt seem very Starfleet to just blow them up. Once removed from the ship, they were no longer an immediate danger.
In any case, the ship is safe. Now theyāve just got to save Kirk and McCoy.
The northerner doctor doesnāt care about uniforms, he is just happy to have another set of hands to help the wounded. And as a doctor, McCoy is willing to help whoever is in medical trouble, regardless of who they are.
Spock clearly values McKennaās services. He knows that this will be a stressful time for the crew, with the captain and doctor incapacitated. But he naturally assumes he is immune. McKenna not-so-subley makes it clear she is available to him as well.
It raises the question of Vulcan mental health. Vulcans have emotions, strong ones, so it would seem that counselling and psychology would be needed, and a logical people would understand their importance. But because of their mental disciplines, Vulcans are so good at suppressing their emotions. They donāt let themselves be controlled by their emotions.
Does this negate the need for counselling? For a human, to suppress everything youāre feeling is not healthy, but Vulcans arenāt humans.
Doctor MāBenga has discovered something interesting. While their bodies are still, he is detecting high levels of neural activity in Kirk and McCoy, very unusual for patients in a coma. And they spike at the same time, showing that theyāre linked.
Heās well on the way to uncovering whatās actually going on here.
Checkov has found that at the time the computer was shut off, the entity was reviewing a particular battle in the American Civil war, as part of its analysis of Earth history.
So while they donāt have solid evidence, the Enterprise crew have pretty much figured out what is happening to Kirk and McCoy.
One of the soldiers is no longer sure what heās fighting for. Just to free some slaves? He doesnāt know the victims of slavery so it doesnāt feel personal to him. Kirk suggests that theyāre all slaves to something, and this war is about freedom for all.
Theyāre all having doubts. One of them wants to be there for the birth of his grandchild, but instead, heās here taking lives. And heās right to see that as a tragedy. But Kirk explains that what they do here will be remembered. He knows this as a matter of historical fact. They canāt understand that, of course. So his words fall flat for them.
Iām really struck, in this scene, just how much Vic looks like William Shatner. Itās almost uncanny.
Bones is horrified by the brutality of it all. The wounds, the lack of proper anaesthetic. It all feels barbaric to him. But itās not about technology, itās about the human suffering heās seeing.
Kirk blames himself. If heād gone to his physical, McCoy wouldnāt have been on the bridge. But as I said, in this case, he had a good reason.
But I like what Bones says back to him. āThe only thing worse than being stuck here with you, is you being here all by yourself.ā Now thatās friendship.
McCoy raises an uncomfortable reality. Itās one thing for him to be saving lives, even lives that history says should be dead, but tomorrow, Kirk has to go onto the battle field and kill people. He canāt do that.
Despite that, heās on the front line with the other men. Kirk has formed quite a bond with Billy, the young kid fighting for the first time.
Iāve got to give it to this episode, the scale is something else. The many actors, the horses, the canons. For a period piece like this to be done on a fan productionās budget is very impressive.
Kirk was fighting, but heās badly wounded. I wonder if thatās because he held back from doing his best in an attempt not to kill.
With the equipment of the day, all Bones can do is amputate Kirkās leg below the knee. Thatās a pretty big deal. We know that even in the 24th century, Star Trek medicine canāt just magically grow back a limb. Nog was given an artificial leg in Deep Space Nine. This is a loss Kirk is going to have to live with for the rest of his life, if this were real, of course, which we know itās not, but Kirk and McCoy donāt.
Can you imagine what it would feel like to have your leg cut off with a saw, when all you have for pain relief is a piece of wood to bite down on?
I canāt.
The thought absolutely horrifies me.
Even if itās not real, the pain Kirk experiences is real.
But itās even worse.
MāBenga finds that back on the Enterprise, Kirkās real leg is dying. Iām not even going to try to make sense of that. Thereās no reason that should be a thing, so letās just accept that and move on.
MāBenga has managed to extract one of the pathogen objects. Turns out theyāre nanites. Not a big surprise. The episode was clearly leaning in that direction.
Spock has an idea. They can help Kirk and McCoy the same way they cleared the Enterprise computer. Shut down their brain functions temporarily to starve the nanites, then lure them away with a trail of new information sources.
MāBenga can do it for a very limited time, but the while feasting on a biological brain, the nanites might not be tempted by an inorganic source.
They need something cybernetic. Nurse Chaspel suggest a prosthetic limb. Thereās a crewmember with a bio-mechanical arm but confidentiality prohibits her from disclosing who it is. But with the captain and doctorās lives at stake, Spock asks her to forgo her principles.
The ideal way to handle this would be to approach the crewmember privately and ask if they were willing to help, but what if they said no?
Another thing you wouldnāt normally see in a fan production is a practical effect for a soldier missing half his arm. Itās just a background detail, but itās another example of this showās professionalism.
Billy is in bad shape. Not physically, the bullet just grazed his head, but emotionally, heās suffering from what was once called shell shock, a form of PTSD. McCoy doesnāt blame him.
Turns out, when the shooting started, he turned and ran, crashing into a tree. Now he feels like a coward. Kirkās words touched him last night, but heās questioning it all. He noticed that Kirk didnāt shoot anyone.
Kirk canāt properly explain his reasons for not firing, but he can say that his freedom was taken away. Taken by the alien entity. Once again, Kirk tries to inspire Billy.
When Spock explains the situation to Lieutenant Drake, heās quick to volunteer his cybernetic arm.
I was confused when MāBenga said that if this fails, heāll lose all three of them. Kirk, McCoy, and Drake. So ā¦. Why would they lose Drake? Are they not just going to remove his arm and use it as a tool? Worst case scenario, he doesnāt get his arm back. And he has to wait until a new one can be made for him, maybe on a Starbase.
But apparently, Drakeās arm cannot be removed. Heās sitting there in a chair between the biobeds holding a device. Soā¦.I guess that means thereās a risk the nanites could enter Drakeās body.
Kirk must have been asleep for some time. When he wakes, Billy isnāt in the next bed anymore. Turns out that Kirkās words had a big impact on him. When all hope seemed lost, Billy led the charge, inspiring the other men to fight for freedom. He lost his life in that battle.
I think Kirk is feeling both proud and guilty. It was his words that led that boy to his death. Thatās got to be a heavy thing to live with.
When someone announces that the president is here, Kirk jumps out of bed onto his crutches, despite his injuries. He doesnāt want to miss the chance to see a famous historical figure like Abraham Lincoln. Although, heās already met him once. That was a pretend Lincoln, of course, manufactured by aliens, but then, so is this one. Kirk just doesnāt know it yet.
Thereās a historical photo Iāve seen of Lincoln talking to some soldiers outside a tent. The staging of this shot looks very similar to that photo, and at the end of the scene, we see someone taking a photo. So Iām assuming this was meant to be the moment in history when that real photo was taken.
Itās pretty special for Kirk to be there.
McCoy points out that while Kirk only has one leg, he still has purpose, and that can allow him to stand just as tall.
MāBenga successfully draws the nanites out of Kirk and McCoy, then gives them stimulants. Their skin returns to normal colour.
Drake is escortedto the transporter room for some reason. Itās still not clear exactly how this whole plan is working. But I think the nanites are not so much in Drakeās artificial arm, as they are in the device he was holding.
Except when Drake enters the bridge to see Kirk, heās missing the arm.
So ā¦ā¦ Iām really confused. None of this was clear to me.
McCoy points out there could be more of the nanites out there. Kirk says God help anyone who encounters them.
This sounds like the episode is suggesting the nanites might be something weāve seen before.
The obvious place my mind goes is the Borg. We know they use nanoprobes.
The Enterprise wasnāt assimilated, and neither were Kirk and McCoy, but their skin did go gray.
So maybe these are early Borg nanoprbes. Iām sure they had less sophisticated ways of assimilating before they developed nanotechnology properly. Perhaps in Kirkās time, theyāve only recently assimilated that technology and have yet to perfect it.
Itās all speculation, of course,
But thatās half the fun of science fiction.
I felt the script was a little lacking in this one, when compared to the previous 4 episodes. Some things werenāt explained as well as they could have been. But it was still a good story. And the production with all those extras, costumes, location shooting, was very well done.
This is hardly a bad episode, just not as the good as the ones that have preceded it.
But still well worth watching.
Next time, on what will be our 100th episode, weāll be talking about a special episode that gives us some practical creature effects, and a special guest appearance by an Australian actress of Farscape fame.
Iāll see you for Come Not Between the Dragons.
Until then, have a great two week
Live long and Prosper
Make it so.
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.
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Transcript Welcomed to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 98 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āThe White Irisā
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 didnāt remember the episode. Looking at the thumbnail and description on the Star Trek Continues website didnāt ring any bells, but I knew I must have seen it before, because Iāve 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. Heās beamed to sickbay but is suffering fatal damage to the part of the brain responsible for emotional memories.
Spock suggests an experimental drug. It hasnāt even been tested yet. They donāt 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 doesnāt 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 donāt remember in huge detail either. Spock erased all memory of Rayna from Kirkās 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 heās straight off the bed and back to duty.
I get thereās a time-critical situation on the planet, but minutes ago he was near death. Now he looks okay but heās been given a guessed dosage of an experimental drug. Who knows what kinds of side effects he might experience. I think itās 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.
Iām not sure that human is the right word here, but Kirk clearly saw her as a sapient being.
So Calsis, the planet theyāre 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 Kirkās 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 heās 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 canāt 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 Kirkās forgotten password. It wouldnāt 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 itās 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. Theyāre not mucking about. The representative is desperate for that defence network now.
Why hasnāt 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. Itās pretty annoying.
McCoy senses thereās something Kirk isnāt telling him, but Kirk is a little non-committal as to what that is.
Thereās something wrong with Kirkās heart. Itās weakening and McCoy has no medical explanation.
Spock asks Checkov if heās 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 thatās 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. Heās never spoken of her. He thought he could forget her.
I quite like that they created a new character from Kirkās past to go alongside the older ones weāve seen in the show previously. It means weāre not just dwelling in nostalgia, as cool as that is, but weāre also pushing things forward with new backstory. Thatās what sets this kind of writing apart from a lot of fan fiction. Technically, of course, this show is fan fiction, but itās of a very high quality.
Iām 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 itās not so different from a standard medical tricorder, itās just configured to focus on aspects of the brain and body that are specifically related to mental health.
In any case, Kirkās emotions are being affected. Heās cranky. Heās giving in to emotional outbursts that heād normally control.
Heās 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 Collinsā way of speaking.
A replacement console is days away. Sulu emphasises to Uhura to inform Spock as well as Kirk, which already shows how heās starting to lose the confidence of his crew.
Also, interesting to note that Smith is back, this time the prime universe version. So, sheās probably been on the Enterprise this whole time since āWhere No Man has Gone Beforeā which I think is cool.
The Enterprise is unable to destroy the incoming missile because it seems to have disappeared. Weāre 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 planetās population will share a specific personality trait. And this concept has been rightly criticised by many.
But on the other hand, I think thereās 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.
Itās all generalisations and stereotypes which will, of course, break down, but that doesnāt mean there canāt be some truth to these kinds of perceptions.
So Iām willing to let the episode get away with this.
Spock is meeting with McCoy and McKenna to discuss Kirkās state of mind. The physical injury is healed. His problems might be related to the experimental drug but thereās no evidence of this. McKenna canāt assess his mental state without Kirkās 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 donāt need much input from the patient to set a broken leg, but you canāt help a patient with mental health difficulties unless theyāre 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, Kirkās 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 wouldnāt typically see in the 60s. For that, and the introduction of the mysterious preservers, I quite like The Paradise Sydrome. Itās biggest flaw, of course, is that it has zero consequences. We never hear of Miramanee and her child again. Itās as if Kirk is just over it. But thatās more of flaw of the series, and 60s television mentality in general, than it is a flaw of this particular episode.
Anyway, thatās 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 Iāve often heard. āI thought Vulcans were a people of science,ā implying that being a person of science precludes a belief in anything spiritual.
Spock counters this by saying āTo 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.ā
I think it can be argued whether this statement is consistent with Spockās character as established in TOS, but I really liked its inclusion. Star Trek usually comes from such a strictly naturalistic point of view, that itās nice when it does acknowledge the possibility of something more.
Smith reports a drag on the enterpriseās 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 canāt 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 itās not because he has ambition. Itās not because he wants Kirkās job. Itās because his friend has finally seen the light and done whatās best for him, and others.
McCoy reminds me, on purpose Iām 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 doesnāt respond to McCoy as a doctor, he tries to engage him as McCoy the friend. But Kirk doesnāt believe heās not alone. Heās reminded of the women he has lost. Duty first.
Kirk asks McCoy if he thinks Kirk loved those women.
McCoy answers, āI think youāve loved a lot of women, Jim.ā Kirk does have a reputation as a ladies man. But thatās not what Kirk is asking. Yes, heās had a lot of lovers in the past, but did he actually love them?
Kirk answers yes. He did love them. And he canāt 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 weāll 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 anotherās delusions through a mind meld? Iām 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 heās viewing them as something more substantial.
Kirk is heading down to the planet with the console, against McCoyās recommendation.
But is this different than before? Heās 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, thatās not where he goes. So maybe I misunderstood.
When he enters McKennaās quarters, thereās 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 thereās some mutual attraction between these two, possibly because the actors were together in real life, but from memory, that doesnāt go anywhere.
Kirk doesn't know why heās here. But heās looking for answers.
McKenna thinks this isnāt about resolution. Itās 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. Iād 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 thereās 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 itās 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 doesnāt blame him. She doesnāt forgive him because she says thereās nothing to forgive. āNo more guilt, Jimā.
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 thatās true. Thatās what makes it a gift.
āThe great spirit calls us to forgiveness, of others, and ourselves.ā
Itās 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 shouldnāt do that.
Rayna is last, and she doesnāt 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. Itās a good performance from the actors.
Itās done. Kirk has experienced closure with all of them.
But he still doesnāt 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 canāt block all the missiles.
But itās all theyāve got.
This is the starfleet way. You put your life on the line to protect others.
Kirk is still seeing the little girl. Perhaps thatās why his memory hasnāt 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, weāll 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 Kirkās ear
Evidently, this final closure allowed Kirk to remember the code. Kirkās log entry makes that sufficiently clear. The episode doesnāt need to spend any more time on it.
After seeing the technological might of the Federation, the Eritrans have requested formal peace negotiations. Thatās a good outcome.
We come to understand later, that Irises, the word that Kirkās daughter whispered in his ear, was the password.
Kirk is now sold on the need for a shipās 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 Kirkās heart that wouldnāt give up belongs to another lady.
The obvious meaning to this would be the Enterprise. She has always been Kirkās lady.
But I couldnāt help but think about Carol Marcus. The other great love of Kirkās life who wasnāt mentioned in this episode. Probably because he hasnāt met her yet.
In fact, another fan series, Star Trek New Voyages, did an episode that told the story of Kirk and Marcusās first meeting. Iām kinda tempted to add that episode into the mix as weāre going through Star Trek Continues.
I canāt believe I didnāt 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, weāll be travelling through time with another episode that I donāt remember much about. Divided We Stand.
In the meantime, have a great two weeks. Live long and proper
Make it so.
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.
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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, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āFairest of Them Allā
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.
Youāll 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. Iāve 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 Kirkās 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 Spockās beard, claiming this is a campy idea, but I think thatās mainly just because itās 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 wasnāt our Spock.
Even the trend of having other mirror universe Vulcans wear the same beard doesnāt feel like a campy move to me. We know that vulcans are creatures of tradition. They practically all have the same hairstyle, so itās 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, Iām up for treating the mirror universe as fodder for serious drama. And this episode follows its predecessor in just that.
The episode begins with Kirkās closing speech to Spock at the end of Mirror Mirror. Itās 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 āI shall consider it.ā
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, Iāve 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 weāll likely ever get to that. But this tells the very beginning of the story. Spockās 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 universeās 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 Kirkās words are already having an effect on him.
But mirror Kirk isnāt interested. He does, however, have his first hint that his prime counterpart has sowed seeds of revolution in Spockās mind.
This episode takes a page out of Enterpriseās book and creates specific mirror-universe opening titles, much as āIn a Mirror Darklyā did. It was awesome in Enterprise, and itās awesome here.
Note also that this is the first episode that doesnāt 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 wasnāt available for the first two? I donāt know.
Itās also the first appearance, in Star Trek Continues, of Smith, a character we last saw as a yeoman in āWhere No Man Has Gone Before.ā 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 itās added McKenna, as a brand new character, but I like how they went back to the well and used this old character. This episode wonāt be the last weāll see of her.
Youāll notice Spock is the clear protagonist of this episode. We get a personal log from Spock, rather than a captainās log from Kirk.
Thereās 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 Spockās objections. On the surface, this may seem like heās respecting Spockās 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 Iām 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 Kirkās 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. Kirkās enemies donāt stick around very long.
Spock already knows about the device in Kirkās quarters, and thatās just where Kirk is headed.
If Spock isnāt 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, Iām 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 heās Vulcan, who were also part of the rebellion, (which features Spockās own father).
But the more important thing here is that Kirkās prediction is already coming true. Other races are rebelling against the empire. It doesnāt line up exactly because it implies there hasnāt 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. Thatās 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 thatās 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. Itās 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.
Spockās 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 donāt think Spock was successful in recruiting Uhura, but sheās wishing she wasnāt on the ship. If I have one criticism of this episode, itās that, other than Kirk, none of the crew are really mirror-universe enough. Iām not seeing the angry bloodthirsty callousness that Iām expecting, Iām 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. Heās injecting a security officer with something. He casually remarks āIāve never used this much before.ā Then grins and says āI wonder what will happen.ā
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 Discoveryās 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 didnāt 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 Spockās side when given the chance.
Spockās use of the stun setting on his phaser is a powerful statement that really gets Checkov thinking. āMurder is the way of the empire. The captainās way.ā
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 doesnāt share Spockās 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 canāt torture someone who is dead.,
Spock gives a rousing speech over the comm system. Heās 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 Kirkās 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. Theyāre 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 heās just given her to Spock because sheās 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. Sheās not going to respect Kirk anymore. The only thing thatās 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 āYes, she is the captainās woman, but not this captain,ā I believe sheās thinking about prime Kirk. He changed her way of thinking. He gave her a new hope. Sheās doing this based on his example, and possibly even out of love for him.
But Spock isnāt willing to use it.
āNo revolution can succeed using the same methods that failed in the previous one.ā
Wise words.
There may come a day when Spock has to use this device to protect himself, but heās not going to stoop to Kirkās level. Heās not going to become the monster heās trying to defeat.
The key is not using the device himself, but ensuring that Kirk canāt use it.
Moreau wants to be sent to the prime universe, something Spock canāt do. But together maybe they can recreate something of the prime universe here.
Kirk is learning. Heās realising that screaming and ranting is not going to get him anywhere.
So heās trying a more reasonable approach. At least, an approach that seems reasonable.
He tells Spock that he sees the merit in his logic.
Heās lying, obviously, but heās calmed down enough to be able to try this tactic.
Moreau cautions against this. Itās 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.
Itās 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 heās preaching.
And I think Kirk knows this.
I couldnāt 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, heāll 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. āTheyāre pawns. They donāt 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 Suluās 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 theyād built a shuttle for this show. You see, I get so caught up in this that sometimes I just think Iām watching TOS. And then I realise, oh yeah, this is a fan show. Fans had to build that life-size shuttle. Iām sure the hanger deck itself is CG, but it looks as it should.
Apparently there were some Halken survivors. Iām 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 thatās a whole other story.
So Spock orders a speed of warp 2 with no heading, prompting Checkov to ask for the heading.
Spock replies āforward.ā
This reminded me of Kirkās āfirst star to the rightā quote from Peter Pan at the end of Star Trek 6. And I get it. Itās poetic. Thatās nice and all. Butā¦..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 Kirkās advice and made changes in the mirror universe.
Itās the kind of episode Iām not sure they could have done in ārealā Star Trek. It doesnāt actually move the story forward in our world at all. But itās a perfect story for a fan series to explore. Not so much a āwhat-ifā story, but certainly a side quest, but a very meaningful one.
Next time, weāll be talking about an episode that I donāt really remember - The White Iris.
Looking forward to it.
Donāt 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.
Lolani is the first of the really focussed "issue" episodes of Star Trek Continues. It examines the theme of slavery, but even moreso, the theme of apathy in the face of evils such as slavery. It's a hard-hitting drama that really makes you stop and think. Join me as I delve into this latest episode of Star Trek Continues to see what it's all about.
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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 96 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Star Trek Continues episode āLolaniā
The description on StartrekContinues.com reads
A survivor from a distressed Tellarite vessel pulls Captain Kirk and his crew into a moral quandary over her sovereignty.
The teleplay was written by Paul Bianchi
With story by Huston Huddleston and Vic Mignogna
It was directed by Chris White
And it first aired on the 8th of January 2014
And youāll notice thatās a good 7 months since the last episode came out. Thatās the reality of a fan-made web series. This is a show of professional quality, but itās being made by amateurs. Itās not their full-time job. They get the work done in the time span that they can. But it meant that each new episode was an event, like a new mini movie coming out. Of course, now, you can binge the entire series, which is great.
First of all, Iād like to say how happy it made me to see this show portraying Kirk as a bookworm. Which of course, he is. I found that the Kelvin universe movies kind of misunderstood Kirkās character, especially his younger self. They portrayed him as this hard-partying bad boy. And I know it was already a new timeline, and the absence of his father explains the differences, but thatās not the Kirk we knew in the original series. Young Kirk in the prime timeline was a nerd. He had a reputation at the academy for carrying books wherever he went.
Anyway, Cool to see him so disappointed to have to leave his book behind when the Enterprise picks up a distress call from an unidentified ship.
And cool to see Suluās viewer rising out of his console. Nice touch.
The ship is Tellarite in design. And this is where we meet Ensign Tongaroa.
My first thought when I heard him speak was āUgh. Americanās canāt do Australian accents.ā But I was very quickly corrected when the character says heās from New Zealand.
But he didnāt really sound Kiwi to my ears either. Admittedly, Iām not from New Zealand, but we do hear the Kiwi accent, and it has a lot of similarities with the Australian accent. Some definite differences too. Certain vowel sounds come out very differently.
Anyway, I looked up the actor, Daniel Ogan. Turns out, he is indeed from New Zealand.
And not only that, as a child, he played Boba Fett in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack the Clones. Which is really cool.
Interestingly, in Star Wars, he sounded much more like what I would think of as a Kiwi accent.
So I donāt know if his accent has changed over time as heās gotten older, or if Iām just talking rubbish and donāt have a good ear for these things.
Anyway, itās really cool to have him in the show, and itās always fun to see a fellow Australasian in Star Trek. (and if youāre not aware, Australasian is a blanket term that includes both Australia and New Zealand).
Thereās only one life form aboard, life signs are erratic and life support on the ship is failing. Despite this, Spock is not convinced it would be a good idea to beam the survivor on board. He doesnāt really give a reason, other than this being an unknown lifeform.
So whatās the alternative, Spock? Just let the person die?
Kirk orders security to the transporter room, which is a reasonable precaution.
As Kirk and Spock enter the transporter room, they both say, in unison, āMr. Scott, you have the bridge.ā
Kirk remarks at this being strange.
And I agree. No explanation is given. Kirk is in command of the bridge at present, so why would Spock get involved?
Theyāre expecting a Tellarite, but instead, they find a scantily dressed Orion woman, an Orion slave girl, threatening the transporter chief with a knife.
But she quickly runs into the corridor and ends up cowering near a Jefferies tube, holding the knife.
She looks genuinely afraid.
And we meet Chief of Security Drake. We never got to know who the chief of security was in TOS. That position didnāt really exist in Star Trek lore until TNG.
Anyway, the situation is resolved when Spock is able to incapacitate her with a nerve pinch.
She seems a little calmer when they visit her in sickbay later. According to records, she was recently purchased by a Tellarite. Sheās got some cuts and bruises, and the Tellarite crew are all dead. The obvious conclusion is that she killed them, no doubt due to the way they were treating her.
Obviously, this episode is going to really delve into the issue of slavery. This is the first of the issue episodes on Star Trek Continues. Last episode had some thematic stuff, but this one is very much exploring an issue. Weāll see thereāll be a lot of these in the series, which is a very Star Trek thing.
The Tellarites were founding members of the Federation. That means we have Federation citizens engaged in the purchase and exploitation of a slave. And thatās pretty horrifying. But as weāll see in coming episodes of Star Trek Continues, the Tellarites are a rather problematic member race. Which I think is really interesting. We tend to think of the Federation as this big club where everyone has the same values. But the reality of holding together so many disparate species would be somewhat less utopian. There would be internal struggles. It would be a constant effort to keep this thing together. I donāt think that goes against Roddenberryās utopian vision, but itās a much more DS9 kind of take on it.
I like it.
There is an elephant in the room when looking at the idea of Orion Slave girls. And that is Enterprise. Enterprise season 4 did an interesting episode that explored Orion Culture more so than had ever been done before. They were practically an untouched species, which is interesting, given that date all the way back to TOS.
The big revelation of that episode was that it was the men, not the women, who were really the slaves, due to the women having a pheromone they can use to control the men.
Now I interpreted this a little less literally than it seems the writers of this episode did. The way I saw it was that, yes, technically the women are bought and sold as slaves, but with their powers, they manipulate and control the men, behind the scenes, from a position that appeared subservient.
And that idea, I think, is not at odds with anything else portrayed in Star Trek about them.
This episode addresses the issue with Spock explaining that around 70 years ago, Orion women held dominion over men but there was a revolt and civil war. The men gained control. Rather than ending the slave trade, they made it worse.
This dialog is clearly meant to be a way of reconciling this episode, and the rest of Star Trek, with Enterprise. But Iām not convinced it actually works. It implied that the women enslaved the men in a more literal way than I think the Enterprise episode intended to suggest. And Iām not sure any reconciling really needed to be done.
But either way, itās a fascinating concept. Think about it. A civil war between the two sexes. Procreation of the species would be very difficult under such circumstances. And in fact, the only way that the species could have survived takes my mind to a place that I donāt really want to think about.
At this point in time, Women are kept uneducated and subservient to keep them from rising up again, and as punishment for the past.
The age-old problem of trying to make a right with two wrongs.
The slave doesnāt speak until Dr. Makenna arrives. She reveals her name is Lolani. She didnāt know whether the crew of the Enterprise were friend or foe, so she kept silent, and listened. Not a bad way to go. Listening less and speaking more is usually wise.
To add extra tragedy, she was born off-world, but forced back to Orion and into slavery when her parents died.
So she has known freedom and then been forced into slavery. I can only speculate, but I suspect that may be even more painful because youāll know what youāre missing.
Lolani is played by Fiona Vroom.
Fun bit of trivia, Fiona Vroom appeared in Star Trek Beyond as an Orion crew member. So ā¦.. Was that the Kelvin timeline version of Lolani? My headcanon would like to say it is. Beyond came out 2 years after this episode, so I canāt help but wonder if her cameo was a deliberate reference to this episode. I believe JJ Abrams was interested and enthusiastic about Star Trek fan productions, and even spoke in defence of the controversial Star Trek Axanar during their lawsuit with Paramount.
Who can say, but in my headcanon, in the Kelvin timeline, Lolani had a better life and entered Starfleet. I guess her parents didnāt die in that timeline.
Kirk feels like he has rescued Lolani, but Commodore Gray has some bad news for him. According to Orion law, Lolani reverts to being the property of the one who sold her, once her owner dies. The Orions are not members of the Federation (theyād never qualify while they support Slavery). The owner has been notified and is already on his way.
This kind of thing is a very real problem in our world.
Different nations have different rules.
If we want them to respect our laws, we have to likewise respect theirs. Even if we disagree with them.
But what if one of their laws is something as immoral as slavery?
What it comes down to, as the commodore admits, they canāt afford an inter-stellar incident over one person.
Mackenna and Lolani talk as they walk through the corridor. Thereās a lot of echo in the dialog in this scene. A rare moment when the ameteur nature of this show peeks out from behind the curtain, perhaps. There was also something about the acting at the start of this scene that didnāt quite work for me somehow.
Mackenna explains that while there are some generalised differences between males and females, people in the Federation are treated as individuals. They are not defined by their gender. There are a whole bunch of different things that make up a person.
We get a very 60s TV moment when they arrived on the bridge all the male crewmembers stare with googly eyes.
Now, the sight of an attractive woman wearing very little clothing IS distracting. I canāt deny that. Thatās just biology.
But when youāre at work, you donāt ogle people like this. Iād have expected the crew of a Federation starship to show a little more professionalism than that.
I donāt think Scotty is flirting with her when he takes her to see his station. I think heās being friendly, but also he sensed that Mackenna needed a moment to speak with Kirk privately.
Spock has found physical evidence that Lolani was involved in the death of the Tellarite, and likely is the killer.
Kirk is subtly encouraging Lolani to think about changes that could be made to her planetās culture, for the better, by lending her a book.
When confronted with the evidence, Lolani tells an implausible story about how it all just happened while she was hiding with her eyes closed. When Kirk doesnāt buy it, she asks āif you were a slave, wouldnāt you just want to be free?ā
And Kirk agrees. He hates the idea of a sentient being enslaved, but he says something that I think is very important. āThe truth always matters.ā
When she learns her previous owner is on his way to collect her, Lolani tries to use her sexuality to manipulate Kirk.
And given the circumstances, the bleak future that lies ahead of her, itās hard to blame her.
Sheāll do anything to escape that brutal mistreatment she knows is waiting for her.
Kirk tries not to succumb, because heās not an idiot. He knows what is appropriate and what isnāt. He knows getting involved with Lolani in that way is a bad idea. But remember female Orions have those pheromones with which they can influence people.
Itās Uhuraās call on the intercom that helps Kirk snap himself out of it.
Thereās a nice moment where they both apologise. Kirk promises to do whatever he can to help Lolani.
But she canāt just leave it at that.
Again, I donāt blame her for doing anything she can to escape her fate. And she continues to use the one tool she feels she has.
The transporter chief has less moral strength than Kirk. Heās trying to fly her away in a shuttle craft.
With evidence that proves two of the Tellarites were killed by Lolani, Spock says āshe is no longer an unfortunate slave. She may be a murderer.ā
Of course, itās likely that she is both.
Notice that Spock says she MAY be a murderer. They know she killed two of those tellarites. But there may have been extenuating circumstances. She may have killed them out of self-defense, which is technically not murder.
With Lolani confined to quarters, Kirk asks McCoy if there is a medical defence against Orion pheromones. McCoy says there is a known inoculation and he can begin immediately.
If the issue is so well known that they already have an inoculation on file and ready to go, I have to wonder why itās taken this long before anyone has thought about it.
In fact, I wonder why it isnāt included in the standard set of vaccinations for Starfleet personnel. In the real world, military officers are inoculated against all sorts of things as a matter of course. You canāt afford your soldiers getting sick from preventable diseases when theyāre busy in the line of duty. I imagine Starfleet would be the same. We know there are a lot of dangerous alien diseases out there. It would be quite logical to inoculate starfleet officers against Orion pheromones as a matter of course. The risk of one of your people being mind-controlled seems a reasonable reason to do so.
Itās possible Lolani may have blocked out much of what happened on the Tellarite ship, and genuinely doesnāt remember. So Spock is going to mind meld with her. The fact sheās willing to trust him and consents to the procedure suggests sheās not deliberately hiding anything.
She killed the tellarites in self-defense, while they were trying to rape her.
Kirk and Spock are in a difficult position. They know Lolani is right. Itās wrong to send her back to be beaten, and worse.
She could be a voice in the Federation for her people, but not if they send her back in chains.
In the conference room, MacKenna pleadās Lolaniās case to the senior crew.
She makes a good point.
āStarfleet arenāt here. Perhaps if they were, theyād see things differently.ā
In a lot of ways, this ties into a classic Star Trek theme. The needs of the many vs the needs of the few - or the one. Starfleet is willing to turn a blind eye to one womanās slavery because to do otherwise would risk an inter-stellar incident - perhaps war.
When the owner, Zaminhon, arrives, Kirkās plan is dinner. Pull out all the stops for him.
All Kirk can hope is that they can somehow change this manās mind.
Heās a very intimidating-looking bloke. The actor has an amazing deep voice. I donāt know if thereās some artificial enhancement going on, or if itās all natural. But it really suits the big Orion.
I laughed at Scottyās line. āHe seems nice. For a slave trader.ā
The transporter chief, Kenway, fabricates a story about orders to get into Lolaniās quarters to see her. He still seems very smitten. Despite his inoculation, he seems to still be suffering effects from his previous exposure to her pheromones.
That said, he seems to genuinely want to help her, not because sheās attractive, but because itās right. Lolani has some good things to say. Kenway feels that heās nobody. That he canāt make a difference. Lolani says that everybody is somebody. Thatās the message that needs to reach people on her planet. And she mentions a quote that is apparently falsely attributed to a guy named Edmund Burke. āThe only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.ā
And that is whatās happening here.
In the end, Kenway just says sorry and leaves. What can he do?
It must be very difficult for the crew to laugh and chat with this slave driver. Especially McKenna.
Zaminhon confirms that the male Orions do have a natural scent, but itās been kept from developing the same potency as the female pheromones.
Whatever Kirkās plan, in trying to charm Zaminhon is shattered when Scotty casually says āLolani says youāre a brutal monster.ā
Zaminhon just laughs it off and says he treats his slaves well.
Kirkās plan starts to come out as he plays along, pretending to be as comfortable with slavery, even offering McKenna to him for a price. Zaminhon surprisingly sees and even defends McKennaās value as a person. She is civilised and capable. Slavery is not for her.
An interesting admission from him.
Then Kirk drives in the knife. What about Lolani? She is every bit as capable. She has a thirst for knowledge. But even without that, as a woman, she has a fundamental right to be free.
Of course it doesnāt work. As Zaminhon points out, āWeāre not going to change each otherās minds over a fine dinner.ā Which is quite true.
Still, Kirk had to try. Thatās who he is. Thatās the Starfleet way. You talk. You reason.
With the crew out of ideas, itās Spock who has to verbalise it. āThen it might be time to say goodbye.ā
The guard at Lolaniās door is terrible at his job. You donāt just abandon your post to check with the captain because a visiting alien tells you heāll take it from here. He has orders, and until they are countermanded from up in the chain of command, those orders stand. By walking away he leaves the door unguarded so Zaminhon can enter Lolaniās quarters.
Zaminhon doesnāt even wait to get off the Enterprise before starting the physical abuse. Honestly, I donāt think he cares. Starfleet have to abide by Orion law in this case and he knows it.
Of course, that doesnāt stop Kirk from intervening when he enters to tell Lolani the bad news.
The re-used TOS music fits so well into the scene. Itās a lot more than just a copy-and-paste job.
Kirk has one last-ditch idea. And itās something of an ethical dilemma. He offers to buy Lolani from Zaminhon. Itās a trope you often see in fiction. The hero buys the slave for the sole purpose of setting her free.
On the one hand, itās a good thing as itās an effective way of freeing a slave. On the other hand, it means taking part in the morally reprehensible practice. It is morally justified to engage in slave trade in order to free a slave? Probably.
Zaminhon is not impressed. He refuses to sell, out of spite, for Kirkās hypocrisy. There is no price heād accept to sell Lolani to him. He wonāt let Kirk win this one.
Commodore Gray is not impressed. She likens his intervening when Zaminhon hit Lolani to striking a foreign politician.
She reiterates the Federationās position. They will noit risk war over one slave.
And I do understand their point. How many will die, be tortured and abused if this leads to war? Iām not saying theyāre right, but I certainly understand their position.
Gray says itās the job of the diplomats to fight this issue of slavery. Kirk is ordered to return Zaminhon to his ship with Lolani. I canāt see that these diplomats are going to be very effective in their efforts, unfortunately. Orions have practised slavery since they discovered fire. And theyāre now an interstellar civilisation.
Zaminhon leads Lolani to the transporter pad, back in her skimpy slave outfit and chains.
Kenway is on duty so he has to be the one to push the button. He doesnāt take it well. The look on the actor's face sells it beautifully.
This is where Kirk realises Kenwayās feelings, whatever they are, are real. Not something you can inoculate against.
He knows this because heās feeling it too. Not a sexual attraction, but a desire for justice. Itās going around and around in his head. He was determined to help Lolani. And he failed.
Thatās when he announces to the crew that he is about to commit a direct violation of his orders. Heāll take full responsibility.
This is a very Kirk action. Even Picard has been known to do something like this.
As the Enterprise closes on Zaminhonās ship, ready to beam Lolani aboard, the ship explodes. Everyone is devastated.
Evidently, Lolani sabotaged the ship, preferring to due than to live as a slave.
If Kirk had been just a few minutes sooner he could have saved her.
But then, what would have happened to Kirk?
I suspect it would have ended his career. This isnāt Admiral Kirk of the movie era, who can get away with anything. This is young Captain Kirk, still in his first 5 year mission.
Lolani left a video message for Kirk.
She believes her death will mean nothing, but Zaminhonās death may light a fire in the hearts of the people on her world - young girls desperate to be free, and maybe some men, who donāt want to be a part of enslaving them.
Kenway asks Kirk for a leave of absence from Starfleet. He has been deeply touched by Lolaniās words. Her message. He wants to take up her cause. Kirk gives him Lolaniās recording.
Will he make a difference? I donāt know. But a good man is about to stop doing nothing.
This was actually a really powerful message show, perhaps one of the best that Star Trek has ever done, which is saying a lot for a fan-made production.
I really like this ending. Itās not a happy ending, but itās a fitting one. And it gives hope. Even meaning to Lolaniās life and death.
I think when you get down to it, the real message of this story is about apathy. I mean, youād be hard-pressed to find a human being in this world today that believes slavery is a good and acceptable thing. But how does that belief affect our actions?
Slavery does still exist in some form in our world today. Not like it used to be, not like the Orions suffer, but it does exist.
I donāt know enough about it.
I find myself feeling challenged to learn more. To see what might be able to be done.
How about you?
I hope youāve enjoyed my thoughts on Lolani.
Next time weāll be looking at another amazing episode. A direct sequel to the original series episode Mirror Mirror.
Until then, have a great 2 weeks
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Star Trek Continues is a fan-made Star Trek series of professional quality. We begin a new series talking about this incredible show with the pilot episode "Pilgrim of Eternity" Star Trek Continues does exactly what the name suggests, it continues TOS giving us a mythical 4th season, filling in the gap between Star Trek and Star Trek The Motion Picture. In "Pilgrim of Eternity" Michael Forest returns in the role of Apollo, the god-like alien that first appeared in the TOS episode "Who Mourns for Adonais".
Watch the episode I'm discussing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G-ziTBAkbQ&t=423s
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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 95 of the podcast.
Today, we begin a new series, looking at the first episode of Star Trek Continues. āPilgrim of Eternity.ā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction, head over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on StartrekContinues.com reads
Apollo returns to wreak havoc on Kirk and the Enterprise in the first episode of the new series.
The teleplay was written by Steve Frett and Jack Travino
With story by Vic Mignogna and Jack Marshall
It was directed by Vic Mignogna
And it first aired on the 26th of May 2013.
So with so much new Star Trek, with so much other classic sci-fi on TV, why cover a fan-made series?
The first answer to that is that right now, every bloke and his dog is talking about Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds. Iāve found it very difficult to stand out amongst so many podcasters and youTubers who are so much better than I am? I canāt break into that.
But there arenāt so many who have done an in-depth series of podcasts on Star Trek continues, in the way that I do. Itās a beloved show, but I feel like thereās more room to place myself in that niche.
The second, and more important answer, is that I love the show and want to watch it again and share my thoughts.
If you havenāt seen Star Trek Continues before, you can watch all 11 episodes for free. Theyāre all on youTube, and you can also download them to play locally from StarTrekContinues.com
There are a number of fan-made Star Trek shows. They all seemed to emerge after the cancellation of Enterprise. After 18 years of non-stop new Star Trek on TV, we were suddenly in this void where there wasnāt any Star Trek. It was weird.
So the fans stepped up and made their own Star Trek. It was a time of great creativity and expression. So many people worked hard to share their love of the franchise. And keep it alive.
There was a lot of good stuff, but I think Star Trek Continues stands out as one of the best, if not the best. Itās won a ton of awards, and has been praised by Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. He considers the show canon and says his father would probably agree.
It all got started when Vic Mignogna directed an episode of Star Trek Farragut. He went into partnership and took part ownership of their sets, and set up some studio space where it could all live. Then he went about making his own show, assembling some very talented people around him.
So letās talk about this first episode, which of course, is a sequel to the original series episode Who Mourns for Adonais.
Quite a few of Star Trek Continues stories were follow-ups to TOS episodes.
We begin in an unexpected place. A cowboy is holding Kirk at gunpoint. An old-fashioned revolver. He threatens to shoot Kirk.
And for a brief moment, Iām wondering, am I watching the right episode? Star Trek has certainly done wild west planets before. But this is the one with Apollo, right?
Itās a common story-telling technique to start right in the middle of a tense moment like this. They call it in media res. And itās effective.
Things are cleared up quickly when we hear Scottyās voice say āFreeze program.ā
Turns out, this is a holodeck. A very early experimental prototype of a holodeck.
But wasnāt the holodeck first invented just before Encounter at Farpoint, you may ask?
Certainly the crew of the Enterprise seemed amazed by its newness.
Well, I think this works.
Voyager made it clear that as a child, Janeway played the holoprogram, Flotter. That was clearly before Farpoint.
And Star Trek The Animated Series featured something very much like a holodeck.
Most people dismissed the animated series as not canon back in the old days. Iāve even heard somewhere that Gene Roddenberry did not consider it canon.
But people seem to be much more accepting of it these days. And it has been referenced multiple times in TNG, Picard, Lower Decks, maybe Discovery too.
On top of all that, this is not a proven technology. Itās certainly not something that is in everyoneās homes.
So I think we can accept that holographic entertainment has been around for some time, but in more primitive forms. The holodeck on the Enterprise D took things to a whole new level, and was soon enhanced even more by the Bynars.
In any case, I think itās pretty cool to think that Scotty may have been one of the early minds responsible for what would eventually become the holodeck.
Itās also nice to see Kirk enjoying some play time off duty.
The over-working hero is a bit of a tired trope at this point. And itās certainly not a healthy thing to emulate in real life.
The Enterprise is investigating a series of space-based power stations that have been drained of power and gone offline. Kirk heads to the bridge.
The casting of this show was phenomenal.
The first two characters we see are Kirk played by series creator Vic Mignogna and Scotty played by Chris Doohan, the son of James Doohan, who played Scotty in the original series.
Having Chris Doohan resume his fatherās role is a big asset to this show. And itās not just about name recognition. He does a great job of it, and that voice is eerily familiar.
Vic also does a fantastic job of Kirk. Of all the actors, other than Shatner, who have played Kirk, I think Vic is the one that convinces me the most, that heās the same guy. Iām very curious to see how Paul Wesley goes playing the role in season 2 of Strange New Worlds.
While many fan productions used a lot of ameteur actors, Star Trek Continues fills its sets with professional, or at least, experienced, actors. And it shows. Thatās no slight against any of the other fan-produced shows. But this one has some very good performers.
So we pick up with Kirk as he enters the bridge. And you have to admire this set. Youād swear you were back on the set of the original series. It looks phenomenal.
Spock is in the captainās chair, played by Todd Haberkorn. Now I have to admit, I have a bit of a harder time accepting this guy as Spock. And itās nothing to do with the actorās performance. He does a great job. He does everything right. But Spock is a particularly hard character to pull off, just because Leonard Nimoy had such a unique presence to him. The look.The voice. Nobody else can truly be Spock in the way that Nimoy did. Todd Haberkorn, Zachery Quinto and Ethan Peck have all done remarkable jobs at it, but none of them have managed to make me fully believe they are truly the same person as was portrayed by Nimoy. But at some point, you just have to suspect your disbelief and accept this is the same person.
While the characters speculate on what has happened to the power station, a strange object appears. Like a big spikey rock surrounded by green glowing energy. Is it a ship? A probe?
While on the bridge, we see Sulu, portrayed by Grant Imahara, of Mythbusters fame, who has sadly passed away since the conclusion of this show, Checkov, portrayed by Wyatt Lenhard, and Uhura, portrayed by Kim Stinger. They all do a good job of portraying these characters in a realistic way, based on rolesā previous occupants.
And then McCoy walks in, portrayed by Larry Nemecek. Heāll be replaced later by another actor. But Larry Nemecek is a big name in Star Trek fandom. Heās written a lot of Star Trek reference books. Heās appeared in a number of fan productions, and a small role in the final episode of Enterprise. And he was a creative consultant on Star Trek Continues through itās run. McCoy is another character thatās really hard to recast. I think the only actor whoās ever come close to truly convincing me is Karl Urban. Again, nothing against Larryās performance here, but DeForest Kelly had such a presence, with his face and his voice. Itās hard to replicate.
The object starts draining the Enterpriseās power. Kirk has no choice but to destroy it with a photon torpedo. There are two lifeforms in the centre of thing. Kirk doesnāt want o kill them, but in the end, itās a case of self-preservation.
The torpedo has done the job, but sadly,there are no lifeforms. McCoy expresses what weāre all feeling in this moment. He knows it had to be done, but itās hard to see the taking of any life, even if itās to save our own.
Thatās when a appears in a flash of bright light. Apollo, with a woman in his arms. And heās a lot older than when we saw him last, but played by Michael Forest, the same actor that played the role all the way back in the 60s.
And thatās when we cut to credits.
The opening credits for Star Trek Continues are very reminiscent of the TOS credits. But featuring some much more impressive visuals of space phenomenon, thanks to around 50 years of advancement in visual effects technology.
And this is probably a good time to talk about music.
One of the big things that strikes you immediately with this show, other than the sets and costuming, is the music. How faithful to the original series it sounds. That really over the top bombastic kind of music that had in the 60s. It sounds very Star Trek.
And a lot of it is.
They used a lot of original music recorded for TOS in this show. But they did some very clever editing. To make the music effectively fit the scenes, Vic would chop it up, move bits around, extend or contract it. And even compose and play his own original music to edit in seamlessly. All in all giving a very authentic TOS sound to the show, but still unique and custom made for Star Trek Continues. The music feels like it belongs. Itās really clever what they did.
In some later episodes, they move up to a whole other level in terms of music, but weāll get to that.
So it turns out, the old woman with Apollo is Athena. Another of the Greek gods. We didnāt see her on Pollux, back in the original story, but I guess heād re-connected with her since then.
Sheās dying. Itās a very heartfelt scene as they bid a final farewell to each other.
She vanishes, leaving nothing behind but a brooch, which Uhurua picks up. Even Apollo doesn't know where sheās gone. Sheās just ā¦ gone.
McCoy and Scottyās reactions to Apollo are quite telling. The ever compassionate doctor, McCoy wants to get him to sickbay, not that he knows what he can do for an ageing Greek god.
Scotty is hesitant about Kirk allowing this creature on the ship. Scottyās met him before. Scotty has seen what Apollo was capable of. McCoy was there too, but Scotty was very close to the young woman that Apollo had under his thumb.
A quick external shot shows that something has gotten itself onto the hull of the Enterprise. Something from that artefact they destroyed, which presumably, is where Apollo and Athena came from.
That stuff is gonna cause a lot of problems. Theyāre not going anywhere until itās removed. Sulu thinks they can go out and dissolve it with hand phasers.
Kirk feels somewhat responsible for whatever has happened to Apollo. It was Kirk who rendered him powerless two years ago. He and Spock canāt speculate on how he has aged so much in this short amount of time.
And this is when we hear the computer voice for the first time, played by none other than Marina Sirtis of Deanna Troi fame. She doesnāt try to mimic MAjel Barettās voice, which I think would have been a mistake. Her voice is a welcome familiar one to any Star Trek fan and I think it works nicely for the computer voice. Itās also fitting given that Sirtis played Barettās on-screen daughter on The Next Generation.
Theyāll continue to make improvements and tweaks to the digital model of the Enterprise, but it already looks really good. Very recognisable as the ship from the original series.
The sickbay set looks good. Just as youād expect it.
All the sets on this show are absolutely spot on.
In addition to recasting all the old favourites, Star Trek continues introduced a number of new characters. We meet one in this scene. Doctor Ellse McKennah, the newly assigned shipās counsellor, played by Michele Specht, who was in a relationship with Vic at the time, but they are no longer together.
I really like McKennah. The character is a fantastic addition to the TOS cast, and sheās played wonderfully by Specht.
The thing about bringing in a new character like this is that the show can give her a complete character arc, from beginning to end. And she definitely has that.
Back in the days of the original series, an episode like this might very well introduce a character like McKennah. Sheās be a part of the plot of that episode, but youād likely never see her again after that. It was the nature of episodic TV back in the 60s. But Star Trek continues does the exact opposite, making her a regular and giving her arguably more character development than any of the characters had in TOS.
McCoy has found something interesting. The extra organ he had, which humans donāt, itās barely detectable. That could explain a lot.
Apollo gives us a little exposition. His people created a place called The Realm which would give them the energy to live out their retirement for eternity. An alternative to the energy they previous received from being worshipped. But it didnāt work. Instead of giving them energy, it sapped them of it. Their sanctuary became a prison.
It seems thatās where he disappeared off to when he left Pollux IV. Perhaps the artefact was the physical manifestation of the realm in our universe. When they sensed the Enterprise approaching, Athena sacrificed the last of her energy to help them both escape the realm. Thatās why she died on arrival.
So this explains the power station and the rapid ageing.
Kirk is concerted that Apollo will once again desire their worship, to keep himself alive. But that is something they cannot give.
But he no longer seeks it.
He just wants them to take him to a planet where he can live among the locals, as one of them, and die with the sun on his face.
But Kirk sees a big risk in this. He may trick the local population into worshipping him, like he did in ancient Greece. This is something Kirk isnāt willing to risk. Even though Apollo swears he will wonāt do it, Kirk says no to his request.
Of course, if he were to seek worship, it would only be to keep himself from dying. But then, thatās no different to what he did in the past. Itās an interesting situation.
Kirk wants McCoy to make sure Apollo is as powerless as he claims.
He has little time for welcoming McKennah aboard, and wants her to help McCoy.
Next we see Sulu and Simone phasering the stuff off the hull, live action performance integrated with an exterior view of the ship. While more modern shows like Enterprise had previous done similar shots, this is a first for TOS. We never would have seen anything like this back in the day. Shooting in front of a blue screen was quite doable, but the shooting model of the Enterprise just wasnāt detailed enough to provide a backdrop.
The interesting thing here is that Simone is played by Jamie Bamber, who was Lee Adama on Ronald D Mooreās rebooted Battlestar Galactica, which I love. The amusing thing is that Leeās callsign was, of course, Apollo. So thatās quite fitting.
The original series EVA suits look totally authentic. Just as ridiculous as they looked in TOS, but very faithful, which is a good thing. But itās a shame that for all of his brief appearance, Bamber is behind the grate of that helmet, so you can barely tell itās him. Something goes screwy with the phasers and YY is plunged out into space.
Suluās report to the Enterprise is not very effective. He says āemergencyā and then lets it hang for several seconds. No explanation of what the emergency is. No indication of what he needs from then. Finally after what feels like an eternity, he requests an emergency beam out.ā
This kind of thing has been common in Star Trek for a long time. It used to drive me crazy in TNG. The crew were so slow to react to things it was painful. They should all have died well before the show ended.
Anyway, this is our first look at Star Trek Continuesā transporter effect. It looks pretty authentic to what we saw in TOS.
McKennah goes to talk with Apollo. If anyone could use some counselling, itās somebody with a terminal condition.
She mentions that Lieutenant Carolyn Palomys. The only mortal woman to ever spurn his love. Sadly, sheās no longer alive. After her experience with Apollo she left the Enterprise. She died helping colonists affected by a plague. So thatās a nice nod to her character. A noble sacrificial wasa a fitting way for her to go out.
Apollo explains that they never sought out another planet where they might find worshippers, because they were so heartbroken when humanity, who they loved deeply, rejected them. And this adds a lot more texture and depth to the relationship. Far from just being evil overlords, they had deep feelings. A real connection to the humans that worshipped them. And they felt a great sense of loss and grief when that relationship ended.
The problem that Sulu and Simone experienced seems to be related to the power drain. Scotty is quick to blame Apollo. I can understand why, given his past experience, but heās being a little blinded by his emotions. His prejudice against Apollo. A likely cause is probably the very stuff they were cleaning off the hull. It was part of the realm artefact.
The next set we see is the briefing lounge. Iād tell you good it looks, how accurate to the original, but youāre probably getting bored of me saying that.
A lot of the conflict in this episode comes from Scotty blaming Apollo for everything thatās going on, and the others disagreeing. Even McCoy agrees with Spock, which evokes a few comical raised eyebrows.
I have to say, I think Scotty is being led a little too much by emotion and assumption right now. If heād stop and think things through a bit more, heād see that there are other possibilities. Others, that are more likely given the current evidence. But then, weāve all been Scotty. Havenāt we?
I think a lot of Scottyās perspective comes from the feelings he had for Carolyn. And while Apollo had nothing directly to do with her eventual death, he probably played a part in her leaving Starfleet. So in some way, Scotty may blame him.
Kirk wants the opinion of his senior officers, Spock, McCoy and Scotty.
Spock suiggests letting Apollo go, giving him ājust enough ropeā to hang himself.
Now, Scotty is providing a valuable and necessary alternative opinion to Spock and McCoy. Kirk doesnāt blame him for distrusting Apollo. But his outburst before he leaves the briefing room does cross a line, and certainly isnāt in character with who he usually is. Just further evidence that this is personal and emotional to him.
Kirk as ever, sits in the middle, trying to take the advice of both sides. Ultimately agreeing with Spock, but tempering his actions with some of Scottyās caution.
It seems that everyone agrees that it is the realm itself that took the energy from Simone and Suluās suits. The real question is whether Apollo is controlling it or not.
The prime directive will not allow Kirk to put a creature like Apollo on an unsuspecting world, whether he truly intends to set up church or not.
Apollo accuses the Federation of lacking the compassion they pride themselves on.
And this can sometimes be a valid criticism. Certainly in The Next Generation, the way the Enterprise D crew implemented the prime directive definitely lacked compassion, and was sometimes downright immoral, in my opinion.
Apollo is glad to know that he was remembered, showing footage of the Apollo mission. But as a mythological figure, not a deity.
The episode picks up on an important element of Uhuraās character. Her love of singing in the mess hall for her crewmates, and in a rather flirty seductive kind of way if I may say so. Kim Stinger can sing.
And again, the set looks perfectly authentic to me.
She has kept the brooch safe, knowing it was important to Apollo. When she tries to give it back, he tells her to keep it.
And then he praises her voice. At that moment, Uhura realises that Apollo was the greek god of music. How must that feel, to be complimented on someone who has a high level of ability or authority themselves in that field?
And while Apollo may not be a god in a true sense, he is an extremely long-lived being of immense knowledge and experience.
There are likely many things you could learn from sitting down with him. Imagine what you could learn about ancient earth history from somebody who was there!
And then he unexpectedly bursts into song. Moments like this rarely work for me.
Question - are the characters in the show able to hear the stringed instrument that is accompanying him, or is that just for the audienceās benefit?
When watching a music, my father-in-law will often joke, āwhereās that music coming from?ā
Watching a musical definitely requires an extra level of suspension of disbelief, but it works because of the genre. But having a moment like that in a show like this, thatās a whole other thing.
The crewmembers in the mess hall are quite taken by Apollo, for the reasons I just mentioned.
Unfortunately, Scotty has found that the corrosive debris from the realm has gotten into more of the Enterpriseās systems than just the hull. Not good news.
So McKenna comes to Kirkās quarters to see if they can finally have that chat, but is shocked and taken aback to find heās not wearing a shirt. This kind of moment is taken directly from the original series. I found it juvenile then, and I find it juvenile now. McKenna actually seems a little flustered throughout the entire scene after this awkward beginning.
McKenna and Kirk have something in common. A need to prove themselves. Kirk, as he was the youngest Starfleet officer to make captain at the age of 32, and McKenna, as Starfleetās first on-board counsellor. It may seen kind of ludicrous that up until this point Starfleet havenāt had anyone on board to look after the mental health of the crew, but this show is based on the original series, and in the 1960s, menstrual health was thought of very differently than it is today.
Of course, there was Doctor Denher, in Where No one has Gone before, but perhaps she was just on board conducting scientific research, rather than taking patients from amongst the crew.
McKernna has a specific recommendation regarding Apollo. She believes in his sincerity. She believes he has changed, from what he once was. The recommendations that Kirk grant Apolloās request is implicit but unspoken.
And Kirk takes that onboard. He always takes the opinions of his crew on board, but he needs more if heās to risk Apollo become what he was in the past.
McKenna makes a decent point that within all of us, there is the potential to do good or bad. Apollo is no different in that regard.
And Apollo doesnāt really have the powers he once had. So is he any more dangerous than a human begin? Well, weāve seen in the original series the damage a single human being can do on a primitive world. Apollo has been worshipped as a god, and that desire to be so again was still very strong in him recently.
But being weakened, and seeing his friends die, thatās the kind of thing that does change a person. Heās facing death himself.
McKenna seems to be quite emotionally involved in this situation. Perhaps more so than is professional.
When Spock calls Kirk to come to the rec room, he follows a trope you often see on TV, especially in Star Trek. He wonāt explain whatās going on, he simply says āyou should see for yourself.ā
Now I understand why a line like that works for a script. You donāt want to bog things down in exposition. You want the audience to see if for themselves.
But from an in-character point of view, I can see no reason why Spock should refuse to explain himself here. Is it that hard to say āApollo is telling stories and the crew are entranced?ā It seems a little insubordinate.
Could they not have Spockās line āYou need to come to the rec room, and then cut to the next scene? Maybe that would be an awkward transition.
Now I get that Kirk is concerned that the crew are enthralled by Apollo. Heās worried that Apollo is up to his old tricks, wanting to be admired by lowly humans, but in the end, all heās doing is telling a story. Heās doing it dramatically, but how is that any different than Uhura singing and rubbing foreheads with the males in the audience? Itās a performance.
Heās not actually doing anything wrong.
But the way Kirk yells āApollo!ā and then āwe need to have a word.ā
It seems overkill for the situation. Not that Kirk shouldnāt have a word with him, but itās a little overdramatic.
But itās very Shatner.
Itās interesting. Iām finding that Iām not entirely sure how to judge this show. By 60s standards, or by todayās standards?
This is a modern show, but itās being made with deliberate 60s aesthetic and sensibilities. The scene with MacKenna walking in on shirtless Kirk is another example of that.
I feel that as the show goes on, it will find a balance between modern writing and acting, but still maintain its place in the 60s inspired 23rd Century. I think itās possible, that the makers of the show, on this first episode, are still finding their way themselves.
And thatās perfectly understandable.
The trouble is they do such a good job of it. Everything about this, the sets, the hairstyles, the music. Honestly, if I didn't know better, Iād easily be convinced that this was made around 50 years ago.
The professionalism behind this fan-made production is seen on every level. Thatās why Iām podcasting about it, basically treating it no different than any other professional TV show.
Anyway, despite what I said earlier, Kirk is proven correct. Theyāre barely into their conversation before Apollo declares Kirk unworthy and sweeps him away with telekinetic powers. So ā¦ not so powerless after all.
It seems Apollo is unchanged. He still craves humanityās worship. Iāll be honest. He had me fooled along with McKenna.
He says he wants what heās always wanted. Humanityās love.
Kirk counters that humanity never loved him. They feared him. No god should survive on fear.
The word worship means to give worth to something. To ascribe to another, that which it is worth. What it is rightly due.
On that level, in my opinion, Apollo fails to meet the standard of a god. He had demonstrated time and again that he is not worthy of what he craves.
Itās McKenna who shorts him with a phaser, to rescue Kirk. But sheās clearly torn up about it. Personally, I donāt think sheās spent enough time with Apollo to become near as emotionally caught up with him as she has. I think thatās a flaw in this episode. McKenna is being portrayed as extremely over-emotional. Again, this is how a 60s TV show might portray a female character. So... Iām not sure if the episode should be criticised or praised for this. Itās so confusing.
This is actually the last weāll see of McKenna in this episode, as sheās led away, in her grief, by Uhura.
Spock has an interesting perspective on all this. He feels on some level, Apollo cannot control his actions. That lifeforms generally find it very difficult to change their ways, to change deeply embedded behaviours. And heās right about that. Changing your ways is not easy. Even if youāre determined. You try, you fail. Hopefully, you try again.
It is often tragedies that make the difference.
But the, Apollo has been through a lot of tragedy in recent time.
Kirk is determined that Apolloās therapy will not be at the expense of the crew of the Enterprise.
Apollo is voluntarily restrained.
He believed he could control the deepest ancient drives within himself by sheer force of his will. But he lost control. As Spock said.
And this all makes a lot of sense.
Often we canāt change the things about ourselves that we want to change just by force of will. We need to look outside of ourselves, to the support of friends, professional help, and yes, maybe even God.
Despite all of this, Kirk and Apollo now agree that Kirk canāt, and shouldnāt trust Apollo.
Kirk sees no alternative than to just leave Apollo restrained until he dies.
But Apollo has another idea.
That extra organ in his body, that humans donāt have. It allows him to channel the power, but it apparently serves another purpose. Itās what converts mortal worship into energy.
This whole idea of converting something as intangible as worship into energy is a pretty high-concept idea, but itās been done before. This is how the Ori in Stargate SG-1 get their power.
Apollo now knows he canāt control this organ. But he doesnāt want to let it control him.
And then McCoy quotes Matthew 5:29. The idea is that if there is something in your body, or your life, that causes you to sin, get rid of it. This is exactly the wisdom Apollo is coming to. Better to not have that organ than to fight a losing battle against it. Sometimes, the battle is best avoided.
He wants McCoy to surgically remove the organ.
McCoy is hesitant. He can remove an organ easy enough, but this is an alien. He doesnāt understand Apolloās physiology. The risks are impossible to predict.
But Apollo is willing to accept those risks.
So, they go for it. And Scotty is having success getting rid of the gunk in the ship.
Itās looking like all their problems might just be solved.
Now that Apollo likely no longer has the will to seek worship, he wants to revisit the idea of re-settling him on a planet somewhere. And being Kirk, he wants input from his most trusted advisors.
McCoy and Spock are both convinced. But Scotty still warns caution. They only have Apolloās word that removing the organ will make a difference. And thatās true. Thereās still some emotion bubbling below the surface, but Scotty has got it more under control now. Heās a little more reasonable. And he admits, heās not sure what the alternative is.
They still have no consensus. Kirk doesnāt need consensus, of course, but with a decision as important as this, heād like it.
Scottyās words have really made Kirk think.
If they donāt make a decision soon, Apollo will die on board the ship anyway. It seems his end is pretty close. Even if they take him to a planet now, he probably wonāt have enough time to cause much trouble.
Iām pretty sure Star Trek Continues is the first fan-made show to reconstruct the Jefferies tube set. Itās pretty awesome, with the shot looking down the tube at him working. I love it.
Uhura gets zapped by her console. Apparently, she didnāt move away from the console quick enough after Scottyās warning.
I canāt help but feel Scotty should have given the warning earlier.
And if the bio-bed readings are to be believed, Uhura is dead.
We know the show wonāt leave her dead, but despite that, Larry and Vic sell the drama of the moment with their performances.
Apollo sees Uhura drop the brooch. He uses what energy he has left to bring Uhura back to life.
Does that mean he lied about the organ? More likely, without the organ, he couldnāt convert any more worship to power, but he still had a little energy left in him. Energy he needed to recover from his surgery.
Turns out itās not that simple. He has more energy now than before the surgery. McCoy canāt explain it.
They have an interesting theory. Apolloās species can draw energy from sacrifice. They may have assumed that because worship empowered them, it was the only thing that did so. But without the organ that converts worship, his body now must pull energy from other sources.
Apollo has found another way. A better way.
The energy he draws from sacrifice is less than what he once enjoyed, so no more thunderbolts, as McCoy puts it, but if he restrains himself from all that, he should be able to prolong his life indefinitely.
A God sacrificing himself for humanity. That sounds familiar.
And even Scotty is convinced. Itās a nice emotional moment he he finally nods.
The episode wraps in a very TOS way, with Kirk summing up the moral and theme of the story, and then he and McCoy sharing a silly joke at Spockās expense. I wasnāt a bit fan of those kinds of endings, but itās very authentically TOS.
But then, when youād expect the credits to roll, the camera lingers on the planet.
One Year Later.
We get a nice little epilogue scene as Apollo helps a local family, and we see his face is now younger.
This scene wasnāt necessary, but it was welcome. I really enjoyed it.
Another little tidbithere, Doug Drexler appeared in this episode as Paladin. Iām honestly not sure who that character was, but ā¦ he was in there. Drexler is a visual effects artist who was instrumental in the Berman era of Trek. He also did that beautiful opening credits footage for this show.
Also, I have to saw that Bones and Spock grew on me through this episode.
Tod Haberkorn has a very different face and voice to Nimoy, but itās the performances of both of these guys that ultimately sold me that they were these characters.
As a modern production, mimicking something of an older style, this is nothing short of fine art. The detail, the artistry, itās all so well done.
But what would I think if I were to judge this episode as if it were the beginning of TOS season 4?
Itās not one of the great episodes of Star Trek. It probably wouldnāt be one of the classics, but itās a better than average TOS story. It had some nice drama, some difficult decisions for the characters to wrestle with, and it gave a fitting ending to a guest character from a previous story.
All in all, I think Pilgrim of Eternity was something of a triumph, worthy of much praise, but itās not the best of what Star Trek Continues has to offer. This show is only going to get better, according to my memory.
So letās see what the show has in store for us in episode 2 - Lolani.
Iāll see you then.
In the meantime, have a great 2 weeks, live long and prosper.
Make it so.
We've come to the end of our analysis of the Dark Knight Trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. Can this one live up to the awesomeness that the previous two movies were? Where does this movie work and where does it not? Let's dig in and talk about how this trilogy ends.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 94 of the podcast.
Today weāre talking about the movie The Dark Knight Rises.
The description on IMDB reads
Eight years after the Joker's reign of anarchy, Batman, with the help of the enigmatic Catwoman, is forced from his exile to save Gotham City from the brutal guerrilla terrorist Bane.
The screenplay was written by Jonathan Nolan and Christpher Nolan
The story was by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer.
It was directed by Christopher Nolan
And it first released on the 16th of July 2012.
Once again, I hired this on DVD when it came out, and only saw it once. But I own the complete trilogy on Blu-ray now.
The movie starts with Commissioner Gordon praising Harvey Dent at his funeral. Doing just what Batman told him to do. As hard as that is for him.
That ties us into the end of the previous movie. Then weāre straight to the new plot.
Itās a hostage situation.
Bane is introduced as a mercenary. A masked man.
Itās a terrifying interrogation, the way theyāre threatening these people, but not actually killing them.
He wants to know, who is Bane? This guy is looking for him.
It turns out one of them IS Bane.
Now my first introduction to Bane was the game Batman Arkham Asylum. In that game, heās this big monstrous creature powered by the venom serum. Basically DCās answer to the Hulk.
When I heard Bane was going to be the primary villain of this movie I was surprised. How can a big mutated monster fit in with this serious realistic Batman?
I was surprised to see when he appeared, that he was just some bloke, but heās got this weird metal mask around his mouth.
No explanation is given for this odd facial decoration when heās introduced.
But he does say that nobody cared about him until he put on the mask.
And I have to say, his voice doesnāt at all match what I would expect to hear coming out of someone who looks like this.
Heās got this happy-go-lucky English accent.
Sounds like it could be quite high-pitched but itās distorted by the mask.
Without any explanation, this mask is just really distracting and odd.
Bane crashes the plane. Heās stealing blood from one of their bodies.
This is all a pretty impressive sequence to look at, but itās very disorienting.
Who are all these people? What do they mean to each other? None of it is clear.
Bane Leaves one of his own behind, so a body can be found in the wreckage. And the guy doesnāt even object. What hold does he have over them theyād so readily die for him? Spoiler alert - weāll never find out.
Even after seeing the whole movie, looking back it still wasnāt entirely clear what this scene was all about? They abduct Doctor Pavel and fake his death. Thatāll be important later. But whatās with the blood?
Back in Gotham, we learn about Harvey Dent day. A new public holiday.
The city has undergone a historic turnaround. Gotham is without organised crime. For the first time in forever. A real difference has been made. Itās nice to know that Bruce was right. Gotham has been rehabilitated. Heās proven Raās Al Ghul wrong.
Thereās some talking about repealing the dent act, which gave police the power to act, but no real details on what they meant.
And some talking about how Batman murdered Dent.
Gordon hates playing along with all of this. But what can he do?
When he says he has a speech, telling the truth about Dent, but now is not the time, I think he means the real truth. Maybe one day he can tell the real truth and clear Batmanās name. But not today. The peace is too fragile. Too new.
Things are not going well for Gordon. His wife and kids left him. The mayor wants to get rid of him. He was a war hero, but this is peacetime. I feel really sorry for him. The last movie destroyed his marriage. Between faking his own death - letting his wife think heād died, and their son nearly dying, I can see how it ended. It really sucks.
So weāre seeing a very different world than that of the first two movies.
But letās not assume itās all gonna stay happy and nice. Thereād be no movie then.
Batman might be on the run, but Bruce Wayne isnāt. He doesnāt have to be. Nobody knows Bruce is Batman. But Bruce is living as a recluse. His new beard speaks volumes. He needs a cane to walk. Itās not entirely clear why this is. But heās not faking this. He really does have trouble walking.
The maid is stealing his motherās pearls.
And the maid is, of course, not a maid, but a cat burglar. Selina Kyle.
And hereās yet another example of Hollywood star casting I would never have thought of, but I like Anne Hathaway in this role. She does a decent job of it. I think at this point, she was still stepping out of the shadow cast by The Princess Diaries. Although she had already played Agent 99 in the remake of Get Smart, which I found surprisingly good.
Wayne Manor has been rebuilt. Bruce can now operate back in the original bat cave.
But itās a lot more developed.
Selina likes the pearls. She wonāt sell them, but what she wanted was Bruceās fingerprints.
Alfred is worried about Bruce. He hung up the cape but he never began a new life. Heās not living. Heās just waiting.
But heās still grieving the loss of Rachel.
Alfred tells his cafe story, which is important and will be paid off wonderfully later on. When Bruce was away, travelling the world, learning how to fight criminals, Alfred hoped heād never come back. Why? Because he wanted Bruce to find his happy ending, and live a life free of the wounds of his childhood.
Alfred would go on holiday to Florence every year. Heād go to a particular cafe. Every time heād fantasise that heād look across and see Bruce with a wife, maybe a couple of kids. Neither would speak to each other, but theyād both know that heād made it. That he was happy.
He never wanted Bruce to come back to Gotham. There was nothing here for him but pain and tragedy. Alfred wanted something more for him than that. And he still does.
Next, we meet an idealistic young cop named Blake. Heāll be a pretty important character in this movie, but it wonāt be clear why for some time. Heās played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, who is most famous for the teenage-bodied alien in the sci-fi sitcom Third Rock from the sun. But he really sells his performance as an adult cop in a serious drama.
Selina meets a guy named Stryver.
Selina got the prints for THIS guy.
Stryver is gonna kill Selina, but sheās well prepared. In a lot of ways, like Batman.
She puts on a good act to appear an innocent bystander to cops.
But Blake is on the case.
Thugs capture Gordon and bring him to Bane. There is a connection between Bane and Stryver.
Blake comes to see Bruce. In relation to Harveyās murder. But starts telling him the story of Bane.
He needs Batmanās help. Does Blake know Bruce is Batman?
Blake tells the story of his own tragic childhood. Heās an orphan too.
Bruce Wayne Billionaire orphan was a hero to those kids.
It was never really clear to me how or when Blake discovered that Bruce is Batman, but it also seems pretty clear that at this point, he DOES know. And he believes Batman was innocent of Harveyās crimes.
I guess Bruceās injuries are from his time as Batman. That would seem logical. But Batman didnāt seem this banged up at the end of Dark Knight.
Bruce meets with Gordon in a ski mask as Batman. Gordon says Batman needs to return. He is still needed. Bruce is not convinced Batman exists anymore.
Bruce finds Selina at a charity party.
This is a masquerade and Selina has chosen a black mask and cat ears. This is the closest to a cat costume weāll get to see her in. Itās a realistic take that works in the context of this trilogy. Although sheāll kinda continue to wear it again later in the movie for some reason, which doesnāt seem to fit. Honestly, Iād probably have been okay if this was the only scene where we saw her wear it.
This party is also where we meet Miranda Tate, a bright young woman who has business dealings with Bruce, and is very interested in his clean energy reactor, which heās never put into production.
Selina ended up a thief because she did what she had to. But once you start there, theyāll never let you do what you want to. You get stuck in a life of crime. Does that excuse her actions? It certainly gives us a little more sympathy for her as a character. I suspect this is a common story in the real world. Nobody grows up thinking āI really wanna be a criminalā.
She says āThereās no fresh start in todayās world.ā And itās starting to look like a fresh start might just be something sheād be interested in, if it were possible.
In the meantime, she sees herself as a robin hood figure
Selina threatens a coming storm that may bring down the rich in Gotham. And then she steals Bruceās sports car.
Wayne Enterprises not doing well financially. Bruce put all his money into the clean energy project, but wonāt turn it on for some reason. But you can bet he does have a reason.
Miranda supports the project and doesnāt understand why he wonāt follow through.
Lucious has some gadgets to show Bruce, even though he says heās retired.
Itās some kind of aircraft.
Bruce is using a device to help him walk and even kick.
We learn a little about Bane. Thereās a prison pit where prisoners are sent to suffer and die, in another part of the world. Bane came from that prison. He was born and raised in hell on earth.
He was trained by Raās al Ghul. But excommunicated from the league of shadows. Apparently he was too extreme for Raās. And thatās gotta be a bad thing.
Alfred thinks Gotham needs Bruce, not Batman.
Heās not afraid Batman will fail. Heās afraid that he WANTS to fail. Heās a shadow of who he was. Physically and mentally.
So Bayne and his goons break into the stock exchange.
Thereās no cash here. So whatās his plan?
Itās an online theft. They donāt stay long. And they leave with hostages
Bruce wears the batman suit for the first time in ages.
He arrives on the bike that was once part of the tumbler.
This is more dangerous for him than ever because the police think he is a murderer. They wonāt hesitate to take him down.
This proves to be a real problem - because the cops are more interested in catching Batman than they are dealing with Bane and Co. Good for Bane.
Putting aside the question of whether the bike was originally part of the bridging vehicle, it continues to do some pretty cool stuff in this movie. The way the wheels rotate and allow quick direction changes is a lot of fun to watch.
But then all reality goes out the window when we see this movieās version of the batwing, which is basically a full-on spaceship. I mean, I like it, but it doesnāt fit this series very well.
And they donāt even try to explain it.
The batmobile was introduced in a way that made sense in this world, in Batman Begins.
No attempt was made to do likewise with the Batwing in this movie. I found that pretty disappointing.
Selina is after a program that will clear her name. A clean slate. It erases your identity from every database on earth. It literally makes you disappear.
So her desire to escape her life of crime and have a fresh start is quite genuine.
But the guy claims it doesnāt exist.
Batman rescues Selina from Baneās people.
Selina sold Bruceās fingerprints to Daggart, who Stryver works for, for that program. She hasnāt been paid, so you can imagine how sheās feeling.
Alfred is really not keen on Bruce trying to be Batman again. Heās gonna get himself killed. He used to want a life beyond Batman, but with Rachaelās death, thatās not possible. He canāt move on.
And thatās when Alfred decides to finally tell Bruce about Rachaelās letter.
Itās a very powerful character scene. And this choice hurts both of them very deeply.
Alfred has just sacrificed his relationship with Bruce in an attempt to keep Bruce alive.
A painful representation of what love is all about.
Brilliant scene. Sadly, that means we wonāt see any more of Alfred until near the end of the movie.
Now we find out what Bane and Daggart were up to. Theyāve effectively bankrupted Bruce and acquired Wayne Industries. Bruceās main concern is applied sciences, but Lucious has done a good job of keeping that off the books and safe. As he should have.
But they do have his energy project.
Bruce shows the reactor to Miranda.
The reason he never put the reactor into active use is because some Russians found a way to weaponise similar technology. In particular, Doctor Pavel from the plane at the beginning. The risk was too great for Bruce.
Heās putting Miranda in charge of the company, in charge of the reactor. āKeep it safe and hidden. If it becomes too dangerous, sheās to flood it.ā
Bruce has been officially kicked out of his own company. His fatherās legacy.
Bane kills Daggett and takes over, calling himself a necessary evil. Thatās kind of how the League of Shadows see themselves, right?
Bruce wants to recruit Selina to help find Bane. He offers her the fresh start. Claims it does exist. Bruce acquired it to keep it out of the wrong hands.
He may be willing to let Selina use it, but he needs to trust her first.
When he tells her that theyāre letting him keep the house, Selina makes a very interesting point. āYou donāt even go broke like the rest of us.ā
And thatās very interesting. When super rich people go broke, they tend to still have resources behind them. A former billionaire is not going to find himself living on the street begging for food, like a normal person might when they lose everything.
Itās all relative.
And I find that fascinating.
It reminds me of Alastair in the British comedy show As Time Goes By. When he said he was broke, what he really meant was he was down to his last million.
Bruce and Miranda get intimate. That seems to have come out of nowhere.
It turns out Batman couldnāt trust Selina. Sheās done a deal with Bane, delivering Batman to him. Bane knows who Batman is as well. Selina overhears so she knows too
Now in some ways, Bane is a very similar character to Doomsday.
Doomsday is good for one thing. Killing Superman. So if youāre gonna put Doomsday in your movie, youād better be willing to have him Kill Superman.
In a similar way, Bane is famous for breaking Batmanās back. Thatās his purpose. It doesnāt mean you canāt do other things with the character, of course, but Baneās inclusion is something of a promise.
Iām not as familiar with this incident from the comics as Iād like to be. I am in the process of binging the important Batman comics from the 80s and 90s, but Iām not up to Knightfall yet.
Looking forward to it, though.
Bane says something I find fascinating.
āPeace has cost you strength. Victory has defeated you.ā
By winning peace in this city, Batman has not kept up his training. His physical conditioning. That has made him weak. His great victory has become his defeat.
Bane claims to BE the league of shadows. Fulfilling Raās Al Ghulās destiny.
āYou merely adopted the dark, '' he says. āI was born in it, moulded by it. I didnāt see the sun until I was a man.ā
Bane has found applied sciences. He has all of batmanās tech
And then he does it.
He brakeās Batman's back.
In a shot that looks very reminiscent of the comic.
I think Selina is already realising that she made a mistake. Sheās on the run, not from the police, but from bane. When Blake says he can offer her protection, she just gives him this look, and Blake kinda shrugs, as if to say, okay, maybe we canāt protect you from someone like that.
Selina honestly tells him sheās not sure if Bruce is dead or alive.
He is alive, but barely. Bruce doesnāt fear death - he longs for it. Bane has taken Bruce to the prison where he grew up. Underground and dark. The tunnel is open. You can see the sky. But climbing is impossible. That impossible hope is what tortures peopleās minds.
Bruce has to watch on a TV screen as Bane destroys Gotham.
Bane seems to be the only one to ever have escaped from this hole. He was born in there, and he escaped as a child.
And heās found the reactor.
The board are coerced into turning it on for him.
Baneās first move is to detonate explosives he's buried in concrete all over the city. The visuals of the football field slowly collapsing looked amazing.
There are some similarities between Baneās plan and Raās al Ghulās. Isolate the island in the middle of Gotham and then use some advanced technology to destroy people.
Most of the cityās cops are in the tunnels under the city.
Except for Blake.
At this point, most first-time viewers are probably surprised by how big a role Blake has in this movie, and wondering why heās in here.
It seems Doctor Pavel is the only person in the world capable of disarming the reactor bomb. After confirming this, Bane murders Pavel in front of the entire stadium.
Now we see a little of The Jokerās theatricality come into play. This is going to be a game. One of the people in the crowd has the detonator.
Itās not clear at this point, whether this is somebody working for Bane, or if the person doesnāt actually know theyāre the one. Perhaps something innocuous theyāll do will set off the bomb. This could have been explained better.
I feel like the writing in this movie isnāt up to the same level as the previous two. Ra's al Ghul had a clear goal and motive. The Joker was completely insane, but even he had a clear motive and goal - as crazy as it was. But I canāt get a reading on Bane. He says heās giving Gotham back to the people. What exactly does that mean? Gotham is finally at peace, better than itās been in decades. What does he think heās liberating them from?
But does he actually care? Of course not. He sees himself as carrying the torch of the League of Shadows. He wants to destroy Gotham. But why? Batman has succeeded in proving that Al Ghulās extreme measures were not necessary. Gotham has been rehabilitated.
So ā¦.. Whatās it all about?
Interesting to see a bunch of tumblers, in their original cammo colours driving through the city streets.
Bane tells the city the truth about Harvey Dent, reading from the stolen speech Gordon planned to one day deliver.
Heās raging against the corruption of the Gotham police. Now in fairness, much of their current peace has been built on a lie. But the criminals locked in that prison are still criminals. Justice HAS been served.
So what is to be gained by letting chaos reign and releasing all those dangerous criminals back out into the street?
Maybe Bane wants to watch the city tear itself apart, but he can just set off the bomb.
It seems to me that Bane is his own brand of crazy, but a much less interesting version of crazy than we saw last time with The Joker.
The people of the city seem to be taking up Baneās cause and rioting. I find that extraordinary.
So Blake points out some of the criminals have been denied parole due to the Dent Act.
Wellā¦.thatās a potential moral issue. But itās not a well-defined one. We just donāt have enough information to make a fully informed opinion. The justice system is supposed to punish the guilty, but also preserve certain rights and freedoms that they still have as human beings.
But this was an act of legislation. It was a law. We donāt understand the subtleties and details of that law, but the police had the legal right to keep those criminals locked up, regardless of whether Harvey Dent was a nice bloke or not.
Whether what the law allowed them to do was morally right is a completely different question.
And now for the people of Gotham to want to let all those dangerous criminals out to roam the streets, and string up the cops. Iām losing all sympathy for them.
The thing is, Iād be quite interested in a story that genuinely looked at the moral issues of a police force doing something a little dubious to protect the city from the special class of criminal we see in Gotham. Get some real interesting shades of grey going on so you have something to discuss.
Except I donāt think this movie does it at all well. It doesnāt delve in and explore any of that. Itās all brushed over so briefly that it becomes meaningless and thereās nothing to talk about.
We cut back to Bruce and we get a little more backstory about Bane. How he came to be born down there in that pit. I donāt know what country this is supposed to be, but you want to talk about corrupt justice systems mistreating the freedoms of its prisoners. This is where you look.
Apparently, young Bane was attacked by other prisoners during a plague. One of the prisoners was a doctor. He tried to fix Baneās face, but his fumbling efforts left Bane in perpetual agony, and the mask on his face holds back the pain somehow.
Umā¦ā¦..okay.
So theyāre trying to fix Bruceās back.
A broken back doesnāt necessarily mean death. My wife suffered a broken vertebra in her back from a roller-skating injury as a teenager. Itās something sheās lived with all of her life. The muscles learn to adapt.
But Bruce is in a pretty bad way. Heās got vertebrae sticking out. Itās believable that Bruce could get back into physical shape again someday, but itās gonna be a very long and slow recovery.
Bruce hallucinates that Raās Al Ghul is there with him. He surmises that Raās was the mercenary whose wife was thrown into the pit. Raās is Baneās father.
This is reasonable speculation, but Raās isnāt really there alive to confirm it. This is all in Bruceās head. So maybe Bruce is right, and maybe Bruce is wrong.
But weāre expected to believe that itās true - at least that Raās al Ghul was the mercenary, and the childās mother was his lover. But the only reason Batman, or the audience, knows this, is because Bruce learned it in a dream.
At this point Iām left wondering how long exactly is this siege taking? For Bruce to recover and build himself up to the physical strength to climb out of the pit, realistically, Iād think heād need a year. He was in much worse shape than my wife, and she lost the better part of a school year to her injury.
But it feels like the stuff in Gotham is just taking place over a few hours, or maybe a few days.
Blake actually gives us a number. Itās been 3 months. 3 months those cops have been trapped underground. So much about this movie just isnāt ringing true. Wouldnāt the federal government have done something about this after all that time? An entire city under siege?
Lucious gives us some more bad news. The fuel cell in the reactor is deteriorating over time. In 23 days itāll go off, regardless of whether the trigger man pushes the button.
If he could get his hands on the core he could put it back in the reactor and stabilise it.
After a few failed escape attempts, the prison doctor gives Bruce some psychological advice. Not being afraid of death doesnāt make you strong. It makes you weak. Fear of death is necessary. Itās what makes you go that extra mile and do what should be impossible. Because if you donāt you die.
So he advises Bruce to do the climb the way the child did. Without the rope.
I donāt know if this is good advice or not, but in a way it kind of makes sense. Bruce is not fully committing. Because somewhere deep down, he knows if he misses, the rope will save him. Without that safety net, he simply HAS to make the jump. So his body and mind will be more willing to do what is needed. Itās all mental.
Makes some form of sense.
But if he fails - he canāt try again.
Itās a gamble I wouldnāt make. But Bruce would.
Itās a genuinely triumphant moment when he climbs out to freedom.
We get another cameo from Doctor Crane, also known as the scarecrow. Heās trying people in Baneās dodgy court.
When Gordon goes to recruit one of his cops to help, we learn a little more about the situation. The government has apparently done a deal with Bane. The details of which, we donāt know. Seems unlikely.
This is a weird setting. Itās almost post-apocalyptic.
The cop says Gordon doesnāt know whether the bomb will go off tomorrow, except ā¦ he does. Why doesnāt he tell him about the time decay?
So Wayne has arrived and recruited Selina to help him. He still sees something good in her. Is that naive? Maybe. But part of being a literary hero is looking for the good in people.
Gordon has been captured by the goons and is being forced out on the ice, even though he would prefer to be shot than play along with the charade.
Bruce lights his symbol in flames on the side of a building, because he knows the power of a symbol to give people hope is an important weapon in this fight. Batman canāt save the city alone. That will take good people to stand up.
Blake and Selina are gonna lead people out of the city to safety while Batman leads an army against Bane.
Selina is still ultimately selfish, but she wants Bruce to come with her. Thereās an inkling of something between them, at least from her side. She makes the point that he doesnāt owe these people anything more. Heās given them everything.
And she may be right. Maybe they donāt even deserve him anymore. But true heroism gives what is undeserved.
And as he ominously points out, he hasnāt given them everything. Not yet.
It really does look like a war. The cops all lined up in their uniforms, facing off against the crowd of Baneās thugs.
A big battle like this is a pretty epic way to finish off the trilogy, Iāll grant them that.
So big surprise, Miranda is the child of Raās al Ghul, not Bane. Sheās working with him and she has the trigger. Bane was her protector.
Iām not sure this really works.
Did she really know about the reactor before Bruce told her? Because Bane seemed to.
I dunno.
Also, this calls into question a lot of the backstory we thought we knew about Bane. Soā¦has he actually been in that pit since childhood? Did he grow up there? Was the whole story about the doctor messing up his facial surgery so he needed the mask to keep the pain at bay true or not? Weāre just left feeling a little bewildered.
Fortunately, Gordon has managed to block the detonator, so it doesnāt explode at once.
Selina has finally decided to have a change of heart and help Bruce.
Miranda has flooded the reactor so thereās no way to prevent the bomb from exploding anymore.
The only thing that can be done now is to fly it away from the city. A suicide mission.
Batman is quick to sign up for that with his batwing.
Now he really will have given everything.
Gordon wants to know Batmanās identity, not because he ever cared, but because people should know who gave his life for them.
Bruce subtly tells him who he is by relating an experience from his childhood.
When this movie was soon to come out, I remember saying to a workmate of mine that I suspected Batman would die in the third movie, sacrificing himself for others. My reasoning was that it had been confirmed the series would be a trilogy. This would be the end. And Batman dying just seemed a fitting end that would fit the tone of the series.
So I felt kind of gratified when I saw exactly that play out.
Of course, itās not over yet.
Itās fitting that Bruceās funeral is attended by Gordon, Lucious, Blake, and Alfred. The people who knew who he was.
Iām curious what kind of cover story they came up with for Bruceās death. I donāt think Gordon revealed Batmanās identity publicly, because when asked about who saved the city, he simply says āThe batman.ā But with all the death and destruction, it shouldnāt be too hard for Gordon and Blake to explain it.
Poor Alfred. Heās so heartbroken. He blames himself. He feels he let down Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Blake has thrown in his badge. I think the inability to adapt of the officers that wouldnāt let him escape with the kids has hardened him to the rigid structure of the force.
I got pretty emotional at the reading of Bruceās will. Heās left everything to Alfred, the man who raised him, who was as much a father to him as Thomas was.
And Wayne manor is to be used to care for the cityās orphans.
So we learn that Blakeās real name is Robin.
Bruce has left him information to find the batcave, in case he wants to continue Batmanās work.
So thatās why Blakeās story was so important to this movie. He isā¦this universeās equivalent of Robin. In the comics, Robin was just a code name given to a number of people. Dick Grayson, Json Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damien Wayne.
In this version, Robin was the guyās real name. Itās little more than a nod to the concept, but it kinda fits this interpretation.
And that brings us to that last scene.
We learn with Lucious that the Batwingās autopilot was fixed after all.
So Bruce Might have survived.
Then we see Alfred taking a trip to that cafe. The one where he used to fantasise about seeing Bruce happy and okay. He looks up, and there he is. Bruce is sitting at a table with Selina. They nod to each other and Alfred leaves. All is okay now.
It seems that the clean slate program has given both Bruce and Selina a fresh start.
This is a powerful scene. It pays off the earlier scene so beautifully. It shows that Bruce and
Selina have made a happy new life together, but most importantly, it provides reconciliation between Bruce and Alfred. Forgiveness. A promise that they are still family.
Itās a wonderful way to end the movie.
As for Bruce and Selina, I love that they end up together. There is always an aspect of attraction and tension between Batman and Catwoman. But this movie didnāt do enough to establish that. They kiss shortly before he dies, for no real reason. And thatās it.
I think It would have worked better if theyād established a little more between them earlier in the movie, maybe instead of with Miranda. The sex with Miranda did nothing other than to make her betrayal sting a little worse, but honestly, I donāt that was needed. Mirandaās betrayal would have been just as powerful whether theyād had sex together or not.
So ā¦ how can I sum up this movie?
I derive some enjoyment from watching it, and Iāll probably watch it again some day.
But in terms of quality, itās not even in the same league as Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. This one has a reputation for not being as good, and I do think they dropped the ball.
I canāt help but wonder if it was rushed. It seemed like they needed a little more time to revise the script. I was going to say that a longer runtime might have helped it as well, but I was surprised to look up and learn that this movie was actually the longest in the trilogy.
I found myself really having to concentrate to fully get my head around this one. I had a similar experience with The Dark Knight, but that was because there was so much going on. But all those pieces fit together beautifully like a jigsaw puzzle. It was meticulously put together. There was a lot less going on with this one, but the pieces didnāt seem to fit together quite as well, and some of the pieces were missing.
So what do I like about it?
Itās got some really cool visuals. The effects and the camera work are beautiful to look at.
I liked Blakeās character.
I liked Batmanās sacrifice and his new secret life. That whole last scene is beautiful.
I liked Anne Hathawayās portrayal of Selina Kyle, though as I said I felt they could have done more with her and Batman.
I liked that they tried to tie this in a lot to Batman Begins, to round off the trilogy and make it feel whole and complete. But I donāt think they really succeeded in doing that effectively.
And I like the whole Bane breaking Batmanās back thing, and I liked Bruceās journey of getting himself back on his feet and out of that prison - although the timing doesnāt really work.
So thatās a decent list of positives.
This was as good as the average superhero movie, but a bit of a disappointment when compared to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
Ultimately, though, this trilogy has held up really well for me. The awesomeness of the first two more than makes up for the shortcomings of the third. This trilogy changed the way Superhero movies were made. At least for a time. It showed that Superheroes really could be taken seriously as dramatic characters. And it laid the foundations for the Snyder universe that I love and adore so much.
Iāve enjoyed covering these movies. I hope youāve enjoyed my thoughts on them.
Next time, we start a whole new adventure. Weāre going to be covering all ten episodes of Star Trek Continues. Itās gonna be a lot of fun, so I hope youāll join me for that.
Until then, have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
The Dark Knight has a reputation for being one of the great superhero movies, and it is completely deserved. Revisiting this movie for the first time after my initial viewing I was blown away by the writing. This is a masterpiece of thematic story-telling. With fantastic performances, especially from Heath Ledger as The Joker. So let's see what Batman is up to this time as we discuss The Dark Knight.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings
The author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 93 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the movie The Dark Knight
The description on IMDB reads
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan (who are brothers)
With story by Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer
It was directed by Christopher Nolan
And it was first released on the 14th of July 2008
In 2008 I was raising a very young family. I had just bought my first house or was shortly about to. I wasnāt made of money. Consequently, instead of buying this movie on DVD as I did with Batman Begins, I hired it from the local video rental place because that was cheaper. And forget the cinema. I didnāt go to the cinema for years when my kids were little. So Iāve only ever seen this movie once.
I remember continuing to enjoy the serious tone, but it didnāt have that origin backstory element that I loved so much in the first movie.
So I was really interested to see how Iād react to a rewatch after all these years.
The movie has a very silent beginning. So much so I had to keep checking that the sound was working on my computer.
We know from the ending scene of Batman Begins that this movie would introduce The Joker as its villain. The Joker is well known as the most famous, most iconic Batman villain. And this in large part thanks to the Adam West TV show, I believe.
I think it was smart to use lesser-known villains in the first movie, like Falcone, Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul and Even Victor Zzazz. It expanded the world for those not familiar with the comics and gave Batman room to really shine as he came into his own.
But this was the time to introduce his famous arch-nemesis.
When we first see a criminal wearing a clown mask our natural inclination is to think, this has got to be the joker, or someone who works for him, right?
Turns out these guys are working for him, but itās not a close association. He planned this heist, and he wants a cut.
He calls himself The Joker because he wears makeup to scare people, like war paint. Weāll come back to this.
Itās a shock when one robber is killed by another as soon as heās finished his work on the security system. And it would seem to make sense at first. One less person to split the money with, and these are hardly moral people. Unless something goes wrong and you need that guy again, or if you get a bad reputation for killing your team members and nobody wants to join your crew for future endeavours.
Turns out, this is a mob bank. One of the workers has a shotgun. I have to admit, the idea of the mob owning a bank is a concept Iām struggling to get my head around.
Looks like none of these crooks really know the full plan. Half of them are instructed to kill the other half.
The mob guy makes a good point. If you work for someone like the joker, who orders his own people dead, heāll only do the same to you.
Except the guy heās talking to ends up being the joker.
In the end, he doesnāt have to share the money with anyone. But whoās gonna want to work with him?
So taking a more active role than it appeared.
He definitely has a flair for the dramatic in the way he kills people.
Using the school bus as a getaway vehicle to blend in with all the other school buses is clever, but it would require expert timing, and wouldnāt the back of his bus be banged up from crashing through the wall?
I was surprised to see someone wearing the scarecrow mask from the last movie.
Itās not surprising, however, that there would be a copycat batman or two. But this guy doesnāt compare to the real thing.
And It seems itās actually Doctor Crane himself. Has he escaped from jail? And why would he now be playing vigilante? Thatās a bit weird.
Thereās a story-telling reason to do this. The idea is you show the villain who was such a threat last time as being ineffectual compared to the new villain, thus emphasising how powerful and threatening the new villain is.
Except, Doctor Crane was never much of a threat to Batman. Raās al Ghul was the main threat.
The big difference, of course, between Batman and these fakes, is competence. Heās got the skills, the experience, and the equipment. They donāt.
Bruce has obviously affected some upgrades to the tumbler. It has some auto-drive features, which are not so unbelievable in 2022, but were still science fiction 2008.
Batman doesnāt always come when Gordon turns on the signal, because heās busy. But Gordon likes to do it anyway, to remind people that Batman is out there.
That one scene when Alfred brings breakfast into an empty bedroom speaks volumes without a line of dialogue. Of course, the next scene has the dialogue which is almost redundant. Bruce has set himself up with a temporary batcave under a Wayne Enterprises facility while the mansion is being rebuilt. Itās a massive empty area with white ceiling. It looks somewhat unreal.
Alfred warns Bruce that he needs to know his limits. Bruce says Batman doesnāt have any, and Alfred points out that Bruce does. Whatās going to happen on the day when he realises them.
And thatās a clear ominous warning about a coming theme in this movie.
And while Bruce likes to think that Batman has no limits, he clearly does, because even as a symbol, heās portrayed by a human being. Batman is built on the flaws of that human.
We meet the exciting new DA. Harvey Dent.
And for those who havenāt picked up on it, we see him making decisions by flipping a coin.
Rachel is not only working for Dent, she is apparently dating him.
She gave Bruce a little sliver of hope that maybe they could be together someday when Gotham no longer needs Batman, but at the same time, it doesnāt seem that sheās willing to wait for him. Iām not saying that she should, but by dating someone else it makes her offer kinda hollow.
So now we have to talk about Katie Holmes. Because Rachel has mysteriously changed her face like a timelord.
Katie Holmes didnāt return for this movie. And we donāt know exactly why. We probably never will. We know that Christopher Nolan wanted her to return and was reportedly a bit upset that she didnāt. She was quite busy at the time and has said publicly that it was a decision that was right for her at that moment but would love to work with Nolan again someday.
I was disappointed when I learned that the character had been recast. I quite liked Katie Holmes in Batman Begins. The role went to Maggie Gyllenhaal.
And I have to say, having just re-watched this movie, she did a fantastic job.
It canāt be easy to come in and portray a character previously played by someone else, especially if youāre supposed to be in the same continuity as the previous. But Maggie made me believe.
And while I really liked Holmes in Batman Begins, I think I can say that Maggie Gyllenhaal gave a better performance in The Dark Night. She plays Rachel as a little older, a little wiser. And I really enjoyed what she did.
The new head of Falconeās crime organisation, Maroni, whoās played by Eric Roberts, an actor I quite like, has apparently got a fall guy to admit to being in charge, much to the amusement of everyone in the audience. Iām sure thatās not what theyāre called in a court case, but you know what Iām talking about.
This guy has smuggled a gun right into the courtroom, even up to the witness stand, which is a little hard to swallow, but at least this movie gives an explanation. Itās made of carbon fibre, which Iām guessing doesnāt set off metal detectors? Last movie, both Bruce and one of Falconeās men got guns into the courtroom and that was never explained.
Dent comes across as very cocky, but also very capable.
He disarms the witness without a single hint of anxiety.
Gordon and Batman are trying to cripple the mob by depriving them of their money. They plan to raid the mob banks before the Joker and rob them. The Joker is a side-problem at present.
Bruce is falling asleep in board meetings because heās out all night being Batman, but that doesnāt mean heās neglecting the company. Heās keeping a tight eye on things, more so than appears. I like that. This is his fatherās legacy, after all.
The rivalry between Bruce and Harvey over Rachel is kind of embarrassing to observe. I guess I canāt blame him. Bruce and Rachel are not together, but not by Bruceās choice. Often in Superhero stories, youāll have the hero tell his love interest that they canāt be together but then get all moody and belligerent when the woman pursues something with someone else. I believe Smallville did this once or twice. But you canāt have it both ways.
Anyway, nothing quite so angsty is going on here. Bruce would have Rachel in a second if sheād have him, and Harvey is in the way of that.
This is a point weāll connect back to later when we talk about character goals.
As far as we know, Harvey has no beef with Bruce, but when another guy puffs out his chest at you in a passive-aggressive kinda way, youāre gonna puff back. Thatās just how it works, right.
So thereās this mutual ribbing thatās going on during the conversation.
I mean, it was quite rude of Bruce to intrude on their date the way he does. But he doesnāt really care.
They begin debating the merits of Batman. Ironically, Harvey is in defence, and Bruce against.
I like how Bruceās date isnāt just portrayed as a bimbo. She has considered opinions and sheās the one who brings up the topic.
Rachel points out the example of Cesar, who was appointed by the people to defend them but then never gave up his power.
Could the same end up being true of Batman?
Harveyās answer is important. This is his thematic sentence.
āYou either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.ā
Letās see how this particular theory plays out with our main characters throughout the story.
But Harvey thinks Batman doesnāt want to do this forever. Heās looking for someone to take up his mantle. Maybe even somebody like him.
And heād be shocked to learn just how right he is about this.
Bruce is sold. He wants to throw his financial support behind Dent.
But he has his own ulterior motives.
What if Harvey Dent is the hero that can solve Gothamās problems in a more āby the bookā kind of way? What if he could take over the mantle from Batman?
That would then leave Bruce free to pursue a relationship with Rachel - one she claims sheād be interested in once Batman is a thing of the past.
Ultimately, Batman is thinking more about his own personal wants and needs here than about whatās best for the city.
Itās hard to blame him. Heās an imperfect person who does have wants of his own. But weāll have to see what he ultimately puts priority on when the time comes. That will determine what kind of man he is.
So surprise, Lau, the guy that Wayne Enterprises was thinking of doing business with, the guy that Bruce decided not to work with, is involved with the Gotham Mob. The Joker has stolen a few million dollars from them. But Maroni isnāt convinced that the Joker is the real problem. The cops are the bigger issue. Theyāre trying to seize the rest of their cash.
Lau hides the money for them so when Gordon gets in there, thereās nothing to find.
And thatās when the Joker barges into their little meeting.
This scene is the first introduction we really get to Heath Ledgerās Joker.
His first act is to kill one of the mob guys who tries to throw him out, using a pencil.
Now, this whole pencil in the eye stunt really disturbed me the first time I saw it, and it really stuck in my memory.
I remember cringing in revulsion. That wasnāt something I needed to see.
This time around, it didnāt affect me as much, possibly because I knew it was coming. That first time, when it happened, I really thought through the implications.
Really disturbing.
Itās clear to the Joker that the mob are afraid of Batman. Despite what they say, theyāre not having their meetings in broad daylight because of Harvey Dent.
The Joker makes an offer. Iāll kill the Batman, but not for free. Thatās why heās here.
But can they take him seriously? Heās shown heās clever. Heās shown he can pull off a heist. Heās demonstrated his competence and his boldness by stealing some of their money.
But does that mean heās capable of killing Batman? Thatās quite a different task than stealing money from a mob bank.
The outspoken gangster, Gambol, isnāt impressed and says heās putting a price on the Jokerās head, but I think their new leader is seriously thinking about it all.
So letās talk about this version of The Joker.
I see Heath Ledger as the definitive on-screen version of The Joker. I know a lot of people will point to Mark Hamill, but Iām just not really into a lot of animated stuff.
So to me, Ledger was the ultimate portrayal of what I traditionally thought of as The Joker.
His personality is creepy. He comes across as somewhat unhinged, but at the same time capable, and a worthy adversary for Batman.
The make-up is dishevelled and badly done, and he has big scars on his cheeks, extending into a sickening smile, covered crudely with lipstick. It gives a wonderfully creepy vibe that works wonderfully for me. If the makeup was applied better, it would lose all its power. Incidentally, thatās why I didnāt like Joaquim Phoenix's look for the Joker in the trailers, although when I watched the movie and understood the characterās backstory, I realised that it worked for that version of the character.
But some people took issue with the whole make-up idea. I know a friend of mine has talked at length about how he didnāt want a joker wearing makeup. He wanted a joke with chemical-bleached skin.
Now because I donāt have much of a comics history in my youth, I was simply unaware of this aspect of the character. Iām bingeing on DC comics now, but that didnāt help me in the past.
You see, I always thought The Joker wore makeup. My main previous exposures to the character were Ceasar Romero, who wore makeup right over his moustache, and Jack Nicholson.
As I explained last time, I completely misinterpreted what was going on in the 1989 Batman movie. I thought that Nicholsonās Joker wore makeup to cover his disfigurement from landing in the chemicals. It was only very recently that I learned that the natural skin tone was in fact the makeup, and the clown face was his real skin.
And Iām sorry, but I just find that kind of silly. Especially the hair. I can buy the idea of bleached skin from chemicals, but not if it just looks like white makeup. And green hair from landing in chemicals. No. That doesnāt work for me at all.
So to me, The Joker has always been, and probably always will be, a creepy guy who wears clown makeup.
Iām sorry, but I didnāt know any different before, and now that idea is solidified in me.
Anyway, it goes without saying that Heath Ledgerās performance in this movie is outstanding. He won an oscar for it. Itās just such a tragedy that he died before even receiving it.
So Dent and Gordon meet Batman on the rooftop. Thereās a lot of blame going around for what happened, but what really matters is they need to get Lau back. Heās fled to Hong Kong. Harvey can get him to talk if Batman can get him back somehow.
Is it just me or are all the actors in this movie really young?
When Bruce goes to Lucious for help. The scene always plays like a Bond film, where 007 gets his latest gadgets from Q. But somehow, that works.
The Joker comes to see Gambol, but his method of arrival is suitably theatrical. He arrives in a body bag, pretending to have been killed.
And thatās when we hear his question for the first time.
āDo you want to know how I got these scars?ā
Itās not the last time heāll ask somebody that question, and each time, heāll give a completely different story, each as dark and twisted as the last.
Of course, at this point in the movie, we donāt realise that, so we take the story about his wife-beating mother at face value. Ah, so thatās why The Joker is so messed up. But thatās too easy. Too trite. Does a tragic childhood justify the person The Joker is? It certainly doesnāt excuse it. Does it explain it? Plenty of people have had horrible childhoods like the story he tells, but they donāt grow up to be psychotic serial killers.
Ultimately, I think the reason the writers had him give all these conflicting stories is that theyāre showing that no one incident really truly explains or justifies what he is. Heās just insane.
Normally, I donāt like it when explanations are not fully given, when stuff like this is left hanging as a mystery thatās never resolved. Often, itās done badly so it leaves me feeling unsatisfied. But here, it works wonderfully. So Iām with it.
The Joker is slowly taking over the criminal underworld in Gotham. But heās doing it in such a Joker way. He has Gambol and some other goons fight it out, to the death, for the privilege of joining his team.
This guy really is sick.
Fox has a clever way of getting into the interior of Lauās building and planting another jamming device in there. I quite like seeing these two working in the field together.
This part of the movie really does feel like a spy thriller.
Batman usually confines himself to Gotham. I think this is the first time Iāve seen him operating in another country on screen.
The method of extracting Bruce and Lau from the building into the plane looks awesome, but man it would be terrifying.
It seems strange to me that Rachel - a lawyer for the DAās office, is interrogating Lau, not a police officer. Is that normal in America? Because here, itās the police who interview people. Then, when they think they have sufficient evidence, they charge the suspect. Then they appear in court. Although, interestingly, we donāt have District Attorneys, like in America. As far as I understand, itās actually the police themselves that prosecute criminal cases. You hear the term police prosecutor.
Gordon makes mass arrests. Rachael and Dent have worked out some legal options where if you get a conviction on one, you can get a conviction on a bunch of their accomplices. I donāt fully understand, but itās looking pretty nice for the good guys at the moment.
Until the Judge finds a playing card, a joker, amongst her papers.
The Joker makes a direct challenge to Batman by dumping the dead body, in Joker makeup, of one of the copycat batmen into the Mayorās window.
The Joker wants Batman to step up and take off the mask. Every night he doesn't, people will die.
Despite the jokes and ribbing, Bruce is genuine when he says he believes in Harvey Dent. Yeah, heās got his ulterior motives, but he genuinely believes Harvey is what the city needs, maybe even more than it news Batman. Gotham needs a hero with a face.
Bruce opens up to Rachel. He believes that day is coming very soon when Batman wonāt be needed. And when that day comes, heās asking her to be there for him.
The people The Joker plans to kill tonight are quite important. The judge and Commissioner Loeb are among them. Harvey Dent may be another. The Joker crashes Bruceās fundraiser for Dent.
Rachel stands up to him and thatās when he tells his second scar story. This one is about a wife who was disfigured. He disfigured himself to be like her, and she left him.
When Batman shows up, The Joker throws Rachel out the window. Batman has to jump out, catch her, and reach the ground safely. His cape barely opens as heās seconds from crashing into a car uncountable stories below.
This is even more unbelievable than the fall out the window in Batman Begins. Itās laughable to expect us to believe that Batman and Rachel are still alive. Thatās a real problem for me.
Alfred seems to have a greater understanding of The Joker. This is not a man with a rational goal. Heās not after the things that most criminals are after. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
So how do you understand a man like that? How do you defeat him?
Batman has been called the worldās greatest detective. We get to see him doing a little detective work. Specifically, some forensic work, analysing gunshots into brick.
I really like how the movie acknowledges that somebody in Wayne Enterprises is going to notice their own tech from applied sciences being used out there by Batman. Thatās only logical. But Lucious is quite capable of dealing with that.
Whatās harder for me to swallow is that Bruce gets a fingerprint of the shooter off the hundreds of shards that were once a bullet.
The Jokerās next target is the mayor, who is giving a speech at Loebās funeral.
Itās interesting to see the Joker out of makeup as he pretends to be one of the cops giving a rifle salute.
Gordon has been shot, but we know he canāt die because he hasnāt become commissioner yet.
Still, they play it for real. And they portray the emotion of it very well.
Rachel is the next target.
Harvey needs someone he can trust, and Rachel suggests Bruce Wayne.
So, you know the trope, where the vigilante holds the crook out a window, threatening to drop them. We know they wonāt. The crook knows they wonāt. In this case, Batman has specifically chosen a height that wonāt kill Maroni, so that he can make good on his threat when Maroni calls his bluff.
Maroni makes a good point. Batman has rules. The joker has no rules. Nobody is gonna cross The Joker for Batman. The only way to find him is to take off his mask and let the Joker come to him. Or he could just let more people die while he makes up his mind.
Harsh truth.
Dent is trying a different tactic. Putting a gun to the mobsterās head. But Maroni was right. This guy wonāt talk.
Dent offers a toss of the coin. But is he really gonna kill the guy? I know heās worried about Rachel being the next target, but is the DA really ready to take a life in cold blood?
Turns out, this guy is a paranoid schizophrenic. Thereās not a lot Dent is gonna learn from him.
Batman has some words for Harvey. He is a legitimate voice standing against the crime in Gotham. Doing it by the book. Thatās the first ray of light this city has seen in decades. What would happen if people saw their white knight holding a gun to a manās head?
Bruce is convinced that the people need someone better than a vigilante in a bat mask. They need somebody working on the correct side of the law with his face uncovered. Thatās something Batman can never be.
I love how all of this is building toward the conclusion of this movie. Itās like a tapestry where all the threads are coming together to make something greater. There really is some great writing in this one. Itās all very thematic.
Bruce is ready to pass on the torch. Right now. Heās going to unmask himself so nobody else dies on his behalf.
Dent considers giving up. Even Rachel isnāt convinced that this will keep The Joker from killing people. But it may flush him out and allow somebody to stop him.
I understand Bruceās perspective. What choice does he have? He canāt just keep watching while people die. Is protecting his secret identity really more important than all those lives?
I think heās making the only call he can under the circumstances.
Rachel admits she meant what she said to him at the end of Batman Begins. If he ends Batman, sheāll be with him.
But she believes that if Bruce turns himself in, they wonāt let them be together.
āTheyā could refer to a lot of people. The Joker, any criminal with a grudge against Batman. The police.
Bruce is destroying any evidence that could lead back to Lucious or Rachel.
Today, Bruce has found out what Batman canāt do, but as predicted, Alfred doesnāt want to say āI told you so.ā
At a press conference, Dent debates whether Batman should be turned in with the crowd. They all want his head, so he gives in. As Bruce begins to step forward, Dent falls on his sword. āI am the Batman,ā he says.
Bruce hesitates.
He doesnāt turn himself in.
What should he do?
Rachel isnāt impressed.
Dent reveals how he makes his own luck - both sides of his coin are heads.
The Joker makes his move to capture Dent from the prison transport. But Batman makes his move as well, essentially proving that Dent is not Batman by appearing in the tumbler.
Action scenes with The Tumbler are always fun.
But sadly, itās been damaged beyond immediate repair. Soā¦..Bruce ejects in a motorbike.
This is a problem.
I canāt believe that the bridging vehicle was designed to come apart and partially transform into a motorbike. Clearly, Bruce and Lucious have made a lot of alterations.
But I just canāt buy that. I mean, the bike with the massive wheels looks cool and all, but this breaks the believability a bit too much for me.
This is no ordinary bike, though. It can do some really cool things.
Despite all he has done, Bruce still holds to his rule. He doesnāt kill The Joker.
Just when all hope looks gone, who should show up but Jim Gordon. Alive and well.
Now they have The Joker in custody.
Gordon says he couldnāt risk his familyās safety, which is why he went through this ruse. But he still put them through the heartbreak of thinking he was dead. And thatās pretty bad. And they havenāt even found out the truth yet. Gordon is on his way home to tell his wife heās alive now. She gives him the slap that I think he deserves.
But in all the commission, one thing that I missed in my first watching all those years ago. The mayor names Gordon Commissioner. So heās finally reached the position heās known for.
Theyāve found no Id on him. No idea what The Jokerās true identity is. His name.
How do you charge someone without knowing their name? Itās not like they can just call him āThe Joker.ā
But thereās some bad news. Dent didnāt make it home. So who has him?
Gordon lets Batman do the interrogation. This is where we see the beginning of the nemesis relationship. The Joker doesnāt want Batman dead. What would he do without Batman? Go back to knocking off mob bosses? The Joker needs a worthy adversary. Batman completes him.
The Joker tells Batman heās going to have to break his one rule tonight - his rule against killing. And heās already been considering it.
But it seems the Joker knows who Batman is, or at least, he knows there is a connection between Batman and Rachel.
Batman is going to have to choose between Dent and Rachel. One life or another.
The Joker tells Batman where each of them are.
Batmanās decision is made without even thinking. Heās going after Rachel.
The police will go for Dent.
Itās a sick setup. Theyāre both wired to bombs, but thereās a speakerphone between them, so they can talk to each other. Hear each otherās screams.
The Jokerās method of escaping is clever, but disturbing.
Rachel doesnāt want to live with Harvey, so he finally gives him the answer heās been waiting for. The question is obvious. Her answer - yes.
Soā¦seems sheās not willing to wait for Bruce after all. Sheād already decided that, as weāll learn from her letter. Sheās convinced a day will never come when Bruce doesnāt need Batman.
And now comes the real tragedy of this whole thing.
Batman bursts into the location where he was told Rachel would be.
But itās Harvey.
The Joker gave him the wrong addresses. He switched them.
So that by thinking he saved the one he chose, heād actually be killing them.
Harvey is not happy that Batman came for him instead of Rachel - which of course he didnāt mean to do.
And Rachel has to calmly accept it. Itās that moment when you realise youāre about to die and thereās nothing you can do to stop it, so thereās no use struggling. But at least the one you love is safe.
And then it happens. The buildings explode. Harvey is saved, but Rachel is not.
Rachel is dead.
And Batman unknowingly killed her.
This is a heart-breaking tragic moment. It was a gutsy move. It was not normal, especially at the time, for a superhero to actually kill off the love interest like this.
That was dark.
Of course, Iām not against tragedy or darkness in stories. But ouch. This hurts. But sometimes stories are supposed to hurt. Thatās what makes them powerful.
Before she died, Rachel gave Alred a letter for Bruce, telling him sheād decided not to wait for him. She was gonna marry Harvey Dent. Alfred ultimately decides to destroy this letter rather than give it to Bruce.
I think he reasons that the rejection on top of the death is just another level of grief he doesnāt need. Heāll at least let Bruce keep the hope that Rachel was going to be with him.
Itās hard to say which would be more painful, knowing that you could have been with her if only sheād survived, or knowing that no matter what, youād never have been able to be with her.
Harveyās face is half-burned in the explosion. We know what that means.
When I first saw this movie, I was embarrassingly unfamiliar with Harvey Dent, and who he was destined to become. I think the coin gave me some hints but I remember being surprised when I realised where this was going.
Soā¦..Two Face is born.
The makeup effects are very well done. Butā¦.it looks really gross. Not something I actually want to look at.
Harvey is not accepting skin grafts. Iām no doctor, but I donāt think heās going to be able to just walk around with a big hold in his cheek, with his eyeball all exposed like that, without getting some serious infection.
Maroni claims he can tell Gordon where the Joker will be tonight.
The Joker proves heās a different kind of criminal when he burns all the money. Heās an agent of chaos. Then he calls the talkback show thatās about to reveal Batmanās identity and threatens more chaos unless someone called āColeman Reeseā isnāt dead within the hour. It wasnāt entirely clear to me at the time, but Coleman Reese is the guy who has figured out Batmanās identity.
Rese is not dead, so true to his word, The Joker sets off a bomb destroying the entire hospital.
They managed to clear it, fortunately.
Bruce has developed a system where he can use every mobile phone in the city to listen in and pinpoint people of interest. As Lucious points out, itās a clear violation of privacy and potentially gives too much power to one person, even though the only person Bruce trusts to use it, over even himself, is Lucious.
Itās an interesting dilemma. It may help Bruce find The Joker, and Lucious is willing to help him this one time, after which, heāll resign.
Batman is a vigilante. He operates outside the law. Itās interesting that this is the line that Lucious feels so strongly about.
What do you think? Has Bruce crossed a line here? And if it helps him stop The Joker, is it worth it?
Havey is after the people that took Rachel. Moles within the police department.
The Joker has threatened more chaos and death in the city, and half the population are evacuating Gotham via ferry.
The joker is running a sick social experiment.
Two boats. One full of criminals. Another full of evacuating civilians.
Each rigged with a bomb. Each with a detonator to destroy the other boat.
At midnight he blows both boats up, unless someone on one of the boats pushes their button - destroying the other. The Joker will let that boat live.
So by sacrificing (murdering) the people on the other boat, theyāll save themselves.
The civilian boat is taking a vote.
The guards on the criminal boat are desperately trying to stop the prisoners from rioting and pushing the button.
This kind of sick game is exactly the kind of thing that The Joker delights in.
Meanwhile, Harvey has taken Gordonās family.
Itās all happening.
Thereās lots of fantastic drama as the crews of the boat try to make their decisions. Itās really interesting how it all develops.
Thanks to his invention, Batman has found The Joker. And so begins their epic showdown.
In the end, neither crew destroys the other.
Likewise, Batman and the Joker wonāt kill each other, Batman because of his morals, and the Joker because fighting Batman is too much fun.
The joker is fighting for the soul of Gotham. Thatās not gonna be won with a fistfight. Much
like Lex in Batman V Superman, heās trying to make a philosophical point about morality.
But the people in those barges have just proven that the city is full of people willing to do good.
But for how long? The Joker has taken the white knight - Harvey Dent, and transformed him into something ugly. Iām not talking about his face. Heās turned Dent into a killer. The beacon of hope that Bruce so believed in. When people see that, their idealism, their hope in good, will evaporate.
THAT is the jokerās victory.
But the Gotham police arrive and arrest him. Heāll spend the rest of his life in a cell, and thatās the last we see of him in this movie.
But thereās still a good 20 minutes left of the film. How can you have a climax without your primary villain? Isnāt that The Joker?
Well, he may in fact be the primary villain, but putting aside that word, heās not the primary antagonist.
Harvey Dent is the primary antagonist.
The antagonist is the one who stands opposed to the protagonistās goal in the story. Our protagonist is Bruce Wayne. And what does he want? Ultimately his goal in this movie is to stop being Batman, so he can be with Rachel. He wants to raise up Harvey Dent as a different kind of hero, a better hero, a white knight who can do the things Batman canāt.
Harvey opposes Bruceās goals the whole way through. First, simply by being with Rachel, keeping her from a relationship with Bruce.
But ultimately, by becoming bad. By failing to be the hero Bruce wanted him to be. By constantly making bad choices, proving that heās not the good person Bruce so desperately wants him to be.
And thatās what weāre about to see play out in this final sequence as Harvey threatens Gordonās family.
So if the Joker isnāt the antagonist, what role does he place in this movie?
I learned this from an old episode of the Writing Excuses podcast about the Hollywood Formula with a guy named Lou Anders. The Joker is what is referred to as the relationship character. The relationship character is the embodiment of the storyās theme. The Joker is constantly trying to convince Batman that heās more like The Joker than he is like the idealised hero he wants Dent to be. āYouāre a freak - just like me.ā
In the end, Batman fulfils this by accepting his role as The Dark Knight.
This is fascinating stuff to me.
Itās interesting to me that Harvey has chosen Gordon as the target of all his rage. I understand he failed to save Rachel, but there are bigger targets. The Joker is the most obvious, of course, but he has his reasons why he wants to go for someone more directly connected to the failure.
Batman is a more logical target. Batman was the one who went to the wrong place and saved Harvey instead of Rachel.
I could totally understand Harvey targeting Batman, but Gordon?
I guess the difference is, Gordon is tangible. Gordon is a real person with an identity and a family.
What is Batman? A persona. How do you hurt Batman? Who are his loved ones? You canāt know that without knowing who is behind the mask.
And Harveyās approach is very Joker-like. Heās playing games. Heās gonna pick one of Gordonās family, the one he decides Gordon loves the most. Thatās the life heās going to take. One for one.
He doesnāt even want to escape from this, and that makes him especially dangerous.
Batman shows up, mercifully.
Harvey feels betrayed not just on a personal level because of Rachel but on a larger leve.,
āYou lied to me. You said we could be decent men, in an indecent time. You were wrong. The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is change.ā
In his mind, thatās fair.
The Joker chose Harvey because he was the best of them. Joker wanted to prove that even a man like Harvey Dent could fall.
Sadly, Harvey has proven him right. Thatās the tragedy of this whole story.
The heavy drama here is powerful. Doubly so because Iām a parent.
So Batman rescues the boy, and Harvey dies in the struggle, leaving Gordon and Batman with a dilemma. The Joker has won.
Any hope for saving Gotham dies with Harveyās reputation.
So Bruce does the only thing he can. There is only one way left to defeat the Joker, and he canāt let the Joker win.
Batman claims responsibility for Harveyās crimes. āTell them I did it,ā he says to Gordon.
Batman takes the fall for Harvey so that Harveyās reputation can remain untarnished, thus preserving hope for the people of Gotham.
Batman calls back to something Harvey Dent said early in the movie. He has now grown old enough to see himself become the villain. But not in the way anyone expected.
As Bruce rides off on his bike, Gordonās son says āBut he didnāt do anything wrong.ā
I canāt help but see strong Christ parallels here.
An innocent man taking on the crimes of the guilty, for the good of others.
And Christ parallels always hit me right in the heart, because of my own personal beliefs.
This is a tragic but beautiful ending.
So Bruce has now become The Dark Knight. The hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs.
The name takes on so much new significance at the end. It wasnāt just a case of āwell, we canāt call it Batman, so whatās another name for Batman?ā No. The Dark Knight has deep meaning, especially when contrasted with Harvey Dent as the White Knight. Love it.
Critics of DC films, particularly the ones that get a reputation for being dark, tend to say that the movies are without hope, without optimism. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This movie is dripping with hope. Itās all about hope.
I feel the same way about Man of Steel and Batman V Superman.
I love this movie.
Itās so well written.
It all fits together so nicely. Events are foreshadowed. Themes are set up and then paid off satisfactorily.
Itās almost poetic.
So, having now re-watched both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, I might still say that Batman Begins is my favourite because I really like the origin story aspect, but I think I might have to say that The Dark Knight is actually the better film.
But weāre talking about the difference between two awesome movies, so what does it really matter? The point is, theyāre both fantastic.
Next time, weāll conclude our look at this trilogy by watching The Dark Knight Rises, which Iāve also only seen once.
And then after that, we launch into our new series on Star Trek Continues.
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so
Batman Begins is my favourite standalone Batman movie. It set a precedent for the kind of grounded serious superhero movie that I would love going forward. So let's dig in an talk about it. Over the next three episodes, I'll be covering the Dark Knight Trilogy, but it all begins here with Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings
The author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 92 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the movie Batman Begins.
The description on IMDB reads
After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption.
The story for this movie was written by David S. Goyer
The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan.
It was directed by Christopher Nolan
And it first released in June 2005
In order to share my thoughts and reactions to Batman Begins, I need to very briefly talk about my past experience with Batman. Much like Superman, Batman has always been a part of my consciousness. I canāt remember a time in my life before I knew about Batman. He was just always there.
The first version of the character that I actively remember engaging with was the 60s TV series, although Iām sure there was awareness before that. I wasnāt alive in the 60s, of course, but I saw the show on repeats.
Remember Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s? Our local TV station did their own Saturday morning show, and amongst all the cartoons, they always showed one live action show. At one point they showed the Beverly Hillbillies. At another point, it was Adam West Batman.
I enjoyed the show, but I think even at the time, I was aware that it was incredibly cheesy and silly. But to me, Superheroes were not silly. I took them very seriously.
When news of the 1989 Tim Burton movie came out, my ears pricked up. I didnāt see the movie at the cinema. We just didnāt really go to the cinema much when I was a kid. We watched everything on Video. And thatās how I eventually saw this movie. But I remember seeing the marketing. And I had a hardcover book about the making of the movie. I remember looking at the darker aesthetic and thinking, wow. This is a gritter, more serious take on Batman. I was VERY interested. Would this movie take the character as seriously as I did?
When I finally saw the movie, I enjoyed it. It was more grounded. I liked how they explained the Jokerās smile. He had to have his skin stretched after his accident, so he used makeup to make it less weird. At least, thatās how I interpreted it. It wasnāt until a few years ago that I realised that the normal skin tone was actually the makeup, and the white skin was real.
This movie was much closer to the kind of Batman I wanted, but it still had more campiness than I expected. Most of that came from the Joker. Seeing him prance about with his goons spray painting the museum, it felt like I was right back in Adam West land. But it was more than that. There was a thick veneer of un-realness over them, especially the second. It was the architecture, the people, the 1930s cameras, Penguinās fatherās monocle.
And the movies in that series got progressively more and more silly.
I donāt want to speak too disparagingly about that series, because thereās lots of good stuff to like.
But when they announced that the Batman movies were getting rebooted, I was very interested once again.
And this time, they really were taking it seriously. Batman Begins was a more serious grounded Batman. This was a movie that took the character as seriously as I did. It treated him like a person and really fleshed out Bruce Wayne as much as it did Batman.
This was EXACTLY what Iād been looking for. And to this day, Batman Begins is still my favourite stand-alone Batman movie. Itāll be interesting to see if that still holds after I re-watch The Dark Knight, which Iāve only ever seen once. I say standalone because Batman V Superman was a multi-hero movie. But Batman Begins primed me for Zack Snyderās work. Batman Begins made me fall in love with the grounded serious Superhero movie. And Iāve never looked back.
So letās dig in and talk about it.
So the movie begins with a shot of the sky with bats flying everywhere, and Batmanās logo revealed in the background. That logo is so recognisable that you really donāt need any text. Thatās something the marketers knew even back in 1989.
Bruce is running around his garden as a child. Most Batman stories begin with Bruce walking through the alley with his parents at night, but this is a different take. This is Bruce before the tragedy. Itās all bright colours and sunny. Bruce has a big smile on his face as he plays with his childhood friend Rachel. But heās a bit of a little ratbag. Rachel has found something cool, itās an old arrowhead, and he snatches it from her. It seems that child Bruce has developed a sense of, I can have what I want, because Iām rich. Not exactly the lesson his parents would want him to pick up, weāll see later that theyāre really good people. But this is an attitude that could easily develop in a child raised in an environment like this, unless much care was taken to help him unlearn that kind of stuff.
As Rachel chases him, Bruce falls through a hole into an old boarded up well. rachel runs to get help from her Mum, who is in Wayne Manor, which looks really cool. Iām surprised they didnāt take more care to fence it off or something. This well connects to a cave system underground, and it is filled with bats. Young Bruce freaks out as they flap around his face, giving him a life-time fear of bats. This is an important element that will come back later in a way that I thought was really cool.
Thatās when we cut to Bruce waking up as an adult.
Now Iāve heard from some sources, some criticisms of this movie and itās realistic take. Pointing out that there are things in it that are far from realistic. Bruceās fall without apparent injury could be classed as one. Although weāll later learn that he did break his leg, but a bit more visible pain on his face would have helped.
For me, when I say I love this movie for its realistic take, itās not about every little moment being perfectly realistic. Itās about the realistic take on the characters. Itās about the world feeling like ours, rather than having that thick veneer of fakeness plastered over it like the previous movie series. As I said before, itās about this movie taking itself seriously.
This is a Bruce Wayne weāve never seen. Heās got a beard. He's lying in a foreign prison. Okay, What is going on here?
Most Batman stories do the parentsā death and then cut straight to Batman fully costumed and operating in Gotham. But thereās a big jump between those. How do you get from one to the other? That was the big promise of this movie. They were going to delve more deeply into Batmanās origin story, a story that had never really been told on screen before. We see how Bruce as a young man goes off in search of his destiny, and finally finds it. Finds a way to deal with the pain of his parentās death, and ultimately, becomes the Batman we know.
This was a story that was completely new to me, and I loved it.
We donāt yet know what Bruce is in here for, but another of the prisoners has it out for him. Is bullying him.
I quite like it when the bully refers to himself as the devil, and Bruce says, āyouāre not the devil. Youāre practice.ā
That tells you so much about Bruceās mindset here. Heās using everything around him, every experience, to learn and develop. To become what he wants to become. And thatās very Batman.
We get to see a nicely done fight scene. Itās fierce and brutal.
When the guards drag Bruce away āfor protectionā and then reveal itās not for him, itās for all the thugs he beat up, I audibly laughed. A little humour, but not the kind of humour that pulls you out of the seriousness of the scene.
Somebody is waiting for him in his cell. A well-dressed Liam Neeson calling himself Ducard. He says something very interesting. āAre you so desperate to fight criminals that you get yourself locked up so you can take them on one at a time.ā This gives us a lot of insight into who Bruce is at the moment, and whatās going on in his head.
Did he deliberately get himself locked up in here? I wouldnāt put it past this version of Bruce Wayne.
Of course, Ducard has figured out exactly who Bruce is. And he says he works for Raās al Ghul, a name I hadnāt heard before I watched this movie the first time.
Bruce has been exploring the criminal underworld, but in the process, heās become lost. Rotting in a foreign prison. He may be learning about criminals here, but heās certainly not going to do anybody any good.
Raās al Ghul can offer him a path. Something he needs but isnāt yet convinced about. The path of the League of Shadows.
Raās al Ghul shared Bruceās hatred of evil. He can provide a way to serve true justice.
So a vigilante. Bruce isnāt sure thatās what he wants to be.
But Ducard sees al Ghul differently. A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed or locked up. Kinda like Bruce right now. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they canāt stop you, then you become something else entirely. A legend. Thereās some good dialog in this film.
And now heās got Bruceās attention. Because heās offering a concrete way to become what Bruce really wants. A way to truly make a difference against the kind of evil, so rampant in his home city, that destroyed his life.
This is as good a time as any to talk about a theory I have.
You see, the whole idea of a man dressing up as a bat to fight crime is absurd. Itās ridiculous. You might even say, itās pretty stupid. So why does it work? How do you make it work?
When youāre adapting a comic book to a movie, and you come across something in the comics thatās silly, thereās two main ways you can deal with it.
The first is to basically hang a lantern on it. This has become quite popular in recent time, but has been for a long while. The MCU did this when Hawkeye says āIām fighting robots with a bow and arrow. None of this makes any sense.ā I really donāt like this approach. Itās the acknowledgement, of, this is silly, we know itās silly, but letās just go with it, yeah?
Even Zack Snyderās Justice League does this a little bit, when Aquaman derides Bruce for ādressing up like a batā and later says āI dig it.ā
At the other extreme, youāve got the approach that Batman Begins takes. When you find something that's silly, you either find a way to make it work, to make it less silly, or you eject it.
An example of this is the penguin. I believe Christopher Nolan has been quited as saying that The Penguin would never have worked in his trilogy because the character just wouldnāt fit with the more realistic take heād developed.
But right here, in this scene, weāre seeing that Batman Begins is going to try to explain why an orphaned boy grows into a man who eventually wears a bat costume, in a way that doesnāt feel silly. And for me, personally, it works really well.
Ducard has arranged for Bruce to be released from prison tomorrow. Heās instructed to find a rare flower that grows on the mountain. If he can pick one, and bring it to the top of the mountain, he may find what heās been looking for all this time.
Iām liking the character development theyāre already doing with Bruce. He knows heās looking for something, and heās been stumbling around the world trying to find it, but so far heās failed. This is exactly the kind of person that Raāas al Ghul would try to recruit. And yes, Bruce may have finally found what heās been searching for.
The scenery in this next sequence is quite beautiful. The grassy plains and the snowy mountains.
He makes his way up the mountain, past villages. They warn him to turn back. I guess there are stories about the questionable people who live up at the top.
Bruce is being put through a physical challenge to reach his destination. Itās one thing to want to fight injustice, but itās another to have the strength of body and will to do so.
Bruce first has to prove himself capable. Which he does.
Bruce finds an old asian man sitting in a chair when he finally reaches his destination. āRaāas al Ghul?ā he asks. And youāll notice the man doesnāt answer. He speaks in another language, and Duard translates. Iām not sure exactly what country this is. I get the impression itās somewhere like Tibet or maybe Nepal.
Bruce is asked āWhat are you seeking?ā
āA means to fight injustice. To turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.ā Bruce sounds like somebody who has already given a great deal of thought to the answer to that question. We know heās been seeking this for some time.
He presents the flower to Ducard.
āTo manipulate fears in others, you must first learn to control your own.ā
Which seems to make sense.
Bruce can barely stand after his climb, but is still expected to defend himself. Ducard is testing him. He learns that Bruce is afraid, but not of him.
Bruce has been in fights with thugs so many times before. He used to that.
When Ducard asks him what he fears, we cut back to that childhood memory. Being rescued from that cave full of bats.
We learn here but Bruce did indeed break a bone, so points back for the realism thing. We also see that Rachelās mother works for Wayne as a maid.
Importantly, we see Bruce hand the rock back to Rachel as they go past.
It seems heās learned a lesson of sorts through this experience. Maybe life isnāt all about having everything you want, and taking the things you desire from others.
His father is trying to impart an important lesson to Bruce. āWhy do we fall? So we can pick ourselves back up.ā Thatās a lesson that adult Bruce has really taken to heart, which is how heās survived so long in this lifestyle. But heāll have to re-learn it later.
In this scene, we get our first glimpse of Michael Caine as Alfred. Superhero movies are usually cast with unknowns. That makes a lot of sense, especially for the titular heroes. But Christopher Nolan deliberately cast a lot of big name stars in this movie. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes.
Nolanās thinking was, why shouldnāt a superhero movie deserve to have the very best actors available. Of ourse, star power isnāt always directly equal to acting ability, but these actors all do amazing jobs in their roles in this movie.
I was a little sceptical about someone as famous as Michael Cain playing Alfred. Would I really be able to see the character through the famous face? But it absolutely worked for me. All these actors sold me on their characters, and after this, I couldnāt imagine anybody else ever playing Alfred. Who could possibly top Michael Cain? Of course, then Jeremy Irons blew me away in Batman V Superman, but thatās another story.
Bruce is having recurring nightmares about the bats. Theyāve really scared him. His father explains that they attacked him because they were afraid of him. All creatures feel fear - especially the scary ones. This conversation will really shape who and what Bruce will become.
And then his father shows him a pearl necklace he plans to give Bruceās mother. Thatās ominous. We know what those pearls mean. Right?
The next scnene gives us some great insight into who Thomas Wayne is. Heās not only a good father, heās a good man. The people of Gotham have been going through hard times. Heās used his money to provide cheap transport for the city, and heās not above using it himself, by the way. He owns Wayne Enterprises, a big successfully company, but he doesnāt take an active role in running it. Instead, he chooses to spend his time working in a hospital as a doctor. In his own way, Thomas Wayne is a hero. He instilled a lot of values into his son.
Thereās been one or two interpretations of Thomas Wayne where heās a corrupt businessman. Not a nice guy at all. And while I appreciate the grittiness of that approach, I prefer this version of Thomas. The idealistic nice guy who established a legacy for Bruce to follow.
And notice that Thomas is wearing a tuxedo, and Martha is wearing the pearls. We know whatās coming.
The actors in the opera seem to be dressed as bats. Itās freaking poor Bruce out. Thereās a little exchange between father and son.
First of all, he says āCan we go?ā And that just comes across as any restless child who is bored and wants to leave. My response to that would be a quiet firm āNo.ā But his face shifts and he says āpleaseā in a pleading kind of way. And Thomas sees whatās really going on inside Bruce. And being the good father he is, Thomas leaves the show, something he probably spent good money on, something he was probably enjoying himself. But for the sake of his child, thereās no question.
Martha hasnāt picked up on it the way Thomas did. She asks what is wrong, and Thomas covers for him. Iām not sure exactly why he felt the need to do that. Maybe so as not to embarrass Bruce over his fears. I got another chuckle when Thomas said āA little opera goes a long way, right Bruce.ā
So theyāve left early and are walking through the alley, and thatās when it happens.
The inevitable moment that defines Bruceās life.
When the mugger appears, Thomas is calm. Heās willing to hand over whatever this guy wants. Again this shows the manās values. He cares about his family far more than money. And heās trying to calm the mugger.
But when the wallet drops, the mugger gets jumpy.
The mugger wants the jewelly as well. He raises his gun toward Martha.
And suddenly it all happens so fast.
The previously calm Thomas reacts on instinct. Itās not about the pearls. Somebody is pointing a gun at my wife. I must protect her. He stands in front of her.
The sudden movement spooks the mugger and he fires.
Itās all so tragic. They were so close to getting out of this without anybody getting hurt.
Somewhere along the way Martha is shot as well.
And the poor kid is left there in an ally all alone, next to the dead bodies of his parents.
And itās all because they left early. Itās all because Bruce was afraid of the bats.
Thatās got to hurt. This is a good addition to the mythology because it drives that knife even deeper into Bruceās heart. And itās that pain that pushes him to become Batman.
The death scene is done pretty well here, but I have to say, after seeing the version Zack Snyder did in Batman V Superman, well, this just canāt compare to that. That haunting music!
And the lack of blood seems to detract from the realism somewhat.
We get our first look at Commissioner Gordon, although he wonāt be a commissioner at all during this movie. Right now, heās just a uniform cop. Probably a constable. I donāt know exactly how police ranks work in America. You can tell right away heās a good cop. He shows a lot of compassion and empathy for Bruce.
The detective delivers the good news. They got the guy who did this. But thatās got to be very little comfort to a child who has just lost his parents.
One of the Wayne Enterprise executives promises theyāll be watching over the empire until heās ready. Again, thatās the last thing that Bruce cares about.
Bruce breaks down and admits the guilt heās feeling to Alfred. And we see the beginnings of the father figure that Alfred will be from now on. Thatās a dynamic that I really like.
Back in the present, Ducard asks Bruce if he still blames himself for his parentās death. He says that his anger outweighs his guilt. Honestly, Iām not sure which is healthier.
Bruce has buried his guilt with that anger, but Ducard is going to help him confront it and face the truth.
Next we get something of a training montage. Not quite a montage because thereās snippets of dialogue through it.
Bruce has come a long way with his own training, but Ducard will take what he can do and take it to new levels. There are a lot of similarities between Batman, the way he operates, and a ninja. Both use stealth. This movie digs into that and outright makes ninja training a part of Batmanās background. I imagine a lot of this is drawn from comics, but Iām not familiar enough to know exactly what. Iām still pretty early the comics-reading journey I recently started.
But itās all good stuff.
One little detail that I love is that during their sword fight, Ducard is wearing armoured spikes on his arms, these are a famous part of Batmanās costume.
There is an emphasis on theatricality and deception. These also lead very naturally into what Batman will be and lend believability to the whole thing that I really appreciate.
When Bruce is shown a criminal in a cage, we get some insight into the zero-tolerance that the league of shadows have for crime. Ducard says ācriminals thrive in the indulgence of societyās understanding.ā
Weāll see shortly the kind of justice that they believe in.
The next conversation explores this idea of guilt and blame.
Ducards says āYour parents' death was not your fault. It was your fatherās. He failed to act.ā
Bruce defends his father. āThe man had a gun.ā
āWould that stop you?ā
āIāve had training.ā
āThe training is nothing. Will is everything. The will to act.ā
So Ducard is placing the blame firmly on Thomas, for not having the strength of body and will to stop the mugger.
This is a very interesting perspective.
The truth is, there are a thousand different things that contributed to them being there at that moment. Bruceās desire to leave early, their decision to go to the opera, Thomasās gift of jewellery to his wife, probably many factors that lead the mugger to choose that particular night, that particular alley.
But ultimately, the blame for his crime, in my opinion, has to fall on the mugger. He made the moral choice to steal from these people, and he made the moral choice to kill them. The responsibility for that crime rests on him.
Thereās another nice quiet character scene with Bruce and Ducard around a campfire. Ducard displays a keen insight into the kind of pain Bruce has at the centre of his life. The anger he has wrapped around the guilt. The way it has affected him. He shares a little of his own story. He knows Bruceās pain because he shares it, because of the death of his wife.
Then he says something important.
āYour anger gives you power, but if you let it, it will destroy you.ā
And isnāt that the truth!
When Bruce asks what helped Ducard, he says vengeance. And Iām going to have to dispute that one. From what Iāve observed, Vengeance rarely makes people feel better. It doesnāt take away the pain. We talked about this in Stargate Universe when Rush took revenge on Simeon for killing Amanda Perry and Ginn.
Bruce says vengeance is no help to him. He asks why Bruce never took revence for his parents.
And that leads us to another flashback. Bruce is now a young man, probably just out of his teens. Heās been attending Princeton, which I believe is a pretty high profile university, but heās back home with Alfred for a hearing. Related to the man who killed his parents. Justice works very slowly. But thatās probably a good thing. If thereās one thing where you donāt want to risk making a mistake, itās the justice system. Sadly, of course, no matter how slow and careful they are, there are still mistakes made.
Bruce is not returning to Princeton. Apparently, he hasnāt ingratiated himself to the staff there. But he canāt see Wayne Manor as his home either. This is his fatherās house. A mausoleum. Alfred doesnāt see it that way. This house has been home to six generations of the Wayne family. Many times, it has passed from parent to child. The child becoming the new master of the home. Moving into the master bedroom is symbolic of that. The only difference is, Thomasās death happened so young, and so tragically.
Bruce doesnāt understand why Alfred cares so much. But Alfred cares very much about this family, and thinks of it as his own. We see the same thing with Jeremy Ironsā Alfred too. Thomas made Alfred responsible for that which was most precious to him. Bruce. Alfred takes that responsibility very seriously.
And then we find out why Bruce has little regard for his future. We see what Bruce plans to do. He has a hand gun.
But thereās a lot more to it than just wanting revenge for killing his parents. We learn that Rachel works for the DA, and the DA is letting the mugger, Chill, go free. He shared a cell with Carmine Falcone. Heās testifying against that crime boss in exchange for early parole.
So this isnāt the sentencing after all. I Guess justice doesnāt move THAT slowly.
This is hard one. I understand why the justice system needs to make deals like this. You reward the small fish for helping you catch the big fish. The truth is, Carmine Falcone is a much greater threat to the safety of the people of Gotham than Chill is. If they can bring down Falcone, then a lot of lives can be saved. A lot of crime can be prevented.
But what about Bruce? What about his parents? Where is the justice for them?
Thatās why Bruce feels somebody should be there to represent his parents at this hearing. To remind the world that Chillās crime had consequences. That his crime broke Bruceās life in a way that can never be repaired.
And this is also why heās planning to take justice into his own hands with that gun.
Iām not sure I noticed this when the movie first came out, but watching it now, as a 44 year old, Rachel almost looks too young to be a lawyer. Katie Holmes was famous as a teenage actor in the TV show Dawsonās Creek. I didnāt watch that show at the time, but I saw a little of it with my wife some time later. Iām still very much seeing that teenager in her face here in this movie.
Of course, this movie came out in 2005. It feels like it was just yesterday, but thatās actually 17 years ago. My first child was born in 2005.
Anyway, I guess the moral of that, which Iām trying to say is that Katie Holmes retained her youthful look, so good on her, and ā¦ wellā¦.Iām getting kind of old.
As the DA, makes his case, he mentions a depression. To my knoweldge, the only depression that has occured in the last few centuries, was the great depression between the two world wars. Weāve had a number of recessions, but thatās a lesser thing, right? And depression isnāt something that just affects one city. A depression affects nations. Multiple nations. So thatās a departure from real-world history.
Chill speaks of his regret for his crime. Yes, he was desperate, but that doesnāt change what he did. I believe his remorse. It comes across as genuine. After 14 years of paying for the crime, how could you not come to regret it?
We all know regret right. Iāve been torn up by regret over all sorts of things. But none of them close to the severity of what Chill did.
When the judge announces that a member of the Wayne family is present, and invites Bruce to speak, the actor playing Chill does some great stuff with his face, showing the emotion that the character is feeling in that moment. The shame and guilt. The regret. How do you face the living victim of your murder?
But Bruce doesnāt speak. He stands and walks out. And gets his gun ready.
Bruce walks toward Chill, gun hidden in his sleeve, but he never gets the chance. Somebody else shoots Chill dead. No doubt somebody working for Falcone.
Bruce and Rachel talk about the difference between justice and revenge. Bruce posits that sometimes they are the same thing. Rachel says that justice is about harmony. Revenge is about making you feel better.
But Bruce points out her impartial system is broken, which, it is. We talked about that, the imperfection of humans.
So Rachel decides to give him a real lesson. She takes him into the slums. She shows him the people living in poverty. Falcone floods the streets with violence and drugs. He makes these people desperate. The real villain in Bruceās story may not be the man who pulled the trigger. Itās Falcone, who made Chill desperate enough to want to steal. (Which obviously doesnāt exonerate Chill for his terrible crime).
Rachel knows exactly where Falcone hangs out. Heās there in that bar every night. But through corruption and threats, he keeps the police at bay. Nobody will touch him. Theyāre all too afraid.
This scene is foundational to Bruce becoming Batman. This movie shows thereās so much more to it than just the death of his parents and training to be a ninja. Thereās some real depth to the story in Batman Begins, and I love it.
Bruce admits to Rachel that heās not one of her good people. Shows her the gun. She gives him the slap he deserves. And sheās right. His father would be ashamed of him right now.
So Bruce storms right into Falconeās bar and walks up to the crime boss.
I like how the first half of this movie uses Falcone as its primary antagonist. In the grand scheme of things, he turns out to be a minor foe for Batman, but at this point in his life, Falcone is an untouchable, insurmountable foe to Bruce.
The conversation between Falcone and Bruce is fantastic. More great dialog. Falcone has the kind of power where he wouldnāt hesitate to shoot Bruce in the head, right here, in front of cops and judges. Thatās power. The power of fear.
In a few quick sentences, he reminds Bruce how much he actually does have to lose. Rachel, his butler. He thinks he knows pain, but he knows nothing of desperation. Itās ironic that Falcone is the cause of so much desperation in this city, but he understands it. He lives amongst it. Bruce doesnāt yet comprehend that type of desperation.
But as weāve seen earlier in the movie - he will.
This encounter with Falcone is the impetus he needs to go and start learning about desperation and fear. To begin his long training toward becoming Batman. So he can be one of Rachelās good people. A good person who wonāt just do nothing.
I donāt know if Bruce will ever think of himself as good. Heās too morally gray. But heās going to stand against the evil that has infested his city.
Like his father did before him, in a very different way.
As soon as heās thrown out of the bar, Bruce begins to shed the trappings of his privileged life. His wallet, his cards. His fancy clothes. He sells his nice coat to a homeless man, exchanging it for a ratty old one.
His journey has begun.
During this training, he lost a lot of assumptions about the simple nature of right and wrong. But he never fully gave in to it all. He didnāt become one of them. He stole, but technically, the things he stole belonged to his company anyway. He still had a moral line.
So back in the present, Ducard is using drugs to teach Bruce a lesson. He must become more than a man. He must become an idea. He must use fear against his enemies. The drug is from that purple flower that grows on the mountain. It has hallucinogenic properties.
Raās Al Ghul is satisfied that Bruce has overcome his fear. Heās ready to join the league of Shadows and lead these men. But first, he has to prove his commitment to justice.
He has to behead a criminal in front of them all.
But this is one of those lines Bruce has set. Heās not an executioner. He wonāt kill this man. Thatās not justice. Thatās what Rachel tried to teach him.
This is where he differs from the League of Shadows. Heāll fight men like this in Gotham. But he wonāt kill them.
Ducard brings up a classic objection. āYou compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share.ā
And Bruce has a good comeback. āThatās why itās so important. It separates us from them.ā
Ducard makes a point that Bruce knows well. Legal systems are corrupt. They are often not fit to dispense true justice. Bruce has seen this first hand in Gotham.
The League has turned their sights on Gotham. That city has become so corrupt, itās time for it to die. And Bruce, as their āPrinceā as Falcone called him, āis the perfect one to deliver that justice.ā They plan to destroy the entire city. As they believe, this is necessary.
And so is born this Batmanās no-kill rule.
I have no problem with this Batman having a no-kill rule. I quite like it. This Bruce still has some idealism left. I like idealism.
I also have no issue with Ben Affleckās Batman having no such rule. Thatās Bruce at a very different time of his life, in a very different situation. Batman has certainly killed before, in comics, and in other movies. Remember that time when Michael Keatonās Batman casually murdered a minor goon and then cracked a joke over his corpse?
Bruce attacks the league to make his escape, burning the temple, and saving Ducardās life. Because heās still a good person.
Now Bruce is ready to be Batman. Itās time to go home.
Alfred is very happy to see him as he arrives in a private jet.
People need a powerful symbol to shake them up. He canāt do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, he can be ignored and destroyed, but as a symbol, he can be indestructible.
We get a nice little moment of humour as Alfred expresses some concern over his safety with Bruceās new endeavour. We also learn that Bruce was declared legally dead by the Wayne Enterprise shareholders. They wanted his majority share, but luckily, he left everything to Alfred, who is now a wealthy man in his own right.
The overhead view of the Gotham skyline shows us a very realistic looking city. A place we can well believe exists. A far cry from the gothic cartoonish Gotham weāve seen in previous Batman movies. This was a breath of fresh air to me. I could never really connect with the setting of the previous movies. The city just felt so overwhelmingly fake and non-real.
Now, before we see the birth of Batman, we need to meet a new character, One who will be an important villain in this movie going forward.
Doctor Crane.
The psychologist that gets all of Falconeās thugs declared insane, and transferred to his care, rather than facing criminal justice.
Rachel is onto him, of course, as probably everyone else is. But sheās the only one with the courage to do something about it.
Interestingly, Rachel seems to be taking on something of the role that Jim Gordon generally fills in the comics. The one brave good person who is willing to stand up when everyone else just looks away, either for money, or out of fear.
Of course, we see Jim Gordon doing that as well in this movie, but so far, heās been largely absent.
Rachel is warned to back off by one of her colleagues. You canāt take on somebody like that. You just have to pretend itās not happening.
Bruceās first step is research. And thatās a very Batman quality. Preparation. He needs to know if heāll have any allies out there. He finds some newspaper clippings about Gordon.
And thatās when he sees the bat. And after all that Ducard taught him, he has an idea.
He goes down the well that he fell into as a child, and finds the cave.
The cave is very rustic. Itās not a habitable place, as caves generally arenāt. I love the waterfall.
As Bruce stands up, allowing the bats to flap all around him, he finds that he has overcome his fear of them. Now that he has it under control, itās time to share that fear with his enemies.
Despite his bravado, Rachel actually has Crane a little spooked. He has a deal with Falcone. He gets his thugs off the hook, and Falcone brings in a shipment of something for Crane. Falcone is more interested in favours than money, and for somebody like him, that makes a lot of sense. Falcone has plenty of money, but itās the favours, the connections, that make him who he is. Thatās the basis of his power. Other people doing what he wants so he remains untouchable. Anyway, Falcone is gonna take care of Rachel for him.
We see in the board meeting, that they are wrestling with the idea of going against the kinds of business practices that Thomas Wayne believed in. One of them argues that after 20 years they should be able to stop thinking about what Thomas Wayne would have done.
And ā¦. In partā¦.. I think he does have a point. Thomas is no longer alive and hasnāt been involved in this company for two decades. Theyāre the ones running this business. They need the freedom to take it in their own direction.
But, in terms of values, thatās a little different. Thomas Wayne clearly set precedent for the kinds of moral and ethical values that Wayne Enterprises stands for. And those values are something that perhaps should endure. Especially when youāre carrying on the legacy of your founder.
Bruce says heās not here to interfere with the company. He just wants a job to get to know the company his father built. Heās interested in the applied science division.
Of course, he has something of an ulterior motive here.
And this is where we get to meet Lucias Fox.
Now as I understand it, this character was created for the movie, and he became so beloved, that they actually added him into the comics. This kind of thing has happened before. Batgirl was first created by the Adam West TV show, and later became part of the comics. Harley Quinn, as well. I think it was an animated series for her.
Anyway, I like Lucias Fox, and itās hard not to when heās played so warmly by the one and only Morgan Freeman.
Fox is surprised Bruce would want to be here. This division is a dead end, to keep Fox from causing any trouble for the board. A whole bunch of prototype technologies, not in production. Exactly what a young Billionaire needs when he wants to come a superhero vigilante.
This scene is great because it legitimises all of Batman gadgets. His suit is an advanced body armour, not used in active duty by the military because itās too expensive. But perfect for a vigilante who only needs one or two.
Iāve often heard the criticism that Batman canāt have body armour any more advanced than what the US Military use in real life because they always have the best that has been invented. I think this scene goes some way to help address that.
This is what I was talking about earlier. You find something thatās kind of silly in a superheroās story. In a movie like this, you either make it feel believable, or you dump it.
And thatās the key. Making it feel believable, even if itās not strictly 100% realistic. Thatās not the point. It needs to feel sensible, not silly. It needs to give you enough to help you suspend your disbelief.
And for me, Batman Begins does that perfectly.
I love how Fox sees completely through Bruceās excuse. But all this stuff belongs to him. If he wants to use it, why not?
Alfred gives us another nice little bit of texture. Back in the civil war, Bruceās great-great-grandfather was involved in the secret railroad, helping free slaves. The caves under the mansion came in handy. There is already a passage down into them. Another nice touch that adds an extra veneer of believability to this whole thing.
Bruce is now making his suit. Painting the body armour and adding the arm spikes he learned about with Ducard.
Alfred helps him figure out the logistics of ordering the materials he needs to assemble everything without raising suspicion.
We check back in with Jim Gordon. Heās in an interesting situation. Heās not that courageous good man standing against corruption yet. He refuses to take bribes himself, but he does sit idly by while his partner Flass collects his money.
He even assures Flass that heās no rat. He wonāt tell anyone about the bribes. Heās resigned to the fact that thereās nobody to rat to.
Gordon is in a small way still part of the problem. Heās definitely not yet a part of the solution.
But Bruce pays him a little visit.
I like how on Bruceās first time out, he doesnāt have the full cowl. Heās just wearing a balaclava. I kind of like it when origin stories do that. The slow build-up to the real suit.
Jim needs a little push. Itās not until Bruce tells him about Rachel that he really considers taking a stand himself. Bruce wants to take Falcone down for the drug shipments he brings in each week. The shipments that nobody does anything about.
Bruce definitely lacks the elegance weāll come to expect from Batman as he clumsily falls and crashes around the city. Heās gonna need more stuff from Fox.
The memory cloth that will form the basis for Batmanās cape is pure science fiction. But couching it in science fiction terms once again gives it that sensible believability to me.
I like the exchange between Bruce and Fox. Fox is happy with the plausible deniability of it all. He knows Bruce is up to something. Bruce knows he knows. They donāt have to keep pretending otherwise.
And thatās when Bruce notices the tumbler.
I love the tumbler.
Designed as a bridging vehicle. They could never get the bridge to work, but the vehicle itself is fine. Perfect for Bruceās needs.
I love how they introduce the batmobile in this way. I love how you first see it in Army cammo colours, but Bruce asks if it comes in black.
I love everything about the tumbler.
The batmobile is one of the silliest things about batman. That name especially. Thank goodness that term is never spoken aloud in this movie, or in the Synder movies. You donāt need to call it that on screen, it just needs to be present.
I always thought the idea of Batman driving around in a car was pretty silly. But this thing? Now youāre talking!
Now, there are some issues with the tumbler in the second movie, which weāll get to. But just looking at Batman Begins in isolation, this is absolutely perfect.
You can see a defined difference between the way Bruce is approaching Falcone now, as opposed to how he did it as a young man. Back then, he was hot-headed. He burst into Falconeās bar armed with nothing but anger and emotion. And he was humiliated. Now, heās taking his time. Doing surveillance. No longer a child, Bruce has become a man. Thereās still a lot of emotion driving him, of course, but that emotion is no longer in the driverās seat. Bruce has learned to control it.
In reality, this isnāt just a drug shipment. There are drugs, but thereās also something special for Crane.
Flass is actively helping Falcone protect the shipment. And heās all but offered to kill Rachel.
And this is where we first see Batman in action.
I love this scene.
It takes all the tropes of a horror movie and inverts them. Itās the bad guys that are being terrorised, and Batman is the monster.
In a lot of ways, this scene defined for me, who and what Batman is. I remember playing the Arkham Asylum game. This scene was in my mind as I played that. It impacted how I played the game.
The crooks are vanishing one by one. Being taken by something in the shadows. Itās creepy and itās cool. Possibly the best scene in the movie.
I love when the crook screams āwhere are you you?ā And then we hear that gravelling voice behind him, as an upside-down Batman says āhere.ā
They actually use the āhide the monsterā trope here, but in the way I like, not in the way I hate. Because the crooks donāt get a good glimpse of Batman. Not until right at the end, we finally see Batman in all his glory, as he pulls Falcone out of the car.
Bruce saves Rachelās life, and gives her the leverage she needs to get the judge to do the right thing.
It seems everything is all wrapped up.
In one night, Batman has taken down Carmine Falcone, something the police in Gotham havenāt been able to do in 20 years.
So Falcone is strapped to a massive floodlight. Making the image of a bat on the clouds. Itās this movieās take on the bat signal.
This is a moment that gets criticism. Those floodlights get extremely hot. In reality, Falcone would be burned to a very dead crisp. And I canāt argue against that.
First of all, Iāll point out that this light is hardly at full strength. You can tell just by looking at it that the light is pretty dim.
But then, thereās no way itād be able to project that image up into the sky to be visible like that.
This scene is a cheat. Iāll admit that.
I always found the bat signal pretty silly. I never liked the idea that Gotham police had Batman on speed dial. Gordon, sure. But he needs a much more subtle way of getting in touch with him.
Iāll admit this moment doesnāt quite work, but given the overall tone of the rest of this movie, I kinda donāt care.
The point is, weāve established just how powerful Bruce has become, in his new persona. Up until this point, Falcone has been the big bad of the movie. He was the primary villain. And he seemed a very powerful, very intimidating villain. How can one man bring down somebody like that?
But Batman has done what that young Bruce could never have conceived of. Heās brought down Falcone, and it feels kind of effortless.
Bruce Wayne has come of age.
But theyāve already laid the seeds of a greater challenge that Batman will face.
This movie actually has an escalating scale of villains, three different levels.
Bruce has just cleared level 1.
And the way the movie has done it, taking all of this time to establish Bruceās journey, it convinces me. The idea of a man dressing up as a bat and running around with a cape at night no longer feels ridiculous and preposterous. The journey has sold it. Thatās really important to me.
Iāve always been primarily a Superman fan, but looking back, while Iād always liked Batman, I think it was this movie that really made me love Batman. This movie gave me a version I could believe in. This movie finally delivered on the promise that I first saw when they started advertising the 1989 movie on TV.
Rachel has a rock-solid case. Batman has given her everything she needs.
But the police chief wants Batman off the streets. This is the tension I like. Batman is doing the right thing, heās getting the job done, and Gordon sees the value in that, but officially speaking, Batman is a criminal, pursued by the police just as much as any of his rogues are. Thatās what Batman was designed to be.
Alfred has some good advice for Bruce. If heās going to live this double life, heās going to have to put some effort into his Bruce Wayne persona as well. Just as Supermam cultivates an akward nerdy Clark Kent, Batman needs to cultivate a frivolous playboy Bruce Wayne to throw people off his scent.
Now we introduce a new but important element. A microwave generator has been stolen from Wayne Enterprises. Designed for desert warfare, it vaporises an enemyās water supply.
This is more science fiction. But again, Iām okay with science fiction. This is still a superhero movie, after all. And thatās what this movie does so right. You establish the silly elements of the story in a believable sensible way, and then you have room to suspect disbelief over things like this. I donāt mind a little science fiction, in fact, I welcome it. What I donāt want is silliness and cheese. Thatās why when people criticise the realism of elements like this, I think theyāre missing the point.
Bruceās appearance at the hotel, with the weird skinny-dipping ladies goes a good way to establishing Bruce as a frivolous playboy, the last person youād expect to be Batman. Why those women decided to get naked and hop in the water feature Iāll never comprehend. Maybe Bruce paid them to do so.
Bruce is willing to be seen in this light in order to protect his true self.
But thereās one person whose good opinion he doesnāt want to lose.
Rachel.
He tries to tell her, without telling her. āInside, I am more.ā
But sheās not buying it.
āItās not what you are underneath, itās what you do that defines you.ā
And this is a very thematic statement for the whole movie.
I partially agree with what Rachel says here. While, I think we are defined by more than just what we do, What sheās getting at is the whole idea of putting your money where your mouth is.
You can have the best of intentions inside, but if your actions donāt match your intentions, then those intentions arenāt worth much, are they?
It actually reminds me of James chapter 2 in the Bible. Faith without actions is dead.
Falcone wants Crane to get him off on the insanity plea, just as he has with his goons. But more than that. He wants in one whatever Crane and his mysterious boss are up to.
But this is the moment that Crane replaces Falcone as the primary villain. Crane gases Falcone and Falcone goes genuinely insane from whatever is in that gas.
Itās obvious at this point, that Crane is the Batman villain Scarecrow.
And this is the moment it really becomes a comic book movie. Weird gas that makes people go crazy?
But because everything has been established in such a grounded sensible way up until now, Iām willing to buy it, I mean fully buy into it.
We wonāt be seeing Falcone again. Heās done with. But weāve learned how sinister Crane is. Heās doing experiments with his patients, using whatever was in that shipment Falcone brought him.
Bruce already knows some of the shipments went elsewhere. He wants to know where. Heāll get it out of Flass. Which he does. Batman is a pretty effective interrogator. And Flass is a coward.
So he tracks the shipment to Crane. The shipment is what he uses to make that gas, not to mention the microwave generator. We see that the gas amplifies peopleās fears. Makes them see what theyāre afraid of.
Bruce jumps out of a window many stories up, while on fire. And miraculously survives the fall without even a broken bone. Thatās not realistic. I call valid criticisms on this moment. But the funny thing is, they have their explanation for that. The memory cloth can turn his cape into a glider. Why didnāt this scene use that device?
Under the influence of the gas, Bruce becomes that scared helpless little boy again.
He cries out to Alfred for help. And of course, Alfred is there for him.
Bruce recognises the hallucinogen. Heās felt it before, but this is more concentrated. Weaponised.
Fox has invented an antidote.
Bruce is supposed to have a birthday party tonight, but Rachel is heading to Arkham Asylum to figure out whatās going on with Falcone. And sheās gonna need backup from Batman to keep her safe.
Why does Crane show Rachel the truth of his whole operation?
I know he drugs her afterwards, but why show her what heās doing?
Heās pouring that hallucinogen into the city water supply.
Batman crashes the party and uses Craneās own gas on him. I love how he sees Batman as a weird human/bat hybrid creature. The gas allows this movie to do some crazy sci-fi/fantasy looking stuff that would otherwise not fit in a movie like this at all.
And we learn that Craneās mysterious boss is none other than Raās Al Ghul. But isnāt he dead? Didnāt he die when that temple turned?
Bruce calls in the bats presumably using pheremons to attract them, so he can get away wtih Racel, to give her the antidote. Not sure the bats would smell the pheromones from that distance, though.
This is when we first get to see the Tumbler in action.
Bruce uses the bridging vehicleās ability to jump to his advantage.
There are a couple of moments of humour that work for me in the chase.
Itās a pretty cool action scene. Anyway, he gets Rachel to the cave in time to the cave, where Fox has left the antidote waiting.
Crane has dumped his entire supply of this stuff into the water supply. Been doing it for weeks. But it hasnāt affected anyone because it needs to be absorbed through the lungs. So why dump it in the water?
Crane is in custody. Bruce uses Rachel to get the antidote to Gordon so he can protect himself and mass produce it.
Level 2 cleared.
The final ultimate villain will soon be fully revealed.
Alfred is concerned that Bruce is losing himself in this monster. Bruce argues heās using the monster to help others. But this canāt be personal or else heās just a vigilante.
The mansion is full of guests. Bruce wants to get rid of them. Thereās too much going on right now. Alfred doesnāt want Bruce to destroy his fatherās name. Itās all thatās left of him. The playboy persona is one thing. But Thomasās legacy is important and shouldn't be tarnished.
And, Bruce agrees, for now.
Fox figures it out. The microwave emitter would allow somebody to disperse the toxin into the air supply. Heās just been fired for asking too many questions about it.
And now we meet the final boss. The true villain of this entire movie. Bruce is introduced to a Mr. Raās Al Ghul. Itās Ducard. He was Raās all along. The man Bruce watched die was just a decoy.
Bruce wants Raās to let the guests go. Theyāre innocent. His only reply āYou can explain the situation to them.ā
And so, in order to save their lives, he must offend them. Dragging his fatherās name through the mud. Theyāll never know what he sacrificed to save their lives.
Craneās toxin was derived from the blue flowers on the mountain. He wasnāt a member of the league of shadows, just a pawn.
Raās plans to vaporise the toxin and watch Gotham tear itself apart.
He said near the start of the movie that he planned to destroy Gotham. He was serious.
The League of Shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. They sacked rome, released plague rats, and burned London to the ground. When a civilisation reaches the peak of decadence, they come in to return the balance.
But you canāt fight evil with evil.
They may think theyāre the good guys, but theyāve murdered billions of innocent people along the way.
Bruce believes Gotham isnāt worth saving. He wants more time.
Raās rgues the very fact theyāve been able to do what theyāre doing is proof of its corruption.
Weāre seeing here that everything from the start of the movie is coming full circle. Itās almost poetic. I love it.
As his goons burn the mansion to the ground, Raās drops another bombshell. They tried to destroy Gotham in the past, through economics. Create so much hunger that everyone becomes a criminal. See them rip themselves apart.
But Bruceās parents got in the way of that plan, by helping alleviate the poverty where they could. It was Raās al Ghul who created the circumstances that lead to his parentās death.
Falcone was only a piece of that.
We see here how alike Bruce and his father are. Both, in Raās opinion, are misguided idealists trying to save the city that deserves to be destroyed. Thereās a lot of symmetry in this movie, and I love it.
Alfred saves Bruce from the burning house.
Bruce feels heās destroyed everything his father left behind, but Alred reminds us what weāve just learned. The Wayne legacy isnāt bricks and mortar. Itās that idealism that tries to save Gotham. Ultimately, Thomas failed, and now so has Bruce.
And then that line from his childhood returns. āWhy do we fall?ā
āSo that we can learn to pick ourselves up.ā
I think Thomas would be proud to see what a fine father figure Alfred has become.
Raās activates the microwave generator and the gas bursts out of the ground. Right under the narrows - the worst part of Gotham.
Fortunately, Gordon has the antidote.
Everything has gone to hell.
All the riot cops are on the island already, and theyāve been affected by the gas.
Thereās nobody left to send. And just as Commissioner Loeb says that, the tumbler bursts through the air behind him. Thatās a very effective shot. Love it.
The monorail follows the path of the water mains. Theyāre gonna load the generator on the train and infect the entire city.
Batman is going into battle. He may die. Rachel at least wants to know his name.
He replies with that same line āItās not what I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.ā
And this, of course, has a double meaning. In one sense, it means, it doesnāt matter what my identity is under this suit. It only matters that Iām trying to help.
But, of course, by using that phrase, heās letting her know exactly who he is.
The shot of Batman gliding in like a giant bat and landing is awesome.
A lot of people are getting infected while Bruce struggles to catch the train. More with every metre.
This brings us to the climactic fight scene.
Itās suitably tense. I like it.
Gordon uses the tumbler to take out part of the monorail.
Itās interesting that ultimately heās the one that saves the day. Bruce is there to make sure Raās doesnāt go on to cause havoc another day.
And now we reach that controversial moment. Has Bruce finally learned to let go of his compassion? Raās asks.
āI wonāt kill you, but I donāt have to save you.ā
Many people feel this is a betrayal of the āno-killā rule that Bruce established for himself early in the movie.
And strictly speaking, it is.
Bruce is cutting that moral hair mighty thin.
But I donāt see this as a negative to the movie. Bruce is a morally gray character. This is when he really steps into that. This is why he and Superman never get on, because they are different. Yes, Batman may be an idealist compared to the likes of Raās al ghul, but heās not as cut and dry as Superman. And even Superman is forced into some of those gray areas, which Iām also fine with.
The train is stopped, and Raās al ghul is finally dead.
But thereās still a lot of people out there who will need that antidote. A lot are gonna get hurt and killed before they get it.
Itās Batman. Itās messy.
The next scene is very satisfying. The company went public, but Bruce bought up most of the shares through various charities and trusts. Heās placed Lucious Fox in charge as the new CEO, the previous one, who fired Fox, is out.
Rachel comes to see Bruce, who she has newfound respect for. Bruce thanks her for giving him that first lesson that started him on his journey of transformation.
Now that she knows the type of man Bruce truly is, sheās started to hope.
They grew up as childhood friends, but thereās a lot more between them than just friendship. Theyāve loved each other for years, in some form. The movie probably could have done a better job of portraying that romantic undercurrent of their relationship, though.
But thereās a problem. Bruce has changed. Heās a good man, but the real Bruce that she remembered is gone. Maybe heāll come back someday when Gotham no longer needs the Batman.
And that line perfectly sets up the primary conflict of the next movie.
Bruce is going to rebuild his fatherās house, but it might be a good opportunity to do some work on the foundations.
The bat signal re-appears at the end. Gordon is going to use it when he wants to summon Batman. Thereās a lot of trouble still out there.
Gordon teases the villain of the next movie by mentioning a thief and murdurer who leaves a calling card - a joker.
And the credits roll.
This movie changed everything. It created a new era for DC comics movies, and started the journey that would eventually lead us to the Snyder Cut.
Without Batman Begins, there would be no Man of Steel. No Batman V Superman.
This movie presented a new way of portraying superheroes. They were no longer something to laugh at or make fun of. They were something to take seriously.
This movie made realistic, those things it could, which made the speculative elements all the more easy to accept. It was a perfect balance.
Itās like Christpher Nolan reached into my soul and said āLetās create the perfect Batman movie for Adam Collings.ā
There was a lot in this movie. Heaps to talk about.
And thereāll be plenty more to talk about next time, in a movie Iāve actually only ever seen once. The Dark Knight.
Have a great two weeks,
Live long and prosper,
Make it so.
So here it is. My podcast on the final episode of Stargate Universe. Gauntlet. This was intended to be a season finale, but never a series finale. But with the tragic cancellation of the show after the end of season 2, there was nothing more to come. So how does this episode function as a series finale? Well, surprisingly well. At least, as a series pause. Grab a comfy chair and listen as I explain what I mean, as we delve one final time into Stargate Universe.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 91 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the final episode of Stargate Universe. āGauntletā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on Gateworld reads
Cut off from every star and every planet in their path, the crew takes a stand against the drone command ships. Meanwhile, Eli comes up with an extreme plan to escape drone space for good.
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi (whose name Iāve apparently been mispronouncing for the last two seasons, sorry about that) and Paul Mullie.
It was directed by Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 14th of May 2012.
Itās with something of a heavy heart that I share with you my thoughts on Stargate Universe for the last time. This, of course, was never meant to be the final episode, just a season finale.
Iāll talk about the premature cancellation of this show at the end, but first, letās take a look at the episode itself.
TJ is removed Parkās bandages from her eyes. Sheās in good humour, jokiig about not having had this much rest in weeks. Greer stands faithfully by her side.
Park is hoping sheāll be able to see now. Sheās looking forward to getting bleary eyes looking at data. Sheās been seeing occasional flashes of bright light.
The moment she TJ tells her to open her eyes is the moment of truth. Thatās when sheās gonna finally find out if she can see or not. It would be a nerve-wraking moment. Iād be hesitant, knowing that the moment I open my eyelids, I might have to face the worst. Until I open them, thereās still the possibility I might be able to see. Right?
Sadly, after she opens her eyes, itās still dark. She canāt see anything.
She canāt see the light TJ shines in her eyes.
Eli has found a way to track the done command ships by isolating the subspace frequencies they use to comminicate and plugging them into the shipās long range sensors.
This means theyāll be able to avoid them and find safe star systems to refuel next time we have to.
But the news isnāt good. The drones are waiting at every gate between Destinyās current position and the edge of the galaxy.
Eli sums it up effectively when eh says āweāre screwed.ā
On earth, Rush explains to Telford that going off the grid wonāt work. The seed ships have already done the legwork and found the needles in the haystack, and plotted a course for Destiny accordingly. So with drones at every gate, they have no way to get supplies.
Theyāve got a monthās worth of food. They could really use a supply line from Earth but the Langarans are still refusing to help. Woolsey continues to push diplomacy but heās not having much luck.
TJ doesnāt know if Parkās condition will improve. She should have shown some improvement by now. If they donāt heal by themselves thereās nothing more TJ can do. But TJ isnāt really thinking about Park. Sheās thinking about her own death sentance.
It sounds like a horrible way to die. Eventually, sheāll become fully paralysed, but her mind will still be active. She will have no way to interact with others. No way to express herself. Sheāll be a prisoner in a body that no longer works. That sounds like hell to me. Like, I canāt imagine hell being any worse than that. Itās horrific.
Rush is discussing the possibility of going on the offensive when they need to resupply. They choose a target, go throug hte gate, and take out as many as needed to get what they require. They have the advantage of surprise now that they can track the drones. And they still canāt track us.
Heās actually got a pretty good idea for boosting the effectiveness of the shields.
Destinyās shields rotate through various frequencies, because different energy weapons will use different frequencies. The closer the shields are to the frequency of the weapons, the easier it is for them to absorb the energy. But since they know theyāll be facing the drones, they donār have to guess. They just tuine the shields to the narrow band of frequencies that the drones use.
I really like this. Itās nice to get some techy details on how the shields work. It makes sense. You can design something to protect you from a known quantity. But Destiny was made to go out where nobody had explored. The ancients didnāt know what races they might encounter, let alone what kinds of weapons they might have. So they had to invent shields that would protect the ship from unknown weapons not yet encountered.
Rush has a clever plan, and it should help the ship to withstand attack in a significantly improved way.
Theyāve plotted a course for one of the command ships. They going to try to jump in, take it out, and jump away again. Thatāll be one less command ship, at least.
We get a nice exterior shot which makes it clear just where in the ship the bridge actually is. Itās right up the top of the big high-rise pyramid thing at the back.
Chloe is so good at plotting these FTL exists that they drop out right on top of the command ship, so close, in fact, that they scrape along its hull. Given the unimaginable vastness fo space, thatās amazing.
The plan seems to be working. The drone weapons are having almost no effect.
The command ship is smart. It realises immediately that the weapons are not working, so it instructs the drones to make kamikaze attacks against Destiny. And because the shields are tuned to that specific frequency, it canāt stop them.
They manage to destroy the command ship pretty easily, but theyāve taken a lot of damage from the drone collisions.
Theyāve bought time to get some supplies, not that there was much on the planet.
Eli has a plan that could get them out of all their troubles.
This galaxy has turned out to be a pretty rubbish place, infested with all of these drones. As Eli puts it, a hostile environment. So why donāt they just skip it. Fly one continuous FTL jump to the nearest edge of this galaxy, and then on through the void to the next in the seed shipās path. Just the drones behind and try the next galaxy for size.
Itās not a bad idea, but they have power issues, the distance between galaxies is a lot longer this time, plus damage to the FTL drive. So itāll take three years.
How will they survive three years without food and water? We use the stasis chambers that Rush, Eli, and Brody found a few episodes back. They spend the next three years in cryogenic suspension.
The big problem with this, of course, is if they miscalculate the amount of power needed by the slightest fraction, theyāll have to drift at sunlight the last bit, and that could take thousands of years.
Rush is convinced itās too risky. But Young orders Eli to make preparations. Itās at least an option. He gives Rush 24 hours to come up with a better idea.
Camille wants to give everyone one last trip to Earth to say goodbye. That makes good sense, and itās a nice idea, but theyāll have to be really quick about it. Every minute they delay this plan means theyāre losing more power.
Rushās real problem isnāt so much about the margin of error. Itās about the mission. The ship wasnāt launched to arrive at some final destination where all the questions will be answered. Itās meant to gather information bit by bit by bit as it travels. If they skip this galaxy, they might miss a vital piece of the puzzle. And I share his concern about that. Itās a real worry. It could make the entire journey all for nothing. Thatās something Rush couldnāt live with.
And I wish I had a solution for him.
Chloe has some wise words for him, though. It boils down to this. If they stay, and Destiny is destroyed by the drones, then it really is over, and all for nothing. If they get out of this galaxy, even if the crew die, Destiny will go on, still searching for the answers it was created to find.
And so, the plan goes ahead.
Theyāre starting to put people into stasis.
The Lucian Alliance are among the first. Makes sense. They were never meant to be part of this expedition anyway.
Eli goes home, via the stones, to say a quick goodbye to his Mum.
The way he starts, āI just wanted to come and say goodbyeā was not the best way to go about this. His mother will obvious jump to the wrong conclusion. Is he dying? Is this the last Iāll ever see of him. I guess at least the trust is not as bad as any of the scenarios sheās be imagining at that moment.
But, he plains it all to her.
Eli feels really guilty about this. He feels that heās abandoned his mother. He thinks if heād made different choices, she wouldnāt be alone right now.
But his Mum wonāt have any of that. Which makes perfect sense.
Any parent will tell you that they want their children to live a fulfilling life. Eli is seeing amazon things. Living an incredible life. Thatās what we all want for our kids.
Of course, thereās still the pain. If one of my kids was as far away from me as Eli is from his mum, it would hurt. Iād miss them terribly. But Iād also be glad they were living an amazing life. Proud of them.
The thing is, now that she knows the amazing things that Eli is doing, his mum is a much happier puerson. Her deep depression is gone. And she has friends in a similar situation. Friends like Sharon, who understand.
So, his mum asks him the one question, the only question that matters. āAre you happy?ā
And despite everything, he is.
Thatās all she needs to hear.
Thatās good enough for her.
This is such a beautiful scene.
But, Brody and Volker have found a problem. Wouldnāt you know it?
The last section of pods have taken damage. Possibly before they even came on board. They canāt bring those pods online. Theyāre not gonna have enough for everyone.
Theyāre 8 short.
In order to repair them, theyād need metals, alloys, from a planet thatās seen a lot of meteor activity.
Theyāve found one. It had a gate. But itās locked out, because itās not hospitable to humans.
The drones donāt know what kind of planet humans need to survive. They just know that planet has a gate. So thereās a command ship there.
Even if Destiny survived the fight, theyād use up too much power. Theyād never be able to make it to the next galaxy, which defeats the whole purpose of going.
Those 8 people wonāt be able to survive on the ship. The power needed for life support for 8 people would make them fall short. Soā¦.they need 8 people to commit suicide for the good of the rest?
Thatās impossibly dark.
I couldnāt enact a plan like that. I couldnāt even ask for volunteers. I just couldnāt do it.
Could those 8 people try to find a planet to settle on? Maybe, but the drones would find them and kill them anyway. Either way, itās suicide.
Park is really worried that Greer is going to volunteer to be one of the 8. And he admits, he might do it, but he wouldnāt ask 7 other people to do it with him, and he doesnāt think Young would either.
Itās funny how my opinion of Greer has changed so much over two seasons. Heās becoming one of my favourite people on the ship.
But Park has an idea.
Use a shuttle as a decoy, to draw the command ship away from the planet. Make it simulate a gate dial.
While the drones are away, slip in an get the minerals they need.
They can even ram the shuttle into the command ship and blow it up.
Itās risky, but itās a good plan that coudl very well work. Itās certainly better than asking 8 people to kill themselves.
Greerās right. Young was never going to do that.
The command ship takes the bait. So they have a go.
I have to admit that watching that command ship explode as the shuttle collided with it brought a big smile to my face.
They got the supplies they needed.
Scott has to go say goodbye to his son.
And itās hard.What do you say to a kid when he doesnāt even know that youāre his father? Youāre just a guy who pops around every now and then.
His mother is a good person, but Scott is worried that sheās not a good parent.
Itās a hard situation.
When Camille went back to say her goodbye, she told Sharon it wasnāt fair on her anymore, and she should move on. And thatās a hard thing.
I see Corporal Barnes in a new way, now that I know she and Eli got married on Novus. I canāt help but wonder, could anything happen between them in this timeline? I know that to an extent, they got together because they were kind of among the last few left that hadnāt found anyone. But, they made it work. Maybe this version of Eli and Barnes could make it work as well.
During the montage of people saying goodbye and getting in to the pods, we see a shot of Park, in wellā¦a park. Itās raining, and sheās crying. It took me a moment before the true impact of that hit me.
Sheās in someone elseās body.
She can see.
This might be the last time she ever gets to see anything in her life.
Thereās a positive to all this.
All the food theyāve collected, other than the non-perishables, like the canned goods, itās all gonna go to waste. So they might as well have a feast before they go into stasis.
And I really like that they get to do that. For the first time in a very long time, theyāre full. Really fully. Of course, Greer can fit just a bit more in.
This is a really nice scene. Itās a god moment to round off the show with. Our main cast are sitting around a table having dinner. Young makes a speech, acknowledging that they have become a family. They were far from that at the beginning of season 1, but now, yes. Theyāre a family.
I love how Rush doesnāt object to Young calling him the slightly mad uncle who still manages to come through for you. I like that Young and Rush have reached this place. Thereās no real conflict between them at the moment.
Thereās a real camaraderie in this scene. I know this was written as a season cliffhanger, not a series finale, but this scene really works for its place as a final episode. I canāt help but wonder if this scene was added, or modified slightly, when they knew it would be the last.
Itās an emotional sendoff. And honestly, it works as well as the poker game at the end of Star Trek The Next Generation.
The last of them are going into pods now. Chloe, Scott, Greer. Camille. TJ.
As the pods close, only Young, Rush, and Eli are left awake.
While Eli and Rush finish the automated programming for the ship, Young checks in with Telford. Itās a shame they couldnāt get Richard Dean Anderson for one last OāNeill cameo here, but in a way, it is more poignant that itās Telford. Heās the one Young has all the history with.
Heās not going to go say goodbye to Emily. Their marriage is over.
And Telford tries to apologise, even though it was the Lucian Alliance programmed personality that cheated with Youngās wife.
Young stops him. His marriage was broken a long time ago. He has nobody to blame but himself.
And while I grieve the loss of his marriage, I like the way he takes responsibility for it like this.
Itās nice to see thes men, who have been such bitter enemies in the past, now parting as friends. Telford promises theyāre not going to give up on the people on board Destiny. Another beautiful scene.
But, wouldnāt you know it. Thereās still one final problem.
They repaired those 8 pods, but one of theme was more damaged than the others. It came online, but has just died.
Theyāre gonna be one pod short.
They canāt fix it.
If two of them go into stais, theyāll have about 3 weks for that one last person to try to find a solution. To get the last pod working.
Rush has vontunteered, but Young canāt trust him.
What if Rush really canāt get it working. Will Rush sacrifice himself at that time for the rest of the crew? Can Young trust Rush to do that?
Theyāve put most of their conflict behind them, but thereās still that doubt.
And when push comes to shove, I canāt tell Young that heās wrong.
Rush is not a martyr. Heās not a self-sacrificing kind of guy. Heās selfish and he has a strong sense of self-preservation.
Ould he do it? Would he kill himself so the rest could live?
I canāt guarantee that he would.
I donāt think even Rush can guarantee that honestly. He doesn't try to argue it.
Young is going to stay. He canāt fix the pod, of course, but heāll sacrifice himself.
But Eli has another idea. Heāll stay.
If Young stays, itās automatic suice. If Eli stays, he has a chance.
Heās sick of staying in Rushās shadow. Being the reager young protoge.
Heās not afraid to say it anymore, and all three of them know it.
Eli is smarter than Rush.
And that may well be true.
Itās not fair.
One of the most good-hearted people on that ship has to be the one that will very probably die.
Young doesnāt want this, but he knows itās the only answer.
Rush and Eli have a nice last scene together. Rush doesnāt want Eli to be the one to volunteer.
He doesnāt say it often enough, but Eli has amazing potential, and theyāre going to need him on the other side.
But as Eli says, āwhat the point of having potential if youāre not going to step up when youāre really needed.ā
And I canāt argue with that logic.
I donāt think Rush can either.
I did laugh when Rush said āYouāve come a long way from that video game slacker,ā and Eli says āYouāve been pretty much consistent.ā
So Eli puts both Rus hand Young to bed.
And there he is. Alone.
On a space ship full of sleeping people.
He turns out all the lights where theyāre not needed.
He shuts down the stargate.
This is all very symbolic of the show ending. Kind of like how JMS turned off the lights on the station in the final episode of Babylon 5.
But even more than it, it mirrors the pilot episode, when we first see Destiny, and all the lights are coming on, as we pan through the ship. It rhymes like poetry.
And so there he is ion the observation deck, looking out at the wispy blue of FTL.
The last man standing.
Eli gives a little smile as Destiny sails off into the distance.
Iāve heard some speculation about that smile.
Is he just appreciating the wonder of where he is?
Or does he have an idea? And idea that will change everything?
We donāt know.
Probably the only person in the world who knows the truth is Brad Wright. I just hope he gets the chance to tell us some day.
And so there ends Stargate Universe.
It sounds like Brad had some really cool ideas for season 3.
As cliffhangers that ended up being finales, itās not a bad way to go.
The whole device of everything going to sleep for 3 years gave us hope.
I remember thinking, well, if they can get themselves sorted out, they can always come back and do anothjer season, or a movie, in three yearās time. Thatāll be a real-time look at when they all should be waking up again.
How cool would that have been?
Sadly, those three years went, and became ten years.
We still donāt know what happened to the brave crew of Destiny.
To Eli.
But Brad Wright had plans.
I remember him posting online that while the show was over, he was still fighting for something that would let him bring closure. Not a new series. It was going to be a TV movie. SG-1 had enjoyed some good success with TV movies that went to DVD. He wanted to make one that would combine the casts of SG1, Atlantis and Universe, one big grand crossover adventure to try to bring the crew of Destiny home.
Sadly, even that could not be greenlit.
And so the story was lost to history.
So what happened? Why did this show really end?
Was it the case, as Iāve heard some say, that SGU was cancelled because it sucked?
Obviously, I donāt think it sucked. Itās my favourite Stargate series. But did it have lower ratings that SG-1 and Atlantis? Given that a lot of fans of the previous shows didnāt like it, Iād have to say it probably did.
But there was so much more going on at the time.
MGM was going into bankruptcy at the time. Stargate Universe wasnāt the only thing cancelled because of this. They were dropping like flies.
And while the DVD movies had worked well for SG-1, the industry was changing. Direct-To-DVD was no longer a popular thing. Streaming was coming, but wasnāt quite here yet.
Stargate Universe was this show trying to survive in this weird void between times, where everything was in flux.
In the end, I think this show was a victim of timing. The world just wasnāt quite ready for it, in terms of audience expectations, but also in terms of how the industry was changing.
I will always grieve the loss of this amazing and wonderful show, but despite technically ending on a cliffhanger, I would heartily recommend people watch it. These two seasons give you a satisfying experience. It ends on a bitter-sweet moment, filling with questions, and uncertain hope. And that is perhaps fitting for a show with the tone that SGU had.
Iād like to say a huge thank you to the cast and crew of Stargate Universe, for making my dreams come true. Stargate Universe remains to this day, my favourite Stargate show, and one my my favourite sci-fi shows of all time.
So is there still hope of knowing more?
With MGM recently having been purchased by Amazon, it seems likely, if not certain, that Stargate will return some day soon on Amazon Prime.
Will it be the in-canon continuation that we all hope it will be?
I have to have faith and say yes.
Brad Wright has a pitch. A new show with a pilot script. Joseph Malozzi has read it and says of it
āThe verdict? Fantastic. A perfect series for first-tiome viewers who know nothing about Stargate, but also a richly rewarding experience for longtime fans. Action, adventure, friendship humour, cool sci-fi, terrific characters, a compelling story - and one ulluva antagonist.ā
There is a huge fan movement to convince Amazon Studios that they should continue with the existing canon of the last 3 TV shows, and use Brad Wrightās pitch.
And honestly, I think Amazon would be utter idiots to go a different direction.
Theyāve got to know that this is what the fans want.
Soā¦weāll see.
Brad Wright has been open about the fact that if his new show gets greenlit, he will address the fate of Destiny, which makes me very happy.
So nowā¦..we wait.
That was Stargate Universe.
I hope you enjoyed myt thoughts on this series. I certainly enjoyed watching through it again and recording them.
So one question remains.
Whatās next for Nerd Heaven.
Wellā¦.I want to cover the Dark Knight trilogy. So next time, weāre going to start that by looking at my favourite solo Batman film of all time - Batman Begins.
After weāve done these movies, weāre going to be launching into a new series.
Star Trek Continues.
You may have heard of it. Itās actually a fan-produced series, but doināt let that put you off. Itās fantastic, and highly regarded by many, including Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Rodennbery, who says he considers it canon to the original series.
Basically, Star Trek continues gives TOS one final season, and also provides a big epic send-off, which the original show never had.
I canāt wait to delve into this show with you.
So, until next time,
Have a great two weeks
Live Long and Prosper
Make it so.
We're at the second-last episode of Stargate Universe. In today's podcast, we delve into Blockade. A surprisingly good episode that I remembered little about. While the crew gate to a planet once settled and deserted by the descendant of the Novans, Rush, Eli and Park take Destiny on an extremely risky mission to recharge the ship, with devastating consequences. These drones are not letting up. It's all going to come to a head soon.
Join me as we delve deep into Stargate Universe "Blockade"
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 90 of the podcast. Can you believe that? Weāre getting close to 100. When a TV show gets to their 100th episode, itās a big deal worth celebrating. I still feel like I only just started this podcast, and itās a relatively new thing.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āBlockadeā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on gateworld reads
Destiny is attacked by drone ships while attempting to recharge its power reserves, forcing most of the crew to gate to a nearby planet while Eli tries a risky alternative.
This episode was written by Linda McGibney
It was directed by Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 2nd of May 2011.
Eli is still immersed in the history of Novus. Rush doesnāt get it. And he admits freely that he had no part of it. His counterpart wasnāt there. He had no descendants. But to Eli, itās more than that. They were humans and they lived and died here in this distant galaxy.
And I love that heās adding footage of the descendants to his documentary. I agree wholeheartedly with Eli when he says that he thinks the documentary is important.
Hey, I like to document and vlog my holidays. But a journey like the one theyāre on, thatās so much more important.
The Collings Show on youtube, by the way, if youāre interested in my travel vlogs.
Theyāve arrived in a star system to refuel. I thought this was the system where theyāre taking the surviving descendants. But apparently not. The passengers don't show up or get a mention throughout the rest of the episode, so Iām assuming weāve already dropped them off on their new world. Destiny is taking the long way around a gas giant for some reason. It clearly has a reason, the crew just donāt know what it is. But the longer they take to reach the planet, the more their resources are going to be strained.
Now some bad news. There are drones with a command ship here in this system.
How did the drones know Destiny was going to be in that system? Was it coincidence or are they still tracking the ship somehow? They havenāt been using the stargate so thatās ruled out.
Maybe theyāre no longer tracking us, but maybe they can predict our path.
So Rush suggests going off their usual course. They drop out of FTL a long way from the star so theyāll have time to rebuild their ability to jump before they encounter any potential drones. They got lucky last time.
And guess what. Thereās drones here too. Theyāve set up a blockade blocking us from the star.
Destiny has to recharge somehow.
Theyāre blockading all stars they think Destiny might try to visit.
Power is getting critically low. They only have one more chance.
The drones know Destinyās weakness. It has to recharge from certain types of stars. The only way to ensure there are no drones waiting is if they choose a star that Destiny would never go to.
A blue supergiant.
Iām not an astrophysicist but I can tell by the characterās reactions this is a terrible idea.
Volker is convinced the crew would never survive the heat given off by one of these stars.
The plan is, leave most of the crew on a planet and a small team pilots the ship. They rely on shields and suits to survive the heat. Hopefully.
It canāt be fully automated because even if they could convince the ship to do this itself, the core AI systems would stop working at this heat.
There wonāt be a habitable planet near such a star, so theyāll have to gate to a nearby planet, which, of course, will attract the drones.
So theyāll have to be quick and get it done before they arrive.
Itās an insane plan and it could go wrong in so many ways.
But ā¦. What other choice do they have? If they donāt charge soon theyāll be dead in space. And then theyāll make a very tempting target to the drones.
Young makes it clear to Telford theyāve not asked permission. Theyāre doing this. They donāt have a choice.
The plants in the garden wonāt survive the star any more than people will, so theyāre gonna have to harvest everything.
I donāt think Destiny is very happy about what theyāre doing. It locks them out of the bridge.
Rush, Eli, and Park are the ones who will stay behind.
Park has some medications she wants to protect, and then sheāll back up Rush, who, in her words, isnāt as great as he thinks he is.
It makes good sense since Park is the expert on the suits, as we saw back in early season 1.
When Young announces that Park is staying, we get some insight into Greer.
He didnāt try to talk her out of it. He has confidence that sheāll be all right.
In most stories, when someone wants to go into danger, the loved one argues passionately against it.
And I get that. It would be very very hard for me to watch my wife put herself in danger like this.
But in little ways, we trust our loved ones as they take all sorts of risks during day to day life.
My wife is a nurse, and thereās risk involved in that job. But I trust her that she has the training and the knowledge to handle it.
But a risk like this is something else.
Rush has found a star. As they approach, the gate is dialled to a planet in rage.
This is where we get a big surprise.
The gate on the planet isnāt in the middle of a deserted forest or desert. Itās in a building. A big metal shed.
It must have been built by the descendants.
As Eli says āHoly crap, we dialled pittsburg.ā
I donāt actually know what pittsburg looks like because Iām Australian, but it made me chuckle.
The place looks less advanced than Novus, and thereās no sign of life.
Due to isolation and different ideologies, itās entirely possible that colonies of Novus would advance at different rates.
But what happened to the people?
But this town is a gold mine. They could find all sorts of medical supplies, food, weapons. The benefit is too great to ignore. It definitely outweighs the risk. Of course, the risk is impossible to assess right now because they just donāt have enough information.
But they make the right call to explore.
Iāve seen this episode multiple times in the past, but I donāt remember this at all.
Which is weird, because the discovery of the town on this planet is really cool, and ties in nicely with the previous two episodes that I loved so much.
Brody Makes a very interesting observation. There are paved streets, but no vehicles of any kind. Clearly, this world has cars. So where are they?
Rush and Eli have an interesting conversation. Rush wants to know āhow theyāre gonna do thisā. Eli has to push through his frustration to find out what Rush is really getting at. What he really wants to know is, whoās gonna be the boss. Who will enter the course changes into the computer?
Naturally, given Rushās self-important ego, Eli assumed Rush would do it.
But Rush is asking.
So Eli volunteers.
Itās really hard to read Rush at that moment.
If he doesnāt trust Eli to do the job then why is he asking? Or is he trying to give Eli the push to step up and believe in himself? He has expressed some of that kind of desire in the past, he does see himself as a bit of a mentor figure to Eli in some ways.
Park is cutting it mightily close to get out of the atrium. And just as sheās about to walk through the door, Destiny seals it. In fairness, the ship did give an auditory warning, but not much time to evacuate.
Eli tries to override the door to rescue her, but itās not working.
Rush seems open about the fact that they may have to let Park die. They donāt have time for this. And as much as I want to disagree with him, I kinda canāt.
The entire crew are counting on them accomplishing their mission. In order to achieve that, at some point, Eli may have to stop trying to rescue Park and fulfil his other duties.
Itās harsh and it sucks, but thatās the reality of their situation.
Eli doesnāt care and is ready to go down and try the door manually.
So Rush has to force the issue by explaining the reality of the situation to her.
āEli is spending too much time trying to rescue you, more than we can afford.ā
Sheād got her suit and thereās a pool in the middle of the garden. If sheās fully submerged, she should have enough protection from the star.
Rush promises her sheāll be okay.
But is he telling the truth?
Meanwhile, Volker and Greer have found a diner, and thereās more canned food in there. The labels are worn off, so itās a bit of a mystery what they are, or how old they are. But Greerās not worried.
This makes me wonder what date system the Novans used. And would any used-by dates be meaningful to us even if they werenāt worn off.
The crew had no way of knowing what year, or even what period of history, it was when they arrived on Novus. So using the Earth calendar would have made little sense.
I imagine they started a new calendar. The day they arrived was the beginning of year 1.
That would make it easy for our people. Given that the Novan culture started around 2,000 years ago, which is roughly when our calendar starts from, the year would be pretty similar to ours. Technically, this would be the year 2000. (assuming the 200 years wasnāt an approximation) To Destinyās crew, itās 2011.
One of the crew finds an old Novan newspaper and shows it to Camille. The headline says attack.
Firstly, I want to praise the fact that the props people spelled it without a c. A t a k. In reality, itās pretty unrealistic that the Novan survivors would speak contemporary English after 2000 years. Just think what the English language was like in the real world, 2000 years ago. English didnāt really exist 200 years ago. It was brought to Britain by the Anglo Saxons in the mid 5th century. So letās just look at how English has changed in the last 1500 years. Have you ever looked at old english? Or listened to somebody speak it? Itās unrecognisable as anything Iād call english. Itās a whole other language. It kinda sounds alien and I find it a little creepy. Itās really fascinating. Definitely worth a google.
Anyway, the language the descendants speak now, would be vastly different to what the drew of Destiny spoke when they first arrived on Novus. For the sake of storytelling, the show has ignored that, and fair enough. Stargate has been doing that since early SG-1. How many aliens weāve never met have spoken english with no explanation at all.
But I do like that they at least acknowledge this concept by showing that spelling has changed. Not only that, the guy is having a little trouble reading the article. He can make the gist of it, but itās difficult for him. So while spoken English seems to be the same, at least for the descendants we found, written English has definitely changed. Maybe the people who lived on this planet changed their language more than those closer to Novus. Anyway, a big thumbs up for that detail. Very cool.
But letās talk about what the article actually means. The people on this planet were attacked. Young will shortly discover that half this city has been destroyed. And theyāll spot a drone flying through the streets.
Now the drones may have just come here because they noticed the stargate use, but this is a single scout. IF they knew destinyās crew were here, theyād come in force.
Itās very likely that the original inhabitants of this city were destroyed by the drones.
And thatās worrying.
It means even without interference by Destinyās crew, the Novan descendants are at risk from these drones.
Morrison wants to run to one of the planets in range, which wonāt be in range of destiny. He starts dialling but James punches him out before the wormhole can form.
Still, that might have been enough to attract the droneās attention.
Idiot.
Itās all well and good seeing those drones flying through space, but thereās something extra creepy seeing one of them flying above the rooftops in a planetary setting. And that noise they make. I donāt normally notice sound design, but Iām really appreciating it in this episode.
Turns out, itās a lot quicker to take out a drone with a rocket launcher than it is to take it out with machine guns. Who knew?
When the team get back near the warehouse, TJ asks if there are any injuries. And JAmes says āJust Morrison. I broke his nose.ā
TJ doesnāt ask any questions. She just smiles.
I love that.
We havenāt seen a lot of Morrison in this show, but what we have seen makes it pretty clear heās the kind of guy whose nose a lot of people would like to break.
I like the visual effect of Destiny flying into the blue giant star. I know itās just CGI, and pretty average by todayās standard, but with the loud whooshing sound, and then cutting to the control room with the shaking camera and the actors in their suits. I dunno, I really got the sense of the danger.
Eli is starting to worry that Destiny locked out the dome because it knew it wouldnāt be survivable in there. Rush admits he had considered that possibility, but still maintains PArk should be okay as long as they both focus on doing their jobs.
The scene where Park makes her way to the pond is really tense. The lighting is very bright, to show how much light and radiation is coming through that dome. And thereās a bit of a heat haze effect on the footage too, which is very effective. But the anxious heavy breathing that the actress does as she desperately tries to survive is what really sells it.
The music really adds to this too.
As we get another beauty shot of Destiny flying through the star, we see the shields fritzing on and off. Thatās the kind of effect you might often see in sci-fi but in this case, we know what that means. We know how vital that shield is to keeping Park alive, not to mention Rush and Eli. Every time that shields drop out, my throat gets a lump in it.
They get closer.
The plants in the dome start to burn up.
And the water in the pod is bubbling around Park. She's hiding in boiling water. Thatās intense. How long before it all evaporates?
Apparently, when shooting this scene, the helmet was filling up with water. So Jennifer Spence had to do the scene as long as she could, and then stand up, remove the helmet, and let the water out so she could breathe.
It must have been pretty scary, but the stunt coordinator got her through it, helping her realise she was in complete control.
What I love about all of this is that itās giving us real stakes and real tension. We donāt know at this point if Park will survive or not. We donāt know how honest Rush was being about her chances. We know this show isnāt afraid to kill off semi-regular characters like Park. Theyāve done it before.
They really are giving us a bit of a treat in terms of exterior ship visual effects in this one.
You can see the dome filling with fire.
And then the glass shatters.
And the water is gone.
And park is being sucked out, holding on to the edge of the pond for dear life.
And inside that helmet, sheās screaming.
They make it out of the star. Itās done. They made it.
They can start cooling the gate room so the crew can return.
But thatās when Rush noticed that the hydroponic dome has been breached.
No point trying to hide it from Eli.
Eli runs.
Back on the planet, we learn a little more of the history of the attack from the newspaper.
They moved the stargate to a less technological part of the city, and they drove all their vehicles out of the city to try to lead the drones away and save as many as possible. I wonder where they went. One of the other planets in range, I guess.
Young didnāt find any food or guns, but he did get some clothes from a dry cleaner.
And while Camilleās desire for a new outfit sounds comedic, itās not so silly. Clothes ARE going to wear out. And unless they all want to become nudists, which I donāt think would be a good idea, theyāre going to need new options. So it makes sense to grab some while theyāre here.
Eli is relieved to hear that Park is still alive. The atmosphere has been vented and sheās near the door. Sheās not out of the woods yet, but she hasnāt been killed by the heat of the star.
Now that theyāre through the star, Rush can override the door. It opens.
Eli pulls her to safety.
Jennifer Spense gives a great performance as she lets all of that emotion out. Itās not just the fear that sheās just been through. She canāt see. Sheās been blinded by the experience.
The way she cries, it churns me all up inside and makes me just want to give her a hug.
The most important thing is that Park has been saved. But there has been a loss. All the plants in the dome. Some of them were medicinal hybrids they may not be able to recreate. But they at least have stores of seeds so they should be able to start the vegetables again from scratch.
They have a scheduled time when theyāre supposed to dial back to Destiny. Itās ten minutes too soon, but the drones are at the door. So they dial now.
We know the ship is through the star. Letās hope Rush has succeeded in cooling the gate room enough for them to survive.
As the wormhole engages, a giant alien ship descends on the city. Is that a command ship or something bigger? Either way, itās creepy as hell. Especially when it makes that noise.
As the crew comes back through the gate, Rush tells TJ thereās a patient waiting. Greer overhears.
The mission has been a success. Eli was brilliant. And Rush is seriously impressed. He just doesnāt want Eli to know he said that.
And I think thatās so stupid. Eli probably needs to hear that. I know I would. In this life, we are bombarded with so many negative messages. So many of us spend most of our lives doubting ourselves. To know that somebody believes in us, that they think we did a good job. Hearing those words is gold to a wounded soul. And most of us have wounded souls.
Why do we have this embarrassment about praising people? We need to get over that. We really do.
But we have to face a difficult reality check. It worked this time, but we wonāt be able to fool the drones the same way again, and those blue stars are pretty rare.
The ship is recharged for now, but itās not gonna stay that way. AT some point, theyāre going to need to recharge again.
What will they do when that day comes?
Thatās the question that will take us into the next episode - the showās season finale, and the last show ever produced.
This was another fantastic episode. We remember the big moments., Twin Destinies, the Novan two-parter. The finale. But we donāt always remember the episodes in between. This was an episode in between, but it was really good.
And that stuff with Doctor Park - that was really intense. The writers could very easily have killed her off.
And where would that leave Eli and Rush?
Where would that leave Greer and Rush?
I think Rush was lying when he assured Park sheād be okay. Iām not saying he believed sheād die, but he wasnāt certain. There was a chance, but he had no idea if it would work.
Luckily, she did survive.
But sheās lost her sight.
And yet, Iām still faced with the uncomfortable realisation that Rush probably did the right thing. They had to do those calculations. They had to get the ship through the star. They didnāt have time to keep messing with the door. They probably wouldnāt have succeeded.
I like when shows put our characters in difficult situations like this.
But Iām sure glad Iām not in one of those situations.
Iām starting to feel sad about getting to the end of Stargate Universe. And feeling again the pain of this showās cancellation.
One episode left.
I guess Iāll see you next time as we discuss Gauntlet.
In the meantime, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
We continue this two-part arc was Destiny arrives at Novus - the planet where their alternate timeline counterparts founded a new civilisation 2,000 years ago. I love this episode. In the present, we get to see our heroes digging through the ruins of their descendant's civilisation like archeologists, and in the past, we watch as our heroes slowly form a new society. It's all good stuff. So let's dig in to Stargate Universe "Epilogue".
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 89 of the podcast
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āEpilogueā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on Gateworld reads
While attempting to return a group of colonists to their home, the crew finds records of their own alternate lives -- and a planet on the verge of seismic destruction.
This episode was written by Carl Binder
It was directed by Alex Chapple
And it first aired on the 25th of April 2011
We open with a very elderly Colonel Young in his deathbed. Chloe sits by his side, and his grown son Steve approaches.
Then we cut to present day. The shuttle is landing in a big city square, which features a statue of Young.
Itās so ominous seeing this very familiar modern-day type city covered in ice and ash. Completely deserted.
Theyāve found an underground bunker. Itās possible somebody might have survived down there.
But how do they get in?
They gonna try using Destinyās weapon on low power.
It works.
They gain entrance and even find that thereās still working power in the facility.
Itās nice to know that bad elevator music is a constant throughout the entire universe.
Although, to be honest, lifts donāt tend to play music here in Australia. Iām not sure I can think of one time Iāve been in one where itās happened. But I get the concept.
Anyway, itās a mildly amusing moment.
In the bunker, they find an archive. The entire history of the Novan civilisation. Eli hopes theyāll find answers to exactly what happened.
What they find is kind of remarkable. A 2,000 year old recording of the first moment the twin-destiny crew arrived through the gate and found that they werenāt on Earth. It looks like theyāre surrounded by a sand storm. Not a very hospitable place.
Imagine having something like this. A video record of the exact moment that your civilisation began. The moment your ancestors first walked on the surface of your planet.
Itās like finding footage of their equivalents of Adam and Eve.
But while Eli is geeking out over the history, Rush is more concerned over life-support supplies, like more Lime.
They havenāt found any of that yet, but there are a lot of food supplies. Canned goods.
That is huge. I canāt overstate how important and useful this is.
Imagine going two years with nothing to eat but alien vegetables that taste so bad it almost makes you vomit. And then you find a supermarket.
This will greatly improve their chances of surviving, but also be a massive boost to morale.
Turns out, the planet they first appeared on wasnāt Novus. But there were several gates in range. They explored and one of the worlds they found was Novus. The green trees and blue sky would certainly be a welcome sight after the caves where they sought refuge from the sandstorm.
When Park remarks on how they documented everything, Yaozu says āIt is easier to know where you are going when you know where you have been. Eli Wallace.ā
And I just love that. Any time Eli gets credit and appreciation for his space vlogging is gonna get a big thumbs up from me.
It took me a moment to realise why Yaozu was being a little weird around Brody. I was thinking maybe he thought it insensitive that they wanted to upload the data without acknowledging the pain of the Novans losing their world. And then the episode reminded me that Brody was the founder of the opposing nation.
And again, Valko is still giving him a hard time about the name Futura. Give it up Volker. We get it. You think the name is stupid.
Shut up and move on!
I love how Chloe has found a bunch of science and maths textbooks all written by Eli.
Of all the scientific minds on that ship, he, more than anyone else, would be the one to want to preserve that knowledge for the next generation.
Rush, would see the value, of course, but to actually sit down and explain science in a way that kids could understand? No, he wouldnāt do that.
But sheās also found her own diary.
Thatās gotta be weird
In the next flashback, we see the beginnings of Brodyās dissatisfaction with everyone. Heās specifically angry at Eli. It was Eliās calculations that got them stuck on this planet. The fact that he agreed with Eliās calculations seems to be irrelevant to him. But thatās fine. This is an emotional reaction, not a rational one. And thatās completely believable given their situation.
Meanwhile, Scott has found some nasty animal life, so theyāre gonna need walls around their city.
Itās like theyāre playing a real-life game of Civilisation.
I love watching this episode. I love fantasising about being one of them, settling a new world. Building a new civilisation.
In reality, it would suck, of course. But fantasies are not meant to be realistic.
Iām not saying the portrayal of the show isnāt realistic. Just my desire to be among them, and conveniently ignore the harsh realities.
Iād actually watch an entire show about this. The people who have to build a new life on an alien world. But then, I kind of have seen that show already. Itās called Terra Nova. And rather than an alien planet, it was the distant past, with dinosaurs. It only ran for one season, despite its popularity, because it was expensive to produce. It was shot here in Australia. But if you havenāt seen it, I would highly recommend Terra Nova. Seriously, check it out. I may even cover it on the podcast someday.
6 weeks in, they have their first death. Itās Volker. Probably his kidneys, but without any medical equipment, she canāt be sure.
And thatās one of the big harsh realities. It might be fun to plan out where in the forest youāre gonna found your city, but having to go back to the stone age, medically speaking, thatās horrific.
Volker is there looking over Chloeās shoulder as she reads about his funeral.
How weird would that be?
He looks pretty confronted by it. Itās not his future, of course, but itās a sobering reminder that he has a medical condition that is difficult to manage so far from Earth.
Young, of course, is beating himself up over this. TJ tries to encourage him. And thatās when they finally allow their prior feelings to come back out again. Theyāll be trapped on this planet for the rest of their lives. Heās divorced from his wife now. So there seems little reason for them not to pursue it all.
Keep in mind, Varro is on the planet with them. I wonder how heās going to react to TJ choosing Young over him.
Theyāve got a shuttle-load of supplies theyāre sending up to the ship.
Itās funny. As horrible as all this was for the crew in the previous timeline, the whole twin destiny thing has been pretty good for the crew in our timeline. This is the second time weāve managed to benefit heavily from supplies left by that crew. First Destiny itself, and now all this stuff left behind by their ancestors.
Eli has figured out what happened to the people.
Many of them escaped through the stargate before it was buried in lava by a volcano, but those that remained needed another way off. Both countries realised they stood a better chance working together, so they built huge ships together. But they werenāt capable of FTL.
They set off for one of the planets theyād previously sent expeditions to.
Destiny could get there in a few days but itāll be a 200-year journey for the Novans. I guess they figured out cryogenic stasis. So thatās good news. There are survivors. They didnāt all completely die out.
Back in the past, Scott finally works up the guts to talk to Lieutenant James about their past, and how he used her up and threw her away. The reason - heās getting married to Chloe.
James, for her part, is surprisingly forgiving. I guess she moved on a long time ago.
Anyway, nice to see these two finally put it all to rest.
But I wish, instead of just saying āYāknow, we never talkerā he could have said, āIām sorry.ā
Anyway, during the ceremony, Varro gives James a look. So I think sheāll be okay.
A lot of this history is about people hooking up. But that kind of makes sense. Theyāre a community of people living on a planet now. They kinda need to perpetuate the species if theyāre going to survive.
So marriage and children is an important part of Novusās history.
Eli actually remarks on this in one of his kino vlogs. Every else is getting together.
Except him.
Chloe is pregnant. Scott is building them a house. They have a bit of a township going on now. They have what look like stables.
I laughed at the montage of various children being born. Rapidly cutting from one screaming face to another. Chloe, TJ, James, and Park are all now mothers. The tribe is growing. Park is with Greer, obviously.
Eli is truly happy for all of them. But still feeling very lonely and left out.
And then Corporal Barnes sits next to him.
Cut to Barnes giving birth to their first child.
The editing of this section of the episode gives us some great comedic storytelling.
But the best bit is when we see Eli and Chloe watching this vlog together. And Chloe says āSomething worth pursuing.ā
Barnes is a character that is sometimes around, but we really donāt know much, if anything, about her.
The one person who hasnāt hooked up is Camille. Not because she canāt find anyone, but because she already found her soul mate, back on Earth.
Park has discovered that the black hole theory is right. The planet will soon be torn apart. They may have to leave before theyāve got all the data uploaded.
Theyāve found one of those ships that the Novans built. Itās still in the factory on the planet. It never left. Thatās convenient. If itās operational, it could take the entire group of descendants.
TJ has made a disturbing discovery. Her counterpart developed a disease she was pretty sure was ALS.
I always thought ALS was just what Americans called MS, but according to Google theyāre two similar but different conditions.
Which is interesting, because I donāt think Iāve ever heard Americans talk about MS, and you never hear about ALS here in Australia. Either way, itās a pretty horrible thing.
And itās really scary for TJ. It means she will develop a deliberating disease in her future. It could be a few years away. Itās not something you contract. Sheās carrying it in her right now. And thereās no cure.
And that really sucks
I actually lost an aunty to MS. Itās a horrible thing.
As interesting as it is for them to see what their other versions of them got up to, it can be kind of disturbing. In some ways, youāre better off not knowing.
TJ has about 5 years before sheāll start displaying symptoms. Sheāll die a few years after that.
Volker is looking in the shipās database to see if the ancients had anything in there about this, or similar conditions.
The scenes of Young nursing and caring for his wife to her eventual death are heartbreaking.
But then thereās some good news. The Novans had a cure for ALS and many other diseased. Developed over 200 years ago. Itās in the archive.
But some bad news, the spaceship factory is now a river of lava.
So everyone is gonna have to cam back onto Destiny. How long will the air filtration system hold out?
Rush has found something interesting. Some kind of foam. Heās keeping pretty quiet about what it is, but he certainly seems to think itās important.
Back in the past, while most of the crew are enjoying being grandparents, Camille is drafting a constitution. Their fledgling township is becoming a nation.
And Brody is turning into a grumpy old man. He hasnāt broken away and founded Futura yet, but heās cranky and doesnāt appreciate the kids running on his lawn.
For various technobabble reasons they canāt search the database until itās finished uploading, or they stop the transfer. Theyāve uploaded a third of the data so far.
They might have it, they might not.
But theyāre gonna have to leave soon.
The bunker is falling apart around them.
The ladder is coming apart as they climb it. Varro helps TJ but falls in the process. They have to pull him up. Fortunately, heās alive.
On his deathbed, Young apologises that he never got them home. Chloe tells him what is obvious at this point. They are home.
Rush finally reveals that the special foam he found is for C02 scrubbing. Their problems have been solved. Much more effective than lime. Itāll last for years.
Volker has an interesting remark for Rush. It burns you up that we did okay without you.
Heās probably right. Theyāll be dropping off their descendants on a nearby planet shortly.
Eli hasnāt found the ALS cure in the data they were able to upload. Nothing in Destinyās database either. Itās hard because different cultures have different names for diseases, but it doesnāt look good.
Still, this is sci-fi. Thereās lots of other medical knowledge they can learn from. They can figure out a cure. Thatās what Eli believes.
I love how Eliās grandson has named the school after him. Eli is gone now, but one crew member remains alive.
Camille.
The makeup job making her look really old is pretty great. I was quite moved listening to her speak to the descendants of her friends. Seeing how proud she was of the civilisation theyād created.
The final shot of the townscape changing over the centuries is a fitting end to the episode.
I really enjoy this one. I think it might actually be my favourite episode of season 2.
Joseph Malozzi mentioned in his blog that this episode actually would have made a great finale for the show, and I agree, but at the time, they planned Gauntlet as a season finale, not a series finale.
Two left to go. Itās time to see how our heroes will deal with those drones.
Iāll see you next time for Blockade.
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper.
Make it so
This episode begins a two-part arc that may just be my favourite plotline in Stargate Universe. Running from the drone ships, Destiny finds a planet populated by a settlement of humans. These humans claim to be the descendants of the crew of Destiny, their civilisation founded 2,000 years ago.
This episode covers a lot of ground and has a very interesting structure.
Let's dig into Stargate Universe "Common Ground."
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 88 of the podcast
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āCommon Descentā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on Gateworld reads
Destiny comes upon a colony of humans who claim that their civilization was founded two thousand years earlier ... by Destiny's own crew.
This episode was written by Robert C. Cooper.
It was directed by Peter DeLuise
And it first aired on the 18th of April 2011.
Weāre really in the home stretch of Stargate Universe now.
This episode and next episode form a little two-part arc, and then the final two episodes round off the season arc.
Iāll warn you in advance that I may be doing a lot of gushing over these next two podcasts. I love this episode and the next one.
Remember the CO2 scrubbers that were failing back in the pilot episode Air? Well, some of them on one of the decks are failing, resulting in headaches and nausea for the crew who sleep in that section.
I like how TJ immediately reports the unusually high number of people with similar symptoms all in the same area. There could be a cause which presents a bigger problem than just the medical one. Fortunately, Brody is already onto it.
Theyāre still allowing Destiny to follow its own predetermined course, for the most part. They can control the ship if they have to, but the rest of the time they let it do its thing. Itās just dropped out of FTL and there are two planets with stargates in range. One of them looks promising. Destiny is still helping them find the supplies they need.
When Eli meets Chloe and Camille in the observation deck, Chloe talks about how she hopes they find some of the purple fruit they discovered recently. Interesting that youād expect to find the same fruit on multiple planets. I wouldnāt expect that to be likely. Voyager did the same kind of the with Leola root being common to many planets in the delta quadrant.
Anyway, like most edible plant life in this part of the universe, they tasted terrible, but Chloe and Camille share a knowing look. Apparently, they were good for something else. But theyāre not gonna let on what that was to Eli.
Thatās when Chloe spots something out the window. Drones. Our old friends. We havenāt seen them in a while, but last time we did, they nearly destroyed the ship. As they come into range, they open fire immediately.
So thatās not good.
One would assume the crew have been practising operating the ship in a combat situation since last time. They seem to be doing a decent job flying and shooting. Greer is actually getting pretty good at it.
Scott detects the command ship. Itās on an intercept course.
Theyāre keeping distance between them, but they wonāt be able to keep it up until itās time to jump. Thatāll burn out the engines.
Young and his crew had assumed they were out of drone space, and Rush still believes this, so it seems the drones are actively pursuing Destiny. They may have tracked us using the re-programmed drone that got the crew out of their last encounter. They destroy it, but thatāll only help after they make their next jump, assuming that really is how they were tracking us.
Rush thinks the damage theyāll suffer from jumping early is a greater risk than the damage theyāll suffer from the next attack. Which just goes to show how bad an idea it really is to jump early. Something you only do in the most dire of circumstances.
This episode is our first indication that the drone problem really is going to be a bigger issue than just that two-parter in the middle of the season.
As the command ship comes into range, we see a huge swarm of drones. Theyāre not gonna make it.
Except they do. Rush boosts the shields and they make it until the timer runs out. They jump.
As Eli says, theyāre lucky theyāre still alive. Thereās a lot of repair work to do. Destiny is not going to be able to survive continual attacks like that one. So letās hope the drones no longer have the ability to track Destiny.
They must have been travelling for quite some time, because Destiny wants to drop out of FTL again, near a planet. This presents a bit of a dilemma.
Young is inclined to override Destiny and keep going. Just to be sure they can get far away from those drones. And I get that. When youāre being chased by something scary, the last thing you want to do is stop running and stand still.
But thatās a very emotional response.
Itās actually Brody who is looking at this a little more logically. They need lime for the CO2 scrubbers. Itās safe to assume Destiny has found some on this planet, which is why it wants to stop.
Theyāve dealt with the worse of the repairs. And as Rush says, if they donāt stop soon, theyāre gonna have trouble breathing.
There are no drones immediately on sensors.
The planet seems relatively inhabitable.
At least this time theyāre not searching for lime in a dessert.
Space exploration has always been an important part of the Stargate franchise.
But you know one of the big things I like about SGU, there really is a sense of going where no one has gone before.
In SG-1 and Atlantis, they were travelling to planets populated by humans, who had been placed there by the Goaāuld, or the Ancients. But here, in Stargate Universe, weāre in the deep distant reaches, where no human, or any other race known to humans, has ever been. Not even the ancients.
Thereās a real sense of wonder I get from that. But itās a spine-tingling, cold almost scary kind of wonder. Itās hard to describe, but I think itās cool.
However, as I say that, who should run out of the forest, but two human beings.
At least, they look human,
And they understand and speak English.
But even more surprising, the young woman says āI know you. Youāre Matthew Scott.ā
Okay.
When Scott demands to know how they know our names, the male says āYouāre the ancestors.ā
They claim that their civilisation was founded 2,000 years ago by the crew of Destiny.
They have historical Kino footage, which is how they recognised Scott and Greer.
The logical conclusion here is that the ancestors were the alternate timeline crew from Twin Destinies.
The time anomaly sent Destiny itself back a few hours, but the wormhole itself may have sent the crew back thousands of years. So why didnāt they arrive on Earth in the first century? We know the wormhole was connected to Earth because Telford made it through.
Remember that when a stargate gets impacted by a solar flair, not only does it travel through time, it also loops back on itself, so you come back out the source gate, not the destination. And since there was no Destiny there 2,000 years ago, Rush theorises that it simply connected to a nearby gate in the network. A gate that had already been placed by a seed ship far in advance of Destiny. 2,00 years ahead of it in fact. Thatās not too unbelievable. I mean, we know that Destiny will just plod along at sublight until it reaches a star to recharge, if necessary. If that ever happened in the past, Destiny could easily have fallen back a few thousand years behind its furthest seed ships.
Eli seems to be the only one who sees this as super cool. As he says āDonāt you at least want to know how they survived and developed as a society?ā I know I sure as heck would.
Chloe rekons Eli played too much Sim City as a kid, but Iām with Eli. Chloe, Young, TJ and the rest have no poetry in their souls. Iād want to know every little thing about this societyās history.
But Rush has to remind everyone why they came to this planet in the first place. They need lime. Jason and Eli can probably help them find it.
The crew are subjected to some hero-worship, which has got to be a little uncomfortable, if flattering.
Jason and Ellie donāt understand how their ancestors can be here alive, but they mention their testament said that Destiny might return someday.
The other Eli probably theorised about what had happened, and his words may have taken on sacred, almost religious importance.
This planet is not where they first established their civilisation. That was on a planet called Novus. This group came here as part of an expedition to try to find other viable worlds.
But one day something happened and they couldnāt dial Novus anymore. They think it was likely destroyed in an earthquake. And with no other gates in range, they were stuck here. That was 30 years ago.
These settlers have tents, radios and soccer balls.
But no permanent buildings, it seems. Youād think that over the course of a generation theyād build some houses.
Camille is chuffed that the leader of this tribe has the same name as her father.
Itās nice to know that their descendants have finally managed to find palatable food and drink.
Eli wants to get his hands on the testament. How cool would it be to just sit down in a nice library for a few days and just read through it all. Iād be up for that in heartbeat.
We learn that Novus had a population of millions, and it was pretty advanced technologically. But it was facing some kind of natural disaster. There was a lot of political tension around the issue, as you can imagine, but it turns out there were two countries on the planet, each with a different political philosophy.
Tenara believed in the testament, which some of them wrote. The name means āThe land of the Youngā in ancient.
The other group blamed alternate Eli for what happened. They thought Rush was still on board Destiny and would one day come and rescue them. He became a saviour figure. They broke off and formed a country of their own. Futura. Brody was one of them. He came up with the name.
They have some of the old footage on a data port compatible with Destiny. The original Kinos that first housed that footage are viewed like the Dead Sea Scrolls. Which makes perfect sense to me.
Rush seems to lack the enthusiasm everyone else has for all of this. But then, he doesnāt have any descendants down there. His counterpart never made it to Novus.
When Jason and Ellie meet Rush on the bridge, they bow their heads, but apparently, itās not in reverence. Some of their descendants have come to believe that Rush was a demon who would drag their souls down to hell.
And when Park remarks on how some things get twisted and exaggerated, Volker says āand some donātā which I found amusing.
But many Futurans worship Rush like a god, which Iām sure Rush would be thrilled about.
Weāre treated to some footage of Eli showing where theyāre going to break ground building their town. He also explains the history of how the planet got the name Novus.
The settlers have helped the crew get the supplies they need and now they have a request. āTake us home to Novus.ā They know the gate wonāt dial, but they donāt know exactly what happened to their world. What state is it currently in?
These guys were sent out to create a colony, but with the expectation of help and support from the homeworld. Since they were cut off, theyāve had to make do on their own, and theyāre barely surviving.
Goodness, that all sounds familiar. Seems the Destiny crew have a lot in common with their descendants.
Eli and Camille feel they have a moral duty to help these people, which I would agree with. But Young points out they canāt take that many people on Destiny.
Eli has figured out the location of the planet. The trip will only be about a week.
But with that many people on board, the lime they got here will be running out by the time they get there. If they canāt secure more lime on Novus, theyāre finished. And thatās not a risk Rush wants to take.
The people of Novus might be advanced enough to help them get Destiny back into a fully working condition, or, they could all be dead.
The theory, 30 years ago, was that a rogue black hole was approaching the system. The tidal forces could rip it all apart. But that process could have taken hundreds of years.
And all of this was happening in the early eighties.
Crazy. While I was a pre-school kid here on Earth, the Novans were looking for a new homeworld.
And thereās another problem. The drones. In all the excitement, weād kind of forgotten about them, hadnāt we? Thatās actually how this episode started. The last thing they need right now is a drain on their resources.
Soā¦ whatās the alternative? Say āno thanksā and let their descendants, possibly their only remaining living descendants, just slowly die on this planet?
Young has a good compromise. The planet is close. They go there and investigate the planet and see whatās up. Maybe they can repair the gate and then the settlers can get there without the ship.
It seems a reasonable first step to me.
Another clip from the Kino footage shows TJ giving birth to the first baby born on Novus. I love how Eli practically has tears in his eyes as he says it. It seems those versions of TJ and Young got back together and started a family.
They had a boy, by the way.
Then thereās a big jump ahead. The town is well established. There are wooden structures that donāt look too dissimilar from what you might see in an American frontier town in a western. It seems Eli has a child too. His only regret is that his mother will never know how they turned out, or get to meet her grandson.
A much older Young is giving a speech. This is the time when the Futurans broke off and formed their own country.
Young seems pretty magnanimous about it all.
But he talks about how the early days were hard, but it brought them closer together. Theyāve build a life they can all be very proud of.
Eli still thinks Youngās plan isnāt enough. They should be taking everyone on board now.
He hoped showing Young the footage would convince him of that.
So what are they going to do if they reach Novus and the gate canāt be repaired, or thereās nothing there to go back to?
Will they return here and help these people find some other home? Will they at least go back and tell them what theyāve learned?
It seems Young is offering no promises on that front. And that, I think, is what is really bothering Eli and Camille.
The leader of this world sadly observes that the Futurans were wrong at all. Destiny didnāt come back to help them. If theyād known this sooner, they could have avoided generations of conflict over the question.
And thatās when the drones appear. Not just in orbit, but flying through the atmosphere of this world.
Thatās a problem. Because if they leave the settlers here, theyāll die.
Thereās only one option now. They all evacuate through the gate, as the drones blow the settlement to pieces.
Destiny is also under attack.
Young allows the settlers to evacuate. Good thing he has a heart after all.
Rush doesnāt know how the drones found them.
Scott and Greer manage to destroy the drones, but the gate has a big chunk out of it. Theyāre not getting off this planet that way.
Young has no choice. Destiny jumps.
Eli, Scott, Greer and Camille are stranded on the planet with the remaining settlers.
Ellie asks an uncomfortable question. Why would the drones come here?
And thatās our fault. Destiny brought them here.
So ā¦. Rather than bringing salvation, Destinyās return has brought destruction and ruin.
Boy were those Futurans wrong.
Eli and Rush have both come to the same conclusion. The drones are tracking Destiny via the gates. An active Stargate is a massive subspace event. The drones can detect that event.
There are other settlements on the planet. Jason and Ellie run off to warn them, but itās probably already too late.
This means that as long as they donāt use the gate, they should be able to hide. Theyāll have to use the shuttle to get supplies from planets.
Young agrees with Rush that itās too dangerous to risk going back for everyone else.
Butā¦..if they donāt use the gate, then the drones shouldnāt be able to track them.
Iād be buying a little time to get the drones off the scent and then going back, personally.
Eli may have found a way to get a signal out to Destiny. Stargates have a transmitter. They communicate updates with one another and send status to destiny. So far, all Eli can do is turn it on and off, but thatās all they need to tap out an SOS.
I kinda wish theyād all give Brody a break. Yeah, I donāt think Futura is the greatest name, but do they have to keep mocking him for that? The answer, by the way, is no. They donāt. Itās getting a bit old and Iām kind of annoyed on Brodyās behalf.
I think this is possibly meant to be funny? Iām not sure. But it reminds me of the kind of humour you sometimes see in old DC comics, where everyone makes fun of Aqua Man because heās the butt of all their jokes. And similar nonsense between Superman and Batman. I hate that kind of humour, and really donāt understand why people find it funny. If you do, then great. But it does nothing for me.
Anyway, theyāre overjoyed when they see that shuttle in the sky.
As they near the planet, speculation is rife. As usual, Eli is the voice of optimism. Their descendants have to be there. We passed down all our knowledge to them.
But, as TJ points out, they passed down some of their disagreements too.
The shuttle descents toward Novus. There are no radio signals, which is odd, given they were advanced. Theyāre passing through a layer of particulate matter. Dust and Ash. Thatās ominous. Itās very cold down there. A nuclear winter?
They see a huge modern city. But itās completely deserted.
It seems the ash came from a supervolcano and it produced conditions similar to a nuclear winter. Thereās nobody alive down there.
Soā¦.where did they go? Are they all dead?
Weāll have to tune in next time to find out.
This episode had a pretty unusual structure. It actually covered a lot of ground.
First it raised the issue of the CO2, but very quickly became an episode all about the drone attacks.
But then it transitioned, almost into an entirely different episode about finding their descendants.
Only to have it all come together with the drones, and the CO2 being important elements of the climax.
Then, we make it all the way to Novus before the episode ends.
In my memory of earlier watches, this was all covered over a series of several episodes, not just one.
But ā¦ as unusual as it may feel, this structure works for the episode.
Itās a thrilling ride.
And I canāt wait to delve into the next one with you.
Thatāll be called Epilogue.
Until then, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Today I'm reviewing Lost Bits, a science fiction novel by Kerry Nietz. This book follows K404 a robot who wakes up in the middle of a junkyard with no memory of how he got there. As he explores his world, he collects a tribe of other robots. Two things really drove me through this book - the fantastic interplay between the characters and the mystery of what has happened to the world. Highly recommended for fans of robot fiction and buddy drama.
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Get a free sci-fi book at http://adamdavidcollings.com/free
In a slightly more standalone episode of Stargate Universe, we go hunting for an alien creature that has taken two Destiny crewmembers. Varro and his Lucian Alliance people want to join, as they have much more experience with this, but can they be trusted? And what's going on with Greer?
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 87 of the podcast
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āThe Huntā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on Gateworld reads
āThe crew organise a desperate rescue mission after a predatory creature attacks an offworld team and takes two people captive.ā
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
It was directed by Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 3rd of May 2012.
Weāre on an alien planet. One of those nicely forested Canada planets we visited so often in SG-1.
They spot animals that they refer to as space deer.
Greer points out theyāll look ever better roasting on a spit.
Park is shocked. āYouāre kidding, right?ā she says with a look of amazement on her face.
Greer gives an amusing response. āWell, how would you cook them?ā
Turns out Park is a vegetarian.
Nothing wrong with that, at all. But Iām a little surprised at her shock.
Theyāre on a spaceship, stranded far from Earth. No way to get supplies.
Theyāve been scrounging for anything they can find to eat on planets they visit, that might have nutritional value to keep them alive.
And Park is shocked that a non vegetarian would consider eating these animals?
Her surprise shocks me.
Most of what theyāve eaten in the last two seasons has been extremely unpalatable vegetables. They probably havenāt had access to much protein.
It makes sense.
Park does raise a legitimate point. What if these creatures are intelligent?
I was actually thinking about that myself before she said it. You better make sure theyāre not sapient beings. Exactly how you do that is up for discussion. But you can get a pretty decent level of accuracy just by observing their behaviour.
As Scott says, he saw one of them eat their own vomit. Not proof, by any means, but certainly one piece of evidence.
They look pretty cool up close. The CGI is a little dated by todayās standards, but still very artistic, and certainly a lot more than they could have done in the early days of SG-1.
But before Greer can make the shot, the animals run away, spooked by something.
Thatās when they hear the roar.
Theyāre not on another T-Rex planet, are they?
Something jumps out and attacks them. We see the encounter from the point of view of the creature. Then we cut to credits. When we come back out, weāre looking at Kino footage, which still seems to be shot from the creatureās point of view, which is really weird and hard to explain.
Thereās a trope often used in horror or sci-fi and fantasy. Itās the idea of āhide the monsterā.
And it can work sometimes.
But I think Iāve said before, that this annoys and frustrates me in situations where the characters can see the creature, but itās artificially hidden from us, the audience.
That REALLY bugs me.
Plenty of the away team have been injured from the attack, and two are missing =- TJ and Reynolds.
Scott wants to go down and find them, but Young is going himself, and leaving Scott in charge on Destiny.,
Young is a little concerned that Greer hesitated when he had the animal in his sights. He didnāt take the shot. If itās just a moment of indecision, then that happens. Itās cool.
But if there is a bigger problem, Greer needs to figure out what it is and fix it.
Greer gives a very compliant āYes, sir.ā
Eli and Brody are exploring new parts of the ship. Rush wants them to take a cautious approach. Not looking inside boxes. Fair enough, I guess. But at some point, somebody needs to look in the box or youāll never know whatās inside.
Brody thinks that Eli is afraid of Rush. Eli denies it, but when they reach Rush, he goes all quiet and awkward.
And after last weekās episode, this feels wrong.
Eli is really upset with Rush right now. When we last saw him, heād just sacrifice Ginn to save Rushās life. Eli stood up to Rush and spoke in a very affirmative and almost aggressive way.
At this point, I think Eli is done being intimidated by Rush, and has had enough of his crap.
Anyway, they find a room filled with slots in the wall. They look kind of like Borg regeneration alcoves.
Eli calls them stasis pods. It makes sense that a long-range ship like Destiny would have them, but theyāre empty. And thereās a lot of them.
Rush wants to check the computers for information before spending any time studying these pods. He wants to move on, to Eliās dismay.
Rush is basically cataloguing. Exploring the ship, see what you find, note it, and move on. Come back later to do detailed examinations of the things you noted.
And thatās a valid way to explore. Possibly even a wise way. It keeps you on task, without getting distracted by each new shiny thing.
But when you find something significant like this, itās hard to just walk away.
And it seems that Rushās approach and attitude is being significantly influenced by the recent tragedy. He jumped in head first because he wanted to be with Perry, and got trapped in the computer.
Greer is letting his guilt over not firing cause him to make poor and rash decisions. Yes, they need to hurry, but as Young points out, they need to hurry in the right direction. Thereās no point running ahead if youāre going the wrong way.
Young is concerned that Greer hasnāt had enough time to recuperate after his surgery.
It seems in the last few episodes, weāve really been delving into Greerās flaws.
Varro wants to volunteer to help with the rescue.
The Lucian Alliance people have been hunting most of their lives. They could do this more efficiently and effectively than Young and his team. Scott agrees and sends them down.
Volker goes to the sick bay to see how Park is doing. The other patient, a loud-mouthed guy, is being really self-absorbed. Volker admits that heās here to express concern for both of them, but Park clearly has more of his attention right now. And loud-mouth doesnāt help matters with his attitude.
I wonder, does Volker have some feelings for Park? Itās entirely possible that this is just concern driven by friendship and working closely together, of course. Thatās completely normal and appropriate.
But stories have a tendency to focus more on romantic feelings, so Iām just wondering. Weāve seen Park and Greer have a physical relationship in the past. Is it still going on? Iām not sure.
TJ and Reynolds are still alive. Theyāre in a cave.
The fact that theyāre still alive is a good sign, but not as good as Reynolds is hoping.
The creature is saving them for later. To eat.
But that, at least, buys them time to be rescued.
Once Rush is out of the way, Eli decides to hell with what Rush thinks. Heās gonna go look at the stasis pods. Brody decides to go with him.
When TJ looks out of the cave mouth to see where they are, we get our first real glimpse of the monster. We donāt see it fully, just a quick shot. We see a tail and the back end of a large muscled body.
And thatās fine. Iām cool with that. Thatās enough. Just show us little half glimpses at the start and fully reveal the monster at the end. Iām fine with that. But we should have seen this glimpse, at least, at the beginning.
So Chloe comes to see how Volker is doing. She tries, subtly at first, to suggest maybe he should tell Park how he feels about her. When that doesnāt work, because subtly rarely works on us blokes, she asks outright. āDoes she know how you feel?ā
Volker denies anything beyond friendship between them, but his awkwardness pretty much confirms that feeling that he does have. And has no idea what to do with it.
Heās a nerd like me. I totally get it.
Eli is really starting to vent about his issues with Rush now. This is what I was talking about at the beginning of the episode. These are the feelings Iām expecting him to have.
Heās tired of Rush taking charge of everything and cutting the others out of decisions and even knowledge.
Rush WAS lead scientist on Icarus, but this is personal. This is about what Eli had to do to save Rush. This is about Rush keeping the bridge secret for so long.
He confirms that he doesnāt want to be head scientist, but he does want more of a say.
And thatās when Brody accidentally gets locked into one of the stasis pods.
As Eli tries to free him, he activates the pod, putting Body into cryogenic suspension.
Thatās not good.
But Eli doesnāt know is that Rush already knows theyāre there. He was watching. And heās the one who activated the pod. Heās screwing with them.
Varro learned to hunt as a child. But he also learned to respect nature. Those two things seem to go together.
But Greer sees nothing to respect in this creature. He calls it a monster.
Varro points out that animals donāt know hate, only fear and hunger. Which is true.
So what exactly is a monster? Really, thatās just a word we use to demonise a creature. And I can totally understand doing that. If an animal killed someone I love, Iād totally demonise it. Iād be filled with hate for this creature, which had acted out of fear and hunger.
Anyway, the creature ambushes them. Itās a pretty frantic scene. Several of them were badly injured. Varro has determined this creature is very intelligent. Itās been hunting them while theyāve been hunting it.
And Greer is still acting rashly. He is really not himself.
James has noticed that Greer is freezing under pressure. It happens to people, but not to Greer.
He shares that he thinks he died. He woke up after the surgery and there was nothing. Couldnāt see, couldnāt hear.
For the first time, heās experiencing fear.
James thinks it was just Greerās brain waking from the heavy sedation a little ahead of his body.
Greer thinks it was something darker.
Death. Maybe hell.
Young canāt go on, because of his injuries. Heāll only slow them down. He knows this. Varro knows he knows this. He doesnāt want to give up on his people, but heās a CO. He knows the right call here. So he chooses to trust Varro.
Interesting that young doesnāt say āBring them back.ā He says ābring her back.ā
Despite everything, Young still has very close personal feelings for TJ. He had pushed those feelings aside, refusing to acknowledge them, out of respect for his wife (although that doesnāt make up for his past unfaithfulness), but she still obviously means a great deal to him. More than just one of his crew.
I do wonder, if now that his wife has asked him for a divorce, whether he is reconsidering the possibility of something happening with TJ. But she seemed to be tired of being toyed with, and with all sheās gone through this season, itās hardly the time to try to start something.
Volker comes in to see PArk again. She asks him if he was watching her sleep. His response is so awkward that I think his feelings are probably pretty obvious to Park now.
Rush has some work for Park. She's going crazy just laying there.
Rush has noticed Volkerās interest in Park. But he believes nothing could ever happen with them. Not because sheās so attractive, and heās not, but because Volker isnāt the romantic type. Heās the good friend type. And thatās just life. We all have our pre-destined roles (which does not actually sound like Rush at all). Volker is destined to live the single life and pursue science. I think he might be using a little reverse psychology here. See, Rush does sometimes like to help others, but he does it in a very Rush way.
Varro has set a trap for the creature, which they know is stalking them as much as theyāre stalking it.
This is when Greer decides to speak up with whatās on his mind.
Greer has never liked any of the Lucian Alliance. Varro has been one of the good ones for quite a while, but not good enough for Greer. He doesnāt trust Varro, and heās concerned about what may be starting to happen between him and TJ.
Varro doesnāt deny it, he simply says āwhy donāt we let her decide that.ā
When the creature attacks, Greer is still not thinking well. He yells out āIām right here.ā Heās being driven by all sorts of emotion.
They blow up the creature. They can now hike to the lair without further threat.
And thatās when two of the hunters get taken by creatures. There are more of them.
The way this is done is pretty good. You see them just kind of disappear into the brushes, really quickly, like theyāve been snatched by something.
Why didnāt they use that effect at the start of the episode, instead of the monster-POV allowing the characters to get a good look at the monster, while hiding it from us. The effect used here would have been much better. Itās creepy. Itās very effective. IT evokes fear, not only of the power of this creature, but of its unknown nature.
Reynolds is pretty scared. The creature is too strong to kill. And he canāt stand the thought of being eaten alive. When the time comes, if he doesnāt have the guts to do it himself, he asks TJ to kill him.
TJ has some harsh words for him, which he seems to take onboard.
She managed to make radio contact with Varro and Greer.
That could greatly improve their odds of rescuing them.
With nobody else to turn to, Eli asks Chloe to help with Brody.
He canāt tell Rush. He wants to solve this without Rush.
Chloe may still have some residual alien knowledge. That might be helpful.
Theyāve found the lair, but Varro is hesitant to go with Greer. He doesnāt think Greer is up for it. Heās no coward, but heās second-guessing himself, and they donāt have time for him to work through whatever issues heās working through.
Varro has a point.
But Greer will never accept that because he doesnāt trust Varro.
So Varro has little choice but to go along with Greerās plan.
We get a really good look at the creature when it enters the lair. I think this is one of the babies. Anyway, it looks good. I like it.
When Greer arrives, TJ tells him not to shoot. She thinks the creature is recognising intelligence in TJ for using the fire.
Greer has the shot. He second-guessed himself last time, and now heās being told not to shoot. This is not going to be helpful with the things heās trying to work through.
TJ and Reynoldfsd leave the lair. The creature allows them.
Greer bets that the creature is smart enough to know he can kill it, but is choosing not to.
Itās a bet heās making with his life.
The bet pays off. All three of them are able to leave unharmed, without harming the creature.
I have to wonder, just how intelligent is this thing? Is it a sapient being like us? There is no sign of civilisation. It lives like an animal. Hunting prey. It doesnāt build anything. No evidence that it has tried to develop technology.
But then, it doesnāt have the tools in its body like we do.
Itās a good reminder that intelligent alien life wonāt necessarily look like us.
Which is actually the caution that Park raised at the start of the episode.
So Rush finally lets Brodgy out of the stasis pod.
Seems this was more than just him playing a joke on Eli and Brody. He was testing the pod to see how it worked, and has evidently decided they shouldnāt use them.
Soā¦heās conducted human experimentation without the consent of knowledge of his test subject.
Thatās a new low for Rush, I think.
And nobody will ever know because itāll all be blamed on a mistake by Eli.
But in the end, Rush has achieved what he wanted with those two. They are now much more cautious, which is what he wanted them to be.
Greer has put in a good word for Varro, who is now a free man, allowed to roam the ship again.
Thatās the thing about Greer, heās not one to trust, but if you prove yourself to him, heāll back you up.
A romantic moment was about to happen between Varro and TJ, and it was very much mutual. But theyāre interrupted by somebody at the door.
Itās Young, inviting Varro to lend his expertise to tonightās dinner.
After Young leaves, TJ looks really troubled, emotionally. Iām not quite sure whatās going through her head.
Is she torn between Varro and Young? Or is it just about Varro, wondering if she should pursue him or not. Iām really not sure.
So Volker has finally worked up the courage to tell Park how he feels. He walks into the sick bay, flower in hand, and he sees Greer there with her, practically lying on top of her.
It seems there is still very much something going on between those two.
He walks sadly away. He canāt compete with a strong, brave tough guy like Greer.
I really feel for Volker.
I know how heās feeling in that moment. Iāve been there.
Itās the feeling of āhow could anyone possibly love me? Iām just a nerd. Iām nothing. No one could ever want me.ā
I remember feeling those things deeply.
And yet, by some miracle, it worked out for me. Iām married to a wonderful woman and we love each other deeply.
There is always hope.
Of course, the odds are much harder for someone like Volker, on a spaceship with a very small sample of human beings.
The episode ends with the crew enjoying some tasty alien venison at Beckerās Barbecue. Airman Becker, being the shipās official chef.
I really enjoyed this episode. Itās mostly a standalone, after a whole lot of episodes that have followed directly one from another, but it still has a lot of connective tissue.
But the standalone elements were very entertaining.
Next time, weāll look at the first of two episodes that delve into what happened when the alternate timeline crew went through that wormhole in Twin Destinies.
Iāll see you then for Common Descent.
Only 4 more episodes left of Stargate Universe.
We better enjoy every minute of it, because itāll be over before we know it.
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so
Who doesn't love a good crossover? In this episode, we get to see not one, but two beloved characters from Stargate Atlantis (both of whom got their start on Stargate SG-1). Richard Woolsey and Dr. Rodney Mackay assist the crew of Destiny in their attempt to convince the Langaran government to let them dial Destiny from their planet. The only thing missing is Jonas Quinn. But are they putting the people of Langara at risk?
While all that's going on, we also get more insight into what life is like for Perry and Ginn as disembodied data structures. Rush goes on a journey that ends in heartbreak.
I have a lot to say about both plots in the episode, so let's dig in.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 86 of the podcast
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āSeizureā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on GateWorld reads
Homeworld Command tries to convince an ally occupying a naquadria-rich planet to let them try to dial Destiny, but suspects that they have already been infiltrated by the Lucian Alliance.
This episode was WRITTEN BY: RĆ©mi Aubuchon
It was DIRECTED BY: Helen Shaver
And it first aired on 27th February 2012
The episode opens with a very familiar face. Richard Woolsey, played by Robert Picardo. No longer in his Atlantis uniform, heās back in suit and tie. Heās negotiating with an ambassador from the planet Langara. Thatās Jonas Quinās world. The place where Naquadria was first discovered. This planet has a naquadria core. The perfect place for dialling Destiny.
Itās a bit of a shame that Jonas doesnāt appear in this episode. It would have been cool to bring back Corin Nemmick, but then, thereās already so much in this episode that I donāt think they would have done him justice. It would probably have been little more than a cameo.
It seems word got through from Senator Michaels. Chloe convinced her that they should go ahead with trying to dial Destiny so as to provide supplies and personnel.
But this is a big risk. The last two planets they dialled destiny from were destroyed. Langara is a populated world with millions of humans. If this goes badly, the loss of life will be catastrophic.
Telford argues there were mitigating circumstances in both of those cases. Personally, Iām not so sure. I wouldnāt be inclined to try doing this from a populated world.
But Woolsey assures the ambassador - Ovirda, that they have a new solution for dialling the gate. And with that, the door is opened, and in walks Doctor Rodney Mackay.
Okay. We need to pause for a minute so we can scream with nerdy glee. Two popular characters from Stargate Atlantis are appearing in this episode. And both of those characters got their start on SG-1. So this is a huge crossover event. Iām fanboying all over the place.
Before Mackay can say more than a few words heās interrupted by Ovirda. He isnāt a scientist. Heās not interested in hearing Mackayās speech. Heāll let his own science people decide. If they think itās safe, then heāll consider allowing Earth to use his planet to dial Destiny. Heās not going to risk his world on the hearsay of people from Earth with their own agendas.
And quite frankly, I donāt blame him. If I was in his position Iād be saying the exact same thing.
But thereās a catch. The Lucian Alliance still want Destiny. Thatās speculation, but well-educated speculation. They know there are few worlds where the dialling can be done. Theyāll be coming for Langara, and they wonāt care if they destroy the planet or not.
Ovirda says it sounds like Earthās protection is becoming conditional. And Woolsey doesnāt exactly deny it.
Mackay is very sure of his science. But then thatās always been his problem. Heās overconfident in his own abilities and superiority. Remember that time Mackay accidentally destroyed a solar system?
Telford thinks the Lucian Alliance have already gotten to Ovirdaās people. I find that an extraordinary statement. I mean, itās probably true, knowing how story-telling works, but as Iāve said, I feel that Ovirda is acting just the way youād expect somebody in his situation to act.
But Telford has further evidence the others donāt know about. Something about satellites. Honestly, what he says is a bit vague and the episode rushes through it very quickly.
The point is, itās looking like Langara has sided with the Lucian Alliance in this war, undeclared though it may be.
That means the Alliance can launch an assault on Destiny at any time. Without Mackayās solution.
But my question is how. Are we to believe theyāve come up with their own solution?
How have the alliance convinced Ovirdaās people that they can safely dial without destroying their world? This seems quite unbelievable to me.
Young, who is visiting Earth with the stones, says theyāre launching a fact-finding mission to Langara. Call it a proof of concept. Mackay is delighted when Young wants him to go through his presentation. But before he can start, Young says, not here.
Now, thereās a big elephant in the room of this episode. We donāt know what happened to Atlantis. Is it still on Earth? Or did they take it back to Pegasus? What are Woolsey, Mackay, Shepherd and the rest doing when theyāre not helping with this project? We donāt get any answers to these questions, and maybe we never will.
Back on Destiny, Rush is playing chess with Perry. Of course, he has to move the pieces for her, since she has no physical substance. And we learn that Perry may have been the only person who Rush could never beat at chess.
Things are actually looking really good for these two. Perry is no longer trapped in a broken body, and Rush gets to have the woman he loves around all the time. Previously, he only got to see her occasionally when she visited the ship using the stones.
It turns out, in her new non-corporeal form, in the shipās computer, Perry can concentrate on multiple things at once. She is also studying the ancient pattern and reviewing the shipās sensor readings. Rush argues she is more now than she was. She is better than a human.
I think Rush may actually be jealous.
But Perry dreams of having a flesh and blood body. And he dreams of that two. Because then, well, they could be closer physically, in a number of different ways.
Perry surprises us all by saying āthere is a way.ā
So Mackay arrives on Destiny. Heās in Brodyās body, but he was expecting Rush. The plan was that Rush would go to earth and look over Mackayās notes while Mackay explained his theory, not to Rush, but to Eli. If Eli is convinced, then Young is convinced.
But apparently, Rush has taken the day off. Heās in the interface chair running a program.
Iām sure most viewers were expecting a lot of interaction between Mackay and Rush in an episode like this. Certainly I think that would have been intreresting.
I wonder how that conversation would go. In some ways, Rush and Mackay are so similar. They are both insanely intelligent, but they also both have very similar personal flaws. And yet, they have just drastically different personalities.
If anything, I think Mackay would want to try to prove that he was the smartest, whereas Rush would even lower himself to that. Heād see such petty competition as beneath him.
Anyway, TJ says that Rush is basically in a sleep-like state in the chair.
Heās actually in what Perry calls an immersive simulation. It was already in Destinyās database. Perry just had to find a way that they could experience the program together.
Soā¦what are they doing in this simulation? Wellā¦ā¦Iām sure you can guess what theyād be doing.
They appear to have just finished making love.
So the chair is now basically Stargateās holodeck. They can create any simulated scenario with hyper-realistic sensory input. and experience it. Maybe The Matrix is a slightly more accurate analogy.
Greer just donated a kidney, and heās already running around the ship, trying to get some exercise. Cāmon mate. This is a bit silly
Mackay and Eli are arguing passionately. They canāt seem to agree.
But not about the dialling program. They confirmed that was good and moved on a while ago.
We donāt actually get to learn what they were discussing. Probably something wonderfully nerdy.
Rodney actually likes Eli. Says he reminds him of himself at that age. Heās about to make a disparaging comment about Eliās weight but before he can finish, Eli mentions Rodneyās hair.
Young says Rodney can go back to earth now. Heās a little disappointed, but if this works, he can always come back in person.
And when he appears back on earth, the first thing he says is āHe didnāt eat any citrus while in my body did he, because I donāt feel great.ā Ah, classic Rodney Mackay. He is, of course, allergic to citrus, which is a serious matter, but Atlantis and SG-1 often took delight in making jokes about it.
So itās time to talk about the plan.
Woolsey has reservations.
And frankly, so do I.
The first few times I watched this episode, I was focussed on how cool it was to have Woolsey and Rodney on the show. This time around, Iām really thinking deeper about what theyāre doing.
Theyāre going to go to another planet, and enact this plan against the will of the inhabitants.
And no matter how much Rodney and Eli say the plan is safe, I donāt think Iād be willing to risk this on a populated world - at least without their consent. If it goes wrong, they murder billions of people.
And letās not forget, there are three main countries on Langara. Stargate Command are probably negotiating with the Kelownans. Even if they agree, Terrania and Andari are at just as much risk.
Woolsey wants to make some kind of peace offering.
According to intelligence, the alliance are likely to make their move on Langara in a few days, invited or not.
So OāNeil believes the Langarins would prefer to side with earth rather than the alliance.
The idea is to prove that Rodneyās dialling program is safe, to make Earthās said more palatable.
Woolsey wonāt support a mission to take the Langaran stargate by force, but Young says they wonāt be doing that, and they do have a peace offering.
Greer is fighting another fever. He says heāll fight harder, but TJ explains it doesnāt work that way. Greer remains unconvinced, which is unfortunate.
I think Greerās unwavering belief in his strength is his greatest weakness.
A certain pig-headedness is probably advantageous for a marine, but Greer is so afraid of losing his macho image, not just in other peopleās eyes, but in his own eyes, that he's making unwise decisions. Doing stupid things.
Greerās smarter than that. But heās blinded by his desire to be strong at all times.
Eli has figured out that Rush has uploaded his consciousness into Destinyās computer.
Amanda finds life as an incorporeal thought pattern lonely. I wonder where Ginn is in all of this? Have these two tried interacting with one another at all?
Amanda wants Rush to keep their little simulation a secret. Rush was actually open to making it public.
But itās not gonna stay a secret. Eli is already on the case.
Rush is being pretty responsible about this whole thing. He knows thereās a real world out there where heās needed. He canāt just lose himself in this simulation.
When Rush tries to wake himself up, it doesnāt work.
Amanda taps away at a console, but Rush reminds her that nothing she does in here means anything. These are not real controls. Theyāre in a simulation that is isolated from the real ship. The only option is for her to appear in the real world and talk to someone.
Meanwhile, Eli is trying to get a hold of Ginn, who doesnāt seem to want to appear. He knows what Rush has done. He just doesnāt know how to fix it.
He and Ginn actually had the exact same idea. But Ginn didnāt want Eli to try it because uploading a human consciousness into a computer and back again is pretty dangerous. Which makes perfect sense.
Eli points out that on their way toward ascension, the ancients did a lot of work into transferring human consciousness. The communication stones were one example of that. And that makes a great deal of sense to me.
The reason Ginn is hiding is because she got annoyed at Eli when he tried to convince her he should take the risk.
Amanda says the problem was that Ginnās disapproval manifested in preventing Rushās wake-up from working, but it should be good now.
This time, when he tries, Rush wakes up surrounded by Eli, Brody, and Park.
Evidently, they have convinced Woolsey to go along with their plan. He gates to Langara and presents a gift for the ambassador. A carved ancient artefact.
When the soldier touches it, he is immediately body-swapped with Scott. Because, of course, the artefact is the communication stone.
Young takes over the administrator Halperinās body in much the same way.
Young and Scott give a decent performance. Not all of the Langaranās are entirely convinced. But theyāve prepared the way for the team from Earth to come.
They are going to attempt to dial the gate.
Iām gonna say it again. Itās awesome to see Mackay in SGU.
Heās busy being Mackay about everything. And Young just says, āShepherdās right.ā
Oh what I would have given for a big crossover event stories with characters from SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe, as a way to finish off the story when this show was cancelled. Pity that never eventuated.
Whoolsey has a second objective. Heās searching the commanderās office.
Telford really wants Rodney on the new team that travels to Destiny, assuming they successfully dial the gate. Rodney is excited by the possibilities, of course, but heās hesitant about the whole maybe never getting home thing.
But heās taken that plunge before. He knowingly left Earth for Atlantis, knowing less about the place than he does Destiny, with the very real possibility they may never come back.
Rodney picks up on some of the tension between Telford and Young. Not so much personal tension anymore, but thereās still professional tension. Telford would like to be the one calling the shots. Then again, he was the first in line to come home when Eli was running his dialling program from within the star.
I think what it comes down to is that Young has Rush. Telford wants his own socially inept genius.
But Telford asks the question āwhat is it with genius and lack of social skills?ā And that has me wondering. Itās a cliche in fiction, but is there a correlation in the real world? Is it common for real geniuses to lack social skills? I have a feeling that is the case, but is that just because Iāve been exposed to this trope so often in my fiction?
Woolsey has found evidence that the Langarans have refused to work with the Lucian Alliance, for fear of jeopardising their relationship with Earth. Time after time theyāve been offered more, and each time theyāve refused.
It looks like their spy satellites were wrong. The langarans are not working with the enemy.
Telford thinks this changes nothing.
Woolsey is not so sure.
Young gets a phone call for Administrator Helperin.
There are concerns from the higher ups. Theyāre on their way.
Perry appears to Rush, to make sure he got out okay. Then she vanishes.
We cut to Eli. Ginn appears and tells him sheās performed an emergency shut down of the FTL drive. She needs a distraction. Rush is still in the chair. What he thinks the world is not actually real.
Perry made a mistake and there is no way out of the simulation. Ginn doesnāt think Perry did it on purpose. Sheās deceiving Rush to buy time until she can solve the problem.
But if this isnāt deliberate, why doesnāt she reach out to Eli like Ginn did? And why suppress Ginn was reaching out?
Anyway, Rush is not easily fooled. He figures out heās still in the simulation and sets the ship to explode. This is Rushās way out. If this doesnāt work, nothing will.
Perry insists that this is real. Heāll kill everyone on the ship.
Young says they need to reconsider. Telford is going by the adage āItās better to ask forgiveness than permission. Itāll all be okay once itās done and their point is proven.ā
This is about to turn into a disaster. Armed guards enter. So they have two options. They stand down, or they defend themselves, with force, until the gate is dialled.
That means they fire on their allies. They kill innocent Langaran soldiers.
Young is not prepared to do that.
Telford is.
Itās a very tense moment as they wait for the countdown to the 8th chevron.
In the end, itās Rodney, of all people, who speaks the voice of reason and convinces Young to shut it down.
This mission is already a failure and itās only going to get worse.
But the observed data so far suggests it probably would have worked.
Eli has everyone working on the problem.
Which is good because Rushās plan didnāt work.
Destroying the ship didnāt get him out, but it did prove that heās in a simulation.
Now Perry has to face Rushās disappointment that she lied to him.
Then we get the bombshell. Perry programmed a parameter into the simulation. Rush can come and go as long as he and Perry love each other.
She loves him but she has concluded that he doesnāt love her.
Because he canāt leave.
Rush insists that he does love her.
This was all very unfair of Perry, which she admits to.
Love is a complex thing. It canāt be quantified as simply as Perry is trying to do.
Perry is head over heels for Rush. Sheās been in love with him most of her life.
The feelings Rush has for Perry are different, because he is different.
His feelings for her are much newer.
He is a more self-sufficient and selfish person by nature.
And he is still filled with grief over the death of his wife.
All of these factors, and probably many more, are causing the software to return a false value, rather than a true, to whether Rush loves her. But you canāt encapsulate love in a boolean value like that.
Relationships start very shallow. And they grow. They continue to grow over a lifetime.
The love my wife and I share now is different from the love we shared when I asked her to marry me. Itās stronger now. More mature. Deeper.
Perry is writing Rush off because sheās further along in her feelings than he is.
And thatās not just unfair, itās stupid and naive.
I suspect Rush could love her in the way she wants. He was well on the way to that. Right now, heās in the infatuation stage. But you can see it growing.
But thereās an even bigger bombshell.
The only way to get Rush out of this simulation now, is for Eli to delete the area of memory where itās all stored. The area of memory where Perry and Ginn are stored.
For Rush to escape, both Perry and Ginn have to die.
So Perry plays Juliet, and childishly kills herself rather than live without the love she perceives Rush doesnāt have for her, and in the process, she murders Ginn.
Rush may be selfish, but heās got nothing on Amanda Perry.
You can tell by the look on Rushās face as she vanishes, that Perry was wrong about him.
Young and Scott are back. The Langarans have agreed to release Earthās people in exchange for defence against the Lucian Alliance. And the removal of the stargate from their power generation facility. I guess they want it somewhere else, nowhere near their naquadria.
This has been an episode of massive screw-ups.
The one good decision made in this episode was by James. She showed her Langaran prisoners around the ship. Let them have a glimpse of the life those stranded crew are experiencing.
Rush wakes up from a coma after a few days.
We get one little bit of good news. Perry and Ginn arenāt gone forever. Not deleted, but quarantined. Cut off in a part of memory where they can no longer interact with the crew.
So while Ginn is not technically gone, she and Eli canāt see each other any more.
Maybe they can find a way to bring them back some day. Itās a small sliver of hope.
Eli made a huge sacrifice for Rush. Heās not going to be able to forgive Rush quickly for this, if ever.
In the last moment of the episode, we realise Greer has finally started listening to TJ, as he urges Rush to do the same.
So I bring you back the question I asked at the end of last episode.
Ginn and Perry are now gone.
If you could bring your loved one back again, to speak with them one more time, but then have to go through the pain of losing them a second time, would you do it?
Itās an even more difficult question to answer now, isnāt it.
This was a powerful episode. I always remember this for the Langaran stuff. The coolness factor of seeing Rodney and Woolsey in Stargate Universe.
But in reality, I think that element is almost overshadowed by the emotional intensity of what has just happened, with the Amanda Perry plot.
We all feel insecurity at times. I certainly have, but Perryās insecurity has taken everything from Eli, Ginn and even Rush.
I think the biggest takeaway from all of this is simply this.
In your insecurity, donāt do stupid things.
Next time, weāre getting into some old fashion Stargate planetary action, in The Hunt.
Today's episode of Stargate Universe delves deep into a lot of character emotions with two plots, neither of which presents great danger to the ship. Volker is facing a medical issue that could be managed on earth, but is life-threatening on Destiny. And the crew are shocked by the sudden re-appearance of a friend they thought was dead. Lots of great things to talk about in this one.
Find my original science fiction at http://www.AdamDavidCollings.com/books
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 85 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āHopeā
And if youād like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
The description on Gateworld reads
Chloe's body is taken over by the mind of someone the crew believed was dead. Meanwhile, T.J. must perform a dangerous transplant when Dr. Volker is diagnosed with an illness that threatens his life.
This episode was written by Carl Binder.
It was directed by William Waring
And it first aired on the 20th of February 2012
So theyāre still waiting to get a stone connection from Earth. After 6 days, still wondering what happened to their home. Does Washington DC still even exist? Are all their superiors dead? Will they ever have contact with their loved ones again?
Itās got to be a hard thing to live with. That waiting. And of course, your mind is going to invent the worst possible scenario and play it over and over again. Anybody been there?
We get a throw-away line that Volkerās leg has fallen asleep. The first little bit of foreshadowing that something is wrong with him.
Eli canāt understand how Rush can not be worried about everything. Rush is actively trying to take Eliās mind off things with the chess games. And probably trying to distract himself as well. But Rush is good at hiding away those pesky human feelings most of the time. It doesnāt mean he doesnāt feel the same things we do, he just liked to give the impression heās got it all under control.
Brody and Volker are having a little argument about the theme from 2001 A Space Odessy. Volker insists on referring to it by its proper name. Sprach Zarathustra. Itās actually a piece of music composed by Strauss in 1896. Brodyās point is that everybody knows it as the 2001 theme. Most people donāt even know it existed before that movie.
Itās a pointless and juvenile thing to be bickering about. But again, itās a way of distracting themselves from everything. From the problems on earth, and honestly, from the pain Volker is feeling right now.
But finally. Finally. They have a connection.
Somebody connects to Chloeās body.
Young walks in and asks, who are you? Eager for news of Earth.
The response is the last thing he could ever have expected.
āIām Ginn. What happened?ā
As you can imagine, Eli comes running when he hears the news. And he so desperately wants this to be true. The others are a little sceptical, Rush probably most of all.
Ginn is telling her story. At first, she found it hard to breathe, because she was in Amanda Perryās body.
She was asked a lot of questions about the Lucian Alliance, and then ā¦. Nothing.
One minute she was answering questions and the next she was standing here.
When she looks in the mirror, she has a little moment of panic. What happened? Why didnāt I return to my own body?
She doesnāt know yet.
No point beating around the bush. Young tells her the truth. That Simeon killed her body and they received word that Perryās body died at the same time.
What a thing to hear! How do you respond to that? What do you do with that?
David Blue does a great job of letting a whole lot of emotions show on his face.
Volker reports to TJ. Heās feeling a bit off.
Having trouble sleeping.
While sheās preparing something to calm him down, he collapses on the floor. There is clearly something wrong with him. More than heās been letting on.
Eli thinks all of this makes no sense, but Young rightly points out, clearly, they donāt know as much about how the stones work as they think they do. Remember, itās alien technology. It diodnāt come with a user manual.
When Ginnās body was murdered, the connection wasnāt properly severed. Her consciousness could have been floating around in the system like a stray radio signal since then.
So why did she enter Chloeās body now? Rush speculates. Maybe because Chloe fell asleep while on stone duty. Itās a good theory, but they canāt know for sure.
Scott raises a concerning question that nobody has thought about yet. Whose body is Chloe connected to?
After waking him up, TJ takes some tests. His blood pressure is high. He used to take pills for that. Heās been experiencing these symptoms for about a month. He didnāt bother mentioning it to TJ because he thought there was nothing she could do about it, without the resources of Earth. But, there were other things she could have tried.
After doing some more tests, TJ has found that Volker is suffering from kidney failure. The problem with kidney disease is that by the time there are symptoms, itās already too late. On earth, the next step would be dialysis.
But out here, what are they supposed to do?
This is a very real problem that Iām glad they addressed in Stargate Universe. When youāre remote and cut off from the rest of the world, health problems become a much bigger deal.
Volkerās only option at this point is a transplant.
Eli explains the history to Ginn about Simeon and Rushās revenge. Ginn is glad that Eli didnāt seek revenge in the same way. She didnāt want him to get hurt, which he kind of takes as a slight on his macho-ness, but before he can defend himself, she kisses him.
It takes a few minutes, but Eli realises he has to practice what he preaches. This is Chloeās body. Not Ginnās. He didnāt approve when Rush and Perry were going to use Ginnās body inappropriately. Now he has to respect Chloe in the same way.
Of course, itās a little harder when youāre the one who is going to miss out on the intimacy with someone you love.
To Ginn, this isnāt so much about the kiss. This is an uncomfortable reminder that sheās a disembodied spirit without a body. āWhatās going to happen to me,ā she asks. āIs there any way to get back into my own body?ā
Eli tells her about the funeral they held for her. They buried her body on the next planet they found after her death.
This is a difficult situation for both of them.
For Eli, he had to grieve her loss, and now, he finds sheās not entirely dead. But sheās not entirely back, either. He gets to have what so many others have wished for throughout history. He gets to talk with his loved one. He gets to hear what she has to say back to him.
But having that only makes him want more. If some part of her is alive, he wants her back permanently, in a body of her own.
And thatās when she starts choking. Thatās not good
TJ canāt find anything physically wrong with Ginn.
She really has her work cut out for her in this episode, doesnāt she? One patient with a life-threatening illness she probably canāt cure, and another going through something she canāt begin to comprehend.
Rush speculates it might be related to her death by strangling. She died while she was still connected to the stones. Iām not sure exactly how this is supposed to work. Rushās explanation of energies didnāt make a lot of sense to me. But itās interesting.
Scott wants to get her disconnected as soon as possible, to prevent risk to Chloe. Eli wants to further study this phenomenon. Disconnecting Chloe might mean losing Ginn forever.
Rush agrees there are scientific reasons to keep studying. Whatever his reasons, at least Rushās agreement helps Eli convince TJ.
TJ explains the issue with Volker to Young. They canāt bring in a surgeon from Earth right now, as theyāve lost contact, even if they did have a donor. TJ is going to have to read up on organ transplants and try to perform the surgery herself. It must suck being the only medic on board, but not actually being a doctor. So much is expected and required of her. So much more than she is technically capable of.
But if not her, then who?
To find a compatible donor, sheāll need more than blood type. Sheāll need tissue samples. With such a small group to pull from, itās very unlikely sheāll find someone.
Scott and Greer are both possibilities. They at least have the right blood type. And we learn here that Greer is a marine. Most of the SGC personnel are air force.
It makes sense theyād bring some marines in, though. Theyāre supposed to be the best fighters, right?
So Rush is being Rush.
He goes to Youngās office to tell him the transplant surgery is fraught with danger.
And Youngās first question is, āIs your blood type compatible.ā He knows Rush and his selfish ways too much.
But this isnāt about preventing risk to himself. He points out that a transplant will risk not just one life but two.
And that is very true. And itās a good point. A sobering one.
But whatās the alternative? Just let Volker die?
I donāt think thatās an option. Not if there is somebody willing to take the risk to try to help him.
Ginn tells Eli that this time it feels different to the last time she used the stones.
And then she starts choking again.
And suddenly, itās not Ginn speaking but Chloe.
So sheās still in there somewhere.
When she wakes up, sheās Ginn again.
Ginn doesnāt have any memory of being anywhere else while Chloe was in control.
And Scott has confirmed that the connection was not cut at any time.
Rush doesnāt think that Chloe is connected to anyone or anything at the other end. He thinks that Chloe and Ginn are both battling for control of the body. Not in a literal sense, but more subconscious. Ginn is supplanting Chloe.
Scott wants to disconnect the stones more than ever. Itās not worth risking Chloeās life. Not even for Ginn
Rush still advises against it. Who knows what that will do?
Imagine being in Eliās shoes.
The woman you love, versus another woman that you love, as a close friend.
He doesnāt want to lose either of them. Thatās gotta be tearing him apart.
Young orders that next time Ginn has an attack, theyāll pull the stones.
I think part of the reason Rush is so against this is because of Amanda Perry. If Ginnās consciousness was preserved, what about Amanda? Could she be stuck out there in cyberspace somewhere as well?
Itās a long shot, but when it comes to somebody you love, youāll take the longest shot there is.
Ginn on the other hand, doesnāt want to hurt Chloe.
Because sheās a decent person.
She agrees with Young.
Chloe appears again but without any attack.
It seems they are randomly and rapidly changing now.
Eli speculates that Ginnās energy is dissipated like a radio signal getting more and more distant.
That means, even without disconnecting, they may be running out of time before they lose Ginn completely.
Park, Brody and Volker are all helping TJ investigate options for making the transplant more successful. Thereās an amusing moment when Park mentions one of the side effects of a particular option. And then it gets even more amusing when Volker asks āWhy id that funny?ā
If youāve seen the episode recently you know what Iām talking about. You kinda have to be there.
TJ has found two matches. Greer and Dr. Morrison.
The best match is 6 antigen, which usually happens in families. Both of these guys are a 4 antigen match.
A surprisingly good match given the circumstances.
Morrison angrily demands to know how accurate TJās tests are because he doesnāt want to risk himself for nothing.
But before Morrison can even finish, Greer says āIāll do it.ā
Because heās Greer. And of course, he will.
I swear, every episode heās in, I love Greer more and more.
TJ needs to take some bone marrow from Greer. She offers to put him to sleep. He says the drugs are too important to waste on this. Heāll just endure the pain.
And while I admire him for this, I think that maybe heās being more of a hero than he needs to be.
Iād be taking the darn medicine.
But then, heās a marine, and Iām a wimp.
As Greer lies down to have the procedure done, Volker thanks him.
Greer says āno big deal.ā
Volker rightly points out that it is a big deal.
And Greer just says āYouād do the same for me.ā
And he genuinely believes that. Greer is a good person and he believes in the goodness of others.
Does Volker agree? Would he do the same for Greer? I think heās like most of us. Heās probably thinking something like āI hope I would.ā
I mean, itās easy to say āYes, Iād risk my life and endure great pain to help you.ā And I firmly believe that we should all be prepared to do that for our fellow human. But to take the plunge in that moment, that would take courage.
Greer tries to lighten the mood with a fake-out scream of pain.
Now I donāt usually agree that serious stories always need ālightening upā in tense moments, but in this case, yeah, I actually appreciated that moment of levity. Iām pretty squeamish about medical stuff.
When TJ does the procedure for real, you can see Greer fighting against the pain, holding back the scream. Some wonderful acting from Jamil Walker Smith.
Eli and Rush havenāt had any luck disconnecting the stone device. Chloe and Ginn are switching rapidly now.
Both Chloe and Ginn have expressed concern for each other, even at the risk to themselves. Now thereās a thematic link between the two plots in this episode. Nicely done.
Scott assures Chloe they wonāt do anything that will harm her. And Eli assured her that neither of them want her to come to any harm. Given the closeness between him and Ginn, he kind of needs to make that assurance. To remind her how much he cares about her too.
The plan is to try to find a safe place to store Ginnās consciousness.
Scott is really concerned. He doesnāt want this to go on. He approaches Eli and basically tries to tell him he needs to sacrifice Ginn. āI know you miss her..butā¦ā he begins.
And then the big surprise. Suddenly, the body is controlled not by Ginn, or by Chloe.
Itās Amanda Perry!
Now Rush gets to have the same reunion with his loved one that Eli has had.
Ginn and Chloe are both fading, and Perry is becoming more prominent.
That means that Eli is suddenly in the same boat as Scott. Now he has a sense of how Scottās been feeling this whole time.
Now as much as Eli wants to save all of them, I can we can safely assume that Rushās priority is Amanda Perry, and heād sacrifice both Chloe and Ginn in a heartbeat to save her.
He's probably already formulating an argument about how important to the stargate program Perry is, and why she has greater value.
Rush does have an idea.
Use the interface chair to upload the disembodied consciousness into the computer, removing them from Chloeās body.
And you just see them all roll their eyes. Not the chair again. Itās always the chair.
And this is when Rush has to come clean that heās seen Franklin as a kind of ghost.
Rush reveals that he managed to separate his mind from the projections a while back, which is why we havenāt seen Franklin or Rushās dead wife in some time.
Scott reminds them all that the chair didnāt work on Chloe last time they tried it. Then, Rush was trying to remove the alien influence from her.
This is different.
And heās right about that. Iām not sure Rush ever expected the chair to work last time. But this is something he knows it can do.
Scott wants assurance that there is no harm to Chloe.
Rush canāt give that. In fact, heāll have to remove some of the safeguards he put on the chair to it usable. And thatās kind of scary.
Rush thinks the chances of her being harmed are minimal.
And Scott reminds them all itās not their decision to make.
Itās Chloeās.
But ā¦ do Ginn and Perry get a say as well? Thatās an interesting ethical question.
TJ is nervous about the surgery. Sheās not even close to qualified to perform it.
So is Volker. For him, I donāt think itās a lack of faith in TJ, he just doesnāt like hospitals and doctors.
Greer jokes that this is no hospital, and TJ is no doctor.
And that got a laugh out of me. Our Volker too.
Chloe has decided to try the chair. She doesnāt want them to risk disconnecting the stones, in case Ginn and Perry are lost.
When we next see TJ, we realise sheās not just nervous. Sheās very scared. If she does this surgery, both patients could die. Of course, if she doesnāt Volker will die.
Young is not going to order her to do it. She knows what needs to be done Sheāll do the right thing.
Rush is explaining to Perry the plan to temporarily store her consciousness in the computer. He promises to find a way to get perry into a new body. That has been her dream since the accident. A dream that nobody could ever have thought could be remotely possible.
TJ is finally ready but Volker and Greer have gone to the hydroponic dome. Itās the closest thing to a backyard they have. Greer is trying to calm and comfort Volker. I think from here onward, thereās gonna be a special bond between these two characters. Iāll be keeping a specific eye out for that from here on, this time.
Greer tells Volker āweāre gonna be fine.ā Heās very optimistic. At least, thatās what he shows on the outside. Who knows whatās going on inside.
With them all in the medical bay, ready to go, Brody tries to comfort them all by playing some music. Itās the theme from 2001. Volkerās favourite. But he quickly realises that the bombastic melody is hardly relaxing and not very appropriate.
He tries to stop it but drops his music player, which proceeds to play some very funny-sounding silly music. Perhaps a guilty pleasure of Brodyās. He looks incredibly embarrassed as he fumbles to stop the music. Another amusing scene.
Stargate Universe is doing a good job incorporating some humour into the show, in a way that doesnāt pull you out of the seriousness of the story. It doesnāt get enough credit for that.
As you know by now, Iām fine having a serious show without any humour, but Iām also fine with this type of humour. But some people just seem to want everything to be a Marvel movie. I like Marvel, but I donāt want their tone in everything, especially stories I take very seriously.
Now itās Eliās turn to talk to Ginn before the procedure. He encourages her that this will only be temporary.
Eli and Rush both believe that, although neither of them has any clue how they could possibly get these consciousnesses into new bodies. This isnāt Star Trek Picard.
Thatās when Ginn stars choking again
TJ is already in the middle of surgery. Young tells her they need to do the transfer now. She canāt leave. Sheāll be in this surgery for a good 4 hours.
So Young is gonna have to do it without her.
But something weird happens with the computer. Everything is offline. Putting Volkerās operation at risk as well as the chair transfer.
After a little argument about which consciousness is which, Rush and Eli manage to upload two minds from Chloeās body into the computer. But which ones?
TJ canāt do the surgery without the computer to guide her.
Then Amanda Perry appears, as a mental projection from the ship. She can help. She is a scientist and she has access to all the shipās medical knowledge. Once again, Destiny is helping her crew.
Brody and Park question TJ who seems to be talking to herself. But when she says āIāll explain later,ā they take it at face value and go with it. After all the weird things theyāve seen, thatās the correct thing to do. And TJ has this authority in the way she says it. She doesnāt have time to explain. Sheās the doctor here. She needs them to trust her.
Rush has confirmed there are two new programs on the computer. One is active - thatās Perry.
Looks like both of their mental patterns have been saved.
The surgery is complete. With Perryās help, TJ has saved Volker and Greer.
Now theyāve just gotta wait to see if Volkerās body rejects the kidney.
Greer is insistent. He wonāt.
And Communication is back online. Finally. Telford appears to tell them there were some issues with the stones at their end which took a few days to fix, but the bomb was diffused. Washington is safe.
Thatās gotta be a big relief.
Rush goes to the bridge, hoping to see Perry. He does. Sheās projected there.
Brody and Volker have a very close bond, but itās a typical male friendship. Theyād do anything for each other, but they find it difficult and uncomfortable to express that care verbally.
Greer has a little infection but it should be fine
Ginn finally appears to Eli. She says that seeing him, hearing his voice. Itās enough for now.
But as she tries to touch his face, and her hand passes straight through his body, Iām not sure either of them truly believes that.
And that brings me to my big question for the episode.
If they hadnāt succeeded with the chair, Ginn and Perry would have been lost.
If you had lost a loved one, and you had the chance to bring them back temporarily, to speak one last time, but after thatās youād have to lose them all over again, would you do it?
Iām not sure. Itās hard to put myself in the position of having lost of a wife. Maybe it would depend on how things ended. Did I get closure? Did we get to say goodbye? I suspect Iād do anything to see and hear her again, but then that pain of losing her a second time, I donāt know if Iād be able to bear that.
Anyway, hold this thought, because we may come back to this in a few episodes.
Hope was another fantastic episode of Stargate Universe, delving into themes of selflessness and self-sacrifice. Wonderful character story.
Next time, weāll be talking about a very exciting episode. And weāll see a couple of familiar faces. I can't wait to delve into Seizure.
Until then, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
We've been expecting it all season, but finally, the Lucian Alliance make their move against Earth. And Camille and Greer are stuck in the middle of it. This is an exciting episode, but also a deeply character-centric episode. Let's talk about the Stargate Universe episode "Alliances".
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 84 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āAlliancesā.
The description on Gateworld reads
While a U.S. Senator visits Destiny, Camille and Sgt. Greer are trapped when Homeworld Command comes under alien attack.
This episode was written by Linda McGibney
It was directed by Peter DeLuise
And it first aired on the 21st of March 2011.
This episode picks up right after Twin Destinies, dealing with the fallout of all that happened.
Telford, the alternate timeline Telford, has arrived back on Destiny using the communication stones. He wants to know what happened. Young and Rush explain the whole time-travel thing. They speculate on what happened to everyone else who went through the gate. Rush says they were likely just killed.
When Telford asks what happened to the other version of him, Young simply says that he died trying to retrieve technology from the other destiny. It was an accident. He doesnāt say who caused that accident.
Thatās got to be a lot to take in. How would you react to something like that? Technically, youāre no longer in the timeline that you belong to, but the version of you here is now dead.
He visibly shakes it off and says heās fine. He gets it. Wellā¦understanding intellectually what happened is one thing. Figuring out how youāre supposed to feel about it? Thatās something else.
But Telford has been in the Stargate program long enough to know that weird stuff happens.
This is when we learn that a senator is coming on board. She wants to decide if itās worth spending money to try finding another Icarus-style planet so they can send more people and equipment to Destiny, in particular, Rushās āmessage from Godā , a name that he objects to. But this revelation has understandably created quite a stir back home.
If they do manage to get a working wormhole to Destiny, it still only means they can send. Nobody on the ship is getting home that way. Remember that stargate wormholes are one-way.
It certainly would be a game-changer for them to get some supplies from Earth. Food. Medicine. Even entertainment. All of those things would make a significant improvement to the crewās quality of life.
Camille is going to swap bodies with the senator so she can check in with the IOA.
They also need a male volunteer. This is confirmation that they actively try to match the sex of the people swapping bodies. It makes a lot of sense. Less awkward that way.
Camille suggests Greer. He hasnāt used the stones since they arrived here. He was borderline unstable when they came here (remember he was in the brig for attacking Telford). Itās funny, but I think Greer is doing better since he ended up stranded on this ship. Heās got it a lot more together than he did in the pilot. This mission has been good for him. Perhaps helped him figure out whatās really important.
He argues with Camille that he doesnāt need R&R. He sees himself as the perfect soldier. He doesnāt need rest. Greer IS a good soldier. One of the best, probably. But this is his big weakness. None of us are perfect. We all need basic things like rest. His unwillingness to accept that about himself could be a big problem for him and is likely at the root of his previous issues.
Camille and Greer are greeted with a very cold reception on Earth. Theyāre challenged to identify themselves and provide authentication codes at gunpoint. Now, authenticating a stone user is only common sense, and is a normal part of the procedure, but itās the way theyāre doing it. The gun, the aggressive tone.
Telford explains. Earth is on a high terrorist alert. Nothing has happened yet but theyāre expecting the Lucian Alliance to attack Earth at any time.
Thatās scary.
And the target is homeworld command in Washington.
Eli, Brody, and Volker are wondering who this guy is thatās been sent to check up on them. His name is Dr. Covel. Heās the new head of research at Stargate Command. Rush has worked with him before.
Interestingly, Covel is played by an actor named French Stewart, who played Ferretti in the original Stargate movie, but not in SG-1. So thatās cool.
Senator Michaels wants a final and straight answer. Is dialling the stargate from within a star a feasible way to get home? Covel says the numbers looked good, but agrees with Rus that conditions within a star are inherently unpredictable. Heās just sad nobody was able to go over the logs on the other Destiny before it was destroyed. AT the time, getting spare parts was more important than validating alternate Rushās story.
Michaels is almost assuming that the other Rush lied about what really happened. She claims that her opinion of Rush is based entirely on Youngās reports. And while Young admits theyāve had their differences, He still stands by the decision he made to support Rush and remain behind with him, with sufficient volunteers.
Rush listens in a little to this conversation before making his presence known.
Michaels evades Rushās question of āwhat are we talking aboutā with a request to see Chloe. Sheās known the family since Chloe was a little girl.
Young gives Rush a knowing look. Rush wouldnāt have asked what they were talking about if he hadnāt already known the answer.
Back on earth, theyāre sweeping the base for radiation. There have been some off-world bases where Lucian alliance people have planted naquadria bombs. One of those would do more than destroy Washington. It would probably destroy the whole of North America. And an explosion that big would probably affect the whole world.
Luckily itās all clear.
Greer wants to stay at homeworld command and help. He knows the Lucian Alliance. Heās lived with them and he never trusted them. I think thereās a bit of a subtle dig at Telford here, who was brainwashed into being one of their operatives.
But Telford dismisses Greer. Those two have a lot of history between them.
Thereās some unresolved conflict between Greer and Camille as well. He doesnāt believe any of the intel the prisoners on board destiny provided. He thinks they should have done more to prevent the coming attack. And then it happens.
As the building shakes, and the ceiling begins to collapse, Greer drags Camille out of the way, saving her life.
They find Chloe on the bridge. Covel is impressed by what he sees. Chloe is delighted to see Michaels.
Chloe has been working on improving the shipās navigation. Theyāre continuing to put her new knowledge to good use.
The main difference between Rush and Covel is that Covel seems a lot more personable. He actually has some warmth for Rush, while Rush seems very cold toward Covel.
Rush plays him a recording of the fingerprint. The message Destiny was sent to follow. Covel can see the structure, even though the message is millions of years old, recorded on technology he doesnāt understand and filtered through algorithms he couldnāt begin to comprehend.
But heās not sure he believes this whole thing. He canāt transmit the data back home to be analysed properly by a whole team of people. With the stones, itās all word of mouth. They have to trust what Rush tells them.
Covel is worried about the political aspects of all this. A lot of people will see this as proof of the existence of God, and some of them will try to twist this to further their own agendas. And then there will be those on the other side who try to bury and suppress the whole thing. I like how Covell doesnāt just demonise religious people here. Heās more even handed than that. He sees that there will be people on both sides wanting to further their own agenda with all of this. But one thing seems likely, this will become the greatest controversy of all time, to those who know about it.
But Rush sees this as Covel not wanting to pick a side because heās not sure which is gonna win.
Michaels seems to feel a special responsibility for getting Chloe home. Unlike the rest of the crew, she and Eli are not members of Stargate command. The others signed up to work on some distant planet filled with danger, even though they may not have anticipated getting stranded so far from home. Michaels never thought that life was for Chloe. Her father had such plans for her. It seems like such a waste.
But I donāt think Chloe feels the same way about her life. Remember, last time, she was one of the first to volunteer to remain on Destiny instead of gating home.
Itās been a while since weāve seen an earth-bound story on SGU. One of the things that make the Stargate franchise unique and special is its present day setting. Yes, we get aliens and spaceships and distant planets, but we also see our own familiar world with cars and shops and pizza.
Telford is among the survivors who have escaped outside. Camille and Greer are trapped under a whole lot of rubble. Camille manages to dig herself free. She finds Greer and helps him out. Greerās knee is twisted. Heās kind of stuck under the concrete. And that means that Covelās knee is twisted, because thatās his body Greer is using. Itās such a responsibility being in someone elseās body, isnāt it.
The building shakes and a whole lot more rubble falls. The explosions have weakened the structure of the building.
Camille uses sticky tape to make a brace for Greerās leg. It works.
These two are doing better than a lot of others. Theyāve found some survivors, who are in bad shape. They find some who are already dead.
Camille manages to get a radio signal out to Delford. Turns out the explosion was a cloaked Goaāuld cargo ship. It crashed into the building. The point of impact was near the comm room where the stones live. Camille and Greer shouldnāt still be on earth. That means the stones must still be connected somehow.
Telford is concerned there is no way theyād launch an attack just with a single cargo ship, without packing a little something extra. Maybe a bomb on board as yet unexploded. That means they need to get out of there. Soon.
Young and Scott are escorting Michaels around the ship, giving her the tour. They introduce her to TJ and Varo.
Michaels wants a private word with TJ. She knows the pressure TJ has been under trying to keep all these people alive. TJ is feeling pretty upbeat about her work. Things have been easier since they unlocked the medical database. But sheās only had a medicās training. Sheās not a doctor. TJ doesnāt think theyāre likely to find many volunteers, even if they could manage to dial Destiny. Itās knowing they might never return home. How many people would be willing to make that kind of one way trip. I suspect TJ might be surprised.
The survivorās way out is blocked. Telford is trying to get a bomb disposal crew to deal with the ship, but heās not overly hopeful. They think the bomb is naquadria and theyāve started evacuations. What exactly do they think evacuation can do? Evacuate to where? This is naquadria.
Camille has an interesting idea. If they canāt get out, and the bomb team are having trouble getting to the ship, maybe she, Greer, and the other survivor should go for the bomb. It makes a lot of sense, actually.
Telford has concerns. Itās very risky. And he rightly points out that theyāre not even in their own bodies. Theyāre risking the lives of Covel and Michaels by doing this. But, if that bomb goes off, theyāre all dead. That will kill Covel and Michaels anyway.
So Covel goes to meet Eli and gushes all over what he calls The Boy Wonder.
Meanwhile, Brody and Volker are like āHey. We work here too.ā A nice little bit of humour that makes perfect sense in character and in the situation.
Covel wants to know what Eli really thinks about Rushās discovery.
Camille wants Greer to stop playing the hero, just once, and think a little about how they go about getting to the ship. This situation gives Greer a chance to really have it out with Camille. Seems he has some issues with her. In particular, he has a problem with people who talk and talk and nothing gets done. He doesnāt think she knows him. She knows a file on a desk.
Camille thinks heās afraid of her because she helps people, but she can only do that if they are willing to admit they have a problem and thatās something Greer refuses to do.
Greer thinks she wants to feel like she makes a difference but in reality, she just takes up space.
This is a great dramatic character scene for these two. I love it.
The other survivor interrupts their argument long enough to find the tech who was sweeping the building. Heās dead but the Geiger counter is working. We get some great acting from Ming Na as Camille responds to the gruesome body. Ming Na tends to play really tough characters. Camille is a very different role for her. Oh, sheās still a very strong person, but not in the physical sense, like most of the actressesā roles. And I think sheās brilliant.
So The whole area is flooded with radiation. Deadly levels.
Thereās a very sombre moment when Greer says āso if we stay here much longer weāll die.ā
And Camille says āNo. Weāre dead already.ā
I have no words to respond to that.
Michaels hasnāt finished her assessment but she has some concerns. It took a long time to get the first Icarus base up and running. Even if they could find a planet tomorrow, which is very doubtful, and they got presidential approval, it would still take at least 6 months before they could dial the ship. Covel bluntly says he doesnāt think the crew will last that long. He doesnāt think Destiny will last that long.
He blames Young and his crew for that. Since they arrived, theyāve brought Destiny to the brink of destruction multiple times. And ā¦ wellā¦.heās not wrong about that. Iām not sure he can really blame them for most of that, although it was their deliberate decision to go exploring recently that led to the shipās significant battle damage from the drone ships.
Camille is feeling really guilty. Theyāve doomed Michales and Covel. Itās their bodies that are flooded with radiation.
The airman still wants to try to get out. Camille doesnāt even see the point. Itās over.
Destiny is about to drop out of FTL which means the stone connection will be temporarily interrupted.
Michaels and Covel find themselves trapped under rubble, their bodies flooded with lethal radiation. While they freak out, Camille quickly reports to Young.
And thatās when the airman decides to hold something sharp to Camilleās neck, ordering Greer to put down his own gun or heāll kill her.
In an example of really unfortunate timing on Youngās part, he decides to disconnect the stones long enough to get a proper report from Camille and Greer, which would leave Michaels with a weapon to her neck and Covel pointing a gun at the airman. What could possibly go wrong?
But nothing happens. Young removes the stones, but Michals and Covel are still connected.
Thatās weird.
The airman is trying to get them all to look for an escape. He still thinks thereās a chance they can survive.
Camile doesnāt want Greer to drop the gun. Even if she dies, he can still go and disarm the bomb.
She thinks if the airman gets the gun heāll kill them both. Heās Lucian Alliance.
Greer shoots the guy.
Ironically, it was Camilleās knowledge of personal files that helped her identify who this guy really was. She proves it by uncovering a clan tattoo.
The plan was probably to just land the cloaked ship on the roof and walk away.
I think the show might be redefining just what a destructive force naquadria is. It must be a tiny tiny amount. Which does make sense, since it is so rare in the galaxy.
The radiation is spiking, which means theyāre getting close.
Theyāve found the hull.
Camille tries to tell Telford sheās found the bomb, but her radio isnāt working. Too much radiation. There is nobody to tell her how to disarm the bomb.
Rush is trying to figure out why the stones are not disconnecting. Theyāve seen radiation cause interference before, but theyāre still there, which means the signal is getting through. So the radiation is just interfering with the commands of the system.
Covel has done a lot of research into the stones. He might be able to solve this problem.
Varro knows heās probably the last person Young wants to see right now, being former Lucian Alliance, but he can tell them how to diffuse the bomb. If only they could get that information to Camille and Greer somehow.
Youngās question is, how can he trust that Varo is telling the truth?
Eli has a good idea. They could jump to FTL which would interrupt the stones again. Theyāll have about 12 seconds at the most to explain the disarming process. But they only just dropped out which means they could blow up the engine. Eli thinks they can live with it, but they can only do it once. OTherwise theyāll completely destroy the engines. Itās a reasonable plan, but once again, the crew will be bringing Destiny to the brink of destruction.
Camille figures out some of it herself. The bomb is covered by a hologram that prevents you from seeing what youāre doing, so you have to disarm by feel alone.
Chloe has a chat with Michaels. Explaining how she was going to voluntarily stay in the other timeline. She tells Michaels what this mission means to her. How she feels like sheās part of something important. Chloe is probably the only person who Michaels will truly receive this message from.
This may be the only way to convince her to keep supporting this mission.
They get their 12 seconds. Varro explains as quickly as he can. They get back before heās entirely finished, or so it seems. Varro doesnāt know if they understood. But Camille and Greer are doing their best. At least they have some idea what theyāre doing now.
But they both missed the last part.
This is when Rush reveals that Covel has been sabotaging their attempts to disconnect the rings.
He doesnāt deny it. He saw the radiation levels when he went home. He knows their bodies are as good as dead.
He needed time to think.
Rush tries to remind him of what happens when somebody who is connected dies. The people at both ends die.
Covel argues that Doctor Perry was in a weakened state. They donāt know for sure what will happen this time. Again, more awesome callbacks. All these episodes tie together like a beautiful tapestry.
In Youngās view, Covel is trying to steal Greerās body, since his own is no good.
Why do they get to live and we donāt, Covel says. They put us in this position.
It was easy for them to take a risk because they werenāt going to have to suffer the consequences.
And thatās a heavy statement.
And it may be true. As careful as Camille and Greer were, as guilty as they now feel, you canāt tell me that even subconsciously, just a little, they might have been more open to risk in somebody elseās body. It would be human nature. We are, at our core, selfish beings by nature.
This is a very difficult moral dilemma. But to Young itās pretty clear. Covel will be going back to die in his own body. He doesnāt get a choice.
If I had to make the decision, Iād probably make the one Young has just made, but, I tell you, it would take a lot of soul-searching to do it. It certainly wouldnāt be easy. Honestly, I donāt know if I could do it.
Speaking of dilemmas, Camille and Greer have one of their own.
Theyāre not sure of the last step. They could try something, but that could make the bomb go off. Itās gonna go off anyway, but every second the bomb doesnāt go off, is another second the evacuees have to get further away from the danger. Camilleās voice cracks as she says it. What an emotional ride.
They seem to have settled on just waiting for it to happen. Their death is already certain.
And that gives them the chance for another quiet character monet together.
Camille is sorry they never got along better. Theyāre just so different. Greer is a man of action. He likes to do things. Camille likes to talk them through.
Greer says well weāre not going anywhere, so letās talk.
But Camille canāt think of anything else to say.
Which Greer and I both find quite amusing.
Varo has time to fully educate Michaels and Covel on how to disarm the bomb, including that elusive last step.
So when Rush disconnects the stones, which he can now do, theyāll be able to save the day.
Michaels last words before sheās ready to go are to ask Young to tell Chloe sheās proud of her.
Michaels knows she is going to her death.
So does Covel.
Itās hard for me to begin to imagine a moment like that.
Knowing that youāre going to have to die, and thereās no way out.
They appear back on Earth and do disarm the bomb.
The inevitable death of Michaels and Covel really tears my guts apart.
Back on Destiny, itās been hours. Greer and Camille are still waiting for news from Earth.
They havenāt managed to get a connection yet, but they have somebody on stone duty around the clock.
Camille is worried about Sharon, who lives in DC.
Greer is thinking of his Mum. Things havenāt been all that good between them.
There are a lot of things he wishes he never got to say to her last time he had the chance.
I think heās finally ready for a trip back home, if and when that becomes an option.
This was another fantastic episode of Stargate Universe. The writing, both in terms of character and plot, was top notch. This was Linda McGibneyās first script as a new staff writer, and I think she nailed it. And some wonderful performances from the actors as well.
Itās the big set piece episodes that tend to stick out in my memory, but this one is from now on definitely a favourite.
Next time, weāll see a surprise return from a character we thought was dead. In the episode Hope.
Until then, have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
Here's a bonus episode for you. While I've been a life-long fan of DC Comics characters such as Superman and Batman, I've never really been a comic reader. But that is changing thanks to DC Universe Infinite. I talk about the service, and my experience trying to break into the complex world that is DC Comics. I also share some mini reviews of:
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Superman Secret Origin
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Superman: Last Son
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Batrman Year 1
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The Flash: Born to Run
In this fan favourite episode of Stargate Universe, Eli believes he can dial the gate back to Earth from inside a star, but Rush wants to remain behind with a team to complete Destiny's mission. But when the attempt thrusts Destiny and Rush back through time, they have to re-think their plan. Lots of drama in this one. But what did I think of it?
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings,
The author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 83 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode, Twin Destinies.
This is our second time-travel story in Stargate Universe. Notice I said story, not episode. Thatās because the time-travel element of this story will reach beyond just this episode.
The description on gateworld reads
Rush expresses concerns when Earth approves Eli's plan to dial the Stargate home from inside a star -- and is proved right when a duplicate of himself shows up with a warning from the future.
This episode was written by Brad Wright
It was directed by Peter DeLuise
And it first aired on the 14th of March 2012
Destiny is in bad shape. Remember, it went through a massive space battle in the last two episodes and that damage has not been magically fixed. Again, something I wish Voyager had done more of. We donāt get a lot of space battles in Stargate Universe, but when we do, they matter. They have consequences.
Most systems are technically working, but Brody says it best. āWeāre down to our last everything. There is no redundancy left.ā
Rushās perspective is that thereās nothing we can do about it, so letās quit whinging and carry on with the mission as best we can. Itās not like we have a choice.
But Eli thinks there may be a choice.
Back in early season 1, the brains back on Earth formulated a plan to get the crew home. The idea was to dial the stargate while inside a star. Telford was a big proponent of this plan, although technically, that was alternate Telford, under the control of the Lucian Alliance.
The plan never worked and it was shelved, but recently, Eli and Gin started working on it again. Gin had some new insights to offer. Eli believes he can now dial the gate while Destiny recharges, without blowing up the ship. He has a simulation to prove it.
Rush doesnāt think the plan can account for the many things that could go wrong.
But, of course, Rush doesnāt want to go home anyway.
He says the plan could cause the same kind of overload that happened at Icarus, which would destroy the ship. Scott doesnāt see why thatās a problem, if theyāve all successfully gated home, but Rush makes it plainly clear that he intends to remain on board, even if everyone else gates home. He wants to stay here and complete the mission.
Young admits he was on board with trying to fulfil Destinyās mission, but things have changed. Theyāre in really poor shape, and his first responsibility is to the people on this ship.
I donāt blame him. In his position, if he has a viable plan for getting home, he has to try it. He owes that to his people.
But I do feel for Rush as well, who would choose to remain. I think he should have that choice, but it may be taken away from him if the attempt will destroy the ship.
Young has banned Rush from anywhere he can push buttons, including the bridge. Armed guards are in place to enforce it. Heās not taking any chances that Rush might sabotage the attempt. And I wouldnāt put it past him. Heās done stuff like that before.
But Rush may have some genuine concerns regarding this plan. He points out that Eli is not an astro-physicist. Heās a maths whizz. But the inside of a star is inherently unpredictable. The best mathematical model canāt predict the unpredictable.
But then, thatās why Eli is running it all past the best minds of Earth.
Itāll be interesting to see if they agree with Rush, as he suspects.
Rush wants to address the crew, to try to make his case for the importance of remaining on the ship. He says itāll carry more weight if Young stands beside him.
And it warms my heart when Young says āI can do that.ā
Young doesnāt trust Rush as far as he can throw him, but I do like it when they work together like this.
Rush seems satisfied.
Telford is very dismissive of Rush. He canāt imagine why anyone would want to stay. He hasnāt been here long and heās ready to leave, which is interesting, given how desperate lucian-controlled Telford was to get on board back in season 1.
But thereās a nice shot of Young at the end of the scene. You can tell, by his facial expression, that heās thinking deeply about all of this. Heās taking all opinions seriously, including Rushās.
Itās so cool to see Doctor Lee again. Heās the one who has traded places with Eli using the stones. Heās surprised that āThe Gamerā came up with this model.
But I seem to remember Doctor Lee being quite into World of Warcraft. Although, technically, that was a false Doctor Lee created by energy beings in the Pegasus Galaxy, based on the crewās memories. I always thought that Lee came across geekier than normal in that episode, which might make sense, since thatās probably how Doctor Weir viewed him.
I know this is off-track, but itās just cool to see a familiar background character from SG-1 and Atlantis.
Thereās an amusing moment between Brody and Eli. Brody tells Lee that Eli is possibly the smartest person heās met, but doesnāt want Eli to know. It gets super awkward when he realises Eli heard part of the comment.
But itās actually a little sad when we canāt bring ourselves to tell people what we really think about them. I think the world could use a little more positive encouragement like that. As people, weāre always so quick to point out the negative, but too often, the positive goes unsaid.
Anyway, the people back on Earth are happy with Eliās maths. The plan is a go.
They drop out of FTL and everyone gathers in the gateroom.
Rush is looking a little nervous. Is he going to be able to convince anyone?
Young approaches Rush and asks a very interesting question.
āCan you operate this ship?ā
āWith some help.ā
āWhatās the minimum you need to be able to do it? I need a number.ā
Rush says twelve.
And then Young says āplus you and me?ā
Rush is very taken aback.
What? Is Rush thinking of staying?
āNo, including,ā he says.
āSo ten.ā
Before they can talk more, Telford calls them to the bridge.
Something very weird is happening.
Theyāve received a subspace transmission from Rush. Heās aboard the shuttle, except the shuttle is currently docked with destiny.
The alternate Rush warns them not to dial Earth, or theyāll all die. He says the only reasonable explanation is that heās somehow travelled back through time.
I love Telfordās reaction to this, as he scoffs under his breath āreasonable explanation.ā
Cāmon Mate. Youāre on a spaceship billions of lightyears from Earth. You know time travel is possible.
Rush is from 12 hours in the future.
And he gives strong evidence for his story by recounting their previous conversation about the number. Ten plus two.
Back in the gateroom, people are eagerly waiting to go home. Scott tells Chloe how he was so excited to go on this mission, but now, all he can think of is seeing his son. Nice that theyāre remembering and acknowledging that detail.
But Scott is more nervous about meeting Chloeās mum than he is going through the Stargate.
Eli wants to make sure that once they return to Earth, theyāre all going to continue hanging out.
Scott says thereāll be a reunion every year. Eli was hoping for something more regular. But it all depends if heāll be stationed on Earth. Eli is a little taken aback. Stargate Command are not going to ask him to join.
And everyone else is a little taken aback by that.
Of course theyāre going to ask him. Heāll be right up there with Doctor Jackson, Colonel Carter, and who was that guy who kept staring at yourā¦ā Mackay, James says.
Thatās awkward. Iād like to hope that Mackay and Dr. Kellar are married and enjoying their happily ever after at this point. But who knows.
TJ is right about that, of course. The SGC would be insane not to put Eli to work somewhere.
There are looks of concern when Scott and Greer are asked to report to shuttle bay two. Especially since they only have one shuttle.
The being that emerges from the shuttle certainly looks like Rush. He rushes at Telford, saying āHeās gonna try to kill you all. Donāt listen to him.ā
Thatās when Young calls TJ to the infirmary.
Heās got a burn from an overload. Explosions all over the ship. The air got so toxic he had to abandon ship.
But the time travel must have happened inside the star. They must have passed through a solar flare just as they locked in the nine chevron address. But rather than re-directing the wormhole, it seems to have thrust the entire ship back through time. So a new twist on an existing established method of time travel in the Stargate universe.
They also suggest that the Destiny from the future is still out there somewhere.
Future Rush starts to recount what happened in his timeline.
After they agreed on the number, 10 volunteers, Young explained his offer. Basically, if they get ten volunteers, theyāll remain behind.
In his speech, he repeats what we know of Destinyās mission. Over a million years ago, the ancients discovered the fingerprint of an intelligence from very near the beginning of the universe. Destiny was launched to find that intelligence. They didnāt dedicate an entire generation to making this ship on a whim. They saw it as very important.
Of course, this doesnāt explain why the ancients never followed through on this mission. We still donāt know why that was.
If they abandon this ship now, thereāll be no coming back. That knowledge will be lost forever.
And heās probably right about that. This may be their one and only chance to discover the secrets that Destiny was created to uncover.
Rush canāt do it alone. Despite all of his ego, his belittling of others, and his over-inflated sense of self, Rush needs others. He canāt run the ship single handedly.
So he asks them to stay with him.
Young takes over. He believes those who want to go home deserve that chance. But he joined Stargate Command for a reason. So he is willing to stay aboard with Rush.
And I have to say, this is huge.
This is a huge gesture on Youngās part. Honestly, Rush couldnāt ask more of him.
What Young is asking for is ten volunteers.
Those who want to be here step forward.
And I was shocked to see that the very first to step forward, with almost no hesitation, was Greer.
Even though Iāve seen this episode more than once before, I never remember that detail, until it happens, and am surprised all over again.
But at the same time, Iām not surprised. Because I can really see Greer making this choice. He is loyal and dedicated. At his heart, heās a good man who wants to do his bit.
Volker also steps forward, giving Brody a little look, as if to say, āyou gonna come join me, Mate?ā
TJ is next, which is interesting, because she was all set to retire from Stargate Command before she ended up here, but I guess sheās been inspired by her experiences.
Scott doesnāt want to stay. Remember, heās got a son back on earth.
But when Chloe steps forward, he had no choice but to follow her. Thatās the woman he loves, afterall.
Man, I hate the idea of having to choose between your spouse and your child. The difference for Scott is, he doesnāt know his son. But he knows Chloe.
I think Chloe has been deeply impacted by her experience with the blue aliens. I donāt think sheād fit in back on earth very well after all sheās been through. And thereās not really a place for her at the SGC. She worked for her father, the senator.
James also volunteers.
Thatās 6 so far.
Then a bunch of extras step forward. At this point, I think theyāve got their ten.
Eli is thinking really hard.
And he starts to move forward.
But Telford has had enough.
He has to speak out against this.
āYouāve already accomplished our mission,ā he says. āOur goal was to investigate the ninth chevron address and youāve done that. I do not deny that there once was a mission, but if it was as important as Rush claims it to be, they sure as hell couldnāt expect us to do it. There is no noble voyage to save the universe or to meet God, or whatever it is that Rush has sold you on. There is only the day that this ship dies.ā
Iām not sure why Telford is so against this. Young is still going to allow those who want to go home to do so.
Maybe he genuinely doesnāt want these people to throw away their lives on what he sees as a foolās errand.
Telford is convinced this mission will end in tragedy and failure.
Young isnāt so sure. āWe donāt know that.ā
Telford has a mind to try taking them all home by force.
I had a good laugh when Greer said āGood luck with that.ā Yeah, my money is on Greer.
Itās funny. Whenever I start watching this show, I find myself not really liking Greer, but by the time I reach this part of the show, I absolutely love the guy. He really grows on you as a character.
So now Telford takes charge for those still taking part in the evacuation. He orders them to form two straight lines.
Theyāre going home with the clothes on their backs, because, as we learned in the pilot, everything you carry with you becomes a projectile when gating through a nine-chevron address.
Eli has wanted them to expect us but they canāt radio across a wormhole of this distance. Telford is gonna go first, to warn them everyone is coming.
āIn fifteen minutes, we go home.ā
Rush finishes his story. āAnd fifteen minutes after that, you were all dead.ā
Camille sees this as a second chance. āTell us what went wrong so we can do it differently this time.ā
Eliās program is based on precise timing, and the required time is fast approaching.
They dialled successfully. They made the connection.
You can feel the excitement as the wormhole engages.
Telford yells āWait three seconds then follow me,ā and he steps through. But just as he does, we see that shimmer effect on the event horizon. We know what that means.
The wormhole is unstable and Eliās program canāt compensate. Rush is trying to compensate manually. Credit to him, he may want to stay, but heās doing everything in his power to help those that want to get home to do so.
Rush gets it as good as he can. Young yells for them to go, and they start flooding through the gate.
At some point during all of this, they realise that the ship is overloading. Itās going to explode, just like Icarus did. That means everybody has to go through. Even Rush and Eli. So much for Rushās dream of staying behind to fulfil the mission. I do feel sorry for him.
Rush holds the wormhole open long enough for Young and Greer to escape. The wormhole disengages. Heās left alone on Destiny.
Rush just stood there waiting for the end to come, but the ship fought to stay alive.
He uses the stones to check in with Stargate Command. He asks how many made it through.
But it was only one. Telford.
Telford, who was so determined to get home, who is now standing back on board Destiny in Rushās body, waiting for the ship to explode.
So what happened to everyone else who went through the gate?
Young calls off the attempt. And Telford wants to use the stones to confirm Rushās story with his other self.
So at this point Iām trying to get my head around which form of time travel this story is using.
Traditional time-travel doesnāt cause people to be duplicated. Yes, you can go back in time and meet yourself, but youāre both the same you, just at different points in your timestream.
In that theory of time travel, once Rush convinced Young to call off the attempt, that alternate Rush would cease to exist, because his history has been erased.
What weāre seeing here is two distinct Rushās with different histories. This is the more modern idea of time travel where an incursion into the past creates a new timeline. A new parallel universe, if you like. That explains the continued existence of two contradictory Rushes and allows for this duplication idea, but if that were the case, then Telford shouldnāt be able to find his other self back on earth, because that Telford is in a different timeline.
Right?
This is where they find the other Destiny, just outside the star.
Thatās gotta be weird. Itās almost like looking at their graves.
Eli is feeling very guilty. Everyone on that ship died because of him. His program.
But Chloe says the only reason theyāre even in this situation is because they were trying to save her.
That kinda makes sense. It suggests they wouldnāt have tried using Eli and Ginnās dialling program if the ship wasnāt in such desperate trouble after the battle.
But they would have been in that battle regardless of Chloe. They got in that battle because they wanted to explore a strange reading. Not originally to save Chloe.
Of course, if Chloe hadnāt been modified, she wouldnāt have been able to navigate them there.
But at some point, youāve got to stop following the blame breadcrumb and just accept what is.
Brody notices something interesting. Most of the damage to the alternate Destiny is confined to one side. That means they could salvage it for spare parts. Thereās that redundancy they were wanting.
When I first saw this episode it bugged me. You canāt take parts from the ship to repair itself at a different point in time. Itās all the one ship.
But I was thinking about the traditional version of time travel.
This is the more modern theory of time travel. The moment that ship went back in time, it left the original timeline, and entered our timeline. The timeline of the show. So that timeline now has no Destiny, and our Timeline has two. So, yes, there can be duplication, and you can salvage parts from the other ship.
Theyāre going to board the other ship using the stargate. We learn here that unlike the gates in the milky way and Pegasus, the Destiny gates are not based on a known physical point of origin. Eli and the two Rushes just need to figure out the distance calculation.
The crew are briefed up on what to look for. The most people they have, the quicker they can get it done.
The two Rushes go over together. It must be weird having another of yourself, with only a few hours of difference in memory. Iām not sure how Iād react to that. Yeahā¦it would be weird.
But you know theyāre going to do something to get rid of one of them by the end of the episode. But hold that thought, because weāll come back to it.
Eli is really struggling with the guilt. If Rush hadnāt been sent back in time by a freak of physics, theyād all be dead now. Killed by Eliās program.
Thatās got to be hard to take.
You see, for all his faults, Rush is often right.
I like the tension of these scenes. If this was a Voyager episode, theyād probably have introduced some random aliens to add extra danger, but here, the only threat is the clock. And thatās enough, especially as we see the ship slowly exploding as it gets closer and closer to the sun.
One Rush has an idea: Take the weapon batteries. Double Destinyās firepower. Itās not on the list. But it could be beneficial.
Whatās really interesting to me is that Rush and Rush disagree on whether they should take it.
Itās interesting how just an hour or so of peril can change a personās perspective.
The one who wants to stay and take it is the older of the two, which surprises me. Iād have thought it would be the other way around.
Things take a bit of a darker turn.
Telford doesnāt believe older Rushās story about what happened in the other timeline. The valiant Rush holding the gate open for everyone else? Yeah right. It wouldnāt be the first time Rush sabotaged something to get his own way and make Telford look stupid.
Telford brings up the first time they tried dialling from inside a star.
Rush sabotaged that attempt. We still donāt know for certain if he was right or wrong to do so, but I think itās most likely he was right.
What do you think? Who is right here?
I tend to believe Rush, but as Telford points out, nobody else survived to verify his story.
Things get physical.
Rush accuses Telford of being the coward, of not believing in the mission. He got them killed with his insistence on dialling home. Not Rush.
And when Rush pushes Telford, he collides with the live weaponās battery, nicely foreshadowed earlier. And he dies.
The acting from Robert Carlyle here is brilliant. He really is good at what he does, and is deserving of his star status. Rush didnāt mean to kill Telford, but he just did. And heās horrified at what happened.
How is he going to explain this?
Oh crap.
So thatās how they deal with the fact that there are now two Telfords in our timeline. Theyāve just killed off our Telford. The alternate Telford is back on earth, having made it through the gate.
I thought it was really cool when they brought Telford onto the ship at the end of season 1. It was nice to have him in Destiny with everyone else. And he stuck around for half a season. But we really didnāt see that much of him.
Almost as soon as he was here, he got stranded on the seed ship.
As soon as we get him back, he dies.
I was disappointed by this back in the day, wondering why they did that. But I think it was likely for real world reasons. Lou Diamond Phillips wasnāt a main cast member. He was a semi-regular guest star. I get the impression he was quite a well-known actor outside of Stargate Universe, so he was likely expensive to keep around all the time.
Pity.
Camille has reported to Earth that theyāre alive and well. And as soon as alternate Telford heard this, he insisted on using the stones to come to the ship, preferably, replacing himself.
As Camille says, thatās weird.
Our Rush, and Scott find Colonel Telfordās body. Itās a horrible moment for everyone.
Rush thinks he knows where the other Rush is. He runs off toā¦do something.
Young orders Scott to let him go. They only have a few minutes left.
Alternate Rush explains it was an accident. Our Rush believes him, but warns that the others wonāt.
Our Rush asks the alternate what really happens. He simply replies āI told you what happened.ā Heās got no reason to lie, so I assume he was probably being truthful. But who really knows with Rush.
So where did Rush go? The chair room. He figures he's got nothing left to live for at this point. He might as well sit in the ancient chair and see what he can learn.
This makes a lot of sense. This is a very Rush thing to do.
So alternate Rush sits, and our Rush activates the chair for him.,
What he experiences, what he learns, we may never know.
But he is engulfed in smoke. Kinda like Franklin was.
But whatever he might become gets swallowed as the alternate destiny explodes in the star.
Our Rush makes it through.
You can tell by their facial expressions that Young, Eli and Camille have suspicions. Did Rush do something to Telford so they could continue with the mission? Has he done anything bad during this ordeal to ruin their chances?
From what Iāve seen, no, he hasnāt. Not our Rush. The other Rush killed Telford, but it WAS an accident.
But Young has many historical reasons to doubt Rush.
The way they got rid of alternate Rush in this episode made a lot of sense. It was a good way to go, from his perspective.
But you remember how I said we knew theyād find some way to get rid of him so we wouldnāt have two Rushes?
What if they hadnāt?
What if theyād kept him around for a while and there were literally two Rushes walking around the ship? Can you imagine?
Farscape did this. Two exact versions of one of the characters. Absolutely no sense that one was more real than the other. They were both completely real and equal. And that show did some amazing stuff with the concept.
I think there could have been some interesting drama that SGU could have milked out of the similar situation with Rush.
What they did was fine, but I still wonder about what could have been.
So that episode was a lot better than I remembered. Some great stuff, and it will definitely have an impact later in the season.
Next time, Camilla and Greer are gonna get stuck in the middle of an alien attack on earth as the Lucian Alliance finally make their move.
Iāll see you then for the episode Alliances.
Until then, have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
The second half of Stargate Universe season 2 begins with "Deliverence". We see the fulfilment of the Chloe transformation story, and possibly the end of the blue aliens, and the resolution of the battle with the drone ships. But is it over? We'll be seeing the consequences of this encounter for some time.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 82 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode Deliverance.
The description on Gateworld reads
With Destiny up against a fleet of drones, the crew is surprised by the arrival of an old foe. Chloe faces her former captors when the crew decide to hand her over.
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
It was directed by Peter DeLuise
And it first aired on the 7th of March 2011
So this episode was the first to air after the mid-season break.
That means, we have a new prologue recap thing. And this will be the last variation weāll see.
This one starts very dramatically with booming drums and rapid shots of our characters. The clips focus on Rushās discovery of Destinyās mission, and his choice to keep that knowledge from the crew, as well as Youngās self-doubt about his ability to command, and Scottās faith in him. Finally, it addresses the planned Lucian Alliance attack on earth and the tension between getting home and fulfilling Destinyās mission.
So we left off last episode with Destiny geting pummeled by the alien drone fighters, almost sure to be destroyed, and Chloe, not quite herself, rampaged through the ship to the control room, where she did something. We donāt know what.
Greer rushes in, along with some othe soldiers. He points his gun at Chloe and tells her to stand down. Is this is? Is this where heās going to have to kill her? Thatās the moment heās been dreading.
Chloe explains to Scott what she did. She sent a message. The blue aliens, the ones who captured and modified her, they followed Destiny to this galaxy, and theyāve been searching for our heroes ever since. Now they know where we are.
And they sure can fly fasat. They arrive almost immediately.
Greer said she sold them out. He says he knew it was going to come down to him and her. But Chloe says āItās not time yet. Iām still in control. I did this to help us.ā
The drone ships will attack anything. They donāt discriminate, so half of them have gone to fight the blue aliens. That means Destiny might be able to hold them off.
They canāt jump away to safety without an FTL drive. It seems the best option might still be to follow the plan of attacking the command ship. If they can disrupt the subspace signal between it and the drones, it might be enough.
The big question remains, were Chloeās actions a good or bad thing?
For the moment, it seems it has given Destiny a fighting chance.
But ā¦ what will come later, should they survive?
They succeed in destroying the command ship and the drones are all dormant.
Great.
Two of the blue alien ships were destroyed. The other is just sitting there, probably just as damaged as destiny.
The shipās in bad shape. Not only do they still need to get FTL working again, but several of their shield emitters are gone. Without full shield coverage, they canāt jump.
Volker and Brody are on the job.
Rush says that just because he took a pragmatic approach to Chloeās transformation, it doesnāt mean he didnāt care for her. If he could have prevented it, he would have.
I wonder if thatās true. Knowing what she would become, knowing sheād be able to crack the equations. And he could have prevented her transformation, would he really have done so? I donāt know.
The ursini sent a message to their homeworld after the command ship was destroyed. The response came back from another command ship. Their homeworld has fallen to the drones. The Ursini on the seed ship are probably the last of their kind.
And thatās really sad.
But thereās a bigger problem. When they sent the signal, they gave their position away. That means there are more drones on the way.
The FTL drive is fixed, but the repairs to the shield are not going well.
The ursini believe the race that created the drones died out a long time ago.
What Iād give to learn more about them. I wonder if they were destroyed by their own drones? Thatās a story thatās been done before.
Because these things are machines, there is no negotiating with them. They have simple programming, find alien technology and destroy it.
Eli has an interesting idea. Right now, the drones are dormant and harmless. This would be a good time to bring one on board and study it.
Park is coming along for the ride. I think this might be her first away mission.
She seems to be feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
They need Chloeās help but sheās escorted under multiple armed guards. It turns out she broke Corporal Bearās arm.
Park is definitely nervous about her spacewalk. Greer encourages her to breath normally.
Theyāve got the drone but the surviving alien ship, the blue aliens, has parked itself right next to the shuttle.
When Scott tries backing away, the send a message. No Escape.
Both ships are heavily damaged. Neither has FTL capability. And more drones are coming.
These two long-term enemies are going to have to trust each other and work together if anyone is to be able to survive the rest of this day.
Rush comes up with a controversial idea.
Give them Chloe as a sign of good faith.
There is nothing more medically we can do for her. If anyone can help her, itās them.
Itās a risk, given how much she knows about Destiny.
Young is not going to force Chloe to go, but if she doesnāt heāll probably end up putting her off the ship at the next habitable planet. He canāt afford to keep her on board much longer.
TJ feels awful. She wishes they could have done more for her. But she just doesnāt have the knowledge or ability.
Scott is skeptical that the aliens will really help Chloe or keep up any of their side of the bargain, but he follows orders.
Chloe isnāt sure about going to the aliens. Sheās been on their ship before. Itās not pleasant.
Itās nice to see Young and Telford getting along so well nowadays. For that matter, he and Rush are getting along as well.
The conflict between them is largly a thing of the past in this last half season of the show. I find this refreshing. Which is not to say I didnāt want them to have done the conflict, but I appreciate the growth.
Now apparently, part of this deal is that the aliens will heal Chloe of her modification and return her? Rush isnāt worried about what information they get about Destiny from her, because without her, theyāll be unlikely to be able to track Destiny again.
Iām really not sure why theyād take deal. I mean, they modified Chloe for a reason. We still donāt know what that reason is, but they had to have had a plan. So theāll be pretty unlikely to want to just undo it.
Camille comments that if she didnāt know better, sheād think he was willing to risk the ship for one person, that person presumably being Chloe. He seems a little offended by this and says āThatās the problem. You donāt know any better.ā
So is he saying she doesnāt understand his reasons for his opinions, or is he saying that he really does care about Chloe, and is willing to risk the ship for her, and Camille doesnāt know him well enough to believe that? Iām not 100% sure.
So they escort Chloe down the cooridor. Young and Greer. And itās kind of like a dead-man walking situation, as somebody is taken to their death.
Chloe gives Young a kiss goodbye on his cheek. Itās a nice little touch. Young is probably the closest thing she has to a father figure since her father died.
How doe you study something like this alien drone? Brody and Volker are hesitant to open it. It could be dangerous, but Eli points out if they donāt open it, they canāt study it. Honestly, if theyāre that worried, they shouldnāt have brought it on board. They could have tried studying it in the shuttle. That would then minimise the number of people put at risk.
Scott is flying the shuttle with Chloe on board as passenger. The docking bay opens and allows them in.
Scott and Chloe have a tender goodbye in the shuttle before the aliens open the door. Itās a decent scene. But Iām really not sure what Iām supposed to feel.
Is this supposed to be a final goodbye? If so, theyāre handling it way better than they should. Especially Scott.
If theyāre expecting Chloe to be healed and come back, then shouldnāt that be a happy thing, something to look forward to?
I guess they just donāt trust the aliens.
Chloe does make a good observation. Her time on Destiny has been hard, but some of it has been amazing. Scott has been one of those brights spots for her, but there have been others. Exploring alien planets, seeing amazing wonders, forming close bonds with the others on the ship.
As the door opens, Iām reminded of how much I love their design. They are really cool aliens. They just look so different, so other. If Chloe is going to spend the rest of whatever life she has left with them, itās going to be pretty horrible. For the simple fact that these beings are just so different to her, sheāll never be able to relate to them. Humans with bumps, they are not.
So far Eli, Volker and Brody have managed to crack the machine code of the alien drone, but they havenāt been able to decipher itās programming yet, specifically, where to find the subroutine that deals with communication between the drone and the command ship.
I have to say, thatās astounding. That you could map out and reverse engineer the machine code of a completely alien device like this in a few hours. Thatās insane.
Rush is right when he says good job, this is excellent work. It is. Itās nothing short of staggering.
But, of course, heās just trying to get rid of them as politely as possible, because theyāll just get in the way of him and Eli doing the real work.
Iāve got to hand it to Rush. Heās come a way. In early season 1, heād rudley tell them to get out because theyāre too stupid to be of any use. But now, well, he flatters them, he patronizes them, in the hope that theyāll take it as a complement and be more compliant. I guess from his perspective, heās realised that this is a more efficient approach.
Theyāve got their work cut out for them. Trying to make sense of a program when all youāve got to look at is the machine code would be very challenging. And thatās if the machine code was developed in a human mind.
Honestly, Iām really not clear on this deal with the blue aliens. On Destinyās side, what we get out of it, seems to be that they allowed us to take the drone on board to study.
What theyāre getting out of it is Chloe.
But for reasons that still are not clear to me, theyāre expecting the aliens to reverse her transformation and return her. I still donāt really understand what they are expecting this. If they do that, then what are the blue aliens getting out of this deal? Nothing.
Scott is in the shuttle. Waiting. Heās still expecting Chloe to be returned to him. Heās not leaving without her. And, interestingly, they havenāt sent him on his way. Heās still in their hanger bay.
The aliens are doing some kind of medical procedure on Chloe. This scene is pretty terrifying. It evokes every alien abduction story youāve ever seen. Being tied to a bed while bizarre creatures poke and prod you with sharp implements.
Were I in Chloeās shoes, Iād be terrified, which she is. Itās impressive how much fear an actor can evoke just with their eyes and their breathing.
Anyway, this was an awesome scene.
Ther second command ship has arrived, surrounded by new drones.
Thatās not good.
The old drones are still dormant. Thatās interesting. That means theyāre not taking orders from the new command ship. They seem to be coded to respons to a specific command ship.
Again, why would their creators have used such an inefficient design?
Rush can jam the signal between drone and command ship for a few seconds, but after that, theyāll adapt.
Young is sitting in the captainās chair on the bridge. This may be his first time ever commanding a starship, but I guess thereās a first time for everyone. When the SGC first created the Prometheus, somebody had to command it for the first time. No human had ever commanded a starship before that.
But itās even harder for Lieutenant James. She seems to be stationed at the engineering console. Her job is to keep vital systems protected and powered. Sheās had about one hour of training. Simulated. None of our people know how to operate this ship, and now theyāre heading into a combat situation.
The sheer lack of familiarity with the ship is what gives Stargate Universe such a unique flavour. And I love it.
Telford is on weapons.
Just a Scott hoped, Chloe is returned to the shuttle, held suspecnded in the air by a tractor beam which disengages when he grabs her.
She doesnāt seem to be showing any sign of the crusty alien skin. Certainly itās no longer visible on her chest.
When Scott exists the alien ship, he notices the drones and wants to take them on. Young orders him to keep a distance. Theyāre not here to fight, just hold out until they can jump.
Scott disobeys that order.
He does have a valid pointg to raise. His shuttle has full shields. Destiny does not.
And itās probably proper for him to raise that with Young. But itās not sufficient cause to outright disobey an order. He just says ādonāt worry, weāll be fine.ā He doesnāt wait for Young to give a response to his point.
Stargate characters have a bit of a reputation for not always following orders, but Iām surprised by this, especially in a show as grounded as Stargate Universe.
Things are getting critical. Whatever Rush is gonna do, heās gonna have to do it soon.
And Eli has a great idea. Heā;s found the friend or foe system. The older drones are not engaging in the battle because they donāt have a command ship to tell them what side they should be on.
The plan is to tell them to attack the newer drones and its command ship.
But in order to upload that instruction, theyāll have to power up the drone they have in the lab.
This is a good plan. I know Iām giving the show a hard time about the characters drcyphering alien programming languages with such ease, but I understand you have to give your characters a break so the story can happen.
My nature as a software engineer is at odds with my nature as a writer.
This is why I donāt often enjoy ācomputer showsā. And why many medical people canāt watch medical dramas.
Young orders Scott to pull out of the area, adding the word āthatās a direct orderā and this time he obeys.
The Ursini, grieving that their people are gone, and they are the last of their kind, and feeling sorry for getting Destiny involved in all of this, begin a suicide run against the second command ship.
They ram the seed ship into the rcommand ship.
But Young still tells Rush to enact his plan, so, I assume they failed to destroy the command ship? Thatās sad. So the Ursini sacrificed themselves for literally nothing.
Once activated, the drone floats above the table but seems to take no other hostile action. Greer is there with a gun pointed at it, not that heād be able to do much, but in his words, heās sure gonna try.
And the dormant drones wake upland join the fight. Fantastic.
Brody and Volker have managed to get the shields fully covering Destiny, but due to all the weapons fire theyāve sustained, the shields are only at 5 percent. Theyāve never attempting jumping at anything less than 10%.
Eli doesnāt think thatās enough.
Theyāre gonna have to risk it. The drones on our side are vastly outnumbered by the drones attacking us. The shuttle is docked.
Itās now or never if they want to jump away.
They jump
The ship is shaking a lot, but it holds together.
TJ has been examining Chloe. It appears she is fully restored and healed. No lesions, No blackouts.
Young is gonna keep her under observation for a while just in case.
A surprising thing, Chloe can still do the equations. She has retained the knowledge she had when she was undergoing the transformation. That means theyāll be able to continue setting the shipās course when necessary.
Then Rush makes some startling admissions. He says everyone on board is useful. Not just those who can do drive calculations. Everyone on board belongs.
That doesnāt sound like Rush at all. When Chloe questions if he really believes it, he says āmore and more each day.ā
So it seems that Rush really is going through some changes. Heās opening up to the possibility of seeing meaning behind events.
With Rush, itās never easy to tell when heās being honest and when heās lying, but this feels like some interesting character development. And my memory is that he does change and slowly head toward becoming a better person in the second half of season 2.
So, itāll be interesting to see how this progresses.
Thereās a lot to like in these last two episodes, and I really enjoy them. Not just for what they are, but for what theyāre setting up.
But I have to admit, I found the resolution of Chloeās transformation very un-satisfying.
I was looking forward to understanding what was happening to her. What was she becoming, and why. What was the plan behind it all.
I couldnāt actually remember how it was resolved, from the last couple of times I watched through this show.
We never got any of those answers, and Iām still not sold on the alienās motivation for just undoing all their hard work.
Sure, they may have gotten some information from her, but that seems minor. We know theyāve explored Destiny in the past. Theyāve been studying it for a long time before our people showed up.
They had some kind of plan for Chloe, but it all seems to have come to nothing.
So Iām a little disappointed with that.
I donāt remember being so disappointed last time. Maybe itās because Iām watching these shows with a slightly more critical eye in order to do this podcast.
But Gatworld collects production notes in each episode. I had a look and found a quote from Joseph Mallozziās blog.
Check this out.
"The [aliens'] plan was to eventually use [Chloe] to amass as much information about the Destiny's systems as possible and then, eventually, use her to gain access to the ship. They implanted her with an alien virus that slowly mutated, taking over her mind and body and acting as an organic satellite. Once the mutation was complete, she would have been entirely under their control."
The aliens eventually left Destiny in peace "because they had retrieved all the information they needed from Chloe when they divested her of the alien virus."
Okay. So that makes some sense of it. The virus was intended to put Chloe under their control. They had two goals for this. The first was information. They have successfully retrieved that. The second was control. They had hoped that Chloe, their agent on board, could have taken control of the ship and delivered it to them.
It seems they have sacrificed that second goal. They probably wouldnāt have survived the second drone assault without the help of the humans, so they cut their losses, took the information and removed the virus, thus destroying all hope of using Chloe to get control of the ship. They returned her, as Rush predicted, because she was no longer of any value to them, but the humanās cooperation was of value.
Mallozziās words above suggest the aliens are done with Destiny now. what they really wanted was the knowledge, not the ship itself. Of course, Chloeās impression is that they wonāt give up. That information is only going to make them hungrier to take the ship.
Honestly, we donāt know where the writers would have taken all of this, had the show continued for more than two seasons, so weāve got to give it some grace.
I just feel that all of this could have been explained a little better in the episode.
But, thatās a nitpick.
As I said, I did love these episodes.
Next time, weāll be talking about a very famous and iconic episode, Twim Destinies. This is a favourite among a lot of fans. I donāt remember loving it as much as others did, but having thought about the concepts behind it a bit more, I suspect Iāll be able to enjoy it more this time. But Iāll get into that next time.
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
We've made it to the mid-season finale for season 2. This one will leave us on a bit of a cliffhanger. The discovery of a mysterious alien signal will take the crew of Destiny a little off course and introduce a brand new and terrifying threat that will cause them a whole lot of problems for the rest of the season. Plus, things are coming to a head with Chloe.
Join me for the excitement as we talk about Stargate Universe "Resurgence".
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 81 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āResurgenceā
The description on Gateworld reads
The crew's new-found control over Destiny's flight path introduces new risks when they find themselves in the middle of a war between two races.
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
It was directed by William Waring
And it forest aired on the 30th of November 2010
Eli hasnāt shown up for work on the bridge yet. He is, no doubt, still dealing with his grief over the death of Ginn, which is completely understandable.
Rush gives the appearance of someone who is coping better. Heās back to work, focusing on what needs to be done. He got his closure when he killed Simeon. Does that meaning heās feeling less grief than Eli right now? Probably not. He just handled it differently.
The crew are struggling to understand how to operate the shipās controls. Rush has a better handle on it all, but then heās had quite a head-start.
Brody has found something. An energy signature.
Investigating it would take destiny about a dayās detour from its predfefined course, following the seed ships.
They debate the pros and cons, but eventually decide itās worth checking out. It could be a sign of intelligent life.
Interestingly, Volker, Park, and Rush all agree on that, but while Rush and Park think thatās a pro, Volker sees it as a con.
I love the exchange where Park says āyou canāt judge a neighbourhood by a few bad neighboursā. And Volker says āYouāre kidding, right. Thatās exactly how you judge a neighbourhood.ā
Theyāre both right. A neighbourhood gets a bad reputation because it has a number of bad elements in it, but that doesnāt mean that everybody in that neighbourhood is bad.
But, Destinyās track record of encountering alien life hasnāt exactly been very positive.
Also, note, they still canāt quite figure how how to change the shipās course without Chloe to do the calculations.
When theyāre about to drop out of FTL to see the answers, Eli has to be fetched by Rush, but when that happens, he does come. Heās not completely locked himself away from life, but he definitely doesnāt have the drive and enthusiasm for his work that he used to.
What they find is a massive graveyard of spaceships. The sight of a great battle some time in history. How fascinating.
One of the ships is familiar. The ship that Rush and Young explored a few episodes back. It looks like that particular species were the losers in the battle.
Scott and Chloe are still having the same conversation. He alien transformation is spreading. Soon she wont be herself anymore, but something dangerous that has to be removed. Scott wonāt let that happen, but what can he possibly do to stop it?
I can understand Chloeās perspective, but I can really identify with Scott. If it were my wife there, Iād never give up on her. Even though there seems to be no possible solution.
But even he has to acknowledge that he has been pulling away from her. Itās been happening for some time. We first noticed it in Cloverdale.
I love how theyāre continuing to develop this over multiple episodes. This is exactly the kind of thing I wished they would have done in Star Trek Voyager. If this had been a Voyager episode, Chloe would have been infected, at the star of an episode, the drama would all occur in a short amount of time, and it would all get resolved by the end of that same episode.
But this began all the way back in the middle of season 1. Weāre now approaching the middle of season 2. I love this approach to story-telling, and Iām glad that it has become the norm. This is the kind of character-serialisation Iām hoping to see in Star Trek Strange new Worlds later this year, even though the plots will be standalone planet-of-the-week type stories.
Anyway, Chloe is putting on a strong face for Matt, but after she leaves, she breaks down and cries. She doesnāt want to die. And she doesnāt want to cause Matt pain, either.
Camille has pulled Eli aside to talk to him.
Before she can say anything, he launches into a defense. Heās not crazy. Heās come a long way in his 10 months aboard this ship. Once minute he was living at home with his mum, and the next, heās stranded billions of lightyears from home. Unlike everybody else, he had no training and no preparation. He wasnāt even really given a choice. Jack had him beamed aboard the Hammond after he refused to get involved. Admittedly, once he was beamed up he went willingly to Icarus.
The point is, heās done remarkably well, all things considered. And heās absolutely right about that. Good on him, I say. Apart from all of that, someone he really cared for died.
Also, I love the Last Starfighter reference.
Turns out, theyāre not worried because heās a little distracted. Theyāre worried because given recent events, he should be a hell of a lot more than a little distracted.
Surprisingly, they start talking about Riley, not Ginn.
That loss is affecting him quite profoundly. Eli says something very meaningful. When your whole world gets reduced to about a hundred people, everyone becomes important.
Funnily, a hundred people sounds like a lot to me.
If I were to try to count the number of people I have a meaningful connection to, it would probably be a lot less than a hundred. But then, Iām an introverted hermit who talks to a camera instead of interacting with humans, so thereās that.
I really like how they spend time on Riley here. Once again, giving importance and significance to his death. He was no red-shirt, in the traditional Star Trek sense. Every life in this ship matters to the characters, even if that person doesnāt get their name in the opening credits of this show. In universe, they matter.
When Camille mentions Ginn, Eliās face hardens, as if to say, āhow dare you mention her name.ā And then just walks away.
Thereās a hell of a lot of hurt there, and heās not remotely ready to talk about that.
This was a wonderful character scene. I loved it.
Until recently, they only had two working space suits. Brody just finished repairing a third, which Greer is wearing. He half-jokingly raises concern that heās wearing the recently repaired suit, and brody replies, āeasier to fix if something goes wrong, which it wonāt, in all likelihood.ā
Now this adds a little humour to the scene but it actually makes complete and perfect sense.
Better off having the repair guy wear the better suit because if there is a problem, heās not compromised, and has the highest chance of fixing it. I can understand Greerās discomfort, but Brody is right.
This is just more of the slow burn of them getting more and more of the ship and its technology undert their control.
This is their first time taking the newly restored shuttle out.
Brody remarks how weird it is to be flying amongst a fleet of damaged alien spaceships, but Greer just thinks itās cool. Iād think it was cool too, but Iād also be feeling the awe, which I think is what Brody is trying to express.
As they fly past, one of the alien ships powers upo.
There is one particular ship the shuttle is heading toward, with the intention of boarding it.
I imagine this is the ship of the type Young and Rush explored earlier. Iām not entirely sure why they chose this particular ship. Theyāve already seen one of these. Why not investigate one of the other ships, from whatever other race was involved in this battle?
The transfer from one ship to the other isnāt exactly smooth. Greer has to float through space.
In most sci-fi shows, every spaceship out there, even from races never encountered before, always have compatible docking ports, as if there is some universal standard that everyone knows about. And Iāll put my hand up and admit Iāve done this in my own writing.
This is a bit more realistic.
Varro, the leader of the remaining Lucian Alliance, is confined to quarters. Not because of anything he did, but because he didnāt sufficiently warn the crew of how unstable Simeon was. He thought he could control him. He was wrong.
It seems there is a bit of a friendship between Varro and TJ.
They talk about TJās recent revelation that the people who came back from Eden didnāt have her child.
She has accepted that she was misled by the ship.
Varro seems to be holding onto the possibility that there might be some other explanation.
Thatās when TJ noticed something out the window. The powered ship.
Destiny has analysed the debris and figured out what pieces go together to make up the various spaceships. The destroyed ships, those are the ones weāve encountered before. The others, theyāre not destroyed. Theyāre just dormant. Perhaps they were drone ships that shut down after theyād accomplished their instructions. And thatās the ship that powered up, which TJ saw.
Eli says they have to get out of there right now, which is probably a good idea.,
Young recalls the away team.
The alien drone ships are waking up en masse now. Theyāre zipping around.
Young prepares to fire weapons. But he also asks Eli to send a message in whatever languages he can, explaining that Destiny is not a threat.
This is an exciting scene. Stargate Universe has a good balance between science fiction and character drama. Iāve encountered detractors who have said SGU is not science fiction, itās just a soap opera. That is so not the case. If anything, Iād say that this show is the most genuine science fiction, in the truest sense of the term, than anything else in the franchise.
So weāre treated to a space battle as these alien fighters zip around Destiny.
Typical Rush wants to jump away without the shuttle. Ever the cold hard pragmatist.
Things are looking bad. The FTL drive has been damaged and weapons are failing.
The next thing that happs is a big surprise.
An ancient seed ship drops out of FTL, and Destiny is hailed by our old friend David Telford. Remember, he was left behind on the seed ship earlier this season.
Soā¦in a sense, Rush was right. If the seed ship hadnāt shown up, theyād all be dead now.
Telford seems to know what heās doing. Both ancient ships head into the star, pursued by the alien drones. Destiny and the seed ship are designed to enter a star. Thatās how they rechard.
The alien ships are not, and they burnt up.
It bought them some time, but there are other drone ships still out there, and they just have to fly around the star.
But apparently, itās gonna take a lot longer than I imagine for that to happen. The two ships dock.
Telford tells his story of whatās happened since we last saw him.
It turns out, the aliens that had boarded the seed ship were not hostile, just desperate.
Telford was at their mercy, but they didnāt harm him. They were curious.
Communication proved difficult. Their stasis pods have a neural interface to keep the mind occupied while the body sleeps. That concept has been done in sci-fi before. Voyager comes to mind. Anyway, Telford saw a whole lot of images. Some of it were clear. Telford was able to form an understanding of the aliens and their history.
They call themselves the Ursini.
They began to trust him. They worked together to get the seed ship online. Theyāve been chasing Destiny ever since. Telford got nutrition from the alien pods.
And the Ursini need Destinyās help.
A long time ago, the Ursini made the same mistake as our crew. They woke the alien drone ships. They had hoped the seed ship would give them an edge in their conflict.
Does that mean that the destroyed ships, including the one Young and Rush explored a few erpisodes back, are Ursini ships?
They were left behind by their own people and so went into stasis on the seed ship until Destiny showed up. They drained power from Destiny because they wanted to go home.
They donāt want to communicate with their homeworld until theyāre sure that the drone threat is over.
The Ursini still have a working FTL drive. With the two ships docked, they could jump, and Destiny will come along for the ride, but the Ursini want our help. The drones are all controlled by a command ship. That ship is out of sublight range. Theyād have to jump to its location and destroy it. That would make the drones inert. In theory.
This is a common sci-fi trope that doesnāt make a lot of sense.
Why not give each drone its own CPU. I mean, the computing power necessary to program these things is currently sitting in my pocket. Thereās no reason to centralise things like this. It makes them vulnerable.
Star Wars episode 1 did this with the battle droids. When the command ship in orbit blew up, the drones just shut down. That is so silly.
Donāt get me wrong, I understand the value of cloud computing, but even now, we can build software that will continue to operate after itās connection to the cloud is lost.
Iām sure we can invent some head-canon to explain why this is the way it is, but the real reason, of course, is because this silly vulnerability gives our heroes a fighting chance.
Rush thinks we should double-cross the Ursini. Get them to take us some place safe for repairs first. Play for time until we get our own FTL drive working, then say āsee ya mateā and leave them without giving the help they need.
Both Camille and Young think this is a terrible idea, and I agree. The Ursini are the first potential allies our heroes have encountered out here. Why make them an enemy unnecessarily. Plus, the Ursini may hold the key to getting back to Earth some day, by combining the power of the seed ship with Destiny.
But thereās another reason as well. What if there are more drone ships out there. Taking out that command ship is a much better idea than leaving it, and becoming enemies with both sides of this alien conflict.
For such a smart person, Rush can be pretty dumb sometimes. And sadly lacking in compassion. I canāt help but wonder if he has an actual psychological coindition that makes it hard or impossible for him to feel compassion or empathy for others. Maybe, or maybe, deep down, heās a bit of a jerk.
The thing is, the show has made us feel compassion and empathy for him at times. Heās had a hard life. Thatās probably part of it too. And thatās what make us continue to somewhat like him as a charcter, even though heās so unlikable.
Now despite all that stuff I just said about Rush having no compassion and empathy, heās the one who is going to try to counsel Eli, who is continuing to make little mistakes.
Rush and Eli are in a very similar situation. They both lost somebody they loved that day. They both failed to save Amanda and Ginn.
Rush actually does a decent job. Partly, itās because of that shared experience. Rush is able to describe exactly what Eli is feeling becauise heās feeling the same. And he can tell Eli from personal experience, that getting revenge wouldnāt have helped one bit. Heād still be getting up in the morning, and sheād still be dead.
Then Rush says something interesting.
Weāre taught from a young age that everybody is equal, but thatās a lie. Some people are better. Itās those who recognsie they are better, and learn to exploit it, who succeed.
He says Eli is one of those people, but the only way to achieve his potential is to make sure he doesnāt get beaten down. Thatās why keeps Rush going.
This is interesting, and it might even be what Eli needs to hear right now, but I donāt agree with Rush.
Iāll admit that we donāt all have equal abilities. Some people are especially gifted, far beyond the rest of us. But I believe all human beings have equal value. Equal worth.
Telford has negotiated an agreement with the Ursini. We are going to go on a joint mission.
In theory, this jump will be no different than the shuttle jumping with destiny, because itās attached. But the shuttle is small and was designed to do that. While destiny is significantly bigger than the seed ship.
They keep mentioning that itās dangerous to jump within 4 hours of exiting FTL. And weāre still in that 3 hour danger window.
To my knowledge, theyāve never given a good explaination why this is a thing. Just another rule they invented for narrative reasons.
Luckily, the jumps works successfully.
Eli goes to share the good news with Chloe, and thereās one element of the agreement that hasnāt been mentioned yet. After the mission is over, the Ursini will help Destiny dial Earth.
But something is wrong with Chloe.
Sheās unrespoonsive.
And something else is wrong.
They drop out of FTL early. Theyāve arrived at the command ship.
Seems that Rush wasnāt the only one wanting to double-cross. The Ursini have forced our hand. No time to repair Destiny. Destroy the command ship now!
But what choice do they have? They engage the enemy.
Unfortunately, the command ship is guarded by a bunch of drone fighters.
Chloe suddenly wakes up and asks Eli to let her help.
She is REALLY not herself. She expertly takes out the guard who incists on talking to Young first.
If I were Eli, Iād be pretty scared right now. Scared that Chloeās transformation into āsomething dangerousā is complete.
But maybe she can help them.
Brody seals off that section of the ship to contain Chloe
Meanwhile, the battle is not going well. They canāt get near the command ship.
Chloe gets through the locked doors. That alien knowledge inside of her is making her very capable.
I love the combination of the tensio with the battle at the same time as the tension inside the ship. The tension inside is even more powerful because it involves a charfacter we care about. So there is more emotional impact.
And Varro has a chance to help TJ.
Chloe is doing something at a console.
Whatever it is sheās done, itās over.
Itās too late for Matt to stop her.
Letās hope he doesnāt have to be the one to take her down. Heād never be able to forgive himself.
And them as Destiny continues to be pummeled by alien drones, the episode ends.
I do love serialised story-telling.
It turns out, this was actually a mid-season cliffhanger. Thatās a big thing in American TV. Possibly because they need time to finish making the later episodes of a season. Itās never really been a thing in Australian TV, but one of the side-effects of getting shows at the same time as the US these days, is that weāre exposed to the oddities of American TV scheduling.
This was a fantastic episode. Some great action sequences, lots of aliens, some fantastic character moments, and even some humour that came naturally out of the characters, so it didnāt pull me out of the story.
Weāll have to wait until next time to see what happens next. Itāll be pretty exciting. The episode will be called Deliverance.
Thereās some truly great stuff ahead of us. The sad thing is, we only have half a season left and then weāll be finished Stargate Universe.
Weād best enjoy it while we can.
Incidentally, I do have some exciting ideas about what weāll cover next once Stargate Universe is over. I might share some of that later.
But for now
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
This one is certainly a dark and depressing episode, but does that make it bad? If you're at all familiar with me, you'll know what I think. Join me as we dig into "Visitation" a very emotional episode of Stargate Universe.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 80 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode, āVisitation.ā
The description on Gateworld reads
Members of the crew left behind in another galaxy make a shocking return to Destiny, while Chloe deals with the inevitable consequences of her transformation.
This episode was written by RĆ©mi Aubuchon
It was directed by William Waring
And it first aired on the 23rd of November 2010.
In a recent episode, Young pointed out they didnāt have any shuttles. I was confused by this. One shuttle was destroyed, but they had gotten the second shuttle working, right?
The recap of todayās episode reminded me that Young left the damages shuttle behind on the faith planet for use by the people who stayed behind. Soā¦.Oops. I forgot about that.
While Brody repairs the still, Rush is trying to explain the message in the cosmic background radiation to people who have absolutely no idea what heās talking about. To them, and to me, it looks like an animated screensaver.
So Destiny drops out of FTL and they see a Destiny-style shuttle. It looks like the one they left behind. Itās just floating in space next to them. Interesting.
They get a message. It comes from Doctor Cain. They fell asleep on the faith planet last night. They woke up here. They have no idea how.
Re-watching this episode, I didnāt actually remember this, so I was filled with the same sense of wonder and questioning that I had the first time I watched it.
And this really is intriguing.
Young is concerned that it might not actually be our people. Could it be a trojan horse, to get inside Destinyās defences? Rush makes a very good point. With any beings that could do this, defences are meaningless.
There is one advantage of all this, though. It would be nice to have a working shuttle again.
The first thing that TJ thinks about when she hears about whatās happened, is her daughter. Young is convinced that what TJ experienced was a simulation, much like what he went through recently. A false experience placed into her mind.
And that is definitely plausible. It even explains the whole Nebula thing, that TJ couldnāt possibly have known about until she saw it, but Destiny would have known it was coming up. The ship could have placed the image of that nebula in her mind. But to what end? If it was just a simulation, what was the ship trying to achieve? Maybe giving hope to the only doctor the crew had?
Young sounds a sobering caution. Nobody mentioned a child. He doesnāt want TJ to get her hopes up, but she has to know.
The shuttle docks and the crew come aboard. Itās all their old friends from the Faith planet.
Youngās not taking this lightly. Theyāre expected to exit the shuttle one person at a time.
They will be escorted to a holding area.
None of them are carrying a child. There is no sign of a child on the shuttle.
Young asks TJ if sheās all right. She replies, āIām fine.ā
Honestly, I donāt know why sheās pretending. I sure as hell wouldn't be.
Eli is recording a diary entry on the Kino. Not only is he still grieving the loss of Ginn, but heās losing Chloe. She continues to transform and thereās nothing any of them can do about it.
Scott visits her to give her the news about the arrivals.
Chloe is not even sure she wants to fight her transformation anymore. Whatās happening will happen. Sheās not afraid of it anymore.
Cain says they were sleeping in the shuttle, using it as a shelter from the cold during the winter. So, the log cabin that TJ saw in her vision wasnāt real? All the evidence is supporting Youngās theory that it was just a simulation.
Cain seems convinced that if not the aliens, then God himself has brought the shuttle here.
Eli turns the mike off, and argues against this, using that familiar Arthur C. Clarke quote.
Given the trembling in his voice, Iād say thereās a lot more going on here than simple philosophical disagreements. This is emotional. This is personal. Ginn didnāt get her miracle. It doesnāt look like Chloe is going to get hers either. So why should he believe in such things?
I did chuckle when Young said āTurn the microphone back on. Winston Churchillā
The shuttle was barely working when they left it on the planet. But now, itās in perfect working order. Itās like brand new. Brody even jokes that it has that new shuttle smell.
So far, no ticking time bombs have been found. Nothing that could be a threat.
Even though Cain talked about using the shuttle for shelter, they seem to have amnesia, remembering nothing about the planet. At least, very little. Soā¦that leaves a small sliver of hope that maybe the child was there and they just donāt remember it.
Cain claims the amnesia is a sign from God that they have been reborn.
Cain is a little frustrating, the way he jumps to so many conclusions. I donāt think heās a very good representation of people of faith.
The others think the aliens that built the planet discovered them and returned them to Destiny as an act of benevolence. Which would imply that the planet was never meant for Destinyās crew, which goes against Cainās original belief.
Young isnāt buying it. These aliens are too powerful. Soā¦power and benevolence are incompatible? Thatās an extraordinary opinion.
Now being afraid of that power, realising āthey could squash us like ants if they wanted doā I do understand that.
But hereās something really interesting. Both Young and TJ have had an odd experience. When they look any of these visitors in the eye, they get a weird feeling. They canāt be in the same room as them for long without feeling like that have to get out. Fascinating.
Chloe doesnāt know how much longer she will be herself, so sheās recording messages for her loved ones, while she can.
Eli says, āstart with someone easy, like me.ā
Chloe is kind of offended by that. Of all the people, Eli is the hardest to say goodbye to.
Young has released the visitors. He has no reason to treat them as prisoners. They are given back their old quarters. They will be given tasks to do, to carry their weight as members of the crew.
Heās not happy about it, but at present, this seems the right thing to do.
Greer also has this strange feeling about them. And itās nice to see him in a sling, given that he was shot in the last episodes. These are the little moments that make such a difference when TV shows take continuity seriously.
TJ takes Caine to see the place where theyāre growing their own food. She questions him about her experience with the baby. Caine has no memory of any of that happening, but then, he has partial amnesia about their time on the planet. Soā¦who knows?
But this is enough to cause her great pain.
Camille interviews them about what they remember. This explains a little more about this partial amnesia thing. They only seem to remember the most vague generic details of their time on the planet. No specifics. No actually memories of events happening.
Theyāre all like that.
Wray thinks the aliens didnāt want our people to remember ā¦. Something.
Young asks if Camille is having the same weird feelings about the visitors. She says sheās the wrong person to ask because a lot of people creep her out. I found that very amusing.
Greer is being weird about Scott visiting Chloe, but thatās kind of Greerās way. He doesnāt always come out with things plainly. When Scott pushes him, he explains his position. Chloe is isolated for a reason and he thinks Scott is not taking that seriously.
We get a little insight into how the military structure works. Greer says āItās my job as a master sergeant to make sure butter-bar lieutenants like you donāt make mistakes.ā
Iām not exactly sure what that means. I get the impression that Scott technically outranks Greer, but Greer may have more experience, and so is meant to keep the young officers accountable.
This is a good character scene. They have a pretty meaningful conversation. Scott reminds Greer how much he loves Chloe, and Greer reminds Scott that heās not the only one. Greer prays for her every night, but he can see where this is going. Greerās concern is not for a lack of caring for Chloe, but his love is of a different kind than Scotts. He can, perhaps, see things with greater clarity.
Greer and Scott are actually better representations of people of faith.
Eli sits down to talk with one of the visitors. Heās a little jealous he never got to see the planet. Some fragments of memories are starting to come back. Sheās going to share an embarrassing memory, but I honestly couldnāt understand what she said. I rewound and listened again but still couldnāt make it out. I tried turning on subtitles, but nothing happened, so I guess this DVD doesnāt have them.
Anyway, the more she thinks about the planet, she starts to feel weird. Then her nose bleeds and sheās in excruciating pain. It all started when Eli mentioned the obelisk. Itās pretty confronting.
Caine seeks out Rush on the bridge.
Rush has been checking the navigational logs of the shuttle, to see what path it took to reach Destiny. But there was no path. The shuttle was there, and then it was here.
Rush makes a good point to Caine. He had no burning bush, no angel speaking to him. He has no evidence for his beliefs whatsoever. No grounds. Just assumptions.
Rush also points out that while the shuttle was returned to pristine condition, the people werenāt. But I donāt see that as direct evidence that God wasnāt involved.
See, they both have their own biases, like we all do.
TJ admits to Young that sheās not doing okay. Which is completely understandable. Sheās just lost the one thing that gave her hope. Her only reason to keep going. She must be in a very dark place right now.
Greer actually takes Scottās advice and visits Chloe.
He has a way of speaking openly and honestly with her that I think she appreciates.
She knows that once she is no longer herself, Young will see her as a threat. Greer says at that time, Young will remove the threat. One way or another.
She asks, āwill it be you?ā
And with a shake in his voice, he says āYes, maāam. I think so.ā
Oh man. That hit me right in the heart.
She apologises.
He says he couldnāt let it be anyone else.
He asks for her forgiveness for when the time does come.
Sheās quick to offer it.
This exchange broke me a little. I just wanted to hug them both.
He doesnāt think he can see her again. So he makes his goodbye now. She reaches to hug him, but he canāt do that.
Whew that was powerful.
Chloe records a very heart-felt message to Scott. I like that she wants Scott and Eli to take care of each other, as she knows they will.
And she asks Scott to forgive Greer for what heās likely going to have to do. I imagine thatāll be a hard one.
Camille is trying to use hypnosis to help the visitors remember their time on the planet, which they named Eden.
Theyāre preparing for winter.
The fact that this world has such harsh cold winters is compelling evidence that this planet wasnāt fashioned by the aliens specifically for the crew of Destiny to live on. If it were, theyād have made the climate more ideal for human habitation. Theyād have arranged it so that it wouldnāt have been almost winter when Destiny arrived.
And then Peter remembers something startling. That woman who starting having painful convulsions while talking to Eli, she died on the planet. A tree fell on her before winter.
He saw her die months ago.
Now that heās realised this, heās also convulsing.
Time time, the convulsions were enough to kill him. But itās weird. TJ says the symptoms of death were hypothermia.
From the condition of his body, TJ could argue that he died on the planet as well, from exposure.
Maybe Val died too, but the episode hasnāt exactly been clear about that.
TJ theorises that theyāre all dying again. In order. The next one they find in her quarters. She looks like sheās freezing to death. But sheās got these weird contusions on her face.
Scott comes to see Chloe but she tells him to leave. I donāt think she wants him to see her anymore. Sheās still herself for now, but for how long?
While TJ tries to prevent the other visitors from dying of hypothermia, Camille tries to get to the bottom of it all with Caine.
In his memory, snow is falling. The shuttle is their only shelter.
Theyāve lost power so they canāt use the heating. The shuttle is airtight so they have to keep the door open or theyāll suffocate, which will let the cold in.
Caine slowly watches his friends die. Heās the last. He falls asleep in that shuttle. The next thing he remembers is waking up near Destiny.
Caine expects heāll be dead before they next drop out of FTL. Heās remembered something.
He remembers that heās already dead.
Whatever the aliens did to bring them back from the dead was only temporary.
The question is ā¦. Why?
Caine has realised that his reanimation was not done by God, but by beings that, while powerful, can rebuild a manās body, but not his soul. Maybe thatās what TJ and Young were sensing.
Weāre seeing here that the aliens, which Gateworld refers to as Eden Engineers, are fallible. They have limits.
And now we get what Iād consider the first decent faith scene with Caine. He says that he has Caineās DNA, some of his memories, but he is not the Robert Caine that God made.
TJ is surprised that after everything he still believes.
And he says, Thatās faith.
Caine tries to reassure TJ that she has to believe her daughter is in a better place. Not an alien planet, but heaven. He encourages TJ to live her life, to fulfil Destinyās mission, and to have faith in her crewmates.
This is the best Caine scene weāve ever had. And I actually like it.
A kino has been found in the shuttle. Eli didnāt leave it there. It contains a recording of Caineās last moments. The real Caine.
Heās praying for rescue while he freezes to death. And then there is a bright light outside the front window of the shuttle.
It seems that aliens did their best to restore the humans, but unlike with the shuttle, they didnāt have the capability to fully and completely restore the dead humans.
In an interesting twist on the cliche, I think we can say that this episode answered more questions than it raised. But those answers certainly lead to new questions.
I think we can now conclusively say that TJās experience with her baby on Eden was just a simulation from Destiny, to give her hope to carry on, as Young believed. She now knows that her baby is dead. And thatās really heart-breaking. In a way, I feel this with TJ, like some of my hope has been taken away as well.
Are the Eden Engineers the ones Destiny is searching for? The cause and origin of the fingerprint?
And what will become of Chloe? Itās looking pretty bleak for her at present.
This is quite possibly the most depressing episode in the stargate franchise, because it takes the innermost hopes of many characters and utterly crushes them. There is nothing darker than the death of hope.
Some people would argue that because itās depressing, itās intrinsically bad. If youāve listened to me for any period of time, youāll know that I strongly disagree with that.
But Iāll admit, this episode makes me feel pretty sad.
I think the parts I struggle with most are the realisations that all that TJ and the colonists put their hope and faith in was for nothing. Possibly because faith is so important to me. But just because something is hard, doesnāt make it bad.
On the other hand, the stuff with Chloe is equally dark and depressing, possibly even more so, but I loved those parts of the episode.
The show is really ramping up.
Next time, Destinyās crew will find themselves caught in a war between two alien races. Should be interesting.
Iāll see you in two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Following from the disturbing cliffhanger at the end of the previous episode, This one opens with the tragic death of not one, but two semi-regular characters. While Eli tries to handle his grief, doing what he can to help with the situation, Rush goes off in a revenge-fueled rage to kill the Lucian Alliance killer Simeon.
An emotion-filled episode shot in the beautiful Binti Badlands.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 79 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āMalice.ā
The description on Gateworld reads
Simeon makes his escape from Destiny, sending Nicholas Rush on a vengeful mission to catch him. But Young and Greer must attempt to retrieve Simeon unharmed.
This episode was both written and directed by Robert C. Cooper
And it first aired on the 16th of November 2010
Young is talking with Brody, Park, and Volker. Theyāre all trying to come to terms with the recent revelations. The bridge, Destinyās mission, and how much they should trust Rush, keeping in mind that he was responsible for Rileyās death.
Young is being surprisingly lenient on that. āI donāt believe he intended Riley harm,ā he says. And that is true. Rush messed up big time. He made a mistake that cost a manās life, but it was hardly pre-meditated murder.
As Young says, Rush is going to have to live with that for the rest of his life.
The scientists are amazed by the importance of this discovery, assuming itās true. As Eli says āyou have planted false information in the computer before.ā
Have you noticed that over the last year and a half, Eli has grown more dubious of Rush, and has less tolerance for him?
Theyāve dropped out of FTL in a system. There are three planets in range. One is a wasteland but the other two show promise.
Rush is going to have to get used to the fact that the bridge is no longer his own private domain. That will be a pretty hard adjustment for him.
Nick goes to see Doctor Perry, who isnāt answering. Sheās lying unconscious on the floor.
What did Simeon do to her?
Scott has quickly determined that all Lucian Alliance are accounted for except Simeon.
And heās got a gun. Not sure how he pulled that off.
TJ doesnāt seem to be doing much to help Perry. We learn that this body is dead. That leaves them all fearing the worst for Gin. Nobody knows for certain what happens to the other person when a body-swapped person dies.
They use the stones to check in. And James confirms the worst. Amanda Perry is dead.
That means Gin is dead too.
Wow. I knew this was coming, but in my memory, Eli and Ginnās relationship lasted a bit longer than this. I didnāt remember exactly how she died. We only really got to see them together for that one episode.
This is heavy.
And heart-breaking.
And both Rush and Eli are beyond heartbroken.
Rush goes on a rampage through the ship, screaming and hitting the walls.
Eli asks Young, in a trembling voice, for a gun.
Simeonās motivation seems pretty clear. Ginn was telling Lucian Alliance secrets to homeworld command. Simeon killed Perry in order to kill Ginn.
So that was a pretty gutsy move. The show has just killed two semi-regular characters in one swoop. Reasonably likeable characters at that. Itās a big deal. But it kinda hurts.
And now we have a hostage situation.
Simeon is holding Park and orders Volker to dial the gate.
Heās already killed a couple of guards.
By the time Brody gets the door to the gateroom open, Simeon has already gone through the gate with Park. Rush lives up to his name and ā¦ rushes straight through after him.
The planet looks pretty desolate, but livable.
Park says that thereās something on her back.
And as serious and tense a moment this is, all I can think of is Doctor Who. Iām sure some of you will know what Iām talking about.
It turns out to be a bomb.
While TJ fights to save the lives of the downed guards, Young gets a team together to dial the gate back again,
Thereās a problem. Several actually.
The bomb is an ancient device. So they only know what theyāve been able to piece together about it. Young has learned that Ginn told homeworld security that Simeon knows the location of the Lucian alliance base. His knowledge may be the only way to stop the impending attack on Earth. They need him alive.
Right now, Rush is on the planet, and while heās currently distracted with the bomb on Parkās back, he has every intention of killing Simeon on sight.
Young and his team canāt come through the gate while Rush is trying to disarm the bomb. At least, thatās what he says.
He has no reason to lie at this point because he doesnāt know Young wants Simeon alive.
Simeon has a shot lined up on Rushās back. But for some reason, he doesnāt fire. He seems to reconsider when the gate dials. Iām not really sure why.
Rush is on the verge of giving up, abandoning Park to her fate, because he has nothing small enough to remove the bomb.
But then he realises he can use his glasses.
Rush may have his own priorities, as always, but heās not completely heartless.
Young has a little talk with Varro, the leader of the remaining Lucian Alliance people. Heās the reasonable one.
He assures Young he didnāt know about Simeonās knowledge of the attack. And I tend to believe him. But he warns Young to simply let Simeon go.ā Youāll lose more people trying to bring him in alive. Heās dangerous.ā
That, theyāve already figured out.
Turns out there are more bombs. Simeon has booby trapped the desert with them.
Scott tries to reason with Rush. Once Colonel Young is done with Simeon, Rush can do whatever he wants with him. Scott doesnāt care. And Greer says āif you donāt kill him, I will.ā
But right now, they have to bring him in alive. Even from so far away, they can still do their part to help save Earth.
And Rush seems to understand. Heās an intelligent man.
But right now heās running on pure emotion.
Letās see if he really can reign that emotion in.
After securing Rushās agreement to play by the rules, Scott allows him to remain.
The location they used to film this planet is pretty cool. I love all the rock protrusions.
I found myself wondering where they filmed this. After all, the Stargate shows were all shot in Canada, and while Iām sure a landmass the size of Canada is more diverse that people would assume, itās certainly not known for terrain like this. Are there any deserts in Canada? Not that Iām aware of, but I wouldnāt know.
Anyway, it turns out they shot the location stuff for this episode in New Mexico, which is a state of the USA. Air Part 3, and the Atlantis episode Vegas were also shot there.
Theyāre in a place called the Bisti Badlands.
The sandstone formations were formed by a glacier.
The funny thing is, the cast and crew joked that people will assume itās fake, that it's CG, or that the rocks were built on a set. And funnily enough, when you see these rocks close up, they do kinda look like theyāve been made out of moulded concrete. But Thatās what they actually look like. Itās all real.
Apparently the wind was pretty bad out there, and caused some problems with some of the equipment.
Eli is keeping busy trying to stall the FTL clock.
Volker is struggling with the fact that Simeon let him live. Why didnāt he kill him?
Rush and Scott are talking about the message the ancients found in the background radiation. He points out that Scott likely wants to believe that the message is from God, the creator.
Rush says āwell, weāll just have to wait and see.ā
Rush is implying a complete openness to discovering the answer no matter what. Heāll follow the science, even if the science leads to God.
And thatās actually the scientific ideal. Just follow the evidence with no preconceived notions at all.
Of course, itās very difficult for any of us human beings to put aside our own biases enough to reach that ideal.
Greer really doesnāt trust Rush at the moment. While Young may have forgiven him, Greer never will. I think heās almost hoping that Rush betrays them so he gets to kill him.
Theyāre not going to be able to figure out how to stop the clock in time before the ship jumps. However, they can stop the ship again. It has to remain in FTL for a minimum for 4 hours. At that point, theyāll still be in range of the planet.
Thatāll be the last chance. They donāt have complete and full control over the ship, afterall.
Scott spots an animal. A big alien lizard thing, not too dissimilar from a dinosaur.
I love Greerās first thought. āIs it something we can barbecue?ā
In the 90s, I remember that while we might see creatures on the big screen, it was pretty rare to see alien animals or monsters on TV. They just didnāt have the budget for it. Today, of course, premium TV has similar budgets to movies and the results are often indistinguishable. Modern shows like Star Trek Discovery will often give us big CGI alien creatures. Stargate Universe was one of the very first shows to do this. Iām not sure it gets enough credit for that.
Back in season 2 of SG-1, it was such a huge deal when they splurged to give us the folding Horus Guard helmet, previously only seen in the movie.
Chloe is working on equations. She might as well use what she has. It seems she may have figured something out just as the ship jumps.
Rush is overcome with grief at the loss of Perry. He breaks down in the middle of the desert and cries.
Heās blaming himself. He brought her on board.
Scott tries to console Rush, saying that even if they donāt find Simeon, heāll probably die a miserable death on this world. But he has a kino remote. Heāll probably wait for them to leave and then planet-hop, searching for the other Lucian Alliance people that were left on a planet behind.
Simeon has them in his sights. He fires.
Hereās a question. Is he deliberately just trying to warn them off, or is he a terrible shot?
From where he was, he should have been able to easily take out Greer.
I think itās just the same story logic that makes storm troopers bad shots.
The bad guys have to miss, otherwise the heroes will be dead.
Eli is not coping very well. Heās biting peopleās heads off, and actually acting a bit like Rush, like nobody else is smart enough to do anything. Itās completely understandable given his recent loss. Usually, after suffering a loss like this, people donāt go to work. But he doesnāt have that luxury, and the last thing he wants to do is just sit around.
Lieutenant Jamesā team is compromised by one of Simeonās bombs. They have to get their wounded back to the gate, which means less people looking for Simeon.
Rush has found a way to locate Simeon using the remotes. But how long has he known? Greer and Scott are not trusting him.
Thereās a nice scene between Eli and Young. Eli canāt solve the clock problem, not any time soon. So he wants to go to the planet and help go after Simeon.
Right now, itās all about having something constructive to do that will help him get justice and revenge.
Everyone keeps pointing out how unlikely it is that theyāll get Simeon to talk. Iām curious how theyāre going to go about that. Itās not like theyāre going to torture him. It does seem unlikely theyāll be able to extract the information they need from Simeon.
Young warns Eli that killing for revenge will change him.
They find Simeon. Greer shoots to wound. Rush is furious about this. And while Scott and Greer are distracted by him, Simeon wounds Greer. Now Rush is on his own, tracking Simeon. And itās time to turn back.
Chloe thinks she might be able to help Eli stop the clock. Itās all about Rushās equations. She is slowly starting to understand them.
Now, realistically, Iām not sure how useful those advanced equations of Rushās are going to be here. What theyāre facing is essentially a software problem. Trying to understand how complex code written by somebody else works is one of the hardest things Iāve ever had to do in my day job. And thatās with the source code. Eli is trying to reverse engineer an alien program written in an alien language. Itās not a physics issue. Itās a code issue.
Anyway, Brody and Volker bring up a valid concern. Who knows if whatever Chloe does will actually be helpful. Itās quite possible sheāll unknowingly sabotage Destiny, allowing the blue aliens to attack again.
Itās a risk Young is willing to take.
Wounded and unable to move very far, Simeon takes to taunting Rush over the radio. He doubts Rush cared enough about Ginn to pursue him like this, so it must have been that other woman. You must have loved her very much.
Rush spots a herd of those animals near where Simeon is limping.
Time is up. Scott and Greer are back at the gate. They have to return to Destiny. At this point, Rush is a lost cause. He wonāt get back in time.
Rush really should have learned to shoot a gun properly before getting into a firefight with a soldier. But then, he has another plan. Hisgunshots are just a distraction to get Simeon in the way of the stampeding dinosaurs which Rush sets off with one of the bombs.
The plan works.
A badly wounded Simeon says he has information. Rush isnāt interested. He shoots Simeon in the head, claiming his revenge.
Chloe is clearly not in control of whatever is in her. At least not on a conscious level. But whatever she does helps.
But he reaches the gate to find it abandoned. Or so he thinks.
It turns out Chloe plotted a new FTL course. She brought Destiny back to the planet to get Rush. Perhaps Rushās equations were more relevant to that.
At the end, Scott asks Rush if he feels any better, having taken his revenge.
He doesnāt answer.
I think we can guess the answer, but Rush doesnāt want to admit it.
I donāt have any first hand experience with Revenge. Not on a scale like this. Oh, thereās simulated revenge, like when youāre playing Civilisation, and another country takes one of your cities, and you want to get back at them, or when youāre a kid and somebody breaks one of your toys.
But an actual burning adult desire for revenge. Iāve never suffered anything from somebody that has given me cause to feel that. Which, I guess, makes me very lucky.
But Iāve heard it from multiple sources. āRevenge doesnāt make you feel any better.ā
And I believe it.
One of the most important things that a story is supposed to do, is make you feel something. It could make you feel happy, sad, angry. It doesnāt really matter what. By that logic, this is a very good episode. It had some good human drama, some beautiful scenery, and plenty of excitement.
This episode will leave a number of our characters with far-reaching consequences.
Next time, we have a big arc episode which will bring back some familiar faces, and reveal whatās really been happening to Chloe.
It should be fun. Iāll see you next time for Visitation.
In the meantime, donāt forget, if youād like to support me, you can check our my Jewel of The Stars series of books. Just go to AdamDavidCollings.com/books or, you can read the first book completely free by searching for Jewel of The Stars on Wattpad.
Have a great two weeks, live long and prosper
Make it so.
In today's Stargate Universe podcast, we delve into the game-changing episode "The Greater Good". When Rush and Young get stuck on a derelict alien spaceship, Rush is unable to keep hiding his secrets. Not only to the crew discover Destiny's bridge, but Rush reveals the greatest secret of all - the reason the ancients constructed and launched Destiny in the first place! I do love these big episodes that change the status quo and give us big reveals.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 78 of the podcast.
I had a bit of a mis-numbering occur recently, but this one is definitely 78.
Today weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode, The Greater Good
The description on Gateworld reads
When Young and Rush are trapped on an abandoned alien ship, Rush has Amanda Perry brought on board in an attempt to steer Destiny to them while keeping his secret.
This episode was written by Carl Binder
It was directed by William Warring
And it first aired on the 9th of November 2010
Colonel Young is lying in his bed looking very contemplative. Probably still coming to terms with all he went through last episode. And heās late for a meeting.
The powers that be want Gin to use the communication stones and share some of her knowledge with Stargate command. Sheās been the most cooperative of the Lucian Alliance on the ship. Not surprising, since she never wanted to be a part of the alliance in the first place.
When Camille goes to ask her to do it, she notices just how far Gin and Eli have progressed in their relationship.
Destiny drops out of FTL. Thereās 12 hours on the clock but there are no gates in range. Rush isnāt responding to calls as usual.
When they look out the observation deck window, they see a ship. Not a seed ship, or the blue aliens they met before. This is something new. Exciting.
Volker sums up the crewās feelings when he sarcastically says āNew friends. Yay.ā
This ship is pretty banged up, like itās been through a battle.
Predictably, Rush is on the bridge, controlling the ship.
Young is getting pretty obviously sick of Rush going off on his own little secret missions that he wonāt talk about. Thatās gonna come to a head pretty soon.
According to sensors, the alien ship seems to be abandoned. They want to go over and explore, but they donāt have a shuttle.
Which, I suppose makes sense. They lost their good shuttle when it crashed on that planet where Riley died. But they did get that second shuttle working eventually. It may not be in as great condition as the first shuttle was, before it crashed, but in my memory, it was still quite usable. Soā¦.what have I missed?
Anyway, theyāre gonna go over in spacesuits, and Rush wants to be the one. Heās familiar with alien technology and languages so it would make sense.
Young doesnāt argue, he canāt. But he trusts Rush less than he ever has. So Young is going across to keep an eye on him. He even promises not to leave Rush behind!
Eli is visiting Chloe. He tells her about Gin, and sheās happy for him.
Thereās nothing like getting to explore a new alien spaceship. Young and Rush are sliding along a cable between the two ships in their suits. The bridge appears destroyed. It does have artificial gravity, though.
Thatās when they see pods, like those they saw on the seed ship. So either this ship belonged to those aliens, or, more likely, they boparded it, and maybe tried to take it overe, like they did with the seed ship.
Things start to go badly when the engines engage on their own. Just for a moment, but itās enough to cause a disaster. The cable breaks and the alien ship is drifting rapidly away from Destiny.
Rush has no way to turn the ship around, and the crew donāt have control of Destiny so they canāt follow. This, of course, presents a real dilemma for Rush. He knows about the bridge, but nobody else does.
Now heās facing the prospect of revealing his guilty little secrets, or dying on an abandoned spaceship.
He goes half way. He reveals heās been working on a program that will allow the crew to operate Destinyās main engines. This is probably true. Heās been doing a lot of work on that bridge, probably trying to reverse engineer the bridge systems so as to understand how they work.
Eli and the others can certainly help, but itās going to take somebody with more knowledge of ancient drive systems. Amanda Perry.
Remember her? Rush worked with her in the old days before Icarus. Sheās heavily disabled. Camille once had to spend weeks in her body, being cared for night and day.
Young agrees. Letās get her on board.
They shed their suits to preserve power.
Gin gets a visit from our old friend Simeon. You know, the Lucian Alliance jerk. It seems Simeon now has free reign of the ship. He warns Gin not to say too much to the people of Earth, and by warn, I mean threaten. Iām really not sure why Simeon was chosen as one of the alliance members to remain on board Destiny. He must have concealed his true nature long enough to avoid being stranded with the other jerks.
Gin is swapping bodies with Amanda Perry. Theyāre all acting like this is some big thing, which of course, it is, but they donāt even mention to difficulty Gin is about to face in Perryās body. Camille says that Gin has given her consent, and that sheās āfully aware of the communication stones protocol.ā But itās not the stones themselves that make this a big deal. Itās the fact that Gin is going into a paralysed body that can barely breathe without mechanical aide. Camille has been there. She of all people knows the emotional challenges Gin is about to endure, and sheāll have to stay there until Perry has finished solving this problem. I all just read a bit odd to me.
The camera shot where they show gin place the stone on the pedestal, and them ,in what appears to be a smooth pan with no cuts, move up to reveal Perryās face. Iām not sure how they did it, but it was cool. And the way the hand moves, like somebody who hasnāt been able to move her body in many years, that was a nice touch.
The visual aesthetic of the alien ship seems very similar to that of Destiny. That, combined with the fact that Rush seems to be able to read and operate the controls with no difficulty, suggests to me this may be an ancient ship, but they havenāt said anything along those lines.
They even had video communications between the two ships. Although thatās probably a Kino.
Rush conveniently gets rid of both Young and Eli so he can privately share some equations with Perry.
He communicates a message to her discretely with the algorithms. He wants her to go to the bridge. Perry is the only one that Rush can trust his secret with, for now.
On her way to the bridge, Perry bumps into Simeon, except her thinks she is Gin.He approaches her aggressively, saying āwe need to talk.ā
Perry explains that sheās not Gin, but that isnāt enough to get rid of Simeon.
Fortunately, Greer arrives just as things look like theyāre about to go bad.
So Amanda Perry becomes the second human to set foot on Destinyās bridge.
I donāt think she really appreciates being pulled into Rushās little game.
Her absence has already been noticed. Itās harder for her to explain her disappearance than for Rush.
So Rush has complete control over all the shipās systems now. Navigation, propulsion. He actually doesnāt need Perry at all. Itās just that sheās the only person he trusts. She steers the ship to go rescue the others. Thatās gonna be a hard one to explain.
Rush tells Perry to tell the others he sent her to the engine control room, but not to answer their calls until then.
Eli isnāt buying a word she says. And thatās when he thinks to check the Kino feed. He looks at the algorithms Rush shared. Meanwhile, Young arrives to discreetly hear Rush and Perry talking. It seems the game is up. Eli, Brody and Volker find the bridge, with Perry sitting in the captainās chair.
And Eli is NOT HAPPY.
Young hears it over the radio. āI should have killed you when I had the chance.ā Young starts to beat Young up. āYouāre the reason Riley is dead.ā Suddenly all the weird things that happened this season make sense to him.
Young took Rileyās death very hard. Now he has somebody to blame for it, and rightly so. Rush IS to blame for Rileyās death.
The age-old rivalry between these two all comes back out. Rush has no illusions that people will follow him, but he doesnāt want Young to be in charge either.
Rush tries to justify it, saying he couldnāt let any of those vital system be mishandled.
Young counters with āLike causing a shuttle crash, and one of our best young people dying.ā
Frankly, even with Youngās near breakdown last episode, nothing that Rush says seems to hold much weight with me at this point.
Itās funny, the fierst few times I watched this show, certainly the very first, I was pretty undecided between these two, thinking they both had good points. But the more Iāve come to like and appreciate Youngās character, the more I find myself on team Young.
Which is not to say I donāt Rushās character. I really do. Heās a complex person underneath that exterior.
Rushās biggest argument is that Destinyās mission reqjuires more commitment than anybody on the ship is willing to make, other than him.
Young is confused by this. Thereās no mission other than getting home.
But Rush has discovered the original mission. The reason the ancients constructed the ship in the first place. Itās not about getting home, it never was. Itās about getting where theyāre going.
This is a huge moment in the show. Itās a turning point because nothing will be the same after this episode.
A long time ago, the ancients made a discovery. They found evidence of a structure hidden within the cosmic microwave background radiation, left-over from the big bang.
They believed at one time the structure had genuine structure. Complexity. Coherane. IT could not have occurred naturally. Itās not possible under our current understanding of physics. We canāt even see it with our current level of technology.
Itās a message of some sort, from some kind of intelligence.
From the beginning of time.
The big question is, sent by whom? Thatās the very question the ancients sought to answer. Thatās why they built Destiny. Thatās the mission.
A mystery rooted in the foundation of reality. A puzzle with piece scattered all over the universe.
Rush now has access to the shipās archives. There are volumes of information about it.
The ancients left behind data about all of this.
Rush argues that somebody has to see this mission through.
Why not us?
Rush wants Young to stop saying they donāt belong on that ship. He wants Young to work with him on this. To actively pursue this mission.
Young rightly points out that it would be a lot easier to work together if Rush didnāt keep secrets from him all the time.
Rush now offers to put their rivalry behind him, for good. For the sake of the mission.
They previously made an agreement to do just that, for the sake of the crew, but Rushās heart was never in that agreement.
Butā¦..for the mission? Now thatās something Rush cares about.
Soā¦is he being genuine?
I have no doubt that Rush would happily continue keeping all of this from Young as long as he could, and actively try to get Young removed from command.
But now the game is up. Now itās all out in the open.
So, is Rush genuinely changing his strategy? Is he truly willing to put his differences with Young behind him and work together toward accomplishing this shipās mission?
I think he is. Rush will use whatever tools he has to in order to achieve his ends. If that means sucking it up and working with a man he believes doesnāt have what it takes and doesnāt deserve to be here, heāll do it. Because the mission is all that matters.
And I think as we observe Rushās behaviour moving through the rest of this season, I believe weāll see that.
Just as their conversation comes to a natural ending point, Destiny arrives. Thatās just one of the conceits of TV writing. Actually not just TV. We control the pace of a story by conveniently having the next beat in the plot happen when our characters have nothing more to talk about.
They may have control of the ship, but that doesnāt mean they know how to fly it. Think about how long it took to learn to drive a car. Now think about how much training people receive to learn to pilot a plane.
Thereās more to flying a spaceship than just understanding the equations. Perry manages to crash them into the alien wreck but sheās got them where they need to be. Unfortunately, the wreck is now spinning, which will make the rescue much more difficult.
Scott has now found the scientists in the bridge He understandable wants to know what the hell is going on, but thereās no time for explanations. Not until they finish their menourvres, anyway.
Eli is calculating a jump, so they can launch at exactly the right moment to reach the hull of destiny safely. It sounds tricky.
Rush launches and makes it.
Despite what some space opera suggests, moving about in space with only a suit is not so easy. They donāt just have jet packs so they can fly wherever they want.
Well, at least theyāre now on the hull. That means that can just find the nearest airlock and get inside.
Eli is excited and overwhelmed by the information in the archives. Eli is sitting in the captainās chair, probably fulfilling all his nerdy dreams. Itās surreal but awesome to finally see the crew manning stations on the bridge. Thereās a planetary system coming up . They see if they can make the ship drop out of FTL. Eli even raises his hand in a very Picard-like manner. I love it.
But while theyāre all geeking out over the bridge and the mission. Rush goes to see Perry.
Rush reveals his true feelings about Young to Perry. He didnāt trust him before, but now, heās got no choice. So yes, he is going to trust and work with Young because he has to.
Perry didnāt appreciate being put in that awkward situation, but at the same time, she is very flattered that of all the people he could have chosen, sheās the one.
Heās been thinking about her a lot since she last came on board the ship. She revealed her feelings for him then. Now heās wanting to act on those feelings, and so is she.
Eli walks in on them just as theyāre starting to kiss. Young wants them on the bridge.
How far would they have gone if Eli hadnāt interrupted them? We canāt know for sure, of course, but in TV / movie language, a passionate kiss is basically a prelude to sex. Kiss then cut to another scene means the characters had sex. So I think itās reasonable to assume thatās where things were headed.
This, is the culmination of the theme Iāve been talking about since the beginning of the series, and I think, the last time itāll come up. The theme of how you treat another personās body when you are inhabiting it.
As rush leaves, Eli says to Perry, āYou know, with the stones, itās easy to forget youāre in another personās body.ā
Remember, from his perspective, heās seeing Gin with Rush.
That means the woman he has feelings for was about to have intercourse with Rush, at least, her body.
And as Iāve said before, I feel that this is a violation, on a similar level to rape. Itās not exactly the same as rape. Itās a different violation, and probably a lesser one, because the consciousness of the person is not being violated in the same way, but their body is. And I find that unconscionable.
Of course, I can see why Perry would have done it. Her body doesnāt function. The one person she loves is on the other side of the universe. This is literally the only way she will ever be able to experience that kind of intimacy with anyone again in her life.
But it seems that Eliās words really impact her deeply. She realises that she was about to do something wrong, and she feels pretty bad about it. His words have definitely made her think.
And then Simeon enters her room, and Greer is not there to stop him this time.
The episode ends before we see what exactly goes on. But this will be followed up next time.
So āThe Greater Goodā is a massive episode that alters the status quo of the show significantly.
So letās talk about the great revelation of the shipās mission.
Itās pretty startling.
The show is revealing that there was some form of intelligence at the very beginning of the universe.
For a show that sometimes felt like it was rooted in more of an atheistic worldview, this was quite startling.
And some people didnāt like that. They felt that by acknowledging an intelligence at the beginning of the universe, that the show was now endorsing the existence of God. I can appreciate that, especially for those who became fans of this show because of the whole ākilling false godsā thing, that became a staple, certainly of SG-1. This revelation might feel like a bit of a betrayal of the showās roots to those who really connected with that aspect.
Although, to me, Stargate never came across as outwardly atheistic as some feel it was. The laughable gods that were the Goaāuld system Lords were unrecognisable from anything I feel is worthy of the name. Even the Ori and their Origin belief, which were meant to be stand-ins for organised religion, were a far cry from my experience.
As somebody who does believe in God, I was intrigued, and maybe even pleasantly surprised by this turn. It definitely captured my imagination. I mean, a quest to find a message from the dawn of time is a very compelling story idea.
But would they have been able to pull it off? I think itās a question worth asking, especially as in recent years, weāve seen Star Trek shows setting up some pretty interesting things, but not always paying them off in overly satisfying ways. Pay-offs are hard.
So what endpoint did they have in mind for all of this? And Iām choosing to believe they did have an end-point in mind, rather than just making stuff up as they went.
It would have been almost impossible to come up with an ending that would have been satisfying to everyone. If they revealed it really was God, then theyād risk offending the atheists, and potentially theists as well, if the God of the show wasnāt portrayed the way the viewers believe.
If theyād revealed that the intelligence was something other than God, then they risk offending viewers who do believe.
I think an important thing to remember in all of this is that itās just a TV show. A lot of the entertainment that I consume is written from a worldview vastly different from mine. I donāt choose to be offended by it, I accept it as a story that I enjoy that simply doesnāt line up with my beliefs. Thatās okay. I mean, itās par for the course when youāre a sci-fi nerd.
One route, they might have chosen to take it ultimately is to leave it all very vague and āunknowableā. Which is basically what Ronald D Mooreās rebooted Battlestar Galactica did. I didnāt mind that, but in a way, having it all unknowable could be pretty unsatisfying as well. Especially since the whole point of the mission was to discover the answers.
I guess Iām just saying that this was a very cool set-up but writing a satisfying resolution would have been challenging. But then, the writers working on this show were very talented, and I actually have faith that they would have done it justice, had they been given the chance.
One thing Iām pretty sure of is that they would have tied Destinyās mission into the mysterious Faith Planet and the super powerful beings that created it.
In any case, the set-up is exciting and opens up so many interesting possibilities for where the show could have gone from here. Itās a very compelling mystery.
Weāre heading into what I think a lot of people consider to be the best of Stargate Universe. Which is pretty exciting.
Next time, weāll be talking about the episode āMalice.ā where Simeon will take centre stage.
Until then, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
"Trial and Error" is a perfect example of why Stargate Universe is so good. This is a beautiful character piece. It shows us the strain that leaders often go through. In this episode, Colonel Young must confront his own weaknesses and flaws, and the pain of the burdens he has been forced to carry since arriving on Destiny. It's fantastic television. Plus, on a lighter note, Eli and Gin meet for the first time, and their romance begins to blossom.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars,
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 76 of the podcast.
Today weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āTrial And Errorā
And happy new year. This is the first episode that will air in 2022. Weāve made it through yet another year. The very first episode of this podcast went live in December 2019. That means weāre now 2 years old. How crazy is that? I'm very proud of what Iām creating, and I hope those of you who are listening are enjoying it too.
The description on Gateworld reads
āColonel Young sees a recurring vision of Destiny being attacked and destroyed by hostile aliens, causing him to fear he is losing his mind.ā
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie.
It was directed by Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 2nd of November, 2010.
TJ has been running a bunch of tests on Chloe and Scott, ever since the transfusion of Chloeās alien-altered blood healed Scott of his infection. Chloeās blood remains altered, but Scottās seems to have gone back to normal. Thatās good news for Scott. It means he may not have been affected long term by whatever the blue aliens did to Chloe. But will Young be willing to trust him?
The truth is, Young seems to have something else on his mind. Heās very distracted when TJ recommends letting Scot out of isolation. He doesnāt even argue.
He reveals whatās bothering him to TJ. His wife, Emily, wants a divorce. We havenāt heard much about her since early season 1. Telford really messed things up for him, and honestly, he made things even worse himself. The tragic thing is that it was the modified Lucian Alliance personality that wrecked Youngās marriage, not the real Telford. But letās face it, Youngās marriage was already on the rocks long before he set foot on Destiny.
Young raises an interesting question. Is it legal to sign papers in somebody elseās body? I donāt know the answer to that. But itās a genuine problem in the real world. Not the body-swapping part. But the law has always lagged behind technology. It makes sense why. Technology can move at a rapid pace. One advancement increases the speed of the next advancement. Laws are complicated and clunky. They take time to create and change. Thereās a lot riding on them, afterall.
You can kind of understand Emilyās perspective here. She and Young were close to ending their marriage anyway, and now heās on the other side of the universe and sheāll probably never see him again.
Soā¦.Eli and Gin meet for the first time.
Camille introduces them to each other. It makes sense. Sheās studied ancient technology just as Eli has. They should work together. You can tell that thereās a spark there immediately, at least from Eliās side. Of course, he acts maturely and professionally. Gin is in a lot of ways, a female version of Eli. Sheās close to his age, and quite attractive.
Camille suggests they dig out Eliās old research on dialling the gate from within a star. Heād given up on it, but maybe Gin has some new ideas that could revive it.
I think Camille knows these two are gonna hit it off. You can kind of see the little smirk on her face. Itās a cute scene.
Scott goes to see Chloe. Sheās having a hard time in lock-up. Sheās not contagious but sheās being kept in isolation in case she blacks out and sabotages the ship. How must she be feeling? Scott tries to encourage her. She saved his life. That proves sheās still herself, not just some alien monster. But we know that deep down, Scott has concerns about Chloe. We saw that in his vision last episode.
This is when Chloe reveals that she is changing. The skin on her leg is going all blue, wrinkly, hard, and alien. And itās spreading. Thatās not good. What will she become?
Weāve left the blue aliens behind. Weāre not even in the same galaxy as them now, but their legacy is definitely remaining with us.
The man whose marriage is ending, spinning his wedding ring on the table is something of a cliche now, but it does show whatās on Youngās mind.
Brody calls him to the science lab. 9 alien ships have arrived and are surrounding Destiny. The blue aliens. Maybe they are capable of travelling the void between galaxies as well. Their obsession with Destiny could be motivation enough to leave their galaxy behind and pursue.
Theyāre demanding we hand Chloe over.
Itās possible sheās been gathering intelligence for them this whole time even without her knowing.
When Young refuses, they open fire on Destiny.
Something doesnāt quite add up. Destiny is very important to the aliens. They wouldnāt intentionally destroy it, but theyāre banging it up pretty bad.
The glass window in the observation deck blows out, throwing Scott into space.
The aliens keep firing and Destiny explodes.
Then Young wakes up.
Of course, this is sci-fi, so a dream is rarely just a dream.
Young had previously put the repair of Destinyās weapons on hold until they have a greater understanding of the grid that powers them. Somebody was recently injured trying to repair them. We donāt even understand whatās wrong with them.
But Young has told his people that getting the weapons online is now top priority.
Heās taking his dream very seriously.
We know that the dreams likely mean something, because weāre watching a TV show. But what exactly is making Young think that his dream is anything more than that? A dream? Thereās Chloeās transformation, but that doesnāt mean the aliens are coming, or that theyāre even capable of coming.
I think the whole thing has just been an uncomfortable reminder that they are pretty much defenceless right now. And thatās a difficult position to be in.
Maybe thatās enough.
Camille is worried that all Young has gone through emotionally in recent time is clouding his judgement.
Rush goes to visit Chloe. He uses the pretence of bringing food to ask her to look at some equations for him. Chloe asks if Rushās efforts to help her with the chair were real or just for show. He answers āof course it was real,ā but with Rush, who really knows?
Rush sees the advantage in Chloeās situation. He feels heās the only one who does.
Chloeās ability to understand alien equations IS a benefit, and perhaps one they should be willing to make use of, but it doesnāt help her. And Rush comes off looking like someone who only cares about Chloe for what she can do for him. And thatās at least partially true.
Chloe worries he has a vested interest in keeping her this way, rather than trying to help her. Would he actively try to sabotage any attempt to help her?
Rush reveals to her that his research has taken a turn, and that he may be on the verge of understanding Destinyās mission. So thatās a big thing.
I think Greer feels a bit like a chaperone watching two kids on a first date while he guards Gin and Eli. The poor bloke looks pretty uncomfortable. The tension in the room is pretty awkward.
At the same time, I think Greer is glad to see Eli happy.
Young has the dream again. The exact same dream. But he makes different decisions this time. Heās in control of his actions in this dream. He retains memory of the previous dream.
This time, instead of using their weapons, they divert all power to shields.
It doesnāt work.
Once again, Destiny is destroyed.
Now heās ready to take Camille up on her offer. Good. Itās always annoying in shows when characters keep this stuff to themselves.
She immediately notices that heās been drinking. But thatās not the cause of his dreams, or visions, whatever they are. Itās just another symptom.
But she thinks maybe this is not the time for a therapy session. And under normal circumstances, thatās probably correct. But nowās as good a time as any to tell someone about his dreams.
The dream feels much more real than a normal dream, to Young. That in itself is evidence that itās more than just a normal dream.
Camille is a little concerned that heās ordered people to do dangerous work in response to a dream, but Young believes thereās something else going on here. Young knows this is more than just a dream.
Camille suggests going to see Chloe. He hasnāt spoken to her in a while.
Chloe immediately knows why. āItās hard for you because of what you might have to do.ā
Wow. Thatās insightful, but kind of horrible.
Chloe knows people are afraid of her. She also knows that if she keeps changing, Young is going to have to do something he doesnāt want to do. This is at the centre of everything thatās going on.
I love the brotherly interaction between Greer and Eli. As he says, he knew Gin was into Eli after the first ten minutes, and if Eli were ever to have a chance with someone, this is it. Which amusingly comes across as both insulting and caring.
We havenāt seen a lot of these two characters together, and I quite like it.
Greer is going to arrange to leave them alone, and encourages Eli to make his move. Now thatās a huge thing for Greer, because heās very serious about security.
This time around, in the dream, Young decides to try handing Chloe over. And she doesnāt resist. She knew it might come to this. She said as much when they spoke in the real world.
Still, itās a very brave thing the dream Chloe is doing. Willingly going with the aliens.
Scott reacts the way he would. He beats the crap out of Young for giving away the woman he loves But it was all for nothing. The aliens still attack once they have Chloe.
These dreams are helping Young try out strategies, seeing what works and what doesnāt. But, whoās to say that things would play out in the real world, the way it does in the dream.
TJ finds Young at the still and she reveals the whole story about her baby and the faith planet.
Young doesnāt believe her, but if anyone on this ship can understand that what appears to be a dream could be much more, itās Young.
But itās different.
If TJās dream is real it means her baby is alive.
If Youngās dream is real, it means they are all doomed.
You can see why he doesnāt want to believe.
Eli shows Ginn his documentary. Thereās a clip where Brody demonstrates how ancient toilets work. I kinda want to see that. Iām rather curious to know how they might differ from human toilets. I mean, the ancients were physiologically the same as us.
Greer gets called away. āIt could take a while,ā he says, being deliberately obvious, which he thinks is a good thing.
But Eli runs after Greer.
The fact is, he has no idea how to make his move.
While Greer tries to scholl Eli in how to talk to a woman, Ginn watches some very vulnerable footage of Eli talking about his Mum.
Eli thinks heās blown it. How is Ginn going to be interested in a grown man crying about his Mum. But thatās when Ginn kisses him. The truth is, that kind of honesty and vulnerability is what intimacy is built on.
Not that Iām an expert. Iām still not sure how I managed to win the heart of my wife. Iām just glad I did.
Destiny drops out of FTL. No planetary system. No countdown clock. When Scott goes to tell Young about it, he looks like crap, and seems pretty disinterested. āYouāll figure it out.ā
Rush didnāt cause this. Heās on the bridge, trying to figure out why it happened.
When Scott asks Eli his thoughts he mentions heās been working with Gin and then just kinda starts rambling about their potential relationship. Itās actually pretty funny. But nobody has time to hear this right now.
Eli has uncovered that the ship is running a simulation of its own. Itās a battle scenario where the ship drops out of FTL and is surrounded by alien ships. That sounds very familiar.
Camille immediately recognises it as Youngās dream.
Rush finds the simulation around the same time.
Ghost Franklin encourages him to look closer into it. Something about the simulation is overriding normal operations. The big question is why.
How is the ship affecting Youngās dreams? Perhaps it can manipulate a personās brain waves. Could the ship be trying to warn us of an impending attack?
Could this be related to Chloeās blackouts?
Both Rush and Camille think Scott needs to assume command. Young is in no state to command if the aliens come. They theorise that the ship is testing Youngās emotional stability, and that heās failing.
Scott doesnāt want to hear this.
But the truth is, Young has locked himself away and has effectively abandoned his responsibilities.
Rush says the ship doesnāt have emotions but it can analyse data and form conclusions.
Itās conceivable that the ship really does think that Young is not in a fit state to lead. Of course, that fits very nicely into Rushās narrative.
Rush and Camille are not going to try to stage another civilian coup. That didnāt work so well last time.
I really feel for Scott. Heās in a difficult situation.
His chosen way of dealing with this is not to take command, but to go to Young and try to make him pull himself together.
Scott tells Young everything. The simulation, Camilleās theory about it all. Young concedes that maybe this is Destinyās way of telling him he should be replaced.
Young has always been aware of his flaws. Heās tried every day to overcome them, but right now, heās at a very weak point, probably because of his impending divorce.
Young confronts Scott with the hard truth he doesnāt want to face.
The day is coming when they may have to put Chloe off the ship. Everyone knows itās coming. āHow are you going to look at me then?ā he asks.
Itās kind of good that all of this is coming out in the open. Itās stuff that needs to be dealt with.
But Scott has some hard words for Young too.
āNobody asked for this. But youāre the commanding officer. You donāt get to feel sorry for yourself, and if you donāt like that, too bad.ā
This is the hard thing about people in senior positions. Military commanders, prime ministers and presidents. CEOs. senior pastors. When youāre at the top, thereās nobody above you to turn to. The buck stops with you. It can be a lonely position. It can take a huge toll, because you donāt get the luxury of being weak like everybody else.
But in the end, youāre still just human like everyone else. So what happens when you ARE weak. Either you fall apart and walk away, or you face it and deal with it somehow.
And thatās what Young tries to do now. He unloads all of his grief and pain onto Scott. Technically, this is inappropriate. Scott is his subordinate. But Young has nobody else. And honestly, he trusts Scott more than Camille, and things are too complicated with TJ.
Young is still hurting from when he had to kill Riley.
On top of everything else, it adds up.
Young feels that he canāt take it anymore. He asks Scott to leave.
Scott hasnāt had to live with what Young is living with. āI couldnāt do it,ā he says. āLive with the burden. Thatās not me. Or TJ or Camille.ā
āRush could do it,ā Young ironically says. āFor Rush it wouldnāt be a burden.ā
And thatās exactly why they need Young.
Young is struggling so much because he has a heart. Deep down, heās a good person who cares.
The ship is better off with a flawed and broken man who has a heart, than a capable and clinical man who ultimately cares only for himself.
And I agree with that.
Young is a good commander, because he still has a heart. And itās never going to stop hurting. Thatās the whole point. But for the sake of everyone on the ship, heās going to have a learn to live with it.
Man I love this scene. Itās beautiful!
And so, Young takes a deep breath, washes his face and puts on his jacket.
I almost get the same emotional feeling from this as seeing Clark Kent suit up as Superman for the first time.
Young is back. He enters the science lab and asks Brody for an update.
Heās back for real. Heās making decisions. They may not be perfect, but theyāre good ones.
And thatās when Destiny jumps back to FLT.
Itās satisfied that Young is doing his job again.
This all feels very triumphant.
I kind of almost wish the episode ended here.
Butā¦thereās a twist.
Rush bypassed the simulation. Thatās why the ship went back to FTL.
Soā¦.was the ship satisfied with its evaluation of Young or not? I guess we canāt be certain. As for me, Iām convinced Young is doing everything humanly possible. Young is the right man for the job.
Oh, heās still going to need to find ways of living with all heās going through. Heās still flawed and broken. But there is nobody better suited to the job on that ship than him. And Iām convinced of that.
But as Rush says from the captainās chair āThe ship may have been evaluating Young, but I control the ship.ā
And at the moment thatās correct, because heās the only one who knows about the bridge.
But itās telling that even the ship itself sees Young as the real leader, not Rush.
And I think Rush is pretty put out by that.
The aliens were never a threat. The ship would have logged any signal that Chloe might have sent them.
But Franklin gives us a sombre warning, just because one threat is behind you, it doesnāt mean that there isnāt another one ahead.
I didnāt remember this episode. I wasnāt sure what to expect going into it, but I loved this episode.
This is why SGU is such a fantastic show. It does character drama so right.
This show doesnāt get near enough credit.
The writers really should be commended.
Young isnāt just going to be magically fixed by the next episode. This will be an ongoing journey for him. And thatās what I love about modern TV. Serialisation isnāt just about season-long plot arcs, raising the stakes more and more until you have to pay it off at the end. Serialisation is about consequences. Consequences for the larger world as a whole, but also consequences for individual characters.
And thatās what I love.
Next time, weāll see how Young continues to deal with his problems as he gets trapped on an abandoned alien spaceship. Iāll see you then for āThe Greater Good.ā
Until then, have a great, live long and prosper, and happy new year.
Today's episode of Stargate Universe is a little different. We have two parallel stories. One, in our usual setting, where Scott has been exposed to a dangerous alien infection, and another, where our characters are oddly living normal lives on Earth. This episode gave the actors a chance to do something very different to their normal roles. It also allows us to really dig deep into Scott's mind, and learn what he's really thinking and feeling about things.
Having looked deeper into it, I find it's cleverly written. Join me as we see what Cloverdale has to offer us.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 76 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āCloverdale.ā
The description on Gatworld reads
Lieutenant Scott is infected by a plant-like organism while surveying a planet, and suffers severe hallucinations of another life back home on Earth.
This episode was written by Brad Wright
It was directed by Alex Chapple
And it first aired on the 26th of October 2010.
Science fiction offers its writers some interesting creative freedoms that simply donāt exist in other genres. One of those freedoms is the ability to do an episode like this one. The opportunity to shake things up and offer a completely different setting. Allow the actors to play different kinds of characters than normal. To really explore a āwhat ifā idea without completely destroying the storyās world.
We open on a very strange shot. Itās a close-up of Scottās eye. Various colours, out of focus, swirl around him. The eye blinks, as if he is waking up. Itās very disorienting, and deliberately so.This is one advantage film and TV has over books. They can pull out a lot of these interesting visual tricks. It goes a little way to making up for the things that books can do which film canāt.
After a few seconds, we cut to a normal shot. Scott is sitting in a car. The colours that were swirling around him was actually the view of the passing world outside the car window.
Heās being driven somewhere by greer. Theyāre both in uniform. Itās immediately obvious that this is Earth.
This is the moment I realise theyāre not in a car, and Greer is not driving. Theyāre actually in a bus, and this is their stop. A place called Cloverdale.
At this point weāre wondering whatās going on. Is this a flashback? A dream? A parallel universe? A flash forward to a time when the crew have returned home? The possibilities are endless.
Scott and Greer seem to be returning home from a deployment, given the very military-looking luggage theyāre carrying.
Scott sees Eli and Young on the other side of the road. Heās excited to meet up with them. As he crosses the road, he is hit by an unseen car.
At that same moment, he collapses on the jungle floor of an unknown planet, surrounded by SG crewmembers from Destiny, clutching at his arm which is covered in some blue glowing thing, and screaming in pain.
Okay, so thatās interesting. Weāve got two parallel stories going on here. One is a normal SGU episode, with our characters exploring a planet, and another is playing out on earth, with the same characters, but they are somehow linked.
Whatever the blue thing is, itās causing him a lot of pain, and TJ doesnāt know how to get it off him.
Theyāre trying to get Scott back to Destiny. Rush runs on ahead to the stargate, to bring medical supplies back.
Back on Earth, Young is standing over Scott, who seems remarkably uninjured given he was just knocked over by a car. The driver of that car turns out to be Brody.
Things are not quite right in this early scenario. Young is Scottās father. Young and Greer have never met, Chloe is Scottās high-school sweetheart, and Eli is Chloeās brother. So these are not our normal characters. Weāre using the familiar actors to play new roles with new relationships, and yet, there are similarities. Their names are all the same. Their personalities are very similar.
Scott is here to marry Chloe.
Eli is producing the wedding video, and treating it like a documentary. I swear that Eli and I are long-lost brothers. But then, Iām not as smart as he is.
Scott is hoping for a bachelor party, which Greer apparently hasnāt organised. This is a twist on a common trope, where the groom doesnāt want a party, but the best man incists.
You know, itās funny, but I immediately buy the Scott / Chloe relationship in this false reality more than I ever have in the real world.
Chloe notices a big red welt on Scottās arm, right where the blue alien thing is in the real world. He dismisses it as a minor injury from getting hit by the car. But then he collapses.
Rush is asking for various medical supplies. Prominent among them is the alien venom, which has sometimes proven useful. But the whole moment is sobred when Rush asks for whatever is appropriate for cutting through bone. If they canāt get rid of this alien contagion, TJ may have to amputate. On the jungle floor. And presumably without any anaesthetic. Itās too horrible to contemplate.
But, there are times in real life when itās had to happen.
Personally, I think Iād almost rather die. Youād probably pass out quickly from the pain, but the time leading up to that would be unimaginable hell.
So back on Earth, Scott and Chloe are going to see a movie together. I had a good laugh when they walked into the cinema as the MGM logo played on the big screen. Amusing, of course, because Stargate is an MGM production.
The couple kiss, remembering the first time they came to this cinema, but on the screen, something familiar to Scott is playing out in the movie. A young man and young woman, who look somewhat similar to Schott and Chloe are on an alien planet, looking at a field of flowers that change colour when touched. Itās a nice little sci-fi worldbuilding thing like the singing plants on Talos IV in the original Star Trek Pilot, The Cage. As the characters touch the flowers, a wave of colour sweeps through the field.
Itās a very romantic looking setting.
Scott warns the characters to get out of there, as the woman suggests walking through the flowers barefoot.
Giant plant-based tentacle things emerge from the ground and attack the man. He cuts it with a knife, but a little bit of blue acid drips from the creature onto his arm, burning it, and becoming the contagion we saw on Scottās arm in the real world.
So this, apparently, is a representation of how it first happened.
Scott is freaked out by all of this. It seems familiar to him.
He soon realises, talking to Chloe, that all of that couldnāt have really happened. After all, alien plants are not real, right?
Isnāt it interesting that the grounded, more realistic earth world in this story is very clearly the fantasy, and the science fiction world of aliens and spaceships is the obvious reality.
Now, of course, we know from the history of the show that this is the case, but somebody watching this episode for the first time, with no prior knowledge of Stargate, would easily come to the same conclusion.
Because the rules of reality just donāt work right in the Earth scenario. Things happen that shouldnāt. The characters are seeing and experiencing things they couldnāt if it were real.Of course, itās also obvious that Scott is going to have a hard time convincing those around him that their normal world is false, but the one filled with aliens is real.
I find this stuff fascinating.
Anyway, Chloe is trying to keep Scott busy to help the preparations for some kind of surprise bachelor party.
And it seems Volker is in on it.
But they manage to pull the party together early, given Scott didnāt want to stay and watch the movie.
In the real world, we learn that the alien venom has had no effect, which sucks.
The contagion wonāt react to anything.
Rush argues the only thing left to do is amputate. TJ says Scott wouldnāt want that, but Rush points out any rational person would give up a limb to save their life.
At the party, we see Lieutenant James playing the role of bartender and Scottās ex, just like in the real world, but Scott is getting pretty inappropriately physical with her. Not just flirting but actually trying to lift up her shirt.
And despite his questionable past when it comes to women, this is not Scottās style. Not the real Scott.
James calls his bluff by offering to drive off and go all the way together.
That snaps Scott out of it, but we see that this James is really not over him. I think the real James is. Iām sure sheās still got some hurt deep down about the way he treated her in the pilot, but sheās not holding out for anything from him.
Telford is the local cop, making sure these drunk party-goers donāt drive in their condition.
Scott is grappling with what is real, and what is not, feeling like heās actually meant to be someone else.
The others just dismiss this as the alcohol, but Telford gets all weird about things. Itās like he knows the truth.
Mercifully, the real Scott is already unconscious, which is good considering TJ is about to cut his arm off.
The make-up effect of the contagion on his arm is pretty good.
But when TJ cuts in with a scalpel, his blood comes out bright blue. The contagion is in his bloodstream, which means amputation is pointless. It wonāt solve anything.
Okay, so heās not gonna lose his arm, but how are they going to save his life?
This was kind of their last shot
They have 3 hours before Destiny jumps to FTL. But Rush has already given up.
In reality, they have less than 3 hours because theyāll be overrun by the alien tentacle things in about 1 hour.
One thing they all agree on is that they canāt risk taking Scott back to destiny. He might infect everyone else.
Doctor Park points out thereās a good chance this infection is how the alien organism reproduces. They donāt know all the details of how it works, but as she says āWe have to assume that the reason this thing infects people is so it can spread.ā
And that makes perfect sense.
Greer is building a barricade. Anything outside that is the kill zone. We have to hold the gate for three hours. He is determined to give the scientists their 3 hours to find a solution to this.
In the real world, Chloe is concerned that Scott is only marrying her because thatās the expected thing to do. He dismisses that idea. Heās off to see the justice of the peace, to make sure he can perform the ceremony. That justice of the peace turns out to be Rush.
Rush also asks Scott if heās having second thoughts. Which is interesting.
And we learn there is some tension between Rush and Young in this world as well.
The alien creature is pretty cool. What we see above ground is only a small part of what it is. It exists underground as a huge root system spreading out over the planet. It waits for its prey to get close and then strikes.
You have to wonder what it usually attacks. Humans are on this planet for the first time. There must be some native animal life on this planet.
Young wonders if itās a plant or an animal. Park suggests it may share aspects of both.
Young orders all non-combatants back to Destiny, including TJ.
Which is weird.
Soā¦.heās abandoning all hope of saving Scott?
In which case, why the need for combatants. Might as well get everyone except Scott back on the ship.
Itās pretty weird.
They find a droplet of blue on Chloe's shirt. They cut it off. It seems not to have touched her skin. Greer tries to burn it, but it doesnāt burn easily.
Now itās Eliās turn to question whether Scott is truly committed to this marriage.
Unlike with the others, it feels like Eli has some grounds for concern. Scott has lost all his enthusiasm. Heās acting out of character.
Now, Iāve never had a hangover, so I donāt really know what itās like, and how long it lasts, but this seems like more than just a guy with a headache. He comes across as someone whose heart is no longer in it.
Now, we know that Scott is questioning reality, so most of what heās going through stems from that, rather than last nightās alcohol.
Eli says that nobody thinks of Scott as a one-woman guy. So apparently in this world, he also has a reputation as a bit of a womaniser. But he insists he wants to marry Chloe and raise a family with her. Eli doesnāt believe him, and doesnāt think Scott believes it either.
And then Scott collapses again.
Eli has a little moment with Scott in the real world. āNobody is giving up on you,ā he says. Chloe is right about Eli. he is the ultimate true friend.
Chloe does something rash and foolish. She infects herself with the alien contagion. They werenāt going to let her stay with Scott. Now they have no choice.
It may seem romantic, but it was a stupid thing to do.
This is the last thing Scott would want.
It hurts him, and it hurts her friends.
Frankly, I think itās a little out of character for her. Chloe isnāt this stupid or selfish.
Iām not saying sheās a saint, but I think sheās better than this.
On earth, TJ is a paramedic. Scott is still dismissing his fainting spells. I still canāt believe how lightly theyāre all taking his getting hit by a car. Thatās a serious thing. He really should have been checked out properly after it happened.
There is a lot of pain, resignation, and a little judgement, in Eliās voice as he says āByeā to Chloe.
But it turns out, there may have been a little method to Chloeās madness.
The earlier injection on her clothes should have touched her skin. It should have infected her. And it didnāt.
So sheās decided to test it.
Maybe sheās immune.
And if thatās the case, maybe they can use that, somehow, to help Scott.
Of course, these kinds of medical investigations tend to take a long time. Itās not something that can happen in 3 hours.
Chloeās hand doesnāt hurt. Matt was in agony.
Now earth-Scott is having doubts for real. Wondering if itās right for him to marry Chloe. What if he hurts her.
He asks his father, Young, for advice. Young says āWake up.ā
Now THATās interesting.
Chloeās blood is still red, and the contagion on her hand is already healing. The theory is that whatever the aliens did to her has given her immunity.
Her blood might save Scott, but it might also pass on to him, whatever the aliens did to Chloe.
TJ has no other options. She sets up a transfusion.
Eli is walking Chloe up the aisle, suggesting that in this world, as in the real one, that Chloeās father is dead.
The scene plays out as Rush performs the wedding ceremony while Greer and his team fight off the alien plants with flamethrowers. Itās all good, but thereās not a lot for me to say about it.
There IS a cool moment when a tentacle nearly gets Chloe and Scott, but the kawoosh of the event horizon disintegrates it as the gate dials. Itās pretty cool.
As Scott is about to make his vow, he notices Chloe's face is all blue.
Thatās when Scott wakes up. All the blue stuff cracks off his arm. They all escape through the stargate just in time before Destiny jumps.
Young is really not happy with Chloe.
Theyāll both be put into deep quarantine indefinitely.
But maybe this is not because of the contagion on the planet theyāve just escaped. Maybe itās because Chloe has now revealed that whatever the aliens did to her was not undone by the chair. And now Scott has been exposed to it as well.
How will Scott react to that one?
In the end, Iām left asking one important question.
What was the point of all the stuff on Earth?
Oh, it was fun to see the characters in a new light, and Iām sure the actors had a blast. But what does it actually add to the story?
My assumption is that all of that was Scottās hallucination while he was under.
So I guess it can give us some hints as to what his subconscious is thinking about.
His relationship with Chloe is central to it all. Itās obviously of vital importance to him.
He sees Eli like a brother figure, well brother-in-law, which is kind of nice. He sees Young as a father figure. No surprise there.
So perhaps what weāre meant to take from all this is that Scott is thinking about his future with Chloe. Will they commit to remain together forever? We know heās been asking these questions lately. Just last episode he vocalised some of it to Chloe.
But it appears he is also having some doubts. Heās worried that heās not good for her.
Heās worried that his previous womanising ways might return and cause problems between them.
But in a way that feels like a cop-out.
We donāt use our past mistakes as an excuse for not making a change in our life and being better now and into the future.
I donāt remember them especially following up on these ideas through the rest of season 2, but you can bet Iāll be keeping a keen eye open to see any hints that they continue to address these thoughts.
The last thing we can glean from the dream is that Scott is concerned about the genetic modifications the aliens made to her. What does that mean? How human is she still? I think this is at the root of his relationship doubts. Itās all very interesting.
And this is made ever more interesting now because heās about to find out that heās potentially been exposed to whatever is alien about her. Now heāll start dreaming about himself as an alien. Scary stuff.
I wouldnāt have picked up on any of this if I hadnāt been looking for it. Thatās an advantage of podcasting a show. It tends to make you look deeper into it.
So that was Cloverdale.
I liked it. The sci-fi stuff on the planet was cool. A good solid sci-fi story. And the character stuff in Scottās imagination was interesting, and a little bit fun.
Next time, weāll be talking about the episode āTrial and Errorā and itāll be Youngās turn to question whether heās losing his mind.
Iāll catch you then.
In the meantime, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Chloe is acting strangely on board destiny. But hidden within her is knowledge that Doctor Rush can use to unlock the secrets of Destiny. Meanwhile, back on earth, we do some deep character stuff with Eli and Camille. This is what Stargate Universe does best.
Join me as we dig into this episode of Stargate Universe.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 75 of the podcast.
That means weāre 3 quarters of the way to 100, which is pretty cool.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āPathogenā
Iāve already recorded this podcast once today. But for reasons that will remain a mystery for all time, my microphone died so the whole thing was silent.
So Iām doing it all again now, and Iām not gonna bother with video this time around.
Iām curious. Those of you who watch on youtube, do you actually care one way or the other? The sound quality is probably better when I donāt use video because I can hold the microphone close to my face, which looks stupid on camera.
Anyway, curious to hear peopleās thoughts.
The description on gateworld reads
Chloe's increasingly erratic behavior leads the crew to suspect that she may be under alien influence. Eli returns home when he learns that his mother has fallen ill, and Camille finds Sharon struggling in her absence.
This episode was written by Carl Binder.
It was directed by Robert Carlyle, who of course, plays Dr. Rush.
And it first aired on the 19th of October 2010.
Chloe is sitting at a console in a random room on Destiny. She has no memory of how or when she got there. Sheās a little freaked out about it but so is Eli.
Scott is also concerned. Chloe has been acting strange lately. Withdrawn. Could any of this be related to her miraculous healing? Itās actually nice seeing these two talking together about their common concern for her.
Despite the fact they were both vying for Chloeās affection, there has never really been any malice between them. Eli respects Scott because he knows that he cares about Chloe just as much as he does.
Scott asks her where theyāre at. If they werenāt on the ship, would they even be together?
Chloeās answer is āof course.ā
This is when Scott admits that this is all new to him. Heās never been good at relationships, but he wants to make this work.
Remember back in early season 1, I was pretty hard on Scott.
To the point of being kinda judgemental, if Iām honest.
But at this point, you canāt deny that Scott has changed. Heās a different person than he was in the pilot. He doesnāt want to be the womaniser who uses women and then throws them away. He wants a real loving relationship with Chloe.
I thought that needed to be acknowledged.
It doesnāt doesnāt get Chloe to open up, though.
Rush is still keeping news that he has control of the ship to himself. Heās having difficulty with the countdown clock. Franklin taunts him saying heās making things more complicated than they already are by being one person trying to do the work of an entire crew.
He talks about how Young is reckless and unsuited to lead the mission. But right now, nobody is being more reckless than Rush. Heās the one putting everyone at risk. Heās become everything he despises. Youād have thought heād have learned a little something from Rileyās death. But it appears he hasnāt.
But itās not just that. Brody and Park are starting to get suspicious of him. The ship is acting weirdly and he doesnāt seem surprised or even interested. He says heās busy but wonāt explain where he is. The guy is really slipping.
Eli is informed heās gonna have to use the stones to go home. His mother is sick. Thatās the kind of news nobody wants to hear.
He gets to earth and speaks with the doctor. His mum has stopped taking her medication, which is causing her to get very sick. They can help her, but the doctorās concern is that sheāll stop taking her medication again.
To Eli, the solution is simple. Donāt let her stop. Donāt release her.
But Iām afraid it doesnāt work that way. Patients have the right to refuse treatments. Doctors and nurses can explain, recommend, and plead with a patient to do whatās best for them, but they canāt force. At least, not under normal circumstances.
This is how it is in Australia, anyway. My wife is a nurse. I assume itās the same in America.
It turns out that Eliās mum has severe depression.
She has to want to get better, and right now, it seems that she doesnāt.
Eli does his usual speel. āIām airman Tracy and I work with your son Eli. Heās really worried about you.ā
āNot worried enough to be here himself?ā
And thatās the problem isnāt it.
She came home one day a year ago and her son was gone. The air force said heād gone somewhere classified to do important work. And she hasnāt seen him since. Hasnāt even heard his voice.
Of course sheās got depression. No wonder she doesnāt want to get better.
She thinks her son doesnāt care. Might as well be dead. Because where is he?
Eli has always thought that his mum couldnāt handle the truth about stargates, alien spaceships and communication stones, but the lies are slowly killing her.
Young has made the decision to set the Lucian Alliance prisoners free. Itās something of an exchange. The more they give, the more they get. Theyāve been generous with the intel lately, so heās going to allow them out of the brig, to walk about the ship.
Now, while Camille thought Young was being too harsh on them, we now learn that Greer thinks heās being too lenient. He thinks that releasing the prisoners is a mistake.
Thereās an escort on each member, so theyāre not completely free.
So what do they do with their newfound privileges? Simeonās first act is to whisper something offensive in Doctor Parkās ear. Her crewmates are quick to come to her rescue, Volker probably biting off more than he can chew, standing up to the clearly stronger Simeon.
But Greer sorts him out quickly. Orders him to be taken back into his cell.
Now on one hand, it might seem that incarceration is a pretty serious punishment for something offensive, but I tend to think that Greer was correct here. Simeon has been given some freedom and he immediately abused that freedom. He needs to learn that if he behaves inappropriately, heās gonna lose the freedom. Some of these people are a bit rough around the edges, and they have to learn that they need to coexist peacefully with the crew.
We learn that Chloe is missing. Theyāre forming search teams to find her.
Rush has taken them back into FTL. Heās getting tired. Heās gonna make some nasty mistakes if heās not careful. Iām finding I have little sympathy for him. If heād just bring in other people to help, things would go a lot smoother.
When Young comes to see Simeon, heās a lot more apologetic. Owning up to his behaviour, acknowledging that it was inappropriate. Sounds like he really wants to hold up his end of the bargain and earn Youngās trust. Heās not off to a good start today
They find Chloe in a dark room trying to pry open a case. When approached she seems to āwake upā and not know where she is, again.
She fell asleep in her quarters and then James was talking to her.
TJ canāt find anything physically wrong with her.
.
Eli has come back to visit his mum again. Heās trying to be upbeat, but sheās not interested. She finally opens up.
āWhy doesnāt he call me? Itās not like him.ā
So itās time for him to open up to her. To be honest.
He starts awkwardly, asking her about her favourite movies. He uses ET as a lead in to start blabbing the details of the Stargate program to her.
āWhy are you telling me this?ā she asks in frustration.
āBecause I am Eli,ā he blurts out.
Itās a very emotional moment.
āIām on a ship but my consciousness is in this personās body. It really is me, mum.ā
She looks pretty freaked out.
Trying to explain all the science about this is going about as well as he predicted it would. She doesnāt believe him.
So he tries a different tactic.
He talks about something personal. The day his dad left.
But that doesnāt do the trick either. āHe could have told you that.ā
Sheās really agitated and wants Eli to leave.
Man, just put yourself in Eliās position right now. That must be really painful.
Chloe has been writing in her journal. Itās all in alien languages. Some of it is ancient.
Some of it is from the crashed alien ship. The blue aliens.
So did the blue aliens do something to her when they took her?
Rush theories itās some kind of genetic manipulation.
Young thinks itās dangerous to let her roam the ship like this, but Rush has a controversial alternative. Let her do what sheās doing, and learn from it.
Meanwhile, Camille has also come home to earth for a visit.
And speaking of people who are acting a little oddly in a relationship, something seems a bit off about Sharon.
Sheās lost her keys, something she never does, and when Camille tries to make light of it, she snaps.
Eli and Camille meet up. Sheās the only friend he can talk to about all of this.
He often feared that his mum would give up if anything ever happened to him. Eli is fine but heās seeing his fears play out in front of him.
As far as sheās concerned, the military took her son away and wonāt let him talk to her. Eli would give up too.
Scott is escorting Chloe, but Rush wants to take over. āTime for shift change. Colonelās orders.ā
Do you think Young actually had anything to do with this? Oh, Iām sure Young ordered that there be shifts, so nobody gets burned out shadowing Chloe constantly, but Scott is worried that Rush is wanting to use her for his own purposes. Which, of course, he does. Letās be honest.
Doesnāt mean he intends her any harm, of course, but Chloe has knowledge he wants to make use of.
He takes her to see something he obviously never showed anyone else. A place for study. Alien writing and mathematical equations cover all the walls. It looks like a mad scientistās den.
The truth is, Rush and Chloe have something in common. They were both taken by the blue aliens. That common bond is still there.
He wants to know if she recognises anything on these walls.
Sharon asks Camille how Eliās Mum is doing. She explains that physically sheās ok but all of this is taking its toll. Her voice slows as she says that. I think sheās suddenly getting some insight into how Sharon might be feeling.
TJ goes to meet Varro, the Lucian Alliance leader, to talk about Simeon. Young is prepared to release him again. Varro will talk to Simeon.
Varro is not impressed. āWeāre trying to make this work and youāre ruining it for everyone.ā
Simeon is not so apologetic when talking to Varro. āI was just talking to a woman.ā It seems it was all an act for Young.
And then Simeon says something very interesting.
āSooner or later theyāll realise that all the information weāve been feeding them in a bunch of lies anyway.ā
But Varro answers āThe information youāve been feeding them.ā
Simeon thought they were all giving misinformation. But Simeon and the others are cooperating. For real. We have to find a way to get along with these people.
Simeon is shaken by this. The idea of truly making peace and cooperating never even occurred to him.
When the ship drops out of FTL again, Brody and Park try to get their heads around it all. They canāt find a meaningful explanation, but itās suspicious. The ship drops out, no gates in range, and changes course. And Rush is always absent when it happens.
And Young says it outright. āHeās making this happen.ā
Brody doesnāt know how Rush is doing it, short of cracking the master code.
Young confronts Rush. He knows Rush is lying.
He demands to know where Rush was. The truth.
So Rush shows them his mad den. He gives up a minor secret to protect his big secret.
Chloe solved one of these equations. One heād been struggling with for weeks.
He has successfully diverted attention from his secret.
As a result of this revelation, Young has Chloe put in isolation as a precaution.
Simeon is allowed out again, and Greer tells him to remain in his quarters. The section of the ship he was in before is now off limits.
Greer was correct earlier in the episode, but now heās pushing things.
Now itās personal. Now itās macho chest thumping. Simeon is a dangerous variable that needs to be handled carefully. I think Greer is making a mistake by pushing him around in this way. Heās going to provoke him.
When Simeon points out Greer acts all tough with his weapon and his men, Greet immediately gives up his weapon and dismisses the men.
No doubt about his bravery. Greer is tough.
And thatās enough to make Simeon back down.
I dunno, maybe Iām wrong. Maybe what Greer did here helped to put Simeon in his place.
Camille and Sharon finally have a frank conversation. Sharon knows this is Camille in somebody elseās body, but she misses Camilleās real face. Her real voice. Camille realises that this is all harder on Sharon than it is on her.
But these visits are what is keeping Camille going.
Nothing is really resolved. Nothing is able to change.
But the conversation is important. Sometimes just sharing pain can help. Itās a good scene.
Eli goes to have one last conversation with his mum. She admits he is all she had. She didnāt realise that until he was gone. She asks if sheāll ever see him again, and he has to admit, with tears, he doesnāt know.
Camille pulls some strings to get Eliās mum something that is technically beyond her clearance level. Sheās allowed to know the truth about Eli, but sheās not allowed to visit Destiny. But Camille makes it happen. For the sake of Eliās emotional stability.
And so, Mrs. Wallace is welcomed aboard Destiny by Colonel Young. And then she sees him. In the flesh. āIām real.ā
Call me a softy but I got pretty choked up when this happened. What can I say? Iām a parent.
He takes her to the observation desk where they can look out at an alien planet.
Eli promises heāll never stop trying to get home. He doesnāt want to just leave her.
But at the same time, she can see the joy in his face at being able to see these things and experience what heās experiencing.
And thatās what every parent wants for their children.
āWe're gonna be okay, Mum. You and Me.ā
Thatās what she needed. Sheāll be leaving the hospital tomorrow. Now she has a reason to go on.
Now that she knows the truth, even if she wonāt be able to see him face to face like this again until he gets home, she has hope. She knows heās out there, and next time he visits in somebody elseās body, sheāll know itās him.
Rush has a controversial idea about helping chloe. The neural interface. The chair.
His theory is that the chair wonāt allow any non-human to use it, so if she is connected, it will eliminate anything alien that is in her.
But that chair is the same thing that effectively killed Franklin.
And Rush doesnāt have a great track record of caring about people other than himself when it comes to the chair.
Not to mention, he canāt prove his theory.
Scott is understandably concerned.
TJ agrees this is the only option anyone has come up with.
Young wonāt force her, but he will present the option to her and give her a choice.
And sheās willing.
Sheās in there for a few seconds. Sheās breathing and her pulse is steady. Rush thinks it worked, but theyāll find out shortly.
Eli thanks Camille, but more than that, he acknowledges that this is something that a lot of other people would want. This is especially meaningful given what went on with her and Sharon recently. Sharon would really benefit from a trip to Destiny, and Camille would love that too.
But when you think about it, why not? Why not allow loved ones to come visit destiny and see the crew? I mean, if they already have clearance to know about the stargate and destiny, what does it hurt if they see it?
Ultimately, I think the reason was more of an off-screen reason and an on-screen one.
The writers didnāt want family members traipsing all over the ship constantly. That would make it feel less remote. They wanted to maintain that distance, at least at this point in the show.
But Eli has had a good idea. Iām surprised nobody thought of it sooner. Sharon comes to visit Eliās mum. The family of Destinyās crew could be a great support to each other. They should be forming a support group together. I can very much see them all becoming a family, as much as the crew on destiny are becoming a family.
Rush admits to Chloe that she isnāt actually cured. Why heās keeping that from everybody else is anyoneās guess. IT wonāt remain a secret for long. Rush reveals the answer to his dead wife. He thinks Chloe can help her. Sheāll play along and pretend to be cured if she values her freedom.
But what about next time she sleepwalks? Iām not sure how that is supposed to work.
Anyway, I guess weāll find out as the season goes on.
This was a fantastic character episode. This is one of the things that Stargate Universe does best.
Next time, weāll be talking about a very different kind of episode. One that allowed the actors to do something quite different to what they were used to.
Iāll see you then for Cloverdale.
Have a great 2 weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so
This the Stargate Universe episode Awakening, we encounter an ancient seed ship and meet a new mysterious alien race. Exciting stuff. I had some technical difficulty while recording this episode. I lost the audio of most of it, and so had to re-record.
Despite that, let's dig in and get some enjoyment out of this episode.
Video Version: https://youtu.be/gHuLlgNzR6g
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 74 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āAwakeningā
The description on Gateworld reads
āDestiny encounters an Ancient seeder ship, which may hold the key to getting the crew home. But they soon find that the ship is not unoccupied.ā
This episode was WRITTEN BY: Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
It was DIRECTED BY: Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 12th of October 2010/.
We left off last episode with Destiny approaching an object in space. It appears to be a ship. Eli notices the similarity in appearance to Destiny. It must be of ancient design.
Am I the only one that thinks itās a bit premature of them to arm weapons and prepare to fire?
I guess they want to be cautious, given what theyāve been through with the blue aliens last season, but those who have seen BAbylon 5 will know this is just how the Earth Minbari war started.
Rush rightly predicts that Destiny is going to dock with the ship, as it does.
Astute viewers of Stargate Universe have probably already guessed what that ship is. The only other ancient ships we know of in this part of the universe are the seed ships. Those that travel ahead of destiny and place stargates on suitable planets.
Thereās more than one of these seed ships. This one appears to have suffered some kind of failure.
As soon as they docked, Destiny started downloading all the latest information the seed ship has collected.
Rush wants to go over there and look around. Who wouldnāt? But he needs to be here to analyse the data thatās coming through. Honestly, that would also excite him.
And at this point in the recording, my microphone died. It just stopped working.
So..Iām now recording this for a second time, on a weekend I barely have time to record it once. Iām not even going to bother with video this time around.
So youāll have to excuse any frustration in my voice.
Telford is wanting to be a part of things again, now that heās finally himself. Heās still being briefed by homeworld security. I think thereās still a little bit of distrust going on with him.
Itās a very interesting dynamic having Telford on board the ship this season. I like it. But then I tend to like any kind of status quo shift.
Eli is pretty excited about the data. Thatās before he even knows what it is.
Chloe is worried about TJ. She doesnāt fully appreciate what TJ means when she says her baby is in a better place.
Remember Chloeās leg wound from the end of last season? It seemed to miraculously heal itself? Well now itās almost completely better. TJ doesnāt know what to make of that.
And as always, Iām glad theyāre picking up these threads. It felt a little like the finale set up all these dangling things that had been forgotten. I donāt always remember which ones get addressed. But the more times I watch this show, the more trust I have that the writers had a plan. Not everything gets dealt with immediately, but they donāt just forget this stuff.
Rush has made an excuse to go visit the bridge where he can review the data in private. He thinks heās found a potential way home, but the image of his dead wife thinks heās not going to share that information with anyone else.
Rush has never wanted to go home. But will he really withhold a means for the rest of them to return to Earth? Is he really that selfish?
He doesnāt know.
He thinking about it.
Telford is willing to acknowledge that Young is the commanding officer of this ship. But he wants to be part of the loop. He wants to share the burden of leadership because Young has been slipping. Heās had to carry an enormous responsibility and heās understandably tired.
Is he being genuine here, or is he trying, subtlely to wrest control of the ship from Young? If so, heās doing it in a very different way than Rush. A much more friendly way.
This new dynamic between the character is fascinating to watch. Remember, they used to be friends once. Now, Telford has become that person again, and Young is trying to put aside the amnity he had with the brainwashed Lucian Alliance Telford, and give his old friend the benefit of the doubt.
But it isnāt easy.
Rush is watching all of this with keen interest. Rush doesnāt think much of Telford either, but heās probably weighing his options. Who is the better leader to back? Young or Telford?
Brody and Volker have got the power working on the seed ship.
Now that the lights are one, we get to see a bit more of the cool production design. The look of these ancient ships can be quite intricate.
Gin wants to help. She has experience with ancient technology, but Young will have none of it.
Varro wants to know how much longer theyāll be locked up. He and his people have cooperated with homeworld command. Theyāve provided valuable intelligence on the Lucian Alliance to Earth.
Varro HAS been an ally to Young.
He wants to know honestly, what will it take for them to earth their freedom.
Young answer is they need to prove to him theyāre not a threat.
When asked how they can do that, he honestly answers, I donāt think that you can.
Wellā¦.at least everyone knows where they stand.
But the truth is, at some point, Young is going to have to start trusting them. Itās a risk, but one that might just pay off.
It turns out, Camille told the prisoners about the seed ship. She feels they have a right to know whatās ging on. Youngās perspective is theyāre prisoners. They donāt have any rights.
Young seems to be at odds with everyone today.
Camille expresses a similar sentiment to what I was just saying. Theyāre gonna have to learn to live with these people some time. But Young disagrees. No, we donāt.
I do get Youngās perspective. He wants to protect his crew. But heās actually going against the will of his superiors back on earth now. Is there anyone Young is NOT fighting against at this point? He doesnāt want to risk his people on the whims of people on the other side of the universe. But...theyāre still his superiors.
Heās forgotten one thing, though. Earth is at risk as well. The Lucian Alliance is making a move in the Milky Way galaxy.
We learn theyāre planning a service for Riley, who died last episode. Iāve said it before, but I love it when they acknowledge the severity of redshirt deaths in shows like this. And yes, Riley was more than a redshirt, in the Original Star Trek sense. He was more of a semi-recurring guest. But stillā¦.
Eli has found something.
The seedship has significant power reserves. Enough for Destiny to use to dial the stargate back to earth.
So this was the secret Rush had already found. I guess he doesnāt have to decide whether the share it or not now. Eli was smart enough to figure it out himself.
The stargate factory is pretty cool.
Rush isnāt impressed, though. But then, a way home is kind of more important.
And thatās when Volker has a close encounter with our second major alien race in Stargate Universe. Once again, itās a CGI creature, which, in my opinion, makes it significantly more exotic and alien than a human with bumps glued to their forehead. (and thatās nothing against Star Trek, I love all those bumpy races, but these aliens just suit SGU a lot better).
Anyway, the alien doesnāt pose much of a threat to Volker as it collapses on the floor. (of course there could be a threat from disease)
The plan was to get rid of the worst Lucian Alliance people and only keep those who were cooperative. But that doesnāt mean some of them arenāt still violent. One of them is pretty creepy. He seems to be getting close to potential rapist territory. Fortunately, TJ is a trained soldier and is able to put him in his place.
TJ is heading over to the seed ship to examine the sick alien. Young agrees to let Telford go along.
The alien isnāt dead. It appears to be breathing.
When TJ touches it it wakes up.
These aliens speak verbally, unlike the blue ones, but itās clearly an unknown language.
I like the design. Itās bipedal but shorter than an average human. And the shape of the head is very different to ours, with round eyes. Its hands have very long claw like fingers.
Scott tries offering it some fruit. Turns out the alien doesnāt like the fruit any more than the humans do.
I wonder what they eat.
Theyāve succeeded in initiating a power transfer between the two ships. Thatās good news for everyone, well everyone except Rush.
Greer has found what look like alien eggs. The alien isnāt alone. Sounds like theyāre more like space transport pods.
The gate is dialling.
But just as Eli says āweāre going homeā the power transfer is interrupted.
Not only has the transfer to destiny stopped, it has now reversed. The seed ship is taking power from Destiny.
Itās the aliens. Theyāve stunned Rush and are taking our power.
If their reserves get so low that they canāt do an FTL jump, thereāll be no way to recharge. Theyāre not near any stars right now.
Telford is trying to find a way to reverse the direction again, while Young wants to disconnect the ships. Telfordās plan is risky, because the aliens clearly donāt want the seed shipās power drained.
They need Rush in the Destiny control room to figure out how to disconnect. But heās disappeared. Heās probably still unconscious.
Telford is still their best hope at not being stranded.
But before he can complete it, the two ships disconnect. Eli coldnāt figure out how to do it, so how did it happen? Was it the aliens? Was it Rush?
And the answer isā¦. Rush.
He was on the bridge.
His wife asks, āDid you do it to save the crew, or to save your dream?ā
Unfortunately, this means that Telford is stranded on the seed ship and Destiny is about to jump.
No time to send a shuttle over, I guess.
Imagine how Telford is feeling at that moment. Destiny has jumped, and is out of radio range. Heās completely alone on this ship, except for the aliens.
I guess he doesnāt have long to wonder what heās gonna do with the rest of this life.
Given their number, heās now their prisoner.
The mood on the ship is pretty grim. They came so close to being able to get home.
If Rush hadnāt disconnected them, Telford probably would have succeeded, and theyād be on Earth now.
And thatās where we leave it.
Weāll be picking up the threads of Telford and the Aliens, but Iām not sure when. Next week, we have more of a character-based episode, Pathogen.
In this instalment of our Stargate Universe podcast, Rush makes a staggering discovery. Destiny's bridge. But can he take control of the ship? Meanwhile, a team go to a restricted planet in hopes of finding food, and Young must deal with the aftermath of the recent invasion by the Lucian Aliance. Specifically, what to do with those prisoners left onboard.
This is a great episode of Stargate Universe, filled with tragedy, mystery and moral ambiguity. Come with me as we dig into it.
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Transcript Welcome to nerd heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 73 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āAftermathā
The description on Gateworld reads
Dr. Rush directs a shuttle to a planet inaccessible by Stargate -- but a crash landing threatens to strand those on board. Meanwhile, Rush makes a stunning discovery on Destiny, and Young must decide what to do with his prisoners.
This episode was written by Robert C. Cooper
It was directed by Will Waring
And it first aired on the 5th of October 2010.
In this episodeās recap, we revisit the chair device, which Franklin sat in and transformed into mist, and the code in human DNA that may eventually unlock control of the shipās computer.
Rush is having nightmares about his recent torture at the hands of Kiva.
He finds Doctor Park in the computer room. He solvers the issue sheās struggling with in a few seconds and moves on, to continue roaming the ship. Itās an amusing moment.
But Rush isnāt wandering aimlessly. He approaches a door and opens it.
And enters a room. And as the lights come up, we begin to realise just where he is.
The bridge.
Rush has found Destiny's bridge.
Itās immediately recognisable to anyone who has watched science fiction before. There are consoles all about, and one seat in the centre.
The captainās chair.
Evidently, this is not the first time Rush has been here, although there is still a look of reverence and awe on his face.
No, he walked here on purpose. Heās been here before.
And heās seeing an image of his dead wife, Gloria.
And she voices what is going on in his head. Heās finally unlocked the master code. He has control over everything. And heās not going to tell anyone.
This is a very Rush move, but we still have to ask the question why. Weāll be exploring that for a while.
This was a very exciting moment for me, when I realised what Rush had discovered.
Youāll notice we never saw the bridge of this ship during the entire first season. We werenāt even sure if there was a bridge.
That was a bit of a bold move, to do an entire season of a show set on a spaceship and never see the bridge, but it actually makes a lot of sense.
Remember, our characters are not in control of this ship. Theyāre not the crew. Theyāre just along for the ride, going wherever this ship wants to go. That itself was also interesting.
But having gone that entire year without it, it makes the discovery of the bridge feel like an event. Itās more momentous. Itās more exciting.
I thought this was brilliantly done.
So letās talk about the bridge itself. Itās very in keeping with the visual aesthetic of Destiny, weāve seen control panels before, but the internal layout is pretty reminiscent of Star Trek. Itās basically what all of us nerds expect, and want, a bridge to look like.
But the interesting thing is that it actually folds down into the ship, and retracts back up. Kind of like the blast shield in the original Battlestar Galactica, but in reverse. When itās embedded down inside the ship, it canāt see anything out the front window. But itās also safe and more protected from enemy fire. When it lifts up, they get a beautiful view out the front of the ship.
This was a nice bit of design.
Camille is interviewing Ginn, the Lucian Alliance scientist. Ginn is explaining what the alliance knew of the 9th chevron. The address that leads to Destiny was known in ancient legend. It was said that it led to the power of the gods. But Ginn isnāt thinking of the Goaāuld, who ruled over most of the Lucian Alliance people, until recent time. Sheās thinking of the ascended ancients. Which is more accurate, since Destiny is an ancient ship.
The legends say that Destiny is capable of controlling time and space. And that getās Camilleās attention. Thatās why the Lucian Alliance wanted to come here.
Ginn explains that the alliance has actually been around longer than we might have thought. They predate the fall of the system lords. But they were quick to fill the power vacuum left over by claiming all that leftover Goaāuld technology.
They came to Ginnās world and seized it. The only food they had to eat was what the Lucian Alliance provided. So they really were slave masters, just like the Goaāuld before them.
They controlled what was taught in schools, and they recruited children to fight on their behalf. Ginn herself was forced into service a few years ago with death threats against her family.
Suddenly we have a lot more sympathy, not just for her, but for a lot of people working for the Lucian Alliance. These people are not all willing members.
Does that justify the things theyāve done back in the Milky Way, and here on Destiny? Who do you forgive? Is Ginn innocent, but Kiva guilty? Where is that line drawn? Itās all very complicated.
Ginn argues that the alliance survivors are not getting enough food. Nobody on board is.
Welcome to Destiny.
You people chose to come here. Life on this ship sure isnāt easy.
Young has to decide what heās going to do with these people currently being held. But heās not going to make the decision alone. Camille will have a voice as well.
Ginn argues, as if pleading for her life, that some of them have been cooperative. They can be trusted. They can contribute.
But it keeps coming back to that difficult question. Which of them do you trust?
Conveniently, the Lucian Alliance still thinks Telford is one of them. So heās still spying in the cell.
And now we see the other side of things. The crew in the mess hall are complaining about the lack of food. āMaybe we shouldnāt be giving our rations to the enemy,ā one of them says.
Itās easy to treat your prisoners well when you have plenty of resources.
But when your food is running out, it becomes tempting to deny the prisoners first. But, theyāre human beings too.
Riley says āThe way we treat prisoners says everything about us as a civil and moral society.ā
And thatās a very good point.
Young has a different perspective. He doesnāt think this is about the proper treatment of POWs. These people invaded the ship and tried to kill them. āI was just following ordersā is not an argument that Young finds very convincing.
Theyāre not all as nice as Ginn. Park is afraid to go to sleep, just knowing there are people on board that would kill her if given the chance.
I donāt think Young has made up his mind yet, but heās definitely trying to counteract Camilleās perspective.
Soā¦. what do you think? What would you do?
Rush thought it was going to be easier to control the ship, just like turning a key, but this ship was designed to be run by a crew. Gloria points out the ship has a crew. But Rush means a crew that knows what theyāre doing.
It always comes down to this with Rush, doesnāt it. Nobody else is smart enough. Nobody else can operate at his level. He has a similar arrogance to Rodney Mackey. And yet, expressed very differently.
Rush thinks this ship was never meant to run on itās own. They were supposed to send a crew. But they never did.
Heās being smart, leaving the ship on auto-pilot until he knows what heās doing.
Right now, heās trying to understand why Destiny stops at some planets but not others.
We still donāt know exactly what Gloria is. How is she here? Is Rush just losing his mind? Or is there something more?
The crew desperately need food and Rush has found a planet that should be rich in plant life, and yet, itās locked out. Destiny wonāt be stopping to let them gate there.
Why?
Rush makes the decision to drop them out of FTL.
Everyone is confused. Why did the ship drop out when there are no active stargates to dial?
Rush argues it away by saying the planet is in shuttle range. The ship knows about this planet because it does have a gate. The gate is just non-functional.
Itās actually pretty plausible.
TJ isnāt fully recovered from her ordeal, but sheās got skills they need, so sheās going on the mission. The shuttle ride will take an hour each way. That leaves them 5 hours on the planet. They hope to repair the gate. If itās in range again next time they drop out, they might be able to gate back to it.
Gloria tells Rush heās missing things. Making mistakes, but when he ignores her, she suddenly becomes Doctor Franklin. So thatās interesting.
Franklin is telling Rush things that he hasnāt noticed, which means he is more than simply a manifestation of Rushās own mind. Heās separate.
That is fascinating, but what he reveals is of concern. The super-rotation in the planetās atmosphere will cause some nast turbulence. Theoretically, the shuttle should handle it, but then, it is millions of years old.
Just as they think theyāre okay, the engines just cut out and they crash, essentially falling out of the sky. Itās a thrilling sequence. It looks visually spectacular for its time and itās pretty suspenseful.
Rileyās legs are pinned, and he canāt feel them.
The shuttle isnāt in good shape. If they canāt find the gate and repair it, theyāll be stranded on this planet forever.
Moving Riley could be dangerous for him, but if they donāt eventually, they wonāt be able to get him to the gate. But when they try to move him they discover the metal is cutting off circulation to a wound. Even if they could get him out, heād likely bleed to death.
Rush has really messed up this time. Heās not operating at his usual level and it could cost a bunch of people their lives.
The reason he says heās keeping the bridge a secret is because the others wonāt know what theyāre doing. But heās proving to be pretty inept himself at the moment. He really just needs to bring others into this. Keeping his discovery a secret could get everyone killed.
..And now the Lucian Alliance are rioting.
And Destiny has just jumped. Soā¦ that five hours went quickly. Theyāve basically done nothing. I suppose they spent all that time trying to walk to the gate.
There is still some hope that the planet might still be in range next time it drops out of FTL, but thereās no guarantee.
Greer has found the gate, but itās buried under a whole lot of rock.
Rush thinks that Gloria and Franklin are either hallucinations, because heās losing his mind, or theyāre the ship trying to communicate with him.
But they actually serve an important narrative job. With Rush keeping this to himself, heās got nobody to talk to.
Now in a book, you can have internal monologue, but that doesnāt work on TV. Stories are primarily told through dialogue, and that means he needs another character to converse with.
Once at FTL, the ship needs to run for 4 hours. After that, Rush can stop it again, assuming he can think of an explanation again. But that will be his last shot to save the crew on the planet.
So why keep it a secret? Why not bring others in? Gloria is asking the right questions.
And Rushās answer shows that heās still not trusting Young. Young is mentally unstable. Young is not fit to lead the mission. Young allowed the Lucian Alliance on board.
Yes, Young is imperfect and makes mistakes, but Rush is making a bigger mistake right now. Honestly, he needs to get over this thing he has with Young or it might just kill everyone.
TJ and Riley have a great character scene together. As he faces the likelihood of his impending death, his thoughts turn to the spiritual, which often happens. His mother was Anglican, but his father didnāt believe. He was never very spiritual himself, but now heās asking questions. He asks TJ what she believes.
She isnāt sure, but her recent experiences have got her wondering. Theyāve seen some amazing things out here they canāt explain.
She reveals her experience on the faith planet with her baby. Something sheās not told anyone else.
After the recent riot, Young has made his decision. The next viable planet they find, the Lucian Alliance people will be left there.
Telford has used the stones to speak with Stargate Command. Young is ordered to keep some key Lucian Alliance people on board. If he doesnāt obey, Telford might relieve him.
Young asks a good question. Has he earned the trust of the people on the ship enough that they would follow him rather than Young? Iām not sure. I think most of them would be very torn between their loyalty to Young, and their loyalty to Stargate Command.
Digging the gate out could take weeks, so they take the risky move of blasting it out. This could damage the gate, or worse, ignite it, which could take out half the planet.
Rush has dropped them out of FTL. The planet is still in range, but still locked out. The thing that puzzles Brody is that there are no other planets in range and itās only been 3 hours. So why did it drop out?
Rush has another excuse. Itās damage to the engine from the recent pulsar causing them to drop out at shorter intervals. You can tell from Youngās facial expression that heās not buying it for a second. Rush is up to something.
Theyāre going to try to override the lockout and dial anyway. Itās a longshot.
But, theyāve managed to unearth the gate, so it works. They establish a wormhole!
Iāve never seen Rush so relieved.
But what about TJ and Riley?
Young goes to see Riley. Itās a difficult conversation. Young reassured Riley that heās a good man. None of this was his fault.
Then Riley asks for help. Heās in pain.
What he wants is a quick merciful death.
Wow. Thatās heavy.
So young suffocates him.
Honestly, I canāt imagine that would be a particularly nice way to go. But I guess it was quicker than waiting to bleed out slowly.
What do I say about this? Itās a difficult moral issue, and I donāt have all the answers.
What I can tell you is that it hit me harder this time around. Because Iāve gotten to know Riley as a character a bit more. Heās not just some no-name redshirt. Heās a significant character on the show. And how heās dead.
And Iām sorry to have to say it, but his blood is on Rushās hands.
Rush tries to justify it, but he knows that all of this was his fault.
And thereās something else. He says heās found that this ship was named Destiny for a reason.
Most of the Lucian Alliance have been left on the planet to fend for themselves. I wonder what will become of them. Will they all die? Will they become the founders of a new human civilisation in this distant galaxy?
Meanwhile, the conflict between Earth and the Lucian Alliance back in the Milky Way is heating up, and there are fears that they may attack Earth.
Some of those who remain on board are Ginn, Varro and Simeon.
Young is not okay. While the others toast Riley in the mess hall, Young drinks alone in his quarters with tears streaming down his face.
And thatās okay.
Then something pops up on one of the monitors, and Destiny drops out of FTL.
Thereās an object out there coming into range.
Whatever it is, theyāre heading straight for it.
Weāll find out what that object is next time, when we talk about the episode Awakening. It should be pretty cool.
Donāt forget, you can find my original works of science fiction, including the Jewel of The Stars series, at AdamDavidCollings.com/books
Have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
Today we begin season 2 on our Stargate Universe podcast. This season opens with the episode "Intervention". Destiny is now under the control of the Lucian Alliance, but while TJ fights for her life in the medical bay, she finds herself, and her baby, transported to the mysterious alien planet from last season's episode "Faith".
Let's dig in and see how this ongoing plot from last season resolves.
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Transcript Last season, we left off with Colonel Young surrendering his crew to Lucian Alliance invaders who had come through the gate from an Icarus-style planet in the Milky Way galaxy and taken over the ship. The only way to save the crew from dangerous radiation levels from a binary pulsar was to give control of the ship to Kiva, the evil leader of the invaders.
Eli was rushing to open a hatch so Scott and Greer could get inside from out on the hull of the ship.
As is customary, we have a new prologue thing. It changes every half-season, so weāll get another new one halfway through season 2.
This one highlights the conflict between Young and Rush, the problems with the blue aliens last season, the mysterious planet from the episode Faith, where TJ wanted to stay and raise her baby, and the recent events with the Lucian Alliance.
The episode begins with TJ waking up in a log cabin on that planet. The faith planet.
She feels her belly. Sheās not pregnant, but she hears the cry of a baby.
Cain is there in the cabin. He was one of the crew who wanted to stay on the planet. He believed that the aliens who built the planet put it there specifically for the crew of Destiny, and that they had a plan.
So we have confirmation that Cain and some others did indeed remain behind on the planet. But Destiny left that planet, left that entire galaxy.
Cain says that for the aliens that could make a planet, a little intergalactic transport is nothing.
TJ asks āare you saying they brought me here?ā
āWell, youāre here, arenāt you?ā Cain replies.
So there he goes again, making assumptions. As I pointed out back in the episode Faith, last season, Cainās faith has no basis. Faith is believing in what you canāt see, but you actually have to have something to believe in. Cain just believes in things that essentially come out of his own imagination.
TJ canāt imagine how or why she is there, but it seems that both she and the baby are safe.
Back on Destiny, Eli gets to the door and managed to open it. But itās too late. Scott and Greer didnāt make it. We live in that for a few seconds, but then we immediately hear Scottās voice. He had a feeling he wasnāt going to make it to Eliās hatch in time so they headed for the back of the ship and the shields must have protected them.
It seems the Lucian Alliance have a new leader. But Kiva is technically not alive. The bald guy seems more interested in taking control himself than helping her, but one of the others convinces him. Theyāre gonna use the stones to try and get a doctor on board to help her.
Apparently, not everyone in the Lucian Alliance is military. They have civilians too. And that makes sense. They are essentially a society. Humans who had been freed from Goaāuld slavery and wanted to band together to make a new life together. But they were pretty aggressive about the way they went about it. Many of them, presumably their military, wanted to fill the power void left behind by the demise of the system lords.
Eli gets Scott and Greer back inside the ship, and theyāre all surprised to see Chloe walk in. She shouldnāt be able to walk. Last time Eli saw her she was barely conscious. Now her pain is going and her strength has returned. As if by magic. Thatās an interesting mystery.
The countdown has started. That means the ship will soon be able to jump out of this dangerous region of space. But for some reason, Rush doesnāt appear happy about it. What is he hiding?
The doctors have arrived. Four of them. Theyāre working hard on all the wounded. Things are not looking good for Kiva. Thereās a bullet lodged in her liver. The Lucian Alliance guy says it would be in everyoneās best interest if she survived, which sounds suspiciously like a threat, but I think itās more than that. This guy is one of the more reasonable of the invaders. He knows that if Kiva dies, the bald guy is gonna go crazy and kill everyone.
As for TJ, sheās not dead. Not yet. But both she and the baby are in bad condition. They might both die.
So her body is still here on Destiny. Has her mind been transported to the planet, or is she just hallucinating while unconscious?
Whichever it is, she seems very happy here with her baby.
TJ is surprised that Cain and his people have built such a comfortable place. They havenāt had enough time to make all this. Cain agrees. They were still working on lean-tos with dirt floors when the winter was coming. Then one day, they just found these builds, abandoned.
But that doesnāt make sense. They scanned the planet and didnāt find any evidence of settlements.
TJ questions that buildings appear from nowhere and thatās just good enough for Cain. He says without the buildings, they wouldnāt have survived, and thatās good enough for him.
And I get that. Iād be grateful for the shelter no matter where it came from, but it wouldnāt stop me wanting to know how it got there. Curiosity would drive me to know more.
TJ is thinking this all through logically. Why was she brought here? Not just because she was wounded. There were many other wounded on the ship. Why would she be singled out?
Iād forgotten this whole thing happens so early in the season. I knew it was coming, but didnāt remember that it was in the very first episode.
Cain assumes the aliens were scanning them all from the moment they first step foot on the planet. They knew TJ was pregnant. He thinks that saved her because she was bleeding out on the floor. She and he baby would have died if the aliens hadnāt intervened.
So problem. Kiva is officially dead. Iām not going to shed any tears, but everyone needs to be worried about what the Lucian Alliance are gonna do next. Especially the bald one.
Scott and Greer have stashed Eli and Chloe somewhere safe and are sneaking around the ship.
That safe place turns out to be the lab. So theyāre there with Rush and Brody.
Telford managed to transfer some control to Rush. He is currently slowly transferring power away from the shields. The same shields that are keeping them alive. He says heās doing this to prevent the ship from jumping. Which is pretty weird. Surely they want to jump away from here. What is Rushās perspective here?
Rush thinks the pulsar levels the playing field. Itās a danger to the Lucian Alliance as much as the crew. Sooner or later, the bad guys are gonna have to deal with it.
Interesting.
So an interesting thing about this binary pulsar.
The writers needed some kind of spatial phenomenon that would present jeopardy to the crew. Pulsars really are as deadly as portrayed in this episode, except, that cycle very very quickly, like every few milliseconds. If one was slowed down to pulse every 22 minutes, it would not have any devastating power behind it. You wouldnāt even know it was doing anything.
Stargate science consultant, Mike McKinnon, explained on a recent episode of Dial the Gate, which you should watch, by the way, how they invented a way to make it work. They theorised about a pulsar that was almost ready to start...pulsingā¦.but it was in a binary system with another star that had a whole lot of mass that could feed the pulsar. Essentially, the other start would circle around and every 22 minutes, it would get near enough to the pulsar to feed it and make it go crazy. Iām not explaining it as well as she does.
This was a great idea, and it worked. It made scientific sense, and it met the narrative requirements of the story.
The only problem was, it was completely theoretical. No such system had ever been detected in the universe.
The cool thing, though, is that several years later, researchers found a system just like this in the real world. They called it a Black Widow star.
I just think this is such a cool story, and it shows how seriously the people making Stargate Universe took the science. They could have just invented any old nonsense, and most of us would never have even known, but they took the time to come up with something they thought was plausible, and then the universe said, āYep, I have one of those. Here it is.ā
Very cool.
The Lucian Alliance are arguing about what to do next. Bald guy wants to kill everyone. Reasonable guy wants to stick to the original plan of leaving the crew on a habitable world. Bald guyās only reason for wanting to kill everyone is the fact that Kiva is dead. Iām not sure how that logically follows. People on both sides have died. This is war. Seems heās driven solely by emotion, and pretty unstable emotion at that.
But another of their number has a different idea. A young woman who weāll come to know as Ginn. Sheās been on board all this time but I donāt think we actually saw her on-screen in the last two episodes. I might be wrong, but if we did, it would have been a background non-speaking role. Seems unlikely theyād have hired an actor just for that and then give her a major role in this episode.
Anyway, sheās found one planet they can dial from their current position. Itās locked out, probably because itās at the extreme limit of their range, but she can override that. If the planet turns out to be viable, they could send all of the destiny crew (Except for the doctors, who are still working) to the planet.
Reasonable Guy wants to keep TJ. She could be useful and moving her in her condition would kill her.
It seems Scott and Greer were listening in on this conversation.
TJ wants to know how Cain can have any knowledge of whatās happening onboard Destiny. Cain canāt explain. But he believes the knowledge came from the aliens.
And by the way, TJās baby is a girl.
Telford is alive. Heās just woken up. The bad guys still think heās one of them.
Although I think Reasonable Guy is sceptical.
Heās already decided the planet is viable. Young says he canāt possibly have had time to determine long-term viability. This is a death sentence.
But they donāt have a choice.
The crew are ushered through the stargate.
Young is the last to go, taking one last look at his ship, the ship that has been taken from him.
The planet looks bleak. Cold and dark.
And thereās a storm coming.
But Scott, Greer, Rush, Brody, Eli and Chloe are still on board.
So thereās still hope.
Except most of them have just been discovered.
Ginn canāt figure out why the countdown has stopped.
Bald Guy nearly kills Ginn because he doesnāt like the answers she gives, or rather canāt give.
Thatās how he treats his own people.
Scott and Greer arrive just in time to rescue Rush and the others.
Rush tells the invaders that he will keep diverting power from the shields until they lay down their weapons. He claims he and the others are willing to die to prevent the Lucian Alliance from getting their hands on the ship.
A bluff if ever I heard one. Rush isnāt going to die for any principles. Worst case scenario, heāll try to work with these people simply so he can continue studying the secrets of Destiny.
Iām not saying heād betray his friends, but heās no martyr.
Bald Guy is officially taking command of the Lucian Alliance. āAnybody have objections?ā Nobody speaks up. Even Reasonable Guy.
Rush thinks the crew are better off on the planet, because theyāre out of range of the pulsar. But that only makes sense if the rest of them can survive and defeat the invaders so they can bring them back on board.
Bald Guy has sent Reasonable Guy and his followers to the planet along with Young and his people. So thatās an interesting turn.
Young has zero interest in seeing these people as allies, but Reasonable Guy says theyāre there because he stood up for Young. And thatās absolutely true.
Anyway, it seems like Lieutenant James has found shelter. So thatās good.
Scott and Greer have taken sickbay. The stones connections have been severed. Camille is herself again. The others who served host to the doctors are somewhere else.
Camille confirms TJ is going to make it. But the baby isnāt. IT may already be dead.
And that sucks.
But great acting from Ming Na as she breaks down and cries over this. Camille is a very strong character who doesnāt readily expose any vulnerability. But this is the death of a baby. Nobody with a heart could fail to be broken by that.
Cain has taken TJ outside to see some glowing lights in the sky. A little like an aurora, but bigger, brighter and more impressive. It looks kinda like a glowing nebula.
It appeared last night just before TJ did.
Nobody knows what it is or what it means.
Cain expresses his gratitude to TJ. If she hadnāt returned with Young, nobody would have been allowed to stay on the planet. They all owe her for that.
He thinks thatās why the aliens saved her daughter and brought her here.
But then he says that only the baby can stay. TJ will not be allowed to remain because āshe made her choice.ā
But Cain has just acknowledged that TJ never wanted to leave, and he doing so helped all of them.
TJ is devastated. She doesnāt want to go back. Sheās finally got her chance to be here on the planet.
Apparently, the aliens have told Cain all of this.
Rush is playing a hard and dangerous game. But heās probably right.
It seems that Ginn is Eliās opposite, on the other side. Sheās the brains behind Bald Guyās brawn.
Telfordās familiarity with Rush helps to convince Bald Guy. Telford knows Rush is a coward and wouldnāt sacrifice himself. He also knows that Rush would be willing to sacrifice his own people. Just not himself.
Eli makes a good point. Bald Guy is nuts you canāt reason with a person like that.
Telford argues against Bald Guy. In the end, Ginn is convinced. She shoots him. She calls Rush and surrenders. Theyāll comply with his demands.
It looks like the good guys have re-taken the ship.
TJ doesnāt want to leave. She wants to be on this planet, but most of all, she wants to be with her daughter, who she has named Carmen, wherever they are.
Cain warns her that nobody on the ship will understand. They wonāt believe that she was ever here, because what theyāve seen is different. Remember, her body is still lying on a bed in sickbay.
And with that, she wakes up. Back on the ship.
āHow long was I off the ship?ā she asks. Camille tells her she was here the whole time. Then she breaks the news that her baby died.
What they have seen is different.
The rest of the crew have been brought back on board the ship from the planet.
There are still some Lucian Alliance on the ship, including those exiled with Reasonable Guy.
For now, Young is going to put them all together. In lock-up, presumably.
Scott tells Young that most of the credit for saving the ship goes to Rush. And heās right about that.
Weāve set up an interesting new status quo for season 2. We have a bunch of prisoners on board, people we are going to have to learn to live with, but will find it very difficult to trust.
Young goes to see TJ. Remember, this wasnāt just TJās child. It was Youngās child as well. Heās lost a daughter too.
Itās a painful moment.
We still have the mystery of Chloeās miraculous healing from her bullet wound.
Not to mention the weird dissolving man from two episodes ago.
Destiny has only made a short jump. Theyāve dropped out where they were supposed to drop out all along.
The ship is safe and back to normal.
TJ doesnāt look like a woman whoās lost her daughter, and thatās because she believes her daughter is alive and well on the planet.
But what are we really to make of all of this?
Neither TJ nor Carmen were ever bodily on the planet. Their bodies were on board Destiny the whole time.
So if they now have a dead babyās body, in what sense is the baby on the planet? Did the aliens manufacture a new body for her? Maybe transfer her mind, and her soul into that body? Creating a new body would probably be within their established abilities. Mind transfer, possibly as well. As for the soul, well, that all depends on what you believe. Many people believe that the body and the mind are all there is.
So was any of it real, or was it all a dream TJ was having?
She has no evidence to support it. Only her belief.
Her faith.
That is, until she sees the nebula. The shining lights, exactly like she saw on the planet, here where Destiny has dropped out of FTL.
She couldnāt have possibly known what that nebula looked like before this moment. That is some hard evidence that what she experienced was more than a dream. That it was, in some way, real.
But itās not evidence that can sway anybody else, because nobody else saw it. Itās internal evidence, but it doesnāt really help her prove anything.
In an interesting way, TJās faith is significantly more grounded than Cainās was back in season 1. She has something tangible, a foundation for her faith to sit on. She believes what she believes because of what she saw and heard, and because of the evidence of the nebula.
Cain had none of that. He was just making up stuff. Ironically, despite that, he may have been right in some of his beliefs. It does appear that the aliens are aware of the Destiny crew and have taken an interest in them.
Back in the episode Faith, Cain had no basis for believing that, but now, TJ does.
Itās all very interesting.
I am absolutely convinced that we would have continued to see more of Cain, Carmen and the faith planet in future seasons. This was clearly being set up as a long-term story element. I canāt help but wonder how much the writers had figured out in their heads already. What does Brad Wright know about the mysterious aliens who made the planet? And might he reveal some of it if his new show ever gets made?
I live in hope, and, dare I say, faith.
So thatās what I have for you this time.
Next time, weāre looking at the episode, Aftermath. I always like it when these big moments get subsequent episodes that deal with the aftermath. Iāve talked about how hard the writers of Star Trek The Next Generation had to fight to get their aftermath episode following The Best of Both Worlds.
Aftermath will also introduce an exciting new element into the show, which Iām looking forward to talking about.
Iāll catch you then.
In the meantime, you can find my original works of science fiction by going to AdamDavidCollings.com/books
Iād encourage you to check them out.
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In the second half of Zack Snyder's Justice League, the heroes attempt to bring Superman back from the dead using the alien "change machine" that is the mother box. Thy must confront Steppenwolf in his lair and come face to face with Darkseid. I delve deep into this movie, talking about the story and themes, and even share my thoughts on Jared Leto's Joker. Thins concludes my analysis of the Snyder Cut.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 71 of the podcast.
Today, weāre continuing our coverage of Zack Snyderās Justice League.
We pick up at the beginning of the second disc with
Part 5
All the Kingās Horses
With good reason to revive him, and a solid way to do it, they dig up Clarkās body.
Dianna is amazed to find herself working with an Atlantean, or at least, a half Atlantean. Itās been thousands of years since their people have spoken. I think she also mentions that actively fought a war with one another. Iād love to know the history of this. What was their conflict about? What precipitated it and how was it resolved? Did this war take place before the Atlanteans went below the ocean, or before?
Arthur says he hates the Atlanteans as much as the amazons do. Admittedly, he doesnāt know much about them. Right now, to him, theyāre just the people who killed his mother.
But Dianna and Arthur discover that both of their people have a common saying.
Atlantis and Thymascyra both have a saying.
āNone are taken back from the darkness. Not without giving up one in return.ā
Well, thatās some common ground. But more than that, to me, it suggests a shared history, perhaps a time when these two powerful races tried to cheat death and it went horribly wrong.
And we get confirmation of Diannaās age, which Iāve been wondering for some time. 5,000. This means that Zeus created her around 3000 BC. This was the beginning of what is called the Helladic period in Greece. It was also the bronze age. It was around this time when construction of StoneHenge began. The ancient city of Troy was founded around this time, which is famous in Greek mythology. So this was the time, in the DC universe, when the Greek gods, whatever they were, were walking the Earth. The time of Darkseidās invasion of earth also seems to be dated at 3,000 BC, which makes me think that Zeus made the decision to create the āgod killerā, that is, Wonder Woman, in response to the invasion from Darkseid and his ānew godsā. Weāre told in the Wonder Woman movie that she was created to destroy Ares, but I suspect Darkseid had at least something to do with it as well.
We also learn that Barry is interested in Dianna. Which isnāt overly surprising, considering heās a young man and sheās an attractive woman. But given their multi-milennia age difference, I donāt think theyāre overly compatible.
So Bruceās plan is to take Supermanās body to the Kryptonian scout ship and use the mother box.
Lex Luthor also tried to revive a dead Kryptonian in the genesis chamber of that ship, and we know how that turned out. What could possibly go wrong?
Alfred is skeptical about this. Perhaps even against it.
āYou did it,ā he says. āYou put the team together to fight the war. You have fulfilled your promise. But to do this. Your guilt has overcome your reason.ā
And then he makes reference to that line from humpty dumpty. All the kingās horses. And we all know how it goes. They couldnāt put him back together again. What makes Bruce think he can put Superman back together again?ā
And this is when we get a very interesting line from Bruce. āIām acting on faith. Not reason.ā
This is a bit of a theme with Bruceās character in this movie. Bruce is learning to adopt a mindset of faith. Itās the only way he can see out of this whole situation. And the movie portrays this in a generally positive light. You donāt often see that. I kinda liked that.
Of course, faith doesnāt always mean an absence of reason. Those two generally work best together. But Bruce isnāt operating out of a blind faith without reason. Heās actually got a well-reasoned argument about why he can and should attempt this. But reason alone canāt give him a definitive answer as to whether itās the right call. To go that extra step, heās going to have to rely on faith.
And then Alfred says āIf you canāt bring down the charging bull, donāt wave the rep cape at it.ā
And thatās an interesting line. I think Alfred is concerned that bringing Superman into the equation might make things worse. It will introduce an uncertain element into the whole situation.
But Bruce counters with āThis red cape charges back.ā
Which is also true. Thatās why they want to do this, because Superman may be the only one strong enough to actually defeat Steppenwolf.
āYes, but what if it doesnāt work?ā Alfred asks. There is danger in this.
Alfred sounds a legitimate caution here.
Itās a wonderful exchange between two people expressing valid points of view.
Alfredās dialog is so good in this version. The whole exchange is so much better than the equivalent scene in the theatrical cut.
All of Alfredās dialog is infinitely better in this version of the movie.
Some cool music as they get ready to put their plan into action.
This is a good midpoint. Weāre seeing some very solid story structure here.
The protagonists are no longer just reacting to all that has happened since Steppenwolf arrived in Themyscira. Now, theyāre actively going on offensive with a plan. This is the turning point that makes the middle of a story feel satisfying. It re-energises us for the second half.
The first step of their plan involves breaking into the scout ship, which is under very strict controls by the US military.
Barry tries to play the part of a military officer driving the truck, but nearly blows it with his āaye ayeā. And then his card doesnāt work.
Cyborg fixes it with his magical hacking abilities, but they were very lucky to have gotten in.
Especially when Barry is surprised to get admitted.
Honestly, they should probably have been detained for further investigation.
Silas has just been released from quarantine, having been exposed to aliens and their technology.
Now he has a plan as well. He knows the aliens out there are after the box. Heās gonna do something about it.
Victor creates a false bio hazard to clear the entire facility.
Silas knows itās a false alarm. But in a situation like this, you donāt take chances. Iāve been a fire warden in the past. When you have an alarm. You ALWAYS treat it as if itās real.
The Justice League break in. All suited up.
Silas confirms the alarm was false. He knows it was a hack.
Then he sees the justice league. His son, centre among them.
He knows victor was the one who hacked in.
So he changes his tune. He doesnāt know what his son is up to, but itās his son. Thereās an inherent trust there. This is another example of faith. The value of faith is all about what, or who, youāre putting your faith in. Silas knows and loves his son, so heās willing to trust him, even without knowing what Victor is up to. He lets him do what heās doing.
Thereās a little nod of appreciation between them. Itās very subtle, and yet so powerful. Just that little move of the head evokes a lot of emotion in me.
There are dead bodies in sleep chambers on the scout ship. Ancient kryptonian space explorers. What Iād give to know their stories. The ship knows Clark is here. Different suits open up for him to make use of.
Arthur is hesitant about this.
We donāt get the Man of Steel theme here, as we did in the theatrical cut, but weāve had it other places.
Itās early morning and Lois wakes up. Thereās that little moment when she realises anew that sheās alone. That must be heartbreaking.
Here we get the quiet Man of Steel music. Not the Superman / Krypton theme. A different music. The piece they play on the piano. I think of it as the emotional music. It was often used thematically for Clarkās relationship with his earthly parents, or with Lois. Itās very fitting here.
Lois pulls out her press pass. Sheās going to get on with her life.
But we see a pregnancy test.
So...is she pregnant? We donāt see the result, but I believe that Zack Snyder has confirmed that yes, Lois is pregnant. Ultimately, youāre not likely to keep a negative pregnancy test in your drawer, right? You throw it in the bin.
Thereās a photo of Jonathan in Clarkās coffin. Thatās a nice touch.
Itās fitting that heās here with his son at this moment, saying goodbye, as the son goes back and the father moves forward.
Interestingly, there was a scene in the comics that played out the opposite. Jonathan was having a heart attack. He had a touching moment with Clark, who was heading off into the afterlife, while Jonathan was pulled back into the land of the living by his doctors.
Should Clarkās body have started to decompose by now? Iām not sure. How quickly does a human body decay? If he were human, he probably should look pretty gross right now, but heās not. Thereās something about his body here on earth that wonāt quite give up.
Luthorās experiment damaged the systems. Thereās not enough power left in the genesis chamber to activate the mother box.
I was surprised that they included this scene with flash running past to wake the box with electrical charge. I had assumed, back in the day, that this was a Whedon addition.
But even this moment seems more meaningful, because it shows that Barry can do funny things to time. That will become important later on.
Lois gets her normal coffee.
She tells the policeman that sheās here one last time. Sheās later than normal.
This is her final goodbye. Sheās letting go, and moving on.
It doesnāt mean sheāll never come to Supermanās monument again, but sheās no longer going to make it a daily routine. Sheās going to stop existing in her grief and start living her life again.
Itās interesting that she finally manages to do this just before getting Clark back again.
Iām not sure the whole box drop thing makes a lot of sense. How does one operate the change machine and tell it what you want it to do? It must have some kind of user-interface. We know it has something of a mind of its own, but they are using it to do something very specific. How are they feeding it instructions? Thereās gotta be more to it than just letting it touch the water that Clark is in.
I kind of wish theyād explored all of this a bit more. Thereās a complex interaction between the genesis chamber and the mother box in order to bring Clark back to life, but we really donāt understand how it all works.
Interestingly, this means that Darkseidās race have the technology to bring back the dead. But maybe it can only do this in combination with kryptonian tech.
As Barry runs at super speed, somebody has a vision. Logically, you would think itās Barry having this vision, since heās the one doing the running, but it appears later that itās actually Victor having the vision.
Anyway, things get weird with time, and we see a flash forward into the future.
Dianna is dead.
Darkseid is on earth
But itās not the Earth we know. Itās all been changed.
There are spaceships in the sky.
The Amazons are grieving.
This is when we see Darkseid using his omega beams to kill some Atlanteans.
A lot of fans got very excited when they saw the omega beams in the trailer. I wasnāt familiar enough with Darkseid to understand the significance.
Theyāre basically like Kryptonian heat vision, except they can turn corners. Darkseid can control their vector and re-direct them at will, making them pretty darn scary.
Next, we see Superman in a black suit grieving while holding a skeleton, and darkseid touching his shoulder. Iām going to talk about this at the end, when we get to the epilogue.
We see a Hall of Justice sign broken, and a destroyed landscape.
Itās all very dystopian and clearly is showing a future where Darkseid has won.
The box touches the water, but itās too soon. Theyāve failed. The box isnāt yet powered.
But Barry is doing time whimey stuff.
Time reverses.
The box goes up, as the photo bobs in the water.
Flash touches the box at just the right moment.
Power goes into the box as it touches the water.
The change machine does its thing.
This was a nice little way to add some extra tension to this whole scene. And it again reinforces Barryās ability to reverse time.
I can see why Joss Whedon cut this. Itās an extra complication that you can remove, and the story still works. This is the kind of thing that you might delete when youāre editing a story, trying to shorten it, and looking for non-essential moments you can cut.
And that was the task he was given by Warner Bros. I disagree with Warner Brosā brief, and Iām glad Zack put this back in, but I understand, from Jossās point of view, why he did this. Itās an editing decision. In the writing world, we call it killing your darlings.
Weāre told that the future has taken root in the present. But what does that mean? Does that mean the vision Victor just saw is now going to be an inescapable reality? Very possibly. Because as weāll see, Superman is an essential part of that future.
Outside, water spurts out of the shipās roof. The mother box crashes from the sky onto a car.
Superman is in the sky. Lois sees him. So does the policeman.
He draws his gun. Who is this? It canāt be Superman, heās dead. Therefore, it could be a threat. Lois knows. Sheād know him anywhere. But all the cop ses is a silhouette.
Clark lands at the broken monument.
This scene is another great example of having the same scene in two different movies, but itās playing out so much better in one of them.
Everything here is interpreted differently. Better.
It has better music, better shots, better writing.
Clark looks at the monument, coming to terms with who he is and what happened to him. But heās still not quite himself yet.
The way the battle starts is pretty much the same. Cyborg canāt control his automated defensive systems when Clark scans them.
Clark identifies threats from all of them.
Victor forms a weapon when he senses danger. He canāt control it.
Clark retaliates with heat vision, which Victorās suit can repel.
Clark is confused. He doesnāt know who he is.
This scene plays move dangerously
Diannaās lasso has power over him.
She uses it to help him remember who he is. He uses his strength to get out of it. But I think this has started something. This is what begins the process of him remembering who he really is.
Even the scene when Barry realises that superman is fast like him and can see him running at super speed in real time, plays more creepy than funny in this version. I like it.
I put myself in Barryās shoes and I feel scared as hell in that moment.
This is an awesome fight sequence.
Why didnāt I feel that way in the other version? I think itās a Combination of many factors.
Music, direction, colour grading, just the overall tone of it all.
The military have arrived to try to contain Superman. But of course they canāt.
Batman finally arrives. He canāt get there as quickly as the others . Some nice realism that we also saw in the other version.
Something in Clark recognises Batman. That guy who tried to kill him in another life.
He makes short work of victor who is just a minor obstacle to him.
Theyāre all just minor obstacles.
Maybe except Dianna.
But even she canāt quite compete with his raw strength.
He hovers over Bruce. Itās a dramatic moment.
This time around, there are no stupid jokes making fun of BVS. Man, I hated that!
Lucky Bruce has those kryptonian gauntlets. Itās the only way he survives the heat vision.
He says āClark no. This world needs you.ā
Lois arrives, not because Bruce called him, but because she was nearby already. In the theatrical version, this was the explanation for Barryās āLois Lane is the keyā line in BVS. I always believed this was a retcon, that Zack had something else in mind. And weāll talk about this more later on as well.
When Clark sees Lois, something clicks.
He knows her. He loved her.
And in a way ,that somehow doesnāt feel cheesy, the power of love breaks through his confusion.
He doesnāt remember it all yet, but he knows this feeling. This woman means everything to him. He would never let harm come to her. He is gentle with her. Together the two of them fly off.
Flashās āIām so sorryā is a slightly comedic moment, but unlike the ādefinately bleedingā it makes sense for the character in this situation.
Now we get to the very emotional heart of the movie. This is why Zack said that Cyborg was the heart of his movie.
Silas gets the box and runs into the ship. Remember, he still has his plan.
But Steppenwolf shows up. Heās found the box. Heās coming for it. Silas doesnāt have much time.
This is dramatic, scary and thrilling.
It feels dangerous and scary as Steppenwolf breaks in and enters. Such a huge guy. My son said ālook, itās Satanā
Iād be scared.
This version of Steppenwolf sure is intimidating.
Victor realises what Silas is doing.
He screams āNoā as Silas activates a laser, shooting at the box.
And Silas disintegrates, sacrificing his life for his son.
Man, thereās some powerful emotion in this scene. Victor was just starting to forgive his father, and he loses him.
Remember that saying that the Atlanteans and Amazons share? I wonder if Silas was the one given up in return from bringing back Superman from the darkness.
āI didnāt save him. I couldnāt.ā This actually echoās Supermanās words from 1978ās Superman: The Movie, when he couldnāt save his father. āAll those powers, and I couldnāt save him.ā
Arthur says, āHis father is dead because of us. I told you waking that box was a bad idea.
Whatever returned isnāt superman. His body and powers, but not him.ā
Bruce argues, āIt is him. He recognised Lois Lane.ā
āOnly because she wasnāt afraid of him. That was just instinct.ā
These are all valid opinions, considering evidence.
Now Steppenwolf has all 3 boxes. He can syncronise then and form unity. Once he does that, the planet dies.
Victor realises something.
Silas wasnāt trying to destroy the box. He was trying to superheat it.
He was marking it so that the league could find it in the world. The core of that box is now the hottest thing on earth.
Part 6
Something darker.
Clark and Lois arrive at the Kent farm.
This version lets us see some of Clarkās journey to remembering who he is.
He remembers his childhood house.
The theatrical version didnāt let us see any of this. He recovered off screen. That was terrible.
Lois and Clark get to have some quiet scenes, just talking.
āShe loved it here.ā he says of his mother. He IS remembering.
Family. Who he loves most. Thatās what is in his memory the most.
He loved it here too.
This all makes perfect sense.
We get that emotional music from Man of Steel again.
We See the childhood swing.
Itās a beautiful quiet scene.
Then we get the arrival at the batcave.
Flash is still annoyingly enthusiastic, but nowhere near as annoying as in the theatrical version. This version plays out Much much better.
I love Alfredās reaction to seeing Cyborg.
I love his reaction to seeing all of them.
āWell, Iāll put on the tea,ā he says. What a great reaction.
They find where Steppenwolf is hiding. Nobody will go there. Itās the site of a disaster. But heās absorbed all the radiation to power the boxes.
Victor has a plan. He wants to plug into the unity. Hack into it and break it apart back into 3.
Dianna cautions him. āThe boxes are world destroyers, Billions of years old. Youāll have to stream into the unit. Itāll find your weakness and destroy you.ā
āIāve got nothing left.ā Thatās a hard truth, but it motivates him.
āYou want me to use these gifts right?ā
Barry says we do it, but we gotta get in somehow.
And he says that line we all know from the trailer. āHe would have fought superbeings on the other worlds heās conquered, and we have to assume heās wonā
And Batman says, āHeās never fought us. Not us united.ā
Itās an awesome exchange.
I love how this movie gives all the characters a reason to be in it. An important part in the plan. Especially Victor and Flash, who had no real reason to exist in the theatrical cut at all.
Clark notices the engagement ring on Loisās finger. āIāll take that as a yes,ā he says.
Heās fully back now. Standing in the early morning sun in the corn field.
So I guess theyāre engaged. Woohoo.
I love how she put on the ring after he died, accepting his proposal in her heart, even though he was gone.
āIāve got a second chance Lo. Iām not gonna waste it.ā
Clarkās hope is restored. He nearly lost it in Batman V Superman, with all that Lex put him through. But now we pay that off. Thatās how story arcs work.
A ute pulls up. Itās Martha. The real Martha arrives.
Imagine this moment. Your son, who was dead, is alive again. Imagine seeing him for the first time.
I canāt help but get Mary and Jesus vibes from this. The Bible doesnāt exactly show the moment of their reunion, but we know it would have happened, as sheās among the disciples at the beginning of the books of Acts. Just imagine the emotion of that moment. It would be too good to be true. And yet it is. I canāt even imagine that feeling.
Clark says āthey wanted me back for a reason. I Have to find out why.ā
He wants to stay here with his loved ones, but has to help.
Dianna and Bruce have a fascinating exchange.
He admits he had a dream - a vision of the future.
It was the end of the world. Barry Allen was right here. He said āLois Lane is the key.ā
āShe is,ā Dianna says. āTo superman. Every heart has one.ā
Dianna, here, is explaining the Joss Whedon interpretation of that prophecy. Lois was the key to getting Superman to become himself again after reviving.
But Bruce doesnāt buy it. āNo. I think itās something more. Something darker.ā This line almost feels like a poke at joss version. I wonder if this was one of the re-shot scenes. It proves that Zack had more in mind for that whole thing than what we saw in the theatrical cut.
Victor has the troop carrier plane working. Just like he said he could.
Alfred had said earlier that there was no chance in hell they could get it flying. Which just shows Victorās incredible power over technology.
Itās a cool looking thing.
They get in. They have a good reason to go to Stepppenwolfās lair in this version.
Bruce says to Alfred, āHeāll be here, I know it.ā
Obviously talking about Superman.
āWhat makes you think so?ā Alfred asks.
āFaith, Alfred.ā
I love the continuing focus on faith in Bruceās arc here.
In this case, I think Bruce has some reason to have faith in Superman, because he knows Supermanās character. Heās seen it.
We see Steppenwolf combining the boxes into the unity.
Itās time to prepare for his arrival. He says āMy redemption is nigh.ā
The boxes are fusing together. The unity is coming. Thereās not much time.
And then, itās done. The unity has been formed. The amazons see it.
All over the world itās seen and heard
Iām not sure of the logistics of that, but itās cool.
So hereās the plan
First, Batman needs to take out the tower. Then, the defensive dome will fall. With the dome down, they can get to unity. Barry will make a power surge from running fast. Heāll make physical contact with Victor. That should propel him into the unity.
Again, Iām not sure how they came up with all this.
Clark is back in the scout ship. Searching for answers.
We hear clips of his fatherās voice. Jor-el. He talks of hope. Goodness. Kal-el was sent here for a reason. And Jonathan too. Motivating words from both his fathers. When you hear all these soundbites together, you realise just how positive and inspirational Man of Steel actually was. A lot of people just donāt see that.
Various suits emerge for him to choose from.
In a sense, this is the moment Clark fully and truly becomes Superman.
All this time, heās been trying to find himself, to understand who and what he is. Heās been trying to live up to the expectations of two fathers, and those of the world.
But heās been through the fire. Now he truly understands how to be a symbol of hope.
And he emerges in the black suit.
I Love it.
It was important to see Superman in the black suit after he rose from the dead. Itās an important link to what is arguably the most iconic story from all of DC comics.
But why did he choose this suit?
In the comic, the black suit had a practical purpose.
Not so much here. Itās a nice callback to the comics, but would have been nice to give a reason.
And now, we hear Jor-El and Jonathan saying new things. These are not clips from previous movies. This is new dialog. And it fruits beautifully with Supermanās new sense of hope.
We get a full on rendition of the Superman theme from Man of Steel. Itās such an awesome scene. A very emotional pay-off to the last two movies. I Love it as a big Man of Steel fan.
The Justice League prepares for battle as hard rock music plays.
Thankfully, there are no stupid gags about Arthur sitting on the lasoo this time around.
Thereās a great shot of them walking out of the plane.
Bruce drops the others off to do their bit. Heās gonna take down the tower with the planeās weapons.
He manages to blast his way through the forcefield. Once in, he takes out the tower with missiles. The forcefield dome is down.
Steppenwolf sends the parademons to defend the unity.
Bruce, Dianna and Arthur are here to get Barry and victor to the unity.
Bruce takes the batmobile out of the plane. Armed with machine guns. I Love it. Thatās the batman we need in this story.
The Parademons are shooting lasters. The theatrical version added a red sky for some reason. Doesnāt make sense now the dome is down.
Bruce canāt win this fight alone against the parademons. He needs the rest of the league to help him.
This cut of the film still has the silly scene with Arthur standing on the Batmobile and then flying into the air. I really wasnāt expecting to see this sequence in the Snyder Cut.
It plays a bit better because the music makes it feel more serious.
But it still comes across as silly to me.
I still donāt like his cry of joy. Heās having too much fun for the situation heās in.
And him sky surfing the body of a parademon is also silly.
Arthur canāt fly. Heās way too comfortable up in the sky.
But, it still plays better than in the theatrical cut.
I find myself more forgiving of it because of the rest of the awesomeness and overall tone
We cut back to Alfred. Superman arrives in the black suit.
āIām assuming youāre Alfred.ā
āMaster Kent. He said youād come. Now letās hope youāre not too late.ā
Afred can fill him in on the details. Where he needs to be and what he needs to do.
The league have gotten through the parademons. Now theyāre in the chamber with Steppenwolf.
Iām not sure what the shockwave thing is that happens when Arthur plunges his trident into the ground. Thereās a lot of random magic associated with melee weapons in this movie. Itās all very loosey-goosey. I donāt mind magic, in fact, I like magic, but I prefer a hard magic system. Something that has understandable rules, cause and effect.
Steppenwolf tries to play mind games with Dianna. And I like this. His power isnāt just all brute strength. He uses his mind to attack Dianna psychologically. Probably because he knows sheās the one among them that can come close to threatening him physically. āYou betrayed your sisters. You werenāt there to protect them from me and sadly you could have.ā
Thatās gotta hurt. Because itās true.
Dianna is the most powerful of her people.
Sheās the god killer, and Steppenwolf sees himself as a god. Heās like the old gods, Zeus and Ares. Dianna was created to defeat beings like him.
But she was off in Paris.
Victor is in position and Barry is building up speed to āpushā victor into the unity.
Not sure it makes sense but itās cool.
These guys are central to the plan in this version. In the previous version, they both might as well have not been there.
But Barry is too late. Before heās built enough speed, Steppenwolf gets to Victor and pulls him away.
Theyāre all fighting him, but clearly struggling against him.
Steppenwolf is still playing mind games. āI watched your island burn. I heard them begging for their lives.ā
Now heās adding lies to the truth to make it seem worse.
Bruce is still outside taking care of the parademons.
Barry is up to speed but has to wait for Victor to be in position. He canāt keep it up much longer. Finally, heās in position, But Steppenwolf arrives again.
āFor Darkseid,ā he says. Heās about to kill Victor with his axe.
Thatās when Superman arrives and stands in the way.
āNot impressed.ā
And man. Superman is awesome in this, like weāve never seen him before.
Heās no joke.
Weāve established how powerful and scary Steppenwolf is.
Now, we show that Superman can stand up to him. Now Steppenwolf is on the defensive.
The axe shatters.
Honestly, I would have been more impressed by the destruction of the axe if I had been impressed by the axe in the first place.
Steppenwolf is no match for superman.
Superman cuts his horn off. I liked that.
Victor is finally ready,
But thatās when the parademon shoots Barry with the laser. Now heās lost all that speed he built up.
This is great. It reminds me of the climax of a Back To The Future movie, where everything keeps going wrong, and keeps you on the edge of your sea.
And Barry is injured. He says he got the wind knocked out of him. But honestly, he needs more than the few seconds he asks for.
Barryās side is on fire.
And then the unity forms. Ah crap
A Wormhole opens to Apocolips. Darkseid watches on.
The unity is fully formed.
Itās too late.
The unity sends out a wave to destroy the Earth and transform it into the apocalyptic future weāve seen. That vision is coming true.
Barryās side heals. He heals quickly because of this super fast metabolism. Or something like that.
He hasnāt given up. This isnāt the first time Barry has failed because he was too late. But thatās not gonna stop him. He just has to go faster than the speed of light.
It IS too late, but Barry is a speedster. He can travel through time.
This is the moment when Barry fulfils his arc. He speaks to his dad. He becomes what his dad always wanted him to be. One of the best of the best. Itās not a huge arc, but itās a heck of a lot more than what we got in the previous version.
The whole thing of him running in space is very poetic. Iām not sure how to interpret it, but heās running ahead of the terraforming wave. The world is being destroyed around him, but he keeps running on.
And so Barry finally gets to be the hero, not just a stupid joke.
Now heās turning back time. We see Superman, Victor, all their bodies re-form.
Very much like Superman turning back time in the 1978 movie, but makes a little more sense here. At least heās not just reversing the direction of the Earthās rotation.
Victor is now in the unity.
But itās messing with him.
It shows him his family. He sees himself without the cyborg parts.
This is what he wanted. To be whole, with living parents.
The unity is trying to tempt him.
Thereās a clear alien intelligence behind and within this unknowable thing.
But Victor fulfills his character arc, when he says āIām not broken. And Iām not alone.ā
This is an interesting statement, because in a way, he is broken. His body has been broken, and there are things that he has lost, that heāll never get back again. But his new situation also gives him other new experiences he never could have had as a pure human.
At the start of the movie, Victor saw his cyborg body as a curse. Dianna tried to convince him to see it as a blessing.
In reality, itās kind of both, but far better to focus on the blessing.
Victor has found the strength of character to reject what the unity is offering.
He pulls apart the boxes. He sees them as living beings. Maybe they are. Itās all very alien and spooky. I love it.
It seems this act requires not only mental strength, which he has, but physical strength as well. Superman helps him break apart the boxes. The unity is unmade.
But the wormhole is still there.
Darkseid watches as Arthur stabs step and sends him through hole.
And at the last moment, Dianna gets her revenge by chopping off his head.
He kinda deserved that
We see how little Darkseid cares about his uncle, As he crushes his skull under foot.
Desaad says āI told you Steppenwolf would fail. Now that the mother boxes have been destroyed. How will you retrieve your great prize?ā
Darkseid says āAnti-life is found and we will stop at nothing to get it. Ready the Armada. we will use the old ways.ā
Soā¦.darkseid is bringing an invasion fleet to earth.
This sets up the promise of even bigger things in the Justice League Sequels that would have been.
Itās fantastic.
Thereās a character seen in the background here called āGranny Goodnessā. This is another one that die-hard comic book fans were very excited to see. I know nothing about her, but after a quick google, it sounds like sheās a potentially interesting character - despite her absurdly ridiculous name.
So...itās over.
The league have saved the world. And we see them all together, superman included, in an awesome heroic pose.
The music swells. Itās very cool. Very heroic. Very hopeful.
I wasnāt actually expecting this. I was half expecting that the league would fail. That Steppenwolf would succeed. That Darkseid would come to Earth and corrupt Superman, and that this movie would end with the creation of the knightmare future, ending on a massive cliffhanger.
Given the unlikelihood that weāll get any sequels to this movie, Iām kinda glad it didnāt go that way, because at least we get something of a satisfying conclusion, but also with the promise that there was more epic story to come.
And that brings us to...
Epilogue
A father Twice Over.
This movie has a very extended epilogue.
Some of it, weāve seen in the theatrical version. Some of it, weāve seen in a very different form, and some is brand new. In fact, I believe most of the new scenes that Zack shot for this cut take place in this epilogue.
I like a good epilogue that gives us some closure for the characters.
So Victor reforms the tape recorder. Thatās a neat trick.
He listens to the words his father wanted to share.
āSpeaking as a fatherā¦.ā he says. This is the bit where Victor tunes out last time.
āI brought you into the world and back into it. You canāt imagine how proud I am. Have always been. I wasted years, so many wrongs Iāve left un-righted.ā
Itās nice to see this closure for Victorās relationship with his Dad. I see them as fully reconciled at this point. Itās just a shame Silas didnāt live to fully see things repaired with his son.
Then thereās a great scene with Arthur. Victorās experience with his dad has inspired Arthur to go see his own father. Itās been a long time. This leads very nicely into the beginning of the Aquaman movie.
Heās still drinking, showing heās still not entirely sure who he is yet, but heās on a journey to figure it out.
Bruce decides to put a big round table in Wayne Manor. With room for more, hinting at a growing Justice League.
Barry shows his dad heās pursuing his real dreams. Heās got a job in a crime lab.
I love his dadās proud laughter.
This time, the scene really hits me in the heart, because we had build up toward it.
Bruce says congratulations to Clark. Implying the pregnancy. So I think we can officially say itās canon.
Victor takes his place as cyborg, but doesnāt change his suit into the cartoon version. He stays with the more alien looking version for the movie. Honestly, that other suit was not necessary. I kinda felt the same way when Arthur finally put on the more traditional suit in the Aquaman movie. Not necessary.
We see Bruce standing on an epic looking machine.
And Dianna holds the arrow. Is she going back to see her people? I suspect so.
And then we see Clark Kent is back. With no explanation. I donāt like this.
The big difficulty with Supermanās death and resurrection is bringing back Clark. How oddly convenient that Clark Kent is unexpectedly alive after all, just after Superman returns from the dead.
The thing is, the comic book explains this quite nicely. And it would have been so easy to do the same thing here. In the comics, Supergirl was not actually a Krpytonian, but a shapeshifter. She took on the appearance of Superman and ādiscoveredā Clark buried in the rubble from the battle with Doomsday. News cameras watched as Superman flew Kent to hospital.
We donāt have Supergirl in this movie universe yet, but we have Martian Manhunter, who could have actually used his shapeshifting powers for something useful to the story here. It seems such a missed opportunity that they didnāt do this.
Anyway, Clark pulls his shirt open, in a very Christopher Reeve kind way, revealing the Black suit. So...we have confirmation heās still wearing the black suit.
Lex Luthor escapes from arkham. Weāve seen this before, in an after-credit scene of the theatrical cut, although this might be slightly extended. The cackling laughter of the stand in tricking the guards is fitting.
During this, we hear the Luther music from BVS
This plays much more dramatic and dangerous.
Now we get deathstrokeās arrival at lexās boat. But this is surprisingly, a completely different scene. The conversation is completely different, which fascinates me.
This isnāt about the formation of a legion of doom.
Deathstroke has offered to kill Batman for free. Itās personal. Something to do with his missing eye.
Lex has a lot to live for, and important things to do, But he wants Batman taken out.
And Lex gives Deathstroke Bruceās name.
Deathstroke is very happy to hear that.
This would have led into the Batman movie that Ben affleck originally planned to star in, and direct. Iām so sad we never got that. Seeing this scene now, It would have been a significant part of the Synder-driven DC extended universe.
Then we get the really new stuff.
Itās another vision of the nightmare future.
Spaceships hover over the desolated landscape. Bruce has the trench coat and goggles like in BVS.
Victor is with him.
So is Mera and Deathstroke
Mera is not happy. She wants violent revenge against someone for what he did to Arthur. So Arthur is dead.
There is a plan and Bruce wants to stick with it, not give in to revenge.
The Flash is here too, looking very much like his dishevelled appearance in Batman V Superman.
Mera asks Batman, who have you ever loved?
Thatās when we hear the laugh. And we know immediately who that is!
The Joker!!!! WOO HOOOOOOO
So, I guess Batmanās arch nemesis is the latest member of this rag-tag Justice League.
Let me just say that I have always liked Jared Letoās Joker. He is extremely underrated. I liked the direction David Ayer took him in Suicide Squad. Weād just come off the Dark Knight Trilogy, which featured the unforgettable performance of Heath Ledger. The way I see it, Ledger and Nolan created the ultimate portrayal of a more traditional-looking Joker. If Ayer had gone a similar route, it would have come across as a cheap copy. Instead, Ayer drastically re-imagined the character, completed with tattoos and dodgy-looking fillings in his teeth. It was new and refreshing. It was different. And I think Leto imbued the character with the spirit of The Joker.
And what Leto and Synder do here only builds on what was done in Suicide Squad and make it even better. His performance here is nothing short of staggering. Itās chilling and creepy. Everything that I want from the Joker.
So the Joker informs Mera that Batman knows what itās like to lose someone he loves. Like a father and mother.
Bruce warns him to be careful.
āHow many can die in your arms, how many dead eyes can you look into before you die inside yourself?ā
He says āYou wonāt kill me, Iām your best friend.ā Which is a very interesting statement, and I think it encapsulates how the Joker views their relationship. The Joker is here to help whatās left of the league.
āYou need me to help you undo this world you created by letting her die. Poor Lois.
How many timelines do you destroy the world because you donāt have the cojones to die yourself?ā
So this explains a lot. Lois Lane is dead. And Bruce allowed her to die, or in some way, failed to save her. This explains Supermanās rage against Bruce in the knightmare vision from BVS. It explains why Superman says to Bruce āShe was my world,ā before killing him.
The Joker gives Bruce a truce. As long as he has the card, theyāre allies.
He talks about how Batman sent a boy wonder to do a manās job. Reminding how he killed robin, which we already knew about from BVS.
But Batman has a comeback. āWhen I held Harley Quinn dying, she begged me with her last breath, that when I kill you, Iāll make it slow.ā Heās going to honour that promise.
That nearly undoes the joker. He still had feelings (twisted as they were) for Harley.
āYouāre good,ā he says. Bruce almost had him. Almost manipulated him like he manipulates Bruce.
One of them, I think it was Deathstroke, asks āStill think it was a good idea bringing him along?ā
I Wonder what they need him for. Itās very telling that things are so separate theyād work with the Joker.
And then the villain arrives. The one theyāve been waiting for. The one Mera wants so desperately to kill for what he did to Arthur.
Their enemy that they want revenge against is none other than Superman.
Superman with red eyes.
This whole concept has been generating controversy for years. I mean, we saw evil Superman back in BVS.
Some find it impossible to accept that Superman would turn to the Dark Side, so to speak, just because of the pain from the death of Lois Lane. Because he is a beacon of all that is good. Heās too good to become evil, even with that grief.
But these people are missing half the story.
Itās not just the death of Lois.
Remember that anti-life equation? Long before this movie even came out, Zack Snyder confirmed that Superman was going to succumb to the anti-life equation. This thing allows Darkseid to bend the will of others.
Itās actually very telling of Supermanās extreme goodness that he was able to resist the anti-life equation. No, it took the death of his beloved wife, Lois, to weaken him so, that he would succumb to the anti-life equation - something that probably anyone else would have succumbed to straight away.
So far from portraying Superman as morally weak, I think this whole thing paints him as incredibly strong, morally. But not infinitely perfect. Because heās still a person.
This is the Superman for me.
Now Bruce wakes up.
This was his vision.
What caused it? We donāt know. I had always assumed that the vision in BVS was caused by The Flash trying to send a message back through time to him.
But there seems to be no outside influence at work here.
But this explains the āsomething darkerā that Bruce was talking about. Now we understand a lot more. Now we know exactly why Lois Lane was the key.
Martian Manhunter arrives to talk.
Bruce sees this green-skinned alien hovering in the air, and just says
āCan I help you?ā
I love that response. Heās seen so much now that nothing much surprises him.
Martian MAnhunter explains that Darkseid is not finished. āAnti life is here somewhere. We Have to find it before he does. War is coming.ā Thereās actually a lot we still donāt know about anti-life. We only know that itās on earth, and that Steppenwolf somehow discovered it.
āIām here to help,ā Martian Manhunter says. Heās finally realised he has a stake in this world and itās time he started fighting for it.ā
Why did it take him so long? I have no idea. He was helping in his own way, as a member of the US military, but not fully using his gifts. Maybe he was afraid to reveal himself, and had to be inspired by Supermanās example.
Of course, this was supposed to be John Stewart Green Lantern, but Warner Bros wouldnāt let Zack use the character, because they thought it would conflict, somehow, with the TV show that Geoff Johns wanted to make. Doesnāt make a lot of sense to me, but whatever.
Anyway, he acknowledges that the heroes wouldnāt have come together without Bruce.
His parents would have been proud.
The movie ends as Martian Manhunter says heāll be in touch, and flies away.
And then we get those special words appear on screen.
FOR AUTUMN
This movie was dedicated to the beloved daughter that Zack lost while he was making it.
And as the credits roll, we hear the song Hallelujah, sung by a female vocalist.
This was Autumn's favourite song, and this arrangement, I believe, was performed at her funeral.
The performance of this song is heart-wrenching. Especially given the connection it has to Autumn. I sat through the whole song and it moved me powerfully.
Thereās one moment when all the music stops, and itās just the singer. And sheās singing with such emotion, well I donāt have any words for it.
But I thought this was a beautiful way to end the film.
In a way, Zack Snyder films are all about showing us how in real life, joy and pain go hand in hand. He understands that because heās lived it. And despite it all, he still comes across as a pretty positive guy.
So that was Zack Snyderās Justice League.
I loved this movie, and found it a fitting book-end for Man of Steel and Batman V Superman.
Iām fully in support of the Restore The Snyderverse movement, although it seems Warner Bros has absolutely no interest.
There has been talk of continuing the Snyderverse in comic book form. Iād certainly pay for that.
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this movie. There sure were a lot of them.
Next time, we return to Stargate Universe, where weāll begin the second and final season of the show.
I look forward to seeing you then.
Live long and Prosper. Make it so.
Today, we're doing a Snyder Cut Review. Zack Snyder's Justice League was the movie we never thought we would get. It was a massive blessing to get to see the movie as it was originally intended, and boy was it a great experience. Zack Snyder brings his unique visual style and sense of story-telling, combined with Chris Terrio's awesome script.
In this podcast, we delve deep and see what gems we can mine out of this amazing movie.
The final episode of Stargate Universe Season 1 is here. In this episode, the crew fight against an invading force who are trying to take control of the ship. How will it all end?
In the second-last episode of Stargate Universe season 1, The Lucian Alliance invade Destiny. But it's going to mean some hard decisions. Is he up for the task? Let's dig in to the episode and find out.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 68 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the episode Incursion Part 1.
The description on gateworld reads
The Lucian Alliance manages to board Destiny, taking several crew members hostage in a bid to wrestle control of the ship.
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
It was directed by Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 4th of July 2010.
We begin with the battle of the orders.
Camille orders Brody to let the atmosphere back in. Otherwise heās participating in the death of both Telford and Rush.
Young tells him to disregard what Camille says, which he does.
When Telford starts gasping, Scott says āYouāve made your point.ā Young says heās not trying to make a point.
The air is evacuated. Telford gasps until he canāt gasp any more.
Camille is horrified. Young has just killed him.
Scott is pretty horrified as well. Greer just watches on stony-faced, clearly hiding a lot of emotions.
After a moment that must feel like an eternity, Young orders Brody to open the door. Young runs in and performs CPR, clearly hoping desperately to revive Telford.
When he does fortunately wake up, he gasps out āTheyāre coming.ā
So what are we to take from all of this?
It seems that Young was hoping that a near-death experience would flush out the Goaāuld brainwashing and restore Telford to his right mind. Thatās what appears to have happened.
But he could have shared that with the group. He should have shared that with the group.
In a military hierarchy, there are times when soldiers have to be expected to follow difficult orders, even when they donāt understand them. Thatās part of military life. But I doubt that kind of thing extended to this apparent willful murder of Telford. Even if he just said āI have a plan here. Trust me.ā Heās lucky Scott didnāt mutiny over what he would have reasonably assumed to be an illegal order.
But Iām no expert on the military, so maybe there are things at play here I donāt understand.
But Brody and Camille are not military. And like it or not, theyāre involved. Brody is the one being asked to push the button. Camille is right when she says that Young is making him an accessory to murder. And sometimes, civilians need a little more context.Brody is not sworn to obey orders from an officer.
Young is really lucky that Brody didnāt cave and open the door. Heās really lucky that Eli didnāt intervene. I know it adds some dramatic tension, but I really feel that Young should have explained himself, at least a little. Because what we get here is basically cheap tension. The characters holding back from putting a stop to this for no other reason than because the script says they donāt.
The mind control technology weāre probably talking about here is Nishāta, a biological compound used to influence and control people. The hold of Nishāta on a person can be broken with a severe electric shock, like a blast from a Zatnikatel. That shock kills the Nishāta organism. Itās reasonable to assume that starving a body of oxygen and putting it into clinical death might be enough to similarly kill the Nishāta, and both Scott and Greer would know about all of this. Itās probably one of the reasons they took no action. Theyād figured out what Young was trying to do. So why didnāt Scott reassure Camilla and Brody?
And why didnāt they try the traditional electric shock, which is a proven cure? There must be some ways on this ship to generate an electrical charge. The danger to the body canāt be any more than starving it of oxygen until itās technically dead. Young says his method has been done before, and I assume by this, heās referring to the time Tealāc was brainwashed by Apophis, and Braātac had to remove his symbiote to put him near death.
Scott actually confronts Young about this. āIf Iād known what you were doing, and why, I would have backed you up fullyā. Youngās response, āSo youāll only obey orders when you understande them?ā And Young has a good point here. In a military structure, you have to have obedience. Sometimes the CO canāt explain everything but they still need to have their orders followed. But, as Iāve said, I feel this is a unique situation. Military officers are also expected to question immoral orders, and Young gave Scott every reason to question his orders in this case. Young says he kept Scott in the dark so as to keep Scott out of it. And thatās not a bad reason, but it wouldnāt have worked if Scott chose to mutiny over it.
But again, I think it all comes down to the fact that the writers wanted something more dramatic. And it was dramatic.
Anyway, they now know. The Lucian Alliance are on their way. Theyāre going to try to dial in to Destiny from their Icarus-like planet. Telford has the coordinates which Young passes on to Jack.
And I was right. Sam does appear in this episode. Jack is sending the USS Hammond to the Icarus planet to try to stop the Lucian Alliance. Best case scenario, she stops them, but they can still dial the gate, which means they can pass on supplies to the crew. (It doesnāt mean the crew can evacuate back to the milky way, because remember gate travel is one-way for matter.
The gate room is locked down, along with the corridors nearby. That makes good sense.
Interestingly, Young and Teflord have an opportunity to start fresh, maybe ever rebuild some of their former friendship. Poor Telford is carrying a lot of guilt over the things he did when under Lucian Alliance control. Telford wants to go back to his own body so he can spy on the Lucian Alliance again. Young wants him to rest a while. He just came back from the dead. Or is his real reason that he doesnāt yet trust Telford completely?
All civilians have been ordered to stay in their quarters, but Young wants TJ to do the same, remain safe for the sake of the child she is carrying. That makes sense to me. I donāt think any real world military would put a pregnant woman on the front lines of combat. Itās essentially endangering a civilian, right? The baby didnāt sign up for duty. Plus, TJ is their only medic and her skills will be needed once itās all over.
If the alliance breach the ship, Young plans to evacuate the oxygen in the gate room, killing them all.
TJ has a real problem with this. I wonder if sheās being a little harsh. These people are an invading force and Youngās job is to protect his people. Is there a moral difference whether the invaders die by bullets or by suffocation? The one difference I see is that being shot would likely be a more merciful death. Gasping for air sounds like a horrible way to go. I wouldnāt want to die that way. But again, these people are invaders.
Thereās a confusing moment on the Icarus-style planet. At first, I thought Rush was pretending to be Telford back in his own body, and I thought he had convinced Kiva. But then he says āBack to work.ā as though heās still trying to help them dial the gate, so Iām not sure what that was about.
And thatās when the Hammond drops out of FTL in orbit of the planet.
Sam has confirmed that the planet has large naquadrian deposits, so looks like Kivaās plan is solid. I love it when she mentions a pyramid, and Jack says āA pyramid, that takes me back.ā
It sure does Jack. It takes all of us back too.
The complex is shielded so they canāt beam Rush up. The have to launch 302s to attack instead.
Kiva now has the same escape plan that Rush had back in the pilot. Dial the 9th Chevron to get off this planet before theyāre blown up.
Eli is watching the air force briefing videos, learning about the Lucian Alliance. Remember, the videos hosted by Daniel. So there it is. For the first time since Air, we have 3 quarters of SG1 appearing in an episode of Universe. I wonder, if the show had continued beyond itās two seasons, would we have ever seen Tealāc make an appearance? It would have been harder to work him naturally into the story, but who knows. Weāll actually see a couple of faces from Atlantis next season. Iām looking forward to that one.
Thereās only one problem with Youngās plan. When he vents the air, itāll kill Rush along with the invaders. He could save Rush by severing the stone connection, but that would kill Telford. So now he has a choice, which man does he save? But Young doesnāt know for sure that Rush is coming through the gate, so he is blessedly more ignorant than we are.
The connection has been established. Theyāve dialed Destiny. Alliance soldiers start going through the gate. A lot of them will be inured. Remember, when you travel that distance through a wormhole, you get thrown our the other side pretty hard.
But now Young has seen Telfordās body on the gateroom camera. He knows Rush is on board in there.
So what does he do? This story is full of hard moral choices.
The connection is severed. Did Young do it on purpose, or did it just happen somehow? I assume it was deliberate.
Itās more valuable having Telford, a trained soldier, in there as a covert man on our side. Assuming he is on our side.
Speaking of hard choices, Sam has to leave a couple of 302s behind when she jumps out of the system. IF she waited for them to dock everyone on board would have died.
Eli and Chloe are supposed to be in their quarters. Eli makes he point that the lab IS his quarters. I guess thatās as safe as any other room, and there might be things he could do to help here.
Now that he knows Kiva brought Rush along, Young isnāt going to vent the atmosphere. Heās going to do it the hard way. So he wonāt be sacrificing Telford.
Kiva is blaming Telford/Rush for shutting down the gate, and killing all those who didnāt make it through. Telford claims it was Rush, just before they switched back. But wasnāt the wormhole cut off by the destruction of the pyramid, and the gate inside it?
Telford is able to convince Kiva who he is by demonstrating knowledge Rush wouldnāt have. She accepts it.
When Eli is able to tell Young that Kiva has some device to open the doors, he orders the air vented, but itās too late. The doors are open. I wonder where they got that tech, and how they knew it would work on Destinyās doors?
Rush chooses this moment to be a hero. The ship is under attack. Technically he should be in his quarters with the other civilians. Heās not a fighter.
Eli is convinced that itās time to leave the lab and go to quarters. The fighting is getting close to the lab. They portray this just as terrifying as it would be, for a civilian suddenly about to be caught in a warzone. I sure felt it.
TJ chases Rush and ends up getting captured by the Lucian Alliance. Well, crap.
And Chloe has been shot. She and Eli are safe in an elevator, but itās not good for her. And despite what most movies imply, getting shot in the leg can be just as fatal as any other place in the body. Itās not going to be instant death, but if she doesnāt get medical help soon, it could be bad.
Same and Jack have a moment. Jack canāt tell her if any of the invaders made it to Destiny. He hasnāt heard, and given what we know, itāll be awhile before anybody has time to check in with the stones. Thereās this sense of resignation from the two of them. Thereās nothing more either of them can do. Itās up to the people on Destiny now.
Rush confirms that the stone connection was closed the minute he travelled through the gate.
Kiva has some hostages now. This has all gone about as bad as it could have.
Eli and Chloe are stuck in a random part of the ship nobody has explored yet. The lifts have been shut down so they canāt get back to more familiar surroundings. Not without walking back the long way, if they can figure out which direction to go.
Kiva gives Young two choices. They can turn over the ship to her, but remain on board the ship under Lucian Alliance control. Or Kiva will drop them all off on a habitable world. Kiva wants to be here to realise the potential of this ship.
Kiva wants to prove her seriousness by killing a hostage, and she chooses TJ. Bad choice. Young will never forgive her if she kills TJ.
Telford tries to talk Kiva out of it, saying itāll only force Youngās hand.
Heās playing along and so far, Kiva thinks heās still with her.
Heās still trying to convince Kiva that TJ shouldnāt be one of those to be killed. He says sheās a medic, he doesnāt tell her sheās carrying Youngās baby.
Young and Camille have both agreed the time for diplomacy has arrived, and she should be the one to try to negotiate.
She proposes a prisoner exchange. Kiva doesnāt want to give up her advantage, but Young only has 4 while they have 12.
Itās time for Rush to play the ultimate pragmatist. They should save those they can, sure, such as the 4, but one they reach the limit of acceptable losses, they should just sacrifice who they have to in order to rid the ship of its invaders. He claims Young has already decided what that number is. Itās near impossible they can win this with no loss of life on their side.
Young is offended by this. Heās going to save everyone and re-take this ship.
I agree with Youngās sentiment, but can he do it? Or is Rush right? From a practical point of view, he might be.
In any case, emotions are running pretty high around here. Rush says he was recently an acceptable loss himself because they didnāt pull him out by disconnecting the stones.
Young has recognised their advantage. Telford. Kiva has accepted Telford as one of them. Sooner or later, heāll make his move.
Again, assuming he IS a good guy now.
Thereās a nice shot from outside the ship as Eli and Chloe approach a window. Thereās no active life support in this part of the ship. They have air for now, but no new stuff is getting pumped in. So theyāve gotta get out of here as soon as they can.
Young has finally used the stone to report in to Jack.
Jack is not happy that this isnāt resolved already. Young should have vented the gateroom earlier. He basically agrees with Rush, although in a less extreme kinda way. Sam lost those 302 pilots. IT was the right call. Sometimes a commander has to sacrifice his own people to save others.
Young didnāt want to sacrifice Rush and Telford, so now the situation continues.
In defense of Young, Rush has unique skills nad knowledge. His loss would be devastating to the crew of Destiny.
Now this is the first time Jack has really started to question Youngās competence and ability. Young has been questioning his own competence since the beginning, and JAck always back him up. But now, he gives him a stern talking to. āAre you up for this Everett? Because if youāre not, somebody will replace you.ā
I appreciate Jack for his competence, but I also appreciate Young as a flawed and well-intentioned character.
And Rush has noticed something weird. The ship dropped out of FTL because somebody was gating in, but thereās no countdown and Destiny hasnāt gone back into FTL. It should have. It did when the original Icarus crew gated in back in episode 1.
There are still a lot of depreassarised compartments out in the part of the ship where Eli and Chloe are. Itās pretty dangerous.
When one of the Lucian Alliance uys tries to break through a door, something weird dissolves his entire body.
My first though is the swam of little micro aliens from early in the season,but didnāt they all leave the ship to the water planet?
Nobody knows what caused this.
At least Telford gets the chance to have a quick debrief with Young.
Kiva sssumes whatever this was is Youngās doing. But heās as much in the dark as she is. Sheās not likely to believe him. When Kiva gives the radio to TJ, Young wisely addresses her as Lieutenant, not TJ. He doesnāt betray the personal connection between them, which Kiva can exploit.
Chloe is starting to give up but Eli will have none of it. Heās going to take care of her.
Young has come to the conclusion that Rush and Jack are right. They have to end this, and they have to end it now. Even if some of their people die in the process.
And with that decision, the episode ends.
Speaking in terms of story structure, this decision is a good place for the cliffhanger. A decision like this leads into a goal for the next scene to come. That will give the next episode a strong beginning.
So there you have it. One more to go. The Stargate franchise had gotten pretty good at building up to big season finale moments, taking multiple episodes to reach that point.
So next time weāll be talking about the season finale, Incursion Part 2. Weāre on a wild ride right now, and itās only going to get wilder.
Can you believe weāve only gone one more episode to go for season 1? Itās going to be a big one.
Donāt forget to give the podcast a review, if you havenāt. And feel free to check out some of my own science fiction. You can find it all at AdamDavidCollings.com/books
Have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Today's episode of Stargate Universe is the beginning of the final three of season 1. Through a residual memory, Rush discovers that Telford sold out Icarus Base to the Lucian Alliance, who have a plan to open a wormhole to Destiny and take over the ship. It gets very heavy and exciting from here. (Special guest appearances from Michael Shanks and Richard Dean Anderson)
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is the 67th episode of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āSubversionā
By the time this episode goes live, Jewel if the Stars book 3 is probably close to being out, which is really exciting. Iām proud of this story, and itās been a long time coming. Check out books2read.com/jewel3 and thatās the number 2. That link should be live by now, even if itās just a pre-order.
The description on GateWorld reads
Dr. Rush and Homeworld Command investigate when Colonel Telford is suspected of spying for the Lucian Alliance.
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
It was directed by Alex Chapple
And it first aired on the 21st of May 2010.
So welcome to the Stargate SG-1 podcast. In this episode, SG-1 works with the crew of Destiny to infiltrate the Lucian Alliance who have a Goa'uld cargo ship.
In my memory, Sam was in this episode. I thought we had 3 out of the 4 original members of SG-1, which would have made that joke funnier. I mean, Sam was in the recap, but she doesnāt appear in the actual episode. We get Jack and Daniel, but no Sam. Maybe sheās in the next two episodes. I donāt remember.
The recap at the beginning of this episode takes us right back to the pilot, where the Lucian Alliance attacked Icarus Base. We also see a lot of Telford in the flashbacks. We havenāt seen Telford in quite a while.
Rush is having unsettling dreams. Flashes of something happening on earth. I really like how the first person he goes to, after waking up, despite all the trouble between them in the past, is Young. Clearly he thinks thereās more to this dream than just .. a normal dream.
But I love Youngās line. āEveryone thinks their dreams are interesting.ā Heās going to take some convincing.
In this dream, Rush is at a warehouse, meeting somebody, giving classified details about Icarus base to somebody with a Goa'uld cargo ship. That suggests Lucian Alliance. On Earth.
But when he sees his reflection in a car window, heās Colonel Telford. If true, this suggests that Colonel Telford is a traitor - the one that sold out Icarus Base to the Lucian Alliance.
But is this just a dream or something more? We know that people can have residual thoughts and flashes from sharing their bodies with another person through the communication stones, and the crew of Destiny have been using the stones more than anybody in SG-1 or Atlantis ever did. So this could be real. But how do you prove that?
Scott is the only other person who has ever experienced the bleed-through phenomenon. Young tells him about Rushās dream. Scot is concerned that Young is allowing his personal issues with Telford to colour how he reacts to all this. Young points out that before he was stationed at Icarus, Telford spent time undercover infiltrating the Lucian Alliance. There was an incident where Telford knew of an imminent attack but didnāt tell the SGC, presumably to protect his cover. The SGC cleared him of this.
But it makes you wonder.
Young also points out that the Goa'uld had mind-control technology, and that might now be in the hands of the alliance. And Scott makes a very good point. āIf you start thinking that way then we canāt trust anyone.ā
Rather than telling General OāNeill about this, Rushās idea is to take Telfordās body next time heās scheduled to use the stones and try to make contact with the Alliance. Thatās risky. Young says if Stargate Command is this heavily compromised, he canāt tell anyone. I mean, what if OāNeill is being controlled. Now thatās scary.
Rush doesnāt have the training for this kind of work, but he is the one who had the dream. A dream heās still putting together in his mind. The knowledge from that dream could be critical.
Thereās a wonderfully amusing scene between Young and Camille where she questions him about bumping Doctor MOrris off the stone schedule. He keeps just saying āYesā to her questions. Then she asks āCare to explain why?ā and he switches to āNo.ā
See, this is the type of humour I like. Humour that plays into the seriousness of the story, not against it. With all the trouble since the civilian coup, I can understand why this bothers Camille, but knowing what Young knows, heās absolutely right for keeping these cards close to his chest, keeping things even from Camille and Eli, who is feeling kinda put out by being excluded. Every character has their perspective here, and every one has valid reasons for what theyāre feeling. Itās good character interplay.
Rushās first challenge is to get rid of his military escort. Hope he got some hints from Young on that one.
Meanwhile, Telford looks in the mirror and notices that heās inhabiting Rush, not Morrison. Scott makes an excuse, which Telford obviously doesnāt believe. And again we have a character whining and complaining about the clothes their host is wearing. And I find that really petty.
Despite what he said to Rush, Young also uses the stones to visit earth. He wants to talk to General OāNeill. Perhaps he doesnāt trust Rushās dream as much as he lets on.
And we get a classic Jack Line. āEverett, Iāll have you know Iām missing a national security briefing for this.ā Thereās actually nothing intrinsically funny about that line, itās just the way Richard Dean Anderson delivers it. Scenes like this show that Andersonās trademark OāNeill humour actually blends pretty well with the dark seriousness of Stargate Universe. Because itās a character trait.
I also like how they have a protocol for quickly and efficiently authenticating the identity of a stone user. That makes a lot of sense.
Young tells OāNeill everything. Even suggests they let Rush ditch the escort and then tail him discreetly. The most interesting thing is, he makes no mention of Telford. The way he says it to OāNeill, itās like Rush is the traitor. On first viewing, itās hard to know what Youngās game is right now.
Thereās a nice little scene where TJ is having a baby shower. The crew are quite resourceful in the gifts they are able to make with what they have at hand.
But Volker and Brody pull Eli aside. They know something is going on with Young and Rush. So the three of them have a little meeting, trying to figure out the conspiracy. This is a big difference between the civilian and military crewmembers. A military officer in this situation would probably just think, āMy CO is doing something important and they have good reasons to keep it from me.ā and get on with their duty. But the civilians get suspicious and want to know whatās going on. Civilians are much less used to living with secrets.
But Telford breaks this mould a bit. He wants to know whatās going on, because he knows Scott and Young are keeping something from him, and heās probably concerned because his body is being used for it. He confers with Camille.
Camille is not happy about being kept out of the loop. And thatās when Young returns. He has some things to discuss with Telford, but Camille is still kept out of it. Sheās NOT happy.
Young questions Telford. Trying to find out what he knows. And we get some interesting new insight into both characters. Seems they were once friends. Before Telford let those people die to protect his own skin. Sounds like theyāve had this debate before. And we understand why Telford is so hurt about not being on Destiny. Sounds like command of this ship was supposed to be his prize, his reward for all that time undercover. He was supposed to lead the expedition to the ninth chevron address. That explains why there were two Colonels at Icarus. Young was in charge of the base, Telford was to be in charge of the mission.
Young just isnāt sure who to trust, other than OāNeill. In his mind, itās still possible that Rush is the mole, not Telford. He doesnāt want to take any risks.
So Rush loses his escort. He has something to attend to, in a building. The escort says he came prepared and waves a book. Itās Old Manās War by John Scalzi. Good sci-fi book. I never noticed that before. Anyway, itās surprisingly easy for Rush to lose the scort, although OāNeill is kind of allowing it.
And we get a glimpse of who the tail is. Our old friend Dr. Daniel JAckson. Makes sense Jack would send someone he trusts. Presumably at this point, Daniel is still a member of SG-1, and SG-1 are the front-line time that deals with threats, both offworld and on earth. And itās wonderful to see him. This is actually the first time weāve seen the real Daniel in person in SGU. Previously weāve seen him in recordings, and in Rushās mind, but never the actual real Daniel in person.
Rush goes to search Telfordās home for clues and finds a key. The key has a number, 314. I wonder, is that meant to be a reference to Pi?
It turns out to be a safety deposit box key. The box contains a phone. A good old flip-phone. I had one very similar. Rush takes a gamble. He rings the phone and says āItās
Telford. I have new information. We have to meet.ā The response suggests that yes, Telford is indeed giving information to somebody.
Rush is brought to the same warehouse he saw in his dreams by the mysterious strangers.
Daniel has tracked them and is watching from a safe distance. Theyāre using some kind of jamming technology so Jack canāt see whatās going on in there. Good thing he has Daniel. Apparently, the technology doesnāt block radios.
Iām really glad they brought DAniel back for this. Itās not a huge part, itās absolutely the right way to do a callback to previous shows. It makes good sense in the story that Daniel would be doing this. And itās a joy to hear him and Jack interacting like this.
Then another vehicle turns up. A woman gets out and immediately demands to know who Rush is. She knows heās not Telford. He didnāt use the right code when he called in. This is absolutely believable. Rush would have had to be very lucky to fool these people. They know about the ancient communication stones so the woman immediately puts two and two together.
And then a Goa'uld cargo ship decloaks.
Daniel calls in the cavalry.
AT this point, Rushās innocence can be assumed, as can Telfordās guilt.
But theyāre too late. The bad guys have flown off in their ship with Rush,
Think about how far DAniel has come from when we first saw him in the STargate movie played by JAmes Spader. At that time in his life he was so awkward. All he knew was his theories. And now, heās a gun-toting spy. The guy has grown so much, but itās been a very slow and steady character development. All very believable done. Thatās the advantage of having a 10+ year franchise. You really get to see these people change. Itās awesome.
Next we get a great character scene with TJ. She was really enjoying her baby shower, it was all very positive. But now, as her friends have left the party, and sheās alone with her thoughts, sheās forced to confront those feelings sheād pushed away. How can she possibly give her baby a good life on this ship? What kind of life would that be? Her child deserves so much better.
Chloe makes some good points, to comfort her. Getting home might seem impossible, but theyāve been averaging 3 impossible things per week since they arrived, so why assume the worst?
And arenāt we just so good at that? We always assume the worst. I know I do that quite often. But itās possible they may get back some day, and the child will be able to grow up on earth.
She also says that the worst case scenario, there are lots of people on the ship who will care about the child. For all that it will lack, it wonāt lack love.
So letās think about this. Assuming the child has to grow up on Destiny, is that as bad as TJ thinks? Thereās no denying that life on Destiny is hard. Getting enough food can be a challenge, and when they do find food, it often doesnāt taste great. But most of the suffering these people are going through is because of what they used to have. They miss the creature comforts of Earth. They miss their families.
TJās child is not going to know any life other than what she experiences on Destiny. She doesnāt know anybody back on earth to miss. Sheās never been there. Earth will just be āthat please you visit with the stones.ā That will be normal for him or her.
I think the baby may have a better and more fulfilling life than TJ is giving it credit for.
I canāt help but think of Naomi Wildman on Voyager. That ship was her home. She could never understand everyone elseās obsession with a planet sheād never been to. Admittedly, Voyager was a luxury cruise ship compared to Destiny, but I think some of the principles still apply.
Naomi did have an emotional need to connect with the father sheād never known, but TJās baby wonāt even have that issue, because Young is the father and heās on the ship.
Back on earth, theyāve figured out the identity of the Lucian Alliance woman Kiva. Apparently sheās highly ranked and brutal. Itās pretty scary to think that they have people living on earth.
Daniel is concerned for Rushās life. Young a little less so, afterall, Rush volunteered for this. He knew the risks.
Kiva is played by Rhona Mitra. Interestingly, she was the live action model for Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider games, before the movies. Iām assuming that means she did some motion capture work for the game.
Young wants permission to get the truth out of Telford.
Jack seems to be willing to turn a slight blidn eye to whatever means Young might use to get the information. āHe didnāt say how he was gonna get it out of him.ā
Now Daniel is really concerned. Telford may be a traitor, but he still has rights. Torturing him is not justifiable.
Young makes the point that the people who made the rules werenāt thinking of a situation like this. But Iām not sure I see anything about their extraordinary situation that justifies torture.
Iām kinda of shocked to see JAck so okay with all of this, but I think maybe he knows that Young wonāt go that far. He trusts Youngās character.
I dunno.
Seeing the cargo ship flying through hyperspace gave me nostalgic feelings for SG-1. Itās often the little touches that excite us.
Rush is still trying to maintain the illusion that he is Telford, and that he didnāt give the code on purpose.
Rush is actually pretty clever here. He gives a reasonable explanation. āI was concerned the SGC were getting suspicious of me, so I wanted it to look like you took me by force.ā
And it almost convinces Kiva. Itās handy that Rush knows her name. Not sure how.
So Young has Telford locked up and is questioning him. This whole residual memory thing seems to be something unique to Telford. Scott was swapping bodies with Teford when he saw the flash of Telford with Youngās wife. Young must have swapped with Telford at some point in the past, as well.
Young theorises that is Telfordās guit, that deep down he wants to confess.
Young isnāt ready to use any physical forms of persuasion on Telford yet, but Rush isnāt so lucky. Kiva is torturing him. She wants to know who Rush is, and whether he ās of use to her.
Greer, ever the loyal soldier to Young, canāt stop himself. When Young and Telford get into a fight, he comes rushing in and starts pounding Telford with his fists. After Telford throws the first punch, Young seems willing to hit him back, in an attempt to get him to confess.
At this point, Rush has admitted to Kiva that heās not Telford. Kiva assumes none of the scientists on Destiny could endure such torture, so heās got to either be Young or Scott. She sure knows a lot about the people on Destiny. But then, Icarus was of interest to them. Thatās why they tried to take the base in episode 1.
Anyway, credit to Rush for being tough enough to not break under all this.
Kiva gives her word that sheāll not kill him if he gives her his name. Of course, sheās the kind of person who tortures others, so you probably donāt want to put too much faith in her honesty.
But Rush canāt hold out any longer. She says she wonāt kill him. He grasps onto that and blurts out his name.
Itās at this point in the episode that I suddenly realise, Rush is getting a double dose of torture. His mind is being tortured by Kiva, and his body is getting smacked around by Young. So when he returns to his body, heās gonna have some injuries to deal with.
Young has to remember that. Itās actually Rushās body heās punching.
This is where we learn what the Lucian Alliance are actually up to. Theyāve found another Icarus planet with Naquadrian deposits. They have Rushās formula for dialing the ninth chevron. Theyāre gonna try to get to Destiny.
Young tries to guilt Telford by talking about the victims of Icarus, and the other incident, but then he offers him a sliver of hope. Maybe it wasnāt your fault. Maybe they brainwashed you. He wants Telford to search inside his hidden memories and reveal where they might have taken Rush.
Thereās some really great writing and acting going on in these scenes. Not to mention impressive make-up effects with all the blood. Looks very realistic and icky.
Some people look at a show like this, they look at Youngās actions, and they dislike the show because the hero is doing bad things. For them, that ruins the show. PErsonally, I like flawed characters, so my reaction is very different. It doesnāt mean I approve of what Young is doing any more than they do, but it doesnāt mean the show is bad.
And then we see the cargo ship arrive at the planet. And thereās a goa'uld pyramid. More nostalgic SG-1 imagery. Honestly, I love these little moments just as much as the appearances by the actors.
The inside of this pyramid base is actually a redress of the gateroom set from SG-1. So was the gateroom on Icarus base in Air part 1. They do a great job because Iād never have known if I wasnāt told.
By this point, you might be noticing that all of the Lucian Alliance people are speaking english.
Now the Stargate TV franchise has always had this conceit that all aliens, and humans on other planets, speak English. They didnāt want to have to spend half of every episode dealing with communications problems, and I understand that. Most sci-fi shows come up with some magical technology to hand-wave this away, but Stargate doesnāt. Itās harder for them to come up with something because itās set in present-day.
Stargate Atlantis continued this conceit. Even in the Pegasus galaxy, everyone they met spoke English.
Now Stargate Universe took a different tactic. The aliens we met in this show, and there arenāt many of them, were much more alien. They didnāt speak English. In fact, the blue aliens weāve met so far donāt even have the vocal equipment to speak english words. The best they can do is make squawking noise.
However, when it comes to humans, even humans whose ancestors were taken from earth millennia ago by the Goa'uld, the show maintains the conceit of them speaking English.
This used to bother me a little. Because SGU was a much more grounded show. But thinking about it this time around, we know that humans from the Lucian Alliance have infiltrated earth. Kiva looks very much the earthling in her business suit and earrings. It is very believable that those who have been to earth have taught English to the others.
So either way, it works.
Anyway, Rush has a whole new challenge now. He has to calculate how to power a stargate on a new Icarus-type planet. IT could take him the rest of his life. And thatās assuming he gives the Lucian Alliance his full cooperation.
When Rush tells them the bad news, Kiva isnāt happy. He says Olanās work is shoddy at best. He might have to start from scratch. So Kiva has Olan strangled to death. Rush is visibly horrified by this. He even admits he was just stalling when he said that. Kiva is living up to her brutal reputation. Sheās cemented herself as probably the most hateable villain weāve had on this show.
Camille is very concerned about whatās going on with Telford in that room. She approaches Greer in the hopes heāll tell her something.
He just tells her itās a military matter. It doesnāt concern her.
And honestly, thatās a fair answer. This IS a private military matter. Until they know the full truth about Telford, thereās no need to spread this throughout the whole ship.
But as Camille says, itās that kind of talk that led to the coup.
Scott isnāt willing to tell her anything, but when the door opens, and Young comes out, she catches a glimpse of a very bloody Rush, which of course is Telford.
And this is when he brings OāNeill aboard. This was a special thrill for me, to see Jack on board Destiny.
Jack authorised Telford to be held without charge or council, but not exactly the attack by greer. Young has also roughed Telford up, but theyāve both kinda given as good as theyāve gotten.
Thereās this one moment when Telford just switches. He admits that heās been in on this. Heās working with the Lucian Alliance. āYou should look at your faces. Youāre so surprised,ā he says. Young really had been hoping there might be some other explanation. Itās some good acting from Lou Diamond Philips the way he suddenly turns it on and becomes a different character.
I guess that means that Telford is quite an actor as well.
So this was pretty big. Yes, Telford has been something of an antagonist in the show, but in this scene, he transitions from one of the good guys to a full-on villain. It always feels bold when shows do this. Now we still donāt know for sure, at this point, if Telford is being mind-controlled, but either way, this character has been hiding a dark secret since before we first saw him on screen. I love this stuff.
Anyway, he starts trying to justify his actions. He says he wasnāt brainwashed, he simply came to his senses. And he makes a couple of decent points. They freed millions of people from thousands of years of slavery all over their galaxy. What did they think was going to happen? The power void left behind by the Goa'uld was filled quickly by people from those freed worlds. The strongest and most ambitious of them. The Lucian Alliance. SG-1 didnāt always give a lot of forethought to the consequences of their actions when taking down the Goa'uld. Which is not to say they were wrong to do it, but things were a little more complex than Jack sometimes was able to appreciate.
Jack has heard enough. He ordered Young to do whatever he needed to do.
Thatās a little concerning. What exactly does he think Young is going to do? Iām again, a little surprised that Jack is so cool with all of this.
Scott has told Camille the truth. She knows everything. She feels Rushās life is more important than any intel they can get. She wants to cut the connection, which would leave Telford in the allianceās custody. But, as heās admitted, heās a traitor.
Young has the air pumped out of Telfordās room. Eli and Volker are hesitant to push the button, but Brody does it. I wonder, does Brody assume Young is bluffing, and theyāll put the air back in shortly, or is he actually, in his mind, following an order to kill somebody? Thatās a pretty heavy thing to do, and Brodyās not even military.
Telford is convinced Youngās not going to kill him.
And thatās where the episode ends. On a major cliffhanger, which leads directly into the two-part season finale.
It could be argued that what Young has done up until now is not, in fact, torture. I mean, Telford had an opportunity to defend himself. He wasnāt tied to a chair and forced to take punches. But this? This is close to crossing the line. But how else is he going to get the information they need?
What do you think of Youngās actions in this episode?
Torture is evil and wrong. I feel quite comfortable and confident saying that.
What Kiva did to Rush was clearly torture. What Young did is more debatable.
Personally, I donāt think torture is ever ethically justifiable.
But there could be situations where it feels less clear cut.
What if the person being tortured is really evil. An extremely bad person. Like, even worse than Kiva. And say that your child was going to die unless you got information out of that person. It still may not be ethically justified, but as a parent, Iād find my principles sorely tested in that situation. Because Iād do anything to protect my children.
Interestingly, in this whole scenario, itās not Telford that Camille is worried about at the end, itās Rush. Yes, theyāre trying to get intel to rescue Rush, but they could save his life simply by deactivating the stones. But Young wants more than to just save Rush. He wants to bring down this Lucian Alliance conspiracy. These people who have infiltrated Earth. Thatās whatās really about, because without Rush, they wonāt have any hope of dialling Destiny.
Young is probably going too far at this point. Camille might be right.
This was an incredible episode. It was wonderful to see Jack and Daniel from SG-1, and it was wonderful to have references to elements from the greater Stargate lore, like Goa'uld ships and the Lucian Alliance, but even without all of that, this was still an amazing piece of story-telling. Great writing, great acting. I loved it to bits.
So next time weāll be looking at Incursion Part 1, where we continue this story with the Lucian Alliance. Things are gonna get epic. Can you believe weāre here? We're almost at the end of season 1.
Have a wonderful 2 weeks,
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
The crew of Destiny are having strange hallucinations. But what is causing them? Will these visions be the death of them, or a chance to heal some of the hurts of the past?
Join me as I delve into this latest episode of Stargate Universe.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām the Pizza Jedi
Because itās been a bit cold around here lately.
Iām also known as Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
because I am a Nerd
And if youāre not watching the youTube version of the podcast right now, youāre likely very confused. Iām currently wearing an oddie, which is kind of like a blanket with sleeves and a hood, and itās got prints of pizza slices all over it.
This is episode 66 Of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āPainā
The description on Gateworld reads
The ship's crew is plagued by hallucinations that manifest their fears and desires.
This episode was written by Carl Binder
It was directed by William Waring
And it first aired on the 14th of May 2010.
We begin with a pretty shocking scene. Lieutenant Scott and Lieutenant James are in bed together, doing what people do. They push this scene about as far as they possibly can without showing actual nudity. More than I thought was necessary personally, but anyway.
Itās clearly on board Destiny, so not a flashback to their time together on Icarus. You canāt really tell who these people are until itās all over, so the reveal is surprising. Once theyāre done, Scott immediately starts to leave, saying āWe canāt be doing this.ā But, of course, heās just done it. And the dialog suggests this isnāt the first time.
James isnāt having any of this. She wonāt let Scott push her away again, but she wonāt be his mistress on the side either. Scott has to choose. Her or Chloe.
And then things get violent between the two of them.
And it results with Scott lying on the deck with blood flowing from his head.
As I said, pretty shocking.
Meanwhile, Volker is having door problems. They wonāt open for him. But they work perfectly for Riley, as he stares smugly back at poor Volker.
Greer finds Camille acting very suspiciously in the gateroom. And Eli is looking for Scott.
At this point, weāre all probably suspecting that the show is using a sci-fi trope weāve seen before. Everyone on the ship is having nightmares.
Except that Matt appears to be missing in Greerās dream, while he lies dead in Jamesās dream.
Is there are connection? Is this coincidence? Or is it not a dream?
Just put yourself in Jamesās shoes. Youāve just killed someone, one of your fellow crew, by accident. And then the radio calls asking why youāre late.
What do you do?
You know thereās no coming back from what youāve done. You know that Scottās death is going to be discovered. Itās all but inevitable.
But how do you tell your commanding officer, āAh, actually sir, I kind of just killed Matt.ā
Itās a very surreal moment, as sheās paralysed by fear, regret and uncertainty.
What does she do?
She could try to hide the body, of course. Make it look like sheās not the killer. But thatās not going to be easy, especially in her current emotional state, which is pretty psychologically realistic, Iād say. Wonderfully performed.
Volker is now trapped in a hallway, surrounded by doors that wonāt open on all sides.
Until he hears his name, snaps out of it, and fins himself standing in a much larger room.
So, not quite dreams. More like daydreams. Hallucinations. Scary stuff. I think Iād be more scared of the fact I was losing my mind in this way, than I would be by the scary dreams themselves.
Itās significant that the person who snaps Volker out of it is in fact Scott. Heās alive.
Good news for James. But she doesnāt know yet.
Scott is also dreaming now. He sees his son, Matthew, walking around the ship
Young and Rush go to confront Camille about her actions in the gate room. They know nothing about it. She denies ever being there. But Greer is not present. So is this the real world now?
Itās kind of hard to tell whatās real and what isnāt in this episode.
Which I think is deliberate. Itās making us feel exactly what the characters are feeling.
Another crewmember believes there is a snake under his skin, causing him to freak out.
Of course, TJ canāt find anything.
Greerās suspicion of Camille makes sense. She lead that civilian uprising against the military.
Rush seems better able to accept the dreams as false and push them aside, given his highly rational mind. He thinks Greer is spying on him, but evidence suggests otherwise. Ok, he thinks. I must have imagined it because it cannot be. And moves on with his life.
Young finds JAmes in her quarters, sitting on her bed in tears. āIām so sorry, she says. Of course, Young canāt see the corpse that she can see.
Scott finds his son. He knows it canāt be real. There is no way Matthew can be on board the ship. And so he is able to rationalise it in much the same way Rush does.
The trouble with Jamesās vision is that itās more realistic. I donāt mean to say sheād really kill Scott, but her dream doesnāt involve any people that canāt be on board, or situations that are impossible.
She is so relieved to see Scott alive when he walks in.
Have you ever had a nightmare, where you think someone you love has died, or your spouse has left you, or youāve made a terrible mistake, and then you wake up and realise it was just a dream. Have you ever felt that huge sense of relief? I have. Itās powerful.
But sheās still freaked out, because this means sheās been hallucinating. Which as I said before, would be really scary.
Iām jumping all over the place in my analysis today, because thatās exactly what the episode does. Lots of quick chops and changes, which adds to the feeling of disorientation.
Itās quite effective.
Now that people are starting to talk, theyāre aware that many of them are seeing things. Thatās good. At least now they can start to deal with it.
They talk about several crew members who were on the last away mission to a planet.
Thereās a strong link between those on the away team and those having hallucinations.
Soā¦.I guess this means theyāve already arrived in the next galaxy?
I was all set to talk about how doing a ship-bound character episode made a lot of sense right now, because theyāre still travelling through the void between galaxies. They canāt visit any planets, so this is the perfect story to tell, and show that travelling between galaxies takes a while.
Iām pretty disappointed thatās not what they did.
Iām not saying itās invalid to skip over the rest of the trip and pick up the story on the other side, but I think this was a missed opportunity.
Babylon 5 used to allow for travel time. Youād see people leave the station and then several episodes later theyād arrive at their destination. It added a big sense of believability to the show. I think it would have been great to do something like that here.
Do a little character-driven story while theyāre in transit, and then next week have them arrive in the new galaxy at the beginning. And have a little fanfare about it. A brand new galaxy to explore. At least one or two of these people must be able to get a little wide-eyed about that, surely.
Anyway. Thatās my little rant. So theyāre in the next galaxy now, and theyāve already been to visit one of the planets off-screen.
Thereās a problem with their theory, though. One of the people on the last away team, Barnes, has not had a single hallucination. Maybe sheās naturally immune.
But thatās when TJ finds little creatures, like ticks, attached to the back of the heads of all of them except Barnes. Thatās our connection.
These ticks are the first native inhabitants of this galaxy weāve met.
The prospect of having the tick removed produces mixed emotions for Scott. He doesnāt want to see things that arenāt there, but at the same time, this is the only way he can see an interact with his son. And he knows itās not real. But stillā¦.
Unfortunately, the removal failed. The tick has dug in even deeper.
Greer is still seeing Camille sneaking around the ship. Was he on the away team?
Itās nice to see the consequences of the uprising still hanging over our characters, as well it should. Trust was broken during that incident, and no matter how hard both sides have been working to put it behind them, the wounds are still there.
Honestly, Greer is probably wise to be keeping an eye on Camille and Rush, but in his current state, his natural caution is descending into paranoia. The difference is, he has no proof, not even any real evidence. Just a feeling that is overpowering him.
And surprise, Chloe is seeing her father in the cockpit of the shuttle where he died.
The effects of these ticks seem to be spreading.
Or maybe itās not the ticks at all.
Itās a difficult emotional moment for her. In the end, she allows herself to fall into his arms, because real or not, this is the only way sheāll ever be able to embrace her dad.
The plot of this episode allows the characters to deal with some things from their past. In Chloeās case, itās helping her to find some closure, by talking to her father about her feelings.
TJ is going to try to anaethsitise the tick using the venom from the time planet, but she canāt find it. Could it be that the tick transferred from Scott to Chloe?
Eli is pretty worried about Chloe when he finds her talking to her imaginary father. When he learns whatās going on, heās understandably keen to get her to the medical bay. But Chloe doesnāt want to go. She doesnāt want her father to leave. Not yet.
She knows this is an alien parasite. She knows itās injecting a toxin into her.
But this is a chance for her to see her father, hear his voice, be encouraged by him. She doesnāt want to give that up. And I can understand that too.
She begs Eli to give her some more time. Keep it secret just a little while, so she can have a bit more time with her dad.
Now Rush is being affected.
Itās interesting that some people experience pleasant hallucinations, while others have truly nightmarish experiences. Like Rush, who thinks heās drowning. Pretty terrifying.
And then he sees one of the blue aliens. The stuff of his real-life nightmares.
The venom works. TJ is able to remove the tick from James. And she realises that Chloe was in the med bay earlier and might be affected. Scott goes off to find her.
When Scott finds her, and she lies to him about seeing her father, Eli is faced with a difficult decision. Lie on her behalf, like she asked him to, or tell Scott the truth so she can get help.
You can see the conflict on his face. Ultimately, I think he did the right thing by telling Scott. They donāt know what long-term effect this tick toxin has on people. It could be dangerous to let this go on too long.
She gets to say one last goodbye, but ultimately, she has to lose him all over again.
But as they drag her, screaming, from the observation room, her father begs her not to leave him. The tick doesnāt want to let go of her.
As the hallucinations get more and more worrisome, Rush is finding it harder to dismiss them. Heās caught up in it all.
And now Greer is seeing the aliens too.
Young tries to talk him down, but in the hallucination, Youngās voice says something very different. So now heās running around the ship believing heās been given permission to use deadly force. That could be a problem if he sees his crewmates as aliens.
Even worse, he thinks Rush is working with the aliens.
And Rush is seeing Greer as an alien.
TJ theorises that the away team brought back more than one tick, which explains how Greer and Rush are infected.
The people in the medical bay are also making theories. The ticks target the lymbic system which is linked to human emotions. It draws out Scottās guilt over not being there for his son. Chloeās grief over her father. Volkerās claustrophobia. A fear of snakes.
Things get really awkward when they look at James and say āand you?ā
Soā¦.deep down, does James want to hurt Scott for the way he played with her heart and then abandoned her? Has she fantasised about killing him?
There are times when we really donāt want our inner-most thoughts and feelings to be exposed to those around us,.
Camille is wounded and losing blood. Greer has been pretty rough with her because he believes sheās taking over the ship, in league with Rush and the aliens.
\And another little callback. Greer sees his father, telling him to shoot Camille.
Scott tries using C3 on the door that Greer has locked.
I always get very nervous when people use explosives on board a space ship in stories. Itās never a good idea.
Scott is able to diffuse the situation before anyone gets hurt.
But those who experienced the hallucinations are all facing the uncomfortable after-effects of their experiences. Perhaps this stuff wasnāt so healing after all.
At the end of the episode, they encounter a new planet. Everyone seems a little hesitant to send a team, after what happened last time.
Young is feeling it too, but he pushes past that. āOur luckās gotta change at some point, right?ā he says.
Three episodes left. Next time, weāll be talking about Subversion. That will lead us directly into the two-part season finale, Incursion. Weāve got a big new plot arc thatās about to take off next time. You wonāt want to miss these next few episodes. Iām really looking forward to them.
Please consider leaving this show a review, wherever you listen to it, because that helps to spread the word.
Thanks again for listening to Nerd Heaven
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so
In the Stargate Universe episode "Sabotage" we find Destiny stranded in the void between galaxies. Is it just an engine malfunction, or is it more? An old friend of Rush, Doctor Amanda Perry comes aboard to help with repairs, but that makes somebody on the ship must inhabit her quadriplegic body.
This episode examines themes of disability. It also sees the return of our lost crewmembers and the aliens.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 65 of the podcast. Today weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode Sabotage.
The description on Gateworld reads
When problems with the F.T.L. drive threatens to leave Destiny stranded, the crew calls upon an expert from Earth to help -- a quadriplegic woman who temporarily takes over Wray's body.
The episode was written by Barbara Marshall
It was directed by Peter Deluise
And it first aired on the 7th of May 2010.
Young is going about his daily activities, but heās finding it hard. The loss of Scott, Eli and Chloe weighs heavily on him. As well it should.
The remaining crew have assembled in the gate room.
He explains the situation to the crew. Theyāre now on strict food and power rations. He tells them that all hope of rescuing Eli, Chloe and Scott is gone.
I think they were going to have something of a memorial for them, but Rush calls Young to the control room. Itās rather typical of Rush that heās not at this gathering. Young pounces on this. Maybe heās found another option. He dismisses the crew and joins Rush
But itās not good news. Rush knows exactly why Destiny is going into power saving mode. Theyāre going to come short of their target, in their journey to the next galaxy. Destiny wonāt make it across the void. And thatās probably the worst thing they could discover. Thereās nothing like the prospect of getting stuck in the void between galaxies to make you appreciate how good you had it being stuck in an alien galaxy surrounded by stars and planets.
This raises an important question. Why is Destiny even trying if itās not going to make it? Weāll find the answer to this in a second, and itās pretty cold.
Destiny just passed through a star so they should be well stocked with power. But as we recall, the first time we re-charged at the start of the season, the ship didnāt fill up all the way.Records show that destiny only just made it the last couple of times it tried to travel from one galaxy to another. And theyāve sustained a lot of battle damage since then.
The ship is on a predetermined course. Since they havenāt taken control yet, itās going to continue following that course. It can drift the last bit of the way and eventually arrive, but the crew will be long dead by then.
Brody suggests trying to improve the efficiency of the engine, but Volker sounds a caution. They donāt know what theyāre doing. Theyāre not experts on ancient engine technology.
Rush admits this, but he says he knows a few people who are.
Thatās interesting.
While the Atlantis expedition did find an ancient warship or two, so those systems could have been studied, nobody back on earth has ever seen the engines used by Destiny. Remember, the ship travels faster than light, but not through hyperspace. Itās a completely different form of propulsion. So the people on Destiny are the only living humans who have ever seen this technology.
Rushās suggestion is Amanda Perry. She was to work on the next generation of hyperdrive technology for Earth. So this engine will still be new to her, but maybe sheāll know a little more about how ancient technology works. She might have the skill to pick up a thing or two. Itās pretty rare that Rush admits that somebody else is more knowledgeable than he is. It does happen, but itās got to be somebody who has earned his respect. Amanda Perry is one of those people. This is why Rush struggled with Eli so much. He can respect Eliās mind, but he canāt respect Eliās lack of education and motivation.
But now itās Rushās turn to sound a word of caution. Amanda Perry is a qudraplegic. She requires a respirator to keep her alive. She has a full-time carer to look after her. That means whoever swaps bodies with her is going to be in for a rough time.
Young assembles a group of female crewmembers, looking for a volunteer to swap bodies with Perry. Have you noticed they always match the sex of the people exchanging bodies? It makes sense to do that, but this scene is confirmation that this is a deliberate choice.
This is going to be a difficult assignment. Lieutenant James says sheāll do it, if it means she can see her family.
For Amanda, this is a wondrous experience, more so than for most. Not only is she in somebody elseās body, on an alien spaceship in a distant galaxy, sheās able to move her body. Sheās free of her disability. And that must be truly wondrous.
But for all the wonder Perry is experiencing, James canāt take the horror of her situation. It frightens her so much she pulls the plug.
āIām sorry, Sir,ā she says. āI canāt do it.ā
Itās hard to judge Jamest too harshly for this. Suddenly finding yourself in that kind of situation would be really scary. Not everyone would have what it takes to do it.
But then, Amanda Perry never had a choice, did she? She has to live with it every day of her life, and she canāt just pull the plug and return to an able body.
Now Camille volunteers. She is immediately introduced to Mary, her carer.
Camille only has one thing on her mind. Going home to see Sharon.
James is feeling pretty guilty at her failure. She feels she has let Colonel Young down. When Perry walks into the mess hall, she canāt face her.
Perry wants to try one of the alien fruits. The ones that look like cherry tomatoes. Unlike most people, she doesnāt spit it out. What she says next is very telling. āThis is the first food Iāve been able to feed myself since I was 6.ā
Sharon has taken some holiday time from work so she can spend time with Camilla while sheās on earth, and help look after her.
Sheās a little afraid of breaking Camille.
Something in the engines explodes and Destiny is thrown out of FTL. Iām a little surprised they didnāt brief Perry on the possibility of the connection being interrupted briefly if they leave FTL. Sure, they werenāt expecting it to happen this time, but youād think thereād be a standard briefing that everyone always gets when using the stones for the first time.
Something is up with James. She was walking through the ship, and then blacked out. She doesnāt remember what happened but when she came to, the engines had failed. Did she have something to do with that?
And then we get a surprise. Franklin walks into the medical bay. Awake. Heās a little spaced out, but heās awake.
Sharon is trying her best to adjust to all of this. HAving to care for Camille in such a vulnerable state. Meanwhile, Mary, the professional carer seems to be taking everything about alien spaceships and body-swapping in her stride. I wonder how long sheās had clearance.
Thereās lots of little things to get used to. Sharon is talking to Camille while she eats, fed by Mary. But the distraction causes her to choke on her food. Camille is worried that this is freaking Sharon out. I wouldnāt blame her if she was a little freaked out.
This is when the gate dials.And of course, itās our missing crew members. They assumed that the crew had found a way to drop out of FTL so they could dial in. They knew they could try again because the kino controller lit up once she ship dropped out of FTL
Of course, we know it wasnāt the crew. It was the engine malfunction.
In the grand scheme of everything going on in this episode, the return of our lost crewmembers feels almost a little anticlimactic, after that shock ending last time. But they had to get them home somehow, and this all ties in with the threat that will be introduced later in the episode.
Thereās a cool shot of Destiny floating in intergalactic space, with the galaxy theyāve just left in the background. Of course, for them to be far enough away that they could see the entire galaxy like that, well, they certainly wouldnāt still be in range of the gate. So while it looks cool, itās very unrealistic.
If we hadnāt already figured it out, we find out that Perry and Rush know each other pretty well. They were colleagues at the SGC before he moved to Icarus base. She calls him Nick.
They had long talks after Rushās wife died. I think her friendship was one of the things that helped him through that time. It was nothing romantic. They talked about the ancients, ascension, that kind of stuff. Although it seems she had a thing for him. He didnāt seem to see the chair. She dropped a few hints but he didnāt pick up on them. I donāt blame him. He was still mourning the loss of his wife, and we blokes donāt pick up on subtle hints at the best of times.
Eli is surprised when Perry shares this with him. At first, she feels a little offended, assuming he thinks disabled people canāt have feelings. No doubt sheās had to deal with that kind of attitude before. But no. Eli is just surprised that anybody could be interested in a man like Rush.
Perry also says sheād give anything to be on Destiny. I think sometimes Eli forgets what a wonder it is to be on the ship.
It turns out, the FTL failure was a blessing in disguise. There are a bunch of components that all work in parallel together, but they are constrained by the efficiency of the weakest link. That weakest link was the one that exploded. Therefore, Destiny now should be able to make it to the next galaxy with no problem.
Thatās very lucky.
But thereās still some repair work to be done.
They think they can use the robot they found in a recent episode.
Thereās another option they can fall back on. By sitting in the chair, they might be able to access the core systems and bypass the damaged engine with a single command. That would be easier.
The robot looks pretty cool. Like a big metal insect.
Theyāre planning a mission through the gate back to the planet where Scott, Eli and Chloe were. If they canāt repair the ship, thatās where the crew will end up living. Itās not clear exactly what the aim of the mission is. I mean, the lost crew members have been there. They already know what itās like. They thought they were stranded so they must have done some analysis of its suitability for long-term settlement.
TJ wants to go on the mission. She wants to see the planet where she may have to raise her child.
They send a kino through to see whatās up before they go through. Eli thinks itās a waste of time because they were just there. Heās in the middle of saying āyou military types are too attached to your procedure.ā when they get an image from the planet. Itās our old friends, the blue aliens. Theyāre shooting at the kino. I guess that procedure wasnāt such a bad thing after all.
The good news is that the aliens donāt have a remote so they canāt dial the gates.
The bad news is they canāt go through the gate. They have to fix the engines. Thereās no other choice now.
Three weeks go by.
Which means thatās three weeks Camille is stuck in this disabled body.
Sharon is afraid to leave her side. But Camille wants her to get out of the house for a little while.
But when she takes a long time to come home, Camille panics. And then goes into some kind of convulsion.
Franklin might be out of his coma, but heās definitely not back to normal. Heās not really aware of whatās going on around him. He has to be hand fed.
Brody is making grog in a still.
Rush introduces Perry to the stuff. It seems pretty potent.
Itās going to be hard for Perry to return to her own body. Sheās loving being able to walk around.
Perry asks Rush outright if he knew how she felt about her. He thought she just felt sorry for him.
She invites him into her quarters.
This is another of times that we examine that theme of how you treat another personās body when youāre inhabiting it. This time around things are a little more nuanced.
For her, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her to have a proper physical relationship with someone.
She really wants to be with Rush.
And he wants it too. But there are complications. He knows thatās Perry in there, but he also knows itās Camilleās body. I canāt imagine she would approve of her body being used in this way.
And as for Rush, heās recently had to relive the experience of losing his wife. That is still very raw and fresh for him.
Theyāve basically decided not to do anything. At least they can hug. And thatās when TJ surprises them. You can tell by the way she looks at them that she has concerns.
James has been having weird dreams. She thinks she may be responsible for damaging the ship. It seems when she abruptly ended her stone connection at the start of the episode, she didnāt erase her imprint from the stone. One of the blue aliens used their stone to temporarily control her to sabotage the ship. The alien host body was obviously encased in a small dark room, so James wouldnāt know what was going on. Clever. Theyāve probably been trying this for some time.
Ironically, by doing this, they allowed out missing people to get back to the ship.
At this point, everyone has to assume the aliens know Destinyās position and they are coming.
Not good, considering their engine is still undergoing repairs.
Camille has recovered from whatever was happening to her. PErry might be coming back to her own body soon, so Camille has to return to an airforce facility.
The crew of destiny are preparing for her. Theyāll do what they can to protect the ship.
Itās time for Young to risk using the chair.
Thatās when Franklin speaks. Two words. The Chair.
The aliens arrive. Itās getting very exciting.
James takes a leap of logic that Franklin thinks he should be the one to use the chair. He knows something but canāt communicate it effectively.
So now we have a debate about who should sit in the thing. Young or Franklin?
In the end, itās Franklin who goes in.
Something new is happening. The temperature in the chair room is dropping rapidly. Franklin tells the others to leave.
Just as theyāre about to be boarded, the FTL drive powers up and they jump.
Good timing.
Things are looking good. Theyāre gonna make it. Theyāre safe.
Sadly for Perry, that means sheās going to have to go home.
Camille is very glad to be home. It canāt have been easy for her.
Itās now time to see whatās going on with Franklin. But when they open the door, heās not there. The room is empty, save for some mist.
I think weāll have to wait until season 2 before we find out whatās actually happened to him. ALthough I might be wrong.
So this episode was a lot more exciting than Iād remembered.
The arrival of Perry, and Camilleās experience in the wheelchair were pretty cemented in my mind, but Iād forgotten this was also the episode where the lost crew returned, and Iād also forgotten the alien involvement.
Next week we dive deep into our characters, and let the crew come to terms with some of the stuff theyāve been going through, in the episode Pain.
Have you heard that Amazon is offering to buy MGM. That means that Amazon Prime Video could be the likeliest place weāll see the new Stargate show that Brad Wright is trying to get greenlit. I think Amazon would be a good home for Stargate. At present the only original sci-fi they really have is The Expanse and Star Trek Picard, and they donāt even have Picard in North America.
Anyway, thereās still nothing official. If we do get a new show, itāll be a while before it happens.
Thanks again for listening to Nerd Heaven
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so
In the Stargate Universe episode "Lost" we follow Eli, Scott, Chloe and Greer as they struggle to find a way back to Destiny before it's out of their reach forever. It also delves into Greer's backstory.
In today's Stargate Universe podcast, we talk about the episode "Human" which features Michael Shanks guest starring as Doctor Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1. Rush is trying to figure out how to unlock the computer on Destiny, in order to control the ship. But to do that, he must relive the most traumatic moment of his life. This episode does some wonderful character exploration and development for Rush.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 63 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āHuman.ā
The description on Gateworld reads
Rush uses the neural interface chair to try and access Destiny's systems, causing him to recall the events which led to his recruitment into the Stargate program.
This episode was written by Jeff Vlaming
It was directed by Robert C Cooper,
It guest starred Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson
And it first aired on the 23 of april 2010.
The first thing we see in this episode is Rush waking up in a very normal human bed next to a woman. This is his wife, Gloria. She goes about making breakfast while he works, listening to classical music. This is clearly an earlier point in his life.
Even in his life before being a space traveller he was still a workaholic. He was up very early because he had things to do. But, it seems he found someone who could tolerate his eccentricities.
They do some interesting things with the camera during this sequence to show us this isnāt the present, and is likely a dream. Lots of very extreme closeups on things, and they let a whole heap of light into the lens so everything seems a bit over-exposed. These are the kinds of tricks that directors use to show us that āsomething is offā.
I love that first look we get at Rushās home office. There are pieces of paper covering literally every square centimetre of his walls. It nicely demonstrates his obsession. But what is he obsessing over at this point in his life? We donāt know yet.
But he pulls out of an appointment with his wife. He wonāt be able to make it today.
And it seems that like all true academics, Rush doesnāt just do pure research. He teaches as well. Heās a lecturer. This is very common. When you work at a university, you tend to do both teaching and research. Universities actually have two missions. One, pass on knowledge to the next generation, thatās the mission of every school, but itās the second mission that sets them apart from a high school or a primary school. They are tasked with generating the knowledge that is passed on.
Another woman, Constance, is concerned that heās not with Gloria. āI thought youād be worried sick,ā she says. āI am,ā Rush replies in his deadpan dismissive way. Rush doesnāt like to betray much in the way of emotions, especially the emotions that are sometimes perceived as weakness, such as sorrow.
And heās seeing these symbols floating in front of him wherever he goes. Itās very distracting to him. Heās constantly writing things in a notebook. This is our first hint that weāre not just looking at a flashback from Rushās past.
When Gloria rings him to tell him that āitāsā back, I think we can all figure out what sheās referring to. Sheās got cancer, but Rush doesnāt seem to care. He acts like sheās telling him what theyāre having for dinner. She asks if heās coming home and he fobs her off like he cares nothing for her. If youāre watching this for the first time then you likely want to punch Rush in the face and tell him to go home and be with his wife.
This is our second hint that this isnāt just a flashback. Itās something more.
When Rush finally does arrive home, we see what might have attracted him to Gloria in the first place. Sheās playing violin. Heās a real sucker for classical music. But he doesnāt even go to her, he just walks off, probaby back to his home office.
When we next see him, heās out and about, noticing something about a carās number plate. And thatās when a very familiar man comes running across the road. āDoctor Rush, Iām Doctor Daniel Jackson.ā
āSo you are.ā
Rush doesnāt have time for this. āYouāre going to tell me about the Stargate program, and your dilemma of how to dial the ninth and final chevron, namely, how to generate sufficient energy to do so.ā
Daniel is understandably confused, as we probably are too. āHow do you know this? These details are highly classified.ā
āI know because itās already happened. Youāre just a figment of my imagination. A memory Iām having to relive in order to achieve what I want.ā
I love Danielās face when Rush tells him this and then walks away. How are you supposed to respond when somebody tells you that you donāt exist?
Thatās when we see Rush in the chair. Heās finally worked up the courage to sit in the thing himself. Brody is there monitoring him, but it seems Young and Eli didnāt know.
The chair hasnāt put Rush into a coma-like it did with Franklin, so apparently, heās learned how to use it safely. He couldnāt risk his own life in it otherwise.
So heās trying to figure something out while in this hallucination state. This explains why heās being so cold to Gloria. Thatās not how it went down originally. The last thing he wants to have to do is re-live what was probably the most painful experience in his life. Itās all a distraction from his goal.
Constance behaves like any real person would if she saw Rush ignoring his dying wife like she was a distraction. Sheās a part of the dreamās narrative, so she canāt understand whatās really going on here.
I understand that none of this is real, so Rush is not actually hurting Gloriaās or anyone elseās feelings. That Gloria doesnāt actually exist. Sheās just a piece of his memory. But it still must be really hard for Rush to act the way heās acting.
Back in the real world, Chloe joins Eli in the mess hall. Heās been ignoring her ever since the civilian uprising. Eli feels that Chloe betrayed him so he hasnāt been spending time with her. Letās see if they can resolve this broken relationship in a more satisfying way than they did the Chloe/Scott relationship.
Chloe apologises wholeheartedly. She expresses how much his friendship means to her. She needs to know theyāll be okay. She promises to never betray him again.
Heās mostly silent. He doesnāt promise theyāre all good, but when the ship drops out of FTL, he does invite her to join him in seeing where they are now.
The gate has dialed a planet that has stone ruins of buildings. Cool! This is the first sign of civilisation theyāve found out here, well, other than the obelisk, but that was different. That was something constructed by intelligent beings, but no sign of an actual civilisation.
They havenāt detected any life signs on the planet with the Kino. They have 6 hours to check it out.
Eli wants to go check it out. Of course he does. Eli jumps in straight away and says she wants to go too. I think she just wants an excuse to spend some time with Eli and try to rebuild their friendship. And credit to Eli, he helps make her case for her, claiming that sheās been studying Doctor Jacksonās work. And apparently, itās the truth because he tells her to say something archeological and she immediately replies with āStratification.ā Itās an amusing little scene. I think Young is quite amused by their attempts to sway him when they really donāt have to. He has no problem with them going.
As usual, Iām much more invested in the Chloe/Eli relationship than I am in the Chloe/Scott relationship. But this time watching through, Iām less concerned with wanting them to be a romantic pairing. Iām just enjoying the friendship that the writers are developing between them.
Rush is making good use of his university teaching. Rather than just see his class as a distraction, heās trying to get them to help him crack the encryption. But they donāt have the answers so he tells them to leave. What use are they? Theyāre not really people, afterall.
Thatās when Daniel shows up again.
This whole dream is Rush trying to solve the encryption on the shipās computer, that is keeping them from controlling the shipās path.
We learn that in reality, when Gloria really was dying, Rush became consumed with trying to solve the mystery of the ninth chevron. In the end, his wife died alone because he was away.
We begin to see, as we look at Rushās backstory, why he is the way he is. Rush can be a massive jerk, but heās been through a lot. These are the things that made him a jerk. Thereās a whole lot of hurt and pain behind everything he says and does. We also learn how he really feels about Eli. Heās threatened by this big kid with no meaningful education who spends most of his time playing ridiculous games. It really bothers him that Eli succeeded where he failed.
This is all a good reminder to me to think about whatās really going on in peopleās lives. Itās easy to dislike somebody because theyāre a jerk, but sometimes we need to dig a little deeper and realise that thereās so much more going on inside them. Perhaps a great deal of hurt.
Iām not saying past hurts are justification for being a jerk, but often we fail to exercise enough compassion, because we donāt take the time to see whatās really going in peopleās lives.
Daniel tries to empathise with Rush. He lost his wife too. There was nothing he could do to save Shaāre and that hurt him a lot.
This is really interesting. This is absolutely something the real Daniel would say, but this isnāt actually Daniel. Heās just being conjured up by Rushās mind. That means that Rush must know about Shaāreās death, because otherwise, the dream wouldnāt be able to include this particular piece of dialog. I imagine Rush has read every SG mission report from both Earth and Atlantis.
Rush dismisses this. āMy wife isnāt the answer,ā he says.
The data is coming more slowly from the chair so he has time to process it, but heās not understanding it.
Again, Daniel urges Rush to spend time with his wife. Sheās more important than all of this right now. But from Rushās point of view, sheās not, because sheās not real.
And then his nose starts bleeding. Thatās TV code for āThis process is damaging his body in the real world.ā
The nosebleed is actually happening in the real world. TJ is doing what she can for him, but thereās only so much she can do. Young is considering pulling the plug, but nobody can speculate on whether that would kill him or not.
The away team have arrived on the planet. Eli and Chloe are thrilled. The ruins look kind of greek/roman esque.
Gloria has some surprising things to say. āYou have work to do. Donāt get distracted by me. There are lots of things you can change, but one thing you canāt change is what happened to me.ā
Rush is with her because it doesnāt seem to matter where he is as long as heās working. But she has to remind him that sheās not real. Interestingly, sheās giving the exact opposite advice to Daniel.
On the planet, thereās a little debate going on. Eli has investigated the tunnels under the city with the kino, but he and Chloe want to go down there. Scott and Greer can see no practical reason. Eli and Chloe just want to explore. They want the thrill of maybe finding out who lived on this planet. Scott says, āHow would that help us?ā
This actually reminds me of the different ways that Vulcans and humans explore space in Star Trek Enterprise. The Vulcans explore for purely practical reasons, but humans have this emotional need to know whatās out there.
Chloe points out the real possibility of finding advanced technology. A lot of advanced races found in the milky way and pegasus galaxies live in what appeared to be primitive stone architecture.
In the end, the thing that convinces them is that Eli has lost the kino in the tunnel. They canāt get the footage unless they go down and find it. So apparently, even though the image is relayed to the controller, it doesnāt get stored there. The footage is stored within the Kino itself.
Thereās an awkward moment when Eli jokes with Greer about being scared to go in the caves. He meant no malice by it, but it turns out Greer is a little claustrophobic. Clearly something happened to him as a kid. Just a little hint into his character, which I believe will be further explored in the future. When you look at a tough-guy like Greer, itās easy to forget they have weaknesses and flaws just like everyone else.
Despite his dismissal of Danielās words, and despite Gloriaās own urging, Rush is spending time with her, working in her company. Out for a walk or in the hospital.
Gloria was apparently a Christian. She was drawing comfort from her faith during her last days. Rush has no time for religion but he sits with her, working as always, just to be with her.
Chloe gets caught in spiderwebs and wants to go back. But Greer spots what can only be described as the giant spider from hell. Itās nasty. And he does what weāve always wanted to do when seeing a scary spider. He shoots it with a machine gun. Of course this spider is as big as a medium dog, so the machine gun makes sense. The bad news is that the gunfire also collapsed the tunnel, trapping them down there.
Iām pretty amused by Scottās line to Young, āit was a sizable spider, Sir.ā
Rush has the information he needs from Destiny, but he canāt understand it, and he doesnāt think staying in this dream any longer is going to help. He reaches for the door that will wake him up.
But Daniel asks āHowās the wife?ā
Why is Daniel so insistent on Rush spending time with her.
Apparently, today is the day she dies. No wonder Rush doesnāt want to stick around. How could you live through that again?
Rush starts to wonder why Daniel keeps saying he should be with Gloria. Daniel says it is the 6th of April, but Gloria didnāt die on the 6th of April. The address of his house is supposed to be 4, but it says 46. Heās been seeing the number 46 everywhere since the dream started.
In the real world, Rush has suffered a cardiac event. Staying in this chair is going to kill him eventually. Even Brody is starting to think it might be best to try waking him. The rescue team, Young sent to get the away team out of the tunnels are not going to complete their work in time, but if Rush has figured out the master code to the ship, he might be able to stall the ship going into FTL, to buy them time to complete the rescue, but that means risking Rushās life to save the others.
But then, if they leave him in the dream, heās going to die eventually anyway.
Young faces quite the difficult decision. Iām glad itās not me.
James is gonna try blowing a hole in the roof of the tunnel with C4. Itās risky, but they donāt have time for anything else.
The resulting visual of the tunnel collapsing over a wide area tells us all we need to know. James has made it worse. Thereās no way theyāre gonna get the team out of there now.
Scott orders them to abandon the rescue and return to Destiny while they still can.
Rush goes to see his wife in the hospital. He doesnāt know what 46 means yet but he assumes being with his wife is important somehow.
So now he has to sit here and watch her die. There could be nothing harder in life.
Gloria has some hard things to say to him, about the person heās allowed himself to become. How his loss has made him twisted and bitter. Rush is no longer the man she loved. Heās become calloused. He says that man died with her, but sheās having none of that. āI was never your conscience, Nick.ā Thatās a cop-out.
āI know how much you loved me, stop taking it out on everyone else.ā
This whole experience is actually a healing one for Rush. Heās had to face some hard truths about himself, about the person heās become.
Thatās when he wakes. Young grabs him immediately. āWeāve got five minutes to stop this ship from going into FTL. Peopleās lives are at stake. But Rush canāt do that. He never did crack the code.
Young tells Scott they canāt do anything more. Scott understands and acknowledges. Young tells him not to give up. Itās not over.
But the timer runs out and Destiny jumps.
So Scott, Greer, Chloe and Eli are stranded on an alien planet.
Thatās got to be a gut-wrenching realisation for them. Once again, the show is stranding main characters on an alien world with no way to get back to destiny, and no way to make the ship return for them.
Rush doesnāt have all the answers, but he does have 46. Thatās the number of Chromosomes in human DNA, apparently. Remember the ancients were essentially a previous iteration of humans. Most ancient technology is protected by a special gene which only they had. A select number of humans also have the gene, but Destiny was built much earlier. It doesnāt use that gene. But the ancients still tied the security system in the ship's computer into their genetic code somehow.
Now they have a place to start. Perhaps in time, theyāll be able to finally control the shipās navigation systems.
And thatās where we leave the episode.
It was good fun to see the return of Daniel Jackson. He was used effectively in this episode. Technically, it wasnāt really Daniel, but we did get some hint of how the real Daniel was involved in recruiting Rush for the Stargate program. And thatās pretty cool.
This is a great episode. It does some beautiful exploration of Rushās character. I love how it impacts him personally. We get a lot more insight into who he is, and why. Itāll be fun to see how he changes over time, if heāll really take Gloriaās advice to stop taking his pain out on others.
And what about those people trapped on the planet. Will we ever see them again?
Weāll have to keep watching to find out.
Next time, weāll be looking at the episode Lost, which will deal with what happens to the away team.
It should be fun.
If you havenāt checked out any of my fiction yet, remember that you can read my prequel story Fall of the HMAS Adelaide for free. Itās a nice little stand-alone story in my Jewel of The Stars universe that details first contact between humans and aliens, and how it went wrong.
Just go to adamdavidcollings.com/free to get your copy.
Have a great two weeks, live long and prosper.
Make it so.
The Stargate franchise has tackled themes of religion and spirituality in the past, but today's episode might just be one of the best examples. Stargate Universe "Faith" presents us with a massive science fiction mystery. The episode delves into questions of faith and duty. Join me as I dig into this wonderful episode.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.
This is episode 62 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āFaithā
The description on gateworld reads The crew finds an idyllic planet when Destiny stops without its countdown clock running, tempting some crew members to stay permanently.
It was written by Denis McGrath Directed by William Waring And first aired on the 16th of April 2010
Stargate has been examining questions of religion and faith since the very beginning. From the original movie and into SG1. Atlantis leaned on it less but it was definitely still there. But these shows rarely used subtlety and nuance on the subject, although they did some interesting stuff with the Ori inn seasons 9 and 10. Todayās episode has more of that subtlety and nuance than the Jaffaās faith in the very obviously false gods, the Goaāhuld.
When TJ wakes up, sheās got really long hair. And Iām thinking, didnnāt she have short hair up until now? That seems to be the military norm. But when we see her later, I realise that itās all kind of tied up. So I guess sheās always had long hair. Iām not very observant about these kinds of things.
Rush can barely walk, but he turns up in the lab because, in his words, thereās too much work to be done. Heās a workaholic. Itās about the only thing heās passionate about. No surprise he doesnāt want to take the necessary time to allow his body to recover from his surgery.
Theyāre all working to repair the ship, seal off the breaches in the hull from the alienās boarding parties.
For all his faults, Young is trying, really trying, to get along with Rush and find a way to work with him. Young has always been the more gracious of the two. Itās really hard to know whatās going on in Rushās head, because he doesnāt betray a lot. I donāt think he cares anything that Young is trying, again, to extend the hand of peace. I think, to Rush, Young is irrelevant. Beneath him.
It seems Chloe and Scott are not currently speaking to each other. Which is correct. If this was a 90s show, they would all be back to normal now, resuming their relationship, with no memory of the coup that happened last episode. Iām so glad that TV moved to a more serialised medium. Although, as weāll see later, theyāll still resolved their relationship a lot quicker and easier than I think they should have.
Scott is trying to make an effort to follow Youngās orders regarding the civilians. Greer doesnāt like it, at all. TJ doesnāt seem keen either, but she may have bigger problems. Scott thinks she looks sick.
The ship drops out of FTL in empty space, and the gate isnāt dialing. Thatās a first. Young says there are no planets, no stars. He says this based on the records in the computer, but those looking out the window can see there is clearly a star out there.
It would seem that Destinyās records are out of date. The seed ships are supposed to relay information back to Destiny about the various star systems. The star is a yellow dwarf, just like our sun. Destiny didnāt stop on purpose, it didnāt know the star was here. The gravity well interfered with the shipās FTL flight and caused it to drop out prematurely.
Destiny has already plotted a parabolic course around the star so it can resume its course. Itāll take a few weeks, but hereās the exciting part. Thereās a planet. Just one. Same size as earth and by all accounts a perfect paradise. They canāt gate to the planet but itās within shuttle range. They usually only have about a day to investigate a planet, but in this case they have weeks.
This is a big mystery. According to scans, the planet is a few hundred millions of years old. So why didnāt the seed ship see it and drop a stargate on it? The seed ships arenāt that far ahead of Destiny. Even weirder, they think that given the age of the star, the planet should be a ball of molten rock.
The planet does look beautiful. Like Canada, in the truest tradition of SG1, but it still looks a little different, because of the way they shoot it.
Greer is an idiot. He finds a fruit that looks exactly like a kiwi. He takes a big bite rather than waiting for a scientific analysis to determine whether itās poisonous. Anyway, this is the first alien food theyāve found that actually tastes good. And thereās fresh water down there too.
But Scott sounds a little word of caution. They havenāt detected any animals, especially dangerous ones, but who knows what comes out at night.
This is a nice subtle callback to Time, where the nice jungle planet became a living hell at night because of the creatures that emerged. I like the big connective story arcs in shows like this, but I also appreciate these little subtle moments that you might not even catch if youāre not paying attention. The first season of Farscape did a lot of this kind of thing and I know people appreciated that.
This planet is wonderful. Theyāre all feeling it. TJ especially. It reminds her of childhood camping trips. Scott has to practically drag her away when itās time to return to the ship with their findings.
And this is when things get really interesting. Theyāre flying over the mountains and they spot an obelisk. Bit tall stone thing, not quite Egyptian, but very eye-catching. Who could have put it there? Itās just sitting there in the middle of the wilderness. 600 metres tall, which is about 2,000 feet, with a faint EM field. There are markings in an alien language. Rush doesnāt think itās the same aliens theyāve been encountering over the last few episodes. Because those aliens donāt seem to have the technology to build this. Not the obelisk, the planet. Rush thinks the planet was artificially constructed by someone. Eli immediately mentions the Genesis device, which is awesome. I share his frustration that nobody seems to pick up on that Star Trek reference, but honestly, the first thing that popped into my head was Slartibartfast and the Magratheans who created planets in the universe of The Hitchhikerās Guide to The Galaxy.
Rush says the planet, and the star, were placed here after the seed ships passed by. He doesn't actually explain his reasoning, other than the fact that thereās no stargate and itās not in the records. There could be other explanations.
But assuming heās right, for a race to have created this star and planet, they would be more advanced than any race ever encountered in the Stargate universe, more advanced than the Goa'uld, the Asgard, even the Ancients. One of the things I like science fiction for, is the sense of wonder, the sense of awe. And this episode really delivers on that.
Clearly, this planet bears deeper investigation, but theyāre almost out of shuttle range. Rush suggests sending a team down now and then picking them back in a month when Destiny loops back around on the other side, on itās way out of the system.
Thatās a risk, of course, because there could be aliens down there we havenāt seen yet, but oh man, itās compelling. And the food and medicine alone makes it worth the risk.
Surprisingly, itās Eli who argues against this. At first, that might seem odd. Heās the geek, just like us. He loves science fiction. His imagination would be just as captivated as mine is, but facing real aliens is a whole different thing to watching them on TV or reading about them in books. Eli has less experience with aliens than anyone else on this ship. He didnāt even know about the Stargate program until the day he left Earth. The history of the show so far has shown us that Eli has reacted with understandable fear in the face of their few aliens encounters so far. So heās actually being very consistent with his established character right now.
Camille would like to go down but sheās not sure about Rushās calculations. She asks TJ ācan he be trusted?ā and TJās reply is āYou tell me.ā I think this is a bit of a dig at Camille for her involvement in the civilian uprising with Rush. We get a nice reminder that Franklin is still in the medical bay in a coma, following his encounter with the alien chair device a few episodes back. Nice to know theyāre not forgotten that thread. As a writer you need to drop these little things just re-assure readers when you stretch out a plot element like this. Iām actually doing a similar thing in my Jewel of The Stars books. I have a character who was injured in book 1 and is in a long-term coma over a number of books. You gotta remind the reader that you havenāt forgotten about them from time to time.
Chloe is going down to the planet, and so is Scott. That could be awkward, but at least they say a few words to each other.
Eli is remaining on Destiny, really not happy about people going down there.
Tensions are still pretty high. The military are very much running the show on this mission, but thereās some real resentment. One officer tells a civilian to dig a hole for the toilet. He refuses. Greer is kind of amused but annoyed that the officer made the civilian do this dirty job. So he makes them do it together. In his own Greer way, this is him trying to live the new spirit of cooperation as ordered.
Chloe has also noticed that TJ doesnāt look well. Given how little they get to eat on Destiny itās no wonder theyāre all not sick.
Camille asks Eli what he thinks about the planet. Is it really possible to make a star? Eli says the star appeared out of nowhere. And the planetās age doesnāt line up with what it should be. From his perspective, the most logical explanation he can see is that it was created by some all powerful alien force.
And I find that very interesting. Evidence of extra-natural creation, if not supernatural creation.
And then Scott has a chat with Caine down on the planet. He appreciates that Scott is one of the few military that seem to really mean it when they say they want to mend fences, and now theyāve been given the perfect opportunity to work it all out. Time to really think and talk, and work together. Through unbelievable circumstances. How can this be anything other than a miracle, he asks.
And I agree. Now you can debate the source of this miracle as long as you like, but I donāt think anyone down on that planet could really argue that the word miracle doesnāt apply here.
This leads to a bunch of the people down on the planet discussing issues of a spiritual nature. Is there such a thing as fate? Is there a God with a plan? TJ is holding her personal cards pretty close to her chest. Chloe seems to be leaning slightly toward the spiritual side of the argument, rather than the naturalistic view of the random scientist guy.
There are a couple of amusing scenes in this episode where Brody and Park are trying to repair the second shuttle, remember, the one Senator Armstrong died in. Whenever Young asks for an update, Brody says āOh, itās going terrible,ā and at the same moment, Park says āItās going great.ā These scenes get a good chuckle out of me. And I totally get it. I see these extremes in my own work as a software developer. You see, Brody is looking at the big picture. There are so many things that donāt work, so many problems yet to be solved. Whereas Park is celebrating their most recent success. The can make the shuttle move left. Brilliant. Thatās a significant step.
You see, developing a software product, or repairing an alien shuttle, is a project that needs to be broken down into steps. My computer science teacher used to ask the question āHow do you eat an elephant?ā The answer, āOne bite at a time.ā Whenever Iām feeling like Brody, Iām trying to solve the big picture all at once. Iām looking at the sheer number of issues still to be solved. But Iām forgetting to focus on the individual parts of the problem. I need to break it down and solve them one by one.
Anyway, Itāll certainly be handy to have two shuttles instead of just one when itās time to get the people and supplies back up.
Scott and Chloe seem to be talking again. Things seem to improve after Scott catches her swimming naked in a lake. Because, you know, sexy feelings are all it takes to overcome differences apparently. If Iād been writing this show, Iād have had their relationship end after the coup. Probably permanently. I could maybe have them get back together eventually, but definitely not just after one episode. But the worst crime here is that their relationship challenges all get solved off camera. We see Chloe coyly skinny dipping while Scott stares lwedly at her, and then, the next scene, theyāre all back to normal. Deep Space Nine did this once with Odo and Kira. I wasnāt impressed that time, either.
I think one reason the writers may have fast-tracked this reconciliation is that they needed Chloe and Scott to be willing to stay on the planet, or return to Destiny, for each other. Their relationship needed to be fixed so that we could believe theyād both be willing to make their respective sacrifice.
This is when we learn that TJ is pregnant. 15 weeks. Just before she arrived in Icarus apparently. It seems pretty obvious that Young is the father. Thereās those inconvenient consequences again.
One of the reasons they wrote this particular plot arc is that Alaina Huffman who played TJ was pregnant in real life. I worked out pretty well, though, because the writers were already toying with the idea of having a pregnancy, figuring it would be interesting to see a character have to struggle with the idea of raising a child on destiny and all the extra complications that would bring.
Anyway, TJ was kind of the perfect character to use for the poregnancy story, because it was already established that sheād had a prior relationship with Young, and this whole thing only complicateās Youngās situation with his wife further.
It was pretty common for TV writers to have to find creative ways to deal with actor pregnancy. It happened on Star Trek a lot. Thereās a reason Doctor Crusher and B'elanna Torres suddenly started wearing big flowing coats over their uniforms, although they did write Bāelannaās pregnancy as a holodeck simulation into one episode. In DS9, they had a bit more fun with it, transferring the maby of Miles and Keiko OāBrien into Kiraās body due to a medical emergency after a runabout accident.
Rush is exploring new parts of the ship while theyāre not in FTL and heās found some kind of big device that James describes as a robot. Thatās interesting.
Chloe admits to Scott that sheās starting to see things Caineās way. Somebody put this planet here for a reason, maybe for them. Be it, God, or an alien of some kind. Maybe there is some higher power in the universe that knew the crew of Destiny needed help. And thatās when they notice the obelisk is shooting a bright light into the sky. More and more interesting.
Sadly, itās about time to start preparing to return to Destiny. Theyāve gathered a lot of food But from Volkerās point of view, this is really bad timing. The obelisk has just started doing stuff. He wants more time to study it. I totally understand that, but they're on a deadline here. They canāt control Destinyās movements so they have no choice but to get back on board when it goes past or be left behind forever.
Rush is feeling that same sadness. He doesnāt need to be down on the planet experiencing it like Volker, but he hungers for answers just as much as anyone else.
TJ is thinking of staying on the planet. A few others are as well, but TJ is determined. Caine thinks anyone capable of creating this solar system could certainly help them get back home. Greer and Scott assume such aliens would be hostile. Chloe, and Canine seem to assume the opposite. In reality, neither really has any evidence to know one way or the other. They canāt possibly know what the aliens would be like.
Caine says āThis planet was created for us. We were led here for a reason.ā He says it so emphatically.
Now, Iām a person of faith. I donāt try to hide that. But faith has to be anchored in something. A collection of scriptures, somebodyās teachings, eyewitness accounts of something miraculous. In order to have faith, you need something to put faith in.
So they have hard evidence of what can only be assumed to be miraculous. A level of technology so far beyond what we can understand that the word miraculous would seem to apply. But heās making a whole lot of assumptions. They have no data on who or what created this planet. They have no idea why the planet was created. This is why Rush is so depressed, because theyāre about to leave this system without the answers to those questions. We donāt know if the aliens even know that destiny and its crew exist.
But Caine is convinced he knows why the planet was made, who it was made for, and that it is part of a larger plan that involves the humans. But he has absolutely nothing to base that on.
So itās hard to even call what heās exercising faith. Itās actually closer to imagination. Heās just making stuff up.
So while Caine is putting all his hope on the return of the aliens, TJ is okay with them never returning. This planet has food and water. The winters get cold there, well below freezing. Okay. I live in Tasmania. We get below freezing in winter, but Iāve been watching some videos from my favourite travel vloggers recently. Theyāve been staying at Yellowstone National Park. And that place gets way colder than we ever get in Tassie. Theyāll need much better shelter, but there are plenty of trees to cut down.
And thatās when TJ finally tells Scott sheās pregnant. Thatās why she canāt go back to the ship. She doesnāt want to have her baby on Destiny. What kind of a life would that be?
When Scott finally makes contact with Young, as Destiny draws close, he tells him there are 11 people that want to stay behind. Caine and TJ we know. Chloe wants to stay as well, and so does Scott. He says he feels an obligation to help the people survive down there, but I think he probably wants to stay because of Chloe.
And this is where we have to face the question of personal rights versus responsibility to the group. TJ is their medic. Sheās the closest thing they have to a doctor. Nobody else comes close. If she stays on the planet then the crew have no medical care at all. Does she have the right to deny them that? Do they have the right to deny her a change to raise her child on the planet?
I think in the case of TJ and Scott, they do have an obligation to follow orders. Theyāre military personnel. They have a duty to their commanding officer. But then, TJ technically finished her tour of duty. She was gonna head back to earth before they ended up on this ship. So how does that fit into it?
Hard questions.
So now we have Camille and Rush offering different perspectives. Camille feels the people have the right to choose whether to return or not. Rush believes that Young should round them up at gunpoint and force them back on board for the good of the crew.
Young says not all of them have the right to choose, which brings us back to the duty of the military people.
Scott hasnāt told Young about TJās pregnancy. Thatās her job. Scott knows about their prior relationship, but apparently not anyone else on the ship does.
Young has made his decision. He is gonna let some of them stay, and heās giving them the second shuttle. The damaged one. He flies it down himself, which is quite a risk. The shuttle may not do them much good, as it may never be able to be fully repaired. But it does make it down in one piece. Rush is pretty furious. They may need that shuttle some day, not to mention the people.
I was surprised to see Greer as on who wanted to remain behind. Young gives his ultimatum. Either all military personnel return to the ship, and heāll leave the shuttle for the rest of them. Or, heāll take everyone back on board by force. So with great pain, TJ agrees to return. She doesnāt mention the baby. Scott is the last holdout but he returns as well, and so does Chloe.
Young tells Rush heās sorry he didnāt get his wish. Aliens smart enough to build a solar system. Finally someone Rush can have a decent conversation with. That got a laugh out of me.
Scott asks Young a very important question. āWhat if that planet was a lifeline and we just let it go?ā
And despite Caine having no evidence for his assertions about the aliens wanting to help us all, it is an important question. That planet was perfectly suited to human habitation. It was right there when they needed it. Itās very possible that somebody did put it there for them. Are they foolish to have left it behind?
In the end, there was one reason why Young argued for staying on Destiny. Because he believes itās still the best chance to get home. And without anything to corroborate Caineās theories, heās right.
But maybe building a new life on that planet is a valid alternative to trying to get home. They could live the rest of their lives there. It might be a better life than forever clinging to the faint hope that they could get home.
Star Trek Voyager addressed this question in the episode The 37s. Not a bad episode, but I think this one explores the question more deeply. In Voyager, nobody chose to stay, but I think they had more reason to hope theyād make it back to earth in their lifetime than the crew of Destiny do.
The episode closes with the contrast of Young everyone else smiling and laughing as they have their first good meal in a very very long time, while TJ sits alone in the medical bay with tears streaming down her face.
Yeah, I really feel for her. I donāt know why she didnāt just tell Young about the baby. She canāt keep it secret forever, and it might have been enough to change his mind. There seems to have been no advantage to keeping quiet.
I really like this episode. The created planet is one of those great science fiction concepts that inspire the imagination, and it raised some thought-provoking questions about faith and duty.
If this had been a Star Trek original series episode, they would have solved the mystery. Theyād have found out who made the planet, and why. And that is certainly a valid story to tell. And it would still have had a sense of wonder to it. But Stargate Universe doesnāt do that. It leaves us in the dark, setting things up to be further explored in the future. Stargate Universe is playing the long game. And I love that.
What really sucks is that the show didnāt continue long enough to give us more answers and explore it all deeper. Itās looking like thereās a strong chance weāll eventually get a new Stargate Show, and I know Brad Wright has plans to address the fate of Destiny. I can only hope that we learn more about this mysterious planet and whoever created it. And that those answers are satisfying. Thatās always the danger with these big set ups. It can be hard to pay them off satisfactorily.
But there you have it. Faith. Iām remembering how much I enjoyed the second half of this season.
Next week, weāll be looking at an episode called Human. Itāll take us on a deep dive into Rushās backstory, which is cool, and we may even see a familiar face. I canāt wait to talk about it with you all.
Please consider giving Nerd Heaven a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and spread the word to anyone who might be interested. Thank you again for listening to the show. It means a lot to me.
Have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
The show has been building toward this for a few episodes, but here it is. We're facing a civil war between the civilians and the military on board Destiny. and if that wasn't bad enough, those aliens we met last episode are still out there and will certainly be trying to find us again.
There's lots of think about in this episode of Stargate Universe. Let's dive into it together.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 61 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āDivided.ā
The description on gateworld reads
Colonel Young's opponents launch a coup to take control of the ship, pitting the military against civilians.
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
It was directed by Felix Enrique Alcala
And it first aired on the 4th of September 2010.
Chloe is wandering the ship at night. She is clearly still trying to come to terms with her abduction last episode. Thatās totally believable. Itās the kind of thing that would give you nightmares, if you could even fall asleep at all.
The frightening images accompanied by the heavy rocks music is a very effective combination.
So she is managing to get to sleep, but she has nightmares every single time.
Scott wants to help her, but honestly doesnāt know how.
So instead she ends up in the mess hall with Rush. Heās the one person who can at least understand what sheās going through.
These two seem to be bonding over their shared experience. Remember back at the beginning of season 1? Chloe hated Rush because she blamed him for the death of her father.
Theyāve both come to the conclusion that the aliens will find them again. Theyāre not safe.
We get a solution to the big mystery from last episode. Why did the communication stones connect Young to the alien ship?
Youngās theory is that when he first opened the box in episode 1, Rush took one of the communication stones for himself. Some kind of insurance policy. He had it on his person, and so when the aliens took him on board their ship, they touched it, and thatās why the system connected Young to one of them, instead of a human back on Earth.
Rush doesnāt confirm or deny it. I think we can safely assume that Youngās theory is correct.
Rush is more interested in how the aliens found us in the first place. Heās been having flashes since his experience, much like Chloe is. Heās convinced the aliens have put a tracking device on Destinyās hull. That theyāve been tracking the ship long before humans showed up on it. Destiny is something of an obsession for them. I can understand that. This mysterious advanced ship without a crew flying through space.
Imagine how they must have felt when the humans suddenly appeared on the ship, which could even be a holy relic to them.
Destiny will be out of FTL for several hours so this is the perfect time to search the hull.
The hole cut by the boarding aliens provides a very convenient exit route for the Kino.
Greer has a frank conversation with Young. He doesnāt know who put the gun in Youngās quarters, but he has strong suspicions, and he still thinks the ship is better off without Rush. Heās willing to stand with Young if anything goes down.
Young doesnāt say anything. This kind of conflict is the last thing he wants.
While Eli is searching with the Kino, Rush is mysteriously showing an ancient research lab to Camille. āDo we have to do it now?ā she asks.
āWeāll never have a better time,ā Rush answers.
Itās clear Rush is up to more than heās let on to Young. He tells Camille to get her people in position.
The Kino has found an alien shuttle mounted to Destinyās hull. Thatās how theyāve been tracking the ship. Itās been there since before the humans arrived. Young and Scott go out in a shuttle to destroy it.
Brody is in on this thing too. Heās a little shocked when TJ enters the lab. He does a very clumsy job of trying to explain the call to her.
The tension builds nicely as the ominous music plays. Youngās shuttle wonāt lock to the ship. Eli is locked out of the computer so he canāt help. This is a big problem for Young because if the shuttleās not locked down when they go to FLT, it wonāt be enveloped by the bubble. Worst case scenario, they get left behind. The more likely scenario, the shuttle gets vaporised.
Itās pretty clear at this point that Chloe is either involved or at least knows something about it.
Young orders Greer to find Rush. Chloe tells Rush to stop whatever heās doing. Apparently, the inability for the shuttle to dock wasnāt part of the plan, and she doesnāt want Scott to die.
Eli is in a really sticky situation.
Rush admits that heās in the process of taking control of the computer system away from Eli. Eli canāt stop that, but his efforts are delaying the process. Right now, nobody has control, so nobody can save the shuttle.
If Eli stops his efforts, Rush promises to lock the clamps down once he has control.
But Young orders Eli not to listen to Rush, but to keep trying to wrest control back.
What a situation! Iām so glad Iām not in Eliās shoes right now. Even putting aside the question of who he should side with, itās hard to know what to do. If he keeps trying, thereās no guarantee heāll succeed. But if he gives up control to Rush, thereās no guarantee Rush will keep up his end of the bargain.
Eli is stuck right in the middle of the power struggle.
So who is going to blink first? Chloe and Camille, who are on Rushās side, want him to shut it down and release control back to Eli. That will put an end to everything theyāre trying to do.
In order for Young and Scott to live, somebody is going to have to relinquish control.
In the end, Rush is the one to give up. Eli engages the clamps and saves Young and Scott.
So what we have here is basically a civilian uprising against the military forces on the ship.
Brody hasnāt been able to do what heās supposed to do because TJ, who is military, is in the room.
Camille has taken control of the ship and locked most of the military out of key areas. A couple of people are stuck on the wrong side of the wall, including TJ and a no-name soldier. Eli is on the military side, although he knew nothing of this uprising.
Camilla says Youngās actions have given her no choice.
TJ outranks the soldier. As she says, āWell, weāre not gonna go and shoot everyone, so put the gun down.ā
Young assumes this is just a personal thing between him and Rush, but this is so much bigger than that. Almost all the civilians on the ship are in on this.
The civilians have all the food and water supplies, but since Rush released control prematurely, the military side have control over life support.
Poor Eli is stuck in the middle as usual. āAm I the only one who doesnāt know whatās going on here?ā he asks. From Eliās perspective, he canāt understand why people canāt just get along.
The civilians have about 3 days of air in reserve. The military would have to go that long without water. Itās a standoff.
They trade some food and water for Eli. Young agrees to this because thereās another way into the other side.
Eli is shocked that Chloe is going along with this.
Chloeās position is that Rush was an inconvenience, so Rush left him alone to die.
Young has admitted this was a mistake. He shouldnāt have done it.
But that doesnāt take away the consequences.
You see, thatās what I love about serialised shows like Stargate Universe. Consequences.
Consequences in fiction are fantastic.
Camille has an interesting point. In every civilised society in the world, the military answers to a civilian government. If you view Destiny as a small community of people then technically, what we have right now is a military dictatorship.
So where do you sit on all of this? Iām honestly interested in your thoughts, so please feel free to leave a comment on youTube, or podbean, or tweet me at @adamcollings
Iāve always been torn, watching this episode.
On one hand, Iām very much a follow the rules and do whatās right kinda guy. So the idea of revolting against the leadership of any community, be it a ship, a state, a country, goes against every grain that is in me.
On the other hand, I am a civilian myself, so I kinda feel some sympathy for the civilians on the ship. Iāve never liked the way the military throw their weight around in the second half of this episode. I understand why they do it, but it makes them feel kinda like bullies.
If I were in Eliās position, stuck in the middle between these two sides, I donāt know what Iād do. Iād just be really mad, as I think he is, at both sides for letting things come to this.
Rush is wanting to get as much power as he can to direct into the shields. He says weāre gonna need it.
Two of the military personnel are walking in spacesuits on the hull in an effort to covertly enter the civilian part of the ship.
And thatās when the aliens show up again. Thatās why Rush wants the shields.
The alien shuttle was only one tracking device. Thereās another surgically implanted in Youngās chest. Thatās awkward.
Rush knows a lot more about the situation with the aliens than heās let on. For a long time, the aliens have been attacking destiny, trying to get on board. The shipās automated defences stop them, and they give up for a while.
Theyāre attacking now because theyāre hoping the human crew will make a mistake. Rush believes that if they can keep the shields up long enough to jump away, the aliens will give up their pursuit.
It seems logical, but itās by no means certain.
Young and Greer have made it into the other side of the ship.
TJ also makes a good point. This isnāt just about listening to others points of view. The minute the civilians took over the ship, they made it war, and thatās what the military are good at. Theyāll re-take the ship. Guaranteed.
And sheās right. Young isnāt going to listen to anything they have to say, not now. Oh, heāll be willing to have discussions once this is resolved, but as long as the civilians are rising up against them, he has only one goal. Put them down.
There has always been an uneasiness between civilians and military in the Stargate world. Senator Kensey spent years trying to wrest control of the Stargate from the US Air Force. Then thereās the whole IOA thing. They were constantly trying to interfere with the Atlantis expedition.
But itās never come to a head quite like this.
So while all of this is happening, the aliens are now shooting at Destiny.
Greer has opened up the door to allow Scott and the others into the civilian side.
Scott says āuse force if you have to, but remember, we still have to live with these people tomorrow.ā Thatās smart.
Thereās an awkward moment when Scott walks inn and rescues TJ. Chloe doesnāt put up any resistance. How can she?
She and Scott just kinda look at each other, two lovers on opposite sides of this conflict.
The scene where Greer and the other soldiers burst into the room yelling, pointing guns and knocking people to the floor, that kinda makes me angry. Iām not necessarily saying theyāre in the wrong, I just donāt like the way they go in throwing their weight around. They have the strength, so what they say goes. It feels very much like Bully kinda behaviour. I think that attitude is why a lot of the civilians on the ship are feeling very upset about the whole situation. But theyāre soldiers. This is what they do. You donāt try to out soldier a bunch of soldiers and think they wonāt put you down.
Young has arrived in the control room, and, of course, he and Rush disagree on how best to handle the situation with the aliens. Rush believes the best option is to keep the shields up. Weāve already talked about his plan.
Young disagrees. I wonder how much of his disagreement is solely because itās Rush saying it?
He comes seriously close to shooting Rush. If Scott hadnāt turned up, he might have actually done it. But that would hardly help his reputation around here.
Eli tells Young about the transmitter in Rushās chest.
So theyāre gonna use the stones to bring in a qualified surgeon from Earth. Sheās in Chloeās body.
TJ has used some of the venom from the aliens back in the episode time, to knock Rush out. Itās the closest thing they have to anaesthetic. Gotta use what you can, right?
The surgeon is a little taken-aback by the makeshift nature of everything. A surgical camera made from a modified Kino, alien drugs. She obviously has clearance, so probably works for the SGC, but even so, back on Earth, under Cheyenne Mountain, they have all the normal human conveniences.
Eli thinks Rush is right about his tactic, but the shields donāt have enough power. They wonāt hold long enough.
Young wants to shoot back but thatāll just drain the power faster.
The doctor found the implant, which is gonna be hard to remove, and then they lose the connection. Poor Chloe finds herself there with her hands figuratively in Rushās chest.
And even worse, Rush wakes up mid-operation because the alien venom is an untried anaesthetic. They manage to knock him out with another dose, and TJ has no choice but to take over. She removes the tracking device from Rushās chest.
The tracker is gone, but the aliens are still firing at them.
The timer runs out and they jump. Finally free of the aliens.
I like how in the midst of all this, all the conflicts between the military and civilians were set aside. They worked together to stay alive.
But now they have to address what happens next.
Greer is worried about guarding them all, but Young says itās over.
Once again, Young admits to Camille that he knows he shouldnāt have left Rush behind. I really like this moment, the way Young says āYou think I donāt know that.ā
This is why I love Young. He owns up to his mistakes and he tries to be better.
The episode closes with the acknowledgement that itās not really over.
Learning to move forward and work together after this is going to be tough.
I love how this episode pits groups of people against each other, both with legitimate points of view. In the end, I donāt think weāre really supposed to root for one side or the other. Weāre just supposed to lament how badly things have broken down.
This is great drama.
Clearly, Young has some things he has to address. Rush is a troublemaker, and even Camilla can be problematic, but if even people like Chloe, Brody and Volker were willing to go along with this, then the civilian population of the ship have some legitimate grievances, which Young is gonna have to work through.
But the way the civilians went about it was wrong. They should have talked.
And questions of ethics aside, trying to take over the ship from military personnel was doomed to failure right from the start.
Very interesting times.
Letās see how this continues to unfold as the story progresses.
Next week, we introduce a whole new plot element which will become important, in the episode āFaithā.
Iām looking forward to revisiting it with you.
I recently sent an email out to my list explaining that the publication of my next Jewel of The Stars book is on hold indefinitely because of my familyās current financial situation. Iād had to use all my publication savings just to survive while we went through a period of only one income.
But thanks to my birthday, and the generosity of my family, things are looking a little better. So I feel like Iām getting back on track. I canāt wait to share book 3 with my readers.
Donāt forget, if you havenāt checked out Jewel of The Stars yet, you can get it anywhere you buy ebooks for just 99 cents, or in paperback from places like Amazon and Book Depository.
Have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
We have our first true encounter with aliens in the Stargate Universe episode Space. And they're pretty cool. True aliens. But why is Colonel Young suddenly connecting to them with the stones rather than Earth? And will we ever see Doctor Rush again?
Things are really starting to heat up on the show now. Let's dig in and talk about Space.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 60 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āSpaceā.
Iād like to give a little shout out to Melanie who tweeted me recently to tell me how much sheās enjoying the podcast. Thanks Melanie. Your message was very encouraging and meant a lot to me.
And thanks also to Briz_bree who left a review on iTunes. Thanks so much. Reviews are so valuable because they help other people find the podcast.
Iām recording this on my 43rd birthday, which means, I am now officially older than life, the universe, and everything. And my birthday happens to fall on Easter Sunday this year, so it has even more special meaning to me.
The description for weekās episode on Gateworld reads
A mishap with the communication stones sends Colonel Young's consciousness to an alien vessel, provoking the crew's first extraterrestrial encounter.
This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
It was directed by Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the second of april 2010.
I believe there was a break between the last episode and this. Kinda of a mid-season pause, which they seem to do in America. Last week left off with what must have felt like a big cliffhanger, with Rush stranded on an alien planet and Destiny leaving the system behind.
The little voiceover bit they do at the beginning of each episode is different now. They seem to change it every half season, so this is the voiceover weāll have for the rest of season 1.
TJ is encouraging Young to talk about his feelings regarding the recent losses of people under his command. He feels like he let Spencer down. So does she. She understands that one. And she points out thereās been a lot going on between him and Rush, but she doesnāt know the half of it. He doesnāt want to talk about it because he needs to keep it secret that he deliberately left Rush behind.
And I understand him needing to keep his secret, but he really should talk about Spencer. No doubt heās got a lot of guilt regarding Spencerās death. He needs to address that, and he needs to make sure it doesnāt happen again to anyone else on the ship.
Camille is already on to him. She doesnāt have any proof, but she suspects there is more to the situation than what he is telling her. Young thinks sheās just trying to get control of the ship back.
Greer thinks theyāre all better off without Rush. Which is pretty harsh really. As Doctor Caine points out āwell whatās the criteria? If you donāt measure up you get left behind?ā
Young has to make his report.
But this is new. Young doesnāt wake up on earth. He seems to be on a spaceship, but not Destiny. Heās wearing some kind of suit, and then he spots an alien. A real honest to God honest. Blue skin, elongated head, the works.
This is our first alien species on Stargate Universe. Apart from the swarm thing, of course.
But if Young is in the body of a mysterious alien, thenā¦.that means thereās an alien in his body, on Destiny.
And that canāt be good.
It immediately starts attacking the crew. Lucky Scott and Greer are there. They can handle themselves. Caine thinks quickly and removes the stone, severing the connection.
I donāt think weāve ever seen Caine before. It took me a while to figure out why he was doing here. I thought he was using the stones to go to Earth, just as Young was. He says heās an IT technician. That might sound like a useful person to have on the ship, but as he says, he fixes earth computers. Imagine how different computers built by another species millions of years ago would be. What kind of operating system would it have? What would its machine code be like? Would it even have machine code? Would it operate even remotely like what we know today?
Itās at this point where I finally figure out Caineās role. Heās operating the stone communication device. Riley usually does it but heās still injured from the ancient chair.
That makes a bit more sense.
Now hereās one of the things I like about Stargate Universe over the previous two shows in the franchise. It really does aliens. Sure we saw aliens in the previous shows, but most planets they visited were populated by humans. Even in the Pegasus Galaxy. When we did see aliens, they were the typical 90s Star Trek alien. Humans with a bit of rubber on their faces.
I love 90s Star Trek, but what we get in SGU seems more ā¦. Wellā¦..alien.
They really took their time introducing aliens in this show. I think some people were frustrated that they had to wait so long, and I get that, I really do. But I think the way they handled it, by the time we finally saw aliens, we were primed to really feel a sense of awe about it. This ship is so far from home. Any species we encounter are going to be so different, so unknown to us. Theyāve never encountered a human before, so weāre as alien to them as they are to us. And I love that.
Anyway, nobody knows why the stones took Young to an alien ship so until they figure it out, the communication stones are off limits. That seems a wise precaution.
Camille finds it very convenient that the stones happened to malfunction just after their recent talk, when she was planning to shed doubt on his story of what happened to Rush.
Sheās wrong about Young here, but I donāt blame her for thinking what sheās thinking. It is awfully convenient for Young. But is he really going to cut them off from Earthās support forever? Because unless heās willing to do that, faking a stone malfunction is only going to delay the inevitable, so thereās no real point.
Camille was never the biggest fan of Rush, but she is really taking up his cause right now, because if Young DID kill him, or strand him, then thatās an injustice that canāt go unpunished.
Theyāre starting to get some food supplies on the ship. No doubt theyāve had a couple of planetary excursions that we havenāt seen on screen because nothing went wrong. They still have to get used to the unusual tastes, but at least they have real food they can eat.
Eli is pretty grumpy. Youngās had him working day and night trying to understand everything Rush was up to.
And this is when we learn that the entire ship is rife with rumours. Everyone is debating whether Young killed Rush.
The seeds of something have been planted and are growing toward what will come to a head next episode.
Camille is talking with other civilians. The military personnel are the ones that call all the shorts. What we eat, where we sleep. āYeah,ā one of them points out. āTheyāre the ones with all the guns.ā
Iād forgotten this was foreshadowed here. I love serialised continuity like this.
Anyway, Eli has heard their little conversation through the kino.
And the ship drops out of FTL.
Theyāve found a rather alien looking planet with purple plants. Pretty cool.
This show really does make an effort to put a little more science in the science fiction.
No sooner have they sent a kino through the gate to investigate the planet, another spaceship shows up. An alien spaceship.
How cool is that?
Theyāve also abandoned the convenient āLetās just pretend all aliens speak englishā thing that both SG1 and Atlantis. I get why they did that, and in fairness SGU kinda continues that idea with any race from the Milky Way. For example, all the Lucian alliance people speak english, even though theyāre not from Earth. They really should have their own languages.
But the aliens, the real aliens, they donāt just magically understand our language.
In fact, from memory, Iām not sure we even hear them speak out loud.
Iām bringing this up because Eli wants to communicate. He knows how to broadcast a signal from destiny, but thereās no way the aliens will understand English.
Eli hopes they understand ancient. But even thatās a pretty huge long shot.
Young suspects this is the same ship he was on this morning.
Young suspects the aliens have been keeping an eye on them for a while. Thatās the only way they could have found Destiny so fast.
And then they respond to Eliās message. One single word. Surrender. And itās in English.
Clearly they know more about us than we do about them. Remember at the very end of Air Part 3, we saw some kind of shuttle detach from Destiny and fly off into space?
Well Young has decided the time for talk is over. Clearly the aliens arenāt interested in a peaceful exchange.
So he orders the shipās weapons brought on line. We know the crew have access to the weapons because they used them a few episodes back to drain the shipās batteries.
I really feel for Eli in all of this. With Rush gone, all this comes down to him. As he says āHey, first space battle here.ā The world always ends up resting on the shoulders of the computer guy. Iāve definitely felt that pressure in my day job.
The aliens are launching smaller ships, so Scott heads off in Destinyās one working shuttle.
And itās so cool to finally be seeing a space battle. Ships flying about, lasers blasting. And they very much use the Battlestar Galactica method of shooting the visual effects like a documentary. The camera has trouble tracking the fast-moving spaceships as if it were a real camera operated by a real camera person. I donāt mind that effect.
Young says to Eli āEveryone on this ship is counting on your.ā
I think he means it to be motivating, but itās the last thing Eli needs to hear. So much pressure. I totally get that.
Young switches into a slightly more encouraging mode when he says āyou can do this,ā but Eli counters āNo. I canāt.ā
So then he tries being all commanding. āI need this ship working now, as if raising his voice will somehow make things work better.ā
And Eli hits him where it really hurts. āWell then you should have thought twice before you got rid of Rush.ā
Yeah, theyāre all thinking the same thing. And Eli isnāt pretending otherwise anymore.
Destiny seems to be reasonably well armed. The weapons are not as powerful as the drones weāve seen on Earth and Atlantis, but theyāre effective against the alien ships. But thereās a lot more of them than there are of us.
I love how they use the sparks and the rapid camera movement to build up the suspense and sense of danger as James and TJ run through the hallways of the ship.
One of the alien shuttles has gotten through our weapons fire and docks with Destiny. They drill through the hull and drop in right next to Chloe.
The aliens make kind of a squawking noise. Thatās likely their native form of communication.
Nice to see that when the alien shuttle leaves, Destiny is able to seal the hulk breach with a forcefield. The ship is heavily automated and good at taking care of its own needs.
It had to run for millions of years without a crew, afterall.
So it looks like the aliens have taken Chloe, which kinda sucks.
Chloe is in some kind of tank filled with fluid, a breathing mask keeping her from drowning.
Itās like the alien abduction scene from all our nightmares.
As she panics, trying to get out, she spots one of the aliens. And we get a decent look at it this time. The alien actually looks somewhat fish-like. It has tendrils handing off his lower face that look kind of like facial hair. The head is quite tall and is distinctly non humanoid. It seems to have a semi-translucent skull. The eyes are much bigger than human eyes, though not black like the classic grays, which are actually Asgard in this universe. Itās very cool. Very alien. Iām a sucker for a CGI creature.
It emits a screaming noise in Chloeās mind.
There are a lot of wounded and even Camille has turned up in sickbay to help out.
Scott asks a very good question. āWhy are we the enemy?ā
Young wonāt authorise a mission to rescue her with the shuttle. It would be suicide, but heās got a plan. Heās going to infiltrate the alien ship using the stones. Heās making the reasonable assumption that the ship next to them is the same one he visited earlier. Thereās no conclusive proof, but it seems likely.
They need to keep Young firmly secured before he uses the stone, because while heās over there, the alien he swaps bodies with will be on Destiny.
Young is wearing the same uniform as the alien watching over Chloe.
Itās interesting to note that the ancient communications stones work across species. The alienās brain must be very different to ours, but there must be enough similarity for the device to do its wo9rk.
Young sees a group of aliens going about their business at various consoles. They pay him no attention.
At this point, we donāt yet know why the stones are connecting to the aliens rather than Earth. Itās a fascinating mystery, which Iām sure Young is keen to solve. But thatās not his first priority. He needs to find Chloe and figure out a way to get her back.
One of the aliens gives Young a bit of a look for a moment but then goes back to its work.
Scott and Eli are trying to communicate with the alien. It sent an english word in response to their message, which was in Ancient, so it not only knows our language, it knows we are not ancients.
The creatures donāt just make that noise mentally, they emit the squeaking sound out of their mouths. So thatās their language. Again, I love how alien this is. These guys are more exotic than most aliens on sci-fi TV.
Young has found the fluid tank, but inside, he doesnāt see Chloe. He sees Rush!
At this point, we can conclude that the alien shuttle they found last episode probably belonged to this species. They must have found Rush on the planet with their shuttle and abducted him.
Young smashes the tank and frees Rush, but to Rush, he looks like a blue alien.
Heās pretty freaked out, but when young uses a calming gesture, Rush immediately recognises it.
Rush knows more about their technology than Young does. Makes sense. But from Rushās point of view it must be weird that he knows more about their technology than one of their own. Anyway, he senses the Young aliens want to help him so he puts the translator-mind reading thing onto his head and gives the other to Young, who canāt actually speak english to Rush, because he doesnāt have the appropriate vocal chords.
Rush is able to read enough from Youngās mind to figure out who he is. But itās all too much for Young. The stones stop transmitting, and now Rush is there with a genuine alien who immediately attacks him.
It seems humans are physically stronger than the aliens. Looks like Rush breaks its neck. And Rush isnāt a fighter. Young kicked his butt. Heās a scientist.
With the alien host body dead, Young is no longer able to connect with the stones, but he may have done enough by freeing Rush. Rush has seen in the alienās mind that they have Chloe on board.
But the aliens are attacking again. Itās not looking good for Destiny. Young orders Eli to return fire, even though Chloe is on board. What else can he do? If he doesnāt fight back, everyone on Destiny will die.
Rush rescues Chloe from her tank. Thatās the easy bit. Now they have to find a way off the ship somehow.
The aliens retreat, with just one of their shuttles heading toward Destiny.
Itās not clear why they retreat. They clearly had the upper hand in the battle.
Scott and Greer are ready for a fight when they see the hole cut into the ceiling, but they get a nice surprise when Chloe drops down. But a big shock when Rush follows her.
āRush said you were dead,ā Greer says. āKilled in a landslide.ā
So Youngās secret is out. No more pretending now. But Rush, very graciously, plays along with Youngās story. āNo no, he rightly assumed I was dead,ā he says.
After being abandoned, Rush managed to get the shuttleās power working, but that triggered a distress call, which is what brought the aliens.
Rush doesnāt remember much of his time on the ship. Only that they were probing his mind.
Rush was able to get useful information out of them, like how to find the shuttle bay, and how to fly their shuttle.
The aliens arenāt interested in us, theyāre interested in Destiny.
This was all a good way to have that epic moment last time, with Young leaving Rush behind, but not writing him out of the show. Weāve got a believable way for Rush to return. It all works quite nicely.
So why do you think that Rush does this?
I suspect he knows heās gonna have to bury the hatchet a little with Young, if he expects to be allowed to remain on board. He pushed things too far with Young by framing him for murder. Theyāve both done things they regret.
Rush goes to meet with Young and talk it out.
Itās actually a really good conversation. I like it when these two genuinely try to make it work between them.
Young believes Rush deserved to be left behind, but he regrets losing control and becoming somebody that he could no longer respect.
Rush admits he provoked Young.
Now they just have to try to find a way to work together.
The people on this ship doesn't need to doubt their leadership and they all need to get ready for the next alien encounter.
They agree to put it all behind them for the sake of the crew.
I really like that.
The relationship between these two characters is a really interesting aspect of this show, and I really regret not being able to see it develop further as the show went on.
There was a moment early in the episode where Lieutenant James accidentally talked about how she was attracted to Caine while he was listening. He plans to just stay friends, because if things go badly it would be awkward, being stuck on the ship with someone youād had a bad relationship with. At that moment, Young walks in and hears Caine talking about this to TJ. Young and TJ, who are stuck on this ship, having had a difficult relationship in the past.
Anyway, despite her exterior toughness, James is really broken about this. My heart hurt a little watching the shot of her crying. Much credit to actress Julia Benson for getting that across in a way that touched me so.
The musical montage at the end of the episode manages to get quite a lot of information across in a short period of time.
I think there might be some residual trauma for Chloe and Rush following their experiences on the alien ship.
Regarding that little meeting of the civilians who are unhappy with the military leadership on board, Eli chose to show it to Young. He may be a civilian, but Young is in charge of Destiny. Battle lines are being drawn, and everyone is gonna have to choose a side soon.
And despite his words to Young, Rush is meeting with Camille. āYoung is Dangerous,ā he says. And she agrees. āI tried to do something about it.ā She knows. She knows he tried to frame Young, but she seems to think Rush was justified.
Things will be getting very interesting next episode.
Iāve heard a lot of people say that Stargate Universe started slow at the beginning of season 1, but if you hang in there, it gets better. I think this is the moment they are referring to when they say it gets better.
While, I donāt entirely agree, because I love the whole show, and have really enjoyed most of what weāve covered so far, Iām beginning to understand what they mean.
The pilot was especially strong for me. I love Air.
But many of the episodes in the first half of season one have been quite character -focussed, and some of that character exploration has gotten a little soap-opera-ish, and Iām mainly referring to the stuff with Young, Telford, and Youngās wife.
I donāt remember that plotline being followed up on much from here, so itāll be interesting to see if that feels resolved, or like a hanging threat as I go through it this time.
There have been a couple of clumsy moments so far, but overall, I still maintain that the quality of this show is very high.
I can see why some people donāt like it, though. The tone is so different.
And I think another reason some fans disliked the show was the way it took over from Atlantis.
Stargate Atlantis was never given the chance to end properly. It was cancelled prematurely. And just after they announced the demise of Atlantis, they announced Stargate Universe, which they promised would be a very different kind of show.
I had mixed feelings at the time, I mourned the loss of Atlantis, but I was excited for Universe. Not everyone felt the same way, though. Some even vowed to boycott the new show before it even aired.
Regardless of whether you like SGU or not, I think we can all agree that this transition was not handled well. And thatās a shame, because this show really does deserve a chance.
So next week, those battle lines we saw forming will be drawn. Itās all gonna come to a head for our characters. Itāll be an exciting one.
Iām looking forward to sharing my thoughts on Divided with you.
Iām loving how nicely the serialisation of the show is working now. The plots of one episode are leading naturally into the next. Itās great.
Thanks again to all of you who are taking the time to listen to Nerd Heaven. I value and appreciate it very much.
Have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
This is my reaction to the announcement trailer for Stargate Timekeepers, a real-time strategy PC game in development by Slitherine.
Today's episode is a turning point in the first season of Stargate Universe. It starts out as a murder mystery. Who killed Spencer? But it quickly becomes something much bigger. There are conspiracies taking place on board Destiny, and various camps are vying for control of the ship. I've really enjoyed the show up until now, but this is where things start getting even more interesting. Join me as we dig deep into "Justice".
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is the 59th episode of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āJusticeā.,
The description on gateworld reads
Colonel Young cedes command of the ship after he is implicated in the murder of a crew member.
This episode was WRITTEN BY: Alan McCullough
It was DIRECTED BY: William Waring
And it first aired on the 4th of December 2009
One of the biggest adjustments the crew of Destiny are going to have to make, being so far from home, is eating alien food. They managed to find some vegetables on a planet that are chemically safe. But it all comes down to the all-important taste test. These plants were never meant to be eaten by humans. So thereās no reason to believe they will be in any way palatable to us. Itās just lucky that theyāre not poisonous, and they contain nutrients that will keep us alive.
Greer is the first to try it. Everyone looks on with baited breath as he puts the first bite in his mouth. His verdict, āThat is one sweet potato.ā
But of course, when everyone else tries they nearly vomit. Greer is a tough-guy military type. Heās got the self control to hold back his revulsion and pretend it was good. Not an easy feat, I would imagine.
He makes a good point, thought. It will keep them alive.
And thatās when they notice that Spender is supposed to be on kitchen duty. Heās late for his shift.
Ah, our old friends Spencer. A jerk, no doubt about it, but heās been facing some very real mental health difficulties lately. Heās not coping with being stranded here in a distant galaxy. Things have been coming to a head with him for a number of episodes.
So whatās he up to now?
Turns out, heās not up to anything. Heās very dead. Mercifully, weāre not shown anything close up, but from the blood spatters it looks like it was a gun to the head.
Just before Young gets the call from Greer, heās talking with Camille. She feels Young is pushing people too hard with their training. After all, this isnāt boot camp.
Young agrees. This isnāt boot camp. At boot camp, you have plenty of chances to learn from your mistakes.
Camille is making the point that he should be going easier on people than he would if they were going through boot camp. Youngās position is that he should be even harder, because out here, one mistake could kill you, and maybe everyone else as well.
TJ believes it was suicide, which definately fits. He was depressed and unstable.
This leads to a debate about whether he should have had access to a gun. Youngās position is that he was a trained soldier. It was required of him to carry a gun. But I imagine a soldier with the emotional troubles he had anywhere on earth would be put on medical leave and have no access to a weapon.
But out here, do they have that luxury? Or do they need every able body to do their job?
Personally, I tend to think that Spencer should have been taken off duty, at least until a military situation that required him to act came up.
But all this becomes moot when Greer says it wasnāt suicide.
Thereās no gun in the room. Whoever shot him took the weapon.
The thought that somebody on this ship could be a murderer is a truly shocking idea. One that is hard for Young and Eli to wrap their heads around.
Rush points out that he had no friends. Nobody liked him. He was involved in a bunch of confrontations and he was hoarding water and food. Nailing down just one person with sufficient motive could be a challenge.
A bunch of people were playing cards together at the time. They can all corroborate each otherās whereabouts. Young has no alibi because he was asleep in his quarters. So heās turning the investigation over to Scott, who was one of the card players.
Most science fiction shows do a murder mystery story at one point. Whenever you do a story like this you need to decide which character will play the role of the detective. On shows like Star Trek and Babylon 5 it tends to be the security chief. Theyāre considered the police officer of the ship or station. Stargate Universe doesnāt really have that role.
But given the circumstances, Scott seems the logical option.
I do like the sci-fi mystery story. Mystery is one of those genres that blends nicely with basically any other genre in existence. Itās like salt, it adds to and enhances the flavour of everything else.
And personally, the mysteries I enjoy most are those that are mixed with sci-fi, or fantasy, or a historical setting. Taking the typical cozy mystery tropes and putting them in a place or time where youād not expect to see them. I eat that stuff up.
The primary focus is on finding the missing murder weapon. To that end, Scott is going to methodically search every room on the ship, starting with quarters. Most people want to be present when their quarters are searched, demonstrating the immediate lack of trust that everyone is feeling. This whole thing has them all shaken.
Camille thinks Greer should be the primary suspect. He was the one who found the body. Heās the one who claims the gun was nowhere in sight. But thereās really no evidence that points to Greer at present. Scott counters by saying Greer is one of the few people that can be eliminated from suspicion, but he doesnāt give any basis for that statement either.
Rush has completely disregarded the instruction for everyone to remain in the gateroom until their quarters have been searched. Heās in the control room uncovering interesting new things about their chair device. He makes the extraordinary statement āObviously, colonel, neither you or I have anything to do with all this. I thought this would be an opportunity to still get some work done.ā
At this point, Iād have to say that Rush has painted a big āsuspectā sign on his back.
Young makes a point of not needing to be present when they search his room. Heās trying to show people that he trusts Scott and Eli to do their job.
And thatās when Eli finds the gun hidden behind a grate in Youngās quarters.
Scott is ready to say they found the gun in a storage locker. He has absolute confidence that Young is being framed. Eli is uncomfortable with this. I would be too. Iām not saying Iād believe Young was guilty, it seems pretty obvious that somebody is trying to undermine his authority, but Iād be uncomfortable about subverting the proper process of law. Whatever that means on this starship millions of lightyears from home.
In the end, Young agrees with Eli. They have to be above board with this.
He orders them to give the gun to Camille and tell her the whole truth.
This also takes Scott out of the investigation. He canāt be expected to investigate his immediate superior officer.
So wray is now in charge of the investigation.
Young wants everything above board and out in the open. That may be the best way to uncover what is really going on.
Camille has talked to her IOA superiors and they have told her to hold a hearing.
Young is going to have to defend himself, and he expects Camille to come after him. The IOA want one of their own in charge, and this is their best shot.
They basically pulled this same thing with Atlantis a number a few years earlier. The city started with civilian leadership under Elizabeth Weir, but after she was lost to them, Colonel Carter took over. But after one year, she went on to captain the starship Hammond, and the IOA finally got one of their own in charge. Richard Woolsey, famously portrayed by Robert Picardo from Star Trek Voyager.
There seems to be this really uneasy peace between the IOA and the US military. Remember last episode, Camilleās boss told her to create her own camp to try to wrestle control of Destiny from Young and Rush.
Anyway, all this to say that Young needs a lawyer. He picks Chloe.
And I agreed with his choice. She;s the obvious candidate.
She studied political science at Harvard, and while Iām sure thereās a sizable gap between that and law, this trial is mostly politics anyway. He doesnāt want Scott to do it because then it will look like the military vs the civilians.
I donāt blame Chloe for being hesitant about this. She isnāt close to being qualified for this, but Young is right. Sheās his best hope.
So now the episode changes from a mystery to a legal show.
The first witness Camille goes after is Franklin, who saw Young hold Spencer up against the wall last episode. Of course, he was defending Franklin at the time. As Franklin says, Spencer was out of control.
Interestingly, Young leaves the hearing during this exchange. I guess thereās no rule that says he has to be present.
Volker and Rush remember a conversation where Young implied he might have to take drastic action in regards to Spencer, if things didnāt improve. But he didnāt explain what drastic action meant.
Rush is very interesting in how he answers the questions. He lays out exactly what he thinks Camille is trying to imply. That theyāre all better off without Spencer and Young might have come to the same conclusion. He says that would be pure speculation and heās having none of it, but as Eli says, that didnāt stop him from saying it out loud. Remember this moment.
But let me ask you that question.
Are the people on board Density better off without Spencer?
From a purely practical point of view, maybe they are. He was a disruptive influence who caused nothing but problems.
But he was a human being.
And as such, his life had incalculable value.
So, in my opinion, no. they cannot be considered better off without him. He was one of their own, who was an unbelievable jerk, but he was suffering and struggling,
and he needed help.
And now heās dead.
And we finally get confirmation that the tablets Spencer was taking were sleeping tablets. He may have been addicted, which could lead to suicidal tendencies. Poor TJ wishes sheād known. She might have been able to help him.
This is a good reminder to all of us that we should be checking to see that our friends are okay if we see anything that concerns us.
But Chloe reminds us all of something thatās been conveniently pushed aside and forgotten. Other than the missing gun, all other evidence points to Spencerās death being suicide. TJ confirmed this earlier.
Camille gets a bit touchy when she realises that Chloe is taking her job seriously. Itās like she expects Chloe to just roll over and play along with her because theyāre both civilians, and obviously, Young is the bad guy here.
In Camilleās mind, what sheās trying to do is get to the truth because they canāt afford to have an unsolved murder. Maybe thatās her job. But Chloeās job is to represent her client to the best of her ability.
Personally, I think Camille is a bit out of line here.
Camille wants to gather all the evidence and then have everybody on board cast their vote for innocence or guilt.
Greer is ready to storm the hearing and end it by force. Many of the other military are with him, but Scott and Young talk them down.
In the end, none of it is necessary. Young and Camilla have an agreement. Sheāll call an end to the hearing for lack of evidence, and heāll stand down as leader. Sheāll be taking over now.
So the IOA have what they wanted. One of their own in charge of the ship.
Rush is looking very cheerful when he goes to offer his congratulations to Camille on her new position.
He says he wants control over his science team, but is happy to report to her.
And then, the very next shot, the door opens on the ancient chair device.
So suddenly, Rush has the authority to put someone in the chair.
Thatās what he wanted all along.
He has his whole team meeting him there. Heās trying to convince them that this chair, as an earlier version, is likely to be safer than the one that almost killed OāNeill.
But I love how Eli points out that the 1.0 version is usually the buggiest.
He stops short of asking for a volunteer, but heās put it out there.
Scott isnāt happy about any of this. As far as he is concerned, Young is still his commanding officer.
Young comments that he wonāt rule this ship by force. If the people donāt have confidence in him, heās not going to throw his weight around and lay down the law with his gun.
In the end, Franklin is the one to take the plunge in the chair. He sends Eli off to get him some food and then sits in it.
It really doesnāt look healthy. It drills holes into your head.
Franklin was convulsing until they removed him from the chair and now heās in a coma.
Things get pretty headed between Young, Rush and Camille.
Scottās had enough. He wants Eli to find evidence in the kino records of who is framing Young.
Itās at this point when Destiny drops out of FTL. Theyāve got a gate connection to a planet.
A team goes through to explore. Volker, and a couple of no-names.
And they spot a crashed spaceship!
Rush is excited. I would be too.
This is the first sign of intelligence life theyāve found in this galaxy since they arrived on Destiny.
But before he can get to the gate room. Young grabs him. Eli has found something.
Itās a suicide note, recorded on a kino. The footage was deleted from the computer, but Eli had a backup for his documentary.
So not only does that prove Youngās innocence, it means that Spencer took his own life.
And thatās terrible.
Camille wants to recall the off-world team while they re-assess their situation but Rush argues. The alien ship is too important. They have to learn what they can before time runs out.
And Young agrees.
I would too.
As Rush says, āthis mess isnāt going anywhere.ā
And this is their one and only opportunity to check out the ship.
Youngās going too. And I think he knows exactly why.
The ship is not ancient, which means itās from a completely new species.
Young sends the rest of the team back to the gate.
Rush is still geeking out over the ship when Young says āI know it was you.ā
There was one thing he never told Rush. The kino kept recording until Rush entered Spencerās room. He heard the shot and found the weapon. In his mind, he wasnāt really framing Young for murder. He knew there wouldnāt be enough evidence for that. The aim was to create just enough doubt to force him to step aside.
āYouāre the wrong man for the job, Colonel,ā he says.
āYou donāt believe in the mission. You stepped down because you couldnāt make the hard calls. That makes you a liability.ā
Rush says he isnāt proud of what he did, but he did it for the good of everyone on board.
So there you have it. Young has sometimes doubted whether heās good enough to be leading this expedition, but lead it he has. But Rush outright believes heās not up for the task, so much that he did this.
But letās think about this.
When I first started this re-watch, I was of the opinion that Young was not a good leader, but I respected him because he wanted to be better. He wanted to become a good leader. To be worthy of his position.
But going back through the show, Iāve become convinced that Young is actually a pretty good leader. Heās a good military officer.
Young has failings, some serious ones, but those are failings as a person, not as an officer.
His failings are emotional and moral. He sometimes lacks maturity and good sense in his personal life, but heās made some good calls as leader of this expedition.
As much as I like watching the character of Rush, I canāt agree with him. Heās wrong about Young.
And itās looking like he might have been wrong about the chair too. So far, Youngās concerns are proving to be justified.
So Young punches Rush a few times and they get into a fist fight.
Obviously Young is gonna win this.
When he thinks Rush has had enough, he asks āAre we done?ā
And Rush says, āWeāll never be done.ā
At that moment, Young really has little choice, does he.
He knocks Rush out and leaves him there on the planet. To die alone. With no hope of ever getting back once they leave the system.
Young emerges from the gate and tells the others that Rush didnāt make it. Now heās playing Rushās game. Heās lying.
Can you believe this? This is really full on. We have the two main leads of the show. The stars. The heroes you might even say. And theyāre so at odds that one frames the other, and then the other abandons the first on a planet.
This kind of thing was still pretty rare on TV at the time.
Babylon 5 came close to this kind of conflict between the characters. Farscape as well.
I was blown away the first time I saw this episode.
And I was wondering, had Rush been written out? Was this the last weād see of him?
But letās think about what Young has done. Heād probably tell you he left Rush behind for the good of the crew. Did Rush represent a danger for the crew? Or did he just represent a danger to Young? I think Rushās tendency to put his own selfish needs ahead of everyone else represents at least the potential for danger to the entire crew. But the primary threat he represented was to Young himself. Ultimately, it was that statement āWeāll never be done,ā that made Young believe he had no other choice.
But the big question is, can Destiny cope without Rush? Heās a very smart person and he knows more about ancient technology than anyone else. Eli is also extremely smart, but he doesnāt have the knowledge of the ancients that Rush does.
By leaving behind one of their most brilliant minds, Young is taking a huge risk. Next time they encounter something that only Rush could have gotten themselves out of, he may regret his decision here.
Camille informs the crew of the new evidence and returns command to Young.
Young wants a copy of the footage that incriminates Rush, and then wants Eli to delete it from everywhere else.
Eli just gives him this look. I think Eli knows, or at least suspects, that Rush didnāt die in an accident on the way back to the gate.
Our lost shot is of Rush waking up at night time, looking up into the sky. A lone human on a planet. An entire solar system.
Nobody has ever been as alone as Rush is in this moment.
Stargate Universe started really strong for me, with that 3-part pilot. And it continued along well enough. But this episode here, this was when I knew the show was going to continue to be really good. The creators had made something special.
The story continues to go into some interesting places in the coming episodes.
But amongst all this interesting stuff with Young and Rush and the mysterious alien shuttle, letās not forget Spencer.
He died. He took his life because he saw no hope and he didnāt think anybody could help him.
Suicide is a truly tragic thing. If youāre feeling at all like Spencer, read out to someone who can help.
You can call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
In America, you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline on 800 273 8255
There are services like this in other countries too. Theyāre contact details are just a google search away.
Next week, weāll talk about the episode Space.
Until then, Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In the latest episode of our Stargate Universe Rewatch Podcast, we take a look at the first season episode "Life". This is very much a character-driven episode. We explore elements of character with Scott and Camille as they return to earth via the communication stones. The conflict between Young and Telford intensifies, and Rush makes a startling discovery. That's right, the chair device makes its first appearance in Stargate Universe. This episode is of note because it features no great threat to the crew. In fact, the lack of any great danger is what finally gives the crew time to reflect on their situation. And that causes its own problems.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 58 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āLifeā
But before we do, I want to acknowledge the tragic passing of Cliff Simon, who played the Goaāuld System Lord Baāal in Stargate SG-1. From my perspective, this was just announced yesterday, but you wonāt be listening to this until the 19th of April, just over a month away.
He died in a kiteboarding accident. In addition to being an actor, he was also quite an athlete. He was only 58 years old.
My heart goes out to his wife, his family, all those who loved him.
Todayās episode of Stargate is called āLife.ā
The description on gateworld reads
Lt. Scott and Camille visit their loved ones using the communication stones, leading Colonel Young to a discovery about Telford's activities. On the Destiny, Rush discovers technology he believes may be able to get them home.
The episode was WRITTEN BY: Carl Binder
It was DIRECTED BY: Alex Chapple
And it first aired on the 20th of November 2009
The episode opens with an unconventional choice of music for a sci-fi show. Itās a country-kinda sounding tune. The line that clearly stands out in the lyrics is āItās been the worst day since yesterday.ā Thatās kinda thematic to the episode, and the show as a whole. This song is by a band named Flogging Molly.
The characters are starting to come to terms with the fact that this is their life now. Theyāre on this ship and theyāre not leaving any time soon. This is how itās gonna be. Itās not what any of them wanted (except maybe Rush) but they canāt change it . They just have to try to find a way to get through each day. To find the positives. To make a life for themselves.
So weāre starting to see activities taking place. A bunch of them are exercising together, while Chloe exercises alone.
And then, of course, there are those who have managed to hook up with someone. You can have a relationship with somebody no matter where you are. That actually reminds me of Tom and B'elanna in Star Trek Voyager. They found happiness. They were married and even had a child. In late season 7, Harry asks Tom āDonāt you want to get home?ā
And Tom replies āI am home, Harry.ā
These Doctor Park and Greer are not at that stage. She seems to just be using the activity as a stress-relief, although I think it means more to Greer. But I can definitely see how building a more committed relationship and family would change your perspective on the place where you are.
Spencer is in his quarters. I donāt think heās still confined. Heās taking the last tablet of some kind of medication. Not sure what it is, but I imagine itās important. Letās hope he doesnāt rely on it to stay alive for his sake.
Telford is still obsessed with stone duty, so that he can get back on board Destiny, but when OāNeill orders him to take a break, he calls up Youngās wife.
Theyāre having dinner together, but it seems heās being himself at the moment, not pretending to be Young.
He says he feels an obligation to tell her something about her husband.
Young wants everybody on the ship in shape. And that makes sense. They donāt know what dangers theyāll face in the future. Physical fitness isnāt everything, but if youāve got it, itās one less disadvantage you have in a situation.
Eli isnāt overly keen to take part. IT seems heās less enthusiastic about losing weight than the actor who plays him.
Young also wants TJ to do psych evaluations on everybody on board. And again, that makes very good sense. With all the stress theyāre under, the hardship of being stranded so far from home, nobody is going to be in peak mental health. Some could be really struggling. Spencer seems to be one of them. Perhaps the pills he was taking were antidepressants or sleeping pills.
Rush has opened a new section of the ship and is exploring it. Eli canāt help him explore because working on a secret mission for Young. Rush is amused by this. From his perspective, Eli isnāt military, and therefore doesnāt have to do what Young tells him. Eli still sees Young as the leader of this community. The question of who is running this ship, and who should be, will come up again. Weāre building toward something.
Anyway, the mission Eli is doing is research to see if there is any hope that Telfordās plan to get Destiny home might work. So far nothing.
Rush and Greer make a significant discovery. Itās a chair. Looks like a dentist chair, but if you are at all familiar with SG1 or Atlantis, youāll recognise it as an ancient control chair.
Back on Earth and on Atlantis, the ancients created these chairs to operate a very powerful weapon that fired drones. These drones can rip through a Goa'uld or Wraith ship like itās paper. But only somebody with the ancient gene can use it. The ancients all carried this gene, and a few modern day humans carry it as well. It was a security feature so the weapons couldnāt be used by their enemies.
Doctor Carson Beckett developed a gene-therapy that could give this gene to any human.
But with a little research, Rush believes this chair is actually closer to the ancient repository of knowledge that got downloaded into Jackās mind back in The Fifth Race. He calls it a neural interface. This is a precursor to the device SG-1 found. Within the knowledge contained in this chair could be the master code for this shipās systems.
Young immediately recognises the danger the chair represents. The ancient repository almost killed Jack. It would have if he hadnāt found his way to the Asgard galaxy so they could remove the knowledge.Rush can study the chair, but nobody sits in it.
Rush thinks the effects will likely be less severe. The only way to know for certain is if somebody sits in it. Of course, heās not willing to volunteer to do it himself. Because heās Rush. Heās too important in his own mind. This should be no surprise to anyone who knows Rush. Heās a coward at heart, but is perfectly happy for other people to risk themselves on his behalf. It is probably his worst quality.
Greer is almost ready to sit in it now if thereās a chance itāll help them find a way home. But Young is adamant. Rush needs to prove it can be used safely, and that it can do something useful to them.
This chair will be an important element in the ongoing story so itās pretty exciting to see its first appearance.
Lieutenant Scottt and Camille Wray are both using the stones to visit their families. This is the one break that the crew get from the drudgery of life on the ship. Well, that and exploratory missions through the gate.
Telford is back on duty again because Scott has swapped bodies with him. Heās eager for some of Eliās test results. He has people back on earth that want to help with the plan. But Young doesnāt trust Telford any more than he trusts Rush.
Camille has a quick debrief with her IOA superior before heading home. She explains how Rush and Young are at odds, but right now Young seems to be winning. He has control of the ship and crew. Sheās stuck between them and not sure which is the better camp to join. Her superior makes an interesting suggestion. Why donāt you start your own camp?
Again, this is sowing the seed of something interesting to come. This episode is doing quite a lot of set-up for the future, which is really cool.
Scott has received an unexpected letter. Remember back in the pilot, the flashback of a teenage Scott confessing his sins to the priest that raised him. Heād gotten a girl pregnant and she wasnāt planning to keep the baby.
Well, sheās made contact with him, but she doesnāt have clearance to know about the Stargate program, so he has to use a cover story.
Camille on the other hand, has gone home to see her partner Sharon, who apparently has just been told about it all. Sheās skeptical at first, but Camille speaks to her in, what I assume is mandarin, asking if sheās thrown out the ugly chair yet. Iām not sure the exact rules they use to determine who can have clearance, but it makes sense that somebodyās next of kin would be informed, whereas an acquaintance from a long time ago would not.
Every now and then we cut back to TJ doing psych evaluations on the crew. Like the kino interviews back in Darkness and Light, these scenes give us little flashes of insight into the various characters. Of course Rush isnāt willing to participate.
Greer seems to have a real sore-spot where it comes to his father. This will be explored deeper in a later episode. Again, nice foreshadowing.
Brody thinks somebody should be allowed to sit in the chair if they volunteer. Franklin thinks itās politics. Young is resisting at first, so if the chair works, he gets the credit, but if it fails, Rush gets the blame. Brody and Franklin seem to be feeling a bit of kinship with Rush at the moment. All scientists together against the overbearing military colonel. Thereās a lot more subtle foreshadowing of things to come happening here than I remembered from previous viewings.
Camille is enjoying the simple missing pleasures of life, such as a hot water shower, and catching up with Sharon, enjoying time together. She makes the interesting observation that food doesnāt taste quite right in someone elseās body.
She has an emotional moment when she realises that sheās forgotten the rowboat in a picture that hangs on their wall. Sheās been trying to recreate the image back on Destiny, but sheād completely forgotten the rowboat. This is a very uncomfortable reminder of just how far she is from home most of the time, and it causes her to break down. Itās a pretty moving scene.
When itās time for Camilla to go back, Sharon has some encouraging words for her, and promises sheāll be here waiting when she makes it back to earth. But when Camille leaves, all the bravado drops. I think the big theme here is that life may be hard for those stranded on the Destiny, but itās also hard for their loved ones back on earth.
Originally, Camille wasnāt going to see her parents. They donāt have clearance, so whatās the point. In the end, at Sharonās suggestion, she visits them briefly and tells them Camille is okay. At least she gets to see them.
Meanwhile Scott has found a child, all alone, at his old girlfriend, Annieās house. Itās been hours and no sign of Annie. Scottās military chaperone is ready to call child services.
Then finally, she arrives home.
Scott pretends to be Telford. He tells Annie that Scott is away on a mission. She invites him in. And then he hears her call her son Matthew. She confirms that the boy is Scottās son. She couldnāt end the pregnancy.
This must be a moment full of many conflicting emotions for Scott. I mean, I remember the moments when my wife told me she was pregnant. It was a huge mis of excitement, anticipation, and fear.
For Scott, thereās the added complications of relief, that she kept their son, but also anger, that she didnāt tell him he was a father.
Itās the anger that finds expression. And Annie is understandably taken aback. āWhy didnāt you tell him?ā He demands. Not the way a co-worker would usually react.
But they get talking. It turns out life as a single mum is pretty hard for Annie, especially since her own mother died. She works as a dancer, and by that, I assume she means stripper. Scott is horrified. Annie had planned to go to college and become a lawyer. But those dreams never happened.
So Scott organises to have her financially supported so she can quit her job and go to college.
But she says sheās happy with her job. She doesnāt see herself as a lawyer anymore.
This is really hard for Scott to hear. He wants to save her from the life sheās living, of course he does. But I guess she doesnāt want that help. Sheād be glad to receive some financial assistance, but I guess she feels itās not Scottās place to come in and dictate what she should be doing with her life after all this time.
Rush has made a discovery in the computer. Heās managed to contact one of the seed ships that went ahead of Destiny to place stargates on planets. He now has information on thousands of stargates out there. One in particular is interesting. Itās a planet with naturally occurring naquadrian. Apparently thatās what made icarus base able to generate enough power to dial the 9-chevron address. Naquadrian is a rare mineral, even more powerful than naquada, which the stargates are made out of. Itās very very rare. Thereās only one other planet in the universe known to have had naquadrian at one time. Jonas Quinās planet. Of course, there are problems. The planet is a year away, and theyāll need to learn how to steer the ship and take the ship into orbit. Not to mention, how to use the mineral to dial the gate.
I think itās pretty obvious that Rush has been looking for just this. Not this specifically, but something he can use as leverage to convince Young to let someone sit in the chair. This is a strong case, but itās not enough to convince Young. He says the chair is still off-limits and Rush has a year to figure out the master code for the ship.
Young wins another round.
Most people react to the news positively. Thereās a way home, even if it is a year away. But Spencer freaks out. He canāt manage a whole nother year. He nearly kills Brody when they collide in the hallway. Things are not looking good for that guy.
Scott has a dream of sitting and talking with Youngās wife. He knows it's her because he met her once. Young theorises itās a residual memory from Telford. Thereās no proof, of course, but Young now suspects that Telford is hanging out with his wife.
Young takes the next opportunity to use the stones and follow Telford to his house to confront him. His wife claims Telford never pretended to be Young, and that they never slept together. That may be true. Unless he only told her who he really was some of the time. She says heās a friend supporting her through all this weirdness. Youāve got to admit, though, itās a little weird. Telfordās biggest crime here seems to be that heās told Youngās wife that Young is still involved with TJ, which is a lie. While I donāt doubt the wife here, I have no illusions that Telfordās motives are pure in any way.
Some of Stargate Universeās detractors have said the show spent too much time focusing on character drama instead of science fiction. I donāt feel that way, I never have. I appreciate all the character stuff the show puts into episodes like this, and SGU is very much a science fiction show in the truest sense of the word, but I do have to admit that this particular storyline is getting a little soap-opera-ish. None of these three are behaving like mature adults.
And now the truth comes out. Rush lied. The whole thing about an icarus type planet was fake. He planted it in the computer. It was all a ploy to get someone in the chair.
Rush justifies it as a way to give people hope, but we all know the reason he did it.
Eventually, Young tells Rush, if you want to go sit in that chair yourself be my guest.
And Rush shows his true colours. Heās not willing to risk it on himself. He wants to risk somebody else.
As Young says, āThatās what I thought.ā
The episode closes out with a repeat of that same song from the beginning.
Itās been the worst day since yesterday.
After everything, theyāre all still in that same situation. Nothing has gotten better. Thereās been new heartaches, but also a few glimmers of hope, such as the plant that one of them has finally managed to get to germinate.
In the end, they still just have to pick themselves up each morning and carry on.
This episode has a bit of a depressing tone. But that doesnāt bother me. Itās a day in the life kind of episode for the characters on this ship, and right now, life is pretty hard for all of them. Theyāll have good days and bad days, but lately, thereās been a lot of bad ones.
But there is still hope. There is always hope.
Next time, weāll be looking at the episode Justice. Things are really starting to heat up with the arc of season 1 at this point. Some of the things that were set up in life are going to pay off in a big way next time. Especially in regards to the Rush / Young relationship.
I look forward to talking about it.
Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and spread the world about Nerd Heaven to anyone you think might enjoy it.
Have a great two weeks, and Iāll see you next time.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In the latest episode of our Stargate Universe Rewatch, we check in with "Time". This is Stargate Universe's first time travel episode, and one of the best of the franchise. Part found-footage episode, part deep character piece, part monster horror. This episode combines a number of genres and does them all justice. This is one of my favourite episodes. Listen to find out why.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 57 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode Time.
The description on Gateworld reads
A team from Destiny arrives on a jungle planet, where they find a kino with footage of themselves they haven't shot yet.
This episode was written by Robert C Cooper
It was also directed by Robert C Cooper
And it first aired on the 13th of November 2009.
Much like Star Trek, Stargate has not always handled time-travel consistently. The rules have changed from episode to episode.
Thereās three main theories of time travel that fiction generally uses.
One is that there is only one timeline, but you can go back and change things, re-writing history. This is the type that was used in the first Back to The Future. Itās the way most of us grew up thinking about time-travel.
Then thereās the closed loop kind of idea, where you canāt change the past as such, because if you go back and do something, the consequences of whatever you did would already have been seen and experienced before you left. This is the type of time-travel Iām using in my fiction.
And then thereās the more modern idea, popularised by the Star Trek 2009 movie and Avengers Endgame, and often used in Stargate Atlantis. This is where an incursion back into the past creates a new timeline.
Thereās two main ways to travel through time in the stargate universe. The first is when a stargate wormhole intercepts a solar flair. That can cause the wormhole to loop back to the same gate, but at a different point in time. This was first discovered in the SG-1 episode 1969.
The other way to time travel is by using technology. The ancients spent a lot of time researching time travel, trying to go back and prevent a cataclysm that wiped them out, those that didnāt ascend, of course. But their experiments were unsuccessful. All they did was create a groundhog day machine. So they gave up.
But one of their scientists eventually figured it out, and built a time machine into a puddle jumper. Because, you know, Delorians hadnāt been invented yet.
This episode introduces time travel into SGU for the first time. When they launched Destiny, the ancients had not yet cracked the secret of time travel, so as youāll see, this episode makes use of the solar flare idea.
The episode opens with keno footage of a large team emerging from the stargate. The keno appears to be damaged as the image fritzes a little. Theyāre in a lush jungle. So far, weāve yet to see the typical Canadian forest planet that became almost a meme on SG-1. But then, they manage to avoid doing that constantly on Atlantis as well. This planet was actually shot on a soundstage.
This is certainly a big group. A whole lot of scientists. Itās like theyāre doing a planetary survey. I mean, they might as well. They canāt get off this ship, but it does give them a chance to stretch their legs from time to time, and most of them did sign on to be explorers, of a sort. Who could resist the lure of an alien planet. It actually makes a lot of sense that theyād send a bunch of people. Everyone would be clamouring for some fresh air, I imagine.
Even Chloe has come to this planet.
And again, it makes sense for those who arenāt scientists or explorers to begin learning new skills. Thereās not much call for political science on board Destiny, so Chloe would be wanting to make herself useful.
Apparently, itās very hot there. Suddenly this planet sounds less appealing. I really struggle with the heat, and weāve had some really hot days around here lately.
This actually gives the feeling of a found footage episode. The entire episode isnāt kino footage, but a good chunk of it is. Itās a bold move, given they always portray Kino footage as having all these artifacts on the edges of the screen.
And thatās kinda weird when you think about it. I mean, I get why they do it. Itās common to degrade the image in some way to make it clear to the audience when theyāre watching a recording. But the kinos were invented by the ancients. They could construct an interstellar starship, and stargates, but they canāt make a camera that records a decent image?
Of course, the kinos are millions of years old, so maybe theyāve degraded a bit over time.
And thereās an important production reason for this. Because this is all kino footage, it meant they had to do a lot of big long takes. That can obviously be more challenging for actors. The occasional fritz of the kino allows them to do a subtle cut to a different take occasionally.
They found a bunch of alien vegetables on this planet. Eli is keen to try them out to see if they might be edible. But he does it in a very un-scientific way. He just takes a bit and is gonna try another. But if he reacts, they wonāt know which one it was.
This does raise an interesting question, though. How do you test whether a plant is safe for human consumption other than having a human try it? Are there tests you can do in a lab? Possibly. I mean, you can probably test for known poisons, but are they equipped for that? In the end, the best way might just be for have everyone try a different vegetable and see who reacts. Itās pretty risky. But I guess thatās how humans figured out what was poisonous in the old days.
But Voker is sick. He threw up recently. He hasnāt eaten anything, and then he passes out. Several others pass out too. Chloe is starting to get affected too.
The natural inclination in this situation is to want to gate straight back to destiny, but TJ is a little smarter than that. She raises the important fact that if they return to the ship, they might be taking whatever this is back with them. IF itās a virus, they could infect the rest of the crew. Theyāve got 36 hours before Destiny jumps away. Thatās over a day, so they get a reasonably generous timer.
After the title card, weāre still watching Kino footage. At this point, first-time viewers are probably expecting the entire episode will be found footage.
We get an interesting little exchange between Rush and TJ regarding the way sheās using the medicines. One theory is that theyāre suffering from something similar to bacterial meningitis. By the time she confirms this, if she hadnāt already given them antibiotics, it could be too late, so sheās injected people just in case, based on what Rush describes as a hunch.
He has a valid point that she could be wasting their antibiotics. They have a limited supply. Once theyāre gone, thatās it. They canāt get more from earth. But as TJ rightly points out, itās her call. And sheās following her instincts in her attempt to save lives. I can see both sides of this argument, but isnāt it just so like Rush to be the one to employ cold-hearted pragmatism here. Heās definitely a man without much compassion for others.
The limited medicines are a serious concern, though. Theyāll be wanting to find plants that might have medicinal properties on these planets. Eventually, theyāll have to try to make their own drugs or go back to a medieval level of medicine. And thatās scary.
Theyāve found some tree stumps spewing some kind of smoke. Could that be the cause? Maybe.
And then itās night time, and it's raining.
I love it when Eli says āit couldnāt get much worse,ā and Rush says āThatās just a failure of imagination.ā
Heās right of course, but thatās when we hear screams. Soldiers are frantically shooting machine guns into the dark. We donāt see what theyāre firing at.
Iām not usually a big fan of the āhide the monsterā trope. I prefer to just see the monster, because, youā know, monsters are cool.
But this is really effective. Oh weāll eventually see what theyāre shooting at, but in this scene, just seeing their reactions, wondering what it is, and hearing Rush yell to Eli āDial the gate,ā is very creepy. And thatās actually the purpose of the āhide the monsterā trope.
It also helps that the characters themselves canāt see the monster. I think this trope annoys me most when the characters can see the monster, but for artificial reasons, the camera wonāt show it to us. That bugs me.
Anyway, thereās something wrong with the gate, so they have no escape route.
It gets really bad when the kino falls over, we see everyone getting taken down, and then Chloe comes into shot. Some kind of worm things burrow into her and out the other side.
The camera lingers for a moment on her very clearly dead body.
Thatās sobering.
And thatās when we cut to the real world. This is the first scene in the episode that isnāt kino footage.
A bunch of our characters are watching the same footage weāve just seen. Eli is horrified.
And so is Chloe. Yes. Chloe is watching footage of her death.
This drives her to run away and throw up, as well it should.
Eli turns away from the footage and says. āOkay. Whatā¦.the. ā¦..ā
And then we cut away.
Fair enough., I think we can forgive Eli for saying what we all know he was about to say, given what heās just seen.
Weāre quickly given some context. They dropped out of FTL. The gate opened. They sent a kino through and then followed, only to find there was already a kino there. The data store was full.
Now this is a weird little moment. Brody says āThe data store was full.ā Then we immediately cut to a flashback of Eli picking it up saying āit looks like the data store is full.ā
Why that redundancy? If this was a book, the editor would have pounced on that.
Honestly, you donāt need both, so I find that really odd.
We also learn that the team found human remains on the planet. Rush picks up a skull. Thatās pretty disturbing. Unlike the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies, this galaxy is not populated by humans, so that must have seemed a huge mystery in itself before they started watching the footage.
Given the skull was dry and free of any flesh or skin, they must have been there a long time.
We havenāt seen all the footage yet. Evidently Eli and Rush survived the night. A few others. The aliens are nocturnal, so theyāre relatively safe for now. Other than the disease, of course.
As usual, people are whining at Eli for spending his time talking to the Kino.
āDo I have to remind you again that documenting this could be important?ā
āWho do you think is ever going to see that.ā
I love how Eli turns to them all and says āSee!ā
Some wonderful vindication for him in that moment. I really like that.
The Kino was damaged during the night and can no longer fly, so Eli strapped it to his helmet. From this point on, actor David Blue actually did a lot of the camera work himself. He walked around the set with a massive camera rig attached to his head. I imagine it must have looked pretty funny.
We get another good character scene between Eli and TJ. Eli is noticing how hard it is for TJ when she canāt help people. And I get that. In my work, if I fail, the worst that usually happens is that somebody canāt use a piece of software. IF she fails, people die. Thatās a heavy burden that all medical people carry.
And then Eli shares a little about his mother. We learn that she was a nurse but she got stuck with a needle trying to restrain a junkie in the ER. She got HIV.
That really sucks.
So thatās the health problem his mum has. I wonder if youāre allowed to work as a nurse if youāre HIV positive. It could be considered a risk to patients. I should ask my wife. Sheās a nurse.
This explains why sheās got a serious health problem but sheās able to do things around the house.
Actually, come to think of it, didnāt we see her in a uniform in a previous episode? That means she probably is still working.
But she probably has to take all kinds of expensive medicines.
Honestly, for such a massive fan of this show, Iām embarrassed at how many details I have forgotten since my last watch-through. And I apologise for that.
Anyway, Eliās dad couldnāt handle it so he left. And that also sucks.
Eli was only 14 at the time, so his mum has been living with this for quite a few years.
Itās a really emotional moment. Eli might not have chosen to reveal this intimate information about himself to all these people watching. He chose to open up to TJ on the planet. David Blue does a great job of just looking down and trying to cope with the emotion of all this stuff coming out.
Chloe looks at him with such sympathy and compassion. Itās touching.
And then, when Eli says heās afraid his mum will give up if he dies out here, Scott puts his hand on Eliās shoulder.
And that really moved me. I know I give Scott a hard time but that just shows the good but flawed man he is. And in a ship full of deeply flawed people, he does stand out as a good bloke.
In the end, all these people are family.
This is immediately followed by another great character moment as Eli shares a moment with Rush, talking about how he first came face to face with his own mortality at his grandfatherās funeral.
And Rush is being surprisingly human. Rush has had to face mortality as well. We know he lost somebody he loved.
But his way of responding to this is, ādid it change you? Did it inspire you to do something worthwhile with the short time we have in this life?ā
That is such a Rush response. But I like it. I think that until now, Eli has been taking life for granted. He hasnāt done much with his life. But ending up here on Destiny has given him a chance to really do something that matters.
Rush also mentions ascension. The process the ancients went through to transform their consciousness into an immortal form.
When Eli asks if he really thinks thatās possible, the way he says āI know it is,ā with such determination, suggests strongly to me, that this is Rushās ultimate goal. He wants to learn how to ascend.
He admits it may not be possible for him personally, but that idea is the reason heās out here.
Again, this is a believable obsession for somebody with Rushās personality, that has lost a loved one.
He wants to defeat mortality.
And then another wonderful character scene. Seriously, they just keep coming. This time we finally see a little past the cracks in Greer. Heās really shaken by the idea that all those people died under his watch. But it didnāt happen. And so he refuses to acknowledge it as a thing. And yet, heās still sitting here in the gate room, wrestling with his demons.
This is the big difference between SGU and other Stargate shows. Theyāve all done time-travel shows, but SGU taces that sci-fi concept and uses it to explore deeper character issues.
And donāt get me wrong, SG1 and Altantis both did some good character stuff, but nothing that compares to what Universe did.
This is when things get bad. Chloe collapses. Itās about 3 hours since they jumped out of FTL. Thatās about the time people started getting sick in the recording.
So the team that went to the planet and found the kino have brought whatever it is back to the ship.
Back in the recording, Greer is teaching Eli how to shoot a gun. They try to even the odds a little by blowing up one of the stumps where the aliens sleep. They probably took out more than one.
But night time eventually comes and theyāre all on guard ready to defend themselves.
Rush decides that somebody should try going through the gate. If he makes it to Destiny, heāll radio back, and then he jumps in.
He quotes a line from the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It turns out to be a favourite of both him and Colonel Young. So, those two actually have something in common.
Eli hears nothing back and the wormhole closes.
Then we get the twist. TJ has found the cause of the sickness. Itās nothing to do with the jungle planet. Thereās a microorganism in the water that Young and Scott brought back from the ice planet (glorious continuity).
So everyone on Destiny is infected.
And thatās bad news.
Next morning, on the recording, and Eli is dead. Scott is the only one left. And he gives this gut-wrenching scream of anguish, which is totally the correct response for a real living person.
Of course, heās also a professional soldier, so after heās had his moment, he picks up the kino and records his final thoughts, detailing what has happened.
Destiny will be jumping soon, but the stargate is still not working properly.
He plans to send the kino through the wormhole to Destiny in hope that they can at least see the message.
And hereās the moment that explains it all. It goes through the gate and seems to land in the same place. Except itās daylight. And Rush is lying dead on the ground.
Rush understands immediately. The Kino went back in time. Itās the old wormhole through a solar flair thing. The exact same phenomenon that caused SG-1 to go back to 1969 all those years ago.
Thatās why the wormhole was unstable.
So that skull they found was Rush.
Here in reality, the solar flair hasnāt happened yet. So they can still gate to the planet.
TJ has a good theory, based on Scottās last message. The venom from the aliens could cure the disease.
Now they have to go back to the planet to recover them. Itās night, which means theyāll be active and dangerous.
TJ has run out of antibiotics and the first patient has died.
Then another nice character scene. Eli wonders why we always wait until itās too late to tell people what we really feel. And think. So he opens up to Chloe. Fully. Sadly, sheās unconscious.
But contrary to what you might expect, itās not a profession of undying love. Itās not really even about him. Itās about her. He talks about how amazing she is. How her presence in his life makes him so much happier.
He talks of never having had a best friend before.
Right now it doesnāt matter what kind of love they share. It doesnāt matter that she chose Scott rather than him. What matters is that they do share a form of love. A very special friendship.
And he begs her not to die.
But she canāt hear him.
And she dies.
Itās a moving scene.
In fact, itās TJās reaction that is the most moving.
This is a great episode because it really lets us live in these gut-wrenching moments without having to lose the characters long term. Not many TV shows can pull that off.
Farscape did it in a very unique way. And if youāve seen that show, you know what Iām talking about.
That had even more impact and lasting consequence than this did.
Rush reports the news to the team on the planet. Weāve already lost 4 people. I guess he does it to reinforce the sense of urgency. But now Scott has to hear that the woman he loves is dead. How do you just keep going after hearing something like that?
Young just says āLieutenant, we need you.ā
And heās so professional that heās able to carry on. I guess thatās what it means to be a soldier. You put aside your grief until later. Because right now youāve got a job to do.
The aliens attack. And within moments, itās just Scott.
Alone. Again.
Greer and Young are dead.
Heās probably not going to make it very long.
So he does the one thing he can do.
And itās clever thinking.
All hope is lost for this time around, but things could be different next time.
He records a message, detailing the disease in the water and the cure that the alien creatures represent.
Then he sends the kino through the wormhole, into the distance past. So that it can eventually be found by Destiny.
This is where the episode closes. We donāt see the crew curing the disease in the next timeline. But we donāt have to.
This is a fantastic episode. It mixes three genres. Science fiction, drama, and horror. And it does all three really well. It has some interesting twists and turns, and some really heartfelt moments.
We get to see some hugely emotional tragic moments, and those moments have real weight to them. Yes, we kind of pull a reset button at the end, but not a full hard reset. Those deaths still happened in their respective timelines. And they were treated like they mattered.
This is one of my favourite time-travel episodes, and probably one of my favourite episodes of the entire franchise.
I love it.
The interesting thing is that this episode works whether you use the traditional type of time-travel, where thereās just one timeline, but it can be altered and re-written, or the more modern type, where each incursion into the past creates a new separate parallel timeline.
So there you have it.
Time.
Next time, weāll be talking about the episode āLifeā. Itāll do some more delving in to character, as well as present yet another potential way home. So our second, āwill they get homeā episode.
Donāt forget to click like if youāre on youtube, or leave a review. Tell a friend, share on social media. Anything you can do to help spread the word about Nerd Heaven would be greatly appreciated.
Have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper. Make it so.
The long-awaited Snyder Cut of Justice League has finally arrived. So was it worth waiting for? My answer is an unequivocal yes. Listen to this bonus episode of Nerd Heaven to find out why. This is a quick review. I'll do a full detailed analysis on this movie later on.
ForAutumn #UsUnited
In the latest instalment of my Stargate Universe rewatch, we find Colonel Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) taking over command of Destiny to enact a plan they hope will bring the crew back home. Meanwhile, Eli and Chloe have some character development as they visit family and friends via the communication stones.
This is the first "Will they get home" episode that Stargate Universe has attempted. A staple of Star Trek Voyager. But how does SGU handle this trope? This episode also explores the theme of how you treat another person's body when you are just a guest inhabiting it.
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Get my book 1 of my series Jewel of The Stars for just 99 cents at http://books2read.com/jewel
Or the free prequel at http://www.adamdavidcollings.com/free
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Transcript Welcome to nerd heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 56 of the podcast
Today, weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode Earth
The description on Gatworld reads
Colonel Telford takes over Young's command in order to enact a dangerous plan to try and get the ship's crew home. Back on Earth, Young, Eli, and Chloe visit their families.
The STORY was BY: Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper and Martin Gero
The TELEPLAY was BY: Martin Gero
It was directed by Ernest Dickerson
And it first aired on the 6th of November 2009
Remember how Young told his wife how much he wanted to get home to be with her, how he still loved her?
Well, this episode opens with him in sickbay being tended by TJ, and he tells her sheās beautiful. To which she immediately replies in a stern voice, āDonāt.ā
So this is the first we learn that these two have a history together. An illicit history, given that Young is married.Suddenly Youngās words to his wife sound hollow. Not so much because of the mistakes of the past, but because heās now telling TJ sheās beautiful. You donāt just tell a woman sheās beautiful unless youāre wanting something to happen, not the way he said it.
But just as they kiss we realise this is a fake-out. Young was dreaming. Yes, heās got TJ on his mind, but heās not necessarily actively pursuing her.
It is believable that heās dreaming about her. Sheās within reach. His wife isnāt.
Given the fact he might be stuck on this ship for the rest of his life, that presents quite a strong temptation. Letās see if heās strong enough to resist that temptation.
Clearly, whatever went on between those two caused pain for TJ, because Young apologises in his dream. I think he probably realised he was doing the wrong thing by his wife and called the whole thing off. And thatās what hurt her.
So Young and Camille are using the communication stones to attend a meeting on earth at Homeworld Command in the Pentagon.
And for once, Young has not body-swapped with Talford. Talford is here standing next to him.
Telford is the one to give them the news that they may have found a way to get everyone on Destiny home.
I love the way Jack says āSuprise.ā Thatās so Jack. I really enjoy his inclusion in this show as a surprisingly regular guest. In a lot of ways, Richard Dean Anderson IS Stargate, and I always get a thrill when he shows up in Universe.
So, this is what was often referred to on Star Trek Voyager as a āWill they get home?ā episode. Voyager did a heap of those. They seemingly find something that might get them home, and they try to make it happen, only to be foiled at the end of the episode. Afterall, it was the 90s. You didnāt make a status-quo changing shift like getting Voyager home before the series finale.
The inherent problem with these episodes is that you know the crew are not going to get home.
Episodes like this CAN work, if you find drama and stakes in something other than the question of āwill they get home.ā But Voyager overused the concept.
But this is Stargate Universe. Itās much closer to modern TV in its construction. So status-quo changes CAN take place. But the whole premise of this show is that these people are stuck on a spaceship far far from home. I think itās pretty safe to say that nobody in the audience is buying that theyāll get home. Itās not gonna happen.
So ā¦ does the episode still work? Letās keep going and find out.
After the title card, we cut to post-briefing discussions. The episode chooses not to reveal to us, yet, what the plan is. All we know is that itās risky. Talford thinks itās worth the risk, given how dire the situation is on Destiny. Youngās not so sure. He wants more calculations, but the only way to get more data is to actually try it.
Young wants to get everyone on board a voice. Jackās not going for that. Young is in command of that ship. He can, and should, make decisions on behalf of those he commands. And JAck is giving him a direct order to do so.
Young wants to treat this like a democracy. I can understand why. This is a decision that could cost all of them their lives. This is not a normal command situation. A lot of the people at risk are civilians who arenāt part of the chain of command. Nobody signed up to be on that ship to begin with.
Who do you side with here? I can see both menās perspectives. Of course, itās hard to form an opinion without knowing more about what the plan entails, but we probably know as much as we need to.
Anyway, regardless of the risk to his career, Young says heāll give Jack his decision tomorrow.
I suppose he feels a little bit of freedom, being so far from home, and he probably deserves a little extra latitude, but Jack can have him replaced. All he needs to do is use the stones and order someone else to relieve Young. So heās taking a big risk by defying a direct order.
In a real-world military situation, heād probably be relieved on the spot. I dunno. Iāve never been in any military, but I do know they take orders very seriously.
We learn a little about Camille through her conversation with the IOA bigwig. Heās her boss. By the way, the IOA is the International Oversight Advisory. Basically a multi-nation civilian organisation that oversees the Stargate program, which is run by the US Airforce.
We learn that Camille was passed up for promotion a number of times. She and her boss donāt seem to have a great deal of regard for each other. He really wants this mission to happen, and he wants Camille to use her influence with the people on Destiny to ensure it does.
She may be able to pull that off.
We also learn she has a personal stake in getting home, but sheās no more convinced that young that theyāll survive the attempt.
Already, we can see that the episode has replaced the question of āwill they get homeā with a new question. āWhat is the plan?ā and āWill they attempt it?ā
Of course, in the very next scene, we learn the nature of the plan. The crew are discussing it in the mess hall, so clearly Young and Camille have returned.
The idea is actually pretty simple, and sounds logical.
The reason they canāt dial home is because they donāt have enough power. The only known power source that could do it was the core of the planet where Icarus Base was constructed.
Destiny recharges its power by flying through the outer edge of a star.
At that moment, incredible energy is available to the ship. Enough to power a shield that can protect the ship to begin with.
They believe that if they dial while theyāre in the star, the power of the entire star will be available to them. They have to use the ship as a conduit and channel it into the gate.
Sounds feasible. But I can see a potential problem. Last time the ship recharged in a star, it didnāt get up to full capacity. It basically half-charged the batteries.
Rush and Eli have no idea why.
Could whatever caused them to not fully charge also prevent them from getting enough power to the gate?
Seems likely.
The ship wonāt recharge itself for a few more months, but they could try to drain the power manually.
Rush doesnāt agree with the scientists back home. He thinks itās too risky. Of course, the people back home suspect Rush doesnāt actually want to go home. And theyāre right. Of course he doesnāt. So is he being honest about the risk, or is he sabotaging the idea because he wants to stay on Destiny?
Chloe and Eli are heading to earth. This is Eliās first time using the stones and heās pretty nervous. Not so much about the technology, although itās gotta be weird swapping bodies with someone else, but about what heās gonna say to his mum.
Okay. So this time Young is back in Telford's body again.
Eli remarks āI wonder what theyāre doing in our bodies.ā
And as soon as he says it, Young just gives this look. Like heās really worried what Talford might do. Weāll come back to that look.
Talford is under orders to execute the rescue plan. Heās brought two scientists with him to make it happen. And theyāre going to drain the power to force Destiny to recharge by firing the shipās weapons.
In this case, this isnāt just Talford throwing his weight around. Heās acting under Jackās orders. He didnāt wait for Youngās answer, but he didnāt need to. And Young was gonna ask for more time.
Iām not saying I agree with Jack. But heās within his legal rights here.
Of course, Young is right to point out that Jack often followed his conscience against the chain of command, which is exactly what Young is doing. Those renegade heroes, when they get promoted it sometimes comes back and bites them, doesnāt it.
One of Telford's first acts as the new commanding officer of Destiny is to confine Greer to quarters. Greer, to his credit, doesnāt make a fuss.
Eli doesnāt think his mum is going to be able to handle the truth, so he opts to pretend to be somebody who works with Eli, rather than Eli himself. It means that he can see her, and spend time with her, but not fully. They canāt really connect because she doesnāt know who he is. But interestingly, it allows him to say some things to her that he might not usually be able to say. Because heās hiding behind a mask. Kind of like how ventriloquists often say things through their puppet that theyād never say themselves.
So his mum gives him a coke. Eli tells her that her son quit, and is on a bit of a crash diet. She may not recognise him when she sees him next.
This is interesting.
Eli was somewhat overweight. Thatās probably one of the many reasons I identify with him so much. Iām a fat nerd.. Actor David Blue looks quite different today. He recently talked about this in an interview with Dial the Gate. Heād actually put on some weight for a previous role just before this show. But he wanted to lose that weight. He actually made sure the producers were okay with that before he took the job. After all, he said, Eli is in a survival situation on a spaceship with limited food. It makes logical sense heād lose weight. The actor wanted to be healthier himself, plus it made good sense for the character. It would have been cool to see the change take place over the course of the show, had it continued.
Anyway, she talks about how he was always brilliant but never applied himself. So..maybe Eliās lack of work, lack of finishing university was more about some personal laziness and less about his motherās health. I dunno. We never really find out what her health problems are, but they donāt seem to interfere with her day to day living.
This is a really good character scene. David Blue does a great job of showing how emotional he gets when his mother asks him to tell ā¦.. Himself ā¦ that sheās proud of him. But he canāt let himself tear up too much or sheāll be weirded out. She shows just enough so the audience knows what heās feeling, without too much.
Rush is wanting the scientists to be much more methodical and careful than they want. They say doing it his way could take months. More stalling? Well, heās proved right almost immediately when things go badly. Riley is badly injured. TJ says itāll be touch and go. Not good.
I tend to side mostly with Rush on all of this, but Talford is right about one thing. Rush is worried that with everything thatās happened, heās worried theyāre not going to let him come back. He has a vested interest in this rescue attempt failing.
Chloe told some of her old friends that sheās her own cousin. Theyāre taking her out of the town and Eli is gonna join them. This whole thing, spending time with your friends and family without them knowing who you are. Itās gotta be awkward.
Eli is loving this, because now that he's in a body thatās slimmer than his, and probably more attractive, heās catching the attention of the ladies. Theyāre approaching him, and agreeing to dance with him. This is new territory for him and heās loving it.
Chloeās not having as much fun, though. One of her so-called friends moans about how it sucks that her dead father is no longer able to hook him up with some wall-street connections. She does well not to punch him in the face.
Another so-called friend has basically stolen her old boyfriend.
This scene is actually quite a turning point in Chloeās story. She realises how shallow her friendships have always been.
And then Eli takes care of her while sheās drunk, being a good example of a real friend. This is another good character scene.
Chloe tells Eli that heās a good friend. And she really means it.
Eli knows he is too, and he always will be, but he takes it as a bit of a slap in the face. Because thatās all girls ever want him to be. A friend.
Meanwhile, Young pays his wife a visit but she wonāt even let him in the door.
But says his peace and she comes out to him.
And they do more than talk. They have sex together.
Now thereās nothing wrong with a married couple making love, but remember, heās not actually there physically. Heās in Telford's body.
So sheās having intercourse with Telford's body.
And I have major issues with this.
This is a terrible violation of Telford. His body is being used for sexual activity without his knowledge or consent.
Thatās not okay.
You might even say itās akin to rape.
There was actually a bit of controversy surrounding a similar circumstance in the movie Wonder Woman 1984 recently.
I get Youngās desire to be close to his wife. I get feeling this need as well.
But in my opinion, what theyāre doing is wrong.
Stargate Universe will continue to explore the theme of how you treat another personās body when youāre a guest in it.
To make things even more awkward, Destiny chooses that moment to drop out of FTL and that causes a momentary interruption to the stone connection.
So Talford suddenly finds himself in bed with Talfordās wife...and well, I donāt need to describe it in detail. You get the idea.
So he now knows exactly what Young has been doing with his body.
Youngās wife explains one of the reasons sheās found it so hard to accept Young back is that heās trapped on that ship with HER. And that, of course, meaning TJ. So she knows he had an affair with TJ. She also knows that itās over. And it is. Despite that dream he had at the beginning of the episode, itās over.
Camille has just as many doubts about this plan as Rush does, but she makes a good point. It would be safer if he was involved. IS she just appealing to his vanity or does she really believe all of this? In the end, it doesnāt matter. Sheās right.
Rush has found some ways to increase the odds.
So Destiny enters the star and stars charging. They begin dialling the gate.
The gate is starting to spark with. Thereās too much power going through it.
Eventually Talford agrees to try shutting it down, but they canāt. It wonāt respond.
Talford and his cronies show their true colours by running for the stones. They donāt want to die on this ship. And theyāre the only ones with an escape route.
Turns out a lot of this was staged by Rush. The ship would have exploded if theyād kept trying to dial, but Rush put safeguards in place and arranged for the alarms to go off.
It was all to get rid of Talford, which I think everyone agrees needed to be done.
But what I really like is that Rush is upfront about it all. He doesnāt try to hide it.
And thatās kind of refreshing.
Although Young wants Eli to go over the data and make sure Rush isnāt lying about the dangers that plan represented.
The crew are now coming to the realisation that they could be on this ship for a long time. Thereās no quick and easy way home.
The final scene of the episode is Talford showing up at Youngās house.
The implication here is that heās going to pretend to be young inhabiting his body. That way, he gets to have sex with Youngās wife.
This, obviously, is no better than what Young did. Young violated Telford's body, and now Talford is sleeping with another manās wife under false pretenses, essentially violating her.
What a mess.
Neither of these crimes is justified by the other.
It would be all so much simpler if people would just do the right thing, wouldnāt it?
So that was Stargate Universeās first āWill they get home?ā episode.
Letās evaluate how they did.
The conflict of the episode wasnāt really about will they get home. It was more about trying to stop Talford and his cronies from destroying the ship.
In that regard, I think this episode worked much better than the typical Voyager episode.
SGU doesnāt do these types of stories often. And thatās good. While they definitely did it right this time, had they continued to do āwill they get homeā stories, it would have gotten old, just like it did on Voyager.
But hereās something to think about. The IOA boss told Camille that if this rescue was successful, he wanted to try to duplicate it with a ship in our galaxy. They could get to a point where they could actually travel between Earth and Destiny on a regular basis. They could send a proper team out to explore the ship.Take supplies.
It would have been wrong to bring people home this early. Itās only the third regular episode. But what if theyād done this in a season or two, and it worked.
Thatās kind of what they did on Atlantis. During the first season, they were completely cut off from the Milky Way. But by the beginning of season 2, they had the ability to travel between the galaxies. IT wasnāt convenient, but it was possible. As the show went on, it got easier and easier until it was like going across the road.
They could have done something similar with SGU. AFter a few seasons those who wanted to go home could leave destiny. Theyād be replaced with other characters who were better equipped. The survival aspect would have lessened and it would have focussed more on completing Destinyās mission (which weāll learn about in season 2, I believe).
It might have been an interesting way to go. I dunno. Itās just fun to speculate on what they might have done with this show, had it run for more seasons than it did.
So that was Earth.
Next time weāll be talking about the episode āTime.ā Itās quite a fun one.
Donāt forget, you can get the first book in my Jewel of The Stars series for just 99 cents wherever ebooks are sold. Itās also available in paperback. Or, you can launch on with my free prequel at AdamDavidCollings.com/free
Have a great two weeks
Live long and prosper
Make it so
In the last of the resource-gathering episodes of Stargate Universe, we head to an icy planet in an attempt to find drinkable water for the crew. Meanwhile, back on board Destiny, the mysterious alien swirling wind from the desert planet has stowed away and is stealing what little remains of their existing water.
Let's dig in and see what we think of this episode.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 55 of the podcast
Today weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āWater.ā
The description on Gateworld reads
Severe rationing can't save the Destiny's dwindling water supply, forcing Colonel Young and Lieutenant Scott to seek out drinkable water on a deadly ice planet.
The story was written by Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper and Carl Binder
The teleplay was written by Carl Binder
It was directed by William Waring
And it first aired on the 30th of October 2009
Itās no secret that this show was heavily inspired by Battlestar Galactica. It had a similar tone and shooting style. The stories are very different, of course, but if you look, you can see some commonality in the early episodes. Both stories find a group of people, many of them civilians, on a long-term space journey they werenāt planning for. This brings certain practical problems. The need for things like air, food, water, power.
Both shows dealt with these issues early in their first seasons. In fact, Battlestar Galactica had an episode dedicated to providing for the fleetās water needs. Like this one, it involved going down to a dangerous ice planet. The difference is, that episode focussed on recruiting the people who would do the work, in that case, criminals on a prison ship. Here in Stargate Universe, we focus on the mission down to the planet.
Similarities like this are to be expected when youāre dealing with a space setting, but itās interesting to note them.
So weāve solved the air problem, and the power problem. But water is still a concern. Greer is chatting with Riley who tells a story of some trapped miners who survived by drinking their own urine. Thatās gotta be a bad idea, since itās all the waste product your body wants to get rid of.
But itās even worse. The water levels are going down faster than they should. Young has guards on duty making sure nobody takes more than their share. Itās a bit of a mystery.
Theyāve actually got half of what they had when they first arrived. Rush and Eli canāt explain where the water is going. Thereās nothing wrong with the system.
As far as Young is concerned, this is all moot. Now that the ship has recharged itself, they should just be able to dial Earth. And thatās when Rush reveals that the ship has not charged itself up to full. Itās about 40% of original design capacity.
Young thinks itās pretty clear Rush is just pulling that number out of his butt, he doesnāt say butt.
But Eli admits he was actually the one to pull it out of his butt.
Itās an amusing moment. Yet another episode that has humour in it.
The humour in SGU is a different kind of humour. Itās more character-based humour. Moments that we laugh at, but they could believably happen with the situation the characters are in.
Donāt get me wrong, Iāve always enjoyed Jackās pithy one-liners, and Tealācās awkward turns of phrase, but this type of humour fits much better in a more serious show like SGU.
The show is not devoid of humour. Itās just a different type of humour.
Anyway, the point is, Rush is not making this number up. The ship is charged and functional, but itās not full. And they still donāt have the ability to dial Earth.
Remember, it took the core of a planet to power the gate to travel from the Milky Way to Destiny. Even a zero point module wasnāt enough. So itās not surprising that dialling back from this spaceship is not so easy.
Young wants Rush to bring Brody in on the problem because heās an engineer. Meanwhile, Young wants to borrow Eli.
And the conspiracy theories are still running rife. One of the other civilians is telling Volker he thinks there is more water than theyāre being told. He reckons the military are hoarding it, so they can control the civilians. Iām really curious what it is that leads people to this kind of thinking. Iāve never been one for conspiracy theories.
Anyway, Young wants to know who among the crew he can trust, so he has Eli using the Kenos to spy on people throughout the ship. If people are planning sedition, Young wants to know about it.
Iām of two minds about this. On one hand, I can understand Youngās perspective. This is a desperate situation, which is likely to bring out the worst in people. There might be a real danger from people trying to overthrow the command structure. Not conspiracy nuts like the guy talking to Volker. Young knows heās harmless. But others. So it makes sense he needs to keep a tab on whatās going on.
But it feels kinda icky. Eli hates what heās being asked to do, and I donāt blame him.
And then we see a wispy breeze full of particles blow past Eli. That should look familiar. You remember Scottās strange encounter back on the limestone planet? It blew about the sand, taking the form of the priest who raised him, and ultimately helped him find water.
This would appear to be related.
Destiny drops out of FTL and dials the gate. This is a common pattern. This is what the ship is programmed to do. It enters a system and drops out of FTL for a time. It sets a timer, letting the crew know when itāll jump away again.
It seems the ship can sense that the crew need water, so itās found them a planet with water ice. But itās pretty cold down there. Eli gives us a nice little Star Wars reference. It seems heās an original trilogy purist. He refuses to call Empire Strikes Back Episode 5.
Iām kind of the other way. I love viewing those movies as a 6-part whole in chronological order. I know, most people will call me a heretic for that. I donāt care.
The bad news about the planet is that it doesnāt have much of an atmosphere, and what little there is, is poisonous. Theyāve found some spacesuits onboard Destiny. Theyāll have to use them. The suits look pretty cool. Theyāre metal and look like armour. They probably doubled as combat suits.
So the gate we see in this show is different to what weāve seen in the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies. Thereās the obvious difference that the entire gate spins. I really quite like that. But thereās more. I donāt think I talked about this in the pilot, but after the wormhole disengages, the gate vents out steam or gas, or something. Itās like it builds up heat while itās running and has to dissipate it. IT gives these stargates an old-fashioned feel, like they were a prototype before the milky-way gates were perfected. I like it. Itās a nice touch.
Young calls for Scott but heās not answering his radio. Turns out heās too busy sucking face with Chloe. And who should be sent to find him, but Lieutenant James. Sheās not too happy to find him in this position. She has a right to be annoyed with him. He shouldnāt have his radio off. Remember, it was a radio call that interrupted the intimate liaison between these two back on Icarus. Thereās a time and a place, and Scott seems to have little concept of that. IF heās on duty, he shouldn't be getting busy with the ladies.
I love the stinging remark she gives him as he walks past. āWhat, you couldnāt find a broom closet?ā
Then she looks at Chloe, who I think is feeling embarrassed at being caught in the act, so to speak, and probably sensing the tension between Scott and James. I donāt know how much Scott has told her about them. and kind of gives her this half smile. Anyway, I think the smile conveys a kind of ābe careful, Iāve been where you are,ā kind of sentiment.
So far they only have two working suits. Itāll take more time that they have to repair any more.
Doctor Lisa Park makes her first meaningful appearance on the show. Sheās been seen and mentioned in the past, but hasnāt had much to do. The Stargate Command wiki refers to her as a scientist, and she clearly has a doctorate. She seems to be an engineer, given the work sheās doing. She was helping Rush repair the life support system back in Air, and here, sheās repairing EVA suits and equipping the away team with ancient tools like a plasma cutter.
Of course, there are plenty of engineers with doctorates. Iāve worked with a bunch in my day job.
Young pouts TJ in command while he and Scott are on the planet. That gives us some insight into the chain of command. I would have expected Greer to be the one, but I guess, despite being a medic, TJ has the highest rank.
Rush isnāt impressed, but he doesnāt argue. In his own mind, he sees himself as the most important person on this ship, but I donāt think he needs Young to validate him. He cares nothing for military chain of command. Let the soldiers go do what they do, while he gets on with the important stuff.
Is this the first time we get a first-person view of travelling through the wormhole in SGU? I think it is. Theyāre using the same visual effect that they used in later seasons of SG-1 and Atlantis, although they may have recoloured it. Iām not sure.
The visuals of the gate on the dark icy planet are pretty spectacular to look at, given how dark it is. The glow of the event horizon and the wisps of snow catching the light are quite beautiful.
The first thing they do when they come through is test the ice. Which is smart. Sadly, itās full of dangerous chemicals. Theyāre going to have to explore further into the planet to find pure water. Luckily, Eli has invented an anti-grav trolley, like in Star Trek, using ancient technology. Itāll allow them to carry a lot more ice than they could manage in their hands.
Now more bad news. The water level has dropped again. Nobody has been using water, and nobody has been allowed in. So whatās happening to all the water?
Theyāve ruled out a leak in the system, which only leaves one option. Someone, or something, is stealing the water.
Young and Scott are a long way from the gate but still havenāt found any usable ice.
This seems a little familiar. The expedition to the desert planet went a similar way. They had to travel a long way from the gate to eventually find what they were looking for.
And this makes perfect sense. A planet is a big place. The ship shows there is water somewhere on the planet, but it may not be right next to the gate.
TJ sees the wispy wind thing, and it mimics her face, which is creepy but cool. There is clear intelligence behind it.
Meanwhile, Spencer has been hoarding food and water, so they dump him in the brig for Young to deal with when he gets back. Remember, heās been a bit of a loud-mouth problem since the beginning. He was one of the ones who cornered Eli, believing that Young and Rush were hiding things from the rest of the crew. Heās also the one who tried to incite a riot when they were holding the lottery when they thought the ship was gonna burn up in a star.
The water still doesnāt come close to explaining the losses, though. I think TJ is already suspecting the wind monster.
Good news, though. Young and Scott have found a frozen waterfall. Itās pure. They can carve it up and haul it back to the gate.
Greer is searching everyoneās quarters for stolen rations. Chloe understands why this is necessary and doesnāt complain. Franklin is pretty annoyed when he sees it, though. He was the one spreading his conspiracy theories to Volker earlier.
Eliās response is pretty amusing when TJ shares what she saw. Tiny alien organisms that fly around in a cloud. Rush just takes it at face value and nods like itās another day in the office.
But these are Eliās first aliens. Heās never encountered a Goa'uld, a wraith, an asgard, a Nox or a Reetou. So heās a little freaked out. Again, this is logical. Psychological realism. And he deals with it the only way he would - as a sci-fi geek like the rest of us. He references a movie. āWhat if they start bursting out of our chests?ā
Iād probably try to calm myself in the same way.
Rush thought Scott was delirious when he saw them on the desert planet, but now, he freely admits that he was wrong. I like that about Rush. For all his faults and his arrogance, he is capable of admitting he was wrong. He wouldnāt be worth anything as a scientist if he couldnāt do that.
Thereās a nice little moment between TJ and Rush. He acknowledges sheās in charge, and she says she wants his advice. This whole thing is quite outside her area of experience.Sheās handling it pretty well. I wonder if sheās ever had to be in a position of command before.
Gorman spots the alien cloud and shoots at it with a pistol. Pretty silly thing to do. OF course, it does nothing to hurt the cloud, but it senses hostile intent and attacks the guy. Hundreds of little creatures, the size of a grain of sand, attacking you, ripping apart your skin. It looks like a horrific way to go.
But heās apparently not dead. TJ is treating him. Theyāre not sure if heāll come to or not.
They seem to have a good system for unloading the sled so they can get it back through the gate as quickly as possible.
Rush and Eli have a significant disagreement about how to deal with these creatures, and what to tell Young about them. Iām afraid I have to side with Rush on this one. They desperately need the ice. Thatās vital. Thereās not a whole lot that Young can do on the ship that isnāt already being done.
Greer is ready to go hunt down the cloud and kill it with a flamethrower (Assuming that does any good). Eli seems to kinda be on the same page. TJ thinks the cloud may have acted in self-defence, which of course, it did. I think they all need to take a deep breath and cool down for a second. IF they go attack those things now they could just make it worse.
Maybe this is the Star Trek fan in me talking, but what they really need to do is understand the creature and try to find a way to communicate. The primary danger it represents right now is the stealing of the water. Itās only ever attacked when provoked.
Attack may become necessary, but theyāre a long way from that right now.
Rush seems to understand this.
The aliens can make themselves seem invisible, like vapour. That means thereās a lot more of them on the ship than we realised. And theyāre growing exponentially. Thatās a big problem.
Now Rush agrees they have to get them off the ship. But he still counsels not to antagonise them.
I find it amusingly ironic that Scott is talking about how maybe theyāll find a planet later on with a lake right next to the stargate because they deserve a break. And at that moment he falls through the ice.
Now this has become a rescue mission.
Heās wedged in so good that Young canāt pull him out. And to make things even worse, the ground starts to shake.
Eli points out that theyāre all lying to each other over the radio. Downplaying the severity of their problems. And itās silly because they all know each other is lying.
Thereās no reason they canāt be honest about how their situations are, they just need to be wise regarding what they do about it. For example, Young not hurrying back when he needs to be harvesting ice.
Scottās situation gets worse when another tremor hits and now heās losing suit pressure.
James tells Chloe the bad news. She thought sheād like to know.
Now Chloe joins Rush, Eli and TJ.
Thatās actually the last thing anybody needs.
She reacts just like youād expect her to, when she hears Rush suggest that Young might have to leave Scott behind.
Of course Young picks up on the truth. The only thing Rush cares about is that the ice makes it to the ship.
Greer traps the cloud in an air-tight room. They canāt get out. It doesnāt take long for them to get annoyed. Theyāre starting to escape. Probably cutting through the metal door like they cut through Gormonās face.
Young and Scott are facing the very real dilemma of when itās time to leave Scott behind. They both know it may come to that, but Yong hasnāt given up yet. Thereās still time to get trying. But they have to think. They need a new approach.
When Scott loses consciousness, Young just reverts to the old plan. Trying to pull him out. I guess with all the rumbling going on, the pressure might have loosened a little. Young managed to wake Scott by talking to him through the radio, and he helped climb out the last bit.
If Scott had passed out from lack of oxygen, I doubt Young could have woken him just by yelling. It seems a bit unlikely.
TJ is going to use the water as bait to lure the cloud off the ship.
Thereās a tense moment between TJ and Greer, where she admits that she doesnāt trust him. Heās a little too trigger happy.
They send the bugs though the gate to the ice planet. Thatās actually a good place for them, given how much they like water.
As they go, they form the shape of Scottās face. Maybe a final farewell to him after their encounter on the desert planet.
Iāve gotta wonder though, they donāt seem to have been suited for that planet. There wasnāt much water there.
So theyāve solved both their problems just in time before Destiny jumps back into FTL.
Young goes to see Spencer in the brig. He says if you step out of line one more time Iāll have to deal with you. Spencer claims to understand but Greer doesnāt think he does.
Do I understand? What exactly is Young saying here? Is he gonna space the guy if he acts up again? Maybe.
The episode closes with the sad acknowledgement that Gormon died from his injuries.
So as far as I remember, this is the last weāll see of the wind aliens.
So hereās a question. Do you think this was the originally planned pay-off of Air part 3, or do you think they had something else in mind? The reason I ask that is that the behaviour of the alien swarm seems very different in this episode.
When we first saw them, they seemed highly intelligent, as well as benevolent.. They saved Scottās life and helped him find the lime he needed. We also saw they had the ability to telepathically project images into Scottās mind. Kind of an attempt to communicate perhaps.
In this episode they seemed more animalistic. Their only concern seemed to be reproduction and the consumption of water.
But that raises another question in my mind. Was the swarm actually responsible for the visions? Is it possible there was another alien presence on that desert planet? In air Part 3 we saw the swarm spin around in the sand and draw up the water that woke Scott. But perhaps the swarm was being controlled by something else. Something much more intelligent.
Our characters will be experiencing some powerful forces as the story continues, so who knows. We may never get the answers now.
That was a good episode. A good solid science fiction story.
Honestly, there are very few, if any, episodes of this show that I donāt like.
I think this is the last of the survival stories weāll have for a while. Weāll be moving into a new phase of Stargate Universe from here.
Well next week weāll be looking at the episode Earth, which does some interesting character stuff, and serves as our first āWill they get homeā episodes. Letās see if SGU can do a better job with this concept than Star Trek Voyager generally did.
Please consider giving this podcast a review on iTunes. Even if you listen elsewhere. Iām an android guy myself, but iTunes reviews are especially helpful to podcasters. And if you are an iPhone user, itās apparently really easy to do directly from your phone.
Have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In this mini news update:
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Zack Snyder's Justice League to show day 1 in Australia
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First look at Star Trek Prodigy Characters
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Spiderman No Way Home title announcement
The second half of this Stargate Universe 'two-parter' brings a lot of emotions to the surface as the crew deal with their own mortality. With Destiny on course for a star, only 17 of them will survive to struggle on a barely habitable planet. The rest will burn up. This episode has some fantastic drama. I love this episode. Listen along with me to find out why.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 54 of the podcast.
Today weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āLightā. This one picks up directly where we left off last time with āDarknessā.
Iāve been holding off recording the intros and outros of these podcasts, so that I can comment on any topical nerd stuff that might happen. But thatās preventing me from uploading and scheduling them ahead of time. I'm thinking of switching to do little mini-updates in between episodes to use for that purpose. That might be especially effective now that Iām on a fortnightly schedule.
Speaking of things to comment on, by the time this episode goes live, weāll have seen the trailer for Zack Snyderās Justice League. So I may have already done the first of these mini updates.
The Description on Gateworld reads
With the ship on a collision course, Young conducts a lottery to determine who will escape certain death and try and find a habitable planet with the shuttle.
This episode was written by Brad Wright.
It was directed by Peter DeLuise
And it first aired on the 23rd of October 2009.
This is a very emotional episode. Itās got some fantastic drama in it.
The random Keno interviews continue to be interspersed through this episode.
Greerās interview allows him to show an uncharacteristic moment of vulnerability.
Young has gathered everyone together to explain the situation. Theyāre on a collision course for a star, and thereās nothing they can do to change course. They still havenāt figured out how to take control of the ship. Its flight path is all completely automatic.
They have one day before burn up.
Destiny has a working shuttle and there are three planets in this system that may be habitable.
Young believes the ship dropped out of FTL here to give them a chance. It has shown intelligence and even care for its passengers before.
Thereās only room and life-support for 17 people on the shuttle. Young will choose two people. The remaining 15 will be decided by lottery.
Can you imagine having to give this kind of news to a group of people? I certainly wouldnāt want to be in Youngās shoes right now. Of course, I wouldnāt want to be in any of their shoes right now. Imagine knowing that unless you were one of the 15 lucky ones, you would be dead within 24 hours. Itās unthinkable.
When Young announces heāll be choosing 2, one to fly the shuttle, and one necessary for survival, somebody makes a smart-alec comment. This is when Young chooses to reveal that heāll be taking his name out of the lottery. Confirming heās going down with this ship no matter what. He then invites the smart alec to keep talking if he wants his name removed as well.
Young currently holds the power over everyoneās lives. Thatās another hard thing to imagine, the threat of having your name removed. I tell ya, Iād be very well behaved.
Eli is looking for Chloe, but he finds her in Lieutenant Scottās arms. So this is when it starts.
Theyāve chosen to spend their last hours alive making love. Theyāve been getting close since episode 1, when Scott offered Chloe comfort after the death of her father.
This is a common trope in stories, having sex at the end of the world. On one hand, I kind of get it. You might as well end it all doing something nice with somebody you love.
But when I really think about it, the prospect of certain death doesnāt exactly fill me with sexy feelings. I suspect Iād find it quite a turn-off.
But then, Iāve been happily married to my wife for 17 years. I have no regrets in that department.
But for Chloe, this may seem like a case of now or never.
But what about Scott? What does this act mean to him? Is Chloe just one last notch on his belt before the end?
Ever since I saw the scene in episode 1 where Scott and James are having sex in the storage room, Iāve had a pretty negative view of Scott. I misremembered that he and Chloe got together at the end of the pilot, in the wake of Senator Armstrongās death, further confirming to me that Scott was a dirty-rotten womaniser who chewed women up and spat them out, taking advantage of Chloeās pain.
Well, I was wrong about that. He just comforted her in the pilot. And this is when they officially get together.
I canāt know Scottās heart. But I do know that this relationship is going to continue. Heās not using Chloe in the same way he used James. I still canāt shake the feeling that heās taking advantage of this situation a little, but itās all clearly consenual.
I still have this feeling that Chloe deserves better than Scott (and better obviously means Eli) but maybe thatās not fair. Maybe thatās just because I like it when the nerd gets the girl, like I did.
The next scene is really interesting. Camille comes in to see Young. She thinks he should choose all 17 people, and he should include himself. The survivors will need leadership. She feels this would be more fair than sending the wrong people because they were randomly selected.
Young makes the point that they are all the wrong people. None of them were selected for a long-term mission aboard Destiny. They were all assigned to Icarus Base, to solve the mystery of the ninth chevron.
When he asks her how the decision would be made, she switches from saying āyouā to saying āweā.
āWeād make a short list, taking into account skills, age and sex.ā Inherent is the idea that she wants to be part of the group. And making the decision seems to be within the purview of the HR Lady (which is what she was on Icarus.)
āDo we just pick those we like?ā he asks.
Thatās not what sheās saying.
And then Young says those blood-chilling words.
āGet out or Iām going to take your name out of the lottery. I may just do it anywayā
And Camille goes silent. And her attitude immediately goes from aggressive to passive.
She begs. āPlease donāt.ā
She holds in her tears as best she can and leaves the room.
I think in that moment, she would do anything to convince Young to leave her name in the lottery. Whenever I watch this scene, I canāt help but put myself in Camilleās place in that moment, and it horrifies me.
Itās very powerful.
Eli has a flashback dream of being back home. His mother is hassling him about a job interview. It seems he pulled out of it. I found this scene confusing because the pilot seemed to suggest that Eli couldnāt study or have a career because he had to be at home caring for his sick mother. Here, we see a mother that is quite able. Sheās walking around the house picking up his laundry. And sheās telling trying to get him to get a job.
Clearly, she has some kind of medical condition that involves a lot of financial cost, but she doesnāt seem to be the invalid we were lead to believe she was.
So ā¦. Is Eli just lazy? Thatās what this scene is implying.
Or am I reading too much into this? It IS a dream, after all, not an actual flashback.
Scott is convinced he and Chloe are the two that Young has chosen. He makes sense. Heās the only one that can fly the shuttle, given that Young has withdrawn himself from consideration. Chloe points out that being a senatorās daughter might make her sound important but itās not going to help anybody on the planet survive. Sheās not one of the two.
But sheās felt closer to Scott in the last few days than sheās ever felt to anyone. So this whole thing is real from her end.
In Chloeās keno interview she talks about how her father gave his life so they could all live another day. Then she chuckles at how thatās turned out to be more literal than he might have hoped. Itās been more than a day, but not many days. The unspoken question in her statement is, āWas his sacrifice worthwhile, given most of them are going to die now anyway?ā Perhaps sheās not so sure. But Iāll bet I know what her dad would have said. Because if I were him, and I could let one of my kids live just one more day, it would totally be worth it.
Young and Rush have a very calm and very reasonable conversation. The first two planets are proven to be uninhabitable. One is too cold, covered in frozen methane. The other is too hot. The third planet is behind the star and theyāll have to launch the shuttle before they get close enough to determine habitability, so itās a gamble. A massive leap of faith. Chances are good, though, because itās in between the other two worlds, in the goldilocks zone. But as it stands, there is no guarantee those chosen to go on the shuttle will survive any longer than those on destiny.
Rush wants his name taken out of the lottery. Coming to this ship was his destiny. His lifeās work. Heās happy to go down with her.
And then thereās a moment of almost reconciliation between the two. Young admitting that Rush was right, and he should have listened to him earlier. Rush admitting he wasnāt himself at the time, too irrational to be taken seriously, and it wouldnāt have made a difference. Thereās a tiny sliver of mutual respect going on here. And it almost chokes me up. Their relationship will go through a whole lot of ups and downs as the show progresses, but I really like this moment.
Young reveals that he has chosen lieutenants Scott and Johansen as the two. Makes sense. The pilot and the doctor. Essential personnel.
Rush suggests he could rig the lottery to choose people like Greer. There will be some whoāll assume he did anyway. I think heās briefly tempted. Why not? But no, heās firm on his principles with this.
The moment of truth has come. Scott and Johannsen are on board the shuttle, ready to go. Young is gonna draw names out of a box. Those chosen will go up the stairs directly to the shuttle. Those whose names are not called must remain in the gate room until the shuttle is fully boarded and ready to leave.
Itās gotta be a tense moment. You know those reality shows where they drag out who is being kicked off, or who is gonna be the winner. It would feel like that, except a million times worse, because if youāre not chosen, youāre going to die. I tell you, there must be a lot of hearts beating very fast. I try to put myself in the shoes of these characters, and I just get so overwhelmed by the thought of it.
If your name was called, I imagine youād feel a great sense of relief, but also some guilt, that you were one of the lucky ones, and youād be leaving so many behind to die. Plus also a little mix of fear and excitement at the prospect of going to this new world to make a new life.
Many of the names chosen are unknown to us, but Camille is chosen. Obviously Young left her name in the lottery. Sheās sobbing as she arrives. All those mixed emotions. Probably some gratitude that Young didnāt exclude her too.
Lieutenant James is chosen. That could get awkward with Scott. Do you think, if Chloe isnāt selected, that heāll try to get back with her? Are these people going to try to populate their new world with a new generation, or just let themselves grow old and die? Anywy, Scott wisely stations James at the rear door of the shuttle. She needs to guard it in case anyone else tries to force their way on board.
We donāt really know Doctor Park yet, but sheāll become a bigger part of the story over time.
Brody is another weāll get to know more about.
We donāt hear all the names. The names that are not called are perhaps more important at this point.
So thatās it. Thatās fifteen. Anybody else still standing there to hear this has to face the reality that theyāre going to die on this ship.
Spencer, one of the military isnāt gonna stand for it. He says you can fit more people. He tries to get the others to rise up with him but Greer puts him down nice and quickly. I kinda like Greer in this moment.
They close the shuttle, Eliās keno in place so that theyāll get one last look at the outside of Destiny. It contains all their messages. Itās unlikely anyone will ever find it, but itās still meaningful.
Some of the remainders go to watch the shuttle leave from the viewing lounge.
Eli is most interested to get images from the keno.
This is the first time theyāve ever been able to see what the ship looks like from the outside. They all crowd around the tablet to get a glimpse.
Rushās expression of thanks is particularly heartfelt.
It hits me right in the heart when Young and Rush shake hands.
Rush apologises for getting Eli involved in this. But heās not sorry. Heās got to see such wonders. He jokes he might be sorry by the end of the day, though. Yep, another little moment of humour.
Rush explains to Chloe how the destruction of the ship will go down. He hopes it will be quick, but he canāt guarantee that. He doesnāt know.
There are so many great character moments in this episode. Iām so glad they chose to take their time and do this properly, rather than jamming the whole thing into just one episode.
We learn that the reason Greer was in the brig back on Icarus is because he hit Telford (a superior officer.) I can think can all assume Telford probably had it coming.
Different groups of people are choosing to spend their final moments in different ways.
Young is walking the ship and thinks about his wife.
The āfun peopleā are playing cards. Thereās a group reciting the Lordās prayer together. Itās a very ritualistic kind of prayer, but also a very inclusive one. Itās pretty core to all flavours of Christianity.
Rush finishes a mediocre book while listening to music.
Eli and Chloe watch the star together, holding hands as friends.
Greer takes off his shirt and sits on his bed. Heās meditating.
Do you think any of them are planning to end things early? Iād be surprised if some of them didnāt at least think about it that.
How would you spend this time, if you were on that ship?
I would probably be praying, but probably something a bit more personal and heartfelt that the recital of the group we saw earlier. Iād like to think that Iād express gratitude for the many blessings in my life. Probably also praying for courage for whatās about to come. Not the death part. But fear of how itāll happen. Fear of any pain or discomfort I might feel as the ship tears itself apart and the heat increases.
In all honesty, Iād probably be trying to do anything to distract myself from that fear.
The shuttle crew get their first readings of the planet. Thereās very little vegetation and the temperature wonāt be spending much time above zero, but theyāll technically be able to survive.
Itās gonna be a hard life for them.
Rush finishes his book and stands. You can tell something is going on in his mind. He goes to his lab and looks at a computer. Then laughs.
Such a heartfelt genuine laugh of relief.
The laugh of hope.
He goes to the viewing room where Eli and Chloe are waiting. He laughs out loud and tells them theyāre gonna live.
The turbulence and heat should have happened by now, but the shield is protecting them.
How can it be doing that? Theyāre out of power.
Rush has never been so glad to be wrong in his life.
Of course, being wrong is part of life for a good scientist. You more just as much, maybe even more, from being wrong than you do from being right.
But this isnāt just an experiment. This is their lives.
Then thereās that wonderfully triumphant moment as the shipās solar collectors deploy, and the ship stars sucking in power from the sun.
This is what destiny intended from the beginning. The ship draws its power from the stars. When it gets low, it flies through the corona of the star, protected by the super awesome magic ancient shields, which are powered by the star itself.
This is such a great pay-off.
But thereās still a problem. Those 17 people on the shuttle.
TJ announces that the people on the ship will all be dead now. She wonders if theyāre the lucky ones. Scott tells her not to think that way.
Thatās when they get a message from Young.
Scott sets a course for Destiny, but the ship is accelerating away and the shuttle canāt match its speed. The computer canāt figure out an intercept solution and Scott canāt come up with a manual solution.
Rushās solution is the classic sci-fi concept of sling-shotting around a planet to accelerate.
Rush tells everyone they need to trust him, but itās Math-Boy Eli who figures the numbers out first. Now Rusi s the one who has to trust. Itās hard for him. Rush is used to being the smartest person around. But credit to him, he sends Eliās numbers.
This episode is such a roller coaster. Weāve gone through all that emotional character stuff, and then the triumphant bit, and now itās really tense and suspenseful.
Itās a great sequence. They manage to get back to the ship and dock.
Thereās a tiny moment of bittersweet for Eli and he realises that now Scott is back and he and Chloe will be together. But he doesnāt let that hold him back for long. This is a moment for celebration.
Young tries really hard to reach out to Rush in the mess hall. He genuinely wants to praise Rush as a hero.
And then a dark thought crosses his mind. What if Rush took his name out of the lottery because he knew Destiny would make it.
What kind of a person does that make Rush?
Eli is convinced that Rush didnāt know. He saw his face. And I agree with Eli. Rush didnāt know. He was surprised and elated.
Greer and TJ both tell Young to let it go, but heās not quite able to.
The episode ends with that line again - āA lot of work.ā
In a way, I think that sums up both Rush and Young. Certainly their troubled relationship.
So that was Light. I love this episode. It was fantastic. A beautiful character piece that examines how we all deal with our mortality, but then also an exciting action-packed story at the end.
Episodes like this are one of the many reasons Iām a fan of Stargate Universe.
Next week, weāll talk about the last of the āresource gatheringā episodes. And weāll revisit the swirling wind alien from Air part 3.
Please consider spreading the word about this podcast. Tell a friend who likes Stargate, or share episodes on social media. There are a lot of SGU fans out there, I just have to find them.
Have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Today we discuss the first regular episode of Stargate Universe after the extended pilot. Destiny now has breathable air but there are a lot of other problems. The most immediate is the mysterious lack of power. As the crisis pushes our characters toward breaking point, can they find a solution?
This episode, and the next, closely tie together. They were originally intended to be one single episode. I'm glad they ended up splitting it in two because it allowed them to really take their time and delve into the characters. It's a great mini-arc.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 53 of the podcast.
Today weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode Darkness.
MGM have just released the whole of Stargate Universe and Stargate SG-1 on Blue-ray. Previously, the first season of SGU was available on blu-ray but the second season wasnāt. That makes this the perfect time to watch along with me
Of course, these are American releases, but it will hopefully lead to releases in other countries as well.
The early seasons of SG-1, which were shot on film, have been re-mastered for this collection.
And speaking of re-mastering. Thereās big new about Babylon 5.
We fans have spent years talking about how a remaster is unlikely to ever happen because Warner Bros doesnāt seem to care about B5 as a property any longer. And now weāve just learned theyāre spent the last 6 years re-mastering it. Itās a shock, but Iāve never been happier to be wrong in all my life.
Babylon 5 was shot in widescreen but framed for 4:3. All the CGI was done in 4:3. The DVD transfer of the show was terrible. They used the full 16:9 frame of the live-action footage, and then cropped and stretched the CGI to fit the frame. That made it look terrible low-res. The scenes to suffer most were those that included both CGI and live-action elements. You could literally see the pixels in these shots. It was horrible.
This new version is back in the original 4:3 so none of those problems exist. But more than that, theyāve re-scanned the film at a higher-resolution, plus theyāve upscaled the CGI. Note, this doesnāt mean theyāve re-rendered the CGI, but from all accounts, the show looks better than it ever has. And thatās very exciting.
One final bit of news before we launch into todayās episode of Stargate Universe, we have a release date for the Snyder Cut of Justice League. The 18th of March. STill no indication that HBO Max will be available outside of America by them, but Zack did say heād make sure there were international distribution options in place. Letās hope theyāll all be ready to go on day 1. Iāll admit Iām pretty nervous as I wait for more news.
Anyway, letās talk about Darkness.
The description on Gateworld reads
The Destiny suffers a power crisis, putting the lives of the stranded crew in jeopardy when even the emergency reserves run dry. Dr. Rush pushes himself to the breaking point.
This episode was written by Brad Wright
It was directed by Peter Deluise
And it first aired on the 16th of October 2009.
So weāve solved our most immediate problem. The need for air. But this is a multi-million year old spaceship that hasnāt been maintained since it was launched. There are plenty of other problems. This episode will address the next of these.
Theyāre eating some kind of group. Powder mixed with water. It could just be protein powder. At least that would give them some calories. But water is very limited. They have to ration it carefully, and they certainly canāt use it for washing. But Eli has found a shower. It doesnāt use water. It sprays some kind of mist.
Thereās a nice camaraderie that has already started to build between these people, as they banter about who smells the worst. I really like it.
Also, nice to know theyāve figured out how to make the toilets work. Very important.
But itās not the water, or the food, or even the toilets that has Rush concerned. Itās the power. Their power reserves are extremely low and Rush canāt figure out why.
Theyāre been turning on systems since they arrived, sure, but this ship had power to last millions of years of interstellar space flight until now. It seems very coincidental they'd arrive just as its batteries finally give out. Thereās got to be more to it.
Rush has been working through the night and heās getting really testy.
Eli is still playing with the kenos. Heās wanting to get people to say a little something about themselves, to document, not just the circumstances of their situation, but the people involved.
And already, we get a joke, as Eli quotes Planet of The Apes. Once again disproving the notion that Stargate Universe is without humour.
The Keno interviews are interspersed through the episode, and theyāre really nice little glimpses into the characters. I especially like Vokerās as it ties in with the episode. And what he says makes sense. We canāt all be mozart, but that doesnāt mean heās not a good astro-physicist.
In Scottās interview, he says he wants to say a prayer for the crew, although what he actually does is recite Psalm 23, which kinda works as a prayer. Anyway, this shows that he still does have some genuine belief in the faith he was raised with.
Actually, we get a second joke. The officer making the goop asks Young what his assignment is. Young replies āRecipes. For the love of God, recipes.ā That got a laugh out loud from me.
Young has had people turning things on all over the ship. Theyāve found a charging plate that can adapt to earth technology, which is really cool, but the minute Rush tells him they have power issues, he tells people to stop. He doesn't try to argue it out. Young doesnāt let his personal issues with Rush get in the way of important matters. And I like that.
He tries to reach out to Rush. They need to be on the same page. And Rush needs to inform Young of anything important that may affect people on the ship.
He offers someone to assist but rush declines. At this point it would take longer to bring somebody up to speed. So Young just picks someone.
Rush isnāt just being arrogant and annoying here. This is a real principle.
I know in my day job field of computer programming, thereās a very real principle, that you canāt just speed up a project by adding a new team member. Adding a new person will slow things down initially because you have to stop productive work to educate the new person and get them up to speed. Weāve known this since the 70s. Probably longer, but thatās when a book was written about it.
So I donāt doubt Rush here. I can understand Youngās desire to add extra resources given the urgency and importance of what Rush is doing, but it probably wonāt help.
But the way Rush treats Volker is very rude. Rush is clearly not operating at his best. He hasnāt slept. But is it just affecting his disposition, or is it affecting his ability to do his job? Itās a tough situation because their lives depend on solving this before itās too late.
But thereās definitely a point of diminishing returns when itās best, no matter how little time you have, to grab some sleep and try again after. Even if he just takes an hour or two.
Chloe doesnāt know what to do with herself. Sheās a political science student, Assistant to a senator, her father, who is now dead. She has no role on this spaceship. Sheās a smart young woman but are any of her skills useful in this situation? Itās all a bit frustrating for her.
And of course, Eli is kinda following her around like a lost puppy, because, well, sheās the only person on this ship his age, and he really likes her.
She wants to use one of the showers Eli found, so he agrees to show it to her.
Poor old Eli. Heās standing guard so nobody barges in on Chloe in the shower. With his back turned like a gentleman, of course, but thereās a lot of teenage horniness going on here.
So from his perspective, itās really bad timing when Lt. James appears and asks him to come have a word with her. She sees right through him, of course. I mean, when it comes to hormones, sheās not exactly above adolescent behaviour herself, right?
Turns out, James doesnāt want to talk to him alone. Thereās a whole bunch of people who kinda mob him. The lower downs, the junior officers are feeling left out. They think Young and Rush may know more than theyāre telling, about whether theyāll make it back to earth. They think the higher ups are hiding things from them.
Eli thinks this is a load of nonsense. And is almost offended at their suggestion. He promises that if Young and Rush tell him anything of note, heāll pass it along to these guys, totally not believing in their little conspiracy theory.
I love the way heās so sarcastic in how he talks to them.
Now, you could argue that Eli is being a little naive here, but I tend to side with Eli in thinking these guys are all just being idiots.
Thereās some nice dialogue between Young and Voker, regarding whether itās worth trying to stand up to Rush.
And then the ship drops out of FTL, and the lights go out. Rush says their power, all of their power, is gone.
So theyāre dead in space.
FTL was the last system to fail, and now itās gone.
Things get pretty awkward with Eli and Chloe when he goes back to help her in the dark.
At first she wants privacy but then calls him back. He fails to hide the delight when she wants him to stay, but then she tells him to turn around while she finishes dressing.
Thereās no actual nudity shown in any of this. You could say that this whole thing isā¦.not so much gratuitous, but ā¦ needlessly sexy, I suppose.
But I contrast this scene with one in Star Trek Enterprise. You probably remember it, when Hoshi is climbing through the jefferyās tube and slips, and somehow her shirt stays up there, and she slips down without it. And of course, for some reason sheās not wearing a bra.
That scene was really bad. It was clearly made to titillate. It was an extremely childish attempt to get ratings with meaningless sexiness.
Compared to that, this scene looks really good. It wasnāt so much made to titillate. Maybe a little bit, but this is just a portrayal of young people, as they really are, in a situation that is believable. So I think this scene is a lot more justified.
Rushās rant to young about how his order to try dialling earth robbed him of the time he needed to solve this problem before it was too late.
But Young makes a good point. With all the mistakes Young has made, ordering people to do things that have wasted power, it doesnāt add up to a result this dire. Theyāre missing something.
But Rush is too frantic to hear it. Heās given up hope because thereās nothing more he can do. And then he passes out.
This was some fantastic acting from Robert Carlyle. I love it.
Young wants to use the communication stone to visit Earth, and Telford is volunteering for stone duty again. We get the impression he does this often. He really wants to be on board Destiny as much as he can. Itās amusingly ironic that the one person who managed to avoid getting stuck on that ship is the one who really wants to be there.
Telford is quick to blame Young for the situation on Destiny. Yes, Rush saw this coming but it wasnāt in Youngās power to prevent this.
Debriefing on the current situation doesnāt take long, so Young decides to go visit his wife while heās on earth. Of course, heās visiting her in Telfordās body, which has got to be weird for her.
I think she has just been given clearance to know about the stargate program. It would be a lot to take in.
Aliens exist, we have a stargate. Your husband is stranded in a galaxy so far away we donāt have a name for it. But his spirit can visit you in another manās body due to an alien communication technology. Oh, and heās here to see you.
Her uncertain response to him is completely believable.
Their marriage was on the verge of being over before he left for Icarus base. His job was one of the issues between them, but not the only one.
Now that sheās completely out of his reach, he wants to make things right with her. He wants to get home somehow, and he wants her to be here waiting for him when he does.
And thatās a big ask.
But...I can understand him wanting to ask. When you love someone, you do all you can to hold onto them.
Of course, she still has the option to say no, and thatās what she does, at least at first.
His wife takes some time to think about it, and then finally comes back outside to talk to Young about it.
Sheās willing to consider that this might all be true, and I think sheās believing that Young genuinely wants to patch things up with her, to get home to her.
But she asks āHow does this change things?ā In the end, she canāt see that this makes any difference. He still put his career ahead of his marriage, and sheās not yet able to forgive him for this.
Young leaves defeated, but I think, thereās some stuff going on in her mind. Sheās not ready to forgive yet, but sheās closer than either of them realise.
While Young is off failing to save his marriage, Telford is busy ordering Scott to use the stones to report that Young needs to be replaced.
Youngās response, when he returns to his own body, āwell, heās probably right about that.ā
Colonel Young knows his shortcomings as a leader, but he wants to overcome them. He wants to be better, and he really does try.
And thatās what I love about his character. The more times I watch this show, the more Young grows on me.
And, of course, the more I love to hate Telford.
Anyway, theyāve learned that Destiny dropped out of FTL in a solar system with several potentially habitable planets. The odds of them running out of power that close to a star, rather than out in open interstellar space, is so ridiculously astronomical, that it has to mean something. Itās like the ship deliberately came here. Again, all very logical. And we know the ship does things for a reason, like when it dialed the stargate to the planet that contained the limestone that saved their lives.
This information is delivered to us through one of the Keno interviews. I donāt know the name of the character but she delivers it in a delightful way. The episode takes a bunch of exposition and infuses it with lots of character. It was a wonderful decision on the writerās part, and the actress sold it very well.
Rush is finally awake after passing out, in what Scott called a nervous breakdown. His body desperately needed sleep. Plus, heās going through caffeine withdrawal. All the crew who have addictions are suffering right now. Anyway, no matter how understandable Rushās ranting was, heās very embarrassed by it. He likes to be in more control than that.
He still has the same concerns about their power situation, but at least heās capable of being more rational now, despite his withdrawal headache.
When Rush goes to talk to Young about his previous ranting, he canāt bring himself to use the word apology. Instead, he says āI want to explain that I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.ā You see, thereās a not quite subtle difference in emphasis. An apology could include an explanation of how he wasnāt himself, of course, but heās more interested in justifying his behaviour, rather than expressing remorse for how that behaviour affected others. Rush almost behaved like a decent human being here, but he blew it. I suspect thereās some really interesting psychological stuff going on with Rush. As Young says āA lotta work.ā
So Destiny is on a trajectory to slingshot around the gas giant, taking it close to the planets that are believed to be habitable. Clearly, this is not a coincidence.
Things are starting to look up a little for our crew.
Thereās gonna be a lot of turbulence as they pass near the planetās atmosphere.
Eli is excited to see this. Who wouldnāt be? Chloe understandably has other things on her mind, like the recent death of her father, but when Eli drags her out to see it sheās mesmerized by its beauty.
Itās an exciting moment.
The ship comes out of the slingshot and Rush is horrified to learn that the manoeuvre has changed their trajectory more than theyād hoped.
Theyāre headed straight for the star.
Thatās not good.
This episode, and the next one, were originally conceived as a single script, but they were broken apart into two. I think this was a good move. It allows a lot more time to deal with the characters as the main plot progresses, plus it gives us time to really build up some strong tension regarding the shipās predicament.
I love the serialised nature of this show. SG-1 and Atlantis were both serialised, of course, but Universe just takes it that step further.
So this was the first regular episode of SGU after the 3-part pilot. And I think the show has well and truly established itself as something special. Something strong. I canāt wait to dive into the next one, Light, which will be filled with a whole lot of emotions.
Next week the story picks up right where we left it with the episode Light. Itās a great one, and I canāt wait to share it with you in two weeks.
If youāre enjoying Nerd Heaven, please consider leaving a review on iTunes, or wherever you listen to podcasts. I endeavour to make sure the show is available anywhere and everywhere, but if itās not available on your favourite app, just let me know and Iāll do everything I Can to make sure it gets there.
You can contact me by emailing adam@adamdavidcollings.com
And spread the word about this show with all your stargate-loving friends. The hardest thing about creating content is getting that content in front of the eyeballs of people who would like it, if they only knew it existed.
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to listen to me. There may be few of you, but you are greatly appreciated.
Have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In the third part of the pilot of Stargate Universe, we follow our characters to an alien planet where they search for much-needed material to repair the scrubbers on Destiny. If they fail, everyone will die of asphyxiation. But there may be other life on this world. Is it helpful or hostile?
News mentioned in this episode
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The passing of Mira Furlan
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Sir Patrick Stewart's Critics Choice Super Award
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Star Trek Lower Decks available outside of North America.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 52 of the podcast. Today weāre talking about the Stargate Universe episode āAir Part 3ā.
Thereās been a bit going on in the nerd world lately, that I want to mention.
And sadly, I have to start with the heart-breaking passing of Mira Furlan, who played Delenn on Babylon 5 and Rousseau on Lost. She was only 65 years old. So many of the Babylon 5 actors have gone before their time. I learned about this just last night and it really hit me. I am a huge Babylon 5 fan. One of the things that made the show so great was the fantastic characters, jointly created by writer J Michael Straczynski along with some truly amazing actors. Mira Furlan was one of those actors. Iāll always remember her for her passionate speeches as Delenn. The character was tender, loving, but also as tough as they come. There was a great deal of Furlan in Delenn. JMS wrote the character in a way to help Furlan express many feelings she had about her homeland of Yugoslavia which was going through all kinds of political turmoil.
My condolences go out to her husband, her family, and all those who loved her, which definitely includes her Babylon 5 family.
In happier news, I want to acknowledge Sir Patrick Stewart for winning the Critics Choice Super award for Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, for his role on Star Trek Picard.
And just a reminder that Star Trek Lower Decks is finally available to watch, legally and ethically, outside of North America. All 10 episodes are streaming on Amazon Prime Video. While Iāve had most of the big moments of the series spoiled, Iām still enjoying going through and watching the episodes for myself.
And for those watching this podcast on youTube, just a reminder that I recorded the bulk of this episode before I decided to do live action video for the youTube version, so you wonāt be seeing my face as I discuss the show. All back to normal next time.
The description on Gateworld reads
Lt. Scott leads a team to a desert planet to locate a mineral capable of fixing Destiny's life support system. Chloe visits her mother on Earth.
This episode was WRITTEN BY: Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper
DIRECTED BY: Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 9th of October 2009
So the team emerges through the gate onto a desert planet, but very different looking to Abydos. This is clearly a location shot and looks so much better than anything they did on SG1.
Eli steps through and looks at his surroundings. An alien planet in a whole other galaxy. He smiles and says ācool.ā Of course he does. I would too. Iād take a moment to appreciate the enormity of it, but he doesnāt let it distract him either.
Meanwhile, SCott orders them to try dialing the gate back to the ship. Again, very wise. They want to make sure they can get back.
There isnāt a DHD but they have a hand-held device they likely found on the ship.
So good news. There is evidence of limestone on this planet. This whole dessert was once an ocean that probably supported life. Very different life than anything theyāve ever seen before.
One thing SGU does really well is it makes space feel more alien.
It also feels like this show is more grounded in real science. Certainly what the geologist is doing feels authentic and not technobabble-ish.
Young is gonna use the stones to report in.
Colonel Talford, who was evacuated from Icuras by the Hammond is waiting by the stones. He wants to be the one who is connected. You see, the two people swap bodies, so Young appears in Talfordās body back on Earth, but Talford appears in Youngās body on the Destiny.
Deep down, I think Talford wanted to out there on the alien ship. But he missed out.
I do feel sorry for Talford suddenly finding himself in a broken body with the pain of broken ribs.
Chloe has also used the stones to visit earth so she can tell her mother the sad news about her father.
The way they do the stones thing, is the same wy they did it back on SG1. The actor who is playing the soul within the body is the actor you see, but he or she is wearing the clothes of the person they replace.
Young points out that these are the wrong people for the expedition. Those who are stuck on the ship are not qualified.
OāNeill can sympathise, but ultimately, he reminds Young that he wasnāt qualified when he first went through the gate to Abydos. Theyāve sent hundreds of people through the gate to various planets, and none of them have been qualified. Humanity are in way over their head. They always have been. But theyāve come such a long way since SG1 season 1.
Franklin thinks they should be checking out the other planets in range. Rush is still convinced the solution is on this planet. And he has good reason to think that.
Chloeās Mum probably already had security clearance to know about the Stargate program. But it still must be confronting to see your daughter wearing another personās face.
Sheās not handling it very well. Sheās chugging whiskey before Chloe can even tell her that her dad is dead.
But then she breaks down when she learns the full extent of it. And the power of that scene moves me pretty deeply. Very well done.
Talford, and the other scientist from Earth, who is currently lending her body to Chloe, agree with Franklin that they should try to get past the locks on the other planets.
Brody isnāt convinced. There has to be a good reason why theyāre locked out.
But Talford makes it an order. If there are good reasons, he wants to know what they are. And thatās fair enough, but itās still a big risk.
And now we get our first exploration of the theme of how you treat somebody elses body when youāve living in it.
Johansen wants Talford to rest, because Youngās body needs to heal.
Talford wants to push through with painkillers. He feels they need him here.
But thatās not his body heās abusing.
Weāll continue to explore this idea through the series.
But Johansen tricks him by giving him a sedative she shouldnāt have had to waste, just so Young and return to a healthy body.
Scientist lady isnāt impressed. But I see why Johansen made the call, and she stands firmly behind it. You donāt want to press this woman on her medical ethics. She wonāt back down.
Rush is concerned that if they donāt slow down, theyāll never be able to keep up the pace on the way back. Greer, cocky as ever, is convinced he can.Itās a tough call. They need to find the limestone, wherever it is, but they also need to get back to the stargate alive, before the time runs out.
And thatās when Scotts starts seeing things. A syringe wisp of sand twirling around. Is it just a natural phenomenon or something else?
As they leave, the wind seems very interested in the chemicals Rush used to test the sand. It appears there is some intelligence behind it.
Both teams keep testing, and keep failing.
And thatās when the second team decide to mutiny.
Franklin has found an override to allow them to dial the other planets in range.
Even Palmer is agreeing with Franklin now.
They make a couple of reasonable points to consider, but theyāre still stupid. And wrong.
Rush on the other hand, is smart enough to know he canāt go on any further. So he tells Scott to go on without him.
And Scott is still seeing the swirling wind. But can he be sure heās not losing his mind due to heat and dehydration?
He tests it by pouring some water and watching the wind go investigate the water.
But then he sees a human face in the sand. Her knows that canāt be real.
Thereās a nice character scene as Rush and Greer confgront a few prejudices they have about each other. Rush assumes Greer is poor, and Greer assumes Rush is rich. It seems Rush is right but Greer is wrong.
Franklin has managed to open the gate. Theyāre gonna take the remote control, stranding everyone else on the planet. Palmer and the solder go through, but Greer arrives in time to shoot Franklin.
They are half way through the countdown. If Scott hasnāt turned back by now, heāll never make it to the gate before Destiny jumps away.
Only problem is, he hasnāt turned back. Heās still looking for limestone.
Now a priest is following Scott around the desert.
And we get another little moment of humour when Eli says āI have a gun.ā
Young is back on the ship and Rush has taken Franklin back to Destiny for medical treatment.
So we get a flashback. Scott in a church, crying and confessing his failure to the priest. Scottās parents died in a car crash when he was only 4. He was raised by this priest, but he drank himself to death when Scott was just 16.
Scott thought that he had a religious calling, but heās gotten a girl pregnant, and sheās not going to have the baby.
He feels he has failed God.
Iām not sure why exactly the wind creature chose this memory to make Scott re-live, but maybe itās a way of encouraging him not to give up, showing him that life can go on even after mistakes.
Anyway, it stirs up the sand, making some water bubble up to wake Scott. He sees the limestone, tests it, and itās good. Heās found what they need.
Now he just needs to collect it and get back to the ship,
Eli canāt make contact with Palmer and the soldier. Weāll never hear from them again. Theyāre gone. Whatever danger existed on that planet, itās taken them. IT seems Destiny was right to lock out that planet after all. I kinda like the way they did this. It would have been interesting to see them meet their demise, but thereās something mysterious about just never knowing.
For all his faults, Greer is very loyal. Heās not gonna leave Scott out there on his own. He goes back for him. How he has the physical stamina for what he does in this episode is beyond me.
He ends up walking this distance 4 times.
3 minutes on the clock, and scott and greer are still not back. The rescue team have given up and returned to the ship.
No point all of them getting stranded on the planet too.
Eli can see them on the scanner, butr theyāre not gonna quite make it.
This is a really tense climax. They build up some great tension.
Rush had a brilliant idea. He tells Eli to stick his hand into the event horizon of the wormhole. That should prevent it from closing, and hopefully Destiny from leaving.
Thatās how the stargates in the milky way work, but these are older gates. Will it just chop off his arm?
The timer runs out, and the gate is still open.
They make it through. What a moment!
We hear a contemporary song play as we see them repair the CO23 scrubberrs with the lime.
The air begins to flow, and we see the relief on everyonāes faces as they start to breath properly again.
Chloe brings Scott some water. They share some of their mutual pain.
Now I was all set up to talk about how Scott takes advantage of Chloe, how he uses her pain as an excuse to get her into bed.
I could have sworn there was a scene at the end of this episode where they have sex, but itās not there. We leave with them sitting and talking. Letās face it, in his condition, Scottās not up for anything physical right now.
So I suppose Iāll have to leave the discussion of that for when it actually happens. Probably in the next episode.
Itāll be interesting to see if my opinions of their relationship changes.
Anyway, the final shot shows some kind of alien shuttle that was docked with Destiny lift off and fly away. Oooh. Very intriguing.
And that was Air Part 3.
I love this three-part pilot. Itās probably the best opening to a TV show that Iāve ever seen. This is a really strong start.
I like how it focussed on survival rather than rushing to introduce a new big bad.
It had everything I was looking for in a Stargate show in a post-Battlestar Galactica world.
This show clearly took a lot of inspiration in both tone and shooting style from that one, but it never felt like a cheap copy. Stargate Universe set itās own course, and Iām thrilled to travel the rest of this journey with you all over the coming episodes.
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So weāre now done with the extended pilot and can launch into the rest of season 1. I first saw Air Parts 1, 2 and 3 on a DVD which I bought long before the show started airing in Australia, so for me, there was a big gap between this and the next episode.
Nerd Heaven is now officially back on a fortnightly schedule. That means there will be no episode next week, but Iāll be back on the 8th of February to talk about the episode āDarknessā.
Thereās plenty more great stuff to come, so I hope youāll join me for it.
Until then, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
We begin a new era of the podcast as we look at Stargate Universe. SGU is the third TV series in the Stargate franchise, following SG-1 and Atlantis, not to mention the original 1994 movie. It was a divisive show, and still is to this day. It was a departure from the previous two shows in terms of tone, shooting style and story-telling. But it well-loved by its fans.
Today, I delve deep into the first two parts of the 3-part pilot. We'll look at the new characters introduced in this story, and talk about how the pilot grabbed me with both hands and wouldn't let go.
Check out Book 1 of Jewel of The Stars for just 99 cents at http://books2read.com/jewel
Or get the free prequel story at http://www.adamdavidcollings.com/free
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 51 of the podcast. Iām really excited because today, weāre starting something brand new. Weāre going to be looking at each episode of Stargate Universe, just as weāve done with Star Trek Picard season 1 and Star Trek Discovery Season 3.
This is a very divisive show because it was a significant departure from the previous two Stargate TV shows, in terms of tone, shooting style, and story-telling. Stargate Universe was heavily influenced by Battlestar Galactica. Itās a much more character-driven show. Itās more serialised, and itās got a darker more serious tone.
The show is hardly what youād call grimdark, but the characters have a lot more flaws than youād usually expect from Stargate. But in my mind, that just gives them a lot of room for growth.
Iāve loved Stargate from the beginning. I was a big fan of the 1994 film, and I loved both SG-1 and Atlantis. This third series, is actually a great launching on point, so if you decided long ago that Stargate wasnāt for you, itās worth giving SGU a try.
Now a little note for those of you watching on youTube. I recorded the bulk of this episode a few months back, before I decided to show live action video on the youTube version of the podcast, so for the bulk of this weekās episode, and next weekās episode, you wonāt have to look at my ugly mug. Lucky you. But by episode 3, itāll all be back to normal.
The description on GateWorld reads
When a research team is forced to evacuate their secret base, they find themselves on board a derelict Ancient vessel that is many galaxies away from Earth.
This episode was written by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper
It was directed by Andy Mikita
And it first aired on the 2nd of October 2009.
Stargate Universe was not well-received by all fans. Many bemoaned the lack of humour, the darker grittier tone, and the more morally ambiguous characters.
But let me be very clear about this. Not everyone disliked the show. Many of us loved it, and still consider it our favourite Stargate show to this day. And Iām talking people who loved SG1 and Atlantis.
My first introduction to the show was the first three episodes edited together into an extended pilot movie on DVD. It would be months, maybe a year, before I would get to see the rest of season 1.
Itās hard to put into words just why I liked this show so much, but this three-part pilot really grabbed me with both hands and wouldnāt let go.
The gritty realistic tone of the show just felt like a breath of fresh air to me. And the wonder of them being on this ancient spaceship so far from home, with no idea what it was all about, that captures my imagination.
I love the character focus. SG1 and Altantis both followed a similar pattern in terms of their characters. They both had a four-person team who went through the gate, plus a command and support staff back at their home base.
Universe broke way out of this mold. These people are not the best of the best. Theyāre not all military. Theyāre definitely not supposed to be on this ship. In that sense, I get quite a Farscape vibe from the show. These people are not a crew, theyāre a collection of people who have been forced together under unusual circumstances and forced to live and struggle together.
So, of course, thereās going to be conflict.
Add to that, Colonel Young is no Jack OāNeill. He may not be that great an officer, and he admits this himself. But, he tries. He really does. And we see a lot of growth in the character over the two seasons.
And Doctor rush, well, heās brilliant, but a very very flawed man.
Seriously, I eat this stuff up. Itās great.
But letās actually look at this episode.
It begins in space. A ship jumps out of hyperspace and slowly approaches the camera as the credits roll. Weāve never seen a ship like this before, but weāll soon come to know her as destiny.
You get to see a whole lot of detail on this ship as the camera zooms in. Itās nice to see a Stargate show in high definition. Itās all pretty ominous. The ship is deserted. But then we pan into the gate room and see the gate spinning. Then the wormhole engages and people start flying out of it. Itās a mysterious beginning. WE have no idea what itās all about. This first episode makes very effective use of non-linear story-telling.
We keep flashing back and forth between the destiny and the earlier stuff that explains how our characters got here.
At this point weāre wondering about these people. This is not your typical SG team. Weāve got military, some guy in glasses dressed as a civilian, and a teenager in a red tshirt. The opening makes us hungry to know more.
But we can tell straight away there is something ominous about Doctor Rush. Everyone else is panicking. But heās looking around at this ship with a quiet lust and a dark satisfaction.
The last one to come through is Colonel Young. He hits his head badly and passes out after placing Lieutenant Scott in charge. We wonāt see him, other than in flashbacks, until the second part when he wakes up.
The episode does a good job of showing visually, that is this a much older stargate. Earlier technology. The whole gate spins, which is different. And when the wormhole closes, it vents out all this steam, as if the gate struggles to cool itself.
The ship jumps back into hyperspace but we have no idea whatās going on at the time. We just see a weird stretching effect on the picture, and the characters react with the same confusion we do.
Then we flashback to Eli playing a video game. He solves a difficult puzzle. And the next thing you know, Jack OāNeil is knocking on his door with Doctor Rush.
It seems they embedded a top-secret problem in the game and Eli solved what nobody else could. Lucky him.
I love Jackās reactions here when Eli disbelieves them and is hesitant to sign the non-disclosure agreement. Jackās got no time for this. He can just beam Eli up to the ship. No worries. This is a risk, of course. But I guess, if he still doesnāt sign, nobody is gonna believe him. But I think Jack knows people well enough to know heāll sing.
This ship is the Hammond, named after the late General Hammond.
WE learn a little about Eli. We know heās not unemployed because heās lazy. Heās a genius, but his mother has health issues that require him to look after her.
The ship is leaving orbit to travel to another planet. But Eli would at least like some pants before they leave.
And this is a good reminder that while this show is much more dramatic and serious than SG1 or Atlantis, it DOES have humour. This line from Eli is pretty funny and nicely in line with the type of humour we often got from Jack OāNeill.
Thereās a nice sequence where Eli watches a bunch of training videos, hosted by none other than Dr. Daniel Jackson. This is a good way to get up to speed with all things stargate, both for Eli and for the audience, who may not have watched the previous shows.
We also get some important backstory. Ancient ruins were found on an alien planet two years ago. There, they found a 9 symbols address. We know that gate addresses within the local galaxy contain 7 symbols. 8 symbol addresses call gates in another galaxy, like an area code.
But the stargate has nine chevrons. So what is the meaning of the ninth symbol? Nobody has ever managed to successfully dial a 9-symbol address.
Eli gets to call his mum on the phone. He tells her heās doing some top-secret work for the air force.
She is up on her feet, walking around the house, and it looks like sheās wearing a uniform of some kind. So sheās got a job. So Iām confused as to the nature of her sickness, and why it prevents Eli from pursuing his career. It seems if he got a job, heād be able to help pay for her medical expenses. Anyway, the air force are going to take care of him while heās away.
And he meets Chloe for the first time.
Sheās the only other person on this ship his age, and I think he immediately notices that sheās quite an attractive young woman.
Heās surprised to find out heās quite the celebrity on this ship.
Anyway, these two characters are immediately pretty good together.
Then we jump back to the present. Eli and Rush discover theyāre on a spaceship. Travelling faster than light, somehow, but not through conventional hyperspace. Rush has identified the ship as being ancient technology. Not only meaning it was built by the aliens we call the ancients, but that it is old. Really old.
And thatās when they notice the air is thin.
The life support system is failing on this ship. And thatās totally believable. How many millions of years has it been flying through space?
We meet Colonel Young through a flashback talking to his wife before he left to go on this mission. His career with the SGC is putting a lot of stress on his marriage. Heās always off-world and he canāt even tell her about it.
Itās obvious pretty early on that Colonel Young is not cut out of the same heroic mould as OāNeil, Shepherd and Mitchell.
Our introduction to Scott comes with him having sex with a female officer in a storage room. Real classy Scott. Itās not always fair to judge people based on first impressions, but I have to say, this scene really colours the way I see his character throughout the show.
Eli, Chloe, her father, the senator, and Rush arrive on the planet that houses Icarus base.
The stargate on this planet doesnāt accept incoming wormholes, which is why they had to come here on a ship. Itās a plot convenience so we could have the scenes on the Hammond.
The puzzle Eli solved was the problem Rush has been working on for ages. Heās trying to figure out how to dial the 9 chevron address. Rush has been working on it for ages, and Eli has solved it.
Except it still doesnāt work.
This gate is powered by the planetās core itself. Getting the energy output just right is the challenge.
While rush keeps trying to solve it, Eli is invited to a special dinner. And heās happy to attend.
Meanwhile, we get a hint of Rushās backstory. There was a woman who was in his life. Judging by his tears, sheās probably dead.
Senator Armstrong is pretty upset about them being on this ship and tries to order Scott to get them back to earth right away. But sometimes, you canāt just order things to be the way you want them.
Rush is trying to get life support back online, but Eli doesnāt trust what heās doing. And emotions are very high. Grier is ready to shoot him. Especially given he blames rush for them being on the ship in the first place.
Itās a tense scene. In the end, the button does nothing, good or bad.
I wasnāt a fan of Grier at the beginning. He comes across so cocky. So sure of himself. He loves himself just a little too much. Of course, heāll grow on me as the season progresses.
And he was actually in the brig back on Icarus. He was only just released because Icarus base is under attack by the Lucian alliance. And this is where we see that Samantha Carter is still in command of the Hammond. I believe she left Atlantis to take up this post.
This episode has a lot to do. In between all that is happening, it has to set up the backstory of a large cast of characters. Certainly a bigger cast than any stargate show before it.
We meet Johansen and Camille. Johansen, the medic on the ship was actually planning to leave to the stargate program before all this happened. And Camille is a civilian representative of the IOA, an international group that oversees the stargate program.
Itās nice to see the pyramid ships and death gliders in this first episode. Theyāre a remnant of SG1 and the milky way galaxy. So we wonāt be seeing them moving forward.
Rush is desperate to figure out this nine symbol issue now. This planet has unique properties. They may not be able to get the address to work anywhere else, and this bombardment could literally cause the planet to blow up. This is Rushās last chance to realise his lifeās work.
They figure out, if this is not a power problem, maybe itās an issue with the address. Maybe theyāre using the wrong point of origin because the gate was meant to be dialled from somewhere else.
The gate is supposed to be dialling Earth to evacuate the base, but Rush cancels it so they can try dialling his 9 symbol address instead.
He just some justification for this beyond his own personal selfish need to complete his work. He says they canāt risk dialling earth. The energy of the explosions, if the core goes could be devastating if it travels through the wormhole. And thatās a fair point. But is there really a risk of that, or is it just a convenient excuse for Rush?
As young says, he could have dialled somewhere else, anywhere else in the milky way.
And it works. The address connects. Whatever it leads to, they've established a connection.
In the end, they have to go through the wormhole to wherever it leads. Because anywhere is better than here. The planet is about to blow.
Rush finds a starmap detailing the shipās journey. It began at Earth. IT left the galaxy, travelled past pegasus, past galaxy after galaxy. Itās impossibly far away. Several billion lightyears from home.
I got chills when I first watched this and realised just how far away they were.
Most of the people on base have to evacuate through the gate. But Colonel Talford beams up to the Hammond and remains in the milky way galaxy.
And the planet blows up, taking the Lucian alliance ships with it.
Back on Earth, Jack is working at the Pentagon, as he has since he left the day-to-day running of the SGC.
Walter is there with him. Not at the SGC.
Together, Carter and OāNeill realise that nobody came through the gate to earth. So where did they go?
Which takes us right back to the beginning of the episode, where they first came through the gate onto the ship.
And thatās the end of part 1.
So theyāre gonna explore the ship, looking for whatever they can find. Scott is taking charge.
I like how they acknowledge that this ship is really old and there could be parts that are damaged or dangerous.
And then he looks at the woman he was having sex with in the closet and says āYouāre James, right?ā
Ouch.
She gives him a death stare and says āYes, Lieutenant.ā
Scott has had her, and now heās ready for his next conquest. Weāll see who that is later.
I really feel for James in this moment. Heās clearly trying to pretend he doesnāt really know her, but it feels more than that, like heās just brutally tossed her out. Of course, nobody is buying it. Grier can see exactly whatās being said here, and whatās not.
Scott finds a door he canāt open. He orders Eli to open it. The other side is a room open to vacuum. Thereās a big hole in the bulkhead. Another great reminder of how old and un-maintained this ship is. Itās a dangerous place.
Meanwhile, Rush gets out a device. One part of it might be familiar, the stone. Yes, this is an ancient communication stone, like the one that first sent Daniel and Valaās minds into the Ori galaxy back in SG1 season 9. Although the base plate is human technology, which is interesting.
This device allows two people to swap bodies across un-imaginable cosmic distances.
This was a very cool addition to Stargate Universe. It allows the crew, stranded on destiny, countless galaxies away, to communicate with people back home on Earth. Even have little visits home.
And we get a little cameo from Doctor Lee who appeared in both SG1 and Atlantis. Apparently, like most of the former SGC staff, heās now posted at the Pentagon in Washington with Jack. I canāt help but wonder if the SGC is till operating in Chyanne Mountain. Remember, last we saw of Atlantis, it was on Earth, and Pegasus gates take precedence over milky way gates. Meaning Atlantis could be the new SGC.
We donāt know if the city ever returned to Pegasus. We know there were plans for it to happen in stories that were never shot, but in terms of on-screen canon, itās a total mystery.
So Rush swaps bodies with Doctor Lee and is effectively now standing in a room in the pentagon.
After his conversation, which youāll notice we donāt actually see, he goes and informs everybody that there is no hope of rescue. The only means to dial this ship from the milky way galaxy was destroyed. And then he says āin light of my knowledge and experience, General OāNeill has placed me in charge.ā
What do you think was really said between Rush and OāNeill?
I donāt think they ever outright say it in this episode, but it becomes pretty clear as the season goes on that Rush is outright lying about being put in charge.
He seems pretty hesitant to allow senator Armstrong to use the stones himself.
But the good senator is not in good shape.
So Camille doesnāt recognise Rushās authority. As the only IOA representative on the ship, she probably feels she should be in charge.
Most people want to focus on getting home. Rush says that may not even be possible. And he IS right. Thereās no known way home right now. Their primary focus needs to be making this ship habitable and safe. That will keep them alive in the immediate term.
But Rush has his own reasons for not wanting to find a way home. Heās spent his entire career trying to get here. Going home is the last thing he wants. And as we get to know him better, weāll learn that heās not above putting his own needs before the needs of everybody else.
Scott is able to salvage a situation that on the brink of turning into a riot. Colonel Young has put him in charge of all military personnel. They are required to follow his orders. And, as he says, if anybody else gets out of line, weāll lock you down. Because they can.
And this is the kind of āpush people around because we have big gunsā mentality that I donāt really like about the military. You see it in the movie Avatar, and you sometimes see it here. But Iām not sure itās representative of the real military. Real-world military people are there to serve. And I think most of them probably take that responsibility very seriously. I donāt think they would naturally throw their weight around unless there was a real cause for it.
Anyway, Scott has Rushās back for now, because he knows they need him, but he warns Rush to try dialling the gate back to earth. He already knows Rush has his own agenda.
Colonel Young finally wakes up. Johansen is treating him. She brings him up to speed on the situation. When he learns that Rush claims to be in charge, he wonāt have a bar of it. But he canāt do much because he canāt feel his legs.
Johansen thinks itās temporary, but sheās not a doctor as such, sheās a military medic.
We learn that Johansenās tour of duty had ended. She had a scholarship to study something. She shouldnāt even be here. Bad luck. If only sheād left Icarus a day earlier.
We see a Kino for the first time. A little ball floating down the corridor.
Eli found them. Theyāre remote control flying drones.
Eli named them, after a Russian rock band, I think. He says āafter the Russian..ā and then Scott cuts him off. But a google search for Kino Russian leads us to this band.
Iām not sure if thereās any significance to flying cameras, or if Eli just likes their music. If anybody knows more, let me know in a comment or an email to adam@adamdavidcollings.com
Anyway, they have a whole supply on them on the ship. They will prove useful to check out whatās on the other side of the stargate. Much like a MALP.
Rush has figured out that the CO2 scrubbers are failing. Which makes a lot of sense given how many millions of years old this ship is. I really like that they spend so much time in early season one dealing with stuff like this. Just struggling for the necessities of life on this ancient ship.
Unlike SG1 and Atlantis, which were quick to introduce the new āBig Bady guyā this show takes a different tack.
Senator Armstrong has a real problem. Heās badly bruised. If he takes his heart medication, heāll bleed internally. But if he doesnāt take them, he could die anyway.
Chloe takes the pills, making the decision for him.
They have some serious problems related to air. First of all, they have to seal off all the leaks, to prevent loss of atmosphere. If they can do that, theyāll have a day or two before the build-up of CO2 kills them, due to the failing scrubbers. They need to replace the failed compound that treats the air.
The main air leak turns out to be one of the shuttles.
Thereās a problem with the shuttle door. It can only be closed from inside the shuttle.
Rush is quick to say āsomebody needs to go in there and close itā. Thus, sacrificing their life. Of course, you know he wonāt volunteer to do it himself.
Eli has started vlogging using the Kino. Scott finds this annoying, but Eli points out this needs to be documented. Maybe someday, someone will find the ship and know what happened to them all. Heās right.
But heās possibly having a little too much fun with it.
But why not? Let the guy have a little fun. Heās probably gonna be dead soon anyway. Eliās interest in film-making will continue throughout the series.
Anyway, Scottās point is that they should be focusing on staying alive, not leaving messages behind for after theyāre dead.
They have a dilemma to solve. Who is going to give their life to seal the door?
Rush is immediately coldly pragmatic about it. He looks at the list of people, noting those who are injured. He wants to find out which ones have valuable skills that could come in useful.
I mean, heās not wrong. And yet, heās suggesting they find the expendable, heās reducing peopleās lives to an assessment of how useful they are to survival on this ship.
Thatās cold. REALLY REALLY cold.
Youngās approach is to sacrifice himself. He canāt ask anybody to make a sacrifice like this (Although military personelle do sometimes order their people to their death). Scott wonāt let Young sacrifice himself. Heās the leader and they need him.
While everybody is arguing about it, Senator Armstrong leaves his room, armed with a gun. Heās going to do it. Heās probably going to die from his injuries anyway. Heās gonna close the door.
This is a heart-breaking moment as Chloe runs through the corridor screaming āDad No!ā as he gives his life to save everybody else.
Itās pretty powerful stuff.
What other show has ever portrayed a politician as so noble a hero. This breaks all the stereotypes.
So in her grief, Chloe goes and starts hitting Rush. She blames him, not entirely fairly. But his attempt to comfort her quickly turns into a justification of his innocence. Why none of this is his fault.
Rush admits that as human beings, everyone is invaluable. Which I agree with, but Iām not sure he really believes that.
Young is back on his feet now, against medical advice, but he needs to help solve their problems. He asks Camille to keep people calm. Sheād be good at that.
Scott spends a little time sitting with Chloe, trying to comfort her.
He wants to hear about the senator. āThe man died so I could live. Iād like to know more about him.ā
I get on Scottās case a bit in this episode, and Iāll have some more negative things to say about him, but I like this moment. I think, in this moment, he genuinely cares and wants to help Chloe.
Anyway, itās a nice character scene.
Rush has learned the name of the ship is destiny. Heās also learned that it was sent out un-manned and automated. The plan was that theyād eventually use the gate to get to the ship once it was far enough out.
They never did. They probably learned to ascend before it happened.
Ascension, of course, is a process the ancients learned millennia ago, where they transform from physical beings into beings of energy and thought. They go to a higher plane of existence. We learn a lot about this in SG1 and Atlantis.
At this point, Iām wondering about how all this fits together in the timeline.
So Iāve looked it up.
The ancients were originally known as the Alterans. They came from another galaxy. A group of them left that galaxy, after a big divide between them and others who called themselves the Ori.
Between 50 and 30 million years BC, the eventually settled in the milky way galaxy, choosing to live on Earth as the first form of humanity.
It was after this that they launched Destiny, before they had even seeded the milky way with stargates
Later, they built Atlantis and left for the Pegasus Galaxy.
So there was at least 20 million years between the launch of Destiny, and the time the Ancients ascended. In all that time, they never gated to the ship. Had it still not reached the location where they wanted to board, or were there other reasons?
We still donāt know why the ancients launched the ship. Not yet.
Riley has found the address to dial the gate back to earth. It wasnāt hard to find. Young assumes Rush already knew but didnāt tell anyone. They donāt know the point of origin so theyāll have to use trial and error. They have 36 tries, but they could run out of power before they find the right combination.
The issues become moot when the ship drops out of FTL and the gate starts dialling on its own.
This is part of what the ship is programmed to do.
Rush believes the ship has detected a stargate on a planet nearby that may have what they need.
The ancients sent other unmanned ships out before destiny to seed planets with stargates, so that the crew could easily visit planets once they arrived.
So this gives the show a familiar yet different concept. Destiny is on auto-pilot. It flies from system to system. There are stargates out there, which means the characters can still go through the gate and explore, just like any Stargate show, except the gates are much shorter range than those in the milky way and pegasus. And Destiny leaves orbit after a certain time limit, which adds a ticking-clock element.
This all makes it feel familiar and yet fresh. I love it.
Rush has made the reasonable assumption that whatever they need is on the other side of that wormhole. The kino tells them about the atmosphere of the planet on the other side.
There are four other gates in range. Rush is convinced this is the planet they need to look at, because this is the one the ship chose.
So Young assembles a team.
Palmer the geologist. Franklin, a civilian scientist, Rush, Scott, And Eli wants to go too.
Rush and Scott are both hesitant about Eli going. Heās not trained for this. But Young points out that in order to survive, everyone, regardless of training or position, are going to have to step up. Young needs to know what Eli is made of.
Eli really is the heart of this show. Heās the character we can identify with. Heās a normal guy, and heās a fellow nerd. Plus, heās the good moral down-to-earth bloke amongst all the melodrama of the other characters.
I really like him.
And thatās where part 2 ends, as they step through the gate.
As I said, I originally watched this 3-parter as one big movie, but I think Iāve yabbered on for long enough.
Weāll save part 3 for the next episode.
I should be out getting some steps for my walk to mordor challenge, but itās so hot at the moment. Summer doesnāt usually hit Tasmania until January, and itās definitely hit the last couple of days. Maybe I should swim to Mordor.
I will do another Walk To Mordor episode some time, but probably not for a little while.
If youāre new here, you might be interested to hear about my book series, Jewel of The Stars. Just like Stargate Universe, it focuses on a group of people trapped on a spaceship, who werenāt planning for a long-term voyage. Unlike Destiny, itās a luxury cruise ship. They were only supposed to be on board for a week, but while they were away Earth fell to an alien invasion, so now they canāt go home. Theyāre travelling through un-explored space. They may be the last free humans in the galaxy.
The series is structured like a TV series. Seasons of 6 episode. Each episode is a 30,000 word novella, so while shorter than a novel, itās still a decent read. There is an on-going story arc through the whole series, but I aim to make each book a satisfying experience in its own right.
You can check out the first episode for just 99 cents by going to books2read.com/jewel and thatās the number 2.
Or you can get a free prequel story by going to AdamDavidCollings.com/free
Iāll be back next week to talk about Air Part 3.
Until then
Have a great week
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
The season finale of Star Trek Discovery Season 3 is here, aptly titled "That Hope is You Part 2." We learn the full and complete truth behind the cause of the burn, and we see a resolution to the Emerald Chain / Osyraa plot. My response is mostly positive to this episode. I was happier with the cause of the burn than I think a lot of people will be, but let's dig in and talk about the episode.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 50 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking about the season finale of Star Trek Discovery Season 3. That Hope is You Part 2.
The last 13 weeks have been a wild ride. I certainly feel this has been a strong season, the best that the modern Trek era has given us so far.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
As the Emerald Chain tightens its grip and the mystery of the Burn is finally solved, Burnham and the crew have one last chance to save themselves ā and the Federation. (Season Finale)
This episode was written by Michelle Paradise
It was directed by Olantunde Osunsanmi
And it first aired on the 7th of January 2021.
Make it so.
While I was watching the teaser to this episode, before the opening titles had even shown, I turned to my wife and said āI know who directed this episode.ā
First time Iāve ever picked up on a director from their style.
Olantunde Osunsanmi likes to do weird things with the camera, film stuff upside down and have the camera rotate around as the scene goes.
Sometimes itās a bit much for me. I feel that if the filmmaking draws too much attention to itself, it pulls me out of the story. But there were some moments in this episode where I found it effective.
We open with a beautiful shot of a gormagander flying through the skies of the simulated environment on Suākalās planet. We saw them in the background two episodes ago, but we get confirmation here that they are actually gormaganders. Space whales. I think they look awesome. We encountered them in season 1 but didnāt really get to see them in full flight like this.
The holographic narrator explains that gormaganders have spent more time on the Federationās endangered list than any other species. However, this image is of a pup found in 3052, so that gives me hope that the species may be starting to recover by the 32nd century.
Suākal is still unwilling to listen to Saru talk about his true nature.
Saru has to tread very carefully with him. If he causes Suākal too much emotional distress, he may trigger another burn, and that could destroy what remains of the Federation. Itās a tricky situation. Saruās greatest resource in this struggle is his Kelpien nature. But how does he convince the young man of his true species, when the holodeck has made him look human? (and I talked two weeks ago about how illogical it was that the holodeck made him look human, assigning seemingly random species to everybody.)
And then Adira shows up. This is the first time Culbert and Saru have seen her, so weāre backtracking a little in time, this is probably happening whiler Michael and Book are hurtling through the transwarp corridor at the start of last weekās episode.
The holodeck has made Adira look Xahean. Nice little callback to season 2.
Adira gives them the medicine. It wonāt cure them but itāll buy them time until they can be rescued.
And then the real shock.
Gray appears - looking like a Vulcan.
And Culbert and Saru can see him.
The holodeck recognises Gray as a separate independent lifeform, which is fascinating. The nature of Gray is still a big mystery, and itās not resolved in this episode. Weāll have to look forward to season 4 for further exploration of this. But the fact that the holodeck recognises Grayt as a lifeform tells us something. Itās very interesting.
And I love the way Culbert and Gray react to each other. Gray is so thrilled to be seen. And Culbert embraces him like a long-lost son. Itās pretty cool.
Itās so weird so see him in full Vulcan makeup, but with blue hair and a big smile on his face.
It seems that Gray can experience some form of sensation because when Culbert hugs him, he feels it. 32nd century holograms would be much more advanced than those we saw in the 24th century, so I can buy that.
Meanwhile, a battle rages at Starfleet headquarters. The Veridian is bombarding the shield. I imagine it wonāt hold forever.
Voyager is ordered to fire on the Veridian. Nice to hear it referenced again. All other ships are ordered to fire on Discovery. IT seems Vance is very willing to sacrifice that ship and crew to safeguard the rest of Starfleet. And as horrible as it is, I do understand that.
Even taking the spore drive into account, itās a numbers game.
All hope for negotiation is gone at this point. As soon as Booker told Osyraa about the dilithium planet, she no longer needed the Federation.
Book is no longer willing to help her get to the planet, because she killed Ryn last week. It was sad to see him go, but he was the logical choice to die. Not a regular or semi-regular, but not a redshirt either. That meant his death hurt more.
Osyraa has a truth serum so she doesnāt need Book to be cooperative.
So because Vance wouldnāt accept her proposed peace, and because she no longer needs them, sheās gone from wanting to ally with the Federation, to wanting to obliterate them completely. Out of spite.
Tilly and the bridge crewās rebellion is going well, but itās short-lived because Osyraa is turning off life-support on their section of the ship. Not much they can do about that.
Starfleet headquarters are about to lose their shield. Stammets appears, begging Vance to let him return to Discovery so they can rescue Saru, Culbert and Adira. Sadly for him, Vance agrees with Michael. They have to keep Stammets far away from Discovery, to ensure Osyraa doesnāt learn the secrets of the spore drive.
Iām not sure Vance speaks with enough compassion when he says āI know what youāre sacrificing here. Iām sorry.ā But then heās in the middle of a desperate battle and the shield is going down. He did well to be able to speak with Stammets at all given the circumstances.
And thatās when the Vulcans arrive. A fleet from Niāvar. I called it last week. Michael sent a good-bye message to her mother, so Gabriel got NiāVar to send the cavalry.
Michael convinces Osyraa to let her hail Vance. She tries to talk Vance into letting them go. They can afford to lose the spore drive as long as Stammets is safely hidden away.
The way she locks eyes with Vance through the viewscreen and says āTrust meā suggests some hidden communication between them. Michael has a plan. She needs him to let Discovery go so she can implement it.
Vance isnāt happy, but he lets them go.
But Osyraa wonāt give the bridge crew their life support back. āThey had their chance,ā she says.
Osyraa needs Aurellio to provide the truth serum. Heās not so willing to cooperate. Heās seen what Osyra is capable of. And the use of the drug, combined with Bookās empathic abilities, will make the experience excruciating. Aurellio doesnāt want to inflict that kind of pain on Book. Autellio is a good man.
We learn a little about how Orion physiology differs from human. Like a lot of characters in sci-fi TV, they may look similar to humans, but under the skin, there are a lot of differences.
But all of this is a metaphor for Osyraaās feelings. Her moral compass. Itās much more complicated than Aurellioās. In other words, she can find ways to mentally justify all sorts of horrible things in her mind.
I suspected, last week, that Aurellio was Osyraaās husband. That seems not to be the case. She refers to āhis family.ā Not āour family.ā Sheās fond of him, but she keeps him around because heās useful to her.
Zareh says this is a no-win scenario for Michael, but she replies that she doesnāt believe in those, which is a direct reference to Kirk. It was a little bit on the nose for me. Thatās Kirkās thing. Give Michael her own thing.
This is when Michael starts to implement her plan. She pretends to give in, to want to convince Book to tell Osyraa what she wants to know, but as soon as sheās close to him, she attacks the regulators, taking their phasers and activating a forcefield. She and book are now separated. And they run off into the ship.
To reboot the shipās computer, and restore the crewās command codes, somebody has to be present at the data core. Not sure that makes sense, logically, but it works for dramatic tension.
We learn why Michael couldnāt beam with her com badge last week. The emerald chain have got transport inhibitors on the ship. Okay. That makes more sense. And I see why theyād do that from a story-telling perspective. If Michael could beam anywhere, she wouldnāt have had to crawl around the ship, and that was half the fun of last weekās episode.
Michael sends a cryptic message to Tilly. She wants the crew to set off an explosion on the warp nacelle. Itāll knock Discovery out of warp. The dots canāt do it because of reasons, so it has to be done by a human.
We learn that Owo can hold her breath for a long time. Growing up on her home planet, she used to dive for abalone in the underwater caves. I believe they dive for abalone here in Tasmania. Anyway, that makes her well suited for this mission.
Meanwhile Michael and Book are gonna head for the data core.
But annoyingly, we get yet another reference to people consuming synthahol a century before it will be invented.
Saru speaks to Suākal of Kelpien cuisine. He admits he is a Kelpien, but has no proof to offer. But you can see in Suākalās face that heās mulling it all over.
Suākal admits he has noticed that the Holo sometimes changes things.
We learn why Suākal is so hesitant to talk about the outside. The holo told him the Federation would come from outside to rescue him. But they never came. Itās almost like heās lost his faith because he feels let down.
Of course, the Federation have come now. Just not as soon as Suākal was hoping.
This gives Saru an opening to explain the burn to him. Now he has Suākalās attention. He wants to understand because this is his life.
Saru can relate to Suākalās hesitance to leave the only world heās known. He had to choose to leave Kaminar all those years ago. Heās getting through to him in a way that nobody else could.
Whatever is behind the locked door that terrifies Suākal, he has to face it. The monster from the folk tale is trying to help him. To encourage him to face his fear.
But Suākal isnāt ready to believe that. He wants to see the elder.
Culbert and Adira need to explore outside the edge of the simulation but the radiation is too strong out there. Lucky for them, they have holo-gray. Radiation canāt hurt him because he doesnāt have a real body.
Of course, heās also holographic, so his body shouldnāt work outside the simulation. Bit of a plot hole there. But maybe it works. The ship theyāre on has holographic emitters. Holograms can probably be sustained anywhere on the ship, not just within the confines of the simulation.
Culbert explains his theory about Suākal. He believes that because he was born on this planet, his body was adjusted to be able to interact with dilithium in unique ways. Dilithium has a subspace component. Suākalās scream traveled at the resonant frequency of dilithiumās subspace components. Thatās what hit every shipās warp core during the burn.
Whatever happened to him 125 years ago was much worse than whatever upset him today.
Gray learns that the ship is falling apart. They need Suākal to help them, and they need him to do it now.
Unfortunately, the elder is gone. The program is degrading. The Elderās stories calmed Suākal. But he doesnāt have that anymore. In a nice tender moment, Saru explains āyou have us. You are not alone.ā
Michael and Book are still making their way to the data core. We get an extended action sequence through the turbo shafts.
Discoveryās shuttles donāt travel through a shaft as such, they float through open space, through rings that kinda appear and disappear as needed. It looks pretty cool. But is it logical?
My issue with this is there is so much wide empty space inside the ship for the turbolifts to fly through, that just isnāt needed.
This whole sequence felt very Star Wars. Star Wars favours what looks cool over what is logical. You know, youāll have characters fighting with lightsabers, surrounded by all this cool looking technology which looks awesome but doesnāt appear to have any meaningful reason to exist. Think of the duel between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon and Darth Maul in Episode 1.
This turbolift sequence looked great. It was cool and fun, but I had to suspend my disbelief a bit more than I feel I should when watching Star Trek.
Anyway, Michael arrives at the data core.
But Osyraa has gone there to meet her. So we get our obligatory season finale fist-fight between the hero and the villain.
And itās another great action scene. We get to see Book kill Zareh while Michael takes on Osyraa.
Meanwhile, Owo makes it to the nacelle and sets off the explosion.
The dot rescues her just before the explosion, essentially sacrificing itself.
The episode plays the loss of the dot as a significant thing. But itās just an avatar. Itās not like the destruction of this robot is gonna mean the death of the sphere data AI.
We see last year how impossible it was to completely destroy that data.
The reboot Michael is trying to perform wonāt do it. If it were that simple, theyād have just reboot the computer last year, rather than travelling into the future.
Osyraa almost kills Michael by pushing her into this weird well of programmable matter. It reminded me of Superman 3 actually, that scene that seemed so creepy when I was a kid, when the woman gets eaten by the computer and turned into a cyborg. Completely ridiculous of course.
And way, Michael shoots out of the wall, kills Osytraa and escapes. It was an odd ending to the fight, but again, it looked cool.
So the ship is rebooted. Starfleet are now in command again, life support is back up, and the ship is out of warp, so reinforcements can catch up.
They still have a problem, though. Discovery has been sucked inside the Veridian.
Michael has an idea about that, and Tilly tells her to implement it, effectively putting Michael in command. She is the ranking officer on the ship. Even though Tilly is first officer.
Sheās gonna blow up the Veridian by ejecting Discoveryās warp core.
But how will Discovery not be destroyed as well? The only way is to jump away.
Stammets can navigate the jump because he has tardigrade DNA.
But Aurellio thinks Book can do it as well, because of his magic nature powers.
Makes sense. Itās a nice little development, in my opinion.
Book gives us a little hint as to his back-story. We learned weeks ago that Cleaveland Booker isnāt his real name. Apparently, it was the name of his mentor. He took that name and tries to live up to it every day. Interesting.
Jumping the ship is proving harder for Book than theyād hoped. Michael keeps telling him to jump, but nothing happens.
Then the Veridian explodes.
This is fake tension. We know theyāre not gonna destroy the discovery and kill all the crew. So I kinda wish theyād just shown discovery jumping away.
Donāt get me wrong. The lead-up to the explosion was wonderfully tense. But the fake-out didnāt work for me.
We learn what Suākal is really afraid of. Itās turning off the holo. Behind the door are the holo controls. He hasnāt been in here since he was a child.
Gray is afraid. Once the holo is turned off, heāll disappear. Adira will still be able to see him, but thatās not enough for him. Again, I like how Culbert comforts him. āWeāve got you gray. Weāll find a way to help you be truly seenā
This moment, as Suākal goes to deactivate the holo is the emotional heart of the episode, of the season, really.
Once the program has ended, we find that weāre not in a holodeck as such, just a normal room on the ship. I understand that in the 32nd century, holograms can be projected anywhere, so in one sense, they donāt need a holodeck as such, but itās still practical to have a dedicated room. I mean, shouldnāt they have been tripping over chairs and things? The holodeck uses force fields to keep you in a confined area during the simulation. I suppose this could be done anywhere on the ship but it just seems a little impractical.
But for story-telling reasons, it makes sense for them to be here. Where they can immediately see Suākalās mother. (although it would have made sense for her to have died in the holodeck, as she activated the program for her son.)
Suākalās next order is a brave one. āComputer, show me what happened here, so I can be free.ā But his new friends have prepared him for this moment.
So Suākalās mother had already put him in the simulation. So he didnāt have to watch her die. She told him not to touch the controls until the federation arrive.
But he turned off the simulation. He saw everyone dead but his mother. And she was really sick from radiation poisoning.
The poor kid watches his mother die in front of him, and he screams like heās never screamed before. He sends out the shockwave that causes the burn.
I suspected this would be the case.
Saru tells him he is no longer alone. And then Suākal turns around to see Saru in his Kelpien form. Itās a beautiful moment. Saru just gained a brother.
So. Now we know the full complete details about what caused the burn. What do I think about it?
I suspect many will not like it. Two weeks ago, many were saying āis that it? A Kelpien child screaming?ā
And I can understand that from a certain perspective, it could feel anticlimactic. Like a weak payoff. But you know what. As I think about it, I think thereās a real poignance to the entire galaxy being ripped apart by the heartfelt anguish of a child seeing its mother die.
And the sentimental family man in me really likes it.
So ā¦ Iām good with this. I like it.
This is definitely the best pay-off that Star Trek Discovery (or Picard) has given us. So this is very much a positive response from me.
Itās very emotional. Very character-focussed.
Anyway, Discovery arrives just in time to rescue them. And they return to Starfleet headquarters.
The epilogue of the episode kinda ties together everything into a common theme. The human need to connect. Gray feels that very strongly. Suākal felt that need growing up all alone with nothing but holograms to keep him company. The various scattered worlds have felt it on a global scale, the need to connect with the rest of the galaxy.
This is hit home at the very end with a quote from Gene Roddenberry.
āIn a very real sense, we are all aliens on a strange planet. We spend most of our lives reaching out and trying to communicate. If during our whole lifetime we could reach out and really communicate with just two people, we are indeed very fortunate.ā
Stammets is very happy to be reunited with Culbert and Gray. He gives Michael a look. Itās not quite a complete forgiveness of what she did, but I think there is some genuine gratitude that she rescues them. I think itāll take a while for these two to regain their former friendship. But I think itāll happen.
It was nice to see little glimpses of Doctor Pollard and Jet Reno.
The emerald chain has fractured without Osyraa. That kinda feels a little sudden. But thinking about it, a fractured chain could be worse. A whole lot of independent mercenaries out there just looking to their own interests.
But itās nice to see the Federation beginning to rebuild. The Trill have returned and the Vulcans and Romulans of Niāvar are considering it.
Saru is taking some time off, helping Suākal settle in on Kaminar. He is reportedly wanting to consider his future, which I suppose means heās not sure he wants to remain in Starfleet. Iām not sure I buy that. He loves his homeworld and heāll be very happy to see it again. Heāll always have a bond with Suākal, but Starfleet is his life. His passion.
And itās wonderful to finally see Sahil, the lone guy on the Federation outpost from the first episode of this season. Heās now been commissioned as a Starfleet Officer with the rank of Lieutenant. I really wanted to see him again. It would be nice if we see more of him next season.
And thatās when Vance has a heart to heart with Michael. First, nice to know Vance is a family man. He has a wife and daughter, off somewhere else where theyāre safe. I love that. Vance has come to respect Michaelās unique way of doing things.
Michael, and the other Discovery crew have had to wrestle with how to live in this new time more than the people who are native to it, because she came from a different time. That allowed Michael to see new ways of doing things. And she has taught Vance a thing or two.
Now I have very mixed feelings about what happens next.
Vance offers Michael command of Discovery. Apparently itās Saru who wants Michael to be the captain. But Vance agrees.
Sheās a little hesitant, but Vance needs somebody commanding that ship now. There is an important job to be done. The dilithium from that planet needs to be distributed around the galaxy to those that need it. Only Discovery can carry out that mission.
So Michael accepts.
So we now have captain Michael Burnham of the USS Discovery.
Now on one hand, I like this. Michael has what it takes to be a captain. She wasnāt ready when Georgiou first suggested it back in The Vulcan Hello, but sheās learned a lot since then. Sheās grown up a lot.
And this effectively solves what Iāve been calling the Michael Burnham problem. The idea that we have a lead of this show, who isnāt the captain of the ship, so they have to make everything be about her, because they have to constantly justify the fact that she is the lead character. With her in the captainās chair, well, it works just like any other Star Trek show.
his is good for Michaelās character. Itās the next logical step for her arc.
So I like that.
But what about Captain Saru. Iāve loved Captain Saru this season. His arc throughout the whole season has been him learning to be a better captain. If heās no longer going to be captain then it feels like that was all for nothing. And I hate that.
I donāt want Saru to leave the show. And I know heās returning for season 4, which theyāre filming right now.
And I definitely donāt want him to get demoted down to serving under captain Burnham.
So where does that leave his character? Command of another ship? That could work, but it would probably mean weād see less of him next season as the show would follow Burnham on Discovery.
This leaves me with great concerns for how Saruās character will be treated next season, and Iām not happy about it.
So like I said. Mixed feelings.
It IS cool to see that the Discovery crew are finally wearing the new Starfleet uniforms.
So looking at the crewās colours, Culbert is in white for medical. MAkes sense. Stammets is in science blue. Obviously. Tilly is also in science blue. She was technically engineering when she first started, I believe. I wonder what this means for her position as first officer. Will she serve as Michaelās number one? If so, she should probably be in command red. Although maybe sheāll be like spock and have a joint position as science officer and first officer. If they do keep her as first officer, that should at least promote her to Lieutenant. Realistically, she should be at least Lieutenant Commander to be first officer.
Detmer and Owo are both in engineering yellow, which is kinda weird. Owo might make sense, as operations tends to be yellow. But Iād expect Detmer, as helm officer, to be in red.
But maybe the colours work a little different in the 32nd century than they did in the 24th. It has been a very long time.
And another surprise. Adira is in Starfleet uniform. So have they been fast-tracked through Starfleet academy given prior experience in the earth defence force? Maybe. Maybe Adira will be a cadet serving on Discovery kinda like Tilly was in season 1.
Book is also on the bridge, but not in uniform.
The episode, and the season, ends with a classic Star Trek fanfare, and then the TOS theme playing over the ending credits.
Iām not sure ths TOS theme fits as well here as it did with the last two seasons, but I think itās meant to signify that Starfleet of the 32nd century are returning to former ideals of exploration and peaceful coexistence.
Next season should prove interesting. Iām very keen to learn what it will be about.
I wonder when weāll get our first trailer. Not for a while. But I assume weāll get a few verbal tidbits from Alex Kurtzman or Michelle Paradise at some point.
So that was Star Trek Discovery season 3.
As I said at the start, I thought it was a very strong season. The best so far. I really enjoyed it.
Discovery has well and truly established itself as a Star Trek show next to all the others at this point. I nitpic things from time to time, but no Star Trek show has ever been perfect. But the last 13 weeks have been a wonderful experience.
Well. That was quite a ride. Itās been a lot of work putting together weekly podcasts in a timely manner. Iām glad I moved my release date from Saturdays to Mondays, because it just took a little of the pressure off.
But Iām looking forward to taking it a little bit easier now that I wonāt be covering a show airing for the first time.
Iāve mentioned it a couple of times before, but starting next episode, Iām going to begin covering Stargate Universe. Itās a show that not a lot of podcasters or youTubers have talked about. Itās actually a pretty divisive show, a little like Discovery.
Iām going to move back to a fortnightly schedule.
Iāll do my first Stargate episode next week, and then Iāll be back the week after as well, because Iāll be covering the 3-part pilot over a course of two episodes, But then Iāll be taking my first week off. From that point, weāll be on the fortnightly schedule.
I hope youāll continue to join me into the future, but if Stargate isnāt your thing and you want to part ways here, then thank you very much for joining me through Star Trek Discovery. This certainly wonāt be the last time we cover Star Trek on Nerd Heaven. Iāve always loved Star Trek. Itās my primary fandom.
Anyway, Thereās a lot of very cool stuff to talk about in Stargate Universe. In a lot of ways, it was ahead of its time. It feels very much like a modern sci-fi show. It was heavily influenced by Battlestar Galactica, which, in a way, has shaped all sci-fi TV ever since, including both Discovery and Picard.
Iāll be here next week to talk about the episodes Air Parts 1 and 2.
Until then, have a great week.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
The second-last episode of Star Trek Discovery Season 3 "There is a Tide" plays a little like Die Hard in space, but it also adds some serious depth to our villain Osyraa. There is a fantastic negotiation scene between her and Admiral Vance. So let's dig in and talk about it.
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Get my space opera book Jewel of The Stars for just 99 cents at books2read.com/jewel
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings
The author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 49 of the podcast
Today weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery There Is A Tide.
And Happy New Year.
By now, the whole world has switched over to 2021.
So far itās been a great year. No major tragedies.
Of course, much of the world is still suffering the effects of that pandemic that turned last year upside down. Iām really lucky here in Tasmania. We donāt have any cases at the moment.
The description on memory alpha reads
After capturing the USS Discovery, Osyraa seeks a meeting with Admiral Vance while Burnham and the crew must overcome unimaginable odds as they attempt to regain command of their ship.
This episode was written by Kenneth Lin
It was directed by Jonathan Frakes
And it first aired on the 31st of December 2020.
Make it so.
After I upload each episode of Nerd Heaven, I go and check out what other youTubers and podcasters are saying about the episode. Itās interesting to compare notes and see where we agree and disagree.
I never watch before I finish my own review because I want to keep my opinions my own - as un-influenced by others as I can.
But I noticed the thumbnail of one last night said (āDie Hard in Spaceā)
And thatās not a bad way to describe this weekās episode.
Itās an action movie with Michael Burnham trying to rescue the hostage crew of Discovery from terrorists whoāve taken over the ship.
Last week, we learned the cause of the burn was basically a shockwave sent from a Kelpien, genetically modified from living on a radiation-soaked planet, having a tantrum.
The general consensus from people was āIs that it?ā
I didnāt really comment too much about it, other than my relief that Michael Burnham wasnāt the cause (although I also saw a thumbnail with a depressing theory that she is indirectly responsible because she freed the Kelpiens from the Baāul, but letās just leave that one aside)
No, I wanted to wait until this week, to learn more, before I said too much about my thoughts on it.
Except we never re-visited the planet in the verubin nebula this entire episode. The whole thing was centred on Discovery and Starfleet headquarters.
I wasnāt expecting that.
So weāll talk more about the burn next week.
This week, in addition to giving us a pretty cool action thriller, also does some very interesting things with Osyraaās character, which Iām looking forward to talking about.
But letās start at the beginning.
Osyraa is playing a dirty trick. She has her own ship, the Veridian, firing on Discovery, to make it look as though the two ships are locked in combat, and that the Discovery crew are still in control of their own ship.
Vance is hesitant to Discovery in through the shields immediately. I guess to lower the shields would be to potentially allow the Veridian in as well.
We actually get a decent amount of Vance this episode. Heās doing more than just giving Discovery their mission. And that was great.
The bridge crew are being held in the mess hall. That seems to be standard procedure when you take over a Starfleet ship. Itās always the mess hall.
Remember Zareh, from episode 2 of this season? He was the thug that broke into the pub and terrorised the local township. The bartender threw him out into the ice, to survive if he could.
Well, turns out he worked for the Emerald Chain, and he survived. Heās here now, Osyraaās second in command for this mission.
Poor Tilly isnāt happy to see him again.
This episode makes a couple of references to Tillyās ineptitude which lead to the shipās capture. A lot of it comes from Zareh, who was already trying to belittle her back at the beginning of the season.
To be honest, this is fair. Donāt get me wrong. Tilly performed admirably for an ensign put into the big chair during a very difficult situation. But Iām sure the chain took over quick and easier than they would have if there had been an experienced captain in charge. No shame against Tilly for that.
For the first time, We actually see some point to this morphing thing that Bookās ship does. Theyāre travelling through a transwarp conduit, and we finally get an understanding of why they are considered so dangerous. Theyāre full of debris from other ships. Bookās vessel is constantly morphing into different shapes to avoid hitting all this stuff. Okay. That actually makes sense. Nice to finally get answers to two outstanding mysteries in this scene.
Strangely, thereās a big ship in the way. Book says āThereās no morphing our way around that.ā and then the ship morphs its way around that.
Vance is going to have to let Discovery in before their shields fail. So he orders a window just large enough for that ship. But orders security on alert. Something is weird with all of this. And then Bookās ship arrives.
But Michael canāt get through to federation HQ for some reason and is unable to warn them.
So Discovery is let in.
Michael decides the only hope now is to board Discovery.
So bookās ship morphs again into a long thin sharp kind of shape.
At first, I thought they were forming into a breaching pod. Something that could pierce the hull. That makes sense. But then I realise, as usual, Discoveryās shuttle bay doors are open and they just have the forcefield in place.
Soā¦.forming into a sharp thin shape allows the ship to get through the forcefield? I find that harder to buy.
And in fact, these forcefields are generally designed to hold in oxygen, but allow shuttles to pass through, so why would they need to do anything special to go through anyway?
Osyraa mentions something about them getting in while Discoveryās shields re down, which does make sense. Shields should prevent anything from getting into the shuttle bay.
But why are discoveryās shields down? Maybe to allow the tractor beam to pull them in, but why the need for a tractor beam? Discovery has thrusters.
Itās all a bit messy.
But letās move on.
This is where we meet Aurellio. Heās a scientist working for the Emerald Chain. One of the best in the galaxy, apparently. Heās confined to a hoverchair because of a genetic defect he has. Itās another little element to add some interest to his character. And itās nice to see people of different abilities on the show.
The interesting thing here is that Aurellio is plated by Kenneth Mitchell who played Kol in season 1, and then Kolās father in season 2, as well as the child of Voq and LaRell. Heās fast becoming the new Jeffery Combs. In fact, heās now played just as many distinct Trek roles as Combs.
But this is the first non-Klingon role heās had.
But what I didnāt realise when I was watching, is that Kenneth Mitchell is currently suffering from Motor Neurone Disease and is confined to a wheelchair. And thatās really sad. My heart goes out to him. But isnāt it nice that they were able to create this character for him to play.
I love how Bookās first priority when getting back onboard Discovery is to find and secure his cat. He went all the way to sickbay and then back to the shuttle bay. A little far-fetched perhaps, but cute.
Book has a life-sign masking device which Michael can use to get around the ship undetected. He has to turn himself in because theyāll be expecting a pilot for the ship that just breached them. With some luck, they wonāt even know Michael is on board.
And thereās a nice little moment when they say āI love youā to each other.
This relationship has played out so much better, and more naturally than the Tyler relationship in season 1.
Even though Michael wasnāt able to warn Vance, he figures it out himself, which is good. It shows heās got some brains on his shoulders.
Michael makes her first kill but gets a knife in her leg for her trouble. I like this. Itās showing sheās a capable fighter but sheās not Superman.
She takes the regulatorās badge but it wonāt transport. Probably coded to his bio signs.
But why does she need his badge to transport? She has her own Starfleet insignia badge on her uniform. Why canāt she just transport with that? Certainly, no reason I can think of.
Osyraa hails HQ and Vance chats with her. Sheās releasing all the Discovery crew, except the bridge crew, who sheās keeping as leverage, but keeping them in good health.
Sheās here to talk and hopes that things will go well. If so, Vance will have the bridge crew back shortly.
This is an unexpected development. We were expecting invasion, not negotiation.
Michael is hiding out in the Jefferies tube. At first, I was confused about the phaser she was using. Did she get it off the regulator she killed? It seemed holographic, projected by a wrist band. Turns out, this is the new Starfleet phaser, as seen in the opening credits. This is what the Discovery crew use now. But they donāt have holsters. The phasers are constructed from programmable matter. They just wear a little thing on their wrist. This is really cool. Iām surprised the comm badge doesnāt create the phaser actually. It does everything else.
Thereās a nice moment where Michael records a touching goodbye message to her mother, as she knows this might not end well. I wouldnāt be surprised if Gabrielle shows up with the cavalry next week.
I like that Osyraa calls out the absence of the Federation president. The type of negotiations sheās about to enter into really should include the Federation president. This has been an issue in the past for Star Trek. How many decisions did Sisko make on behalf of the entire Federation that really should have been above the pay grade of a captain?
Vance explains that to have the president sit down with a known terrorist at this time would be a security breach, which makes perfect sense, so heās been authorised to negotiate on behalf of the Federation. Heās Starfleet Chief of Staff so heās pretty high up there. And heās not gonna make the final decision anything.
Nicely done.
I like the scene where the bridge crew overcome their guards. They work together, anticipating each otherās ideas, with the distraction of the morse code tapping. It shows these people have worked together for a long time now. They know each other well and make a good team.
Tilly immediately takes charge. Again, doing the best she can under the circumstances.
Zareh has managed to locate the intruder with the badge she took from the regulator, whoās death has now been discovered.
Aurellio wakes Stammets so they can discuss the spore drive.
They bond over opera music, which Stammets has slowly come to appreciate because Culbert loves it.
Stammets identifies, that Arellio has children, and that his partner is Orion based on the traditional piercing behind his ear. And Stammets admits he has a child too. Adira.
At this point, Iām speculating that Arellio is actually Osyraaās husband. She was acting very protective of him at the beginning of the episode. They seemed to have a personal connection. The episode never says it outright, but I think itās strongly implied. What do you think?
We learn that sadly, the tardigrades are long-extinct in the 32nd century. (unless heās lying to Aurellio)
But Aurellio thinks he can grow new tardigrade cells from Stammetās DNA, thereby making other people able to navigate the mycelial network.
Michael takes out her second regulator, in another thrilling action movie sequence. Itās not just a fight scene. It makes good use of the fact theyāre in space. Itās a triumphant moment. Although I suspect Michael should be facing more unpleasant consequences from the cold alone, when the tube is exposed to open space.
I also like how they have an EMH serve as a lie detector during negotiations as standard procedure.
So far, Osyraa is being truthful. She wants the Emerald Chain to unit with the Federation in peace.
And sheās being genuine.
Her reasoning, the chain canāt go on the way they are without dilithium. So realises she has to make changes to how her organisation works if it is going to survive. The spore drive is a big bargaining chip. So why does she need the Federation? The Federation was always a symbol of hope. The Emerald Chain will never earn the trust of the people like the Federation once did. What the chain needs most now, is legitimacy.
Remote parts of the former Federation, who no longer have contract with headquarters, are already engaged in trade with the chain, because they have no choice. This is really interesting stuff.
A fruit platter is brought in and Vance mentions that their replicated food is made from human feces. But he doesnāt say feces. Thatās the base material they use in their replicators. They break it down to the atomic level and then reform the atoms.
This, of course, is a total load of ā¦ wellā¦.. Feces.
Thatās not how replicators work.
Replicators work on a similar principle to transporters. Itās all based around the conversion between energy and matter.
Replicators donāt create matter from other base matter. They convert energy into matter. And then, when you recycle leftovers, that matter is turned back into energy.
They donāt stick base matter into them.
This might have been the case for the more primitive āfood synthesisersā back in the 22nd century. But not of the 24th century onwards.
Modern Star Trek has a real problem with replicators. In Picard, they looked like 3D printers. They even built up the food item layer by layer like a 3D printer.
But itās not how itās supposed to work.
This annoys me.
The emerald chain, apparently, donāt use replicator technology. Not sure why. I mean, you donāt need dilithium to power a replicator. Dilithium is just a catalyst in creating the matter / anti-matter reaction in a starshipās warp core.
Osyraa wants trade with the chain legalised, and she wants to establish an embassy at Starfleet Headquarters. That will send a powerful message.
This is a big issue for Vance. The Emerald Chain engage in morally reprehensible acts. Slavery. Oppression. Interference with pre-warp civilisations.
Surprisingly, Osyra is making changes to the way the chain operates. Sheās outlawing slavery. Sheās even pulling back from worlds like Kwijan, at considerable financial expense, over a 15 year period, to prevent causing chaos.
Sheās even got an armistice written up, a treaty that the president can sign.
And Eli, the EMH confirms she is being completely genuine about all of this.
This is very interesting to me.
This is taking Osyraa from being a moustache-twirling villain to something much much more interesting. She is now by far the most interesting villain weāve had on Discovery. Now she has depth.
Sheās still very dangerous, but sheās a reasonable woman who is willing to make significant changes for the good of her people.
Iām kinda loving this.
Aurellio seems to have a very rosy-coloured view of Osyraa and the chain. Heās surprisingly blind to the horrific things sheās done. Stammets tries to open his eyes to the reality of it all.
Vance is impressed with the armistice. Osyraa has made a lot of concessions. She really is wanting to plot a new course for the chain. One free from the immoral acts of the past.
But Vance needs more.
He canāt just ignore the past.
So he asks Osyraa who will be the public face of the chain for this alliance. The implication is that it canāt be Osyraa. Sheās a known terrorist and criminal. Not somebody that the Federation can legitimise.
As soon as he asks that question, I think Osyraa is reasonably sure that a deal is not going to be reached.
She wants to be the public face of the Emerald Chain, or at least be the controlling power in the background.
But Vance wants her to give herself up to trial for the crimes of her past.
Vance canāt just forgive the crimes of the past. He canāt just overlook it.
Osyraa says the past cannot be undone,
And Vance says ābut it can be made right.ā
This is a very interesting dilemma, and Iām curious where people sit on this.
One the one hand, Osyraa has made a genuine commitment to change her ways from now on. And since the burn, the Federation hasnāt had completely clean hands. Theyāve done their best to continue living the ideals they have always represented, but this is a messier universe than it once was. Maybe the concessions Osyraa is making are worth wiping the slate clean and forgiving the crimes of the past.
One the other hand, Osyraa may have made some promises regarding policy, promises that I believe she is willing to honour, but at her core, her values havenāt changed. Sheās offering to be good, not because sheās had a change of heart or any true repentance, but out of political necessity. This will be confirmed at the end of the episode where we see what kind of person she is deep down.
Vance asks his people to die for Federation moral values on a daily basis. How can he ask that of them and then just forgive Osyraa with no consequence for her crimes.
So what do you think? Should Vance just accept the armistice and let go of the past, or is he right to push for this?
And what about Osyraa? Is she letting her pride talk her out of a deal that will be good for her people? The federation has a very just legal system and quite humane and generous treatment of the convicted. The penal colony in New Zealand where Tom Paris did his time looked like a beautiful paradise. Osyraa could do worse than to accept punishment for her crimes for the sake of her people and live out a comfortable life as a Federation convict.
Itās funny, but I see a lot of theological parallels here that connect with me on a spiritual level.
Itās these deep and interesting ideas that make this a really great episode of Star Trek.
Sadly, these two canāt find any common ground on this issue so the negotiations break down and Osyraa returns to Discovery, where Book and Rin have been captured.
Michael arrives to rescue Stammets.
But Michael and Stammets have a profound disagreement on how to proceed.
Michael wants to get Stammets off the ship. The Emerald Chain canāt be allowed to learn the secrets of the spore drive from him. So he needs to be removed.
But he wants to jump straight back to the nebula to rescue Hugh and Saru. And then he learns that Adira is there too.
As he says, his whole life is in that nebula.
Itās wonderfully acted. So much raw emotion. Michael admits that theyāll likely die back there, but she has to make the tough call. True to her word. She told Vance sheād never hesitate again, like she did with Arium.
She renders him unconscious
Osyraa asks Aurellio to leave the bridge. She doesnāt want him to see what sheās about to do. But he wants to stay. Stammets words have impacted him. He wants to see who she really is when heās usually not around.
Ryn gives a nice speech about how heās no longer afraid of Osyraa because heās seen real bravery. Itās great.
He wonāt fix the sensors so she can locate Michael, Stammets and the bridge crew.
So sheās about to shoot him. But in a potentially foolish attempt to save Rynās life, Book volunteers information about the dilithium planet in the nebula. So thatās where Saru is.
But she kills Ryn anyway, and Aurellio is watching.
Sheās going to get the information from Book using truth serum.
Michael has put Stammets into an emergency escape field.
Sheās going to eject him out of the ship so Federation HQ can rescue him, getting him away from Osyraaās grasp.
He begs Michael no to do this. Without him on board Discovery, Hugh, Sar and Adira will die a horrible death.
Itās a heartbreaking scene, and so well acted by Anthony Rapp.
He reminds her that the Discovery crew gave up everything to follow her here into the future, so she wouldnāt have to be alone. They did that for her. And now sheās going to let those three die.
Sheās doing this to save the Federation from being destroyed by Osyraa.
So many hard choices being made in this episode.
Michael has been captured, but sheās accomplished what she set out to do.
The bridge crew have armed themselves and are ready to re-take the ship. Tilly is being pretty awesome.
And then the dot robots show up, possessed by the sphere data. Otherwise known as Zora.
Itās hard to take these robots seriously, as they look so cute, but despite that, itās a great ending to the episode. They have a cool new ally. Whoād have thought, when we first saw the sphere data back in early season 2, theyād be paying it off like this?
This wasnāt just a great episode of Discovery. This was a great episode of Star Trek.
I loved it.
And Iām very much looking forward to seeing how it all resolves next week in the season finale.
Next weekās episode is called āThat Hope is You Part 2ā calling back to the very first episode of this season. Interesting.
I wonder if that name will stay. A lot of these episodes have been getting new names from what was originally announced.
It was cool to see Zareh come back this week, but you know who we havenāt seen since episode 1, that I really expected to be a recurring character throughout the whole season? That lone Federation representative serving faithfully on that outpost. Iām disappointed we never saw him again. Is he still there? Has Discovery even mentioned him to Vance?
But with next weekās episode title making it a direct sequel to the first episode, Iām wondering if this is when weāll see him again. Itāll be interesting to find out.
Iām still doing my walk to Mordor Challenge that I started in April last year. Iāve passed the gates of Moria.
Iām now back at work on Jewel of The Stars season 3, and am looking forward to getting it out in the world when I can.
Hard to believe thereās only one more episode of Discovery to talk about this season. Weāll be launching into Stargate Universe very soon. Iāve already recorded a couple of episodes. I hope youāll all stick around for that. Iām looking forward to it.
But first, Iāll see you next week for the season finale of Star Trek Discovery.
Have a wonderful week.
Live long and Prosper.
Make it so.
We're in the final 3 episodes of Star Trek Discovery Season 3 now. The crew enter the Verebin Nebula to rescue a Kelpien survivor and learn the source of The Burn. This episode gets a little wacky with the away team, but also gives us some real growth for Tilly as she takes the captain's chair for the first time.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 48 of the podcast
And today, weāre talking about the Star Trek Discovery episode āSuākalā
This episode actually came out on the 25th of December in Australia, so I spend my Christmas night watching Star Trek. Not a bad way to round off a happy Christmas actually.
The description of Memory alpha reads
Discovery ventures to the Verubin Nebula, where Burnham, Saru, and Culber make a shocking realization about the origin of The Burn as the rest of the crew faces an unexpected threat.
This episode was written by Anne Cofell Saunders
It was directed by Norma Bailey
And it first aired on the 24th of December 2020
Make it so.
This is a bit of an unusual episode, which took a few unexpected twists and turns, but it was still pretty good. Itās got some thrills near the end, some growth for some of our characters, and some kinda weird but fun stuff with the away team.
We pick up right where we left off last week. Our characters are still at Georgiouās memorial. Adira is feeling a bit left out. Everyone here seemed to know Georgiou. Theyāve all been through so much together. They all came from the 23rd century together. Adira is the odd one out. A native of the 32nd century. Not a Starfleet officer.
Stammets tries to reassure them that theyāre still a part of this crew. The crew are all here for you. Culbert and I are here for you.
And then Gray shows up. He hasnāt appeared to Adira in a long time. With no explanation.
I like how Stammets says into the empty air āYouāre lucky weāre at a memorial service because otherwise, Iād be giving you a piece of my mind.ā
I really like how Stammets just takes this thing at face value, and doesnāt treat Adira like theyāre crazy. He canāt see Gray, but he believes heās there and even addresses him from time to time.
But in hindsight, itās occurred to me that it may have been a good idea to recommend a medical examination, just in case, to make sure Adira isnāt hallucinating.
I mean, the disembodied soul of a former Trill host appearing in a form only the new host can see is not exactly out of the range of possibility in the Star Trek universe, but it might not be the only explanation.
For all Stammets knows, Adira could have schizophrenia, which is probably not something you want to leave untreated.
I donāt think thatās what is happening here, but itās probably a good thing to rule out.
Anyway.
Gray explains why heās been absent. Heās struggling with the whole disoconnected aspect of his existence. He has consciousness. He has emotions. But nobody but Adira can see him. He canāt interact with anybody else. Thatās not what life is supposed to be. Itās like heās stuck in limbo, a ghost that canāt move on.
This is a very believable reaction to his situation. And Iām glad the show is addressing it, allowing Gray to feel this way and struggle with it. Thatās some emotional realism right there. The kind that I like characters to have.
He also admits that his struggles are no excuse for simple vanishing without an explanation.
He could have explained this to Adira before he vanished.
Admira promise theyāll work this out together. Somehow.
With this nice little character moment done, we launch right into the main plot of the episode.
theyāve recovered some new data from the Kelpien ship. Thereās a life sign.
Saru reverals the Kelpien doctor was pregnant. Thatās what the marks on her head were about. Not sure why he kept this to himself but anyway. Her child, now an adult, is still alive on that ship.
So they jump into the Verubin nebula, which looks awesome.
Iāve learned, through a little research while writing Jewel of the Stars book 1, that if you were inside a nebula, it would not look like this. In fact, youād see nothing. The gass particles are so sparse theyād be essentially invisible. Itās only many lightyears away, where you can see from a vast distance, that the particles appear close enough to actually look like anything.
But I canāt help but forgive Star Trek for getting this wrong, and itās been getting it wrong since The Wrath of Khan, because it looks so good. And this nebula, with modern CGI, looks like something straight from a Hubble image.
Anyway, the radiation is wreaking havoc on the ship. Theyāre gonna have to leave the nebula, but Saru is unwilling. Or, at least hesitant. Michael seems to interpret this as emotional interest in the Kelpien. And in fairness, there may be some of that, but recovering this Kelpien is important if they want to understand the cause of the burn. And goodness knows Michael has been compromised by that obsession herself.
This episode has a thread running through it of āSaru canāt be trusted to make rational decisions because there is a Kelpien on board.ā And I still donāt get that. Kaminar is still out there. He can go visit it next time he has shore leave. Itās not like this crashed ship is his last chance to ever see his people again. I think this whole business is artificial and overdone.
But weāll keep talking about this as the episode progresses.
Anyway, Book takes his ship ahead. He has better shielding and his ship can morph, as he calls it. That morphing thing has never been explained. What exactly does this weird reconfiguration of his ship accomplish? Whatās it all about?
While Book is mapping the nebula, Discovery jumps back top safety.
The radiation gets to him a bit but he manages to locate the ship and itās lifesign before auto-pilot brings him back to Discovery. Heāll be okay after some DNA recombination.
The Kelpien ship crashed into a planet thatās practically made out of Diluthium.
Thatās good news for the Federation.
Saru plans to lead the away team personally. While not standard Starfleet procedure, itās not unheard of for a captain to be part of an away team, if there is deemed sufficient reason. Vance and Michael both give him a look for this, but Vance accepts it. Itās Saruās call.
Personally, I think Saru has sufficient justification for this. A single KEpien survivor, all alone. Never seen anyone else. Having someone of the same species could be reassuring. And I think youāll agree that the episode demonstrates that he was right about this.
My only concern is leaving Tilly in charge. You know I love Tilly. Sheās one of my favourite characters. And You know I want to see her achieve her dream of being a captain.
But Iām still not convinced sheās ready for this yet.
Although, nobody knows the challenges sheās about to face. If The Emerald Chain didnāt show up, sheād have been quite capable of holding the fort until the away team returned.
But weāll get to all that.
We learn that the Emerald Chain are running military exercises near Caminar. Osyrra is trying to lure Discovery out so she can steal its spore drive. Starfleet is going to handle that. Discovery has a job to do here.
Do you notice that Vance is really sold on this mission to learn the source of the burn, now that they have solid leads to follow. Early in the season, he was very hesitant to expend any resources on this, because there were more important things to deal with.
Ironically, they could never have gotten these solid leads if Michael hadnāt been like a dog with a bone in the first place.
So Michael tells Book she doesnāt think Saru can be objective.
Sheās not sure how heāll handle it if he has to make a hard call. A painful one.
First of all, Michael herself doesnāt have a great track record when it comes to difficult calls. Vance even called her out on the whole Arium thing earlier this season.
Iām not saying Michael is right or wrong, but Iām curious what has lead her to this conclusion about Saru.
I donāt think any of this stuff is fair to his character.
Stammets is freaking out about Culbert going on the away mission.
At first, I thought this was really weird.
This is Culbertās job. Heās a Starfleet officer. Starfleet officers go into dangerous situations all the time. Thatās part of the deal if youāre a member of Starfleet, or youāre in a relationship with a member of Starfleet. Stammets is both.
Plus, Saru just said that as long as they take the right medications with them, they should be fine.
But I realised, actually, my wife pointed it out. Stammets has already lost Culbert once. So heās understandably over-protective here.
Now despite what I said earlier about Tilly and her unreadiness to be first office, I do really like how they develop this whole thing in the episode.
First of all, we get a wonderful scene where Michael reassures Tilly and tells her the story about the little bur of metal under the arm of the captainās chair. How Georgiou used to press her finger against it to keep herself in the moment during difficult encounters. Itās a wonderful exchange that theyāll call back to a number of times.
I love how she allows herself the moment of fear and anxiety, with her trusted friend, and then sucks it up and says āokay, letās go.ā
With medications, the away team will survive four hours on the planet.
Discoveryās shields will take three hours to repair. After that, they can jump back in to rescue the team.
And despite everything, Tilly looks good in that chair. Michael is right, she does belong there. Itās her destiny.
The away team arrive on the crashed ship. And this is where everything gets a little weird.
The first thing we notice is Michael is dressed differently. She and Culberty are in thick jackets with hoods. Then we realise that Culbert is a Bajoran and Michael is a Trill.
Now ā¦ forgive me for thinking weāre suddenly watching Hitchhikerās Guide to the galaxy.
I mean, whatās next Is Saru going to be a penguin?
No, Saru is Human.
I called it before we saw his face. Just before the camera shot that slowly panned up from his feet.
So we get to see Doug Jones out of makeup. Thatās kinda cool, because we can finally see all his amazing face acting. Donāt get me wrong, nobody can act tinder all that prosthetic like Doug Jones can. Heās a master, but heāll always be able to do more with his face without all that slapped on him.
The other weird thing is, they donāt appear to be in a ship. Theyāre outside surrounded by snow.
Of course, we quickly learn theyāre on a holodeck inside the ship. The holodeck has changed their appearances. We know it could do that, even in the 24th century.
This is all very strange, and it is explained, at least somewhat a little later, but I think the writers just wanted an excuse to get Saru out of makeup and see the others as different species. They wanted to have some fun with it.
The bad news is, theyāve lost all of their equipment. No badges and no medications.
If Discovery returns as scheduled, theyāll be sick but alive.
The first holodeck character we meet is wearing a new Starfleet uniform. We havenāt seen this one before.
It seems to be a bizarre blend of the discovery uniform with the TNG uniform. Itās got a very shiny version of the TNG com badge.
No idea if this is supposed to be a real uniform that was worn at some point in history. Until we see it outside the holodeck I think we can basically dismiss it.
Clearly, the holo programs are malfunctioning due to over 100 years of exposure to the radiation.
When they enter a different part of the program, the holodeck changes their clothes again. They find a crumbling structure with some very cool looking alien creatures flying in the distance.
Hereās a strange thing. Saru asks if human bodies react negatively to heights because his heart is racing.
So are we to assume the holodeck has somehow reconfigured Saruās internal organs? That doesnāt make any sense.
A surface-level image to change their appearance, sure. But to make Saruās body react differently, that seems a little absurd and completely unnecessary as weāll soon learn when we discover the purpose of their transformation.
They find the Kelpien child, now an adult male.
And Saruās eyes nearly bug out of his head. OH, itās another Kelpien. How amazing.
It doesnāt make sense.
The child assumes the away team are programs but Saru tries to explain they are from outside the simulation.
Thereās a door here containing something that scares the Kelpien. The door breaks open but nothing comes out.
The episode portrays the Kelpien as mentally a child, because heās never seen anythingh outside of this holodeck.
Again, that doesnāt make sense to me. Sure, his perspective will be limited, but his faculties still should have developed just like anyone else. He has the brain of an adult. Iām not sure it makes sense that heād mentally be a child.
A voice goes through the Discovery com system. āWeāve found them.ā A female voice.
Why this voice is heard on board Discovery is never explained. It doesnāt make any sense. We know how this is, but why would the voice be heard here?
Anyway, Discovery has picked up another ship nearby. A Federation ship.
Now we all knew where we thought this was going right. How many of you thought this was going to end up being another USS Discovery, tying into The short Trek calypso.
I was relieved to find out that wasnāt where they were going.
No, itās Osyrra. Trying to sneak up on them by emitting a Federation signature. Apparently, she used a transwarp tunnel to get here. Book keeps saying nobody would be silly enough to use one of these tunnels but has never explained why. And it seems OSyraaās ship came through fine with no problems.
Anyway, sheās been tracking their ship since Kwijan and she wants Discoveryās spore drive, and she wouldnāt mind the planet of dilithium here either.
Nice to learn Discovery now has a cloaking device. This makes sense. Ever since the fall of Romulus, the treaty of Algeron would no longer be in effect.
But they canāt jump while cloaked. Again that makes sense. Starships donāt seem to be able to do anything while cloaked.
Culbert and Saru find more holo characters. One of them, a vulcan, explains that this holoprogram has been set up to help raise the Kelpient child, educate him, and prepare him for the day rescuers would finally arrive.
Since he has never seen anybody outside of the program, the holodeck has changed their appearance to make them look like part of the program.
Okay. That part makes sense.
But why does Culbert fit into this program more as a Bajoran than as a human?
Why does Saru fit in more as a human than as a Kelpien?
They still look like themselves.
This doesnāt make any sense to me.
Michael meets the creature behind the door. It looks very spectacular. Wonderful CGI.
It chases her for a bit before she somehow falls upward and finds herself in another room with the KElpioen. In order to not freak him out, she pretends to be a program, one designed to teach him how to interact with outsiders.
Meanwhile, Saru and Culberty find a holographic representation of a Kelpien elder.
They learn the Kelpien childās name is Sukal. That name symbolises the end of suffering and is given to a baby born after a hardship.
Saru is enjoying what the elder is able to share with him. The song. How it reminds him of home. But it doesnāt stop him doing his job. Heās learning what he can from the book.
And he realises what it is that Sukal is afraid of. Itās a monster from Kelpien mythology.
Apparently, nobody will be able to leave this program until Sukal is willing to face the monster.
Again, not sure why.
The visuals of the fortress and the flying creatures continue to be absolutely top-notch.
At this point, Tilly is feeling a whole lot of anxiety. Facing down Osyraa in her heavily armed ship is not something she expected to have to deal with on her very first time in the big chair.
Tillyās lack of experience adds a whole new dimension of tension to these scenes. Itās v very effective. I find myself doubting Tillyās ability to handle the situation, but desperately wanting her to rise up to the challenge and prove me wrong. So even though I wouldnāt have put the character in this number one position, Iām finding that this is effective story-telling here in this episode.
Tilly is not feeling as confidant as sheās trying to portray to Osyraa, and yet, if you compare this scene to the scene in season one, where she pretended to be Killy while Lorca stood at her side, she is so much more confidant now. She has come a long way.
Osyraa is trying hard to convince Tilly she hasnāt got what it takes. And Tilly is putting up a brave fight in this battle of wits.
The away team are all back together again, and Sukal is face to face with the monster.
And then something weird happens again. He pulses with a shockwave of energy. This energy disrupts Discoveryās cloaking device. But worse than that, itās starting to destabilise the Dilithium in the shipās core. That sounds familiar. Sukalās shockwave almost caused another burn.
So it seems that Sukal was the cause of the burn. How? Why? We donāt yet understand. Why can be do this weird shockwave thing? We donāt know. But itās all about him. Interesting.
With both ships unblocked, itās time for a battle.
Tilly is making a hard call. She has to jump away to prevent Osyraa from getting the spire drive. She promises theyāll come back for the away team, but itās not looking good for them.
Book takes his ship to rescue them, but Adira also has a plan. She just needs Jettās badge.
Saru manages to calm Sukal by singing a Kelpien song. As he calms, the monster scurries away. Nobody but Saru could have done this.
Tilly says sheāll self destruct the hip rather than let Osyraa get it. Itās a wonderful moment. But instead, when threatened, she tries to jump away. And that makes sense. Self destruct should be a last resort. IT makes sense that sheād try jumping first.
Culbert theorises that being in-utero amongst all this dilithium and subspace radiation explains why the radiation doesnāt kill him. Something must have happened to trigger him when the burn happened. Perhaps the death of his mother?
Saru has to return to the ship to deal with Saru. He asks Michael to stay, to help prevent Sukal from causing another burn.
Michael argues it should be Saru, because of his connection to Sukal as a fellow Kelpien.
And now Michael gets back on her āSaru is compromisedā horse. He says he would never let his emotions to factoir into his decisions.
She says he already has.
Iām not buying that. Sorry.
Yes, heās a little distracted, although I donāt think the episode has given him good reason to be.
But he hasnāt yet made any mistakes because of it.
Look, if this is all part of the seasonās on-going Saru learns to be a better captain arc, then Iām okayt with it.
But itās starting to feel like theyāre setting up to push him out of the captainās chair so Michael can take it. If thatās where theyāre going, Iāll be very disappointed.
Culbert also wants to stay. He knows what itās like to be alone in a world that doesnāt make sense.
Theyāll only have an hour before the planet kills them.
But Adira beams down with more radiation medication. Thatāll buy them more time.
Osyraa takes over the ship by sheer force of numbers. Her people beam on board and secure both the bridge and more importantly, the spore lab.
Tilly doesnāt have a chance to destroy the ship.\
Michael and book arrive just in time to see Discovery and Osyraaās ship jump to Federation headquarters.
End of episode.
This is a thrilling cliffhanger. And Iām dying for next weekās episode.
I loved the stuff with Tilly in the captainās chair. Iām still loving Janet Kidder as Osyraa. And the stuff with Sukal was very interesting. Iām so glad that Michael Burnham wasnāt the cause of the burn.
It looks like weāre gearing up for an epic ending to the series.
Just two episodes left.
I say bring it on.
Overall, this season is doing a much better job than the last two seasons of paying off itās mystery.
And yet, there are still some threads that seem to have been dropped.
Remember how the Vulcans were absolutely convinced that the SP-19 data proved the burn started at Niāvar? Thatās been conveniently forgotten. It doesnāt add up for me.
And what about that music? Will that come back and be any further explained? Because honestly, the little bit of explanation we had for that last time it was mentioned made very little sense.
Weāve still got two episodes left, so the music, at least, might still get a bit more exploration, but Iām not counting on it.
And even without these elements being handled satisfactorily, itās still overall a strong season, in my opinion,but Iām pointing these things out because they do bug me somewhat.
Anyway, far be it for me to end on a negative. I think next week is going to be a thrilling episode as Osyraa strikes at the heart of Federation headquarters, and we will hopefully learn some more fascinating things about Sukal and The burn.
I think weāll have a lot more to talk about regarding the season mystery this time next week.
Next weekās episode is called There is a Tide (formerly announced as āThe Good of The Peopleā)
Itās another Jonathan Frakes episode, so thatās always cool.
Iām now officially on Christmas holidays and wonāt have to return to work until mid January.
I plan to use some of this time to work hard on Jewel of The Stars book 3, and get it published as soon as possible.
I hope you had a good Christmas and have enjoyed some time off, if possible.
Itās been a long weird year, but itās almost over.
Anyway, catch you next week.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Today we discuss the conclusion to "Terra Firma Part 2" in Star Trek Discovery Season 3. We see the culmination of Georgiou's character arc, which I felt was nicely done. This two-parter has definitely change the way I see Mirror Georgiou and I'm loving it.
So let's dig in and see what we can find to talk about in this episode.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 47 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery āTerra Firma Part 2ā
And big news. Itās just been announced that Star Trek Lower Decks has an international distribution deal. Itāll be arriving on Amazon Prime in the U.K., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, and more on the 22nd of January.
This has been a long time coming, but weāre finally going to be able to see it. Of course, at this point, Iāve pretty much had the entire first season spoiled for me, because, you knowā¦.I have access to the internet. Still, itās good news.
So letās talk about Terra Firma Part 2.
The description on memory alpha reads
Georgiou uncovers the true depths of the plot against her, leading her to a revelation about how deeply her time on the USS Discovery truly changed her.
The teleplay for this episode was written by Kalinda Vazquez
Based on a story by Bo Yeon Kim & Erika Lippoldt & Alan McElroy
It was directed by Chloe Domontā
And it first aired on the 17th of December 2020.
Make it so.
We pick up where we left off, in the mirror universe, onboard the ISS Discovery.
We wonāt see our prime characters until this whole thing with Georgiou is over.
.Michael is dragged kicking and screaming into the brig. Begging to be killed. Thatās the honourable way out for a failed traitor. The Terran empire have a lot in common with the Klingons when you think about it. And thatās nothing new.
Michael says āevery moment you keep me alive proves further how weak youāve become.
We learn the reason Lorca moved against her, the reason he got to Michael is because Mirror Georgiou was already being considered weak. She was losing her harsh edge, even before she met prime Michael. It turns out half of her biography opera was a lie. One thing I forgot to mention last week was how the story portrayed Georgiou as a peasant who rose up the ranks to emperor. I wonder if this part was true or false. This is a fascinating insight into her backstory, and while it may be a little bit of a retcon, it helps to make sense of the arc the character has been on.
Now that she's back in the mirror universe, Georgiou is learning just how much sheās changed. And Micahel is noticing. Rescuing Kelpiens, fretting over artists.
Interestingly, Gorgeous is starting to see what mirror Spock ultimately saw, with a little help from prime Kirk. The Terran Empire is not sustainable. They canāt go on like they are forever. Its downfall is inevitable. She tries to explain this to Michael.
Georgiou is only holding on to her power, at present, because of the loyalty of those who still serve her, like Owo and Killy. But how long will she be able to hold on to their loyalty if she really pursues peace?
Michael mentions an alliance is forming against them. This is the coalition we saw in season 1. Vulcans, Klingons, Andorians, Tellarite. Michael mentions a bunch of other races including the Denobulans, which was cool.
I have to assume the coalition of this time will eventually morph into the alliance that we saw in the mirror universe during Deep Space Nine. At that time, the empire had fallen and the alliance ruled the galaxy with almost as strong a fist as their predecessors. The main powers behind the alliance were the Klingons and the Cardassians.
The first thing Killy asks when she has a minute alone with Georgiou is āWhy is Michael Burnham still taking up oxygen on my ship?ā
Killy already has her doubts about the emperor. Could Michael be right? Is Georgiou weak?
Iām sure Killy has seen it. She knows Georgiou has changed. The only question she needs to wrestle with now is āwhat do I do about it?ā Which option will best serve Captain Killy? She remains loyal, and I donāt think itās because of anything Georgiou says here about trying to reforge a broken michael into a loyal subject. Itās because Killy doesnāt currently have the resources she needs to lead a revolution of her own. Terrans donāt really care about loyalty. They look out for number one. And she still thinks itās in her best interest to support Georgiou.
I also think she is genuinely enamoured with the idea of being given the job of breaking Micahel. That sounds like a fun challenge to her. One she will embrace. Apparently, there is no greater interrogator than Killy. And that scares the hell out of me.
And then we get mirror universe opening credits. Just like Enterprise did with In a Mirror Darkly. Though theyāre not as changed as what Enterprise did.
The inverted colours work for me.
The upside-down imagery not so much. I donāt really get that.
Had it been me, Iād have changed the starfleet logos to Terran empire logos. That kind of thing. But that would have taken a lot more work than just turning everything upside down.
Michael is pretty confident they wonāt break her. At least, thatās what she says. I imagine that Terrans have a higher tolerance for pain than we do. I understand it was a little bit like that in the middle ages. When pain is a normal part of life, itās not pleasant, but itās accepted more readily.
At least, so Iām told.
Killyās interrogation doesnāt last long. She asks Michael to pledge her loyalty. Then zaps her with the agoniser booth. And then says āweāll try again tomorrow. You donāt mind sleeping in there do you?ā
And this is pretty horrifying. Sheās left in the booth all night. And every now and then, when sheās least expecting it, it will fire up and put her into incredible pain.
The agnoiser technology itself is horrific. The human body eventually shuts down to protect itself from pain, but this technology is designed to circumvent that, so the victim continues to feel the agony.
So Detmer comes to see Michael. They all know these two were working together.
Detmer tries to convince her to give in, because she wonāt be able to cope with uch more. Plus, nobody has heard from Lorca. Which means he has abandoned Michael. There is no sense remaining loyal to him.
And all of this makes a lot of sense. Lorca knows his rebellion is beaten. He canāt do it without Michael. Thatās why he went through so many hoops to bring prime michael into the mirror universe.
This also means they donāt have to bring Jason Isaacs back again. Which is a shame.
It also makes sense that Michael gives into Georgiou at this point. IF she is being offered a chance to redeem herself sheād be stupid and stubborn not to take it.
Then thereās a rather sweet scene as Georgiou shares a memory of walking with Michael through her night terrors to see the fireflies. She leaves a jar of fireflies on Michael's bed.
And we get the impression that Georgiou is finally getting through to Michael.
And I think she actually is.
Itās obvious that Georgiou loves Michael as a daughter, and always did.
And so she presents herself. Iām ready to pledge my loyalty to you.
But thereās a question here weāre all asking.
Is she genuine, or is this all just part of Michaelās plan?
Michael goes and kills all her co-conspirators. (at least, those who are nearby. Lorca and his offsider are gonna be harder to find. Thereās a cool shootout with Landry.
When Michael and Detmer come in with the badges of all the dead conspirators, it becomes clear that the forgiveness Georgiou is showing Michael doesnāt extend to Detmer.
The kitchen is no longer serving Kelpien. Another of Georgiouās changes. She can no longer stomach the idea of eating sentient beings. She no longer sees them as animals. Sheās gotten to know Saru.
I think Michael is being honest when she says she no longer loves Lorca, and is willing to kill him. He abandoned her.
The culmination of Georgiouās transformation comes when she tells Saru the truth about vahari. Essentially she frees the Kelpien people by revealing this information to him and telling him to share it with others.
Goergiouās transformation has been accelerated by coming back to the mirror universe. Had she not come here, it would have remained the slow and steady change weāve seen over the last few years. Sometimes you have to be reminded to who you were, in order to appreciate and embrace who you are becoming.
This is all very well done, and is the heart of this two-parter.
And Georgiou says this world is her home. She vows to remain here and re-shape it into what it needs to become. Much as Spock will later on.
So now theyāre on the hunt for Lorca, and theyāre going to find him through his off-sider, Duggen. They find him in orbit of Risa.
And this is really cool. LAst week, we saw the return of Hannah Cheesman, who played Arium in season 2. She was just in the background, wearing a Terran uniform, but it wasnāt made clear exactly what role she was playing. Was this just an easter egg, like how they got all the alien actors to play humans in Vicās bar in the final episode of DS9?
Now, we get confirmation she is indeed playing Arium. Remember, Arium was human, but she was injured in an accident and made into a cyborg in order to survive.
It seems that the mirror arium had no such accident and remained human. This also confirms that her name was Arium even when she was still human.
I love this. Very nice touch.
So they beam Duggen aboard to question him about Lorca.
And this is when the surprising but inevitable betrayal happens. Nice little nod to Firefly for you.
All through this episode, Iāve hoped that Georgiou was successful in rehabilitating mirror Michael - turning her into something new.
But deep down, always knowing that at any time, she may turn on Georgiou.
So weāre really not surprised when it happens.
Gorgeous isnāt surprised either. Sheās become a lot more soft-hearted but sheās not stupid.
She knew this was a likely scenario when Michael pledged her loyalty. She hoped for the best but she prepared for the worst.
Michael knew, the minute Goergiou spared her life, that she could never respect her mother again.
I love it when Georgiou says āI have changed. I have seen another way to live. Another way to rule.ā
The prime universe has really had an impact on her.
So the battle begins. And again, itās a cool fight. Discovery has always done action well.
Michael had a lot of people loyal to her. Were Culbert, Nilsson and the others co-conspirators all along, that Michael chose not to kill, or has she recruited them since her false return to grace? I suspect the latter.
Sadly, Georgiou is left with no other choice but to kill her daughter.
Again.
Georgiou wakes up back on Dannus 5 with Michael and Carl.
Sheās been in the mirror universe for months. From Michaelās perspective she passed out for less than a minute, but her wrist monitor has recorded 3 months of bio-readings.
She wasnāt transported bodily. She shared the body of an alternate Georgiou.
Carl has essentially spun off a new timeline off the mirror universe we know.
A timeline that Georgiou has affected greatly. One where the Kelpiens may gain their freedom from the terran empire. Where some good has been done, at least.
Michael and Georgiou keep asking Carl, who are you really. The same question weāve been asking. And finally, he answers.
I am the Guardian of Forever.
And they use the original voice recording from the original series.
I thought the guardian was voiced by James doohna. I know he did a lot of alien voices, but no, the guardian was played by Bart LaRue. Apparently Doohan voiced the Guardian in the animated series, though. But I havenāt seen that episode. I really need to finish watching the animated series. Itās not great, but itās still Star Trek.
Sadly, I didnāt feel anything much from this reveal, because it was spoiled for me.
I woke up Friday morning, and within minutes, I saw this big reveal spoiled on Instagram. I was quite unhappy.
Spoilers are an interesting thing. I think thereās some responsibility on both sides.
Iāve seen people on social media whoāve said things like āI plan to see this movie months after it releases, and heaven help anyone who spoils it for me.ā
That seems unreasonable. If youāre gonna wait that long, you have to take a little responsibility for protecting yourself, and understand that spoilers likely will happen during that time.
But for a spoiler like this to be posted before the episode has even gone live on most of the planet, well, I think thatās a bit unfair.
But, those who posted it have apologised and are going to hold to a 24 hour grace period, which I think is a really good idea.
Lower Decks is an interesting case. Iāve had much of that spoiled for me, because I move in the Star Trek circles online. I mean, thatās how I market this podcast. I donāt blame those who have posted spoilers. You canāt expect them to wait 6 months to talk about anything. I canāt even fully blame CBS. COVID kinda messed up their plans for releasing Star Trek.
Anyway, the door breaks apart and re-forms into the familiar stone portal from City on the Edge of Forever.
Iām kinda surprised they went there. There was always a lot of controversy and disagreement around the use of the Guardian of Forever in Star Trek while Harlan Ellison was alive.
I guess some agreement was met between CBS and his estate.
But this reveal is kinda like the reveal of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness.
Itās played as this big dramatic reveal, but it means nothing to Michael and Gaorgiou. Itās all just for the audience.
Personally, I would have dispensed with the artificial suspense and just revealed the guardian properly in part 1. Thereās no real reason for it to disguise as a door. A slight reason, perhaps, given itās in hiding, but then why reveal itself now?
So we get some backstory of whatās happened with the guardian since TOS. When the temporal wars began, everyone kept trying to use the guardian as a weapon to kill each other. It wasnāt pretty. I can well understand the guardian not wanting to be used like that. So, it hid. It removed itself from its original location and hid here on Dannus 5.
That makes sense. I kinda like how they tied the guardian into the temporal wars.
But what do I really think of this reveal?
Well, itās cool to see the guardian of forever again. No questions. It was one of my favourite things introduced in TOS. In fact, City on the Edge of Forever is my favourite TOS episode.
But is this a good use of it?
I like the character of Carl. Heās cool. He has a fun personality.
But, thatās not a personality I associate with the guardian of forever. The appeal of the guardian was itās mysterious nature. Part mechanism, part being. Both and Neither. That big booming voice. And part of itās appeal was also itās setting. That mysterious ancient alien city left in ruins. Where did it come from? How and why was it created?
As much as I like Carl, I feel that he humanises the Guardian of Forever too much. I donāt want it to be humanised. I want it to remain mysterious and alien. That doesnāt mean I donāt want answers to some of the questions about it, but ā¦. I donāt want it to be turned into a pleasant gentleman from the 1930s.
So ultimately, I think this was a mistake.
I think they should have either:
Made it obviously the guardian from the beginning and do away with Carl altogether.
Or
Forget the guardian, and just have Carl be a Q (which I still think really fits his personality) or have him be something new. Some new alien with Godlike powers.
Iāve always wanted to see the Guardian of Forever again, but just not like this.
But all of that aside, letās look at what is explained next, because I do really like it.
Georgiou is still dying. She wasnāt sent back to be cured. She was sent back to be weighed. To be tested. To see if she was worthy of the Guardianās help. Would she make different choices? Has her time in the prime universe changed her?
She doesnāt belong here, but sending her somewhere else could cause a lot of problems. The guardian doesnāt want to inflict another time or place with the dangerous Emperor Georgiou. But is she still dangerous?
Whatās interesting is that Georgiou assumes sheās failed the test. She killed her daughter. Again.
Carl is more interested in her heart than the outcome. And I like that.
Georgiou doesnāt want to go back to the mirror universe. Why would she?
But thatās not carlās plan. Heās going to send her to a time when the prime and mirror universes were still aligned, where her cells wonāt fall apart. He doesnāt say exactly where or when. And weāll talk about that shortly because I have some thoughts.
Carl believes Michael is just where she needs to be, so she canāt go with Georgiou. Itās nice that Geirgiou wants her, though.
So we have a very touching farewell between these two characters. It was wonderful.
We get a brief mention of Husan, the name mentioned in Georgiouās episodes. She still doesnāt explain who he is, or what he meant to her. Michael tells her to tell the people sheās about to meet. So I guess this backstory will be revealed in the section 31 show.
okay.
Georgiou has one final word of wisdom for Michael. This century is more Terran than the 23rd.
Saru has navigated the change admirably but heās not the only one suited for the captainās chair.
Iām not sure exactly what theyāre trying to imply, but I thought we were done with the whole, will Michael take the captainās chair thing. The way I see it, the only way for Michael to become captain of Discovery in any way that I'll accept is to get Saru out of the picture. Either kill or promote him.
And frankly, I donāt want that, because Saru is one of my favourite characters.
And then she steps thorough, and is gone.
Itās funny. I really liked the prime Georgiou character, but never quite warmed to mirror Georgiou in the same way. But now, well, Iām really going to miss her.
So ā¦. Where has she ended up?
For a long time, fans have been saying that Georgiou has to return to the 23rd century so she can star in the section 31 show.
Now while Iāve never dismissed that possibility, my response has always been āWhy are you assuming the section 31 show will be set in the 23rd century. Weāve never been told anything that would suggest that.ā But people have been treated that as gospel.
I always thought there was at least an equal chance that the section 31 show would be set here in the 32nd century. Georgiou would leave Discovery to work with section 31 as she had in the past.
Well, we know thatās not the cast anymore.
The most obvious answer to the question is that she has returned to the 23rd century, as so many fans always assumed. And thatās a very likely scenario.
But is it the only possibility?
Carl said he was sending her to a time when the prime and mirror universes were aligned. We know they were closely aligned in the 22nd, 23rd and 24th centuries, and on into the 27th, that was the time of the last incursion.
So Goergiou could be going anywhere within that window.
Hereās a wild theory for you.
What if sheās going to the 24th, or early 25th century?
Thatās the time where we first learned about section 31, in Deep Space Nine.
Thatās where section 31 was used most effectively in story-telling.
This newly changed mirror Georgiou would fit in well with 24th-century section 31, and might even make them a little more moral than they are.
What if the setting of the Section 31 show is just after DS9, or more likely, around the time of Star Trek Picard?
I can see that making a lot of sense, and Iād definitely be up for that.
Hereās an even wilder theory. She has been sent back to the time of Enterprise, and she ends up being the founder of Section 31.
I really like what theyāve done with Georgiouās character. I used to complain that she was not evil enough, given who she was. But now, I have a different perspective. I see now that her time in the prime timeline has gradually changed her. Made her better., And I love that. And I really like the person she has ended up being. I think the arc could have been done a little smoother. I think they were kinda making it up as they went, rather than planning it from day 1, which is a shame. These things always work better for me when theyāre been planned in advance.
So .. Iām not totally ready for a Michelle Yeoh lead spin-off. My only concern about the show is how theyāre going to treat section 31. I felt that Discovery season 2 kinda ruined section 31. They didnāt handle it well. Have they learned from this? Will the section 31 we see in the new show be more like the section 31 we saw in Deep Space Nine? I can only hope.
But Iām very eager to learn more about the show now. Iām especially keen to learn what the setting will be.
Iāll probably be disappointed if I learn itās back in the 23red century. Strange New Worlds has that era covered.
And honestly, Iām not pinning to have Tyler back. I didnāt like this character in season 2, so I donāt think he needs to be part of the new show.
Time will tell.
We finally return to Discovery, to see what our other characters are up to.
Adira and Stamets are still trying to hack into the Kelpien shipās sensors. But theyāre having trouble.
Book turns up with a device that will help. Itās emerald chain technology.
So they finally check in with Vance, who is very concerned about using Chain technology on a Starfleet ship. It could be dangerous and Starfleet canāt afford to risk having their only ship with a spore drive compromised.
Book is absolutely convinced it is safe.
But Iām still concerned. Theyāre obviously setting something up here. I think itāll become problematic in the next couple of episodes.
So this whole thing of Saru delaying his report on the Kelpien ship. Iām not fully following that.
Saru hasnāt seen another Kelpien in a long time, and this is a Kelpien ship.
But ā¦.. So what?
Itās not like the Kelpiens are extinct. Theyāre a Federation member.
Kaminar is still out there.
I donāt quite understand Saruās reason for not reporting the information to Vance as soon as he knew it. Did he think Vance would not want them to rescue it?
I just donāt get it.
I donāt know what the writers are getting at here.
Then we get another touching scene. Itās not quite a funeral, itās just a little get -together to remember their friend who theyāll never see again.
It was a lovely scene.
And this ends the story of Phillipa Gaorgiou, closing a story that began with the first episode of season 1.
In a way, this two-parter has seemed a bit like a distraction from the greater season plot, but Iām totally cool with it. The character arcs are just as important to this season as the burn story is.
And I, for one, have really enjoyed Terra Firma Parts 1 and 2.
Weāre getting close to the end now. Just 3 episodes to go.
Next week weāll be talking about episode 11 āThe Citadel.ā
Iām excited to see what happens as the seasonās plot arc goes into top gear.
It should be cool.
And Iāll be watching that episode on Christmas day. But Iāll be on holiday by then.I plan to get my podcast out Monday morning, Australian time, as always.
Iāve revamped the books page on my website, so if youāre interested in trying out some of my fiction, you can see it all nicely laid out at AdamDavidCollings.com/books
Iād encourage you to check it out.
Until I see you next, have a great week, Merry Christmas, live long and prosper.
Today we talk about the first part of Star Trek Discovery's first traditional two-parter. It's a character study of Georgiou and it takes us back to the mirror universe. Meanwhile, Stamets and Adira continue to uncover new information about the source of the burn.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 46 of the podcast. Today weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery Terra Firma Part 1.
But just before we launch into that, did you hear about all the new Star Wars shows that Disney+ just announced? They announced 7 new TV shows. Combined with The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi, thatās a total of 9 shows.
We currently have 6 Star Trek shows either already on the air, or in various stages of pre-production.
Thatās a whole lot of sci-fi entertainment. Now ā¦ if only we can get an official green light on the new Stargate show they have in the works. That would be awesome.
But as I said, today, weāre talking Star Trek.
The description on memory alpha reads
The USS Discovery crew journeys to a mysterious planet in hopes of finding a cure for Georgiou's deteriorating condition. Stamets and Adira make a stunning breakthrough with the newly acquired Burn data.
The teleplay for this episode was written by Alan McElroy based on a story by Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippoldt & Alan McElroy
It was directed by Omar Madha
And it first aired on the 10th of December 2020.
Make it so.
This episode has a big Georgiou focus.We open with Culbert seeking advice from the Starfleet interrogator. The one that was questioning Georgiou a few episodes back. Apparently, the characterās name is Kovich, although I donāt think thatās ever been said out loud in-universe. A lot of people have been referring to him by the name of the actor playing him. A guy named David Cronenberg. He sounds like a big deal. Iām not familiar with him myself. I actually thought he reminded me a little of British actor Bill Nyee. Some people have even theorised that heās section 31, which is a reasonable theory, but certainly not yet canonised.
Why Culbert goes to Kovich, Iām not sure. But it turns out, he has all the answers weāve been looking for. It turns out to be a case of temporal displacement. Our molecules like to remain in the time they were created. But the whole crew have travelled 900 years into the future, and theyāre all fine. But Georgiou not only travelled in time, sheās also from another universe. A universe which has been growing ever further apart from ours. Every molecule in her body is screaming to return home. So the hologram theory is out.
And then Kovich activates a holographic image of Lieutenant Commander Yor, a deceased time soldier from the Temporal War. And heās wearing a Next Generation season 1 uniform, with the shoulder stripes. IT was delightful to see this nostalgic old uniform on Discovery. Do you notice that Discovery is paying a whole lot more respect to TNG than it ever did to TOS?
But I was all set to have a good old nitpick about this. You see, Iād seen images from an episode preview, that they show in America, which clearly showed Tor in this uniform, but with a Voyager-style com badge. That com badge didnāt come into effect until 2371, which would have been the 8th season of TNG. It was never worn with this particular uniform.
Now Kovich says something that can explain it shortly, which weāll get to in just a sec.
But I noticed in my second watch of the episode, that theyāve edited it. Theyāve put in the proper TNG com badge that matches this uniform. That must have been a digital effect. Itās a silly mistake that should never have been made, but Iām glad they sorted it out.
But Kovich explains that Tor is from the year 2379. Okay. So that means the Voyager com badge was correct, but the uniform was dead wrong. 2379, the year Star Trek Nemesis was set.
But then he says something that changes everything.Tor came from an alternate universe created by a temporal incursion caused by a Romulan mining ship.
Whoa.
So Tor is from the Kelvin universe. This is huge. This is the first outright acknowledgement of the Kelvin universe from the prime universe. This is also our first canon look at someone from the TNG era of the Kelvin universe. So apparently, over there, they didnāt change uniforms near as often as they did here in the prime. They skipped the TNG season 3 uniform, the Voyager/deep space nine uniform, and the First Contact uniform. This is really interesting.
So this also means that the Kelvin universe was involved in the temporal wars. Which kinda makes sense. That war was all about temporal incursions and creating new timelines. Although Enterprise used a different concept of time-travel than what Star Trek 2009 did, but letās just leave that aside.
So yeah, wonderful to see that uniform, and fascinating to get a connection with the Kelvin timeline.
Sadly, things didnāt turn out well for poor old Tor. He ended up in so much pain the Federation petitioned for euthenasia. They couldnāt send him back to his own universe, because to do so would violate the temporal acords, which were taken very seriously.
That doesnāt bode well for Georgiou, because it means Starfleet wonāt allow her to return home either.
Kovich doesnāt want Goergiou to know of her fate. A dying Terranās instinct is to find a way to die in battle. Much like a Klingon. Nobody wants that loose on Discovery. He recommends sedation and locking her up.
But Culbert, the good doctor as ever, asks the computer to find another solution, combining all additional data that Discovery had, which obviously includes the sphere data.
And, much to Kovichās surprise, itās found another option.
Meanwhile, Gorgeous canāt even pick up a glass, because her hand goes straight through it.
I kinda like how Georgiou refers to Tilly as Saruās walking command blunder, echoing what a lot of people have said, that her promotion makes no sense. Tilly is awesome, but sheās not ready for first officer yet.
The sphere data says the solution is on Dannus Five. A world near the border between the alpha and gamma quadrants. Itās still only a 5 percent chance for her, but better than zero.
I like the way Discovery has been using the sphere data this season. Remember back in Voyager ,when an alien entity put gigaquads of information about the universe into the shipās computer, and it was never mentioned again? That was an absolute travesty. Discovery is still probably under-selling the usefulness of this data but itās doing a significantly better job than Voyager did.
Saru is inclined to not ignore Goergiouās plight. The Emerald Chain are conducting exercises near Federation space and Starfleet are on yellow alert.
But Vance is willing to authorise the mission on one condition. That Michael assures him she can let go of Georgiou when the time comes, because the odds are not good. She hesitated when she had to sacrifice Arium. Vance wants to know that she wonāt hesitate again. And she gives him her word. This has got to be one of the hardest parts of being a starfleet officer. The willingness to sacrifice a life to save a crew. I donāt think I could handle being in a situation like that. I donāt think I have what it takes to make a tough call like that. Especially when itās somebody you care about.
We see a very good conversation play out between Vance and Saru. Saru is trying really hard to be the good reliable captain. He doesnāt want to let Vance down. He wants to prove that he can be trusted to serve the needs of this new Starfleet. Thatās why he was willing to sacrifice Georgiou and forgo the mission altogether.
Vance explosions a little of his backstory. He made a lot of mistakes over the course of his career. One thing heās learned is that if a crewmember is drowning, and you let her, the crew will never look at their captain, or the Federation, the same way again. The hard pragmatic choice is not always the right one. You have to have heart and compassion. You have to treat your crew as people. Any captain needs a little bit of Kirk in him.
I love this scene. Iām loving Saruās arc through this season as he learns to be a better captain. And Iām really liking Vance as a character more and more.
Georgiouās vulnerability is really poking through the cracks of her bravado. Weāre seeing past the tough emperor to the scared little girl inside her. She doesnāt see much hope for success in this plan. She wants an honourable death. She wants Michael to kill her.
But Michaelās having none of it.
This episode is really showing us what Michelle Yeoh can do as an actor.
We also get a little backstory about mirror Burnham. Apparently Georgiou picked her up from a rubbish heap.
We get a pretty heart-warming farewell to Georgious from both Saru and Tilly. Georgiou has come a long way so that she can look Saru in the eye and call him captain. When they first met, she saw him as nothing but dinner.
So they beam down to the planet. Itās a pretty icy place. And I love the visible rings in the sky. I doubt itās scientifically accurate, but it looks awesome.
As much as I like their trek through the snow, why didnāt they beam directly to the coordinates? Why beam down close and then walk, following the tricorderās directions?
Now we cut back to the overall season plot with the burn. Honestly, I was expecting this two-parter to be all about the burn. Learning what was in the centre of the nebula. I wasnāt expecting a character study of Georgiou, or a re-examination of the mirror universe, although, given the episode title, I probably should have connected Terra with the mirror universe.
Anyway, Adira is still trying to use the algorithm to decipher the starfleet distress call. Stammets notices that Adira is exhausted and has made a silly mistake, which has cost them hours of wasted effort. Adira is really frustrated by this. Itās the same old story. Starfleet officer becomes obsessed with a task and refuses to sleep. But in this case, we see realistic consequences. And I really like that.
As a computer programmer, I often make stupid mistakes like this which take hours to hunt down. And thatās when Iām not sleep-deprived. It happens.
Gray is still not speaking but Adira is apparently not angry, although facial expressions may suggest otherwise. Stammets points out that Gray wanted Adira to make more ties with the outside world. Friends. Maybe thatās why heās hiding.
Adira makes a good point. āHe doesnāt get to decide whatās good for me.ā
It feels a bit manipulative, especially for the disembodied spirit of a dead person.
And the algorithm has finished.
While on his way to find out what Stammets and Adira have uncovered, Saru has a chat with Book.
Books wants in. He wants to help the crew of Discovery. But he wants to do it on his own terms. Saru isnāt interested in that. Iām not sure exactly what Saru is expecting. Putting on a Starfleet uniform and joining the crew perhaps? Which may require training at whatever the equivalent of Starfleet Academy is these days.
I think itās going to take a while for Book to really find his place, and itāll take a little bending on both sides.
It turns out, the ship stuck in the nebula is Kalpien.
So a few years before the burn, their ship got stranded in the nebula. Another ship was coming to rescue them. The end of the message is sadly lost.
A lot of people were theorising that it was actually discovery in that nebula, trying to tie it into the short trek Calypso. That made a lot of sense, but Iām kinda glad thatās not where the show is taking us. That would have just been another case of āThe red angel is actually michael.ā I used to enjoy that trope, but itās getting a bit old, to be honest.
This Kelpien thing is interesting, because itās an unexpected development. Iām keen to learn more about that happened, and what they may have had to do with the burn.
Gorgeou keeps comparing Michael to her mirror counterpart. The reason she picked Burnham from that rubbish pile was that she was the only one not begging for help. She was prepared to be her own salvation, and Georgiou respected that.
Itās interesting. Georgiou clearly had a desire to experience motherhood. So there was always some form of humanity in her. She probably wasnāt able to have children biologically. But her choice to pick someone from a rubbish heap is interesting.
She wasnāt there to do charity work. If sheād really cared about helping kids out of poverty, sheād have rescued the mall. She certainly had that within her power as emperor. But she ignored all the pleas and just took Michael.
But why not adopt some other way. I donāt think we have enough insight into her character to really understand this yet.
This is where things get ā¦ interesting.
They find a wooden door just sitting in the snow, and a man dressed in 1940s style clothes, smoking a cigar and sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper, which claims āEmperor Georgiou dies horribly painful death. The newspaper is called The Star Dispatch.
Who is this bloke? He offers Georgiou a doorway into her own past. Back into the mirror universe.
I can only assume he is a Q. This is totally their style.
The episode keeps the truth of this character pretty close to its chest. We will probably learn the truth next episode. Iāll probably be disappointed if itās anything other than the Q. Because I canāt see anything else making sense.
Anyway, the guy calls himself Carl. He tells a few really punny dad jokes, and then makes it clear the door is for Georgiou to walk through.
He makes an interesting statement. The door doesnāt lead. It follows. Does that mean that Georgiou plays a big part in determining what sheāll experience? Her past in the mirror universe, and her relationship with mirror burnham are clearly on her mind, so it makes sense sheād lead the experience where it goes.
I tried to pause the episode and read some of the other headlines in the newspaper, but it was too blurry.
Michael wants answers, but Carl says the question needs to proceed. Itās dangerous to go the other way around. Now, apart from giving me some Hitchhikerās guide to the galaxy vibes, this suggests to me that Georgiou is not yet sure what exactly sheās seeking, or what question she needs to answer. Sheās about to go on a journey of self-discovery.
Michael rather illogically wants to return to Discovery. This is what they came down for. This is what the sphere data lead them to.
So she steps through and finds herself in the mirror universe. Onboard the USS Discovery. Being welcomed by captain Killy.
This is actually the first time weāve seen Mary Wiseman play Killy. Weāve seen prime Tilly try to impersonate Killy, but thatās all.
It takes Georgiou a moment to adapt to her settings, but she quickly realises sheās in the past. This is the day they christened the Charon. The day Lorca and Michael betrayed her.
Now Iāve been complaining a little bit that over seasons 2 and 3, Gorgeous just doesnāt seem evil enough. Sheās the mirror universe emperor. Sheās ruthless and cares nothing over taking lives. She eats Kelpiens.
But Iām seeing through this episode that theyāre taking her character in a new way. Theyāre showing that her time in the prime universe has changed her. More than she had realised.
And thatās cool.
So theyāve actually won me over.
I mean, they could have done a better job of portraying her as a little more evil throughout season 2, but Iāll buy that he time in the prime universe has slowly made her a better person. I just felt like it happened too rapidly and suddenly.
But this episode is really highlighting how sheās changed. She misses her own Michael, regrets killing her. She tells Tilly she wants to bring Michael back into the fold.
But as weāll soon learn, in Michaelās eyes, Georgiou was already becoming weak. Not as ruthless as a Terran emperor should be. Even before she met anyone from our universe, she was already softening. Initially, we saw her from the perspective of the prime characters, so she looked like a monster. But now, seeing her through mirror Michaelās eyes, she is an old softy. Itās fascinating. And itās pretty well done.
This episode is also the first time we see mirror burnham. Sonequa Martin Green plays her wonderfully ruthless.
And itās also an excuse to bring back Landry from season 1, played by BattleStar galacticaās Rekha Sharma.
Mirror brnham really hates Kelpiens. When she calls for Saru to be killed and cooked for dessert, Georgiou intervenes.
This is the moment we realise just how much Georgiou has changed. She canāt just sit by and watch while Saru, a man she seems to have come to respect, is treated like meat.
The Terrans have basically taken on the role of the Bauāul in the mirror universe. They kill kepliens before they can finish going through vahari. That makes them much easier to enslave, obviously.
And Saru ends up being a useful source of intelligence for Gergiou.
But Georgiou has a problem. Weāve learned the reason Michael and Lorca tried to overthrow her was because of her weakness. But now, given the way sheās changed, sheās more weak, not less, (at least in the way that the mirror universe defines weakness)
Gorgeou keeps trying to drop hints about the importance of loyalty.
I think Michael knows she knows.
It turns out that mirror stamets was in league with Lorca and Michael. But Georgiou knows this. She kills Stamets, which is the first major change to history.
So we have to ask. Is she actually in the past, changing the timeline? Or is this all one big illusion, as the Q often like to play with? We wonāt really know until next week.
Given how much ambition sheās supposed to have, Iām surprised Killy hasnāt tried to overthrow Georgiou. But sheās smart. She probably figures she can gain more power by siding with the emperor against Lora and Michael, cementing herself as a trusted captain.
Georgiou offers to let Michael live, if sheāll confess. This is why Michael tried to kill her in the first place. The weakness she has seen in her mother.
Gorgeous says donāt confuse weakness with growth. And this is actually how weād see this from a prime universe perspective. We donāt see compassion as a weakness. We see it as a strength. A virtue. Something to be applauded.
Georgiou has learned that from us, but itās a lesson that wonāt serve her well in the mirror universe.
Sheās not really sure what sheās supposed to be accomplishing here. But sheās been given a chance to go back and do things differently. And sheās taking it.
And now we get to understand Michaelās adoption from her own perspective. She was a master of that rubbish heap. But now, sheās forever in her motherās shadow. Lorca loves her for her.
But, of course, he doesnāt. Sheās just a tool to get at Georgiou.
When goaded into executing Michael, Georgiou canāt do it. She spares her daughter. As of this moment, their future is unwritten.
I think Owo is unconvinced. She may be the next one to turn.
I spent the whole second half of this episode waiting to see if Jason Isaacs would return as Lorca. I really expected to see him in the last few minutes. But that didnāt happen.
So what do you think? Will he turn up part 2?
This was not what I was expecting from Discoveryās first traditional two-parter. I really didnāt think weād ever be going back to the mirror universe. But I enjoyed it. It was kinda cool to see it again and to get to see some of the characters weāve heard about but have never seen.
I think in a lot of ways, this episode is setting up Georgiou to be ready to helm the section 31 series. Making her a better person, so she can believably be the hero that we root for.
A lot of people have been assuming she has to go back to the 23rd century because they assume thatās when the show will be set. But Iāve never been convinced of that. I mean, the reason they brought Discovery into the future was so that the show didnāt have to trample all over TOS canon. If they go back and do section 31 in that time, it kinda defeats the purpose.
I know Strange New Worlds will be set in that time, but its exploration focus will make it a lot more insular. Itāll be less likely to stomp all over canon.
I have mixed feelings about the section 31 show. I love Georgiou, and I love section 31, but Iām not a fan of what discovery did with the organisation in season 2. So I suppose I should clarify that I love section 31 as it was portrayed in Deep Space Nine. Can this show redeem what discovery season 2 did? Maybe. Weāll see.
Anyway, Iām really looking forward to next week. It should be fun to see how things are going to be resolved.
Next week, of course, weāll be talking about Terra Firma Part 2.
Weāre getting close to the end of the season. Itāll all be finished in early January.
Iām looking forward to the Christmas holidays. Itās been a long year and Iām exhausted. Iām gonna have 3 weeks off work, which will be nice, and should allow me some time to catch up with my writing. At present, this podcast basically takes up all of my creative time and energy. And I really need to get Jewel of The Stars book 3 out soon.
Speaking of which you can grab book 1 for just 99 cents at books2read.com/jewel.
Itās basically Star Trek but on a cruise ship.
Well, Iām tired and I canāt think of anything else to say, other than
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
This episode 8 of Star Trek Discovery Season 3, Book is called back to his home planet Kwejian. Osyraa, leader of the Emerald Chain wants Ryn the Andorian back, and she'll do anything to get her hands on him.
There were a lot of different strands running through this episode, so let's dive in and see what we can find in "The Sanctuary".
Get my Sci-fi Christmas Short story "The Christmas Star Disaster" for 99 cents at https://books2read.com/christmasstar
Get the prequel to Jewel of The Stars free at http://www.adamdavidcollings.com/free
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 45 of the Podcast.
And this is also the one year anniversary of Nerd Heaven.
The first episode went live on the 6th of December 2019. In that episode, I talked about the Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode āBest of Both Worlds.ā as part of my āwhat should you watch before Star Trek Picardā series.
I canāt believe itās been a whole year.
During this first year, weāve covered the entire first season of Star Trek Picard, weāve talked about the DC Extended Universe movies, from Man of Steel up to Shazam, weāve occasionally dipped into Middle Earth for my Lord of The Rings Read, Walk and Watch series, and a few other little bits and pieces.
Itās been quite a ride so far. And thereās plenty more to come. After weāre done with Star Trek Discovery season 3, Iām very excited to launch into our analysis of Stargate Universe.
So thank you to everyone who has listened to Nerd Heaven at any point during the last year. I appreciate the support, and I hope youāve enjoyed my musings.
But today, weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Episode 8 āThe Sanctuary.ā
The description on Memory Alpha reads
āBurnham and the USS Discovery crew travel to Bookās home planet to help rescue it from Osyraa, the formidable leader of the Emerald Chain. Meanwhile, Stamets and Adira continue their search for valuable information on the origin of the Burn.ā
The episode was written by Kenneth Lin & Brandon A. Schultz
It was directed by Jonathan Frankes
And it first aired on the 3rd of December 2020.
This episode has a lot of strands. Thereās the main A plot involving Bookās planet, along with character pieces for a number of characters, and the continued investigation into the cause of the burn. Usually, I really like episodes like that, but in this case, I feel like the A plot may not have been developed enough.
Georgiou is in sickbay getting checked out for her weird episodes, but sheās not cooperating. She outright says to Doctor Culbert, āI donāt need your help.ā
It makes me wonder why sheās here in the first place. Was she ordered to report to sickbay? Until now, only Michael knew of the severity of Georgiouās condition. Itās all a bit confusing.
Sheās trying to hide from her own fear of this problem by falling back on her Emperor Georgiou pattern. Making vague threats against Culbert, as if she were still in the mirror universe, and he was a subject that had displeased him. Sheāll continue to do this throughout the whole episode.
Sometimes it feels like a bit much.
Culbert can see right through her. He knows sheās terrified.
Culbert manages to convince her to accept some help by describing how brain dysfunction will progress over time, but her outward attitude hasnāt changed. Her fake bravado is as see-through as my windows. But, I guess she canāt help but maintain it. Sheās Emperor Georgiou.
Bookās home planet is called Kwejian. And heās frantic about having to return there. His brother Kyheem has sent him a message through the courier network. And he wants Michael to go with him. He doesnāt know whatās going on. He doesnāt know why he needs to return home. He only knows it somehow involves Osyrra and the Emerald Chain. So it must have been a pretty vague message. But he hasnāt heard from his brother in 15 years, so he assumes itās bad.
Apparently, there are transwarp tunnels around the galaxy, but using them is very dangerous. Weāre not told why. This is something that needs to be explored more fully.
The first time I watched this episode, I had trouble following this particular plotline. The details came in so fast and frantic I just couldnāt take it all in.
So, the burn caused a shift in the orbit on Kwejianās moon. This caused sea locusts to come out of the ocean and eat all their harvest. So the people were starving. I guess Kwjian is an agrarian world with little technology. I mean, youād think they could plant crops further from the ocean. They have an entire planet, after all.
Anyway, they couldnāt solve this problem on their own, for whatever reason, so the Emerald Chain came along and promised to help. They had a humane way to send the locusts back into the sea. In exchange, the people of Kwejin had to give Osyrra their trance worms. (the same worms that Book has made a career of recovering and returning home)
This seems to be the way the chain operates. They make reckless contact with pre-warp civilisations that have something they want. Vance is aware of 50 other systems in the same predicament. Vance doesnāt have enough ships to help them all and he doesnāt want to risk the spore drive on this.
These episodes all seem to fall into the same pattern lately. Michael goes to Vance with a mission she has some personal stake in. He refuses. Then Saru says something diplomatic and he agrees.
It hasnāt bothered me until now, but this time, itās starting to feel a little repetitive.
We check back in with Tolor, Osyraaās nephew. And we get a glimpse of a Star Trek Picard era combadge. It has no meaning to the scene whatsoever, but, Iām a sucker for a familiar com badge, so ā¦ cool, I guess.
And we finally get to see Osyraa for the first time. She is played suitably menacingly by Janet Kidder, who interestingly, is the niece of the late Margot Kidder, famous for playing Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve. So thatās cool.
Osyraa is ticked off that Tolor lost Ryn. Which kinda surprises him. To Tolor, Ryn was just a nameless Andorian slave. But Osyraa has a very special interest in him.
The episode doesnāt outright say it, but we get the impression Osyraa killed her brother, Tolorās father, in order to take control of the Emerald Chain. So it comes as no surprise that sheās willing to kill Tolor for his failure. She uses the tranceworms for overly dramatic executions. Apparently, theyāre so-named because they mesmerise their prey before eating them. She promises he wonāt feel a thing, but his screams suggest a different story.
Tilly is settling into her job as acting first officer. Saru is trying to come up with a catch-phrase to instruct the crew to carry out their orders.
He says that āhit itā was Captain Pikeās.
Well, .. Star Trek 2009 had him saying āpunch itā and Discovery had him saying āhit it.ā
But if you look back at The Cage, Captain Pike was actually the first to say āEngage.ā
The current Star Trek writers seem to associate this word solely with Picard. But, āEngageā is not really a personal catchphrase. Thatās the order captainās give when they want to go to warp. Pike said it, Picard said it, and Iām sure Janeway and Sisko at least said it occasionally.
Now, Picard DID have a catch-phrase of his own. āMake it so.ā That was used in a different context. He said that when he wanted his subordinates to carry out their orders.
This episode seems to be confusing those two concepts together.
I guess it mildly amusing at times, but I found it all a little too meta for my liking.
So while Michael is distracted helping Book, Stamets and Adira have solved the mystery of the burnās origin. It started in the Verubin Nebula.
Apparently, combining the SP-19 data with the black boxes has revealed this. But ā¦ the Vulcan representative last week said that the SP-19 data conclusively proved that the burn started at Niāvar.
This episode doesnāt address that. It doesnāt even mention it. They need to deal with this, or it becomes a massive plot hole. Somehow, I donāt think theyāll address it, sadly.
And thereās a transmission coming from that nebula. Itās the song everyone has been hearing. Interesting.
Apparently, Saru listens with his eyes, because as heās intently listening to the music, his pupils dilate.
He can hear something else coming from the nebula, in addition to the music. A federation distress signal.
Apparently, there is a third message as well, which Adira can decode by writing an algorithm.
Stamets volunteers her.
And Adira tells him that she would prefer to be addressed as ātheyā rather than āsheā.
So Iāll follow the episodeās lead and refer to the character this way from now on.
Book explains that Kyheem is not his biological brother. āBrother is something we said, we felt,ā he says. Iām really not sure what he means by this, but it appears to me that perhaps the two of them are maybe in a religious order or some sort together. Maybe not quite religious. Itās not well explained, but weāll get to that later in the episode.
But their relationship was damaged when Kyheem started hunting tranceworms for the chains, which obviously would have put them at odds.
It seems the nacelles aren't always detached. They can join and separate. They attach during spore jump and then detach after they arrive.
Apparently, Discovery has a music room. Which makes sense. IT would be one of many recreation areas on the ship. I kinda like that thereās a place where the crew can just go and jam together.
Adira reveals to Stamets that Gray is not talking to them anymore. No idea why. This is interesting. We still donāt really understand what caused Gray to manifest like that in the first place, so understanding why itās no longer happening will be difficult. But itās clearly got Adira upset. Which is understandable.
But on top of that, Adira is really struggling with being joined and having all these memories of previous hosts. Ezri Dax went through a similar thing after she was joined. Waking up and not knowing who she was. In Ezriās case, she wasnāt prepared for it.
Adira didnāt have any training either. The Trill offered it but they turned it down.
Stamets canāt really solve that problem, but he can spend time with Adira. So they play some music together. Apparently, Stammets can play piano. Itās a nice little scene.
So Ryn is recovered from his injuries, and is still onboard Discovery. I like when Tilly corrects his attitude and makes him show a little more respect for Saruās rank. He wants to get off the ship.
He says something very interesting. āFederation help always comes with strings.ā
Tilly is very quick to say āNo it doesnāt.ā
But, of course, she only knows so much about the Federation of the 32nd century. Ryn is not the only character in this episode to express similar sentiments. So why does the Federation have this reputation, and is it in any way justified?
Saru is happy for Ryn to beam down to Kwejian, if that is his wish, but it may be a dangerous thing to do, given that Osyraaās ship will be here in 15 minutes.
And again, Ryn thinks the worst when Saruy says āhowever,ā but heās only looking out for Rynās interests.
The sea locusts are interesting. They float in the air with bladders like hot air balloons. Itās funny. I recently watched the first episode of a documentary on Netflix called Alien Worlds. The show uses a lot of imagination to speculate, based on observations of life on earth, what life on other planets might be like. There was a species in that first episode very much like these sea locusts. Of course, they were predators, whereas the sea locusts are herbivores. Thatās the problem. Theyāre feeding on the peopleās crops.
Given how many locusts there are, so far inland, the planet has apparently not had any repellent for weeks.
Book can talk to them using his super nature powers. To be honest, Iād almost forgotten he had that ability. He seems to have a way to commune with other lifeforms. He can ask them to go, but itās up to them if they agree.
These do, and they float away. But trying to convince all of them to retreat, on a planetary scale, is something that has eluded Kewjianās scientists.
Book and Michael are in an area called the sanctuary. Not sure why. But itās protected by a field that prevents sensors or transporters. So theyāre completely on their own.
Kyheem arrives with armed guards. He doesnāt look very welcoming of his brother, who he calls Tareckx. Apparently, Book changed his name at some point. So theyāre led away at gunpoint.
Georgiou goes into sickbay for a scan. She seems a little more cooperative now. Both Culbert and Pollard are working on her. I really wish theyād just tell us who the chief medical officer on this blooming ship is. Itās so frustrating.
Anyway, Georgiou has one of her episodes while theyāre scanning her, and everything goes a bit weird. The two doctors are pretty freaked out. And Georgiouās face kind ofā¦ turns into a rough polygon model, like an early 90s computer game. My wife had a theory, that after her interrogation a few episodes back, Georgiou was replaced with a hologram. This visual effect would seem to be evidence for that theory, but it would have to be an insanely sophisticated hologram. One that could fool all the sensors on Discovery into thinking she was human. But .. this is the 32nd century.
I dunno.
But it seems that having an episode while in the scan is endangering her life. Pollard wants to stop but Culbert wants the data so they can diagnose her condition.
Itās an ethical dilemma that is not explored at all. Which is a pity.
But she wakes up and pulls out of the scan herself.
So ā¦. Was the scan completed or not? The episode doesnāt make that clear.
But when Georgiou hacks into her medical records, she comes to the conclusion that she is dying. Culbert says itās not that simple, we donāt hear anything more that is said between them.
So Kyheemās job, officially, is to protect the tranceworms. But heās doing the opposite. And thereās a lot of bad blood between him and Book. Book left once his family started working with the Emerald Chain.
So the reason Kyheem called Book here is that Osyraa wants Ryn. Sheās stopped repelling the locusts and will only resume when they have over Ryn.
Saru notes the irony that the Orions are now enslaving so many people, given that many of them, particularly their females, were sold as slaves in the past. In reality, slavery is nothing new to the Orion people.
I like the actor that plays Kyheem. He does a great job. Iām not an acting expert, so I donāt think I can elaborate on that in any more detail, but I like his performance.
Osyraa wants to swap Book for Ryn, but Kyheem is hesitant to hand him over. So Osyraa threatens famine and starts shooting. Seriously, doesnāt this planet have replicators? And if theyāre a pre-warp civilisation, how did Book leave? Where did he get his ship? Book IS human, more or less. He said so in episode 1. That makes me think this is a colony world.
At first I thought Osyraa was shooting up their crops, but it seems she is shooting the defense shield so she can beam Book up. But then, that will allow Discovery to beam him up too.
Itās all a bit confusing.
Saru wants to know why Ryn is so important to Osyraa. But he refuses to answer. Until later in the episode when heāll randomly decide to tell Tilly for no reason.
Saru is in a difficult situation. Heās under orders not to get into a shooting war with the Emerald Chain. Such an act will have repercussions for the entire Federation. But what choice does he have? Until Tilly comes up with an alternative. Fire on her from Bookās ship. Pretend it is under control of a pilot gone rogue, who will be severely punished.
AT first, I thought she was suggesting herself, but then it becomes clear sheās setting up poor Detmer. That seems a pretty harsh thing to put Detmer through. It could be damaging to her career because you can bet Vance will want to know who fired.
Anyway, she gets to show off her piloting skills in a pretty impressive space battle, with a little help from Ryn. I think this will go a long way to helping her regain her confidence, as she proves to herself what she can do.
Detmer is now officially a character now, rather than just set dressing. Itās only taken two seasons. Iām really liking what theyāre letting her do this season.
Sheās successful. She damages Osyraaās ship enough that Osytraa leaves the system.
But she clearly blames the Federation for this, so did they really achieve anything by using Bookās ship instead of Discovery? I donāt think that makes a difference at all.
Osyraa vows that the Federation will feel the full weight of the chain. And thatās worrying.
Kyheem just couldnāt bring himself to hand over his brother, after a great hand-to-hand fight scene. Now that Osyraa is gone, he faces the fact that his people will starve.
But Michael has a plan. Both Book and Kyheem have super magic nature powers. Theyāll work together to ask as many locusts as possible to retreat to the ocean. And Discovery will use technobabble to amplify the signal across the whole planet.
There is definitely something that feels religious about their powers. The brothers use ritualised moments and chant in an alien language, using words like sacred and harmony. As they do this, their foreheads glow with some kind of glyph.
Tilly has a chat with Ryn. Heās worried about Osyraaās retaliation. All his life, growing up, he was taught about how deceitful the Federation was. They were the boogeyman they scared their kids with.
So now, is when Ryn decides to reveal his secret. The one he told Saru that he couldnāt share. No idea why he couldnāt share, and no idea why he suddenly can now.
The emerald chain are running out of dilithium. Iām not sure why this should be a big secret. Dilithium is scarce. Everyone is running out.
Also, apparently, Ryn is the only one who knows. Thatās why Osyraa wanted him back, so he wouldnāt tell anybody.
Which makes no sense.
The minute Ryn escaped on a Federation starship, Osyraa should have considered this information compromised.
Book admits to Kyheem that although Kwejian is home, Discovery, and Starfleet, are where differences are being made, and heās liking being around them, which definitely gets Michael to perk her ears up.
He says thereās a story about why he calls himself Book. A story he doesnāt want to tell right now. Okay.
Anyway, he was serious about the Federation. He wants in. What that means exactly, Iām not sure. Is he wanting to join Starfleet? OR just stick around and help them as a civilian advisor? I guess next week will reveal that.
So that was The Sanctuary. There were a lot of parts I liked about it, but much of it didnāt hold well together for me. But it plays well into the larger story, so as always, itāll be interesting to see where itās all leading.
Iām especially looking forward to them digging deeper into the burn, now they know where it originated.
Next weekās episode is called Terra Firma Part 1. In this serialised age of story-telling, itās not often that a show does a traditional two-parter, but I guess the next two episodes will be even more connected than usual. It should be exciting.
Thanks again for sticking with Nerd Heaven over the last year. Have a piece of cake. Calories donāt count at a birthday party, right?
Donāt forget you can get my sci-fi Christmas short story, The Christmas Star Disaster on all the major ebook retailers for just 99 cents. And you can get the prequel to my Jewel of The Stars series, Fall of The HMAS Adelaide, for free, by signing up to my email list at adamdavidcollings.com/free
Have a great week.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
And happy birthday
In Unification III, Star Trek Discovery gives us a conclusion to the classic beloved Next Generation Story. But can this episode possibly live up to its name? Michael Burnham travels to Ni'Var (formerly Vulcan) where the Vulcan and Romulan people live in peace, thanks to the efforts of her brother Spock. Can she convince them to provide the data that could help understand the source of the burn?
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 44 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Episode 7. Unification III.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
While grappling with the fallout of her recent actions, and what her future might hold, Burnham agrees to represent the Federation in an intense debate about the release of politically sensitive ā but highly valuable ā Burn data.
The episode was written by Kirsten Beyer
It was Directed by Jon Dudkowski
And it first aired on the 26th of November 2020.
So this is the big one weāve all been waiting for, ever since the episode titles were released a while back.
Hereās an important guideline for life. If youāre going to name an episode after one of the most beloved and iconic episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, one that brought Spock himself into the 24th century, you had better make sure the episode lives up to the name.
So...did this episode do that? Letās talk about it and find out.
In the wake of her demotion from first officer last week, this episode opens with Michael struggling to understand whether she still fits in here. I was talking about this last week. Wondering how much longer Michael is gonna stay in that uniform. Sheās asking herself the same question. She believes in the ideals of the Federation, no question. But struggles with the chain of command. Sheās the kind of person who wants to get things done. She sees something that needs doing, sheās just gotta do it. Regardless of who tells her not to.
But thereās another aspect to it as well. As much as she wants to be with her family on Discovery, sheās grown close to Book, and she wants to be with him too. He has no interest in joining Starfleet. Sheās caught between two worlds who donāt want to collide.
I like how this season is continuing to call out Burnham on her need to take responsibility for everything. Theyāre kind of portraying it as a character flaw. Iād say this does help to alleviate the whole āeverything is about Michael Burnhamā problem that the show will probably always suffer from.
So Michael and Tilly have an awkward catch-up. Itās a good scene. It gives some character consequence to the events of the previous episode. Nothing is really resolved, because sometimes things canāt be easily resolved, and Michael has a lot of soul-searching to do at the moment, so Tilly takes them back to the task at hand.
With three black boxes, they have proven that the burn had an origin point. But itās still not enough data points to fully pinpoint the location. Tilly says the three data points would be enough to triangulate in two dimensions, but in three-dimensional space, theyād need more. I found myself wondering if this was just nonsense, or based on real science. I did a quick look, and according to Wikipedia, Triangulations of a three-dimensional volume would involve subdividing it into tetrahedra (which are triangular pyramids) packed together. So Tilly is actually correct. But the big question remains if Michael is senior science officer, how come she doesnāt know basic geometry? The answer to that, is they need to explain things to the audience. Itās basically a glorified āas you know Bobā conversation.
And we learn the name of the first ship, whose black box Michael got her hands on. The USS Yelchin. This, of course, is a nice tribute to Anton Yelchin, the actor who played Checkov in the Kelvin-verse movies. Who was tragically killed way too young. I appreciate these little moments.
Michael has found a record of an old Federation experiment, SP-19, which had a front-row seat to the burn. They must have valuable information, but they never shared their findings.
Admiral Vance says we donāt have access to their information, because itās on NiāVar, a planet that was once called Vulcan.
And this is the part of the episode where we get lots of goosebumps. It turns out, itās not just the Vulcans who live there now. They share their planet with the Romulans.
Saru and Burnham have heard of the Romulans, but know of them only as the enemy who fought a war with Earth in the 22nd century. Vance quickly breaks the news to them that Romulans and Vulcans were two tribes of the same species that went their separate ways. Correct. Discovery came from a time before Balance of Terror, so they shouldnāt know this.
But Burnhamās ears perk up when Vance mentions that Ambassador Spock helped bring them back together.
Sonequa Martin-Greenās facial expressions during this scene are fantastic. Once again, Iām in awe of this thing called acting. Michael has deliberately not looked her brother up to see what kind of man he became. Iām not entirely sure why.
But now sheās learning just what a legend he was.
Thereās so much packed into these couple of sentences.
Burnham is shocked to learn just how instrumental to history her little brother was, but then her face turns to joy as she realises, and we realise, that Spock was ultimately successful. It took centuries after his death, but the Romulan and Vulcan people eventually re-unified.
This made me very emotional.
We all remember that scene at the end of Unification, where Spock talks about the growing awakening heās seeing in the Romulan people. āIt may take them centuries to achieve it, but they will achieve it. And I must help.ā
This actually ties nicely into Star Trek 2009 and Star Trek Picard. Spock helped get the ball rolling, some of the enmity between the Romulans and the Federation faded as they worked as allies during the Dominion War. Then Romulus was destroyed, and the Romulan people became refugees. They had no home. Where else, logically, would they end up, but on their ancestral home with their genetic cousins.
Iām thrilled that Star Trek has now canonised the fact that re-unification was successful. Spockās dream has been realised. He never lived to see it, but his sister did. And thatās just so heartwarming. I love it.
But itās not all roses. Niāvar left the Federation over 100 years ago. It seems thereās still a little work to be done.
Okay. So even before the burn, The federation was running out of Dilithium. And that makes sense to me. Itās a finite resource. You may have many planets to draw on, but you also have many many ships using it. SP-19 was NiāVarās contribution to solving the problem. An alternative propulsion system that would allow instantaneous travel, much like the spore drive. Yes. Good. This is the far future. They should have been developing stuff like this.
But they felt their technology was too dangerous, but it was so promising, the Federation ordered them to continue. They believe the Federation forced them to cause the burn.
Wow. Thatās an interesting development.
This is one of those many theories Vance said are floating around.
But Michael quickly jumps on this. She has proof the origin point of the burn was not Niāvar. They would want to know this. It could not only alleviate all their feelings of guilt, but rebuild the relationship between Niāvar and the Federation. Vance doesnāt think any evidence will convince the Vulcans and Romulans, but then he gets this little smile as he realises he has Spockās sister.
If she comes bearing that news, they might just listen.
And thatās when we get another really touching scene. Michael views a holographic recording of Spock during the events of Unification. It was recovered from the files of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
Now you might ask, was Picard actually filming this encounter that happened in a cave under Romulus? Where did this footage come from? Actually, I think itās conceivable that Picard did make a record of all this for Starfleet. He wasnāt holding a camcorder, but maybe his com badge was able to record it. Or maybe Data was standing just off-screen with a tricorder. Who knows. But Iām more than willing to suspect a little disbelief on that because itās just so touching to see Michael watching this.
I was kinda hoping for a scene just like this, actually. They even picked the exact clip that I would have picked.
I find myself having the exact same emotional reaction to Burnham during all this. Kinda half crying, half smiling. Michael is so proud to see what became of Spock. When she last saw him, he was just a junior science officer on the Enterprise. A man full of internal conflict. He was nothing special. Except to her. He hadnāt yet become the legend we know him as.
This is just so satisfying to see.
One of the first things that I thought about, when we learned Discovery was going to the far future, was āI wonder if Michael will look up her brother and see what he became.ā
I like how Book is just standing with her as she watches the recording. He knows how important this is to her. It speaks volumes of their relationship that she chose to watch this in his presence.
And I laughed when he said āYou guys are chronic over-achievers.ā
Iām really liking the Michael/book relationship. So much more that I ever liked her with Tyler.
This is not the kind of shallow relationship you often see on TV, that is based on nothing but sex appeal. This is a bond formed over a year of friendship. Thatās the foundation great relationships are often built on. I can see these two spending their lives together. I could never see that with Tyler.
Now the episode introduces an interesting subplot. Saru asks Tilly to be his acting first officer while he decides on Michaelās permanent replacement.
I have mixed feelings about this.
Tilly is shocked. I love how she says āSirā¦...what?ā She didnāt even complete the command training program.
But sheās had enough real-world experience that Saru thinks sheās already exceeded the parameters of that training. Possibly true.
But sheās just an ensign. Only a year out of graduating. She was a cadet in season 1.
And this is my big issue with it. It kinda reminds me of Star Trek 2009, when Kirk went straight from cadet to Captain. No Ensign, Lieutenant, Commander. Itās like going from kindergarten straight to university. This isnāt as extreme as that, thankfully, but it still feels like an unnatural jump.
Donāt get me wrong. I love Tillyās ambition to be a captain. And I absolutely want to see her get there.
But itās a process. She needs to work her way up there.
I think Saru should at least be offering her a promotion to Lieutenant along with the job (which frankly she has probably earned at this point.) It would be a weird situation. Almost the entire crew would outrank their first officer. Thereās a difference between position and rank, but the first officer of a ship usually holds the rank of commander, and is outranked only by the captain.
But rank aside, Tilly is also concerned because she would be responsible for a lot of lives. And that makes good sense. I like this. The feeling of inadequacy, when responsibility is offered to us, is a very common human reaction.
Saru is right about one thing. Unlike Michael, he knows Tilly will always put the needs of Starfleet and the Federation above her own wishes.
And then Tilly asks another very good question. āAre you asking because Iām qualified or because Iām compliant?ā I like that. Sheās concerned Saru just wants her to be a puppet.
But he believes this is in the best interest of the crew.
And Saru wisely sees she needs a day to think about it.
When Tilly talks to Stamets about it later, he is kinda weirded out. He admits the notion of her being his superior, of him taking orders from her, is deeply deeply weird. Almost disturbing.
Iām pretty sure that statement was going to be followed by a ābutā but he never gets it out because heās interrupted by something.
So they jump to Niāvar. And Statements gets to use the new Gel interface for the first time.
When we see discovery emerging from the shield that hides Starfleet headquarters, I thought this was a new spore jump effect. It seemed a disappointment. Then I realised my mistake. The jump looks basically the same, but it is faster. They donāt sit there for ages spinning the saucer. Makes sense. Same technology, but with a 32nd century upgrade.
They meet the president of Niāvar. She is honoured to meet the daughter of Sarak and the sister of Spock. But she makes it very clear right from the start, that there is no chance of sharing the SP-19 data.
She explains the delicate political and cultural balance that exists in this post-unification world. The burn only made that more delicate and digging into this stuff could reopen old wounds.
We donāt fully appreciate what sheās trying to tell us here, but weāll gain more insight as the episode progresses.
So Michael, in a last-ditch effort, she invokes an ancient vulcan custom that will allow her to un-earth deep truths. She forced the presidentās hand. A little more of her impulsive and insubordinate nature coming out. But Saru is willing to go along with this.
We see that Discovery has now been upgraded with 32nd century transporters. So the old pre-tos effect will no longer be seen.
This ceremony is kind of like a trial. Itās Burnhamās assertions that are on trial. She gets an advocate. But only members of the Quowat Milat may serve as advocates. So thatās a connection to Star Trek Picard. This order of Romulan warrior nuns were first introduced into Star Trek canon by Picard season 1. Apparently, they were instrumental in helping the Romulans and Vulcans trust echo there during the early days of reunification. Which makes a lot of sense to me.
This episode really is bringing a lot of things together. I like that.
As soon as the president says one of the Qowat Milat sisters has taken a particular interest in Burnhamās case, we know itās likely somebody we will recognise. When she says Michael may have an interest in her as well, itās all but confirmed.
And then when she beams aboard with a hood over her face, we know theyāre setting us up for a reveal.
So who is it?
Itās Gabrielle Burnham. Michaelās mother. Thatās an unexpected development.
Gabrielle never made it to terralysium. She arrived in the future on Essof IV. Thatās the planet where they captured the red angel. So she travelled in time but not space. (and yes, I know, galactic drift.)
But that still doesnāt explain why Michael and Discovery ended up on that random planet when they got here. I wonder if weāll ever get an explanation for that.
We learn that even within Starfleet, it is not widely known that Discovery is from the past. Given the temporal accords, it could be a controversy that Vance doesnāt need. Interestingly, this also helps to explain the A designator on Discovery, even though itās just a refit and not a new ship. Theyāre portraying the illusion that it is a new ship.
Okay. Iām with that now.
The quorum is made up of a Romulan, a Vulcan purist, and a half Romulan half Vulcan.
Michael assumes the Vulcan purist will be the one they need to appeal to. Heāll listen to logic.
Surprisingly, he is the most hostile to her cause. And itās the Romulan who is most sympathetic.
From his perspective, carrying the weight of guilt for the burn has been a hard thing for the Romulan people. They would welcome evidence that they are not responsible.
Thereās a big question of whoās interests Michael is representing. Her own, or those of the Federation. Her mother feels she needs to be truthful with them about her feelings of misgiving concerning remaining on Discovery. She also points out the quorum are not the only audience in the room. Thatāll be important later.
The Vulcan representative says that the SB-19 data conclusively proves that the burn started at Niāvar. So Iām very curious to know the specifics of that data. If Vulcans, who are purely logical, are that convinced of its accuracy, itās going to be very difficult to disprove. Is it possible they are right?
So then Michaelās Mum, who is supposed to be her advocate, rips into her really bad. Attacking her position and everything sheās saying. Michael wonāt be honest about her misgivings, so Gabrielle makes them public for her.
This leads to a great scene where Michael is finally honest and shares her heart with everyone in the room. I donāt have much to say about it, other than itās great stuff.
A lot of this becomes more about Michaelās dilemma and less about the SP-19 data. Itās a time of reconciliation between mother and daughter.
This is when everything starts to fall apart. The Vulcan is as determined as ever to keep the information secret. But the Romulan advocates are seriously considering sharing. And we begin to see the tenuous fabric of re-unification falling apart. The Romulans are openly opposing the Vulcans.
The peace, so hard-fought by Spock, and others is breaking apart.
This is what the president was afraid of. All those old feelings are coming to the surface and itās threatening to put a rift between the Vulcans and the Romulans.
Michael points out this is the last thing her brother would have wanted. If they truly honour Spockās memory, they canāt tear their family apart again.
And so, Micahael withdraws her request. It turns out that unification is more important to her than the data. She demonstrates the purity of her motives to everyone in that moment.
This all works beautifully on so many levels.
Michaels helps to recement the relationship between Romulus and Vulcan. In a way, she does help to finish the work that Spock started.
And by helping to re-connect, in a small way, Niāvar with the Federation, she is still doing the work of reunification.
But, there was another audience in that room. The president. And she decided to trust Michael with the data.
Thereās a touching moment between Gabrielle and Michael. āYou always know where to find me. For the first time since Michael was a little girl, she has her mother. They may not be living close to one another, but sheāll always be here on NiāVar if Michael needs her.
And thatās wonderful.
So then we get the scene where most of the crewmembers that Yilly all know tell her to accept the job as first officer.
As Stamets says āWe know you, and knowing you, weād follow you anywhere. Saru made the right choice.ā
Itās very touching.
It gets even more touching when Micahel tells Tilly that sheās not leaving Discovery. Sheās here for the duration. So Michael has made a firm commitment.
And Tillyās first order is for Michael to analyse the SP-19 data, solve the mystery of the burn and rebuild the federation.
She doesnāt even have to tell Book sheās not leaving Discovery. He knows. So what does this mean for them? Theyāre not sure yet. But I have no doubt heās gonna stay close. They each feel like home to one another.
So that brings me back to my original question. Does this episode live up to its name? Is it worthy to be called Unification III?
Well, after thinking about it for a while, I have to say yes. This episode pays homage to Unification in a profound way. It shows the end result of Spockās work. It demonstrates that his greatest hopes and dreams for the Vulcan and Romulan people have been realised.
But this episode pays homage in a way that feels natural and not forced or overly fan-service-ey.
This is more than just a nostalgic callback to Unification. Itās also its own thing. Itās very much its own story.
So I say a hearty well done to Kirsten Beyer and all those involved in the making of this episode.
I think itās a triumph.
It certainly made me feel, which is the goal of any story.
I think Unification III will be remembered among the classic episodes of Star Trek.
Weāve now passed the halfway mark of season 3. I wonder what the rest of the season will bring. Itāll be interesting to find out.
So, next week, weāll be celebrating the one year anniversary of Nerd Heaven. I canāt believe weāre there already. Thank you to all who are listening. I know thereās not many of you, but I appreciate that even a single person would take time out of their day to listen to me yabber about Star Trek and other nerdy things.
Iāll try to make it special somehow. I have a week to think about how.
In the meantime, have a wonderful week.
Live Long and Prosper.
Make it so.
In the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery, Michael Burnham must choose between loyalty to Starfleet, and her captain, and helping a friend. Cleaveland Booker has located a black box that could provide vital information into the source of the burn, but he has been captured. This was a solid action episode with some nice connections to the larger arc, in both plot and character.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a Nerd
This is episode 43 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery āScavengersā
The description on Memory Alpha reads
After receiving a message from Book, Burnham and Georgiou embark on a rogue mission to find him, leaving Saru to pick up the pieces with Admiral Vance. Meanwhile, Stamets forms an unexpected bond with Adira.
This episode was written by Anne Cofell Saunders
It was directed by Douglas Aarniokoski
And it first aired on the 19th of November 2020.
Make it so.
We begin the episode with a zooming out shot of the USS Discovery, which has undergone an extensive refit to bring it in line with 32nd-century technology. As we pull back, we see the name and registry have been repainted. NCC 1031-A.
Okay. Thatās kind of a big deal. So this is now the Discovery A.
But is that valid?
The letter is added to the registry when a brand new ship is constructed and given the name of an iconic ship. But this isnāt a new ship. Itās a refit to the same ship. Itās a very extensive refit, but then, so was the refit to Kirkās original Enterprise in Star Trek The Motion Picture. But that ship was not the Enterprise A. It was just the Enterprise. The Enterprise A was a brand-new ship that first appeared at the end of Star Trek IV after the original was destroyed in Star Trek III.
So...technically, this shouldnāt be the Discovery A. However, it could be argued that this refit is even more extensive than the one from The Motion Picture. And maybe the rules for registry numbers have changed over the centuries. So ā¦ I think we can just accept it.
Iāll admit that I do get a bit of a kick out of the A.
This refit has taken 3 weeks. Theyāve installed programmable matter, which makes a lot of sense.
Theyāve also detached the nacelles.
Saru says this is to make the engines more efficient and the ship more maneuverable.
The nacelles are floating next to the ship. Iāll admit, this whole detached nacelles thing is a bit weird to me. My first reaction is, thatās silly and doesnāt make any sense. My second reaction is, 930 years have passed. We SHOULD be seeing things that are so wacky and out there that they seem to make no sense. Thatās actually logical. So the more unbelievable it is, the more believable it is.
I assume the nacelles are kept close to the ship by some kind of tractor beam or gravity field. How does the power get to them? Wireless power, I suppose. Thatās already kind of a thing.
So ultimately, I approve, even though I think itās weird.
In the briefing meeting, Saru gets some insight into the kinds of missions that Starfleet is now carrying out.
Helping with food shortages. Delivery supplies. Helping planets that are facing solar flares.Itās all very humanitarian aid, and the distances can cause significant difficulties.
Saru immediately sees where Discovery could help. The spore drive would save a lot of time in helping these people. I like how Vance agrees that he could use ten Discoveries, but since he only has one, he needs them to stay close, ready to serve as a rapid response unit.
When Vance says āRapid Responderā one of the other captains acts like Vance has sprouted a second head. His reaction seems to be way overdone. I kinda get the feeling that maybe this guy was the previous rapid responder. Maybe heās feeling outed.
But Vance tells them all about the spore drive. Itās classified information that is not to leave the briefing room.
Weāve never really seen a scene like this, with a bunch of captains getting their assignments from the admiralty. It probably happened a lot during the dominion war.
Itās nice to see that all the captains are wearing a similar uniform to the admiral, but with different rank insignias. Itās good. I really like this uniform. Itās my favourite of all the new uniforms.
Argeth is on Yellow. Alert. The Emerald chain, the Andorian and Orion Syndicate, might be making a move sometime in the next 12 hours. Nobody knows what they want on Argeth, but Vance is determined to make sure they donāt get it. When things come to a head, thatās when Saru needs to jump in and save the day.
So the crew of Discovery are receiving their new com badges. Just like the ones all the other Starfleet officers wear.
But for some reason, they donāt exchange their uniforms for the new ones.
That seems a little odd.
Anyway, there are practical reasons for adopting the new badges.
In the 24th century, Starfleet made the badges communicators, rather than just decorative.
By the 32nd Century, theyāre so much more.
Theyāre also tricorders, holo padds, as well as communicators, and personal transporters.
This is all a very logical evolution of the technology. I like it a lot.
They kept the user interfaces on the new consoles similar, so it would be easy for the crew to adjust. But at the same time, itās adaptive, programmed to analyse the way people work, and conform to whatever would be most useful for them. Itās all very clever.
The crew seem to really like it.
Thereās an ongoing joke about Linus beaming into random parts of the ship because he doesnāt know how to set the coordinates properly on his personal transporter.
Itās amusing, if a little overdone.
And then theyāre hailed by Grudge the Cat, who has decided to pay them a visit.
I love how sheās just staring at the screen purring.
Michael has been looking for the black boxes of ships destroyed during the burn, to get information about what caused the phenomenon.
Book was on his way to the Bajoran exchange (another DS9 reference) But he heard about a black box on Hanhau, which is Emerald Chain territory. He programmed the ship to bring Grudge here to Starfleet headquarters if he didnāt return after 24 hours.
Seems like heās in trouble.
So technically, Grudge didnāt fly the ship. Pity.
Naturally, Michael wants to go rescue him. Not just because the black box could be invaluable, but also because she cares very much about Book.
The black boxes record the time of detonation, and they donāt all match. This suggests it didnāt all happen at once. It had a point of origin that swept outwards. With a third black box, they could triangulate that point of origin.
This is valuable information.
Saru understands how important this is to Michael, but he canāt authorise this mission. They need to be ready to jump to Argeth at a momentās notice.
Admiralās orders.
Heās seen how vulnerable the federation is. How important these humanitarian missions are.
Of course, his big mistake here is not taking this to the Admiral. Heāll learn this lesson at the end of the episode. But instead, he flatly forbids Michael from doing anything about Book or the black box.
We all know where this is heading. We know what Michael is going to do.
Sheās always had this rebellious streak that leads her to take matters into her own hands. And while sheād made some progress keeping that side of herself in check, the last year of working on her own as a free spirit, outside any chain of command, has only made things worse.
She canāt let this go.
So she goes to Georgiou. The only other person on this ship who doesnāt care about chain of command. Gorgeous is always up for an unsanctioned mission.
But she makes a very astute point. Michael is gonna cause a lot of problems for Saru by doing this. Heās trying to win Vanceās trust and prove the legitimacy of Discoveryās dedication to Starfleet. If Michael goes ahead with this, it will definitely hurt that.
But thatās not enough to dissuade Michael.
Her dilemma feels very real here. She has two very strong motivations. A man she clearly loves, whether that love is romantic or not, and critical information to solving the mystery of the burnt. But itās not just about the mystery to her. She genuinely believes the Federation will never get itself together until they learn the truth.
What do you think about that? I think I need a little more convincing. I agree itās very important for them to find answers. If they know how and why it happened, theyāre better able to determine if itāll happen again and prevent it.
But Iām not convinced that the Federation can never again rebuild and stand proud without that information.
Book has actually made a pretty big sacrifice here for Michael. Heās put aside his own work to try to recover this black box - a very dangerous mission - because he knows it is important to her.
In a sense, they are both being very self-sacrificial here. Book put himself in danger for her, and she is risking her entire career for him. And thatās basically what love is. Self-sacrifice. The definition of love is putting the needs of another person ahead of your own needs.
Bookās ship continues to slowly grow on me. The asymmetry still bugs me, but Iām starting to understand the design. The bridge on the side kinda gives me millennium falcon vibes, but way more futuristic. I really like the shot that starts as a purely CGI exterior of the ship flying at warp, and then zooms in on the bridge. We spend a reasonable amount of time looking through that window watching Michael and Georgiou walking around and talking. Itās very effective and adds some real believability to the ship as an environment.
Georgiou can tell there is romantic tension between Michael and Book. Sheās quite amused by it. But I love when Michael tells her she isnāt qualified to judge on matters of the heart, since her emotional spectrum ranges from cranky to homicidal. Which it definitely does. But in some twisted way, Georgiou does feel some form of love. She loves Michael like a daughter. A replacement for the one who betrayed her.
And thatās when Georgiou has the first of her episodes. Itās not exactly a seizure, it seems more emotional than physical. But sheās suddenly overwhelmed by what I assume are memories. She sees her hand covered in blood, and cries over someone called San. I wonder who that is.
Something weird has been going on with Georgiou ever since she was interrogated by that bloke with glasses. I am really curious what heās done to her. Michael has noticed something is not right.
Hanhau is a private salvage yard. Not open to new customers. The general public are expected to do their business at the local Bajoran exchange. But Georgiou talks them into letting her land with promises of large quantities of dilithium.
I think weāre getting some information in this episode to help us get some idea of where the new Starfleet headquarters are situated in the galaxy.
Federation space is primarily in the alpha quadrant. Their early adversaries, the Klingons and the Romulans are primarily in the beta quadrant.
The core of federations worlds are near the border between the quadrants. Worlds like Bajor and Cardassia are much deeper into the alpha quadrant, a long way from the border with the beta.
Michael indicated she could get to Hanhou, complete the mission, and be back, at warp speed, within 12 hours.
Hanhau is close to a Bajoran Exchange. Iām not sure exactly what that is, but itās clear near Bajor.
So I think we can say that Starfleet headquarters is pretty deep into the alpha quadrant. Near the outer parts of what was considered Federation space back in the 24th century.
And then the scene weāve all been waiting for. Tilly meets Grudge. Apparently, sheās not a cat person, but, Iāll admit, sheās doing pretty well. Itās a cute scene. I genuinely laughed when Tilly asks Grudge if he ate Michael.
Admit the cuteness and humour of this scene, Tilly learns that Michael has stolen Bookās ship and left on the mission.
The wide shot of Hanhau as they descend on the settlement looks awesome.
Tolor, the Orion theyāre dealing with is the nephew of Osyra, leader of the Emerald Chain.
Thereās a lot of slave labour on this world. I guess the Orions are back to their old tricks. But itās not slaves as a commodity to sell. These people are working because they owe Osyraa.
Naturally, Georgiou wants to meet her, as she sounds like her kind of girl.
Seriously, how long do you think it will be before Georgiou goes full rogue and tries to take over the galaxy for herself?
The only thing thatās holding her back from doing that, at this point, is Michael.
Well, that and the weird seizures. I suspect thatās part of some plan to disarm the danger that she represents to the galaxy.
Itās time for our next DS9 reference. Self-sealing stem bolts from the 24th century. And weāll meet an actual Bajoran shortly. Itās almost as if Alex Kurtzman had a listening device in my office, when Iāve been talking about how I want more love for DS9. I guess Iām not the only person who has felt that way.
Georgiou says she wants items from before 2400, which was the end of the 24th century. And the guy holds up an old TNG phase. Nice. but apparently, it contains parts for a later time. I wonder if the writers actually meant pre-2300, which would be the 23rd century.
So was this all just part of the act, to give Michael time to find Book? Or is she genuinely interested in old technology? I canāt see Georgiou being nostalgic, especially for stuff thatās not even from her native universe.
Michael has re-jigged Bookās cat-finder to locate him. And heās close.
Heās a slave working here.
And this is where we meet Lai, the Bajoran.
And Iām thrilled to say his makeup effect looks just like it did on Deep Space Nine. I guess itās kind of hard to mess up a Bajoran nose. Notice heās not wearing an earring. So either itās forbidden for slaves to adorn themselves, or he doesnāt believe in the prophets.
We also meet Ryn, an Andorian slave who is responsible for implanting all the newcomers. Seems most of the slaves view him as a traitor.
But Book is kind to him.
When Lai tries to steal a water ration, Tolor makes an example of him. From a writing perspective, it's useful because it demonstrates how difficult it is for people to escape this prison.
So Adira is back on the ship, after having some kind of medical examination last episode. She seems a bit workaholic. Doesnāt want to explore the ship. Gray wants to see more of Discovery, but he can only go where Admira goes. And sheās not interested.
Stamets is annoyed that his spore lab has been messed with. Things are not where they used to be. But heās quite impressed when he learns that Adira has upgraded the interface, so he doesnāt have to have metal plugs in his arm anymore.
Michael finally makes contact with Book. And he says what people always say in this situation. āYou werenāt supposed to come and rescue me.ā
And then she says what the rescuer always says. āI had to.ā
Theyāve got 40 minutes to rescue him and get the black box, before he is sent up to work on a ship above for a week. Heāll be harder to rescue from there.
This is where we learn more about Ryn. He was born into the Emerald Chain, but tried to rally people against the organisation. They were starting to listen so Osyraa cut off his antennae and made him the guy who implants the slaves.
Now, this is interesting. We know from Enterprise that Andorian antennae grow back.
So maybe she did something to prevent that, like cauterising the stumps or something. I dunno.
This is why heās a pariah to everyone.
Saru has a quiet word with Tilly about Michael. Tilly knows even less than Saru.
Saru is feeling pretty distrustful of Michael now. As much as he did when they were back on the Shenzhou. Which is kinda sad, given how close they seemed to have become last season.
This is really interesting because Tilly acts in a way other than what we might expect. Certainly not how Saru expected. But it makes sense. She makes a good point.
She pushes for Saru to tell the Admiral. Itās a delicate time for the Discovery crew at the moment. Things will look bad if the Admiral finds out from someone other than Saru.
Tilly loves Michael like a sister but she also cares for this crew.
Tilly is trying to be understanding of Michaelās motives, but Saru believes Tilly would never have done this, had she been in Michaelās situation.
Itās time for the jailbreak. Ryn is in on it too. Heās retrieved the black box for Book.
Saru is explaining Michaelās disobedience to Vance, but promises, they are still ready to carry out their mission, even without their first officer.
He overhears a line about a ship returning and undergoing a baryon sweep. This is a process that the Enterprise D once underwent. Itās meant to eliminate Baryon particles from the starshipās hull. Letās hope this ship doesnāt get taken over by terrorists like the Enterprise did.
Vance tells him that diplomacy is failing. Discovery will need to jump soon.
The prison riot is on. But the perimeter fence is still up. Michael and Georgiou have to take it down, but they have their hands full with Tolor and his thugs.
Itās all standard action scenes, which Discovery does pretty well.
I was listening to a writing podcast the other day. In it, one of the presenters said āif your character has seizures, youād better make sure they have one in the middle of the climactic battle.ā It was The Six Figure Author podcast, if youāre interested.
Anyway, this is exactly what happens here. Georgiou is about to shoot Tolor when she has another episode.and drops the gun.
Fortunately, she comes to just in time to bring the fence down, as Tolor beams away.
The slaves all escape, but Ryn is shot with one of those cool ring phasers. I thought, at this stage, that Ryn was a gonner. But Book isnāt willing to give up on him.
And then Bookās ship turns into a transformer!
Seriously, it breaks into a bunch of separate parts and reconfigures itself. Except the new configuration doesnāt seem to look any different to my eyes. Iām not sure what the point of this reconfiguration was, but it was visually pretty cool.
Another example of those āseems silly, but believably silly given the centuryā things.
I imagine the same technology that lets the nacelles hover next to the ship is also responsible for this transformation.
Iād like to understand a lot more about what the transformation actually means, and why it happens.
Book beams aboard with Ryn.
Georgiou takes out Tolorās ships. One of them looks like an old Miranda class. The crashing scene looks awesome. Comparable to anything youād see in a big-screen movie these days.
Michael is more freaked out that Georgiou doesnāt know whatās up with her episodes than she is about the episodes themselves.
From Georgiouās point of view, until she understands, thereās no point revealing her weakness, because she doesnāt know what help to ask for.
This is a reasonable attitude for a Terran from the mirror universe. Over there, sheād be killed for showing any kind of weakness.
Stamets sits down with Adira in the mess hall. Heās noticed her talking to herself. She decides to open up and explain the whole situation with Gray.
Adira speculates that this has happened because they were so close, and the symbiont passed from one to the other. Iām betting thereās more to it than that. But itās a reasonable theory.
They get Ryn back to the ship, and Doctor Pollards says he's going to make it. Which is nice. Poor guy deserves a break.
Michael has to go face the firing squad, but on the way, she has a little moment with Book. And they finally kiss. I get the impression this is their first kiss. That they were both honest about not having been romantically involved during the past year.
Stamets sees a lot of himself in Adira. Somebody who lost a person they loved, but then, got them back in some form.
Stamets says he believes Adira. And I want to believe him. But part of me wonders if he still thinks of this as a bit more metaphorical than literal. Is this just part of her grieving process, like he went through with Hugh, or is she literally carrying Grayās soul around with her? Either way, Stamets is willing to take it at face value and definitely not ridicule.
As he and Hugh get ready for bed they talk about Adira. Stamets is starting to think that he can be a help to her. Something of a mentor. Itās not a role he ever thought heād find himself in.
Itās time for Saru and Micahel to face the Admiral.
He points out that Saru was right to follow orders but he also needs to trust his judgement. He should have brought this opportunity to Vance, who might have considered the intel worth the risk. He may have actually authorised the mission. Theyāll never know now.
I really like this because theyāre not turning Vance into the stereotypical bad admiral. Heās a reasonable guy, even though thereās a lot of antagonism between him and Michael because of their differing opinions.
I love that this is a learning opportunity for Saru as well. Heās a good captain, but heās an inexperienced captain.
Vance doesnāt think Burnham deserves special consideration for saving the galaxy by going through that wormhole. She was doing her duty. She starts each new assignment at zero along with everyone else.
In the end, Discovery didnāt have to jump. Iām guessing the happenings on Hanhau stole away Osyraaās focus.
Michael saved lives on that planet, which is the only reason sheās not in the brig.
Vance leaves her punishment in Saruās hands.
So he does what he doesnāt want to do, but honestly, the only thing he can do.
He relieves her of her role as first officer. She will be restricted to chief science officer duties.
Even Michael agrees this is right.
Itās all about trust, and right now, he canāt trust her to the extent that a captain should trust their number one.
Iām starting to think that Michael will never really fit in with Starfleet. Sheāll always be the rebel that just canāt manage to follow orders. It makes me wonder how long sheāll hang around Discovery. I guess she has to stay associated with them for as long as the show runs, since itās called Discovery, and sheās the lead.
So now Iām wondering who the new number one will be. I hope they address this next week and not just ignore it.
It was nice to see Book again. This was a solid episode. Nothing mind-blowing, but a good fun action story, with some good character connections to the larger whole.
I enjoyed it.
Next week, we have the episode Unification III. Iām really curious about this. One of the most iconic two-part stories from Star Trek The Next Generation was Unification I and Unification II. The story was based around Spockās attempts to re-unify the Romulan and Vulcan people. How will this episode tie into that? Thereās gotta be some connection. The name is too much of a coincidence to be .. well .. a coincidence. So Iām really looking forward to finding out what the deal is.
One of my favourite authors, Brandon Sanderson, has just released the 4th book in his Stormlight Archive series. The minute it happened, I sent a link to my wife, so she can buy it for me for Christmas. Iām looking forward to reading it. I might do a couple of podcasts episodes about the book next year, kinda like what I do with my Lord of The Rings series, which I havenāt forgotten about. I havenāt been walking as much as I should, so Iāve gotten a little behind with the whole Walk to Mordor Challenge that itās all based around.
Anyway, nothing is set in stone. But weāll see.
Donāt forget, you can get the first book in my Jewel of The Stars series for just 99 cents on all major eBook retailers, or you can read it for free on Wattpad.
Have a great week, and Iāll see you for Unification III next time. Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In the newest episode of Star Trek Discovery, the crew finally locate Starfleet headquarters, in what is a fanboy extravaganza. We see Voyager J and the USS Nog. I love the back and forth between Admiral Vance and Saru and Burnham. Can they convince him to trust them, and is coming back to Starfleet, after so many centuries all they hoped it would be?
Another great episode of Star Trek.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 42 of the podcast.
Yes. 42. A very significant nerd number. Letās just take a moment to appreciate life, the universe, and everything.
Ok. on with it.
Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery season 3 episode 5. Die Trying.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
After reuniting with what remains of Starfleet and the Federation, the USS Discovery and its crew must prove that a 930 year old crew and starship are exactly what this new future needs.
The teleplay was written by Sean Cochran based on a story by James Duff & Sean Cochrane.
It was directed by Maja Vrvilo
And it first aired on the 12th of November 2020.
Make it so.
The episode opens with Saru giving a captainās log. And thatās awesome. I believe itās the first time weāve heard him utter those iconic words. The interesting thing is, itās a supplemental log. Last week started the same way, with Doctor Culbert giving a supplemental log.
A supplemental log is just that ā¦ itās a supplement. The original series used supplemental logs as a little catch-up for those viewers coming in part-way through the broadcast who might have missed the beginning of the episode. In-universe, itās like an addition to the dayās log. Now itās conceivable that we would open a story with them supplementing their log, but the things they say just donāt feel very supplemental. They feel like the main content of a log.
The first two seasons of this show often used supplemental logs to good effect, because it meant they didnāt have to quote a stardate, and they had no good system for stardates in the pre-TOS era.
But weāre now in the 32nd century, and we have a good Stardate system. In fact, a stardate is mentioned later in the episode. So why are doing all these supplemental logs at the start of episodes? Feel a little weird.
But anyway, Saru is giving a captainās log. And I love that.
Discovery is about to arrive at the coordinates where theyāll find the headquarters for both Starfleet and The Federation. And itās nice to see that the writers are finally understanding the distinction and relationship between those two entities.
Thereās a hint of misgiving in Saruās voice. They donāt know what the Federation or Starfleet look like in this century. Will they be eager to see a 930 year old ship? Will the Discovery crew have a hope of fitting in with this version of Starfleet? Will the common ideals remain enough to bind them together? As they were in the fantastic crossover novel Star Trek Federation by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens. Great book. Check it out if you havenāt read it.
Michael doesnāt just want to know whatās become of Starfleet in this universe. She wants to find out what happened to her mother. Maybe there will be some answers here.
So, headquarters is contained in a distortion field meant to hide it. Iām not sure itās very effective. Itās this big glow blob thing that must raise a few eyebrows, both visually, and on sensors. But anyway,
Discovery flies in.
Have you noticed that the shuttle bay doors always seem to be open these days. I know they have a forcefield to hold in the atmosphere, but thatās just meant to be up while the doors are open for ships to come in and out. Itās kind of weird that they just fly around with it open all the time. Very odd. I mean, it looks cool on screen, but itās not very practical.
This opening sequence is just a massive Star Trek geek-out. We get to see a bunch of 32nd century Starfleet ships, but we donāt get a really good look at them. The lighting in this shot seems designed to obscure them, more than show them off, which I think is a terrible shame. I want to get a sense of these ships.
One of them seems to have really long nacelles, like Discovery. Another seems to be shaped like a donut.
The looks on everyoneās faces is priceless, and kind of matches how weād all feel if we were suddenly in the heart of Starfleet territory, surrounded by ships.
The crew notice ships with neutronium alloy fibres, organic hulls, ships that are entirely holographic, a new USS Constitution that can sleep a crew of two thousand, detached nacelles, and a flying rainforest.
And then we see the USS Voyager. NCC 74658-J
Which is really cool.
Not all Starfleet ships that re-use the name of a previous vessel get the letters in the registry. Often, they just get a brand new number. Itās only special ships that retain that registry number and add a letter on the end. Enter Enterprise was one example. It seems Voyager is another. And that makes sense. Voyagerās journey home from the Delta Quadrant would be the stuff of legend in this day and age.
We donāt get a great look at the new Voyager, but its primary hull seems to follow a similar shape to the original.
Itās the eleventh ship to bear the name.
Memory Alpha has said that Voyager J is a 32nd century intrepid class vessel. But that doesnāt make sense. The intrepids were a class of ships used in the 24th century. Starfleet doesnāt re-use the class name like that. If it were intrepid class, it should look exactly like the original voyager. Anyway, this isnāt on-screen canon.
And then the big moment, we fly past the USS Nog. NCC-325070
This is a blink and youāll miss it moment, and honestly, youāll probably miss it even if you donāt blink. You can barely read the name with all the lense flare going on.
This particular moment was spoiled for me by the internet, because I donāt get Discovery until Friday night, here in Australia. So I spent the whole episode waiting for the USS Nog to show up. I expected it to be a significant part of the story. It wasnāt. It was just a quick visual easter egg.
But, itās an awesome one.
I love that they did this. Alex Kurtzman has confirmed this ship is named after the character Nog on Deep Space Nine, who was the first Ferengi to join Starfleet. And heās said this is an Eisenberg class ship.
This, of course, honours the late Aron Eisenberg who played Nog, and who tragically died just over a year ago. In my opinion, Nog was one of the greatest characters in all of Star Trek. He had the greatest character arc the show has ever done, and by all accounts, Mr. Eisenberg was a wonderful human being. So Iām thrilled that Discovery honoured him in this way.
After Discovery hails headquarters, letting them know the USS Discovery is reporting for duty, they ask for the Captain, First office and Tal to beam aboard. Their sensors can detect the presence of the symbiont.
As they are snatched away by a transporter beam, the musical score goes full-on fanboy, which honestly was appropriate for this moment.
We get a decent look at the new Starfleet uniforms. Theyāre similar, but not quite identical to what we saw in Talās memories last episode.
They look like a decent continuation of the style weāve seen on the USS Relativity, and from the temporal agents in the temporal cold war.
Thereās a bunch of different uniforms. The admiral uniform is different, obviously, as it always is. Then there are light grayish blue uniforms with a stripe going up them in traditional TNG-era department colours. But there is another uniform, light dray on the bottom with dark blue shoulders, in a shape Iām not sure how to describe in words. This is worn by the chief of security and at least one other officer. This particular uniform looks the least Starfleet and seems to be out of place among the others.
Oh, and the com badges are not identical to the one worn by Admiral Sena Tal. I actually prefer Talās com badge, because the Starfleet delta is a bit more visible. But anyway.
And we meet Admiral Vence, commander-in-chief of Starfleet.
Saru is delighted to learn that Kaminar joined the federation.
We learn about The Omega Chain, a coalition of Andorian and Orions. And we learn of someone called Osyraa, who is becoming more brazen every day. I imagine weāll learn more of him and his organisation in future episodes. The omega chain gets name-dropped again later.
The admiral knew Sela Tal, but makes it clear that he and Adira are strangers to one another. And then Adira is taken off for a medical diagnostic. And thatās the last we see of her in this episode. I wonder what all of that is about. Maybe they just want to make sure that the symbiant and the human host are healthy with one another. But the Trill themselves would have been better equipped to determine that.
Iām really curious what thatās all about.
I noticed, on my first watch, there was a little visual easter egg, a mention of the Kazon on a computer monitor. I imagine that before the burn, the Federationās influence extended into the Delta Quadrant. Maybe even the Gamma Quadrant as well. Distances that were insurmountable for Voyager were probably considered ājust next doorā before the burn.
This season, and this episode in particular, are making me feel the same way that I first felt when I started watching TNG. This is Star Trek, but itās a whole new Star Trek. Itās a great feeling.
I enjoyed the first two seasons of this show, but Iām loving this season way more than I was expecting to.
But then we learn about the Kili. Some refugees of a cool-looking new alien race are sick with some kind of disease which is plaguing their world. Burnham is immediately keen to help with that problem, but Vance wants to hear their story first.
And Iām pleased to see they are finally telling someone the truth about their situation. The whole truth. Control, the sphere data, the spore drive. The red angel. All of it.
And Iām glad about that. The whole hiding who they were thing was starting to get a bit old, and well...strange.
The rather annoying EMH notes that Saru may be the last Kelpien who still retains biochemical traces of Vaharāai.
Which is odd, because Vaharāai is basically a stage of development, like puberty. So we are to say that the offspring of Kelpiens who have gone through Vaharāai and shed their ganglia, are born without ganglia of their own, they are are born as āevolved Kelpiensā as the second season episode rather incorrectly called them. Thatās weird.
Remember, long ago, there were āevolved Kelpiens,ā but the Baāul forced them back into their pre-vaharāai state. None of this has been explained very well.
There are currently 38 member worlds of the Federation that Vance is aware of. There may be other worlds out there that still consider themselves members, but have lost all contact. There were 350 member worlds at the Federationās peak. I wonder when exactly that peak happened.
And I do still love the floating tables and chairs. Theyāre cool.
The EMH, Eli has confirmed that Saru and Michael are not lying. But Starfleet records hold no references to Control, a red angel or a spire drive. Thanks, Spock.
So heās understandably skeptical. He canāt corroborate their story. And the Federation spent most of the 30th century fighting a war to uphold the temporal accords. We, of course, know this as the temporal cold war. Time travel is outlawed. Which means, the Discovery crewās presence here is by definition, a crime.
This all makes perfect sense. Given their past, the present-day Starfleet would be very uncomfortable with time-travellers, even if they claim to have come from a time far predating the temporal war.
Are the discovery crew here as an attempt by somebody to change the future? He canāt rule that out. And he shouldnāt.
He canāt afford to trust them without evidence.
Youāll notice that Starfleet, and Vance in particular, is the antagonist of this episode, because he opposes Saru and Michaelās goal. He stands in the way as an obstacle to what they want.
Note, that doesnāt make him a villain. This isnāt evil Starfleet. I think a lot of fans have had enough of evil Starfleet lately. No. This is Starfleet being cautious, as they should.
Vane plans to requisition Discovery for analysis and retrofit, and split up the crew.
This immediately gets our heckles up. That sounds terrible. The crew of Discovery are a family. (and yes in this season, they have earned that descriptor). The reason they all left their lives behind to come into the future was so that Michael wouldnāt have to be alone here. If they are split up now, it defeats that whole purpose. They might as well have remained in the 23rd century and let Michael fly Discovery on auto-pilot as she originally planned.
This is really upsetting to all of them, and not something any of them are going to want to take sitting down.
And Iām totally on their side in this.
However.
What Vance is saying makes sense from his point of view. If the Discovery crew are here for some nefarious reason, it decreases the probability of them being able to carry out whatever it is they intend by breaking them up, separating them randomly.
It seems harsh, but I understand why heās doing it.
Vance asks Saru to put the needs to Starfleet ahead of the needs of his crew.
Thatās hard.
Thereās a fantastic scene between Saru and Michael, back in Discoveryās ready room. Michael is all worked up about this, and understandably. She makes some good practical points why Vance is wrong. Why the crew should be kept together. They know this ship. They know the spore drive, and if this family is broken up now, some may never recover. All true.
But Saru rightly points out that itās Vanceās call. Heās the admiral. Heās the commander in chief.
They chose to rejoin Starfleet. They could have just stayed out there as a rogue element, like so many others in the galaxy. They chose to come back and submit themselves to Starfleetās chain of command.
The balanced, two-sided conflict here is delicious.
Michael is all set to steal information about the Kili, so they can help cure the disease and prove their worth.
Saru has to remind her that Starfleet officers donāt operate that way. A lesson he thought sheās learned by now, after her ill-fated mutiny on the Shenzhou. And I think she had, but sheās been living as a free spirit in this century for a year. She admitted sheād let go of a lot of things. She needs to be reigned in by Saru, and she knows it. Her humble realisation of that is nicely portrayed.
While the crew are interrogated, with various levels of cooperation, Saru and Burnham attempt to request the roster of planets the Kili visited through official channels.
Theyāre starting to get through to Lieutenant Willa.
Burnhamās unique knowledge of the past helps her to solve the mystery of the Kili Illness. The only way to cure it is to get a hold of some pre-mutated plants from Urna. The only place to find this is a Federation seed vault ship, which still exists today. The USS Tikhov. It holds samples of every plant in the galaxy. Itās like a vast seed library.
The problem is, the Tikhov is four months away.
The spore drive is the obvious solution. But the only crew-member Vance needs is Stammets.
Heās gonna put a new crew of trusted officers on Discovery.
Burnham makes some valid points in argument, but as usual, her tone is insubordinate.
It takes Saru to find the diplomatic middle-road.
Heāll remain on the station, kind of like collateral.
Burnham will command the Discovery, but Willa and two security officers will accompany them.
You see, Vance is not completely unreasonable. But he does need to be convinced.
So they jump to the Tikhovās coordinates, but the ship is stuck in an ion storm. They have to reach in and tractor them out.
And this is where we get another great Detmer scene.
As things get tense, she starts to blank out. Sheās going all distant again. Because once again, the pressure is all riding on her shoulders.
But Owo notices she's freezing and gives her some reassuring words. āYou have time. You can do this.ā And itās enough to pull Detmer back, now that sheās being honest.
I really liked this.
I can see a real friendship growing between those two characters. Kind of like a Geordi / Data thing, or a Tom and Harry thing.
The most interesting part of the interrogations is definitely the Georgiou stuff.
The bit where she shuts down holograms by blinking at them is kinda weird.
The guy who questions her is kind of interesting. He wears glasses because he thinks they make him look smarter. (Remember even in the 23rd century glasses were mostly a thing of the past, unless youāre allergic to Retinax V like Kirk) He reminds me a little of Bill Nighy.
Heās fascinated by Georgiou and the Terrans in particular. They build an empire based on the maxim, because we feel like it. So why did she join a Starfleet crew? He figures out she has a personal stake. She cares, personally, for Michael.
He also figures out that the only way heāll glean information from her is by the questions she asks him. Nice.
She wants to know who is really calling the shots in the galaxy today. Who caused the burn? Are they the same? You can see that sheās already planning her next move. Is she wanting to take over the whole thing for herself? Maybe set herself up as an emperor again? Itās in her nature.
But she learns that the terran empire fell centuries ago, which we know from Deep Space Nine.
Itās all thanks for mirror Spockās preaching of peace, as motivated by Kirk. but as Kirk pointed out, the empire could not stand forever. It would fall eventually. This really seems to have rattled her.
WE also learn that the distance between our universe and the mirror universe started expanding after she crossed over. I wonder what caused that. Kirkās encounter there? Something else? There hasnāt been a crossing in over 500 years. That puts the last crossing at no later than the 27th century. He said over 500, so I wonder exactly how much earlier it was.
And I wonder what the mirror universe looks like now, in 3189.
Different Federation worlds take turns looking after the seed vault. At present, itās a Barzan family. Nahn is excited to learn that her people joined the federation in the 25th century.
The Tikhov is overgrown with plants, which is a little weird. Itāll be explained later, of course.
They find a holo recording of the Barzan family. Someone is humming a tune. The same lullaby that Adira was playing on the cello.
This appears to be quite the mystery, and weāll come back to it at the end of the episode.
Donāt let me forget.
While looking through the logs, Nhan learns that something terrible happened here. A light hurt the wife and kids. The husband hoped a cure could be found in the vault. Heās been growing the plants from the seed vault, searching for answers.
Culbert finds the wife and kids dead in stasis.
The husband, Attis is in a weird state. He appears and disappears. Heās out of phase.
Nahn says that Barzans donāt have the same concept of death as humans. But she doesnāt really explain what that means. Attis clearly believes he can find a way to bring his dead family back to life.
I wish theyād explored this concept a little more. Because at face value it doesnāt make sense. What exactly do Barzanās believe about death?
They canāt get into the seed vault without Attisās password. So they have to find a way to reason with him.
Stamets, Reno and Tilly figure out that the ship was hit by a coronal mass ejection. Attis was beaming at the time, which is why he survived, but also why heās out of phase, kinda mid-transport.
But they cure him of this with the transporter.
And Michael manages to get through to him.
He gets her the seeds she needs to save the Kili.
But Attis wonāt leave the Tikhov. He wonāt leave his family.
I donāt understand. Canāt they beam his family on board with him, while he gets medical treatment.
Is this just a suicidal thing because he canāt bear to live without his family?
Michael wants to force him to come, because if he stays, the seeds will be lost? A valuable part of Federation history. I guess, she assumes if he stays, heāll keep taking the seeds and growing them, depleting the supplies from the vault.
So Nahn decides to stay behind and watch the seeds, fulfilling the Barzan watch.
Sheās suddenly feeling very connected to her people.
Somehow, Nahn again connects this, emotionally, to Ariumās death. I still donāt quite understand the connection.
I was shocked that Nahn was leaving the ship here, because theyāve only just promoted her character to the opening credits of the show. So, Iām convinced we havenāt seen the last of her.
Anyway, it was nice to see her so happy.
So it seems that Michael has proven herself and the Discovery crew to Vance.
He is willing to put them back on the active duty roster.
But Starfleet doesnāt have 5-year missions anymore. Exploration is a luxury they can no longer afford.
Saru argues, via a historical anecdote, that their unique position, from a revered time, might help the Federation to look up, to regain some parts of itself that it has lost.
Vance agrees that Starfleet has been in triage for a long time.
Heās willing to let the crew stay together, but theyāll go where he says, when he says. Thereās still a way to go to making the Federation what it once was.
As for exploration, well, everything in this century is a new frontier for the discovery crew, so in that sense, they are exploring.
Itās nice to see them all come to an agreement.
Burnham really wants to know more about the burn.
There are a lot of theories about what caused it. Theyāve never found sufficient evidence to support one over the other.
He feels there are no further conclusions to draw unless someone can find additional evidence, but there are more important concerns right now.
I like how Burnham takes this as a personal challenge to find new evidence, but at the same time, acknowledges that right now, itās not the highest priority.
Sheāll keep her eyes open, but sheāll follow orders.
This feels like a big turning point in the season. Theyāre now accepted into Starfleet. No longer are they doing their own thing. Theyāll be receiving missions. Itās a nice little status -quo shift.
Now, back to that music.
Lieutenant Willa says half the people here know some version of that music, including he. Barzans, a Trill living on Earth. They all know this mysterious piece of music, but donāt know why, and yet, theyāre separated by vast distances due to the shortage of dilithium.
Willa canāt explain it, but isnāt going to lose any sleep over it.
But itās got Michael intrigued. And itās got me intrigued too.
I really hope they can pull off a satisfying conclusion to the mysteries theyāre raising this season. The resolution of the red angel thing last season was not all I had hoped for.
But Iām feeling optimistic.
Gorgeous is acting really weird. She doesnāt even notice Michael for a moment.
I think sheās in grief that the Terran empire fell, and that sheās so far from her home, probably never to see it again. But I also think sheās plotting. And that worries me quite a bit. But at the same time, Iām pleased that theyāre being honest with her character. As she said, sheās wicked, even for a Terran. In season 2, I think the writers forgot that.
Saru needs to remind Michael to choose her words more carefully with the Admiral in future. If heād been a less reasonable man, things might not have ended up so well.
Iām excited to see where this new status quo is going to take us. What mission will Vance send the Discovery on next week? Itāll be exciting to find out.
Most Star Trek shows find themselves in their third season. It was true of TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise. It seems to be true of Discovery as well. Theyāve found a good balance that I think will appeal to a wide variety of Star Trek fans. The tone feels way more Star Trek than previous seasons, but thereās still enough character focus to satisfy me. And while I enjoyed the darker tone in season 1, I donāt think theyāve over-compensates. They found a tone that Iām still good with. After all, I already liked Star Trek before it got dark with DS9, Discovery, and Picard.
Personally, I think thereās room for lots of different types of Star Trek, but what theyāve hit this season is the type that will have the broadest appeal, I think.
Iām hoping it wins back some fans who had previously been anti-discovery.
Next weekās episode is called Scavengers. Thatās all we know about it so far.
Last year, I wrote a Christmas sci-fi short story, set in my Jewel of the Stars universe. I put it up on Wattpad, where you can still read it for free, but Iāve just published it on all the major eBook retailers, where you can find it for 99 cents. So whichever way you prefer to read it, Iād encourage you to check it out.
Itās a nice little story to get you in the festive mood. Because Christmas does seem to be coming a bit early this year. After a very strange year, I donāt blame people for wanting to hold onto something happy and fun.
Anyway, my story is called The Christmas Star Disaster. You can find it at Books2read.com/christmasstar and thatās the number 2.
See you next week.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In the fourth episode of Star Trek Discovery Season 3, Forget Me Not, we pay a visit to the Trill homeworld, only seen once before in the DS9 episode Equilibrium. There, Adira hopes to find a way to connect with the memories of her symbiont. Meanwhile, Saru tries to help the crew deal with the emotional issues they're facing since leaving their lives behind.
This episode had some fantastic character moments, and I'm loving the way they're developing Detmer's character. It was also wonderful to see Trill again.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 40 of the podcast.
Today weāre looking at the fourth episode of Star Trek Discovery season 3.
For Me Not.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
Burnham and Adira visit the Trill homeworld while Saru's efforts on the Discovery to help the crew reconnect yield surprises.
It was written by Alan McElroy & Chris Silvestri & Anthony Maranville
It was Directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper
And it first aired on the 5th of November 2020.
Make it so.
This episode follows a fairly classic Trek structure. Thereās an A plot and a b plot. But in this case, both are connected to the ongoing serialised plot arc of the show.
To be honest, my favourite part of the episode was not the Trill stuff, as awesome as it was to see a familiar Trek race come back, a DS9 race no less, it was the B plot that dealt with all the emotional baggage the crew are facing as they adjust to their new reality. It was done very well.
And thatās actually where the episode begins.
We get a log entry from Doctor Culbert. The visit to earth has been a reality check for the crew and itās all starting to hit them, just how little they have to hold on to. When they first arrived, it was all frantic survival. But now theyāve had time to live with it for a bit, and the reality is starting to set in. Theyāve left everything behind. Everyone they ever loved. Everything that was familiar. The personal moments we use to define ourselves. Theyāve jumped past all of that. They all feel lost and disconnected.
Culvert is in a unique situation to understand, with all the weird stuff heās gone through, and overcome. He knows something is going on with Detmer. He saw it back in episode 2. But sheās not yet willing to admit that she needs his help.
A mantra has arisen among the crew. āWhen we find the Federation.ā some find comfort in that. But not all.
Iām really glad they took the time in this episode to acknowledge all of this. Itās important for believable characters. They canāt just go on as if their lives havenāt been turned upside down.
Weāre seeing the truth of what a big sacrifice it was that they made.
Now, hereās the big problem. Iāve touched on this a little in previous episodes, but there are so many crew members on the ship. And not just our main characters, who know Michael well and really care for her, but all the extras. The little guys. People like Gene who was cleaning Leelandās remains out of the spore chamber, or the no-names we pass in the hallway in this episode. How well did these people know Michael? Well enough for them all to willingly give up their entire lives, their families, to go into the future with her? Iām sorry, but I find that pretty unbelievable.
The truth is, we should have had a small group of people come along, who had a close relationship with Michael. And maybe a couple of others who had nothing to leave behind.
We should have a crew that is barely adequate to keep the ship running. We should be scrambling to find new crew members to come aboard and help. Not only would that add some extra tension to the show, it would be a whole lot more believable. It seems that practically the entire crew of Discovery came to the future. And I just canāt buy that.
And weāre reminded that Adiraās trill symbiont has the knowledge to help them find Starfleet headquarters. But because sheās human, she canāt properly access those memories.
Looking at Adiraās scan, the symbiont seems way too big, but thatās a minor nitpick, and thereās a bunch of ways to explain it. But it looks like what a trill symbiont should look like.
Adira doesnāt remember how she got the symbiont. In fact, she remembers waking up a year ago in an escape pod. Before that nothing. Does she mean literally nothing? As in, no knowledge of her life before the symbiont? I think she does. But there are some things bleeding through, like the ability to make a great Bajoran Hasperat.
They have a quick discussion, but all agree pretty quickly that the best option is to go to Trill. Thereās no guarantee the Trill will help, but if they do nothing, nothing changes anyway.
So they arrive and ask for medical help for a host and its symbiont. The commissioner is delighted to help. The symbionts are very important to trill society. They always have been. They carry the memories of their people. The population was decimated by the burn. Itās not immediately clear whether heās talking about the host population, the symbiont population, or both.
Saru wants Stammets to investigate an alternative way to make the spore drive work, other than plugging himself into it. This makes a lot of logical sense. With the dilithium shortage in the galaxy, the spore drive is more important than ever. And if anything were to happen to Stammets, like it almost did, theyād no longer have any way to use it.
Stammets is immediately defensive about this. Iām not entirely sure why. I guess he sees the spore drive as his private domain. The science behind it was his baby. And itās not like he didnāt try to find other ways of navigating it before they found the tardigrade. But as Saru points out, thereās been 900 years of technological improvement.
Tilly brings up her dark matter idea, that she first started exploring last season. Stammets thinks it's a dead end and is surprisingly closed to talking about it. He wonāt even give Tilly the time of day to explain her idea. I guess we just put this down to emotional stress from his recent injury, and the general stress that theyāre all under, having left their whole life behind.
Michael is so much more human this year. Itās like sheās completely left behind all of her Vulcan upbringing. Sonequa Martin-Green is playing her very very differently. Iām wondering if the writers decided that the whole raised on Vulcan thing was a bad idea and are trying to move on from it.
She definitely laughs and smiles a whole lot more. Sometimes, itās actually a little unsettling, to be honest. But on balance, I think I like this new Burnham more than the old one.
Culbert wants Michael to accompany Adira to the surface of trill. He thinks she'll be more helpful as a companion than he will, because this isnāt a medical problem. Adira needs the guidance of somebody who has gone through a traumatic life change. (which of course, he has as well. Culbert is at least as qualified as Michael, if not more, in that regard.)
Iām not sure why they canāt both go. But of course, the real reason is that Michael is the lead character of the show, so they have to make sure she is involved in everything.
But Michael does a good job of helping Adira.
I do like it when Culbert tells her sheās a responsibility hoarder. Thatās true, although I think at least part of the fault there lies on the writers, not on her personally.
Adira doesnāt want to let anyone down. Thereās a lot riding on this knowledge that Tal has.
But the big question is, why the heck are they flying down in a shuttle instead of beaming down? There is no reason given, and I can see no logical reason at all. Itās so odd that it really draws attention to itself.
Anyway, itās nice to see that some former-Federation worlds like Earth and Trill are still idyllic. Trill is beautiful. I love the blue grass and the flying fish. Little moments like that add so much to the show for me. The wonder they bring is one of the big things I love about Star Trek.
Michael and Adira meet the Trill bigwigs.
And theyāre very shocked to learn the trill host is human. Very shocked.
When asked to speak her names, Adira can only say her own name. She doesnāt know the names of her previous hosts. Michael explains that Adira canāt access the symbiantās memories. They should probably have led with that.
Vos says there hasnāt been a single recorded example of a successful joining between a symbiont and a non-trill.
So ā¦.. Are we ignoring the TNG episode, The Host, then? Iām not saying thatās not a valid option? I mean, I think last week my words were that the episode is probably best forgotten, because of how it doesnāt match up with anything done in DS9.
But thereās another way to look at it. He says āsuccessful joining.ā We could potentially argue that Rikerās joining was not entirely successful. I mean, Iām pretty sure the symbiont completely supplanted Rikerās personality. It wasnāt a true blending. Adira isnāt experiencing a true blending either. But in her case, itās the symbiont that is kind of the silent partner here. I think they kind of left it open for us to decide whether we want to acknowledge the TNG episode or not.
Adira says āthe symbiant is part of me.ā An idea that almost offends the Trill. She doesnāt fully appreciate what it means to host a symbiont. She doesnāt understand the responsibility. The honour. The subtleties of how they see the relationship.
But of course she doesnāt. How could she? So, āitās part of me,ā is probably an understandable way for her to interpret it, from her limited perspective.
Anyway, Vos immediately calls Adira an abomination, and demands that they be separated, which would, of course, kill the host. The Federation has no say here anymore, so Trill law takes precedence. So would Trill law really support this?
Maybe. They do seem to value the life of the symbiont higher than they value the life of a host.
Guardian Xi explains that the burn decimated the population. Specifically, the host population. It seems Trill is now experiencing a shortage of viable hosts. Which is interesting, because back in the 24th century, it was the other way around. The demand for a symbiont was so high that they had to artificially inflate the requirements to be viable for joining.
He sees this as an opportunity. Adira could be the future. If they considered looking beyond the Trill to see other species as potential hosts, it could solve a lot of problems.
Leader Pav wonāt support a forced separation, but she sees this joining as an aberration and so wonāt help Adira either. She demands that they leave immediately.
Itās not entirely unbelievable the Trill would act this way. We know they have strongly-held ideals when it comes to the symbionts. For example, they have a very strong taboo against hosts getting involved romantically with somebody they were with in a previous host. Their value and even their spirituality are all centered around this relationship between symbiont and host.
Itās okay to feel uncomfortable when you encounter something that doesnāt line up with your worldview, but the important thing is to maintain your compassion. And thatās what Vos, and to a lesser extent Pav are doing. Itās easy to forget, in situations like to forget that there are real people with real feelings on the other end. Itās okay for people to disagree on what they believe is right, but you canāt lose your compassion.
But Vos isnāt even willing to let them leave. He sets them up to be killed. He wonāt let the symbiont go.
Burnham sorts them out with little trouble. And then Xi turns up, offering to help, against orders. He leads them to the caves.
Anyway, Culbert takes his concerns about the crew to the captain. Medically, theyāre fine, but emotionally, everyone is suffering. Stress levels are very high. Saru sympathises but he needs a concrete way to help his crew. The heart of the problem is that they need to feel connected.
So Saru does what he often does. He asks the computer for ideas. Heās not impressed with anything itās spitting out. And then, something very weird happens. The computer screen flashes with something red, and then it starts speaking in a much more human-sounding voice. It laughs. And suggests humour is what the crew needs. A good laugh. And itās not wrong. Laughter has known healing properties and benefits.
But whatās going on with the computer? My immediate thought was, is this the beginning of the Artificial Intelligence we saw in Discoveryās computer in the Short Trek episode Calypso? I think thereās a good chance that is the case.
Anyway, the computer offers some logical options. Things that Iām surprised Saru didnāt think of without the computerās help. Actually. Heās a bit skeptical and asks the computer to run a diagnostic on itself. But he takes the suggestions on board.
Back on Trill, they arrive at the caves. Weāve seen these caves before, on Deep Space Nine. This is where they keep the symbionts. The guardians are responsible for taking care of them. They swim around in pools and communicate with one another through electrical impulses.
Itās a little confusing what theyāre trying to do, at first. Adira hops into the pool.
At first, I assumed they planned to have Tal communicate with the other symbionts in the pool. But then, that wouldnāt accomplish anything, because the symbionts couldnāt pass along the knowledge they learn. What theyād really need to do would be to get another joined trill in there so the two symbionts could talk through electrical impulses, and then the other host could report on what was discussed.
But, they donāt have another joined trill. We know that the guardians do not join.
What theyāre really trying to do here is get Tal and Adira to communicate with one another. The hope is that here, in this natural habitat for symbionts, that connections will form.
They have a device that will track her isoboramine levels.
This is a nice callback. Isoboramine is a neural transmitter in trill physiology. It enables the communication between symbiant and host. If levels get below 40% the symbiont will be removed, as to remain would be a great danger to both.
But Adira is human. Her body would not produce isoboramine. So I guess, it must be generated by the symbiont.
The funny thing is, the device doesnāt just have a readout or an alarm or something. No, when levels get low the grass cracks. Thatās pretty strangely old-school.
Thereās a fantastic scene on Discovery. Saru hosts a special meal with his senior officers, and those he works most closely with. A way to show them his appreciation for what theyāve done to get them this far, but also for them to come to terms with what theyāve lost.
Youāll notice that the mythical chief engineer and chief medical officer still donāt show. After two full seasons, we still donāt know who they are. They should be in staff meetings, and they should be here now. Iāll be honest. This REALLY bugs me. A lot.
Itās interesting that Doctor Culbert is here, but we know he isnāt the chief medical officer. At least, he wasnāt in season 1. Maybe heās been promoted to that position, which would make him higher ranked than Doctor Pollard, who isnāt even at this table.
Itās very annoying.
Anyway, I said this is a fantastic scene. And it is. Itās full of wonderful character moments.
It gets a little amusing when they start trying to come up with haikus, following Georgiouās lead. Itās a nice scene that shows the camaraderie between the characters. It reminds me of that great scene in Avengers Age of Ultron when they were all joking trying to lift Thorās hammer.
Things turn decidedly dark when they ask Detmer to do one.
And she keeps blabbering about Stammetās blood.
It makes everyone very uncomfortable, especially Stammets, and Culbert.
Itās so terribly uncomfortable. Itās great.
What I love about this scene is theyāre finally developing Detmer as a charter. Remember back in season 1, when none of us could even remember the names of any bridge crew? I still donāt remember many of their names, but Detmer is one theyāre really trying to develop. And we find that Emily Coutts is a really good actor, because the writers are finally giving her something to do. About bloominā time. We get a lot of insight into what sheās going through by what she says here. Sheās feeling crushed under the responsibility of having the entire crewās lives in her hands when she flies the ship. Specifically when she has to fly the ship under difficult circumstances, like going through the wormhole, or escaping from that parasitic ice.
The argument between her and Stammets is so powerfully performed by the two actors. I love it so much.
Soon the conflict spreads and Tilly asks them if they think they have the market cornered on pain.
And while this is not at all how Saru was hoping this would go, stuff is starting to come out. Stuff that needs to be dealt with. Some deep hurts.
Once half the table have left, it becomes obvious that the meal is over, and Saru is left alone. Poor Saru. You canāt help but feel for him.
Adiraās Isoboramine levels are dropping. And sheās convulsing. Thatās when Pav and Vos arrive.
Vos is still being pretty unreasonable. Pav is not happy, but sheās starting to find that compassion. She allows Michael into the pool, even though sheās not Trill, to try to help Adira.
They use a neural stabiliser to help Michael communicate, mentally, with Adira. It looks like theyāre standing in a big void filled with little tentacles.
Michael quickly realises that the threads are like the threads of memory. Thatās the symbiont trying to connect with her. It wants her to remember. She has to let the tentacles connect. Itās all kinda symbolic and in her mind.
So the threats connect and Adira is taken back into a memory she has forgotten.
We meet Gray, Adiraās old boyfriend, who is a Trill. They were together on a generation ship, trying to find traces of the Federation. Gray was receiving a symbiont.
Gray was a cello player.
Adira is hesitant to follow through with the memory, she senses there is pain ahead. She has to open the gift, symbolic of continuing the memory, because thatās what happened in the memory, She gave a gift to Gray. Itās a quilt with stories of moments from their relationship sewn into it.
And then, in the midst of that happy moment, the ship is hit by something. Gray is badly injured. Heās gonna die. His biggest regret is that the symbiont will be lost. It will survive if removed from Gray and put into a new host.
But thereās no other host available.
So Adira says sheāll take it. Even though sheās not Trill. The medical robot performs the surgery.
And thatās how Adira ended up in an escape pod with a symbiont and no memory of how it happened.
By accepting this memory and assimilating it back into her conscientiousness, the connections finally form, and she is able to access the symbiontās mind. She and Burnham see all the other hosts.
Several of them are Starfleet officers, in various different uniforms. One of them is from the Star Trek Picard era, which was really cool to see. Thereās a pale blue uniform weāve never seen before, and another, worn by Admiral Senna. That is clearly the current Starfleet uniform of this era. Itās quite unique. Very different to any other Starfleet uniform weāve seen before, which makes sense for the time. It looks a bit more military. A bit more naval. I donāt mind it. But we get our first proper look at the new oval-shaped comm badge. Weād only seen it in blurry screenshots from trailers until now. It looks pretty good, actually. I like it.
Senna confirms that while a human joining is unusual, Tal accepts her as well.
And Adira is reunited with Gray, who appears along with all the other hosts.
Michael thanks the Admiral for his message, which gave her hope. But she doesnāt ask about Starfleet. I found it so frustrating. I was practically yelling at the TV, āAsk him where Starfleet headquarters is.ā it would only have taken a few seconds to ask.
But she doesnāt.
I mean, this is one of the primary reasons they went through all of this. Not the only reason. They wanted to help Adira too, but this information is vital.
And she doesnāt ask.
Itās not fully clear from the show at this moment, that Adira will now be able to access all of Talās memory, but I guess that was the implication.
Still, if it were me, Iād have asked him if I had the chance, just in case.
When Adira emerges, able to recite the nAMES of all of her former hosts, all Trill are all convinced.
Even Vos says āwe were wrong.ā
I found the character arc of these Trill to be a bit short and sudden. And Vos, especially, came around too far too quickly. He was willing to murder Adira a few minutes ago. Now he says āwe were wrong.ā
It might have worked a little better if he had remained of the opinion that joining symbionts with non-human hosts was not generally a good idea, but agreed that Adira was deserving of their help, but Pav fully embraced the idea of non-trill hosts, as Xi already had. I dunno, I just think that would have added a little extra subtlety and depth to the whole thing. But the way they did it was okay.
Pav wants to mentor her, in her new role as a host, which wouldnāt be a bad idea, but Adira feels she is meant to remain on Discovery, and spread the message that the symbionts are a gift for everyone. Pav is even open to rejoining the Federation, should Discovery find them.
Itās all wrapped up a little too neatly with a bow on top.
Anyway, Tilly comes to Saru to console him after the disastrous dinner.
Captain Pike made connecting with the crew seem so effortless. But then, Pike had been captain for a long time. Saru is still very new to the job.
But I laughed out loud when Tilly said āThis just looked like a Tuesday at my house growing up.ā
Stammets also comes in to try to make amends with the Captain and Tilly. Heās finally ready to listen to Tillyās ideas, and truly show her how much her help means to him.
And another fantastic moment occurs when Detmer goes to see Culbert in sick bay and admits that sheās not okay. She needs help. It was hard for her to admit. Sheās ready to take him up on that talk.
At first, I was worried that they were wrapping up Detmerās problems too quickly, but thatās probably not the case. Her healing is going to take a long time. I think this is just the next stage. Hopefully theyāll continue to do a good job of exploring this, because Iām loving seeing Detmer turned into a person, and not just the āaye Captainā parrot.
But the crew are all called to the shuttle bay for a surprise.
Itās a comedy film festival. Very old-school type humour. Very slapstick.
I love Linus handing out popcorn.
Then Detmer turns around and sees Stammets.
And itās a very awkward moment for her. How does she make amends for what she said to him earlier.
And while her face is locked in anxiety and anguish, his unfolds into a smile. And their confrontation turns into a hug. That moment melted my heart and nearly broke me.
Saru and Cubert talk about how helpful this has been. āWe just had to begin by admitting that weāre not fine,ā Culvert says. āWeāre not, are we,ā asks Saru. āNo. But weāll get there.ā
Saru speculates. The sphere data was sent to discovery to protect it. They have done that. Theyāve given up their entire lives to protect it. Now, itās trying to return the favour. It is merging with their computer and trying to protect them.
It seems pretty clear that my theory about this being the birth of the Zora AI in Calypso is correct. During that scene, the computer was voiced by two different actors. Annabelle Wallis, who played Zora in Calypso, and Julianne Grossman, who usually voices the computer. Interesting.
Senna knew the algorithm to find Starfleet headquarters and Adira has done the maths. They have coordinates. And she starts playing the cello, something both she and Gray picked up from a former host.
The episode closes with a little twist. Gray appears with Adira like a hallucination. A ghost, distinct from the others.
Adira hasnāt told anyone about this yet.
Gray doesnāt know why this is happening.
There is precedent for something like this. Ezri Dax once performed a ritual that pulled the memories and consciousness of one of her former hosts out in a similar way. She could converse with him, but nobody else could see him. Adira hasnāt performed any ritual, but nothing about this joining has been normal. Itāll be interesting to see where this leads.
Another good episode of Discovery. Itāll be exciting to see next week whether they can locate Starfleet headquarters. I wonder what theyāll find when they get there. It should be interesting.
If youāre enjoying this podcast, please consider writing a review wherever you listen, or subscribing, if youāre watching it on youTube.
Can you believe Iāve almost been doing this show for a year? I released my very first episode on the 6th of December.
In one month, weāll have to do something to celebrate the first birthday of Nerd Heaven.
Anyway, thatās all for now.
Iāll see you next week for the episode āDie Trying.ā
Have a great week.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
In Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Episode 3, Michael Burnham is reunited with the crew of the USS Discovery. Saru takes his place as the official captain, and they jump to Earth to see what has become of the Federation in this new century. But they don't receive the warm welcome they were hoping for. Time for some good old Starfleet diplomacy. And what's the deal with the mysterious Adira, a United Earth Defence Force inspector who is trying to sabotage the ship?
At the beginning of this episode, I acknowledge the passing of the great Sir Thomas Sean Connery, or Sean Connery as he was known to us.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 40 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Discovery season 3 episode 3. People of Earth.
But first, I want to acknowledge the passing of Sir Thomas Sean Connery, or as we more commonly know him, Sean Connery. I learned just last night that he had died at the age of 90. He brought a lot of joy into my life through his acting work, and Iāll always remember him as James Bond, Henry Jones Snr, and King Arthur from First Knight.
He remained married to his second wife, Michelin Roquebrune right up until the end, 45 years in total, which is an achievement worthy of respect among famous actors.
He is also survived by his son Jason Connery.
But, you know, Sean Connery has a Star Trek connection. While he never appeared in Star Trek, he was originally cast as Sybok, Spockās brother, in Star Trek V The Final Frontier. But he was unable to do it because he was busy with Indianna Jones and The Last Crusade, which honestly, was a much better movie in my opinion. But the mythical planet Sha-Ka Ree was named in Conneryās honour. Which I think is really nice.
So, Iād like to express my condolences to all of his loved ones, especially his wife and son.
So, back to Star Trek Discovery.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
āReunited with Burnham, Discovery heads to Earth to find out what has happened to the Federation in the last thousand years.ā
This episode was written by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt
It was Directed by Jonathan Frakes
And it first aired on the 29th of October 2020.
Make it so
The episode opens with a quick recap of what Michael has been up to during the last year, while sheās been searching for Discovery, indirectly waiting for them to show up. Itās a shame we didnāt really get to see any of her adventures with Book, but Iām sure thereāll be plenty of tie-in media that will be more than happy to fill this gap. She worked as a courier, travelling from world to world making deliveries for a tiny handful of Dilithium.
But the interesting thing is, it does this in the form of a log entry, aimed at Discovery. The voiceover makes it clear that even before the burn, Dilithium was becoming rare. And we get to see a glimpse of some 321st century Starfleet ships. They donāt look all that different to those weāve seen from other centuries. We donāt see any of them up close, but the basic shape is present in both of them. Saucer section, secondary hull, warp nacelles.
Burnham didnāt give up everything for this version of the future and sheās determined to set things back to how they should be. Sheās also searching for answers on what caused the burn.
And we see her hair change over time, visually confirming the passage of time.
She seems to have built a very meaningful relationship with Book, although it seems itās not romantic as such. And while I think theyād make a great couple, Iām cool with that. I like their friendship the way it is portrayed in this episode. Although It does feel like thereās some romantic tension between them.
But what would a log entry be without a stardate?
In the first two seasons, they just kinda made up random stardates. None of it made any sense because to be true pre-TOS stardates, theyād have to be 3-digit numbers.
The stardate Michael quotes in this episode is 865211.3. This is a six digit stardate. Those in the 24th century, starting with TNG, were 5 digits. Now, I havenāt done the maths, but I imagine this stardate is correct, that theyāve calculated from the TNG system onwards the right number of years. I mean, it looks about right. So thatās pretty cool.
And then we cut to Michaelās arrival on Discovery in the transporter room. And we get a very emotional reunion between her and all of her family. It was wonderful to see. Once again, Sonequa Martin Greenās facial acting really gets across so much emotion. Anyway, I loved this. It was very well done, and it certainly made me feel.
And thereās this look between Burhnham and Georgiou, who stands at the back of the room, unlike the others who crowd around Burnham for hugs. Thatās not Georgiouās style. Especially not the mirror Georgiou. But thereās a little moment there between them. Hard as it might be to believe, coming from the former Terran emperor, Georgiou genuinely feels something for Michael. Sheās the closest thing sheāll ever get to her daughter, and this one is unlikely to betray her the way the mirror Burnham did.
Burnham and Saru have a nice scene, catching up as they walk through the ship.
Burnham has promised Book some Dilithium for helping to rescue the Discovery. Saru is more than happy to honour the promise.
Nobody knows whether the burn was a natural disaster, or a deliberate attack. And thatās kind of worrying. Neither option is especially appealing. Either way, millions died.
During her year, Burnham received a transmission from an Admiral Senna Tal. He is waiting on Earth for anyone who still believes to join him. Burnham was never able to follow up on this lead because with Dilithium so rare, Earth was always out of reach.
Now that she has access to a Spore drive, she can go there.
Nobody on Discovery is gonna argue with that. They all want to find out what has become of the Federation.
Michel suggests they jump outside of Earthās scanning range and pose a starship from this century that was stranded by the burn.
Again, Itās not clear to me why they canāt just be honest with Starfleet about being from the past. Why the deception? It seems unnecessary, especially if they want to earn the trust of present-day Starfleet.
But Georgiou approves of this plan. And I can understand why she would like it. Donāt give away more than you need to. Thatās consistent with who she is.
Stamets is waiting for the order to prep for the jump, but heās unsure whose orders he should be following, Saruās or Michaelās.
And Saru says āOh yes, we are due for a conversation.ā He wants to discuss with her who is going to be the next captain of the Discovery.
This is a weird hold-over from last season.
Saru told Pike to not worry about who will be captain. Theyād work that out later.
But it seemed silly to me that there would even be a question. Saru was first officer. Heās next in line. Obviously he will be serving as Discoveryās captain.
Itās not only logical, itās well-earned. WE saw that last week. Saru has grown a lot in the last two seasons. Heās gone from the timid first officer questioning his every decision, and asking the computer for leadership advice, to the man that took charge last week.
Michael agrees. Thereās no need for that conversation, Saru. Itās you. She agrees that chain of command discates it, and that Saru has proven himself. It seems she and I are on exactly the same page. Saru is captain in the truest sense of the word.
But for Michael, thereās more to it. Sheās changed over the last year. Sheās had to. Sheāll say later in the episode that she had to leave some things behind in order to survive in this new hostile world. I suspect sheās talking about more than just Starfleet protocol and military discipline. I think sheās had to compromise on some principles. Probably not any big ones, but some smaller ones. Itāll be interesting to learn more about this over time, as Iām sure we will.
Anyway, it was a nice scene.
Iām very happy with how that turned out.
Saru says this ship bears the name Discovery, and never has that been a more fitting or more prescient name. I agree with him, and Iām excited by the possibility that the ship will truly get to live up to her name this season. We certainly got some of that last season, but I think weāll get even more this time.
And all of that was just the teaser. But weāve come to expect long teasers in modern Star Trek. DS9 often did the same thing.
Discovery is undergoing repairs. We see a bunch of those repair droids from the opening credits. Theyāve got a little memorial for those who died in the crash (and probably also in the battle with Control). The insignia badges are all on display, in memory of those who wore them. I find it particularly confronting that some of those badges are cadet badges. Just kids.
Things have been so hectic, nobody has had time to grieve, and not just those who have died, but those they left behind.
I like that even though there was that big communal hugging scene earlier, that Miochael gets individual catch-up scenes with those that are closest to her, that being Tilly and Saru.
Tilly is coming to terms that her Mum is gone. Dead. For centuries.
She never had a very good relationship with her, but ā¦ it was her mum.
I often wonder how Tillyās Mum reacted when she got that message from Tilly, saying she was going to the future.
I wonder how it made her feel.
I wonder if she realised her shortcomings as a mother in that moment, the way she had failed Tilly.
I wonder how that affected her, and if she ever truly recovered from the grief of that realisation, and knowing that sheād never have a chance to make it right?
Or did she remain stone-hearted, and just accuse Tilly of being needy and selfish.
Weāll probably never know.
Tilly is hoping that thereāll be something on Earth that they recognise, after all this time.
I love Michaelās line back to her that cake is eternal. That would make a good tshirt, but perhaps a little too obscure for many people to get.
Tilly points out that Michael seems lighter. And sheās not wrong.
And Iām surprised to find myself saying that Iām liking this lighter Burnham. I donāt mean lighter in the Marvel sense of the word, that sheās all jokes now. No, it seems like a great weight has been lifted from Michaelās shoulders. And I like that.
Sheās had to let go of a lot of baggage in this new world. Itās been like a fresh start for her.The ultimate sea change.
You know, I was invited by a friend to appear on his podcast recently. The Christian Geek Central podcast. We talked about the current state of Star Trek. And in that discussion, my friend, Paeter, said he wished that Michaelās return to grace hadnāt happened so abruptly at the end of season 1.
Can you imagine how much more powerful this moment would be for the character if she hadnāt been forgiven her crime of mutiny and given back her commission? If she had remained a technical prisoner, serving her time on Discovery, rather than in jail, for the whole of season 2, but now found herself in a whole new world, where she could truly have a fresh start? A second chance. That could have been amazing.
But itās still really cool.
Michael was a pretty up-tight person during those first two seasons. Now, sheās something different. And thatās some interesting character development. And it wouldnāt be as cool if we hadnāt had the uptight Burnham beforehand.
For some reason, Georgiu is the one who beams Book aboard. Oh, I get why sheās doing it, she wants to check him out, see who this guy that her daughter has been galavanting around with is, buit, surely somebody else was meant to be on duty in the transporter room. Book was expecting Detmer or Tilly. Which is weird because neither of them work in the transporter room.
Anyway, Discovery has a huge supply of Dilithium, by todayās standards. They cut off a little piece for Book. This is gonna make them a target. They canāt let it become too well known that theyāre so stocked.
Michael wants Book to come to Earth with her. IT could be a fresh start for him. And heās interested, at least for a temporary expedition. He asks Michael what she gets out of it and she goes all awkward and coy. She canāt just say āYouāre my friend and Iād miss you if we werenāt together.ā I kinda wish she had. But instead, she says he can help them mask the dilithium. Which is quite true. His ship has a cloaking device.
Book has never been to earth, but in a sense, neither has Michael. Not this earth.
We should talk about Bookās ship.
I like the interior. Thatās really cool. But the exterior, well, thatās a bit weird. There are elements that I like about it, but the asymmetry of it really bothers me. I guess I just like things to be symmetrical. Itās a very odd shape.
Saru is now wearing his captainās uniform. And it looks good on him.
He was shocked that Michael never considered trying to take the captaincy herself. Which as Iāve explained is weird to me. I donāt see why anyone would think she had a claim to it. Yes, she and Saru both held the rank of Commander, but he was higher in the chain of command.
Anyway, dead horse. Sorry.
The point of this scene is that Michael has changed. Saru can see it, and Michael doesnāt deny it.
Iām the same person. And Iām not.
She had to adapt to this world. She did what she had to, to l;earn as much as she could.
Saru finds it hard to trust Book. He doesnāt know Book like Miachel does.
But for Michaelās sake, he accepts the idea, with some logical security conditions.
Booker joins them on the bridge and they jump into the sol system, just past saturn.
As Discovery approaches Earth, a giant forcefield envelops the entire planet.
This makes sense. First of all, because we are in the far future, and such a technology should reasonably exist. But secondly, because this is a harsher more dangerous time. The people of earth want to protect it. They probably still have a relative paradise down there. Weāll soon see that this is effectively the case.
Two ships arrive. United Earth Defense Force. Apparently, ships are not welcome in the vicinity of Earth. Not any ships.
Not even one bearing a Starfleet registry.
We meet Ndoye, a captain of the UE Defense Force.
Ndoye can find no mention of the discovery in her records, because of the classified nature of the ship. Saru tried to sell her on the story that they are a long-range ship returning from a very long classified scientific mission. They are the descendants of the original crew.
Personally, I think that would be harder to swallow than time travel. But anyway.
NDoye can pinpoint Discovery to only the range of 23rd to 25th century, based on the metals used in the hull.
Ndoyeās security force beam aboard immediately. A bunch of people on all decks. Again, believable.
Book has to pose as a Starfleet office so as to not attract attention. He hates wearing it, but Michael gets a kick out of it
Book compares wearing the uniform to a time he saveD Michael from a bog filled with leeches., This conversation is very reminiscent of one between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Star Wars Episode 2. But it gives the sense of a long history of shared adventures between these two. The scenes actually serve the exact same purpose in both stories.
This is yet another example of the Star-Warsey feel to this new setting.
It should feel out of place. It maybe should even bother me.
But you know, despite the star-wars esque dystopian setting, this season feels very very Star Trek. And thatās because of Discovery itself.
Imagine the Enterprise got pulled into the Star Wars universe, and continued to carry on itās mission there. Imagine there was a show about that. The show would have a Star Wars setting, but it would still very much be a Star Trek show.
Thatās kinda how this feels. The crew of Discovery make this feel like Star Trek, even though the setting doesnāt.
Gergiou also needs to wear a uniform, and she picks an Admiralās uniform. This is typical of her character and mildly amusing. But it is good to see a Discovery Admiralās uniform again. I always liked their admiral uniform.
Georgiou makes some interesting observations, that Michael isnāt sure she fits in here anymore. Sheās gotten used to not having to follow orders and be in a chain of command.
Earth has been re-built to be self-sufficient. So itās still very much the Star Trek earth down there. Beautiful gardens. A world without poverty. But itās under constant threat. People want what they have. They want their dilithium.
And itās made the people of earth paranoid and suspicious. Understandably so perhaps.
Right now, their greatest threat is a group of dilithium raiders led by a bloke named Wen.
Ndoye tells them they wonāt find what theyāre looking for on Earth. Starfleet and the Federation havenāt been on Earth for a long time.
Having Federation headquarters on earth would make it a target.
Earth is no longer part of the federation. And thatās huge.
She says that Admiral Tal left earth years ago but died on his ship.
That kinda sucks.
Adira gives the impression that she is in charge of those inspecting the spore lab, and that she is really hard and grumpy. Sheās only 16 years old. Not much older than my daughter. Weāll find there more to her than is apparent a little later.
But Wenās raiders have arrived.
And something is interfering with the personal transporters used by the Earth Defense people. Ndoye claims this is sabotage by the Discovery Crew, something Saru immediately denies.
So this is awkward. Seems theyāre all stuck with each other.
Bookās disappointment when he realises that the Discovery only has synthehol is amusing.
But this is actually a canon violation. Synthehol was a 24th century invention. Scotty, in his retirement years, had never heard of it until he found himself in the future on board the Enterprise D.
Discovery should not have synthohol and Michael should have no idea what it is.
Stammets and Tilly quickly realise that the sabotage was Adiraās doing. She has trapped her people on the Discovery, but it seems she was working alone. The show seems to be setting her up as a villain. Perhaps working with Wen.
Michael has a plan. She and Book leave Discovery in Bookās ship without asking Saruās permission.
Book observes that these raiders are not in good shape. We get more talk of past adventures, and more and more, Iām wanting to experience some of those stories.
Michael appears to be offering to give her dilithium.
Saru is determined to protect Bookās ship. Ndoye wonāt allow the dilithium to fall into Wenās hands. So he says Discovery will take the hit.
This is a very risky move. These are 32nd century weapons being fired. By all logic, they could slice through a 23rd century ship like it wasnāt even there.
Detmer is very hesitant, to the point of almost being insubordinate. But she eventually obeys.
Iām sure this is tied into her weird head condition last week. A lot of people are speculating that Detmer has PTSD, rather than a physical ailment. And the evidence seems to be pointing toward this. This is interesting, because I feel like we were cheating out of the promised exploration of PTSD with Tyler when he turned out to be Voq.
Anyway, Iām kinda with Detmer on this. Taking the hit from these advanced weapons is a terrible idea. In reality. Discovery should have been destroyed. But then thereād be no show anymore.
Their shields are completely depleted by the shot, but the ship itself is undamaged. Yeah right. As if.
But, they canāt take another hit.
The plan is simple. Get the enemy to lower their shields to accept the dilithium, and then beam their captain aboard as prisoner.
It works easier than it probably should have, but thatās ok.
And this is where we get really Star Trek. Saru and Micahel want to get Ndoye and Wen to talk to each other.
This is where we start to understand how Earthās isolation has affected others in the galaxy. Wen says that Earth hordes all the dilithium while the rest suffer. They donāt even use their supply because they donāt leave their planet.
Gerogiou is getting bored with the slowness of diplomacy, so she pulls off what is apparently a mask and we see that Wen is human.
Not only that, he was played by Christohper Heyerdahl. He played Todd the wraith on Stargate Atlantis, not to mention two separate roles in Sanctuary. Heās the type of actor that regularly plays multiple roles, both in and out of prosthetics. Anyway, itās cool to see him.
Ndoye is shocked to learn Wen is human. This is classic Star Trek. Look past the monster to see the humanity beneath. Talk to your enemies .
Wen and his people are not typical raiders. Their home on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn are barely livable. Theyāre just a group of desperate people trying to survive. Titan is no longer self sufficient. It was an accident that destroyed much of their colony. The first ship they sent for help to Earth, their home planet was shot and destroyed. Wenās people realised then, they were alone.
Earth has had to protect themselves, but theyāre become so paranoid that theyāve lost all their compassion for others. Theyāve forgotten what it means to be human, in the Star Trek sense of the word. The negotiations are not difficult, once they start listening to each other, but it took Saru and Michael to make it happen. These people arenāt used to solving problems with diplomacy.
Stamets finds Adira messing about in the jefferies tubes. He puts together that she is curious about their technology but may not be a significant threat. He tells the truth about everything. The spore dive. Even them being from the past.
Adira became an inspector in the hopes of someday finding a Federation starship. The sabotage was to have more time to spend on Discovery. She wants to join the crew. It seems Adira is one of those true believers Book talked about, and she claims to know Admiral Senna Tal.
The crew of Discovery have now been granted permission to visit Earth.
Ndoye gives Adira permission to leave Earth and join the crew of Discovery.
Adira says he is Admiral Tal.
At first, I thought this just meant that Admiral Tal was a fabrtication by a tennager who dreamed of starfleet.
But no, itās way more than that.
It turns out that although human, Adira is host to a Trill Symbiont. Burnham didnāt know about them until she met some working at the exchanges.. They were known in the 23rd century. Emony Dax travelled to Earth to judge a gymnastic contest, where she met a young Leonard McCoy. But they were possibly not a well known or understood species to their Federation at the time.
So how does all work? Can a human be host to a Trill Symbiont? Well, there is precedent for that. When we first met them,, in The Next Generation, Riker once served as host to a symbiont.
Very little had been established about the species at that time.
But Adira is having trouble accessing Talās memories, being human. I like this. It shows it is possible but problematic.
Of course, Riker didnāt seem to have any problems with his symbiont, but there was a lot that wasn't properly established in that episode. In fact, a lot about the trill changed when they were brought back for Deep Space Nine, including their appearance. This was all because Terry Farrel was an attractive Woman, and they didnāt want to cover her face with prosthetic and lose her beauty. So they said, weāll, letās just give them spots, then.
This should bother the heck out of me. The reason it kinda doesnāt is that I never saw that TNG episode until years later. I actually thought that Emissary was the first appearance of Trill for a long time. So from my perspective, DS9 was correct and that TNG episode was wrong, best forgotten.
Saru mentions that Trill hosts can access the memories of their former hosts. What he doesnāt mention is that the symbiont also has a personality of its own, and that personality blends with the host, as well as the memories of former hosts, to create a new individual.
I can understand them simplifying things for the sake of this conversation. I just hope the writers fully appreciate how this species works.
While Saru and Michael are talking, Saru is taking out Captain Georgiouās old telescope. They donāt mention it at all. Itās just there., Kinda weird. I mean, it was a nice callback, but it seems a bit of a pointless inclusion.
Michael admits she should have told Saru her plan. Sheās been out of Starfleet for a year. Sheās not used to working in a team like this.
Michael let go of a lot of things during this year, and itās gonna take her time to pick them back up again. If she can.
But Saru trusts her to grow through this change.
Michael accepts the post as first officer of the Discovery.
Notice that Saru is kind of our very first alien captain.
I know there have been alien captains in Star Trek before, but not regular characters, not on the title ship of the show.
So thatās significant.
Michael has an emotional goodbye with Book. IT seems heās not staying indefinitely. Heās going back on his ship to live out his normal life.
But Iām sure this is not the last weāve seen of him.
We end with a heartwarming scene of several crewmembers down on Earth. They find a tree at Starfleet academy. A tree that still exists from their century. Itās gotta be over a thousand years old.
This is the recognisable thing that Tilly was hoping for. Itās a nice little moment.
Our final shot is a nice pull back over San Francisco, as the Star Trek fanfare plays.
This season definitely feels the most Star Trek of anything weāve been given in the Kurtzman era of Star Trek so far.
Thatās not a knock against Discovery seasons 1 and 2, or Picard. I liked all of them. But this feels more Star Treky. Personally, I donāt mind the way they mixed things up previously. I can appreciate both. But I think a lot of people will be saying āFinally, this is proper Star Trek.ā
Anyway, I continue to enjoy what is feeling like a strong season.
Next weekās episode is called Forget Me Not. Discovery will continue their search for Starfleet headquarters by trying to access Talās memories. (and yes, Iām assuming Tal is the name of the symbiont, which would make the current host Adira Tal.)
The good thing about being in the far future is that we get to have some references to 24th century Trek.
And Iām very pleased to notice that a lot of it is DS9 stuff. Thatās good, because Iāve been wanting some more love to be given to DS9.
All I need now is the appearance of a beloved character like weāve had from TOS, TNG, and Voyager.
I actually think thereās a good chance this will happen next week, in a roundabout way, but Iāll save that for the next episode.
Have a great week. Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Star Trek Discovery Season 3 is off to a pretty strong start. I enjoyed "Far From Home" and think it may even be better than last week's installment. This time around, we catch up with the crew of the USS Discovery, and see how they are all coping in this new time period. Saru and Tilly make first contact with some friendly Coridonites and an oppressive courier. Jet tries to teach Stammets what an idiot he's being, and Georgiou finds her self right at him in this more dystopian future. But running through it all is the classic Star Trek idealism and optimism.
Find my books at
- Jewel of The Stars Book 1
- http://books2read.com/jewel2
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 39 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the second episode of Star Trek Discovery season 3.
Far From Home.
I really liked this episode, and may have enjoyed it more than last weekās.
The description on memory alpha reads
After the USS Discovery crash-lands on a strange planet, the crew finds themselves racing against time to repair their ship. Meanwhile, Saru and Tilly embark on a perilous first-contact mission in hopes of finding Burnham.
It was Written by Michelle Paradise, Jenny Lumet, and Alex Kurtzman
It was directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi
And it first aired on the 22nd of October 2020.
Make it so.
So last week, we saw what happened to Michael Burnham when she emerged from the wormhole in the 32nd century. Throughout the episode, she was searching for Discovery, but never found it.
In this episode, we follow the crew of discovery as they emerge from the wormhole. The journey has been pretty hard on them. Theyāre all unconscious. Saru is the first to wake, as the ship emerges from the wormhole and plunges toward a planet. So is this Teralysium?
There are a whole lot of asteroids in orbit of this world. Discovery crashes through one, which is probably very unrealistic but looks cool.
We get a very cool shot of the ship crashing onto the planet. Weāve had a couple of great crash sequences in Star Trek history. The Enterprise D on Veridian, Voyager on an icy world in the episode Timeless, and this. I think the enterprise D is still my favourite, but still is still an epic and visually stunning sequence.
So the ship is now crashed on the surface of a planet, covered in ice. It doesnāt look like sheās going anywhere in a hurry.
Most starships in the Star Trek universe were not designed to land and take off from a planetary surface. Voyager was rather unique in that it was equipped with landing struts. Even if Discovery is capable of landing, this was hardly a deliberate touchdown.
Anyway, theyāre all very lucky to be alive, and it doesnāt take long for them all to realise and appreciate it. Itās all thanks to Lieutenant Detmerās skills, but sheās not celebrating. Sheās definitely not herself. Sheās got a nasty head wound.
Jet points that out Teralysium wasnāt very icy, but, of course, planets tend to be very diverse. Look at all the different climates on earth.
Saru gives a nice little speech. Theyāre all very interested to know whatās out there. Where and when are they? Thereās a whole universe out there to explore, and theyāre Starfleet officers. Their curiosity must be running at very high levels. But right now, the priority is to repair the ship. They are needed in here. They can figure out whatās out there later.
Saru has come such a long way. He demonstrates multiple times throughout this episode what a great captain he has grown into. And yes, as the shipās first officer, he is next in line, so as far as Iām concerned, heās the captain, until that time, if and when, the show tells me otherwise.
We get a great sense of organised chaos as the crew scramble to work on the ship. The sparks and the extras running about the set give a great sense of activity.
Tilly has determined that there are certain areas on this planet that have higher amounts of oxygen than the rest of the world. These appear to be manufactured settlements. Weāll see one of them later. Saru takes from this that they are not on Teralysium, and that there is life out there. There is life in the universe. This moment is underplayed compared with Burnhamās scream of relief in the last episode, but it was important for the crew of Discovery to have a similar moment. Theyāve been successful in their mission to save all sentient life. And while they donāt have much time for celebrating. It needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. Itās a nice moment.
And then Georgiou turns up. I found Tillyās line āYou have some Leeland on your bootā to be darkly amusing, but I really didnāt need to see it. But wait, because thereās more to come.
Stamets is still in sickbay. I like the original series bio bed sound. Thereās a very interesting effect they do. The room is empty, and silent, apart from the alarm. When Culbert brings him out of the coma, suddenly, the room is full of people and noise. It was very clever. I donāt always like film-making tricks like that, but this one really worked for me.
Itās quite believable that there would be injured even worse than Stamets, and theyāll need his bed.
Culberty wants to put him in a celular regeneration chamber (though probably not the one invented by Professor Guiger in Deep Space Nine) but Stamets wants to get back to work and help with repairs.
My wife is a nurse and she was watching this with me. She said āWhy do people on TV, who are badly injured, always want to get back to work, when they can barely stand? It just doesnāt happen that way.ā
And I can well imagine. Certainly if I was in Stametās condition, the last thing Iād be thinking about is work. I mean, Stamets is a work-a-holic, but still. Itās a common trope, and one that doesnāt make a lot of sense.
Anyway Stamets and Culbert are very happy. Theyāve finally gotten themselves figured out. I wasnāt sure about bringing Culbert back in season 2. IT felt like it cheapened his death, which I thought was well played in season 1. But, they did it well. Not the actual resurrection. That bit was really weird. But after he was back, there were consequences. And it took the rest of the season for Culbert to come to terms with it all. And that was done well.
So Detmerās head is kinda ponding, and the whole world seems a bit distant to her. But Doctor Pollard heals her wound with a dermal regenerator and tells her sheās good to go.
Thatās it? But she doesnāt let on that sheās still feeling really weird.
I donāt know whatās going on with her, but Iām sure itāll come back to haunt everyone.
Part of me wonders if itās something to do with her implant.
I think Culbert notices something is off about her.
So thereās a translator, which is part of the communication system. Itās damaged beyond repair. They need to rebuild it, but they donāt have the raw material. This isnāt actually needed to get the ship off the ground, but without it, theyāll have no communications within the ship or without. And they wonāt be able to search for burnham. So itās pretty important.
Tilly has found a settlement and scans indicate they have the material needed. Sheās also noticed the settlements have ships but no dilithium.
Saru feels they should treat this like a prime directive situation and not reveal too much about themselves. Iām not sure I fully understand his point. He says they carry information that could be damaging to a society, whether more or less advanced that they are. Perhaps heās referring to the sphere data, which Discovery still has. I dunno.
Thereās some conflict between Saru and Georgiou. Saru is very much holding to Starfleet principles. Georgeiou, as a former terran empress, is taking a more pragmatic approach. Itās interesting. I mean, I tend to side with Saru. I like Saruās by-the-book approach. But, Georgiou is right about one thing. Theyāre in a completely unknown world, a potentially hostile world. Her approach may need to be considered at some point. In the very least, sheās going to fit in quite well in this time period, from what weāve learned so far from last week.
I think there will be some interesting character dynamics between these two as the series progresses. And probably Burnham as well. Itās going for Georgiou to be subservient to Saru. I mean, to her, heās a delicacy.
Saru and Tilly are going to the settlement. Theyāll need medical treatment to be able to breathe the natural atmosphere outside of the settlements.
And then we go down to Stammetās lab, where we see somebody scooping body parts, that used to be Leeland, into a bucket.
Honestly, I really really didnāt need to see this. Itās pretty disgusting. Iām not sure why they felt the need.
And honestly, it feels disrespectful for the human being that Leeland was before his body was taken by control. I mean, this was a person once. I found this to be in bad taste.
Stamets is back at work, even though itās clear heās in no condition to be working. So Jet takes him under her wing. Thereās some really fun interaction between these two in the episode. IT reminds me how much I like Jet. Sheās so not your typical Starfleet officer. Sheās her own person. I mean, sheād probably rub me the wrong way in the real world, but I love watching her on screen.
As Saruy and Tilly exit the ship, it looks pretty chilly out there. Lots of ice. And there appear to be big rocks or icebergs floating in the sky. Iām not sure of the science behind that but it looks really cool.
At this point in the episode, I began to speculate as to whether this was the same planet Michael landed on last week, because the countryside looks very similar. Itās clear all of this was shot in Iceland just like last week. This will basically be confirmed at the end of the episode. But Iām confused. Michael and Book had no problem breathing on this planet. So whatās the go with that?
Saru is being very sweet to Tilly. He knows that she talks to calm herself, and he says, āplease, keep talking.ā
Sheās not even sure why he brought her along. But he is.
Theyāre introducing themselves to the future, and Tilly is a wonderful first impression. To be honest, that really melted my heart.
We learn that there is something special about this ice. Itās not just frozen water. Nhan calls it parasitic. Itās rate of growth increases in the shade, so when the sun goes down, theyāre going to have a real problem. The ship could quickly become encased in the stuff. IF that happens, they may never get the ship off the ground again, repairs or no repairs.
This is a cool sci-fi element that adds to the strangeness of this new world.
We get a conversation between Nahn and Georgiou about why they each chose to come into the future with Burnham. Nahn could have stayed on the Enterprise where she was arguably meant to be. She says she stayed for Arium. This was her way of honouring Ariumās death. Iām not sure I understand the connection, but I appreciate and respect the heart behind it. Georgiou doesnāt.
Georgiouās reasons make a lot of sense. She doesnāt want to end up in a desk job running the bureaucracy of section 31. She likes jumping from universe to universe. Our 23rd century was no home to her. It was clear from the beginning she didnāt fit in there, and never would. And while she didnāt know it at the time, weāve already discussed how sheās going to fit in very nicely here.
And we get to see Linus again. Linus is cool.
Georgiou has an interest I donāt quite understand in his range of vision.
The settlement is entered by way of transporter. Saru and Tilly find themselves in a wild west saloon of sorts.
There, they meet Kal, a Coridonite. Another classic Star Trek race.
We didnāt actually see one of them until Enterprise, where they had some dealings with the Andorians and Tellarites, but the TOS episode Journey to Babel was centered around negotiations to admit Coridon into the Federation.
By the way, remember Cosmo from last week. I called him an ugly alien and said I didnāt recognise his species. Turns out, he was a Betalgeusian, a race that was briefly seen in Star Trek The Motion Picture.
Anyway, they introduce themselves as officers of Starfleet. Kal believes them because heās already scanned his ship. And we get another classic Tilly line. āMy name lacks authority.ā I love it.
Kal believes Saru and Tilly will help them. Itās who they are. The bartender isnāt convinced.
Kal says this planet has never had a name, but they call it the colony. But apparently, these people are being terrorised by a bully named Zareh.
Tilly, being intelligent as she is, realises that Dilithium will be valuable to these people, so she offers it as payment for their help repairing the transtater.
Jet makes a compelling cast to Stamets, that heās not bringing his A game and they need to get someone else to crawl around the jefferies tube, but he doesnāt listen. Heās being pretty stupid.
Kal is repairing the transtator with a nanite style technology. Looks similar to what we encountered last week. He refers to it as programmable matter. Tilly pretends to be familiar with it, but itās pretty obvious sheās not.
Iām getting a better idea of how things work in this time period. There are ships that can travel through space, but not many. Most people are stuck where they are. They rely on couriers, like Cosmo, Book, and Zareh to bring things to them. Couriers are basically the only ones that can travel through space. They get a small amount of dilithium to complete the job.
This was all written and shot before COVID 19 hit, but it kind of reminds me of lockdown, which is basically over here in Tasmania. Being stuck in one place, ordering stuff online and having it delivered by intrepid couriers. Yeah. Very familiar. Funny that.
Anyway, Zareh killed the last courier and is exploiting these people. And thereās no Federation to speak of to intervene.
They might be taking the wild west metaphor a little too far, as Zareh walks in with spurs clanking on his boots, to a very western sounding music cue. But, I dunno. I kinda like it.
The actor playing Zareh is well-suited to this kind of role. He manages to be intimidating and scary by speaking in a calm, almost friendly voice.
Heās also scanned the Discovery, but notes there is no record of it in his records. So Starfleet successfully classified the ship out of existence.
I like the look of daggers Tilly gives him when he calls her sweetheart.
And he quickly pieces together that Saru and Tilly are time travellers, given their lack of up to date technology.
And then that horrible moment. Kara kills Kal. I liked Kal.
And it looks like a horrible way to go. That phaser of Zareh takes it time and kills him very slowly and his torso burns and blue blood comes out of every crease in his face. Horrific.
Kara can see that KAl has been emboldened by the arrival of Starfleet officers. The guy is going to be harder to intimidate. I guess he figured an example needs to be made.
And have you noticed weāre getting more beam phasers this season, instead of bold phasers. I like that.
Saru is trying to negotiate with this thug. Itās clear at this point that Dilithium is the most prized resource around here, and Discovery has plenty of it.
Of course, Zareh would rather take what he wants than bargain.
And he has a big bargaining chip. The parasitic ice. Itās slowly enveloping Discovery. If they donāt do something soon, the ship will be overwhelmed by it and itāll never fly again.
And the visual they show, of the ice growing before your eyes looks fantastic.
I like it when Star Trek uses a force of nature like this as an antagonistic force.
Zareh is going to send Tilly out into the cold all alone, to get the Dilithium and bring it back, braving the ice. He tells a story about how heās seen it go down into someoneās throat. Itās pretty scary stuff.
Sounds like heās sending her to her death.
And then Georgiou shows up. They found her sniffing around the perimeter. But you have to assume she allowed herself to be captured. I mean, itās Georgiou.
She says sheās going to enjoy this new world. And I have no doubt about that.
Itās looking pretty bad for her, as Zareh repeatedly shoots her with the tortue gun.
And then, when sheās ready to make her move, she goes kung fu on them.
Itās a good action sequence. Even Saru gets in on the fun, and gets to use his new super Kelpien spikes.
Time for another moral debate between Georgiou and Saru.
She points out that killing Zareh would be a service to the galaxy, and she may be right.
But Saru reminds her, āThis is not who we are.ā. But Georgiou really isnāt part of that āweā is she?
But the conversation is cut short by Tillyās realisation that daylight is gone. The ice is taking over discovery. You can see it just springing up. It looks awesome. And the creaking of the metal. Itās evocative of the terrible situation theyāre in.
Culbert is rightfully annoyed when he finds that Stammets is in a jefferies tube.
But he manages to get the circuit replaced.
He says āthanks for nothing to Jet.ā
And she replies āBack at you bobcat.ā
Hugh questions this nickname, to which she replies, āI donāt know. Iām on drugs.ā
I tell you, they give Jet the best lines.
Iām glad to see that Georgiou is being allowed to show the ruthless nature she has. This is who she is. Sheās not pretending to play by Starfleet rules anymore. I think in season 2, she got a little too easily assimilated with the good guys. This season is gonna let her show her teeth.
But Saru isnāt backing down. Heās being stern with her. Heās acting captain of the ship and she will stand down. Itās a wonderful interaction, and I want to see more of these two butting heads in the future.
Zareh threatens the bartender. Your children will suffocate slowly.
And it looks like heās gonna set Zareh free.
But then he puts his gun down, allowing Tilly to smash a bottle over his head, giving him back his sweetheart line. Itās a great moment because we thought he was going to betray our heroes.
āKal always believed that you were out there somewhere. He believed we were part of the Federation no matter what. I get now why he wouldnāt stop talking about you.ā
I think Saru has convinced him.
Saru will give them enough Dilithium to help them get free of Zarehās oppression, along with his ship.
Saru gives Zareh into the bartenderās custody. And it looks like heās gonna kill him for a minute. He doesnāt directly. He lets him go free. Into the icy cold. He may never last the night. Itās the same deal Zareh offered Tilly.
Despite the Star-Wars-ey dispotian setting, this episode was very much Star Trek, in the truest sense. Itās dripping with Starfleet idealism and optimism.
Saru and Tilly are given a personal transporter to get them safely back to Discovery. Theyāre ready to try taking off. But the ship is so encased in ice.
Still, thereās a sense of determination, as the music swells and the camera pans across the bridge. And then, the camera hits Detmer, and the music goes all haunting. We are reminded that something is not right with her. Something is not right at all.
Despite her problems, whatever they are, she performs her job admirably, but itās still not enough. The ice fights back pretty hard. Again, it looks awesome.
They canāt break free. Starships are not designed to lift off like this.
Another ship arrives. Zarehās more powerful friends?
A tractor beam pulls them out of the ice.
But is rescue at the hands of thugs going to be any better than staying in the ice?
And thatās when they are hailed.
By Michael Burnham.
Sheās found them, and rescued them.
The looks on everyoneās faces is priceless. Even Georgiou.
Itās a beautiful moment.
Michaelās hair is different. She reveals that she landed a year ago. Sheās been waiting here all this time.
She seems to confirm this is the same planet where she landed, but that still doesnāt explain the whole oxygen thing. Maybe theyāll address that next week.
Anyway, our characters have all been united now. Next week, weāll get to see them together. Itāll be quite the emotional reunion I suspect.
I have to say, Star Trek Discovery is off to a pretty strong start in season 3 so far.
I hope youāre enjoying it as much as I am.
Next weekās episode is called People of Earth. It sounds like our heroes are going to be investigating, to see what has become of the Federation they remember from their time.
Donāt forget, my Jewel of the Stars books are available wherever eBooks are sold. You can also read the first book free on wattpad, or get it in paperback.
I plan to release books 2 in paperback soon too. Just got to find the time. Iāve been very busy lately. I plan to publish book 3 before the end of this year, so look out for that.
Well, have a great week, and Iāll see you somewhere in Nerd Heaven.
After a long wait, Star Trek Discovery is back. Michael Burnham has succeeded in saving the universe, but she now has to face the fact that the lift she knew is gone forever, and her friends aboard Discovery are nowhere to be found. Worse than that, she learns that the Federation is all but gone in this distant future. What's a Starfleet officer to do? It turns out, this new century might need Michael just as much as the previous one did.
This is a good solid episode that opens the new season and promises an interesting and satisfying story.
So let's geek out about it.
--
Find my books at
- books2read.com/jewel
- books2read.com/jewel2
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Transacript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 38 of the podcast.
Today, we launch into something new and exciting. Weāre covering the first episode of Star Trek Discovery season 3, and weāll be doing weekly review analysis on each episode until the season is done.
And welcome to my new timeslot. Back when I was covering Star Trek Picard season 1, Iād watch the episode Friday night, then watch it again Saturday morning, taking notes and scripting the podcast. Then Iād record, edit and publish by Saturday afternoon. It got pretty intense. This time, I plan to pace myself a little. Iāll be posted on Mondays, Australian time zone. Probably Monday morning. That just allows me a bit more time to get the episode together and get some other things done on the weekend.
Todayāās episode is called That Hope is You. Part 1.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
Burnham navigates a strange, new galaxy, 930 years in her future, looking for the rest of the Discovery crew. (Season premiere)
The episode was Written by Michelle Paradise, Jenny Lumet, & Alex Kurtzman
It was Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi
And it first aired on the 15th of October 2020
Make it so.
The end of season 2 was a big game changer, liquifying the status quo of the series. Michael Burnhan and the USS Discovery flew into a wormhole taking them into the distant future. Further into Star Trekās future than weāve ever seen before.
And that was an exciting prospect.
So now, finally, we get to see what kind of world they emerge into.
This gives the writers of the show the opportunity theyāve wanted all along, to create something brand new. To establish a completely unexplored era in the Star Trek universe. They must have had so much fun brainstorming ideas.
Honestly, Star Trek Discovery should never have been set in the pre-Kirk 23rd century, given the kind of creative freedom they wanted. The writers finally realised this and used the second half of season 2 to set up this change.
So ā¦ the very first scene shows us a bird, with a digital clock projected on its side. Okay. Thatās different. Evidently, this is some kind of futuristic alarm clock projecting a hologram. I kinda like it. Iād wake up to that.
We see a man wake up and leave his bed, which dissolves into a liquid state and disappear. The whole structure seems to be constructed from nanites. Itās very cool on screen.
He cleans his teeth, and a desk and chair are created by the same nanite technology as his bed. The process repeats, giving us a sense that this manās life is very very routine and predictable.
Heās searching for signals, and he carries a case that bears a Starfleet logo (Oddly, itās the early 23rd century logo with the split delta.)
When The Next Generation first came out, they designed a whole new aesthetic for the technology. We got the beloved Okudagrams, often referred to as LCARS, although technically, LCARS is the library computer access retrieval system. Anyway, we all love that look.
But for the 32nd century, they needed to similarly re-define the visual look of the Star Trek Universe. This nanite-based technology is both visually interesting and logical. Itās a believable extension from the replication and hologram technologies.Weāve heard the term āParticle Synthesisā from time to time in Star Trek. Arturis used it to fool the crew of Voyager into thinking his ship was Starfleet. Species 8472 also used it to re-created Starfleet Academy in the Delta Quadrant. I canāt help but wonder, is this an advanced form of particle synthesis? The name seems to fit what we see on screen. Later, weāll see a control panel on a ship. Instead of okudagrams on a touch screen, weāll see this same nanite technology creating displays and controls. So for the most part, it seems this has replaced the holographic controls we saw in Star Trek Picard. This technology actually reminds me of the Kryptronian technology in Man of Steel. That was kinda similar and also very cool.
Anyway, you could argue that this doesnāt look like Star Trek, but honestly, it shouldnāt. Weāre almost a thousand years beyond the world Burnham left, so I think theyāve done a great job. I like it.
Then we cut to a space battle in orbit of an M-class planet. A spinning ship, maybe inspired by the jelly-fish ship in Star Trek 2009, is pursuing a character weāll come to know as Cleavland Booker, or Book for short.
It seems Book has stolen something from this rather ugly alien. I donāt recognise his species. But whatever it was, the aliens had stolen it first.
Then the wormhole opens and Burnham emerges, in the red angle suit. No sign of Discovery yet.
So is this planet Terralesium? Thatās where Michael was expecting to emerge.
I like the little shot of the CG bugs. I always enjoy seeing alien animals . Michael bounces off Bookās ship, causing them both to crash on this planet.
A shield in the suit protects michael. The suit disengages from her, looking way too advanced for 23rd century tech, as always. She canāt reach Discovery on her communicator. The suit tells her sheās in the year 3188. She asks the computer if there are any signs of life. Her face holds so much emotion in that moment before it answers. Imagine if sheād failed. And finds herself alone, the only living being in a universe devoid of all sentient life. That was basically her motherās life.
But the computer confirms. There are multiple life signs on this planet.
And she gives this great scream of relief, and victory. Itās a powerful performance from Senqua Martin-Green. It really makes me feel her emotions.
She did it! She saved the universe!.
Now, technically, she should already know she was successful. She emerged in the middle of a space battle between two ships. She knows someone is here, although, I guess those ships could have been AI controlled.
In any case, I forgive it because itās a wonderful moment.
The wormhole is closing, so she has to send the final red signal back through it, letting Spock and Pike know that she arrived safely and successfully.
The red angel suit flies off, on its last mission. The signal is sent and the suit explodes. This is important because it means Michael no longer has any way of getting back to the 23rd century. Her life, her entire world is gone. Sheāll never see it again.
And we get another beautiful outpouring of emotion.
Before she can explore, let alone embrace, her new world, she needs to take a moment to mourn the loss of the old one. Itās really great stuff.
All she has is her badge, a tricorder, phaser and ration pack.
She clings to the one other thing she has. Her identity as a Starfleet officer. She doesnāt yet know just how meaningful and significant that will be.
Now we have a new opening titles to discuss. There are no major changes. I suspected they might do a new arrangement of the music, to make it feel less connected to TOS, but the score is unchanged. As with season 2, some of the visuals have changed to reflect what is happening this season.
The first big difference we notice is a huge collection of DOT-7 robots. Those were the things that popped out of the Enterprise Hull last season during the battle. Basically repair droids. Like R2D2. I Wasnāt a fan of this. Oh, theyāre cool, but they felt out of place in Star Trek. Thatās more of a Star Wars idea. It felt like they were trying a bit too hard there. Anyway, no idea what theyāre showing up here. I guess theyāll have some significance this season.
This captainās chair from the Enterprise bridge is still present, which surprises me. Iād have thought that no longer relevant.
Then we see a phaser. As usual, it pulls apart, but as it goes back together, it forms into a futuristic, possibly alien sidearm like weāve never seen before. This shot makes the most sense it ever has.
Then we see Bookās ship (I think). It doesnāt follow the traditional Starfleet design at all. No visible nacelles. But itās constantly changing shape, like it has moving parts Reminds me of a transformer, actually. I donāt yet have a good sense of this ship.
We see the new oval-shaped com badge. That wonāt appear in this episode. And then the three badges on the transporter pad meld into the new shape.
We get some beautiful vistas of this alien planet. They went and shot on location in Iceland for this. I love that. It makes such a difference. We occasionally got location shoots on Star Trek TV shows in the 90s, even in TOS, but I donāt think they ever went to another country just to film. Thatās more of a movie-budget thing. Just another sign of the investment theyāre making in this show. You canāt deny that CBS takes Star Trek very seriously at the moment.
Anyway, it makes me want to go to Iceland, because this planet is both beautiful and exotic.
Michael has found Bookās ship. And it can turn invisible. Is this just a cloaking device, or some relation to the particle synthesis tech?
Watching this episode the second time, Iām picking up on a lot of foreshadowing of Bookās true nature that I didnāt notice the first time.
Book thinks Michael is here to take his cargo. But heās fiercely protecting it. It doesnāt belong to her.
She tries to explain herself to him but heās not interested in what she has to say.
They get into a bit of a fist fight. Nicely done action. But the fight ends when she pulls her antique phaser.
This is where we get our first hint related to the new nature of the universe. Book questions the wisdom of ripping space apart, to create artificial wormholes. He says āIt wasnāt enough for you and the Gorn to destroy 2 light-years worth of subspace?ā
But āyouā I assume he means Starfleet. So something has happened to subspace, and it appears that both STarfleet and the Gorn were somehow responsible.
Weāll talk more about this in a little bit.
When Michael asks if this is Teralysium, he says, itās āHima.ā
So, is that just a new name for Teralysium, or a different planet? From evidence so far, I think itās a different planet.
But right now, Michael doesnāt know what sector, even what quadrant sheās in.
I assume sheās somewhere in the alpha quadrant because of the races we meet here. Andorians, Orions, Tellarites, Lurians, and of course, humans.
Anyway, she makes an impassioned plea. Iām all alone in the universe. I have to trust someone, and for better or worse, thatās you.
We get a look at the interior of this ship. We see the particle control panels. Michael is as taken by them as I am.
The dilithium re-crystaliser on his ship was damaged during impact. He canāt fly using quantum slipstream (another technology that Voyager toyed with on their quest to get home) without Benamite, which is apparently very rare. Tachyon solar cells are too slow. It seems there are a bunch of methods of interstellar travel in this time, but not many of them will work, due to lack of resources. What Book needs is dilithium for his warp drive. By now we can already tell this is not the super-advanced utopia weāve glimpsed in the 29th century, nor the time-travel-obsessed 31st century. This is a time of shortage and challenge.
And thatās when we meet Grudge, the cut. Sheās sure to become a fan favourite.
Michael points out sheās a very large cat. And Book replies that she has a thyroid condition.
This is kinda weird.
My wife tells me Grudge is a Mancoon, which are naturally a very large breed of cat.
So ā¦. What put this thyroid line in there. I wonder if thatās going to become significant at some point during the season.
Michael hopes she can trade her antique equipment for dilithium. If she helps him get off the planet, maybe heāll help her try to contact Discovery.
Then some more gorgeous location shots of a waterfall and moss-encrusted rocks. So good.
Time for some exposition, so Michael, and the viewers, can learn a little about the state of the galaxy.
We learn that the Federation is gone, which is shocking news to Michael. How can the Federation be gone? What is the Star Trek universe without the Federation?
Apparently, there are some true believers out there that still believe in its ideals.
But not Book. Heās a courier. Out for himself. At this point in the episode, he seems like a bit of a Han Solo type. But we may challenge that assumption later on.
Book doesnāt know all the details, but the Federation collapsed a long time ago, after the burn. The burn was the day the galaxy took a hard left.
Everyone has been doing a lot of speculating, since this line was revealed in the trailer.
The most popular theory, by far, is that it was caused by an explosion of Omega Particles.
Omega PArticles disrupt subspace. If one goes off, a large area around it will become so damaged that warp drive is impossible in that region.
Fans surmised that omega explosions have made warp drive impossible, in this time. So everyone is cut off from everyone else. This made a lot of sense, and explained why Discoveryās spore drive would come in so handy.
What Book says is āDilithium. One day most of it just went boom. Dilithium is the heart of every warp-capable ship
The Federation werenāt sure what happened or why,but after a while they just werenāt around anymore.
So what weāre seeing doesnāt quite seem to fit the omega particle theory.
Warp drive is still possible, and weāll see it used later this episode. The problem is that Dilithium is very very rare (but not so rare that Book canāt get his hands on some before the episode is done.)
But he did mention damage to subspace in a 2-lightyear radius. And THAT sounds like omega. Weāll also learn later that people in this region of space cannot scan very far out.
This all seems a bit muddy at the moment. We donāt get a full picture of what the real state of things is in this episode. But Iām starting to worry that theyāve taken the concept of the omega particle, but complicated it way more than was necessary. Kind alike what they did with Voq in season 1. The idea of surgically altering someone to look like another species is a very common Star Trek Trop, as far back as the original series. But the show complicated the whole thing with Voq so much that to this day, fans are still trying to get their heads around exactly what happened. They made it more complex than it needed to be.
Hopefully this wonāt be a similar thing.
Sonequa is doing a lot of really good face acting in this episode. She portrays so much emotion without saying a word. Itās awesome.
They arrive at a city. A massive city.
When they try to enter the mercantile, some kind of market, they scan Book and Michael. IT seems everyone in this time has some kind of technology embedded in their forearm. Reminds me a lot of the omni-tool in Mass Effect, actually. Because Michael isnāt from this time, she doesnāt have one, so they wonāt let her in. I guess itās like trying to enter a country without a passport, or trying to get a job without a social security number, or as we have in Australia, a Tax File Number.
But whoever runs this place is convinced that what Michael carries could be valuable.
Michael sees people using a site-to-site transporter, or as she calls it, a portable transporter. This technology existed, but was rare in the time of Voyager. Itāll be just like a toothbrush in this time.
And thatās when Book betrays Michael. He frames her as a bank robber and steals her equipment. Seems heāll need more than just the tricorder to afford the dilithium he needs.
The Andorian and Orion security officers drug Michael to make her talk. It really does feel like the wild west out here. Itās funny, but the current creative team behind Star Trek really do want to make Star Trek feel more wild west. Emphasis on the wild.
Star Trek Picard took us out of the safe comfortable Federation worlds into dingy places where morals were lower and danger lurked around every corner. Places where the peace is kept by Fenris Rangers because thereās nobody else to do it. It all felt a bit more Star Wars-ish to me. Thatās feeling like a trend.
Anyway, it makes a lot more sense here, because a world without the Federation or Starfleet is basically gonna be like the wild west of Star Wars.
Michaelās reaction to the drug is mildly amusing.
I do love the line when she says āI have a friend with red hair. You cannot give this to her.ā
Itās funny. This drug basically turns Michael into Tilly. So imagine what it would turn Tilly into.
The new round phasers are kinda cool. Michael certainly likes them, her appreciation enhanced in her drugged state.
As much as I donāt endorse the use of drugs in any way, itās kind of nice to see a more playful side of Burnham. Sheās really letting her hair down, so to speak. Iām realising now, just how much of her vulcan conditioning she still clings to most of the time.
In the end, Michael has to steal the dilithium because Book canāt buy it.
And then we learn that Book has a site-to-site transporter. And so begins a game of cat and mouse and they beam away, and are quickly followed by the guards, only to beam somewhere else again. Itās a great way to show off more of this wonderful location.
And we notice that not all the guards are Andorian and Orion. Thereās a Lurian among them. You know, one of Mornās mates.
The lurian is bald, just like Morn, which is interesting, because we learned, in Deep Space Nine, that most Lurians have hair. Morn lost all of his because he was storing liquid latinum in his second stomach. I think this is a case of āit would be more correct for this lurian to have hair, but who wants to see that? We want to see the familiar bald look because it gives us nostalgia for Deep Space Nine, and Morn in particular.
So Iām okay with it. Afterall, who says other Lurians canāt lose their hair? There are plenty of bald humans in the world.
Then weāre introduced to Bookās super power. He speaks in an alien language, that sounds somewhat like Hebrew, a glyph glows on his forehead, and a plant grows out of the water. The plant produces a substance that can heal Michaelās wounds. Book says that what he was doing was āsomething likeā praying.
He seems to have a connection to nature. Weāll see him use it to command an animal later on.
Book has figured out that Michael is a time traveller. He doesnāt know how she got her hands on what brought her here, but we learn that all temporal technology was destroyed and outlawed after the temporal wars. Nice to get some closure of that temporal cold war thing from Enterprise. Because we are further forward into the future than the time Agent Daniels came from.
This is important because if time-travel was still prevalent, then our heroes could return home. But this was always meant to be a one-way trip for the sake of the story.
They get back to the ship but the guards have tracked them down again.
When the Andorian says āWhat good is a courier who lets his cargo get stolenā and the dodgy bloke says āIām the best runner in the galaxyā, it sounded very reminiscent of Han Solo. But then he gets shot.
These guards want Bookās cargo. Book relenets and opens his cargo hold.
Thereās an animal in the3re. A giant slug thing,
When they let it out, it eats the guards.
What exactly were they thinking? Why would you come here to take possession of a dangerous animal, but have no way to contain it?
Anyway, after eating the guards, it swallows Michael. But Book uses his magic powers again and convinces the slug, which he calls Molly, to vomit her back out.
I donāt really have any opinion on Bookās powers yet, because I just donāt know enough about them.
Anway, Molly seems very friendly now.
So theyāre now flying through space at warp speed. Weāve come to realise the truth of Bookās mission. Heās not just a courier. Heās an environmentalist. Heās rescuing these animals, endangered species, and returning them to their homeworld.
I like the red trees on the transworm planet. Itās a simple thing but it makes a place look suitably alien.
Now that his job is done, Book knows somebody who might be able to help Michael find her ship.
He takes her to see that guy from the very beginning of the episode. Remember him?
He lives on an old Federation relay station.
The guyās name is Sahil.
Michael is excited to meet him, but heās in awe to meet her.
He canāt find Discovery. But we learn there are two Federation ships out there. So not all is completely gone.
But Sahil canāt scan beyond several sectors. Long range sensors failed decades ago.
On first viewing, I thought this was a widespread problem in the universe, but now, I Think itās just because the long range sensors on this space station are damaged. So maybe this is not related to the burn after all.
But he says he imagines it is the same for all others, so who knows.
It seems Discovery either landed somewhere a long way away, or it hasnāt arrived yet. IT could arrive tomorrow, or in a thousand years.
Sahil explains that heās not a commissioned officer. Several generations of his family have run this facility, but when Sahil took over, there was nobody left to swear him in.
But what about the two other ships out there? Couldn't he ask them?
Anyway, for 40 years, heās been waiting for a genuine Starfleet office to come.
Michael is that hope.
Sahil doesn't know how much of the federation still exists, but he does his own little part to keep the dream of it alive.
And thatās when Michael hangs the flag for him. Only a commissioned officer may raise it.
This episode seems to be using the terms Federation and Starfleet interchangeably. But theyāre not the same thing. Very closely related, of course, but Starfleet and The Federation are two distinct things.
The Federation is a political alliance of worlds.
Starfleet is their scientific, exploration and military service.
So, while she hasnāt yet found her friends, Michael has a new purpose. She commissions Sahil. Together, they will seek out others and help to rebuild the dream of the Federation.
So letās examine this new world we find ourselves in.
The utopia of the Federation is gone. In its place we now have a somewhat dystopian future.
It seems they like to do that a lot. Discovery Season 1 plunged us into war with the Klingons. Our characters had to fight to get their utopia back. Then Picard season 1 turned Starfleert somewhat dystopian by having them be corrupt, due to certain influences. And now Discovery season 3 and yet again given us a Star Trek dystopia.
Itās starting to feel like alex Kurtzman and his team really like dystopia, and are not actually that enamoured with the traditional utopian view of Star Trek.
Deep Space Nine actually pushed back against the utopia a bit, and in my opinion did it more effectively than anything else has since.
There are those out there who are not fans of this trend. I can understand that. Iām not particularly bothered, but Iām definitely noticing a trend.
One question people like to ask is āWhat would Gene Roddenberry think?
Iām convinced he wouldnāt have liked Star Trek Picard. He was always against Starfleet being portrayed in a negative light. I believe he didnāt even like what they did in Star Trek VI.
But you know what, I suspect heād have liked this. Why? Because of another show he created called Andromeda. It followed a similar plot to this. An officer from a great utopian alliance was thrust into the future where his government no longer existed. He strove to re-build it.
And thatās the essence of what weāre seeing here. A determination to re-build the ideals of the Federation. Thereās a whole lot of optimism to it.
And that concludes the first episode of season 3.
I enjoyed it. Thereās a lot we still donāt know. But Iām excited that our heroes have a whole new Star Trek universe to explore, and Iām looking forward to exploring it with them. I suspect this is going to be a good season. Itās the first one that has been produced without massive disruption behind the scenes in the writersā room, so that alone is promising.
I like Book. Heās a cool character and Iām looking forward to seeing his arc across the season.
Donāt forget, I have a book series out called Jewel of The Stars. It follows the passengers and crew of a cruise ship in space, boldly travelling through unexplored space, after Earth fell to an alien occupation. Just like the crew of Discovery, theyāre all on their own.
You can read the first book completely free on Wattpad, or get it wherever eBooks are sold for 99 cents. Itās also in paperback. Iām working on edits to book 3, but Iāve been a bit delayed because my day job has really been kicking my butt lately. But hopefully thatās mostly over, and I can get on with life again.
Iāll see you again next week, when we discuss the second episode of Discovery season 3, which strangely enough, is not called That Hope is You Part 2, itās called Far From Home.
Catch you then.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Star Trek Discovery Season 3 is about to launch, and I'll be covering it from the next episode, but before we get there, I wanted to look back quickly on the first two seasons and share some thoughts. I talk about what worked for me, and what I perceived as flaws. Overall, I enjoyed both seasons quite a bit, and am looking forward to starting season 3.
Shazam! is the last of the DC Extended Universe movies that I'll be looking at in the current batch. If you've been following this podcast, you'll know I tend to prefer the serious movies. Man of Steel, Batman V Superman etc. So you might be suprised to learn that I really like this movie. Why? For similar reasons that I also like the MCU Spiderman movies. The humour is believable in-universe and comes naturally out of the characters, specifically, it's natural kid reactions to the world around them. The stakes are much lower than the average superhero movie, but given the child protagonist, they still feel like very high stakes. There's something that just works nicely about it all.
So let's dig in and geek out over Shazam!
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is Episode 36 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about Shazam.
Before we go on, I just want to give a quick shout out to Scott from Florida who gave me my very first review on Apple Podcasts, my very first review anywhere so thank you very much, Mate. That made my day. And if you are enjoying the podcast, please consider giving a quick review wherever you do listen. I know that both Apple Podcasts and Stitcher have a review system. Probably a number of other places as well. So, yeah, that would definitely be helpful.
The description on IMDB reads
A newly fostered young boy in search of his mother instead finds unexpected superpowers and soon gains a powerful enemy.
This movie was written by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke
It was directed by David F. Sandberg
And it first released on the 2nd of April 2019.
The movie begins with a reasonable dark opening.
Itās great because it gives us a lot of sympathy for Thad.
And it was a brilliant move to bring in John Glover, AKA Lional Luthor from Smalville to play his father. Heās great at playing a lousy father. It was a joy to see him in that cameo.
So Thad is disrespected and misunderstood by both his father and his older brother. And then heās pulled into this magical place where he meets a wizard.
Heās seen something in Thad. But Thad needs to prove himself.
But the seven deadly sins are manipulative, and they know just what buttons to press.
And just like all of us, in the face of sin, he falls short. He is not sufficiently pure of heart.
The wizard is looking for absolute moral perfection. Well, heās not gonna find that in the human race.
I like this because we really see ourselves reflected in Thad. And it makes him yet more relatable to us. Weāre really feeling for this little boy.
If things hadnāt come to a head, do you think the wizard would ever have been successful in his search? Do you think he ever would have found someone worthy? Someone sufficiently pure of heart? Personally, I donāt think he would. I think it was an impossible quest. Obviously, Iām speaking from my own beliefs and theology.
So heās back in the car. Heās distraught. He came so close to finally having some power in his life. And itās been snatched away from him. And that distraction causes the death of his father.
And in his pain, and despair, the sins reach out to him.
Oh, I feel so sorry for this kid.
So then we cut to present day.
Our first introduction to Billy Batson demonstrates just how unworthy he is.
But heās not just a delinquent for the sake of being delinquent. Heās trying to find his mother. A quest we can all have sympathy for.
I like how the kid is unable to convince the radio room that heās an adult. He says āwalkie talkieā .This movie allows kids to be kids. Some movies overly empower kids. Makes them stronger, smarter, or more world-aware than they should be. Now, this is a useful trope in kidās entertainment, but for adults, Kid empowerment just doesnāt ring true. So I like how this movie allows the kids to be kids.
In a way, the whole point of this movie is the opposite. Oh, the kids get the empowerment fantasy, and which of us didnāt have a fantasy like that when we were kids, but it actually de-powers the adult version of Billy, because inside that big strong body is the mind of a kid. Itās good stuff.
So as he stares at the house, hoping that maybe this is the one. Maybe this will be his mother, we get the flashback to the day he got lost.
And we feel the same heart-broken confusion that Billy felt. How was he never reunited with his Mum? I mean, any mother would move heaven and earth to find their child. Right?
Finally, heāll get some answers.
But one look at the skin tone of the woman and itās obvious sheās not the right Racheal Batson.
It was cleverly done.
So heās introduced to his new foster parents, Victor and Rosa. And I really like them. They really have created a loving family environment for these kids. Fostering is not something Iām personally connected with, and have no real experience with, so I have no idea what it feels like to be in Billyās situation, sitting in a car with strangers who are trying to act like parents. It must be awkward for both parties. But I just find these characters really heart-warming.
All the kids in this house are nicely developed with fun personalities, or lack of personality in the case of Pedro. I find myself liking all of these characters.
Freddy turns out to be a big Superhero fanboy. Which I can understand. In the world they live in, where superheroes are real, people would be fascinated by them. Theyād want to own a replica batarang, or a genuine bullet that had been fired at Superman. Plus, it ingratiates him with us, because weāre DC superhero fans just like him.
So thatās it. Billy has run out of addresses. So in despair, he throws the notebook away. Heās just gonna have to try to make it work with these people. I think he can actually see that this is a great family, and he could do well to be a part of it. But itās still not his family.
He still has this need to find his mother. To understand what happened.
And of course he does.
We catch up with Thad, as an adult. Heās investigating people who have had the same childhood experience he did with the wizard. The scientist working for him thinks itās all a case of mass hysteria sheās investigating. But this latest case has revealed to him the sequence of symbols that will lead him back to the wizard.
The moment when the scientist touches the symbols and burns to ash is dark, but isnāt played as horrific as it really is.
Thad has become super hardened.
And so he releases the seven deadly sins, wanting to claim their power.
But sin is always manipulative. Heās become their slave. A vessel for them to inhabit.
There seems to be a wide age range in this school. Youāve got young kids like darla all the way up to teenagers old enough to drive. Although, admittedly, Americans seem to be allowed to drive a lot younger than here in Australia.
Itās really telling of the character of these kids when they knock a kid over, and their greatest concern is the mark on their car. I know theyāre antagonists, but even the biggest jerk would surely feel a little guilt or worry if they literally just hit someone with their car.
To not do so would seem to suggest a very serious psychological condition.
Billy doesnāt stand up for Feddy until they make a crack about him not having a mother. That hits too close to home.
Helping others doesnāt come naturally to Billy. Heās a loner. By definition, his life has been all about looking after his own interests. Because heās always felt alone.
So he hides in the train and is transported to the wizard.
I really like his movie, but the wizard stuff is the one bit I have an issue with.
As is usual, I tend to compare stuff to Man of Steel, because, to me, thatās the pinnacle of DC movies.
Can I mentally accept that this wizard exists in the same universe as Man of Steel?
Itās a hard mental stretch. It really is. It all feels so cheesy and kinda silly.
Billyās reactions are pretty natural.
The wizardās name is Shazam of all things. I mean, they might as well have called him Abra-cadabra. How can you take that seriously? And even in a comedic movie, you still need to be able to take the core concept seriously. Unless itās an outright parody, like The Naked Gun. Then nothing matters. The movie only exists for the comedy. But this isnāt The Naked Gun. This is a proper story set in the DC universe.
Of course, this is all straight from the comic. They didnāt just make this stuff up. But what do you do when the source material in the comic is fundamentally cheesy? How do you make it work?
Honestly, I donāt know. Iām not sure I can think of a way to make it work much better than they did here.
If I were writing this, Iād probably have to make some changes from the source material.
Like, maybe Billy Had to come up with his own word, so he said āShazamā as a bit of a joke. I know. Blasphemous.
But thereās still interesting stuff going on here. Billy, like Thad, thinks that the Wizardās quest for a perfect person, pure of heart, is an impossible quest.
But the wizard no longer has a choice. The sins have escaped. He needs a champion. Any champion. So he lowers his standards and he takes the very next kid he tests. Itās gonna be Billy.
Interesting development.
So he transforms into ā¦. Well, letās just call him Shazam. Because what can you do?
The powers he receives are:
The wisdom of Solomon
The strength of Hercules
The stamina of atlas
The power of zeus
The courage of cilles
And the speed of mercury.
Notice how so many of DCās characters are connected to greek mythology?
Apart from Solomon, of course, who was a Israelite King.
And, thatās the one power Iām not sure he actually demonstrates in this movie. He makes a whole lot of unwise choices in his superhero adult form.
Now, weāll watch and see how his wisdom might grow through the course of the movie, but if the wisdom of solomon really is part of his power set, shouldnāt it begin to manifest as soon as he transforms, like his other powers?
But then, it does take him a while to learn to fly.
When he wakes up, he runs out of the train and bumps his head on the top of the doorway. That was a really nice touch. Because, of course, heās a lot taller than he was a few minutes ago.
So Billy goes to the only person he can think of. Freddy. Heās really into superheroes.
And just a little note, I canāt quite believe that the term ācaped crusaderā exists in universe in the same world in which Batman V Superman took place. I mean, do we really need to reference all the old cheesy sayings?
But the whole thing with these two kids geeking out and trying to figure out what powers he has feels pretty natural.
Interesting thing, Freddy doesnāt actually ask āhow did this happen?ā That would be the first question out of my mouth.
Zachery Levi does a pretty good job of portraying a child in an adultās body.
I love the interactions they have with the mugger and the pepper-spray woman. The humour works great because it all feels like natural dialog for a couple of kids trying to navigate this unusual situation.
And then that thought occurs to him. The thought that many a kid would have when suddenly transformed into an adult.
āIād like to buy some of your finest beer, please.ā
So do they really sell alcohol in petrol stations in America? Sorry, gas stations. Or is it just a corner store? Either way, the only place you get alcohol in Australia in a licensed bottle shop. So this feels pretty weird to me.
Anyway, I love how they try the beer and hate it. Then go back in and buy chips and soft drink.
So he goes home, Darla sees him, and he learns he can change back and forth by saying Shazam. I donāt have much to say about this, but itās all good.
So Thad breaks into the board meeting of his fatherās company, and surprise surprise, his father is actually alive. He survived the car crash.
But he lost the use of his legs.
His older brother is a board member.
So just picks him up and hurls him out the window to his death.
That was kind of intense.
The shock of the actors in this scene really sells the emotional reality of the situation. You donāt always expect that in a comedic movie. Very well done.
And then he releases the sins from his eye. One of them ites the head off a board member. Itās pretty intense stuff So Thadās father definitely gets his comeuppance, for being such a bad father. But I think we can agree that itās probably more than he deserves.
And the board members, what did they do?
For a minute, I thought Thad was going to let his father live, and suffer with all that heād lost.
But no, he letās greed, the sin most associated with the man, eat him.
WE notice that Thad had become significantly darker, more evil. Letting all that stuff into him and corrupting him even further. Brought out the worst parts of him, which were already pretty bad.
Meanwhile, Billy is also using his newfound powers to give some comeuppance to those who have wronged him.
So Billy and Feddy go off to do some more tests, after destroying their school books with lightning power.
Billy does a dance move on camera called a floss. I know itās called that because my son used to do it. Kids seem to always be doing dance moves these days.
Anyway, itās just a little moment to visually show the kid inside the adult body.
These guys feel like theyāre acting believably in character though all of these comedic shenanigans. Thatās what makes the humour in Shazam work.
If youāve listened to a few of my DC podcasts, you know I like the serious movies. So you might have been surprised to learn that I really like this movie.
I like it for the same reasons I really like Spiderman homecoming and Spiderman Far from Home.
The humour is natural and believable for a child protagonist.
The kids act like kids. And the stakes are quite low. Especially in the first Spiderman. Weāre not dealing with world-ending stakes like Superman or the Avengers would face. But given that these characters ARE kids, the lower stakes still feel like significant challenges for our heroes.
It works really well.
I like how they test a bunch of different powers, some of which he has, and some of which he doesnāt.
Iāll admit, Iām kinda jealous of their youTube numbers.
Anyway.
The montage that follows is entertaining.
One thought about the toilet scene. This is an example of a superhero movie kinda making fun of the genre. Billy has no idea how to get his pants down when in Shazam form. So he changes.
That actually makes sense in his case. The costume isnāt something you put on. It magically appears around you.
But, by extension, this is kind of making fun of other Superheros. For example, how does Superman use the toilet in his suit?
But in his case, we need to remember his suit is alien technology. I have no hesitation in believing that although there are no visible seams, his pants can separate from the top when needed.
I know Iām analysing this way more than the film-makers intend. Itās a joke.
But, Iāve mentioned before how some superhero movies draw attention to the silly aspects of their stories and make fun of it. Marvel does this a lot. But I tend to prefer the other approach, where the movie either makes the thing work, or just drops it altogether.
I like the real-estate scene, but I donāt have anything to say about it.
So the conflict begins between Billy and Freddy. I get why Freddy broke his own rule and bragged that the new Superhero would come to lunch the next day, without asking Billy first. Heās a kid whoās tired of being bullied. Itās a very kid thing to do.
I also get why he feels heās as much a part of all this as Billy.
Billy did come to him for help, and they have been in this together from the start.
I also get that Billy would be feeling a bit used and unappreciated
Itās all believable teenage behaviour
Thereās an ongoing joke throughout the movie where everyone keeps coming up with different names for Billyās superhero form.
Remember, Shazam is technically the name of the wizard.
This, of course, is poking fun at the fact that the character used to be called Captain Marvel, before DC lost to Marvel in the legal dispute over that name.
So Billy decides to wag school, leaving Freddy in the lurch regarding lunch time.
And thereās a nice scene where he saves Mary and then they have a conversation about her reaction to being accepted into college.
Itās touching because itās the first time we see Billy really reaching out to one of his new siblings and caring about them, wanting to help them.
But itās also amusing because unlike the usual wise advice youād expect to get from a Superhero in a situation like this, he gives her terrible advice that comes out of Billyās own selfishness. Again, itās coming from a teenage boy.
Great stuff.
But he tells her that that family is for people who canāt take care of themselves, which really sums up who Billy is at the moment.
You canāt not feel sorry for Freddy when heās humiliated in the lunchroom.
And then Billy finally realises how his actions affect other people when his lightning show nearly causes the death of everyone on that bus.
So at 1.25 hours in, over half way through, Billy finally meets his villain. Thad.
In all the excitement of saving people and getting paid for selfies, fighting a villain is one thing that never occurred to Billy until now.
Billy is immediately out of his league. Which again makes sense, because heās just a kid.
But he immediately realises he needs Freddy.
Transforming back into his teenage self to escape was a smart move.
So the other kids figure out who Billy is, and Eugene has identified his real parents.
It seems unlikely that the police couldnāt find his mum, just because she reverted to her maiden name. But I happily forgive that because the scene that follows has so much emotional weight to it.
Wow. So he reveals himself to his mum, and leans in to hug her. And she kind of pushes him away, looking visibly shaken. Already the scene is hitting me deep.
When Billy first let go of her hand and went missing, she panicked, but when she saw him with the police officers, she let herself believe that they could do a better job of looking after him than she could. She believed heād be better off without her.
So she left.
And she actively hid herself so she wouldnāt be found.
I understand the feeling of parental inadequacy. I feel it a lot. And she has reason to feel it too. Sheās 17 years old with a child sheās raising on her own. She has no support. Probably no money. She feels sheās never going to be able to give him a good life.
But the one thing he really needs, she can give him. A motherās love. Thatās what he needs most. Thatās what she doesnāt understand.
But to give up your child like that. Man, I could never do that. I couldnāt even comprehend that.
And now, she immediately tries to justify herself by saying āBut youāre okay right. You landed on your feet. You look good.ā
And Billy, with all the heartbreak heās feeling, as he realises heās been completely rejected by the mother heās searched for all his life, so crushed in spirit, actually spares her feelings by saying he just wanted to let her know he was good, and heās going back to his real family now.ā
Heās the mature one here. Heās the adult in this situation.
Heās the one putting the needs of others before himself, while sheās just looking out for herself.
But I think thereās actually a little truth to what Billy says.
I think he realises in this moment that his new foster family cares for him a heck of a lot more than his biological mother ever did. They can be the family he always craved.
But I think he also realises just how messed up his mother is. Sheās not in any better situation now than she was when she was 17. In fact, sheās probably worse. Evidence suggests she may be in a relationship with an abusive partner.
If they were to re-enter each otherās lives, heād be the one taking care of her.
And given the chance, heād probably do that.
But she doesnāt want him in her life. That is clear.
And she doesnāt even remember the compass, which was such a symbol to him all his life.
But heās right, she needs it more than he does. Sheās still lost, whereas Billy is starting to realise what heās found.
Of course, none of this is really going to dampen the pain he is going through right now.
Itās a powerful scene. Fantastic stuff.
And thatās when he gets the phone call, letting him know that Thad has his family.
But now heās ready.
Heās just gone through some powerful character growth.
Now heās ready to be the hero. And now he knows just how much that family means to him.
This is how itās done. Character growth, overcoming the internal demons equips a protagonist to defeat the external demon. In this case, Thad and his, well, literal demons.
Donāt you just love story structure?
The batarang moment was important because it allows Billy to realise that Thad is vulnerable when the sins are not inside him.
And then we end up in Monsters Inc.
Iām not sure whatās supposed to be behind all these doors. Other planets? Other realities?
The crocodiles playing cards are kinda weird.
Thad says Billy doesnāt deserve the name Champion. Billy is no more worthy than Thad was as a child. Billy knows that.
But heās about to show us that you donāt need to be perfect to be a hero.
You just need to learn from your mistakes and do better.
The kids have figured out that Thad is powerless when the sins leave his eye, so, in a true act of bravery, given they have no powers at all, they bait him into letting them chase her.
But heās gotta keep one in his eye.
At that last moment when hope seems lost, Billy realises his greatest power is enlisted the help of those he loves most.
The thrones wait for his brothers and sisters.
So he transforms all of his siblings, giving them the same powers he has.
Itās a little corny, but itās all very thematic. And it works, because the movie has kind of earned it.
They do a little bit of the others struggling to figure out their powers, but they learn to use them way quicker than Billy did.
But I guess you could argue that they at least have Billyās example to know what is and isnāt possible.
The actor that plays adult Darla does a pretty nice job of portraying a little girl in an adult body.
Nice little payoff as Freddy gives the two bullies suitcase wedgies, like they did to him. I didnāt pick up on that detail before.
So now we have the final confrontation. Billy has to convince the sin to come out.
He figures out which one is left and appeals directly to what it is.
And then we have a Disney death, where thad falls on his own, rather than being actively killed by the hero.
Except that Billy saves him. And then traps the sins back in the rock.
So Billy is with his family now. Heās home.
And then we get a payoff to the lunch scene. Freddy is still a pariah, but he doesn't care. Because heās a superhero.
But Billy shows up and brings Superman, minus his head, since Henry Cavill was unavailable to film the scene.
I mean, it was a fun little reveal. But itās a real shame we didnāt get to actually see Billy meet Superman, and have Superman give him some advice.
I think thereās a lot of potential for a Tony Stark / Peter Parker style relationship there.
I mean, weāve all seen the screenshot of the comic with Clark Kent sitting next to Billy, even if we havenāt read the comics.
But films bring in their own logistical challenges.
Maybe weāll get to see some of that in the sequel.
Not having anywhere near enough comic book cred, I didnāt know what the talking caterpillar was all about, in the mid credit scene, other than ā¦. It seemed kinda silly.
So I asked Google.
Turns out itās Mister Mind. A worm from the planet venus.
Hmm. Thatās gonna be a hard villain for me to swallow.
Not that Iād want to swallow a worm.
Anyway. Weāll see what, if anything, comes of that.
So that was Shazam. A pretty entertaining movie with more heart than you might expect from the comedic tone.
That brings my coverage of the DC Extended Universe to a close.
As I said in a previous episode, I havenāt Birds of Prey yet so Iām not going to be talking about it.
Iāll cover more DC movies as they come out. Weāve got Wonder woman 1984 and Zack Snyderās Justice League coming. Theatrical movies are gonna be harder for me to cover in this format, as I canāt watch them over and over, pausing to take notes, so Iām not sure how thatāll work with Wonder Woman. I might wait until it is released on Blur Ray.
I dunno.
Next fortnight, Iām gonna give an overview of my thoughts on the first two seasons of Star Trek Discovery.
Then, the next episode after that weāll be starting on season 3.
Donāt forget you can look me up at AdamDavidCollings.com where you can learn all about my book series, Jewel of The Stars.
Until then, have a great two weeks.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Aquaman is the 6th movie in the DC Extended Universe. In today's edition of the Nerd Heaven Podcast, I delve into this story, discussing what worked for me, and what didn't. Ultimately, while I had been hoping for something more along the lines of Man of Steel, I found there was a lot to enjoy in this underwater tale. And bonus points because they filmed it here in Australia.
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Transcript
Before we launch into today's episode, I just want to acknowledge the passing of Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I've just read that he passed away due to colon cancer at the age of 43. That's just one year older than me. My condolences go out to his wife and his other loved ones. It's really sad to hear of anyone who has died, but someone who is public like this who is loved for his art...yeah I just wanted to acknowledge that.
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a Nerd.
Today, weāre talking about Aquaman.
DC Fandome happened two weeks ago. It was pretty exciting. We Got a teaser for Zack Snyderās Justice League, which was awesome. It gave the promise of a much deeper weightier version of the film. Iām very excited for it. We learned it will be shown in 4 parts, each episode 1 hour. And then later be edited into a 4-hour movie.
We got reveals of all the characters in The Suicide Squad. We learned the Flash movie is very much focussed on the concept of multiverses.
And we got a trailer for The Batman. And I have to admit, it looks really good.
Iām still mourning the loss of Batfleck, and Iām not sure why we need another Batman trilogy not connected with the established continuity.
But the movie has a lot of promise from what Iāve seen. I donāt doubt Robert Pattison. Iāve always kept an open mind about him.
But speaking of Affleck, thereās a lot of chatter online about him returning to play Batman in The flash movie, although nothing was said about this at Fandome. So ā¦ Iām still not 100% sure whether to believe it or not.
Part of me thinks itāll be one last hurrah to farewell his character, and that they may use the whole flashpoint thing to replace him with Pattison. But who knows.
Anyway, itās an interesting time to be a DC fan.
So letās dig into Aquaman.
The description on IMDB reads
Arthur Curry, the human-born heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, goes on a quest to prevent a war between the worlds of ocean and land.
The screenplay was written by
David Leslie, Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall
Based on a story by
Geoff Johns James Wan and Will Beall
And this movie first released on the 26th of November 2018.
I love the way they use the underwater effect over the studio logos at the start. Very effective
We launch straight into the meeting of Arthurās parents in 1985.
Wow, so that means Iām quite a bit older than Aquaman, and by extension, probably Jason Momoa.
ISnāt that weird. I mean, Jason is a āreal manā so I tend to assume heās older than me.
I love the way Nicole Kidman plays the confusion of her character, Atlanna, in a world that is so alien to her. Going to the surface would kinda be like going into space for us.
It makes some sense that sheād eat the goldfish. She doesnāt know when sheāll get her next meal in this world, although I think itās mostly played for comedy.
And yet, she speaks and understands perfect english. The ability for characters to communicate is always a challenge for writers of sci-fi and fantasy, so I can understand why it is often just ignored, like in the stargate TV shows, But I wish theyād had her speak a completely different language upon first meeting. All it would have taken was a quick montage or him teaching her a few words, and then have her use a slightly broken english after that.
As it is, they cut from first meeting to pregnancy. IT would have been a really easy fix.
I like how they point out the significance of the fact that atlanteans and humans are biologically compatible, able to reproduce. That IS a big deal.
She sees this as symbolic of Artuhrās ability to unite two worlds.
And then the guards show up, wanting to bring her back to the arranged marriage she fled.
I love their laser weapons, and I REALLY love their water-filled EVA suits.
But we notice straight away that she can breathe oxygen? This will be addressed later.
Atlanna returning home in order to protect Artuhur, is somewhat reminiscent of Jor-el and Lara sending Kal-el away to protect him.
Itās a touching scene. But iām not sure it fully captures the unbelievable, indescribable pain, of saying goodbye to your husband and son for the last time.
The transition from her going home to the aquarium is cool.
And the scene where the fish come to little Arthur's rescue is awesome. And then they all just crowd around him with reverence. Great stuff.
This has to be a purely instinctual reaction on their part since fish are not sapient.
So we see a submarine get hijacked. I kinda like the line āI wonāt tell you how to captain if you don't tell me how to pirateā
Thereās some interesting father and son stuff with Black Manta and his Dad. Apparently, his grandfather was a frogman in WW2 but after the war, his country forgot him. Weāre not really told specifically what this means, but clearly there was some --- about how he was treated in a post-war world.
I wonder, was it a racial thing? I can well imagine that black soldiers returning from the war were not given the respect they were due.
In any case, it has resulted in three generations of piracy. Quite a legacy that mistreatment created.
So Aquaman shows up This will be our first look at adult Arthur Curry in this movie, but from this point on, the story is set after Justice league.
Already Iām appreciating this character more than I did in the second half of Justice League.
Weāve got a little of the grittiness back that his early appearance promised. And a lot less of the silliness.
So Black Manta has been scouring the seas looking for Aquaman. And heās just like āDo I know you?ā
Whatās not clear to me is why this man has been searching for Aquaman. In a few minutes heāll have good motivation. But to my knowledge thereās no reason for animosity between them right now, other than the fact that Aquaman just ruined his planned piracy of this submarine. Maybe thatās enough.
I like Aquamanās response to this guy raising this son into a life of crime.
āShame on you,ā he says, without a hint of irony.
Iām actually seeing a lot of the man-of-stel-eqsue emotional grittiness in this scene. Itāll get a lot chessier later in the film, but Iām loving this stuff.
Despite his crimes, we can really empathise with black manta at this moment, as heās forced to leave his father behind to die. Aquaman has effectively killed his father.
Now he has strong motivation.
Good stuff.
Very emotional.
Where did David Kane and his dad get the futuristic submarine that looks like a spaceship? Remember, I even found it hard to accept Batmanās troup carrier in Justice League, and that, at least, was developed with Bruce Wayneās fortune.
I love sci-fi technology, but it has to have a reason to exist.
So Arthur goes to meet his own dad, which provides quite the counterpoint to Mantaās loss.
And while Iāll certainly question the moral choices of the Kane family, I donāt doubt the love that existed between father and son. Both of these men had great relationships with their dads.
Which makes them mirrors of each other, in a sense, but is also a nice change from the stereotypical broken father relationships you often see in fiction.
When Arthurās dad says āIāll buy you breakfast,ā and then the camera immediately cuts to a massive empty beer glass being slammed onto the bar, I laughed out loud.
The thugs wanting a selfie with Arthur was mildly amusing but also a bit on the nose.
Visually, Atlantis looks amazing. Very impressive visuals.
But thereās definitely a feeling of un-reality to it. They give an occasional bubble out of the mouths of the creatures to hint at this all being underwater, but it really doesnāt look like it is. Everything is too clear. I can buy that in this underwater world, sea creatures would be domesticated in the same way that land animals have been by humans, so rinding on seahorses and sharks. Okay. But the sheer size of these creatures is a big thing to ask of our disbelief. And the way the sharks are controlled. Again, the only way I find I can buy this is if there is telepathy involved. The movie doesnāt outright say this, but I have to employ this as head-canon to make it work.
I like how there is such a big world underwater, with multiple kingdoms. All collectively known as Atlantis. But for all of this to be down there undiscovered by humankind? Sure, I can buy they would be able to hide themselves from us in the great depths of the ocean, but why hide themselves? They seem to have had little to fear from humans throughout most of history. With todayās modern weapons, I guess we pose more of a threat to them. But then, they have water-lasers.
The prevailing opinion seems to be to let the humans destroy themselves, but Orm sees them as a threat, a threat that should be confronted, not hidden from.
And then these ancient ruins are attacked by a submarine. Theyāve been discovered. It seems Orm was right to view the humans as a threat. It makes sense that they would be found now. After Justice League, the existence of the mysterious Aqua man is public knowledge. Many will be curious and will be actively searching for the truth behind the legends.
And then Mera shows up to seek help from Arthur.
The whole history between Arthurās contact with Atlantis is a bit muddy. We know heās met Mera before. In Justice League, he went down underwater to speak with her. So her had first met her even before that. But heās never actually been all the way into Atlantis itself. Iād have liked this to be explained a little better. Iām not sure which movie to fault, this one, or Justice League.
Mera wants Arthur to take up the mantle of rightful King of Atlantis. An idea he finds laughable. They donāt want me. They executed my mother. Iām illegitimate and half human.
But a character named Vulko believes in Arthur, and has found evidence of an ancient lost trident he believes will allow Arthur to rally the people behind him.
This is some pretty standard almost cliche fantasy fare here.
Arthur has no interest in being King, but if Orm attacks the above world, heāll treat him mercilessly. Just as his mother was treated.
And then, the little twist. David, soon to be Manta, is secretly working with Ormās faction. He hijacked the Russian sub and used it to simulate an invasion from the surface dwellers, so Orm could get the other kings on side. But Manta is very angry that Arthur intervened and killed his father. He cares nothing for helping Orm. He just wants revenge.This also explains where Manta and his dad got the super advanced spaceship sub. Iāve only ever seen this movie once, and thereās some details here that Iād forgotten.
The scene where the giant wave sweeps a battleship toward shore looks fantastic, as does the effect as Mera holds back the water so Arthur can get his dad out of the ute. (what Americans call a pick-up truck. I need to add that become statistics show most of my listeners are American)
Arthur learnās Meraās name for the first time, so clearly, they are not all that well acquainted.
Orm has officially declared war. All over the world ships are being washed up, along with rubbish - lots of rubbish - that has made itās way into the oceans.
It wouldnāt be an Aquaman story without an environmental angle. Itās kind of part of the deal, isnāt it.
My question is, how is this much rubbish ending up in the oceans? Oh, I know ocean plastic is a real issue that threatens marine life. But our rubbish here in Australia is all buried in land fill. We donāt just dump it in the sea. I guess Iām possibly not very informed on this issue. Probably should do some research.
Anyway, as much as Orm is the bad guy, I kinda donāt blame him for dumping all that back to us.
Now we get a childhood flashback, and get to learn more about this character Vulko. Heās the atlantean who taught young Arthur to use his powers.
By the way, have you noticed just how much the atleanteanās clothing resembles the black kryptonian suits? Very similar texture.
We get more great underwater visuals.
Arthur learns that he can talk underwater. This still bugs me, and will bug me all though the movie. There should at least be bubbles. When you speak, you are expelling air through your mouth. I wonder if it would have been practical to make all underwater dialog telepathic. It would make for challenging performances, and theyād have to record all the dialog separately. Yeah, probably impractical, but part of me would love to have seen it tried.
Anyway, Iāve said my piece. Iāll put this issue aside now.
Arthur is willing to help Mera defeat Orm and prevent the war, but after that, heās done.
He really is a reluctant hero. This mirrors his journey in Justice League.
He wasnāt interested in helping Bruce, but when the war came to him, he had no choice but to help.
So arthur goes to Atlantis for the first time. When you see all the traffic lined up to get in, you realise just how vast the population of this world is.
Highborns can breathe underwater and in air. Which explains how Atlanna was able to breach on the surface, but the guards who came after her couldnāt.
This actually makes some sense. The whole concept of highborn, or nobility, basically represents a narrowing of the gene pool. In many stories, this narrowing is done deliberately to keep a certain genetic trait from becoming widespread. In this case, a remnant from their time before Atlantis sunk underwater. Of course, narrowing the gene pool can cause all sorts of problems as well.
We get some cool worldbuilding. We see Atlantis while it was still on the surface. How they had a technological society, more advanced than ours, in some ways, in ancient times. I love this kind of stuff. The idea of ancient advanced societies is very compelling.
In the end, it was their own pursuit of power that lead to the fall of Atlantis.
And Vulko tells of the lost trident of Atlan, first ruler of Atlantis. It was imbued wit the power to command the sea. Vulko has information that will lead Arthur to it.
But before he can embark on his quest, he is captured by Ormās forces.
Orm baits Arthur into a challenge. If Orm wins, it will solidify his position.
Arthur is confident he can win. But thatās typical tough-guy bravado.
It was kind of stupid on Arthurās part. You donāt run into something like this without understanding what youāre getting yourself into.
but then, thatās Arthur. Heās a flawed character. Heās impulsive. And I like that.
And heās right about one thing. If he wins, itāll solve all their problems.
They cast both the child Arthur and teenage Arthur pretty well.
I love the flashback, when Orm finally admits to Arthur that his mother is dead, and that she had married Ormās father. Very emotional. The look on Arthurās face really hit me. Right in the heart.
Great acting.
Then he says, āAre you saying they had her executed, for having me?ā
Wow. What a thing to live with.
Ok. So now we come to the ring of fire.
I donāt know how to tell you this, but fire kinda doesnāt burn underwater.
Now, looking at it, I think itās supposed to be magma. Ok. But water would cool it and solidify it, right? And if the waterās not cold enough to do that, well, Arthur and Orm would probably be quickly turning into seafood chowder.
And, theyāre not swimming. Theyāre walking around, as if this was the surface.
Everything about this annoys me. I know itās hard and expensive to shoot everything on wires to make it look realistic, butā¦..seriously? If weāre not gonna bother to do it right, why are we bothering at all?
In science fiction and fantasy, you have to suspend your disbelief on a lot of things. Men canāt really fly, or breath underwater.
But you have to really think about what you want the audience to believe.
A superhero movie like this asks for quite a bit of suspension on the big stuff. So donāt make us suspend our disbelief on the mundane. With stuff that is ā¦ā¦ silly. Dare I say stupid?
When I say I want my superhero movies to be realistic, I donāt mean that every detail must be exactly true to life, because then it wouldn't be a superhero movie anymore. The most important thing tends to me the emotional realism. But stuff like this can be important as well.
And the line is gonna be different for everybody, but for me, this scene crosses the line.
And hereās another thing that crosses the line. An octopus playing the drums.
What? Is this a sapient octopus?
So Arthurās motherās trident, the one he wielded in Justice League, is destroyed.
Mera has to interrupt the duel and rescue him to save his life.
Arthur has now lost all credibility. Heās discouraged and a laughing stock.
This has set Meraās plan back significantly.
He was supposed to have Atlantaās trident before challenging Orm.
Oops.
Again, I like this because itās Arthurās character. And itās all part of his arc.
We get a fun action scene as the spaceship submarines chase each other through atlantis. All good spectacle.
So hiding inside the whale was clever. It seems Aquamanās ability to communicate with sea creatures is unique to him, not common to all atlanteans.
And then, suddenly, we go from the ocean to the Sahara. How different can you get?
Thereās a nice quiet scene on the plane where Arthur realises how much Mera has sacrificed for him. When she rescued him, she effectively banished herself from Atlantis. Even her own father wouldnāt take her back now.
But in reality, her father still cares and wants her to be rescued, not killed.
Vulko convinces Orm they should be arrested and brought home.
Thereās an Indianna Jones aspect to this movie, especially this part. I really like Indianna Jones
They donāt really explain how Mera and Arthur can jump from a plane and land unharmed on the ground. It seems they have Superman-level invulnerability.
The only explanation they really give for the Atlanteanās powers is that they naturally evolved underwater. But invulnerability like that? Thatās a little far fetched.
I just donāt think this movie gives sufficient reason for the existence of these incredible powers.
Anyway, Manta has just been armed by Orm with Atlantean water lasers. He uses the Atlantean technology to build himself a suit. And Black Manta is born.
We get some more cool mythology. One of the tribes of Atlantis settled out here when it was still an inland sea.
When the water dried up, they died out.
So now we have the remains of an ancient aquatic kingdom buried under a dessert.
Thatās really cool.
And now Mera has telekinetic powers to draw water out of Arthurās body and make it fly through the air. Oookay.
Iāll admit I did laugh out loud when Arthur said he could have just peed on the machine. Does that make me a bad person?
The idea of a sacred object that can unite a divided people is a common trope. The sword of Kahless from Star Trek comes to mind.
Butā¦..how does that work.
The trident in the wrong hands could be devastating, but in the hands of the true heir, it could unite the kingdoms above the surface and below.
How? Why?
How exactly will the people put aside their differences because some bloke comes along holding a trident? I donāt understand the logic.
Orm really is a bad guy. He kills the king of the fishermen in front of his daughter, and them commands her to rally her armies. Sheās not exactly say no, is she?
Arthur figures out the mystery of the bottle. Itās nice to see Arthur portrayed as having a brain, as heās been portrayed as kinda stupid in recent scenes.
Manta shows up, and they have a big battle.
The line when he says āCall me Black Mantaā was pretty cheesy. I donāt think we needed that.
The battle in the town is pretty good, in an Indiana Jones kind of way. Itās not a deeply emotional fight, but the spectacle is entertaining.
But Manta must have some REALLY good shock absorbers in that armour of his.
Arthur has a nice reflective moment.
He had a choice to save Mantaās father. He chose to let him die.
And now heās made an enemy. Itās a nice relaiseation. I was thinking the same thing during the fight. So nice to see Arthur contemplate it as well. How might this all have unfolded differently if heād not let the man die?
He still doesnāt think heād be any good at leading. He doesnāt play well with others.
But Mera sees him as a bridge between people. Thatās his strength.
Vulko reveals his true allegiance in front of Orm and gets arrested for it.
Logically, it would have been smarter to keep holding his tongue but I guess he just couldnāt hold it in any longer. Heās been dying to say those words to Orm for a long time. I get that.
So Arthur and Mera are heading for the trench, where horrible beasts reside. The beasts his mother was sacrificed to.
But they show up early and attack the boat.
Theyāre super creepy. I love them.
There are so many of them. This is a really scary scene. Nicely done.
I just did a quick google search, and apparently flares that work underwater are a real thing. Ok. I canāt complain about that, then.
And then we find this weird air-filled cavern deep under water.
This is hard for me to swallow.
The title on the screen says, the hidden sea. Earthās core.
First of all, core has got to be a bit of an overstatement.
The heat and pressure at the core of the earth wold be way too much for anyone or anything to survive. I mean, the depths we think of when we talk about going underground, they barely scratch the surface. Our planet is a lot bigger than I think people realise until they really stop and think about it.
I doubt a dry place like this underwater is in any way scientifically plausible.
I mean, itās cool, but itās really hard to swallow. And they donāt even try to explain it. This is the difference between a movie like this, and a movie like Man of Steel.
But ā¦ theyāve got dinosaurs.
Anyway, we find that Arthurās mother, Atlanna is still alive down here.
Turns out, you can get into this place, but you canāt get out. The only way of escape is the trident.
Itās guardian will only allow the true king to pass.
Arthur is afraid. I think, because he still doubts his worthiness.
I really like Atlannaās explanation of the difference between a king and a hero.
A king fights only for his nation. But Arthur fights for everyone.
Arthur didnāt come here because he thought he was mortal. He knows he is not.
Heās not here for selfish ambition.
Heās here to save his home and the people that he loves.
The guardian creature likes this. Finally someone who may be worthy of the trident.
So he gets the trident, and when he emerges from the waterfall, heās changed clothes.
No explanation is given for this.
But heās in the traditional Aquaman suit.
I donāt know if that was really necessary. I just donāt know if the traditional costume really suits Jason Momoaās Aquaman.
But anyway.
Orm is attacking the kingdom of the brine.
They havenāt accepted his authority.
The guardian creature is massive and pretty scary. But itās not Aquamanās noble steed.
To be honest, itās doing all the work. Arthur is just standing on itās back looking macho.
But he does call all the dolphins to come join the battle on his side.
Thereās too many casualties. They have to end the battle quickly. Oh, but first, letās have a good long snog.
I mean, Iām happy for them to have found love with each other, but itās not really the time.
Meraās father recognises Arthurās authority by the fact that he carries the trident. That means the guardian has recognised him, and he commands the sea. The creatures of the trench obey his will.
That actually makes sense.
Iām starting to see how the trident can unit the people.
So they have a big fight, and Arthur spareās Ormās life. Showing mercy unlike he did with Mantaās father. This is a nice pay-off,
But then Orm learns his mother is still alive
She gives a nice speech, but those words are not going to be enough to sway him. Not in a hurry.
But Arthur is ready to talk, when Orm is ready. I wonder what might become of that.
But Atlannaās place is not in the sea. Itās with her husband.
What a great moment when he sees her at the end of the jetty, and they are finally reunited.
So there you have it.
Iām glad I decided to cover this movie. I enjoyed it more than I remembered.
Itās not man of Steel, but itās an entertaining movie. Itās like a Marvel movie.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this trip through Aquaman. It was fun. Next time, weāll be looking at Shazam. Thatāll be cool.
That leaves just one more episode before we launch into Star Trek Discovery season 3. Iāll probably do a recap of my thoughts on the first two seasons.
Donāt forget you can get the first book in my Jewel of the Stars series for just 99 cents at books2read.com/jewel (and thatās the number 2), and the prequel story for free by going to adamdavidcollings.com/free
And Iāll see you next time, on Nerd Heaven.
We've made it to Justice League in our journey through the DC Extended Universe. In this episode, I delve into the theatrical cut of the movie, pulling out what I liked, and discussing what I didn't, which leads into my hopes for the upcoming Snyder Cut. I try to be positive in these podcasts and focus on geeking out over the things I like, so I must admit this one's going to be a bit of a downer, but, with the Synder Cut coming, there is still hope.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.
This is episode 33 of the podcast.
Weāve been working our way through the early DCEU movies toward Justice League, in celebration of, and preparation for, the upcoming Snyder Cut.
Today, weāve arrived.
Just really quick, before we launch into that, I want to follow up something I said two episodes ago regarding Star Trek Lower Decks. I was saying how I wished somebody like Alex Kurtzman would just break the silence regarding international distribution for the show, rather than just pretending it wasnāt an issue of importance to many fans. Well, somebody did break the silence shortly after, but it was Mike McMahon, which actually makes more sense than Kurtzman, because heās the show runner of Lower Decks. Basically, we learned that there is a deal being negotiated, but there isnāt a known time frame yet. The main reason they went ahead without an international deal was because Lower Decks was originally supposed to show after Discovery season 3, but COVID messed that up, and they ended up bringing Lower Decks forward.
So Iām very grateful to McMahon for finally breaking the silence, and being open and honest with us.
Itās still a little hard to hear everyone else talking about the show, and know that I canāt be a part of that conversation, but Iāll be waiting until I can watch the show legally and ethically.
Ok.
The description for Justice League, according to IMDB reads
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his new-found ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.
It was written by
Chris Terrio and Zack Snyder,
And Directed by Zack Snyder ( but also uncredited directing by Joss Whedon)
The movie first released on the 13th of November 2017
Letās do it.
So here we are at Justice League.
Iāve talked in recent podcasts about Warner Bros interference. First, they cut the running time of Batman V Superman, resulting in a much inferior theatrical version of that movie, and then they made major changes to Suicide Squad, turning David Ayerās soulful drama into a comedy.
But this interference is more evident than anywhere else in Justice League.
I donāt know all the details.
We know that Justice League was always going to have a lighter tone than Batman V Superman.
Iām okay with that. I donāt need every DC movie to be as dark as BVS, but ideally, Iād like them all to at least be as serious as Man of Steel. Personal subjective taste here.
We know that Zack Snyder left the project due to the tragic suicide of his daughter. Honestly, I donāt know how any parent could live through something like that. I donāt blame him for leaving. Family is much more important than any movie.
We know that Joss Whedon was brought in to finish off the film. We were told, at the time, that there was just a little bit left to do, and that Joss would very much be following Snyderās vision and tone.
Over time, it has become more and more evident that it was much more than that. There were major changes to the content and tone of the movie, under Whedonās direction.
It seems that all the meaningful character stuff was cut, and replaced with silly jokes.
As this became clear, the ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement was born.
Now, if this was all weād ever got, Iād have been grateful for it. We got to see Ben Affleckās Batman, and Henry Cavillās Superman one more time. But I am so glad that the Synder Cut is coming out next year. I desperately hope that HBO Max makes it to Australia before it airs. Seriously, Iām holding my breath in very nervous anticipation here. I donāt want to be watching it months after the Americans. I want to be a part of the conversation as itās happening.
Anyway, today, weāre talking about the theatrical Joss Whedon cut. So Iām gonna go through it, see what Ican find that was good, and assess what Iām hoping for from the Snyder Cut.
It makes sense to start with a flashback of Superman, since itāll be some time before we see him again, plus, weāre still living in that world without Superman.
And we see the infamous CGI moustache replacement. I tell you, watching it again this time itās super obvious and it looks really bad.
We see from the start that Batman isnāt just on a normal hunt for petty crooks. Heās just using the thief. He needs fear, because the parademons can smell it.
Yes, those same aliens we saw in the nightmare vision in Batman V Superman are here. On earth.
I found it a little jarring that they were just here.
Iāve gotta say, itās so nice to see Affleckās Batman and Ironās Alfred together on screen again.
So Lex had notes about the aliens. I can only assume he got his information from the Kryptonian scout ship.
The sad contemporary song over the credits fits reasonably well. Itās a far cry from the hauntingly beautiful opening music from Batman V Superman, though. But the film really drives home that Supermanis head. We see Lois at his monument, and Martha at his graveside. Banners display the House of El crest all over the world.
Then We get to see Wonder Woman in true classic Super hero mode for the first real time, as she foils a terrorist plot.
Wonder Woman could almost give the flash and superman both a run for their money in this scene, as she rushes across the hostages, blocking the bullets.
I donāt mind the scene when Bruce goes to the village, looking for Aqua Man.
I think he knows from the start, that Arthur is the man heās looking for.
This scene is our first real look at the DCEU Aqua man, a character who has long been the joke of DC superheroes. Not anymore. This Aquaman is a tough gritty guy you donāt want to mess with.
I donāt think the scene really does a great job of explaining Aquamanās reluctance to help.
Bruceās main lead on finding Barry Allen is the fact that he visits his father in prison.
Honestly, I thought all the scenes between Barry and his father ended up on the cutting room floor, but, there is a conversation between them.
At this point in his life, Barry is just on the run. He isnāt living his life. As much as Henry wishes he would.
Silas Stone is working at Star Labs, which apparently surrounds the Kryptonian ship.
So an object called the change engine was used to create cyborg, keeping him alive when he should be dead. Silas thinks it could interact with the Kryptonian technology on the ship. Victor isnāt happy about what his father has done to him. He sees his father as a monster, for what heās done.
Cyborg isnāt just part machine, heās part alien machine. Heās got a language he doesnāt speak in his head. Heās deathly afraid of himself, and of what he might become. Can you imagine fearing that you might in fact be the next invasion. Itās a heavy burden for him to carry. This is pretty good stuff. We donāt explore it in any depth, but thereās definitely potential here.
The Amazonians have one of the mother boxes, like the change engine. Theyāve had it for thousands of years. In all that time itās been dormant. But now it awakes. Enter Stemmenwolf. He beams down in the middle of this room.
And in come more of the flying aliens. The other one Bruce was tracking was just a scout.
I found Steppenwolf a pretty disappointing and forgettable villain. After Zod, Lex and even Ares, he was a disappointment. No depth to his story. To be honest, I donāt even remember much about him.
Steppenwolf makes short work of the Amazons. Theyāre no match for him. They really need to be using something a little heavier than arrows. He takes the box and beams away.
They light an ancient warning fire as a way to attract Diannaās attention.
Martha has lost the Kent farm. She was behind in the payments. Lois is back at work, in theory, but sheās doing basic easy stories. Her heart just isnāt in it, since Clark died.
Itās nice to see these two interacting, as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
This movie feels a little .. plastic somehow. While the previous films had a reality to them, the way they looked, there is something artificial and glossy about this one.
Steppenwolf lived only to conquer. He turned people into parademons.
The mother boxes combine to form the unity, an apocalyptic power that transforms planets into the hellscape of steppenwolfās home planet, Apocolips.
As Dianna tells the story, we see clips of the ancient battle, as the amazons, atlanteans, and even some Green lanterns from other worlds drove him from earth. It all looks very Lord of The Rings. And yetā¦..it all just feels a bit ā¦ā¦ lacking.
It was nice to see that one tiny little Green Lantern reference, but it would have been even nicer to have a little more. There was a cool line cut from the trailer where Steppenwolf is saying how Earth is an easy target because no Lanterns are protecting it.
The boxes turning Earth into a hellish landscape is similar in premise to Zodās world engine terraforming Earth. One felt truly epic. But this ā¦.. I dunno. Thereās just nothing to it. It falls flat.
The scene where Bruce introduces himself to Barry is nice.
His willingness to jump in and join the team is refreshing after Aquaman and Cyborgās reluctance.
Barry comes across here as a nerd. Heās very relatable to me. He struggles with people.
I think Ezra millerās flash had a lot of potential. Potential that is never realised in this movie, and ā¦. Wellā¦.his solo movie has never eventuated. Dunno if it ever will.
But I must say, this movie redeemed the concept of Aquaman fairly nicely. Heās no longer a joke. Heās a hard-drinking hard-fighting tough guy with hard-rock music making a suitable soundtrack to his movements.
The underwater stuff feels a little less artificial here than it did in the Aquaman movie. Half of the time, you forgot that movie was even underwater. I mean, they had fire in the water for goodness sake. The way these characters move, you can feel water around them.
A lot of people didnāt like the air bubble that Mera forms around them so they can talk underwater.
I donāt mind it. It just adds a little layer of believability.
In reality, if these people were to communicate with each other underwater without air bubbles, they should use telepathy. James Wanās decision to just let them talk verbally underwater may have been practical from a film-making point of view, but it definitely lacked believability.
So now Steppenwolf has two of the three boxes. He just needs to find the box of men now, which was buried somewhere underground. Thatās the one that Victor Stone used to turn his son into Cyborg. We donāt get any backstory as to how he came by by it, other than the little epilogue on the Wonder Woman blue ray, where Etta sends the band to find it. It was found near the front, probably dug up while they were making ditches.
We get our first mention of Darkseid. It seems Steppenwolf is doing what heās doing ā¦ for Darkseid.
Barryās fanboying is perhaps a little overplayed. Itās a cool character concept but I dunno.
Itās ironic that the only memorable music in this movie is the occasional callbacks to previous versions of these characters, such as the little bit of the Batman 1989 theme we hear as Batman responds to Gordonās bat signal. Personally, I Think these music cues are completely out of place here. I donāt want to speak out of place regarding Danny Elfman. He has written some memorable stuff, such as that Batman theme, but I was very unhappy when Junkie XL was removed from the film by Whedon. That felt like he was way overstepping his place. This wasnāt his movie.
The parademons are abducting people from Star labs to find out where the box is now.
The whole joke about the league members all vanishing, leaving barry with Gordon fell flat for me. Batman is a master of stealth, so he kinda makes sense. Dianna is fast and can leap, possibly fly. But would she just vanish that quickly and silently? And Victor? He can fly but his flight is slow and noisy.
So theyāre off to Braxton Island to rescue the scientists.
Now hereās the one really good thing I think they did with The Flash in this movie. Barry is having a bit of a freak out. Thereās a really bad alien down there. In Barryās words, āIāve never done battle, Iāve just pushed some people and run away.ā
This makes sense. Bruce wants Barry on the team because of his abilities. But abilities do not make a hero. Super speed does not make somebody a soldier.
Not everybody has what it takes to go into combat. I sure donāt.
We have a somewhat romantic, glorified view of war and combat, which comes from the movies. But to actually be in the midst of that, surrounded by death. Facing the very real prospect of being killed, and if not that, having to take a life. Thatās a heavy thing.
This movie acknowledges that. But again, it barely scratches the surface. I wish the movie had explored this a little deeper.
But I like Bruceās advice. Save one. Save one person. Donāt talk, donāt fight. Get in, get one out.
And then?
Youāll know.
Bruce is good at seeing where people fit in. Barry doesnāt have to do battle, his logical role in this is rescuing the hostages. Heās perfect for that.
The alien origin of Cyborgās technology makes the things he can do a little more believable.
Steppenwolf thinks he can get under Diannaās skin by talking about the death of her sisters. But this isnāt the naive Dianna we saw during World War 1. Sheās had 100 years to grow and mature since then.
I like Batmanās NightCrawler mech thing. Itās pretty cool.
And I like his line, as he shoots his machine guns. āSorry, I didnāt bring a sword.ā
But it sadly does highlight the absurdity of all this. Steppenwolf is an invader from another planet. And he hits people with an axe.
Ok. So thereās a moment where Barry rushes to move some falling debris that is about to hit Dianna, and he somehow ends up lying on top of her, his face in her breasts.
Itās recently come to light that this scene caused some controversy.
Apparently, Gal Gadot refused to film this scene, and I donāt really blame her. Itās crass juvenile humour. Oh, his face touched her boobies. Oh how funny is that. Seriously? The shot was apparently done with Gadotās stunt double. I think the scene does Wonder Womanās character a dis-service.
Apparently Joss Whedon also used this so-called joke in one of the Marvel films as well, but I canāt remember which one.
Steppenwolf sees the blood of the old gods in Dianna. But he points out, the old gods died. He wants to set himself up as a new god. Technically, his species are called āThe New Godsā if I understand correctly.
As the water rushes in to fill this underground tunnel, itās the perfect time for Aquaman to make his appearance.
He knows Atlantis was attacked, and the box taken. He knows the time has come. Heās needed. Mera has convinced him.
Every now and then we cut to a family somewhere in eastern europe. Their home has been surrounded by Parademons. Near the end weāll understand why, but, this doesnāt really pay off. Not strongly.
Yeah, Barryās fanboying is definitely overdone. As he zooms around the batcave, his eyes about to pop out of his head, itās really quite annoyingl.
Victor gives the remaining backtstory of the human motherbox. The british found it in ww1 and studied it, but they couldnāt even date it. It was shelved until the night when Superman died when it lit up. Probably because of whatever Lex did on the ship to contact Steppenwolf.
And this is when Bruce gets the idea of trying to use the power of the motherbox to bring Superman back to life. They could sure use his help right now.
Superman is not like a normal mortal. Although, technically dead, there may still be power dormant in his cells. We saw a hint of this when the dirt began to rise above his coffin.
Add to that, the power of a motherbox, enough power to transform an entire planet.
Okay. Iām kinda with that.
But his plan isnāt really thought through. Weāll give him a zap of power from the motherbox.
Itās pretty weak from a science fiction point of view.
Dianna has some legitimate concerns. The last time somebody tried to use the genesis chamber on the Kryptonian scout ship to resurrect dead cells, the result was Doomsday.
If they do manage to revive Clarkās body, itās most likely that theyāll simply turn him into a monster, like Luthor did. When Dianna objects, Bruce begins to say āIf thereās even a fraction of a chanceā¦ā which is an interesting call-back to a previous time he said those words in Batman V Superman. In that case, he was arguing for killing Superman. Now, he uses those same words to argue for his resurrection.
The argument between her and Bruce here is some decent drama. She thinks heās doing this out of guilt. But Bruce didnāt kill Superman. Doomsday did.
Bruce calls Dianna out for having shut herself from the world for a century because of Steve Trevorās death. Superman was a beacon to the world. Wonder Woman never was. Not until she was drawn back out of her reverie by Luthorās photo.
I do have fears about how Wonder Woman 1984 will fit into this. But I donāt think DC care about any of these movies anymore. Theyāre trying desperately, to forge some new path. Goodness knows what it is, though.
Aquaman points out that you lose something when you die. Even Superman. Maybe not his mind, but maybe his soul.
I like the acknowledgement here that there may be more to a person than just the physical. If thatās the case, Bruceās plan could go horribly wrong. Assuming there is a soul, if they re-animate Supermanās body, will his soul return to it? Thatās something outside of their control.
Bruce is a little over-confidant here. He says he has a contingency plan for that.
I donāt think this was the originally planned payoff to The Flashās message from the future, that Lois Lane is the key, but I guess it kinda works. But, can Lois really cause Supermanās Soul to return? Thatās a bit of a weak premise.
I donāt think weāre really dealing with the problem of the soul here. Anyway. Iām getting ahead of myself here. Weāll come to that
This is the first time the term āBatmobileā is said out loud in the DCEU. Honestly, I donāt think it needed to be said. We know thatās what it is. Thatās what we know it as, butā¦..when you hear it out loud, itās pretty cheesy. The batmobile was in Batman V Superman. They didnāt have to call it that. It didnāt matter. What mattered was, it was there. And it was awesome. Just another example of these movies moving away from their heritage of taking themselves seriously.
Alfred points out that maybe Clark is at peace. Do they have a right to pull him away from that?
But times are desperate. Although, I donāt think this movie has really allowed us to feel that desperation. I mean, compare this to the feeling of the battle over metropolis. This movie hasnāt sold us on the danger that Steppenwolf represents. I kinda felt the same way about Ultron in the second Avengers movie.
It was nice to hear a few notes of the Superman theme from Man of Steel as they enter the scout ship, but it was kind of a case of too little too late. It actually feels really out of place alongside the rest of the music in this movie
So The Flash has to run really fast to build up enough electrical charge to power the transformation.
It feels like a bit of a forced way to give him something to do.
I get the impression that Supermanās resurrection was going to be handled very differently in Zach Synderās version. Iāll be very interested to see how that plays out.
So Superman is alive. But as Aquaman predicted, something is missing. Heās lost something, and maybe not just his memories.
The Justice League arrives to see whether theyāre dealing with friend or foe.
Superman is sizing them up, assessing their threat level. Then Cyborgās armour fires the first shot. Itās interesting to me that the alien technology in his systems have a mind of their own. Another interesting idea that is not explored in any meaningful way.
Superman doesnāt know who he is. He only knows these powerful beings seem to pose a threat to him.
I do like the moment when the Flash runs around and he realises that Superman is fast enough to see him, even in ābullet-speedā. The looks on both of their faces are priceless.
And we get another inappropriate music cue.
Now donāt get me wrong. I love the John Williamās Superman theme. I really really do, but it has absolutely no place here.
That theme belongs to a completely different interpretation of the character, a completely different universe. A completely different canon.
And yes, I know. Multi-verse. The CW Crisis on Infinite Earthās story has basically put the Christopher Reeve Superman and the Henry Cavil Superman in the same multi-verse.
But you know what ā¦. As fun as it is to see these little crossovers, Iām not really a fan of that concept.
Oh, Iām not opposed to exploring multi-verses in Superhero stories, but the idea of Superman looking like Christopher Reeve in one universe, and like Henry Cavill in another just does not work for me. At all. Itās way too meta. Itās an intrusion of real-world concerns into the movie world.
And I know the comics did this kind of thing. Every continuity reboot in comics is basically only a soft reboot. Theyāve been doing that for ages.
But I still donāt like it.
I just wanna keep them seperate.
The tones, the mythology, theyāre too different.
Interestingly, I had a different reaction when the Superman theme was used in Smallville. Perhaps it was because Smallville drew so much from the Reeve Superman, or maybe it was just that at the time, Christopher Reeve was still very much my Superman.
But Man of Steel was so different to anything that had come before. It was fresh and new and exciting. This stuff just muddies the water for me. It makes the DCEU less ā¦. Pure...somehow.
Batman reveals himself to Clark. Now, this is someone Clark remembers. This was the guy that tried to kill him.
Clark seems just as angry at Bruce for bringing him back, as he is for trying to kill him.
āYou wonāt let me live. You wonāt let me die.ā
So Batman calls in the big guns.
Which, of course, is Lois.
So this is how this movie fulfills the Flash vision. Lois Lane is the Key.
Like I said before, I donāt think this was the original plan. Not by a long shot.
So the power of love helps bring Superman back. Itās a little cheesy. But ā¦ love IS powerful.
We canāt take Aquamanās words about Supermanās lost soul too literally here. The sight of Lois doesnāt cause Supermanās soul to return to his body. It simply helps him overcome the confusion, to remember who he is, and whatās important. To sort through the emotions flooding through him.
And then Batman says āYes, something is definitely bleeding.ā
See, this isnāt the the time or the place for a joke. Not like that.
Realistically, Bruce should be dead. Clark must have held back something shocking not to have killed him. Heās in bad shape. This silly wise-crack just doesnāt ring true as something that Bruce would say here.
The other reason I donāt like this line is because itās kind of making a mockery of a serious moment in Batman V Superman. Warner Bros pandered way too much to their critics in the making of this movie, and in doing so, they kind of spat in the face of their most dedicated fans. They were so obsessed with saving face they forgot we existed. They forgot that plenty of people enjoyed those previous movies. In the end, the critics mattered more than we did. We who stuck by them and defended their previous films. It felt pretty insulting, to be honest. But this will be felt more strongly when we get to the end.
Meanwhile, the league were so distracted dealing with Clark that they completely ignored the mother box. That was really stupid. As a result, Steppenwolf swoops in and grabs it. Now he has all three.
So Clark takes Lois back to smallville. The Kent farm.
Lois says Clark smells good.
Really?
Heās been in the ground for a long time. Heās literally a re-animated corpse. Heās probably covered with some kind of embalming fluid or something. I donāt know a lot about the preparation of bodies. Heās certainly not wearing any aftershave.
What on earth is she on about? What a stupid line.
And then he responds, āDid I not before?ā
Heās Superman, not Lieutenant Commander Data.
I think Aquaman has written off the whole Superman thing as a big mistake. Whatever Lois may or may not be able to do for Clark, Arthur isnāt counting on getting any help from Superman.
He blames Victor for not being able to control the machine. I have to say, the conflict between the heroes in the first Avengers movie played a lot better than this stuff.
And then before we can do any serious character exploration, weāre interrupted by another stupid joke about Barryās blood sugar.
The whole exchange between Bruce and arthur about asking the fish to keep an eye out for the mother boxes is awkward.
Fish are not sapient, so ā¦ talking to fish is probably not the best way to word it. Maybe itās more that Arthur can kinda see through their eyes? I dunno. Bruce really isnāt sure what to believe about the mythology surrounding Aquaman.
Ben Affleckās Batman is a very different character in this movie. I donāt just mean that heās changed as a person for the better, inspired by Supermanās sacrifice. Thatās just good character development.
No, itās something else. Something feels off. And I think itās mostly just the comedic influence of Joss Whedon.
Iām not a whedon hater. Heās done some great stuff. And I loved the humorous turns of phrase he gave the characters in Firefly. But it really doesnāt suit Batman, especially this version of Batman.
I just donāt feel like Iām watching Batfleck. Even though itās Ben Affleck playing him.
When Dianna says Clark could have killed Bruce, he replies with āI was willing to make the trade.ā
I kinda like that. He finally sees the benefit of Superman. He sees his power in a new light. He no longer views Superman as a threat. Bruce wasnāt cut out for fighting villains like Steppenwolf. Heās just a man. And heās getting older. When Dianna says āYou canāt do this forever,ā he says āI can barely do it now.ā
These two characters actually have a half-decent conversation. Itās a nice moment. Dianna reflects on her isolation. Sheād fight when we was needed (I guess one of those times was in 1984 as weāll see in the upcoming movie) but she never wanted to step into the light and lead, inspire.
Bruce isnāt a leader either. He lives his life in the shadows, dressed as a bat.
Thereās only one person who is really cut out to lead this league.
Cut to Clark standing in a corn field at sunset (or maybe sunrise).
And Lois asks him what coming back from the dead felt like.
And he says āitchy.ā
So stupid.
And Lois admits how sheād retreated into herself. She wasnāt strong. She wasnāt Lois Lane Reporter.
Well, of course she wasnāt. The love of her life had died.
If my wife died, Iād be a mess, and I donāt know if Iād ever recover.
Nobody is gonna blame her for not being the old Lois after what happened.
But maybe itās precisely because sheās Lois Lane that she holds herself to such a high standard. Thatās why sheās judging herself.
So basically, all of Clarkās coming to terms with having died and come back, his reunion with Lois, it all happens off screen.
So we get an explanation as to why Stemmelwolf has set up shop in remote eastern Europe. He wants to be somewhere thereās isnāt a lot of internet connectivity to prevent Victor from tracking the mother boxes. Ok. That makes sense.
It looks like heās already started to re-create apocalypse
But he kicks the process off properly. And it just feels like a pale shallow shadow of the terraforming in Man of Steel.
Bruceās troop carrier looks more like a spaceship. Unless itās got some alien technology in it, Iām not buying it.
And then the scene where Aquaman spills his guts because heās sitting on the laso of truth.
And they just let him keep going, looking just slightly awkward.
Even bruce kinda raises his hand but canāt quite get any words out.
I mean, this is Bruce Wayne. Just say āMate, youāre sitting on the Laso. stop talking.ā
Anyway, another example of comedy that didnāt really work for me.
And this is where the movie really falls apart for me. The climax.
I just canāt help but compare it to Man of Steel.
This is an alien invasion situation. This is the apocalypse. Man of Steel made me feel it. This movie does not.
It all just feels so cartoony. Thereās no real emotion here.
Thereās no sense of scope.
And hereās another difference between this movie and the previous ones.
You see, there are certain elements of comic book stories that are silly. That make no sense.
An example here is how Aquaman brought a pitchfork (actually a trident) as his weapon to save the world.
Movies like Man of Steel and Batman V Superman interpret these things in a way to make them work, or, if they canāt make it work, they just set it aside.
But this movie (And a lot of the Marvel movies) choose a different approach. They call it out as silly and kinda make fun of it. There was a similar moment in Avengers Age of Ultron when Hawkeye says āIām here with a bow and arrow. None of this makes any senseā. Realistically, Hawkeye probably shouldnāt be an avenger.
I donāt like it when these movies try to be tongue and cheek and make fun of these things.
Another problem is that Aquaman is having way too much fun for someone in a desperate fight to save the human race. A fight that he admitted a few minutes back that he doesnāt think they can win.
I really hope the Snyder Cut does something more with The Flash than have him make silly jokes all the time.
So Superman finally arrives to help, and heās making smart-alec one liners like a cheesy 80s action movie star.
So Superman and Cyborg successfully pull the boxes apart. And then Superman laughs uncontrollably for no reason.
And then Wonder woman looks down her nose and calls them children.
I found this moment pretty condescending. What exactly did they do to warrant that? Was it just the laughing? I mean, I find that annoying and out of place, but I donāt think it warrants her statement. And yes, sheās a lot older than the rest of them, but that still doesnāt explain it.
Making Steppenwolf afraid so that the parademons would turn on him WAS a good plan.
The alien plants growing out of the half- transformed landscape was kinda cool. Though, again, they probably could have made more of it. I mean, think about this, A section of Earth has been partially terraformed, with flora never before known to man. And itās never mentioned in the DCEU again.
Iām a little surprised Bruce didnāt just help Martha with her financial troubles before she had to sell her house. In fact, the more I think about it, the more surprised I am. He felt responsible for what happened to Clark. He would have kept an eye out for her.
Anyway, itās fixed now.
So Barry has a job in a crime lab, so heās on track to become the Bary Allen we know. This is not the way you do a character arc. The movie set it up at the start, and paid it off at the end, but there was nothing in between. Nothing about Barryās experiences in the movie really helped motivate him. All he did in between was crack stupid jokes. The journey itself needs to tie in thematically with the growth he experiences.
And then we get the voiceover from Lois talking all about optimism.
This was so on the nose.
It almost felt like an apology for the previous films.
Donāt worry guys, from now on, weāll be optimistic and positive and light and happy. All that dark stuff before was a mistake, but itās fixed now.
It kinda felt like a kick in the gut to me.
So then we roll credits, with some really bland music. To be honest, thereās not a single memorable piece of music in this movie. The only music that does stand out is the stuff taken from other movies.
And we have a mid-credit scene where Superman and The Flash decide to race and find out who is fastest (spoiler alert, it REALLY should be Barry. After all, heās the fastest man alive.)
Anyway, itās kinda pointless. I thought Smallville did a better version of this scene way back.
And then the after credit scene which shows Lex Luthor has escaped from jail and is forming his own league. His first recruit is Slade Wilson, otherwise known as Death Stroke. I donāt expect this particular thread to ever be picked up again.
So that was Justice League.
It felt really out of place after the last 4 movies.
It was at least as good as an average Marvel movie, but a far cry from the really good Marvel movies.
And frankly, this may be unfair, but I hold DC movies to a higher standard.
Partly because I care more about the DC characters, and probably partly also because Zack Snyder set the bar so high with the first two movies.
When I re-watched the last three movies, taking notes and analysing them, I found I loved them even more than before.
With this one, I think it was the opposite. The other movies are still so fresh in my memory, so the contrast is really glaring.
I have no idea which scenes were Whedon re-shoots. I have no idea what will be different in Zack Snyderās cut.
I do know that he wonāt be using a single frame of footage he didnāt shoot. So weāll have a much greater understanding of who did what when it comes out.
Iām sorry to finish this on such a downer.
I can say I definitely like the first half of the movie more than the second half. I think thereās potential here but that potential was just never fully realised. And that gives me hope that the Snyder Cut could be awesome. Weāll just have to wait and see.
.
My original plan was to stop at Justice League and move on to other things. After all, my favourite DCEU movies are those before Justice League. My plan was to start an episode-by-episode look at the two seasons of Stargate Universe. But I realised that with Discovery Season 3 starting in October, Iād only get a couple of episodes in and then have to switch tracks.
So instead, Iām gonna continue with the DCEU, talking about Aquaman and Shazam. Because both of those movies are worth talking about. Theyāre both good movies.
And thatāll almost take me up to Discovery.
I havenāt seen Birds of Prey, so I probably wonāt be doing an episode on that.
I still very much want to cover Stargate Universe, but it wonāt be happening immediately. Weāll definitely get there though. Itās an underrated show in my opinio, and one that hasnāt been talked about near enough.
But next fortnight, Weāll be delving into Aquaman.
Catch you then.
In a suprise twist, CBS All Access made the first episode of Star Trek Lower Decks available to watch on youTube worldwide. They geo-locked it not long after, but I managed to see the show in that little window when it was available.
So, here is the review I never thought I'd be able to give you. I present Star Trek Lower Decks "Second Contact".
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a Nerd.
This is episode 33 of the podcast.
I wasnāt expecting to do this episode. I thought weād just be going straight into Justice League next week. But CBS All Access just did something unexpected.
Theyāve released the first episode of Star Trek Lower Decks onto youTube to watch for free for a limited time.
And best of all, theyāve not geo-locked it, so it can be watched anywhere in the world.
That means I can watch it and share my thoughts about it here.
So thatās what weāre doing today.
Iām very grateful theyāve done this. I donāt want to sound too entitled, but I almost feel as though they owe us this, after the failure to release the show outside of North America.
Anyway, itās a nice gesture and I think it was totally the right thing to do on their part.
So thank you CBS. Itās very much appreciated.
SCRATCHING SOUND
Okay. Stop the press. This is Adam from the future. You see, we have a problem. The video was only available internationally for a few hours. It has now been geo-locked. So I am far less generous with my praise. Anyway, weāll get to all that shortly. Back to you, past Adam.
SCRATCHING SOUND
So the name of this first episode is Second Contact.
The description on IMDB reads
Ensigns Mariner and Boimler run into difficulty on Galar. Meanwhile, an alien virus infects the crew of the Cerritos.
The episode was written by Mike McMaan.
It was directed by Barry J Kelly and Juno John Lee
And it first aired on the 6th of August 2020
Make it so.
So Lower Decks is such a strange beast. Itās an animated comedy, and yet, itās so Star Trek. I could already tell this from the trailer, but the show has been mode out of a great love and reverence for Star Trek. The visuals, the sound effects, the music. Itās very trek, and specifically, very TNG.
We first encounter the USS Ceritos docked at Douglas Station, which, like a lot of starbases in the 24th century, is designed like the space dock in orbit of Earth as first seen in Star Trek III. I love that design.
The premise of having a ship dedicated to second contacts was kind of a brilliant idea. It means that even the senior bridge officers are, in a way, lower decks themselves. Just like the ensigns who are the stars of the show, theyāre the lowly guys, trying to live up to the shadow cast by the crews of more important ships, such as the Enterprise, Defiant and Voyager.
And we see that, especially in the captain, who is looking for meaning and significance in her job making second contact.
Nice to see they got the stardate correct, for a post-nemesis show.
The opening log entry kind of lulls you into a false sense of security, because the minute Mariner sees Boimler in the closet things ramp up significantly.
And again, we saw this in the trailer. Mariner is so overly hyperactive I actually find it a little hard to watch her sometimes. I feel like I need to give her a stimulant just to keep up. Talking at a hundred kilometers an hour, bouncing around the room. Itās like sheās on a permanent coffee high or something.
Itās kind of exhausting just watching her. Admittedly, sheās very drunk when we first see her, but even sobre, sheās intense. Sheās like that for pretty much the whole episode. She goes from hyper, to extra hyper and back again.
And that ends the teaser.
So ā¦ now I have a brand new Star Trek opening theme to talk about.
The music begins very much like the discovery theme, with a variation on the dings from the start of the TOS theme. Then thereās a bit that almost seems reminiscent of the animated series theme.
The main piece of music is not as memorable as any of the 90s Trek shows, but it seems to fit the series. Itās kind of operatic and heroic, which is amusingly paired with imagery of the USS Ceritos messing up and failing in various ways.
I donāt think weāre meant to take these scenes too seriously. I donāt think we consider the opening titles of any other show canon as such.
But the titles themselves use the classic blue TNG font. And the episode-specific credits, like writer, director etc all play over act 1, just link in the old days. This give a really strong Next Generation vibe to the whole thing which I really liked.
And they use the proper warp effect from the TNG days as well.
And this is where we run into a problem.
The way I usually do these, with something I havenāt seen before, is Iāll watch it twice. The first time, Iām just watching for pure entertainment value.
I donāt take any notes.
The second time, I basically write the script for my podcast, pausing frequently as I go through the episode.
I first discovered that this episode had been made available in the evening. Once the kids were off to bed I watched it. I stayed up to start making a few notes here and got as far as the end of the opening credits. Then I went to bed.
I came to continue the work this morning over breakfast, only to discover that CBS All Access had geo-locked the video.
So I canāt watch it the second time.
Iām just going to have to talk about the rest of the episode from memory.
And Iām gonna have to push through my bitter disappointment with CBS and try not to let that colour my thoughts.
This is just another example of CBS flinging their feces at their international fans.
It just feels like they're playing with us.
I have a whole lot of hard feelings built up within me right now, but Iām not going to depordise my family friendly status to fully express them.
Iām one of the lucky ones, I at least got it see it within that window of a few hours.
But Iām afraid Iām not going to be able to do this podcast justice. And for that, I apologise to you listeners. All 4 of you.
Ok, back to the episode.
We see Tendi arrive on the Ceritos with a number of other new crew.
Sheās so wide-eyed about being here. Sheās the Starfleet fangirl. Sheās kind of represents us, the Star Trek fans
But in a different way to Boimler. Heās got all this promotion anxiety. Heās desperate to move up the ranks. Tendi is just excited to be here. Doesnāt matter if sheās an ensign or an admiral. Sheās in Starfleet, and thatās so exciting to her.
We get to see a lot of familiar Star Trek races in this episode. Thereās a benzite behind her, complete with breathing thing.
Boiler and Mariner are both in the command division. Which is interesting, because Boimler is currently repairing a broken replicator. Thatās a job for a yellow-shirt engineer.
But it raises the question. What does a junior officer in the command division do?
We often see them as helm officers, such as Tom Paris, the random extras that sat at the helm of the Enterprise D, and Wesley Crusher, for that matter.
Being the liaison for a newly arrived officer does make sense. Thatās a good training ground for command.
We get to learn quite a bit about Boimler and Mariner in this next section of the story. Boiler is formal and straight-laced, but Mariner is easy-going and doesnāt care about the rules.
We also learn that Mariner has a lot more experience. Sheās been in Starfleet longer, and sheās previously held a higher rank. Thatās really interesting.
We very briefly meet Rutherford, but heāll become more important later on.
So they visit the holodeck, which looks and sounds just like a holodeck should. Note that itās the older model like on the Enterprise D, not the newer model like on Voyager. But that makes sense. This ship has probably been around a long time.
We learn that Tendi has never seen sand before, so I guess there are no beaches or deserts on the Orion homeworld. She would have spent years on earth at Starfleet Academy, but I guess she never went anywhere sheād see sand.
And I have to say, itās nice to see an Orion female who is not a sex slave. Star Trek 2009 gave us an Orion woman who was a starfleet officer, and yet, it still managed to have her stripped down to her underwear.
Anyway, itās nice to see that Orion women in the 24th century can live a normal life.
So we get our first look at the planet Galar, and we see the Galardonians. Theyāre kind of pig-like creatures with big heads. Iām not sure how well they really fit in with the Star Trek universe. Animation gives this show the opportunity to show some variety in the aliens, so they donāt just all look like humans with bumps on their faces, which is great, but these guys look a little too cheesy, a little too ā¦. Kiddie.
Anyway, first officer Jack Ransom gets bitten by an inspect, which he completely dismisses. Thatās a really bad idea. You get bitten by an unknown alien insect on a planet youāre not overly familiar with, you should make sure itās not gonna kill you. That should be basic Starfleet procedure.
The exchange between Ransom and Stevens, which we saw in the trailer, didnāt feel very Star Treky. Itās not so much that they talk about having a cold beer after a successful mission, itās just the general way they talk to each other and I dunno, I canāt quite remember, was it high fives, or chest bumps or something. It just didnāt feel very 24th century to me.
Anyway, Boiler is called into the Captainās office. She sees some potential in him, which is exactly what heās hoping for. But she gives him a special assignment. She is to report any breaches in protocol made by Ensign Marriner directly to her.
Not only that, but heās to keep this a secret.
That puts Boimler in a very difficult situation. Heās essentially expected to spy on his friend and covertly pass information on her behaviour back to the captain.
Frankly, I think itās inappropriate of a captain to ask this of him.
Now these are the kinds of nitpicks that youāre possibly not supposed to make with an aminated comedy. I mean, the rules are different.
And Iām still trying to figure out how to reorient my brain, how to consume this story in a different way. And Iām definitely still figuring out how to talk about it.
There is clearly something going on between the captain and Mariner. So why would the captain concern herself over a lowly ensign like this? Weāll see.
So Boimler and Mariner beam down to help build the subspace relay. Liked the transporter effect, both the visual and the sound. It very much felt like a TNG movie era transporter.
Rutherford is having a date in the crew lounge with Ensign Barnes, who appears to be a trill. Theyāre really hitting it off well. But then something weird happens to Ransom. His inspect bite has infected him with some kind of zombie virus. And this is really weird. As they duck for cover behind a table, Rutherford and Barnes just keep talking calmly, getting to know each other. All this stuff between those two was really sweet, and I kinda liked that, but I just donāt know how to take their reaction to the chaos around them. There is one situation where the loose realities of an animated comedy might be pushed too far for me.
Back on the planet, Boiler notices Mariner has snuck some supplies into an argo and drives off. Believing sheās doing something illegal, he follows her.
We meet the shipās chief medical officer, TāAna, who is Caitian. Still not sure what to think of her. Sheās got less bedside manner than the holographic doctor from Voyager season 1. Iām sure sheās got some compassion weāve yet to see, but she comes across a bit prickly in this episode. But I can hardly blame her given what sheās dealing with.
So Tendi has to manually massage a guyās heart while itās outside of his chest. Again, this was a step too far for me.
It turns out, Mariner is giving farming equipment to some Galardonian farmers. But in the chaos, as Boimler confronts her, an alien animal is released from itās barn and begins to chase the two ensigns.
So technically Mariner is breaking the rules. She left her post, and sheās giving this equipment before it has been authorised by the Federation. She believes these farmers canāt wait that long. So, yeah, breaking the law, but her heart is in the right place. Sheās genuinely trying to help these people. Sheās not just being an idiot.
The farmers need that animal and Mariner isnāt going back until they retrieve it.
We get a bit more insight into Marinerās character at this point. She was present during first contact with this planet before she was demoted and transferred to the Ceritos.
Sheās actually got a decent amount of experience.
Sheās a bit of a Kirk. She like to think for herself, outside the strict bounds of starfleet protocol.
Boiler is a sticker for the rules, which sets these two at odds, or maybe not at odds, but definitely opposite ends of thespectrum.
Iāve gotta say, I identify ay more with Boimler. Iām a sticker for the rules myself.
But itās a nice dynamic between these two.
So stunning the creature will spoil itās milk (the farmers confirm this).
Mariner draws on her years of experience and comes up with the bright idea of having them both strip down to their undies, and distract the creature with dummies dressed in their uniforms.
I imagine this particular story point was put in here to amp up the sexiness factor.
It kinda works but Boimler ends up in the creatureās mouth.
Turns out the animal is a herbivore and is suckling Boimler for moisture. Which doesnāt make a lot of sense. I mean how much moisture is it gonna get off his skin. A little sweat to start, maybe. But the things keeps sucking him in and out of its mouth for an extended period of time. And Mariner just lets it do it. No further attempt to rescue him. Sure, heās not in danger of being eaten, but this is clearly a very unpleasant experience for him, so I found her pretty heartless here.
Rutherford and Barnes are continuing to get along great. They seem perfect for each other. But just as she kisss him, heās distracted by a strange engineering problem. Now we think, at first, that heās the stereotypical nerd, so absorbed in his obsession that he doesnāt even notice the hot girl hitting on him, but the episode actually twists this trope. As we learn in a conversation with Tendi later, he was well aware of her, and puzzled by her lack of interest in the engineering problem. If she has so little interest in a problem like that, sheās clearly not the girl for him, and he doesnāt plan on seeing her again. Interesting.
Boiler and Mariner beam up to find things really out of control, but Tāana realises the pink slime from the animal can cure the zombie virus. The senior officers protect him at all costs, not because heās important, but because the slime is important.
The crew are cured, and everything is back to normal.
And it seems Boimler is getting no credit at all for his part in saving the ship.
(although technically, his only contribution was having slime on him. He didnāt actually figure out the slime was useful)
Anyway, having gotten to know Mariner a little better, he chooses not to report her breach of protocol. He protects his friend and lies to his captain.
The captain is annoyed. She was really hoping to have some dirt on Marnier. So whatās her obsession?
It turns out, Mariner is the captainās daughter. Her husband is a Starfleet admiral. They have no idea how to handle their kid.
Soā¦.Mariner is a starfleet brat. When your mum is a captain, and your father is an admiral, youāre probably gonna have some rebellious tendencies.
Thatās why she acts up so much.
And yet, sheās not totally against the ideals of starfleet, she just doesnāt like the rules.
Mariner is thrilled he didnāt rat her out and vows to be his mentor and help him reach the rank of captain.
Honestly, Iām not sure sheās the best person to be his mentor, but maybe sheāll be good for him, and maybe heāll be good for her. They might find some balance between them.
And then she starts rattling off all these famous figures from Starfleet history.
In the end, it turns out that all 4 of our major characters are big Starfleet fans, but all in different ways.
Tendi just loves everything about starfleet. Sheās the wide-eyed fan.
Boiler is the rule sticker who dreams of sitting in the captainās chair.
Rutherford is the techie trekkie who loves all the technical manuals and made up science
And Mariner loves the legends of starfleet, sheās just a bit of a rebel.
At first, I thought Tendi was the character that represented us.
But I now realised, that all four characters represent different aspects of fandom.
And I think thatās really clever.
It gives us all a character we can relate to.
In the end, I was impressed with the character dynamics we got in this show. I like these characters and Iāve love to spend more time with them. Iām sure that Iāll have that chance some day, when they finally organise an international deal for the show.
As I said, I didnāt really connect with this show on a comedic level, but I did connect with it on an emotional character level.
Oh, itās a show I find hard to take seriously, but itās not the kind of show youāre supposed to take seriously.
But issues with it have nothing to do with uniforms or the finer points of canon. This show has already done a significantly better job on all that stuff than either Discover or Picard ever have. My difficult just comes from the tone, and from the overly-ramped up nature of some characters (particular Mariner).
While I may have trouble reconciling this wacky cartoon with the rest of the Star Trek universe, I can say that I certainly enjoyed watching it, and would very happily continue to do so.
So well done to Mike McMahon and his team for pushing the boundaries in a very creative way, and giving us a kind of Star Trek none of us would ever have thought to ask for.
Iām very disappointed in CBSās decision to geo-lock this video after a very short time. Iām so lucky I got to see it in that little window.
I understand there might be a good reason. It may be related to ongoing negotiations over international rights, but I feel theyāre just kicking us while weāre down. They keep offering hope and then snatching it away.
And never once have we had an actual apology from them.
I think a āsorry, we know this sucks,ā would have been really nice.
Anyway. I think Iāve sufficiently beaten this dead horse.
Next week, weāll be back to our regularly scheduled episode looking at the Justice League movie. I actually recorded that before this one.
Originally, I was planning to stop there, but I think Iāll probably also cover Aquaman and Shazam. (I canāt talk about Birds of Prey because I havenāt seen it).
Thatāll almost bring us up to the beginning of Discovery Season 3.
So have a great week. See you next time in Nerd Heaven.
Wonder Woman is a fantastic addition to the DC Extended Universe. Where Man of Steel succeeded as a science fiction movie, Wonder Woman succeeded as a war story and a fantasy film. Join me as I delve into this story, discussing the themes, praising the balanced tone that maintains the depth of Man of Steel and Batman V Superman while adding character-centric humour, and see how the film connected emotionally with me on a level I was not expecting.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 31 of the podcast
This is episode 32 of the podcast
Today, we continue our look at the DC Extended Universe with Wonder Woman.
The description on IMDB reads
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
The screenplay was written by Allan Heinberg
From a story written by Zach Snyder, Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs
The film was directed by Patty Jenkins
And it first released on the 25th of May 2017
So letās talk about Wonder Woman
We are introduced to Wonder Woman in present day Paris. Working at the Louvre.
And we immediately get our first bit of connective tissue with the DC universe as the Wayne Enterprises van pulls up.
That photo that Bruce found and emailed to her in Batman V Superman. Heās found the original. He thought she might like it. Isnāt that sweet.
He still wants to hear the story.
And that takes us to Diannaās childhood.
Thymiscera looks awesome. All those waterfalls and stone buildings. Incredible visuals.
They cast young Dianna quell. Not only is she a coll little actress, but I recently saw a photo of her beside a childhood shot of Gal Gadot. They look very similar.
Itās so cute seeing young Dianna mimicking the actions of the adults as they battle.
Youāll notice that this entire sequence in Thymascyra gives us no sense of time, all the way until Steve arrives. That makes sense. This is a world to itself. Completely cut off and self-sufficient.
To them, the outside world doesnāt exist.
But I find myself wondering. How old exactly is Dianna when she meets Steve? When are these childhood scenes set? We know Amazons donāt age like humans. We know Dianna was created by Zeus in the times of the ancient greeks. So how long was her childhood? Did she take centuries to grow up? Or did she mature at a normal rate and then simply live as an adult for thousands of years?
Anyway, we get some backstory. The stories of Greek Mythology are already considered ancient at this point, having happened a long time ago.
So this movie canonises the existence of the Greek gods as real in the DC universe.
The marvel movies present the Norse gods as real, but aliens.
This movie doesnāt make that claim. It leaves it a little uncertain, but the implication seems to be that Zeus and his mates were actual gods.
The implication also is that human beings were created by Zeus. At least, Antiope believes this.
After Ares corrupted the hearts of mankind, Zeus created the Amazons to influence menās hearts with love.
So, did humans, male and female, not already know love? Or is the suggestion here that the Amazons were the first, females? Perhaps that human females are descended from them? Again, itās not completely clear.
We know the gods can die, given that Ares killed all but Zeus, so they are in some form mortal beings.
With his dying breath, Zeus created a weapon that could kill a god, just in case Ares returned.
The movie cleverly doesnāt explain exactly what the weapon is yet.
The look on Antiopeās face when Dianna asks to see the god killer means so much more on repeat viewing.
Note she never actually calls the sword the god killer. Dianna is the one who says it. She assumes, though clearly pushed in that direction.
Hipolita is hesitant to let Dianna train as a warrior, but when she eventually agrees, she insists that she be trained harder than any Amazon before her. But she must never know the truth about herself. This, of course, is our first clue that Dianna herself is the god killer.
But because sheās never been told the truth, when her powers begin to manifest, she has no idea whatās going on.
And then we hear the buzz of a propeller plane, as it passes through the forcefield protecting Thymiscira.
Chris Pine was a great pick to play Steve. I was surprised how easily I was able to seperate him from Captain Kirk. Possibly because, to me, Captain Kirk will always be William Shatner.
I love the visual contrast we the camera passes through the forcefield. The bright world of Thymiscira gives way to the dark fog surrounding the German ship. Does Thymiscira have the same day/night cycle as the rest of the planet? Because it looks like night time out there. Of course, fog does make everything a lot darker.
And the shot as the German officer puts his head in and out of the forcefield is cool.
Diannaās sense of wonder as she sees a man for the first time is nicely played.
Hereās a question. Why didnāt the Amazonās continue to advance their weapons technology? Weāll learn later that they are at least somewhat aware of what is going on in the outside world. They know many languages of the outside world, including English.
Theyāre a race of warriors, so certainly not against fighting.
Donāt get me wrong, they clean the floor with the German soldiers, guns or not, but they pay a hice price in casualties. Do they consider bows and swords more honourable, in some way, than bullets? Because thatās a perspective I donāt quite understand.
Of course, thereās no denying that swords are cool.
And so Antiope dies, sacrificing her life, taking the bullet to save Dianna. As she dies, she knows the time has come. War has consumed the world. Ares has returned.
The Amazon who argues against killing Steve on the spot is wise. āIf we kill him, we learn nothing of who they are and why they came,ā she says.
And weāre introduced to the laso of truth. A potentially cheesy addition to the Wonder Woman mythos, and yet this movie makes it work.
The scene as Steve tries desperately to avoid revealing that heās a spy. He has a duty. He canāt willing reveal classified secrets in war time, but ultimately we has no choice. I like the way itās portrayed as he endures as much as he can before the truth finally bursts out of his mouth.
Can I say that I love that they set this movie in World War 1. World War 2 has been used so many times, in so many stories, itās practically a cliche. I mean it was a practical good idea to set this apart from Captain America, which was set in World War 2, but from a creative standpoint, I just enjoyed the earlier setting. I guess since the fairly recent century of the first world war, Iāve been thinking a lot more about it than I used to, when I was younger.
Steve is on a very important mission. If he doesnāt get word of Doctor Poisonās plan back to the British, millions will die.
Apparently, the Amazonās havenāt been playing much attention to the outside world for a while, because theyāre not aware of the great war.
And you can understand that from their perspective, hearing of this horrific war, truly a war like none the world had ever seen, itās obvious that Ares has returned and is messing with humanity.
Dianna starts off this story as quite naive. But that doesnāt mean sheās wrong in wanting to go with Steve and help. This is why the Amazonās were created. This is why Dianna was created. But, like the monks of old, the Amazons have shut themselves off from the world, rather than allow themselves to influence it.
This movie doesnāt quite portray Wonder Woman as being able to fly, in the same sense that Superman can fly, but she can certainly jump like no human ever could.
So she breaks in, steals the lasso, shield and sword, and armour.
Sheās wearing the wonder woman costume from this point on, but itāll actually be quite a while before we see it.
We see a lot of Diannaās character when she says āIām willing to fight for those who cannot.ā
In the end, Hipolita knows what Dianna must do, so she lets her go with her blessing.
As a parent, I understand her reluctance. Who wants to willingly let their children go out into the wide world where they might get hurt? I havenāt faced this challenge yet, but for Hippolita, itās greater, because there is so much danger out there.
Steve kinda plays along a bit. He doesnāt believe for a minute that Ares, the greek god of war literally exists, but heās also seen the power of these people, so he knows thereās something to them.
Again, we see Diannaās naivete. As soon as Ares is dead, the war will end and men will be good again. I mean, sheās not exactly wrong, but itās nowhere near as simple as she thinks. Sheās going to have to face up to the hard reality that things are more complex than she sees if sheās going to have a hope of fulfilling her destiny.
Steve has a bit of a cynical view of marriage. And if you look at the statistics, itās not hard to understand why. But despite what he says, plenty of married couples still do love each other up until death.I fully intend to do so.
So Doctor Poison has developed a serum that gives Ludendorf greater than human strength. Okay. I can suspend disbelief enough for that. But the way his face glows, I dunno. It looks like something supernatural or alien. Not like a chemical concoction that could believably have been developed by a human in the early twentieth century.
It makes sense that Steve, though American, is working for British intelligence. The Americans didnāt enter World War 1 until very late in the game. Even now, as itās nearing its end, they havenāt been involved that long. Itās interesting that not a single frame of this movie takes place in America. I kinda liked that. Not that I have anything against movies taking place in America. A lot of my favourite movies do, but it just made sense for this story that it took place elsewhere in the world, and frankly, thereās a whole planet out here. Not every Superhero story has to take place in America.
Diannaās arrival in London is truly fantastic. This is an incredible exotic world to her, and she drinks it all up.
I love the idea of Superhero period pieces. I always have. There havenāt been many. Iāve got to admit, this one is my favourite.
Itās very sweet when Diana gets excited at the cry of a baby. Sheās never seen a baby before. Sheās been surrounded by adults all her life. Of course sheād want to see it.
I heard a lot of praise for this movie from female viewers, because it allowed Wonder Woman to be powerful, strong, and a mighty warrior, without being masculine. She was still allowed to be feminine, with all the varied things that means. They really appreciated that. And I think I can understand that.
And weāre introduced to Etta.
Etta is totally awesome.
She brings a lot of the humour to this film, but it all flows naturally out of her character. This movie had a lot more humour than Man of Steel or Batman V Superman, but unlike Suicide Squad, the humour was all character-based and natural. Much of it came from Diannaās being a fish out of water, the rest came from Ettaās great personality.
So they make a little joke about slavery. The way Etta describes her job as Steveās secretary does sound like the definition of slavery to Dianna, but I think she left out some important details.
Now, Iām not going to suggest that the world of 1918 was in any way an equitable society. Far from it.
But there Is a big difference between somebody who voluntarily enters into employment, offering services, for which they are paid money, and a slave. I think to seriously confuse the two runs the danger of understating the evils of true slavery.
But I may be reading too much into this. Itās a joke.
It does make sense for Dianna to put on setting-appropriate clothes to help her blend in.
I do love the scene of her walking through the building in her street clothes holding her sword and shield.
And the scene in the alley, where they are confronted by the german spies, and Dianna saves Steve, is awesome. Itās very reminiscent of the scene in Superman: The Movie, where Clark and Lois are mugged. The way Dianna catches the bullet. Iām pretty sure that was deliberate. Itās a great scene.
Steve realises in that moment just what an asset Dianna is in a fight. He doesnāt need to protect her. She ends up protecting him.
Her naivete continues as she asks the german spy where she can find ares. Sheās taking everything at face value, assuming people know what sheās talking about.
And now we meet Sir Patrick Morgan. Heās telling everyone they need an armistice. Which is quite ironic if you know who he really is.
He sees Dianna and is taken aback. He says itās because there is a woman in the room. But it may be that he recognises her.
And itās Steve who comes up with her secret identity name, Dianna Prince. This is done in a realistic way. She canāt just walk around calling herself Princess of Themyscira.
Due to Diannaās linguistic expertise, they learn of Doctor Poisonās plan. The creation of a dangerous gas against which masks will be useless.
Morgan continues to argue for the armistice, but by doing so, he prevents Steveās mission to stop Doctor Poison. Diannaās passionate argument to the generals is very satisfying.
And yet, after Steve tells Dianna heās taking her to the front against orders, and recruits some backup, he shows up and helps them.
Given what I know about Morgan, Iām not quite sure why heās helping Steve and Dianna. But as I watch Iām going to pay close attention and see if I can get my head around it.
Anyway, he gives them money to fund their illegal mission.
I love the moment when Dianna tries ice cream for the first time. Another one of those nice little moments that show her innocence.
I donāt think Steve believes that the greek god of war is behind all of this, not really, but heās seen enough to know that Dianna and her people are powerful, more so than any normal human. He knows something is going on, and he knows she can help him. So heās bringing her along, and acting as if what she says is true.
The more I think about it, the more I realise that it had to be world war 1 in this story. This is a war like none the world has ever seen. This is just what it would look like if Ares was trying to destroy the world. That wouldnāt have worked for world war 2. Donāt get me wrong. WW2 was horrific but wasnāt as unprecedented as WW1.
So once they meet chief, a nickname that would probably be considered politically incorrect in todayās world, weāve assembled the team we first saw in the photo in Batman V Superman.
We see a little glimpse of the reality of war with charlie. Heās clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Dianna has an eye opening experience as they near the front lines and she gets a sense of what war really looks like.
Itās a powerful moment as they walk through the trench.
Dianna learns about the town of Veld. The inhabitants have been enslaved.
Steve is not unsympathetic but helping those people is impossible.
Dianna doesnāt understand.
And yet, she has the power to do what nobody else can.
And so , she takes off her coat and finally, we see her in the wonder woman costume.
Can you believe this is the first time we see Wonder Woman? I didnāt realise until this moment that he hadnāt actually seen it. The character kept us so engaged.
But itās a wonderful moment.
So triumphant and heroic.
And yet thereās not the slightest hint of cheese. It plays wonderfully.
I get a whole lot of goosebumps watching this scene. Words canāt do it justice. I can only say itās awesome.
And we see her do a few of her super jumps.
So they arrive in Veld.
This is a fantastic action sequence.
And finally we get a reprise of the amazing wonder woman theme from Batman V Superman. That music was incredible and Iām so glad they brought it back in this movie.
It fits even better here than it did in the previous movie.
Interesting fact, did you know itās not actually an electric guitar playing those notes, itās a cello put through the same kind of distortion usually applied to guitars. Very cool.
What a great moment of celebration as Dianna realises she has saved the people of the town. Theyāre all feeling the elation.
And we see the famous photo being taken. Wonderful.
And we get a nice little reminder that few of these people wanted to be soldiers. They all had different aspirations and dreams.
Morgan is insistent that Steve not go near the meeting to jeopardize the armistice. But if Steve doesnāt, and the poison weapon is deployed, there will be no armistice. Which, of course, is what Morgan wants. He wants to war to continue. So why did he give Steve that money to help him go?
Dianna thinks, quite logically, that Ludinorf is Ares.
So Steve and Dianna finally have a quiet enough moment to really draw close to one another. And they spend the night together.
Love is a tricky thing in a movie. In a TV show, you have time to let people slowly and naturally fall in love over a course of multiple episodes, just like in real life. But a movie has very limited time.
You almost have to make it happen faster than it logically should.
A good movie somehow makes it work despite that. Iām not sure how or why. But for me, in this movie, it works.
You know what I like about their relationship. Itās sweet, itās genuine, and thereās not a hint of angst.
Dianna wants to storm into the castle, guns blazing, and take out Ludinorf. Steve is wise to advise a more subtle approach.\
Some stories with female heroes, Star Trek Voyager comes to mind, try to make their heroes perfect. They can never be wrong.
Wonder Woman doesnāt take that approach. It allows Dianna to be flawed. To be naive and to make mistakes. By allowing her to be human, in that sense, I think this movie portrays Wonder Woman as a more satisfying female hero. And I think that's what a lot of the female viewers who praised this movie appreciated. Certainly I appreciated that approach to Superman in Man of Steel.
So anyway, Dianna finds her own way to sneak into the palace. And to her credit, she is blending in.
Steveās primary objective is to stop the gas weapon from being used.
Diannaās primary objective is to kill Ares. Then everything will be good again.
Their objectives are at odds. Steve canāt let her kill Ludinorf until they find the gas.
Maybe Ludinorf is not Ares.
Or maybe Ares doesnāt even exist.
And then they test the gas weapon on Veld.
And we have that heart-breaking moment as Dianna goes and sees that all the people of that town, who she had saved, are dead.
Itās a tragic moment.
And Dianna blames Steve, because he stopped her from killing Ares.
In her mind, Steve has been corrupted as well. Which kind of is some growth for her, because in any war, there arenāt really pure good guys and bad guys.Itās never entirely that simple.
This movie had a very successful tone. It had those comedic moments (which actually were funny) to satisfy those who prefer the light-hearted stuff, but it still had a lot of depth, and gritty emotion that I crave in a superhero movie. It was the perfect middle ground that seemed to work for everybody.
We have another great action scene as Wonder Woman battles Ludinorf.
So she kills him.
Itās over.
Except ā¦. Nothing happens. No great world-shattering change.
The war is still raging.
And Dianna is forced to come face to face with the truth. She was seeing things in simplistic terms. The truth is a lot more complex than she had been able to see.
Itās a terrible moment of self-doubt for her.
āMaybe people arenāt always good, Ares or no Ares,ā steve ays. āMaybe itās who they are.ā
Dianna canāt accept this. After all sheās seen. People killing people they canāt even see. Civilians. Children.
Humans canāt be that bad on their own. Can they?
Her mother was right. MAnkind doesnāt deserve her.
Itās not about deserve. Maybe we donāt. Maybe itās not about what we deserve. Maybe itās about what we believe.
Donāt you think Iād like to believe it was all just due to one guy.
This is all wonderful thematic stuff.
So while Dianna questions everything sheās ever believed, Steve has to go. Someone still has to stop that gas.
And thatās when Morgan shows up.
And we learn the unexpected truth.
Morgan is Ares.
I thought this was a brilliant move.
First of all, Iām glad they didnāt make a German Ares. Thatās too easy. Too black and white.
The charming posh old british man. Who would ever have expected him to be Ares?
So now we know that Morgan is Ares, we still ask, why did he help Steve come here to stop the gas? He wants the gas weapon to be used. He wants the war to continue.
āAll I wanted was for the gods to see how evil my fatherās creations were.ā He says.
āI am not the God of war, I am the God of truth.ā
There is so much here that resonates with me spiritually. So much biblical parallel.
As the sword burns, Dianna finally learns that it isnāt the god-killer. SHE is the god killer. She is the weapon Zeus left behind to protect the world from Ares.
We find that humans never needed Ares to make them fight. War and evil ARE in the hearts of man. Itās our sinful nature. IT always has been.
But he gives a little push here, and little push there. Gives them the weapons and let them use them.
All he did was engineer an armistice he knew they could never keep.
I think, in the end, he recognised Dianna when he first saw her in London. He wanted her to be here, and let her naivete make the war worse, not better.
I think thatās probably why he gave that money to Steve.
When Steve sees them fighting in the distance, he believes. Finally he has no doubts. Ares is real, and heās here.
Steve has a plan. A way to get that gas out of here. Heās got to fly the plane out of here.
Itāll likely be a suicide mission, but thatās what soldiers do.
They make the ultimate sacrifice.
I like the intercutting between Diannaās battle with Ares and Steveās attempt to hijack the plane.
Itās a heartbreaking moment as Steve fires the gun that destroys the plane, the poison, and himself.
Was that necessary? I dunno, but it at least makes as much sense as Steve Rogers crashing the plane in Captain America. Probably more.
Aresā aim here to to prove to Dianna how pathetic humans are. How evil and undeserving they are of her sympathy.
Doctor Poison ends up being the symbol of mankind.
And heās right. The humans donāt deserve mercy. They donāt deserve her sympathy.
It was an interesting film-making technique to obscure the sound of Dianna and Steveās final conversation, only to reveal it now in this moment. But he makes a good point. He can save today, but she can save the world.
āTheyāre everything you say, but so much more,ā Dianna says. āItās not about deserve. Itās about what you believe. And I believe in love.ā This all lines up so well with what I believe. We ARE undeserving, but we are the recipients of love.
I didnāt expect this movie to be so thematically relevant. I really connected with this.
To use a Christian word, Dianna exercises grace. Undeserved favour.
I donāt mean to constantly bring my personal beliefs into this, but honestly, each of these movies just connect with me so personally in these moments. I canāt not talk about it.
Well, Ares is now dead.
And the war is over. Without the devastation of that gas weapon, the armistice has been signed, just as history records.
But the death of Ares is no quick and easy fix to the worldās problem. The sin in human hearts is still there. Each person must make their own choice every day. No hero can do this for them.
And that brings us back to present day, the framing device.
This is her mission now, to help where she can. And to help people daily make that decision.
As she dives into the air and sails over the Paris skyline, she appears to be flying. Properly flying. Not just jumping.
There is a lot of speculation that in the next Wonder Woman movie, which would have been released by now, were it not for COVID 19, she will gain the ability to fly. Itāll be interesting to see if thatās the case. Anyway, that movie will be set before the present day scenes here, so itās conceivable.
This movie doesnāt have an after-credit scene, but there is an epilogue on the Blur-ray, in which Etta sends the team out to recover a cube-shaped artefact found near the western front, which if course, is a set-up for Justice League.
I love this movie.
Where Man of Steel triumphed as a science fiction movie, Wonder woman triumphs as a war movie, and a fantasy. Itās a mashup that I really really like.
Well, itās been a wild ride. Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, Wonder Woman, even Suicide Squad. I count them all as great movies.
Next up, weāll take a look at the theatrical version of Justice League. Iāll talk about what works for me, and what doesnāt, and try to settle in my mind exactly what it is that I hope for from the Snyder Cut which weāll be getting next year.
In this episode of Nerd Heaven, I geek out over the things that stood out to me at this year's Comic Con At Home event, along with the Justice Con, which was dedicated to Zack Snyder's Justice League. I give my unfiltered thoughts on the lack of announcement for international distribution for Star Trek Lower Decks. I also talk bout Farscape, Bill & Ted Face The Music, Red Dwarf The Promised Land and NASA's Artemis Program which will take us back to the moon.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode #31 of the podcast.
Today, weāre taking a brief break from the DC extended universe so I can talk about some of the highlights that stood out to me from Comic Con and Justice Con.
While Covid 19 has introduced a lot of new problems in life, there have been some unexpected blessings. One of these was the transformation of Comic Con from an in-person event into a free online event. And while that has a number of disadvantages for those who were hoping to attend physically, it opened things up for everyone in the world, regardless of geography and finance to take part.
It may not be feasible for me to fly half way around the world to America, but I can watch the panels on youTube just like anyone else.
So, letās get Nerdy and talk about what stood out to me.
Weāll start with Star Trek.
To be honest, I was expecting a lot more from the Star Trek Universe panel. I think a lot of people were. The only real solid announcement we got was confirmation of the title and logo for the kids animated nickelodeon show currently in production.
The name is Star Trek Prodigy. But we already knew that.
Interestingly, Iāve always said that word as Progidy. Not prodigy. With the d and g swapped. Is that just an American pronunciation, or have I been saying it wrong all these years? It looks like Iāve been saying it wrong all these years. Itās a little unsettling at 42 years of age to suddenly realise youāve been making a mistake like this your whole life. But there it is. Itās about a group of delinquent teenagers who find a starship and decide to crew it. That may give the show something of a Farscape-esque feeling, where the cast are not a crew as such, with Starfleet discipline. Theyāre just a bunch of random people on a space ship, but contained within the Star Trek universe. Obviously, Iām not a kid, and Iām not the target audience for this show, but if the opportunity presents itself, Iāll check it out. It could be a great show to watch with my son.
We learned nothing from the Discovery panel. The table read of the final episode of season 2 was kind of interesting, from a film-making point of view, nice to see what a table read looks like, but ultimately, if I want to watch the episode, Iāll watch the episode.
We did, however, get an official release date for season 3 a few days later. Why they didnāt include this in the panel is a mystery to me. But Iām sure they had their reasons. Anyway, the show goes live on the 15th of October, just after Lower Decks will finish. Which, of course means, that North Americans will have 23 consecutive weeks of Star Trek.
As for the rest of the planet, weāll just have to wait until October, because honestly, itās not looking like weāll be getting Lower Decks. The show is releasing in less than a week.
Iām sure itāll appear on a streaming service somewhere, at some point, but by then the conversation will be over. I wonāt be a part of that conversation. The best Iāll be able to do is talk about it in retrospect, like I do with TNG, and the DC movies, but honestly, I donāt think it will have been long enough for anyone to want to look back nostalgically on the show.
Hereās my real problem. I want Alex Kurtzman to just be honest and say to the world, āIām sorry, guys. We donāt have an international distribution option for you at this time. You wonāt get to see it.ā At least then heād be acknowledging out existence.
But this silent treatment, this complete ignoring of us, the failure to acknowledge that we even exist or matter. I gotta say, itās a little hurtful. It shows the people behind Star Trek really donāt have any regard for us. They donāt care about us. We donāt matter.
Back in the 80s, you coil get away with showing a TV show to Australia years after it was shown in America. We didnāt know any different. But this is 2020. Thereās a little thing called the internet. Weāre a global community now. Weāve been following the progression of these shows from day 1, and supporting them in any way we can. You canāt get away with excluding people based on their geography any more. It just doesnāt fly.
Now, I realise there are practical and business concerns. The industry is still very old fashioned in the way it works. Still very focussed on country borders. They may have tried and failed to secure an international distribution deal, maybe nobody wants to buy the rights to the show. They might want to see how well it performs before committing.
But that comes back to what I said earlier. I think Alex Kurtzman should make a little statement. āHey, guys, we tried, we failed. Iām sorry.ā Thatās all I need. But by not addressing the issue at all, itās like a giant gormagander in the room. Itās looming over him and heās just pretending itās not there.
Okay. Thatās my rant.
We did get a trailer for the show just before Comic Con, and an extended look at the first scene during the panel, plus an interview with the cast. This was definitely the meatiest part of the Star Trek Universe panel, and I quite liked it.
So what do I think of what Iāve seen. Well, itās complicated. Comedy is a tricky thing to do. Humour is very subjective. To be honest, I generally prefer British humour to American humour. How well will an animated comedy show work in canon. I have no idea, but Iām fascinated to find out. One thing I really noticed, looking at the footage is that in animation, everything is ramped up. When Mariner is trying to get the pad from Boimler to read his fake captainās log, sheās practically combing on top of his shoulders. Sheās screaming like sheās deranged. IF we were to transpose this performance frame for frame into live action, it would look absurd and ridiculous. I think they ramp things up like this because they canāt portray subtleties in animation like they can with a human actor. I guess you have to interpret animated shows through that filter. But Boimler actually having his leg sliced in two by Marinerās batāleth like that. It seems too extreme a situation to believably happen were this not an animated show. So, like I said, tricky in terms of canon. But not insurmountable. Ultimately, I think the way Iād like them to handle it, is to have Lower decks pay attention to canon and respect it, but without the need for other shows to have to be impacted too much by it.
And honestly, from looking at what weāve seen, I think this show is gonna honour canon much greater than Discovery ever has. Which is pretty ironic.
The one thing I wish is that theyād kept the First contact / Nemesis uniforms. Not only is that my favourite uniform, but it would give the show a much firmer sense of placement in history. Tho show is set in the TNG movie era, not the TNG tv era. Theyāre different. I guess itās sad to know that directly after Nemesis, Starfleet abandoned the gray uniforms and went straight back to these colourful things. Although the people behind the show have made a cryptic remark about maybe not every ship has the same uniform, so not sure what theyāre doing there. Perhaps if we see a TNG cameo, theyāll be wearing the gray uniform. Dunno.
But personal taste aside, the big problem is the com badges. These uniforms have the delta without anything behind them. But Picard established that up until the time Jean Luc was booted out of Starfleet, they still have the TNG movie era com badges. I imagine the animators went with the simple delta because the true com badge was too much find detail to work in animation.
Maybe we just need to assume that in reality, theyāre wearing the proper com badge, even though we canāt see it.
There is a very clear love of Star Trek coming through in this show. And it really does feel like the Star Trek universe. Theyāve got the 24th century aesthetic nailed down. The look of the okudagrams, the sound effects. Itās actually pretty impressive.
Ultimately, I think what Iād want to watch this show for is all the Star Trek trappings, rather than the comedy itself, which may be hit or miss for me. Itās hard to tell.
Kinda like how I like to kick back with The Big Bang theory, when my brain is tired. I watch that show for the character development and the nerd references first, and the comedy second.
I think Lower Decks is probably a show that I could really enjoy, even though there may be some things I have issue with.
Star Trek Strange New Worlds. We learned that all 10 episodes have been broken in the writers room, but they still need to write the scripts. Thatās a lot more progress than I would have expected. And Iām not downplaying the time needed to write all those scripts, but that means, whatever the show is gonna be, good or bad, itās already nailed down. The stories have been decided. Amusingly, I find myself a little nervous about that. Which is kinda weird.
Okay. Now letās talk Farscape.
I enjoyed the Farscape panel, listening to the actors and writers share their stories.
They said that Rockne O'bannon and Brian Henson are still actively working on ideas for revive the show. This isnāt really new information, but itās nice to know that theyāre still trying.
They did make it clear that if there ever was to be a new Farscape show, theyād definitely want to come back here to Australia to shoot it, using the old cast and crew. Thatās really cool, and I think for it to truly be Farscape, it needs to be shot here. So much of what made the show what it was came from that Aussie spirit.
Australia had never done a show like this, so we didnāt know it impossible. Therefore, we just went for it, and made it happen. And by We I mean out country. Obviously I had nothing to do with it.
The writers were all told to really push it, to go places you woldnāt think you can go on television.
They talked about the different work ethics between Australian and American crews. The aussie crews threw themselves into the work 100% until home time. They they were done. Overtime just wasnāt a thing. Apparently, American TV crew kill themselves with overtime.
Gigi Edgley talked about how American actors get pidgeonholed into genres. Youāre a sci-fi actor, or youāre a comedic actor. But Australian actors are all-rounders. They do everything.
The panel closed with the actors sharing their thoughts on where their characters might be now, after all these years, at the time of a new seriesā first episode. It was fun to hear their speculations.
In addition to Comic Con at home, we were treated to an entire convention devoted to the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League at the same time. Zack had some interesting things to say. He confirmed he would not use a single frame that was not shot by him, so no Joss Whedon scenes will be in his movie. This will give us some interesting insight into which directors were responsible for which scenes in the theatrical cut.
Zack voluntarily made the decision to leave the project after the tragic death of his daughter, but he had no say in who was brought in to replace him. As he said, he was quite distracted at the time.
Zack showed a little clip of superman coming to meet Alfred, while dressed in his iconic black suit. Apparently, the studio were not at all keen on Snyder using the black suit in the movie, so he shot it with the blue suit, in a way that he could colourise it later. Smart bloke.
There is another DC fandom event coming up in the next month or so. At that event, weāll have confirmation of the title (Zack wants it to be āZack Snyderās Justice Leaueā but there are some legal issues to work out), weāll have confirmation of whether itāll be a movie or a series, and weāll get a teaser trailer. So lots more to still look forward to.
I havenāt seen all the panels from Justice Con yet. There was an entire panel devoted to suicide prevention, which is great. Zack said that because of the ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign, lives have been saved. People are alive today who would otherwise be dead. And thatās so much more important than a movie.
We also learned that Zack Snyder is making this movie for free. It really is a labour of love for him.
Back to comic con, I watched the Red Dwarf Promised Land panel.
This is a feature-length movie in the works. They showed a couple of clips from the movie, and it looks pretty funny.
Itās going to address a question that was raised all the way back in the first episode of the show, in 1988. What happened to the cat people?
Doug Naylorās use of science is interesting. Sometimes he uses real science, sometimes he uses speculative science, and sometimes, he uses made-up science. But he draws from a lot of the latest real-world discoveries.
He also revealed that he never wants to do a big grand ending to the show. He feels that endings like that usually fall flat. So he just wants Red Dwarf to simply stop one day, with no great fanfare.
I get what heās saying here, and I respect it, but I donāt really agree. As a writer, a reader, and a viewer, I prefer stories to have a definitive satisfying ending.
Next, I checked out the Bill & Ted Face The Music panel.
The moderator said that this movie, despite being a comedy, was very emotional. In fact, it moved him deeply. He called it a beautiful movie. And that really gets me excited for it.
I learned some fascinating stuff about the history of the franchise. The writers of the movies actually started playing these two characters themselves, as improv comedy.
They werenāt responsible for the casting of the characters, but they were waiting in line at Maccas one day, and two young people were in front of them in the line. The writers thought, these two guys would be perfect to play Bill and Ted.
When they got to set the next day, it turned out, those two people were Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.
Turns out that Billās daughter Thea is played by an Austrlaian actor, Samantha Weaving, who happens to be the neice of Hugo Weving, so...Aussie Aussie Aussie.
Oh, and I learned that death in the Bill and Ted movies was played by none other than William Sadler, who, of course, portrayed the section 31 agent Sloan in Star Trek Deep Space Nine. How awesome is that?
The final panel I want to talk about was the āBack to The Moonā panel by NASA.
William Shatner moderated this, talking to real life NASA astronauts and scientists about the plans to return to the moon this decade, and I gotta say, it was really exciting stuff.
I canāt believe William Shatner is 89 years old. Heās still so active. He looks a lot younger than his years.
So they talked about the Artemis program, which is the new moon program. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, so that makes sense.
They plan to send a robot mission to investigate the south pole of the moon in 2023. They know there is ice there, but they donāt know if it is safe to drink.
Then, in 2024, theyāll be sending humans in an Orion vehicle. The first woman and the next man will set foot on the moon. Theyāre also going to build an orbital space station above the moon, called Gateway.
And then from 2028 into the 2030s, they plan to make moon habitation sustainable. That means theyāll have a base where people can actually live on the moon. Not just go in for a quick visit, but to stay.
This stuff is amazing. I mean, itās like science fiction is actually happening around us. This isnāt just fictional space exploration, itās real space exploration. Itās an exciting time to be alive.
Shatnerās excitement was infectious. He was so into it and kept interrupting them just to marvel at what they were saying.
The NASA people talked about how science fiction had inspired them into their fields.
Which is interesting, because as a science fiction writer, their real-life eveavours inspire me.
So that was my first comic con experience. Lots of cool stuff gooing on at the moment.
Did you watch any panels? What did you find most exciting? Iād be interested to know. Leave me a comment on youtube, or wherever you listen to the podcast, or even drop me an email at adam@adamdavidcollings.com
Next time, weāll be talking about Wonder Woman, and then the episode after that, weāll look at Justice League, the theatrical cut.
Iāll catch you next time, out there, in nerd heaven.
Suicide Squad is the next movie in our journey through the DCEU. This movie added some memorable characters to the DC Extended Universe, such as Will Smith's Deadshot and Robbie Margot's Harley Quinn, not to mention introducing us to this universe's version of the joke played by Jared Leto. So let's look back at this movie and see what we can dig out of it.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.
This is episode 30 of the podcast. Today we continue our look at the DC extended Universe with Suicide Squad.
The description on IMDB reads
A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
This movie was written and directed by David Ayer.
It first released on the 3rd of August 2016
I kinda like the aesthetic of bright neon colours over the titles and the studio logos
Will Smith is great as deadshot. He gives a more serious dramatic performance than I think Iāve seen from him in anything else. And yet he still blends his signature humour into his character. Itās a balance that I really like.
Harley Quinn is terrifying. I love the scene that introduces her. Sheās hanging from a ribbon like a gymnast. The fact that these big grown men are so terrified of this young girl that they have to keep her in a cage and shock her before theyāll go inside speaks volumes.
And then we meet Amanda Waller. In her voiceover, she explains that the world changed when Superman appeared. And then it changed again when he didnāt. We get more footage of Supermanās funeral.
Thatās why Iām here, she says.
The death of Superman has left a big void. Earth has been attacked twice by alien beings. First Zod and his crew, and then Doomsday. Now, with Superman dead, whoās going to protect Earth next time it happens?
Waller thinks she has the answer.
The problem with a metahuman is the human part. We got lucky with Superman. He shared our values. The next might not.
The film now has to introduce a bunch of characters and explain their origins. Itās a lot to ask in such a short space of time, but I think it does a great job.
Deadshotās daughter really humanises him. The fascinating thing is, this girlās dad is an assassin for hire, and heās the good parent! The mother is a real deadbeat.
And you can tell straight away that he really loves his daughter.
And then we get our first Batman cameo. I love it! So good to get more Batfleck, especially given that this would end up being his second last appearance.
In the end, itās deadshotās humanity, for the sake of his daughter, that leads to his capture. IF she wasnāt there, Deadshot would be free and Batman would be dead.
The story of the transformation of Dr Quinzel into Harley Quinn is terrifying. And we meet Jared Letoās Joker for the first time.
This is a controversial opinion, but I like Letoās Joker.
The thing these early DC movies did really well was take classic characters, who had been portrayed very very successfully in previous movies, and presented them in a very different way.
Heath Ledgerās Joker was amazing. The man won a posthumous oscar for that performance. There was no topping that. So instead, they created a version of the Joker that looks very different, and acts different. The tattoos were unconventional but they made sense. Some felt the word ādamagedā tattooed on the jokerās forehead was overkill, but David Ayer had some cool backstory behind that. The teeth too. Itās a pity none of that stuff made it into the movie.
Then we get our second Batman appearance.
Heās chasing the Joker and Harley through the streets of Gotham.
Itās nice to see the Batmobile from Batman V Superman again. Ilove it when Harley says āStupid Bats, youāre ruining date night.
Sorry, Iām gushing over the Joker when I should be talking about Harley.
Waller says that Harley is even crazier than the Joker, and I think she might be right.
The joker re-made her in his own image.
Batman got Harley but the Joker got away, just like the song says. He kinda left her to drown.
Next, Waller introduces Captain Boomerang Digger Harkness.
First of all, Amanda, itās Aussie not aussie. Hard S sound. Gotta get it right.
Digger is an interesting name for this character. Digger is a slang term used for an Australian soldier. Especially a veteran of world war 1, but really any member of the Australian armed forces. Itās a title that carries a lot of affection but also a great deal of respect.
Anyway, we get our final cameo from a Justice League member as we see Ezra Miller as The Flash captures him.
This was nice. We got to see a long-haired Barry Allen in a shop surveillance video, and a weird bearded Flash from the future, in the last movie, but we never really saw The Flash in his true form. This time we see him in his costume for the first time. It was only a few seconds, but it was very welcome.
El Diablo is a fascinating character. Next to deadshot, heās one of my favourites. His story is truly tragic, but all we get in this little introduction is that he has the ability to create first, and he surrendered to the police.
Next is Killer Croc. I Wasnāt happy with his portrayal in this movie at all.
Have you ever played Batman Arkham Asylum? I have. Killer Croc, in that game, is freaking terrifying. One of the few times Iāve been truly afraid playing a game is when I Was sneaking through Killer Crocās lair. Thatās the type of Killer Croc I wanted.
Instead, this movie made him the comic relief. I wasnāt happy with that at all.
Now Iāll admit, Iām not super familiar with the character. In fact, that video game is really my only previous exposure to the character, so what do I know? All I know is this wasnāt the version I wanted to see.
The movie doesnāt spend any time trying to explain how this reptilian-looking man came to be. It only says that evolution took a backward step with him.
But then Waller says He looked like a monster, so they treated him like a monster, and he became a monster. I like that line. Thatās a line we should all ruminate on for a bit, and think about how we treat people.
Finally we get an introduction to Enchantress. What I like is that she starts off as just another of the gang, but is later revealed to be the villain of the movie.
Of course, the interesting thing about her character is that she is two people. Kind of a jekyll and hyde character. The ancient witch inhabits Dr. June Moone.
Enchantress is fascinating. An extra-dimensional entity. She shares Mooneās body and can be summoned when necessary. I want to know more about her, a lot more, but this movie doesnāt take the time to explore this character in any depth, and thatās a shame.
Yes, itās really hard to give sufficient time to any one character when you have such a large cast, but this is the villain of the movie. The little bit of set-up they give us for her is compelling, but itās not enough.
So this is Wallerās plan. Weāre fresh out of heroes, so weāre gonna use these villains. āBut theyāre bad guys,ā the man sheās talking to says.
āExactly. Theyāre expendable.ā Who better to send in as canon fodder when the monsters attack?ā
And thatās what makes the suice squad, as a concept, really work for me.
At this point, itās clear that DC are doing something quite different than Marvel with their cinematic universe. Marvel movies tell individual stories with characters, and then have them come together once in a while. Very slowly, over time, a long-term narrative began to unfold, but there were a lot of individual stories going on as well.
DCās approach was different. Theyāre just trying to tell one long story. Each movie is just another chapter in that story. Theyāre not trying to set up multiple parallel franchises, like Marvel. Theyāre just telling a story.
First, we introduced the world to Superman, and aliens.
Then We saw Superman die, thanks to Lex Lutherās manipulations.
This movie examines the idea of a world without Superman.
Just as we realised how much we needed him, heās gone. This movie explores what people do to try to fill that void.
Itās almost a pause. Weāre gonna slow down the story for a bit and take this little detour, to let you sit with the fact that Superman is dead for a while.
And thatās important. Iām so glad they didnāt resurrect Superman immediately at the end of Batman V Superman. We needed to sit here and really appreciate the hole heās left behind. To that end, this movie is very important.
The men are not convinced that Waller can control these freaks, but she says āconvincing people to act against their own self interests for the national security of the united state of America is what I do for a living.ā
And letās face it, sheās good at her job.
Viola Davis does a wonderful job of portraying Waller in this movie. I really like her performance. Best version of the character Iāve seen on screen.
We round out the team with Col Rick Flag, the good guy soldier who is supposed to keep the others all in line.
The twist is, heās in love with Dr. Moone.
Waller set him up to fall in love with her.
Waller controls Moone with the heart, and Moone controls Flag.
We begin to see here how Waller is a manipulator who uses people and cares little for them as people. All humans are just tools.
Sheās not so different than Lex Luthor, although she may be even better at it than him.
Waller makes the point that the Americans are not the only ones kicking up rocks looking for metahumans. The next war will be fought with them.
The way Enchantressās fingers appear and curl around Moonās hand is super creepy.
But itās clear that becoming Enchantress takes a huge toll on Moone. Sheās not sure she can keep doing it.
When Waller comes to see her new team, Harle asks her, āare you the Devil?ā Thatās a very interesting question.
We get a little more understanding of El Diablo. Heās not willing to use his powers. He says āIām a man, not a weapon. I want to die in peace before I ever raise my fists again.ā
Heās a reluctant meta-human. Refuses to use his abilities. But he wasnāt always that way. Something happened in his past.
So they bring deadshot out to show what he can do with a gun. So he points it at the abusive guard, who is afraid for a moment, but then suddenly gets this cocky smile and says to his men, āIf this man shoots me, I want you to kill him and then go clear my browser history.ā
Now, this got a momentary chuckle out of me, in the cinema, but then I realised, this is completely unbelievable. A man who is in feat for his life is not going to care about whatās in his browser history. That moment killed the scene for me.
This was the first movie to really suffer from interference from Warner Bros. Batman V Superman got cut short in the theatrical cut, but here, they made significant creative changes. In fact, I hear they took the final cut out of the directorās hands and gave it to a trailer company. In David Ayerās words, they took his soulful drama and turned it into a comedy. And I think thatās a terrible shame.
Moments like this silly browser history joke are symptomatic of the problem.
The exchange where Deadshot explains his price is cool. Itās mostly about his daughter. He wants out of jail, but he also wants full custody, and he wants her education paid for.
I like the moment when Flag says āyouāre in no position to make demandsā, and deadshot say āOh, you thought I was talking to you, no, I was talking to your boss.ā and points to waller, while all the while making eye contact with flag.
See, this is the kind of humour that works better for me. Character based humour that feels natural in the situation.
Now I canāt possibly say what jokes came from which film-maker. All I can say is what I like and what I donāt like.
The Joker is still keeping tabs on Harley. Heās aware that sheās been taken from her prison to be a part of this special operation, and heās not happy about it.
He still cares about her, in his own disturbing twisted evil way. I mean, sheās more of a possession to him than a person, but he cares.
So Enchantress escapes. Itās not completely clear how it happens. Moone whichers āEnchantressā in her sleep. Is that just because sheās dreaming and talking in her sleep? A freak occurrence that the witch takes advantage of? Or is it something more? Iām not sure.
But she threatens to kill Moone if Flag calls Waller, so now heās being manipulated by her as well. She takes a statue containing her brother and flees, taking an unsuspecting man as a host for her brother.
Apparently these two were worshipped as gods by ancient humans, but no more. Now she is going to take her revenge by building a machine to take over the world.
Moone asks Flag to stop Enchantress, if it ever comes down to a decision, always stop enchantress, even if it kills Moone.
Thatās a hard thing to ask of someone who loves you.
Meanwhile, her brother starts taking humans and turning them into foot soldiers.
Itās time to activate Task Force X.
The brother is nasty. All those tentacles.
Enchantress can use his power to protect herself from damage to her heart. Waller has officially lost control of the witch.
So her new taskforce are gonna be called in to deal with one of their own.
Again, we get some humour from Harley. And itās true to her character.
We meet another member of the squad. Slipknot, who can climb anything. We didnāt get a proper introduction to him. That makes him a redshirt, as weāll see shortly.
The squad members have all been injected with nano explosives. Just another control to keep them in check.
One final character is introduced. Katana, who wields a sentient sword containing the soul of her late husband. Itās said her sword traps the souls of its victims. That kinda feels like many a step too far for me. No explanation is given for such an incredible claim.
As they take off, Harley gets a message from the Joker. Heās coming for her.
The suicide squad havenāt been told the truth about what theyāre facing. Rick says itās terrorists with a dirty bomb. But these guyās arenāt stupid. They can see the magic energy hovering over the city, or as Harley calls it, pretty lights.
So the chopper is shot down and theyāre now on Digger is convinced the nano bombs in the neck are just a ruse, and heās planning to leave. He convinces slipknot.
Then of course, Rick sets off Slipknot's explosive and he dies.
Question. Was Digger serious about this, or was he just trying to talk someone else into cutting and running first, so he could find out if the bombs were real? I suspect the latter. It shows that Digger is smart, but also, really cold.
This scene was needed to show the squad that the bombs were real. Somebody had the push the boundaries and die. Otherwise these characters would never have followed orders.
The character to die, of course, was the one we knew the least about. He didnāt even get a proper introduction like the rest of the squad. In fact, the first couple of times I Watched this movie, I had no idea who just died. Who WAS that? They introduced this character at the last second so theyād have a redshirt to kill. Personally, I think this moment would have been a lot more meaningful if theyād killed a character whoād been introduced at the beginning with the rest of them.
Deadshot is still planning a revolt, but heās hoping The Joker can disable the neck bombs. Nothing can happen until then.
The converted foot soldiers look pretty cool. Their pulsating heads are pretty creepy.
When Deadshot realises thereās something supernatural going on here, his thoughts begin to turn away from escape. Heās the voice of reason in the group. Harley is happy to let Rick die, but Deadshot points out, if he dies, we die.
Digger is a really stereotypical Australian. I mean, drinking a beer in the middle of the battle? Come on.
That said, I kinda like him. His Aussie mannerisms, while sometimes over the top feel comfortably familiar in this landscape of freakish villains and even freakier monsters.
Butā¦..I just donāt get the pink unicorn fettish. I have no idea what thatās about.
El Diablo is still refusing to use his powers.
We get a cheap joke about Harley stealing a handbag, but an emotional moment as Deadshot sees a display mannequin for a childās jacket. And thinks of his daughter.
Now we get a flashback scene that wasnāt in the theatrical cut. Itās one of the only additions in the so-called extended cut. However, this scene makes a huge difference. It gives so much more context to the relationship between the Joker and Harley.
We see Dr. Quinzel chasing the Joker on a motorbike. She forces him to stop his car and screams, āYouāre not leaving me.ā
The Joker used her to escape from Arkham. He manipulated her into a severe case of Stockholm syndrome, messed up her head really badly, and then left her. He didnāt need her anymore.
But she was still in love with him. Well, love isnāt the right word. She was obsessed with him.
The Joker treats her like an unwanted pet who wonāt get the hint.
You see, the Joker doesnāt love. He isnāt loved. I donāt think The Joker is capable of love. Not real love.
So it would make no sense for him to continue this relationship. Harley was a tool. Nothing more.
This scene explains that. But it also shows how relentless Harley is. How sheās starting to wear him down.
It adds to the believability of their story. Itās a fantastic scene.
Back in the present, I like how Harleyās past as a psychologist is still with her, but in her crazed state, she uses it to mess with peopleās minds for no other reason that sheās bored.
Margot Robbieās portrayal of lovable crazy is a big part of why this character stole the movie for so many people.
As they are ambushed in the building by more monsters, Deadshot is sick of El Diablo not doing his bit. He pushes him and pushes him until finally he uses his powers. He shoots fire at the monsters burning them all.
Then we flashback to the fulfillment of Harleyās origin. She and The Joker are at the chemical factory. This scene is greatly enhanced by the inclusion of that previous scene with the motorbike. That scene set this one up. This is the payoff. Itās a real shame the previous scene was cut from the theatrical version.
The Joker asks Harley if sheāll die for him. Yes. Thatās too easy. Will you live for me?
She has to think about this one a moment longer. But she says yes. Living for the Joker is a commitment. A commitment to a truly crazy man.
And so, faced with her unwavering devotion, the Joker accepts Harley into his life. He sees her fall into the chemical vat, and for a moment, I think heās gonna let her drown, but then he dives in and saves her. Now sheās like him.
Like I said earlier, I donāt think the Joker is capable of true love, but I think he has come to feel some genuine affection for Harley. Sure, itās more about possession. She's an object that he owns, but he cares something for her and is willing to risk himself to rescue her.
And then we get the big reveal of the truth. The true objective here was to rescue Amanda Waller was was trapped in a building in this city.
Deadshot is not impressed about this.
So then, Waller guns down her own people. Not the Suicide Squad, the administravie people. Those running the office, monitoring the situation on the computers. She puts bullets in each of their heads. Killing them in cold blood because they werenāt cleared for any of this.
I submit that Amanda Waller is the single most evil character in the whole DC universe.
Even Deadshot, a serial killer who takes credit card, has more of a soul than this woman.
She is cold to the depth of her heart. A pure pragmatist, devoice of any conscience.
Anyay, the actress playing her does a fantastic job, to make me hate her so much.
Of course, their rescue chopper has been hijacked by The Joker.
Harley runs off with him.
Apparently, her nano bomb has been disabled. This isnāt explained. Itās actually quite an unsatisfying plot hole. I imagine the explanation is on the cutting room floor.
I think Deadshot is genuinely tempted when Waller offers him his freedom and his daughter if he kills Harley, but is he really going to trust Waller? After what sheās just done? I donāt think so.
The Joker and Harley appear to have died in a crash.
Enchantress now has her heart back, which makes her even more powerful.
And Waller gets whatās coming to her at Enchantressās hands, well tentacles.
So the Suicide Squad learn the truth that all of this is Wallerās fault. Sheās the one who unleashed Enchantress and her brother on the world.
With this knowledge, they decide to go have a drink.
Which allows us to have a quiet moment for some character reflection. Which is quite nice.
Deadshot has a code. He doesnāt kill women or children. Iām not saying that makes him a good person, but it makes him a step above Waller.
But El Diablo, heās something else again. He finally tells his story.
He was born with this fire ability. The older he got, the stronger it was. This made him powerful on the streets.
He had a wife and two kids. She didnāt approve of his life of crime. Sheād pray for him, but one day sheād had enough.She threatened to take the kids away.
And in an uncontrollable fit of rage, he burned them all. He killed his wife and kids.
And heās been living with that ever since. Thatās why he doesnāt use his powers.
Itās a heart-breaking story. There really are no words for it.
Flag joins them to confess his own sins. He played a part in all of this, because of his feelings for Moone. Turns out, he may be not much better than the rest of them. So he smashes the controller for the nano bombs. Theyāre free.
But then he shows Deadshot that his daughter writes letters to him every day. Letters heās never seen.
And thatās what motivates him to finish this. He has to save the world for her sake, to show his daughter that her fatherās not a piece of ā¦. Wellā¦.you get the idea.
Harleyās in for a party.
So they all come along.
Now theyāre a team. Now theyāre committed to this mission.
Killer Croc is, of course, the obvious choice for the underwater mission. I love how he says I live underground. the rest of you are just tourists.
I love how Flag and Deadshot are on even terms now. Deadshot even says I got your back.
Enchantress gives them a vision of what they want most out of life.
Deadshot wants to kill Batman. Harley dreams of a proper happy life with The joker. He get to see Jared Leeto out of makeup. They even have a child. This, of course, is an impossible dream.
El Diablo wants his family back.
But he knows this canāt be. His pain helps him see through the trick. He canāt undo what he did. Thatās the source of his pain.
Now matter how much he wants to, he canāt change what he did that night.
So he goes out there, fire blazing, to take on Enchantressās brother.
He becomes the fire.
He distracts the brother long enough to get him in position to be taken out by the bomb.
In the end, El Diablo sacrifices his life to take down the monster.
David Ayer described this movie as a redemption story, and thatās one of the things I really like about it. But a friend of mine pointed out once that itās not strictly a redemption story. Itās actually a repentance story.
Most philosophies teach that redemption for past crimes can be earned through good acts. The turning away from the old life and making a conscious decision to be good instead. Thatās basically the definition of repentance.
Interestingly, Christianity teaches that redemption canāt be earned. Itās a gift that is given freely to the undeserving. I think thatās an interesting distinction.
I havenāt talked much about the music in this movie. Itās not on the same level as Zimmer and JunkieXLās work in the last 2 movies, but I do really like the Task Force X theme in this film.
But after all this, Enchantress is still here, but theyāre all kinda powerless against her.
Harley poses the question. Whatās this world ever done for us? Why should we save it?
But in the end, what motivates her is friendship. Enchantress messed with her new friends.
Enchantress promises many things. Bow to me and Iāll give you all you desire.
But as we all know, evil makes many promises, but you canāt trust them.
But Harley plays along just long enough to get close so she can remove the heart.
Previously, she was only able to operate without the heart because she fed off her brotherās power. But her brother is dead now.
Without her heart, sheās vulnerable. They can defeat her.
The final solution makes good use of the skills of multiple characters, as it should be for an ensemble movie like this.
But Flag has to face the heart-breaking reality that June isnāt coming back. So he crushes the heart. Only to find that was another of Enchantressās lies. June is alive in the rubble. And Enchantress is gone. Really gone forever.
But sadly, it turns out Waller is still alive. What a shame.
They get 10 years off their sentences. Plus a few favours. Harley and Crocās requests are kind of absurd. But Deadshot gets to have a visit with his daughter, which is a touching if uncomfortable moment, when they start using assasination as a metaphor for geometry.
If he ever gets out of prison, I think he really might put his life of crime behind him, for her sake.
And then, the movie ends with the reveal that The
Joker is still alive, and heās here to break Harley out.
This was the first of the DCEU films to have an after-credit sequence.
It ties it into the larger narrative.
Bruce Wayne is making a deal with Waller. He offers her protection from those who want her head for her mistakes.
In return, she gives him the info she has on the known metahumans, such as The Flash and Aqua man.
As he leaves, he tells her to shut down Task Force X. The world doesnāt need a suicide Squad of villains to fill the whole left behind by Superman. The Justice League are gonna protect this world.
I like this movie. I have no doubt that David Ayerās original vision of a soulful drama would have been a better movie, but in its current state, itās by no means a bad film. The forced comedic elements didnāt bother me as much this viewing. It was a bit of a side-story, but a worthwhile addition to the ongoing saga.
So Star Trek Lower Decks is coming out in a couple of weeks, and we've got a trailer, which looks interesting. The show is clearly made out of a deep knowledge of, and love for, Star Trek.
Unfortunately, I probably won't be covering the show when it comes out, because at this stage, we still haven't had any announcement about where people can watch the show outside of USA and Canada. So I'm not really expecting it to be available at this point. I think it's pretty sad that only two countries in the whole world will get to see this latest Trek show. It feels like the 90s again. It will likely appear on a streaming service some day, but I won't be able to be a part of the conversation while it's fresh and relevant.
Still, talking nostalgically about things of the past is a big part of what I do here on Nerd Heaven, so who knows.
Speaking of which, the next DC movie I'll be covering will be, of course, Wonder Woman. But I might sneak in a little Star Trek episode before that, talking about news, and the lower decks trailer. It depends what happens in the Trek-sphere over the next week or so.
So I'll just leave that as a bit of a mystery for you.
In any case, I'll see you next time on Nerd heaven.
We're back for part 2 of our discussion on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. We pick up right where we left off, with Superman surrounded by flames.
There's definately a lot to talk about in this movie, which is why I split it into two parts. Let's dig deep into this fascinating movie.
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Transcript
Lex is conspicuously absent from his seat in the hearing. Finch finds a little message he left behind for her, referencing an earlier conversation. And then the wheelchair explodes, taking out the senate building.
And Superman is distraught as he stands there, surrounded but unharmed by the flames that kill the vulnerable humans around him.
At that same moment, Bruce sees the final message from Wallace. āYou let your family Die.ā
This of course, is referencing his employees. It seems this guy not only blames superman, but he blames Bruce as well, for not protecting his workers from an alien invasion. Thatās pretty unreasonable.
But these words really set Bruce off. His family DID die. He watched his parents be gunned down.
At this point in the story, weāre faced with a question. Did Lex hide the bomb in the wheelchair without the knowledge of Wallace, who sat in it, or was Wallace a willing martyr?
This now, is the moment when the movie starts to get dark. Until now, it really hasnāt been.
Superman is Helping bring survivors out of the building. Itās not much, but itās all he can do.
This explosion wasnāt his fault, but he canāt help but blame himself. He knows that someone is using him, everything he stands for, to hurt people. And that brakes him.
Now hereās the one moment that does make me a little uncomfortable in the movie.
Superman leaves.
Are there still survivors in the building? The movie doesnāt really say at this point. If there are, and heās abandoning them because he canāt handle the pain of this moment, then heās being very un-Superman.
But I have to believe that heās already got all the survivors out that he can.
Although a news report in a later shot seems to suggest there may still be survivors.
If thereās one thing in this movie that Iād change, it would be this.
Iād say that may have gone a step too far in actually having Superman abandon the suffering like this.
But it shows the turmoil heās in. I would suggest that right now heās feeling like his help is not wanted. That it may even be inappropriate for him to be there.
Havenāt you ever felt that? When someone is upset because of something youāve done. You want to walk away because you feel like youāre the last person theyād want to comfort them. And yet, youāre wrong. They donāt want you to walk away.
I know Iāve been in that situation. So I think I understand what they were trying to portray here.
Having the final push he needed, Bruce steals the Kryptonite from Lex. Heās gonna do it. Heās gonna kill Superman.
In true Batman tradition, he begins to plan. He readies the Kryptonite, and he strengthens his body. Heāll never be as strong as Superman, of course, but he needs every edge he can get.
Superman is doubting himself. Heās doubting everything. Heās been living the life he believed his father wanted him to live. Saving people for a ghost. How arrogant to have thought he was here to do good, like some biblical prophet. A man with a destiny. How could he have thought so highly of himself.
He says Superman was never real. He didnāt see the bomb because he wasnāt looking for it.
Superman has come face to face with his fallibility. But worse than that, heās come face to face with the consequences of his fallibility. He has such power, that when he makes a mistake, the consequences are huge.
He canāt do that anymore. He canāt be that.
People criticise this movie, saying that Superman spends the whole film brooding, but thatās supposed to be Batmanās thing.
But, this is the first or maybe two scenes in the film that Superman has actually brooded, if you really want to call it that.
Personally, Iād call it taking a good long look at himself, which is exactly what the dictates of story-structure demand, by the way.
No, up until now, Superman has been the idealistic reporter. The complete opposite of Batman.
Given all heās going through, you can forgive the guy for losing his faith and his hope.
But Lois reminds him that the symbol he wears on his chest means hope. That hope is real for a lot of people. Clark acknowledges that it stood for hope on Krypton, but heās not convinced it does here. Not anymore. But weāll come back to this.
Now Lex puts the next step of his plan into motion. This isnāt exactly a backup plan B. Itās just another part of the complex web heās weaving. He puts Zodās body into the Genesis chamber, he learns that Zod was from the city of Kandor.
Lex blends his own DNA with Zodās to create a monstrosity once known, and outlawed, on Krypton.
Now we get a little tease for the future of the DC extended Universe. Bruce looks at the meta-human research from the hard drive he stole from Lex.
There he learns of Wonder Woman, who apparently hasnāt aged since 1918. I love how we see this photo which depicts a scene from the Wonder Woman movie, which hasnāt even come out yet. It was really cool.
Lois finds proof that Wallace didnāt know he was going to die. Heād bought groceries. The wheelchair was made from the same metal as the bullet. And it was lined with lead so Superman couldnāt see the bomb. Itās all becoming even more apparent that Lex is manipulating the entire situation from the background.
The world had accepted Superman, but Lex couldnāt handle that, so heās been pushing his pieces around the board to heighten the natural fear people had of Supermanās power. Fears they had mostly put to rest. But heās been waking them up again.
So we get a nice little scene where Clark sees his dead father. Heās come to the top of a mountain, is it Everest? He needs advice, but heās got nobody to go to. Both his father figures are dead. So his subconscious, his imagination, re-creates his dad, Jonathan Kent, the man who raised him, the man who made him what he is. Desperately hoping for some words of wisdom.
Jonathan tells a story, Probably one he told Clark in the past, that heās now remembering, of a time he worked hard to save his dadās farm, only to realise his actions had doomed the neighbourās farm. It was an unexpected consequence from his actions which had been nothing but good-intentioned. Itās a story Clark can relate to. Jonathan also explains how Martha helped him see there is good in this world.
See, thereās a lot of positivity weaved into this movie. I donāt deny that itās dark, although itās nowhere near as dark as some people like to make out.
But personally, I find, as others have said before, that the light shines brightest in the dark.
A story needs both. If you donāt see the darkness in a story, then you donāt get to see the triumph of light.
Some have referred to this movie as Grimdark. I strongly disagree. I think a much better descriptor of the genre of this film is, as I first heard E Stephen Burnett of Speculative Faith say, is Nobledark. Because ultimately, this movie shows the triumph of nobility over darkness.
Alfred tries to talk Bruce out of his suicidal plan. You canāt win, not against Superman.
Bruce notes that heās older now, that his father ever was. That must be an unsettling realisation. Bruce has spent 20 years stopping criminals. But as he says, theyāre like weeds. You pull one out and another takes its place. Bruce is looking for something more. Heās searching for purpose. He wants to make a lasting difference in this world. I guess you could say heās having something of a mid-life crisis, but as Batman, he does everything bigger and more intense.
As he sees it, ridding the world of Superman may be the one thing he ever does that matters. In his own way, heās wanting to save the world.
Lex pushes Lois off a building to get Supermanās attention.
Itās time to put the final stage of his plan into motion.
And this is where we begin to understand what this is all about. Why Lex is doing this.
As a child, Lex was abused by his father. Nobody intervened. No Superman. Not God.
Lex has come to the conclusion that if God is all powerful then he canāt be all good, and if heās all good, he canāt be all powerful.
You see, this is the age-old question of suffering and evil. A question that philosophers and theologians have been debating for centuries. Millennia. In fact, when Superman appears, Lex says outright, this is about the problem of evil in the world.
Lex likens Superman to God, the God he feels failed to help him as a child.
Lex canāt abide the idea of a heroic Superman because of his perceptions of God. Superman cannot be good, given his power. And he wants the world to see that. He wants to expose Superman as the fraud he believes him to be.
This whole thing is because of Lexās theological beliefs.
Of course, Superman is not God. He is neither all powerful, nor all good.
Superman has unimaginable powers, when compared to a human, but those powers have limits. Superman cannot shape the entire world to his will. He couldnāt save the people in that senate building. And heās not all good, either. He may not be human, but heās still a man.
A man with all the frailties, and flaws that come with the package.
Lex confirms that the red notes were not from Wallace. They were from him.
Lex has spent two years setting this up, pushing Bruce bit by bit until he goes over the edge.
Lex never intended to use that Kryptonite himself. Heās not gonna get his hands dirty like that. And frankly, he doesnāt have what it takes to defeat Superman in battle. Lex isnāt a fighter. Heās a manipulator. He wanted Bruce to use the Kryptonite. He wants Bruce to try to kill Superman.
But ultimately, he wants Superman to kill Bruce. He wants Superman to be exposed as a killer.
Either way, Lex wins. Either Superman is shown to be good, or powerful, but not both.
And now he reveals that heās kidnapped Clarkās mother.
If Clark doesnāt kill Batman, Martha will die.
Clarke and Bruce have very opposing philosophies, but itās taken all this manipulation to make Superman and Batman fight.
I think this movie makes it all very believable.
So just when Clark thought he had worked through his issues, He says those words which critics of this film love to quote. āNobody stays good in this world.ā
And thatās how he is honestly feeling at the moment. It doesnāt mean he is right.
But he says outright to Lois, his primary intention here is to convince Batman to help him. Heās not going there to kill.
He wants to find another way out of this.
Heās been in this situation before. In the last movie, he was forced to kill Zod And that broke him.. Heās in a similar situation here now. He doesnāt want to have to kill again. Heās determined to find another way. Once again heās in the position of having to choose between taking a life, or letting the innocent die. This time itās not all the people of the world, itās his mother, who he loves.
You see, in his desperation, his words say that nobody stays good, and yet, his actions tell a different story. His actions show that he is still looking for another way.
And yet, he canāt let his mother die.
Meanwhile, Dianna finds an email from Bruce. He cracked the data, which she hasnāt been able to do.
She sees the photo, that meant so much to her. She hasnāt seen that photo in almost a century.
But heās got more for her. We see information about other metahumans.
The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.
This was all setup for Justice League, and it was a fun tease.
In true Superman form, he starts by talking. āBruce, I was wrong. Lex is--ā
But Bruce isnāt interested in talk. He never gives Superman the chance to explain.
Clarke gives an effective demonstration of his power before saying āIf I wanted it, youād be dead already.ā See, itās hard to even call this a real battle. Because Superman doesnāt really fight Batman. Heās certainly not trying to kill him.
But this is when Bruce employs the Kryptonite in gaseous form.
Superman feels fear for the first time when he realises his strength is gone.
Bruce makes a good point when he says Superman isnāt brave. He isnāt. Heās never had to be. Men like Bruce are brave, because they can be hurt.
The fight between them is a very small piece of the movie.
If this film had a failing, Iām convinced that failing was bad marketing. Possibly even the wrong title.
I think a lot of people came into this movie with the wrong expectations. I think a lot of them were expecting a popcorn superhero battle. You know, the age old question, who would win in a fight. Itās a very geeky question, but ultimately pointless.
So they came in for popcorn, but were served a nice steak dinner. And then they complained that the steak dinner wasnāt very good popcorn.
I remember going into the cinema to see this movie. There were posters saying āWho will win.ā They even had stickers, with Batman and Superman logos you could put on the poster, to predict who you thought would win.
Thatās not the point. Thatās not what this movie is about.
As long as theyāre fighting, theyāre both losing.
So Bruce finally has Superman at his mercy. He pulls out the pre-prepared Kryptonite spear.
Heās gonna use it to kill superman.
He stands over him, with the deadly weapon.
And says what I already discussed. āYou were never a god.
This is Clarkās last chance. So he forces out the words. āYouāre letting him kill Martha.ā
And while he doesnāt know it, those are the words that are gonna really speak to Bruce.
Ok.
This is the most ridiculed moment in this movie. And quite unfairly in my opinion.
Bruce wants to know what Clark means.
Did Clark know that Bruceās mother was also called martha? Maybe. Perhaps thatās why he says Martha, rather than āMy mother.ā
Bruceās whole life has been defined by the death of Martha Wayne. But Bruce couldnāt save Martha. Martha was taken from him.
Lois arrives just in time to explain that Martha is Clarkās motherās name.
Now, they donāt suddenly become friends because their mothers have the same name, as the memes suggest.
Bruce realises a bunch of things at this moment.
First of all, this humanised Superman in his eyes. Superman has a mother. But Bruce had already acknowledged Supermanās parents earlier in the battle.
But it raises an important question. Why is Superman talking about his mother? Now, at the moment of his impending death. Why ask Bruce to save Martha?
He realises at this moment that thereās more going on. He realises that theyāre both being manipulated. Manipulated by Lex Luthor.
Superman is only here because heās being coerced.
If he kills Superman, then he becomes the thug from that ally. He kills Martha.
And that cannot be.
Martha cannot die. Not again. Bruce wonāt be that guy.
He thought he was saving the world from a monster, but now he realises that heās just the pawn of the monster. The real monster.
Bruce wonāt kill martha and he sure as hell wonāt do Lex Luthorās dirty work.
Thatās why he drops the spear.
It makes sense. Itās dramatic. Itās emotional. Itās powerful. Dare I say, itās beautiful.
And that music, we get a reprise of the music from the opening credits, where we saw the Waynes killed.
Iāll say it again. Hans Zimmer and JunkieXL are absolute masters of their craft.
Something is happening at the Kryptonian scout ship. Superman is needed, but his mother needs him too.
And thatās when Bruce says those beautiful words. āI give you a promise, Martha wonāt die tonight.ā
This is Bruceās chance to finally put his demons to rest. Tonight he saves Martha.
Superman makes the decision to trust Bruce to save his mother, and goes off to do what only he can.
What follows is a truly epic battle as Batman takes out Luthorās thugs to save Martha.
Itās a wonderful action movie sequence. Some have criticised Batman for killing in this scene. Iām fine with it. Weāve established this is a battle-hardened Batman who has lost any idealism he may have once had. Heās here to save Martha. Nobody is gonna stand in his way. Tonight, heās a soldier. Heāll go through anyone that stands in his way.
And Batman HAS killed before in multiple media.
I mentioned in my Man of Steel podcast, that in the 1989 movie, Batman murdered a minor thug while cracking a joke.
I really like the moment when Bruce finally arrives and saves Martha.
And then we get yet another joke.
āItās ok, Iām a friend of your sonās.ā
āI figured. The cape.ā
This was a nice little chuckle-worthy moment.
This movie DOES have humour in it.
So this is the next stage of Lexās plan.
After Superman had been discredited as a killer, he still needs to be taken out. Doomsday was there to actually kill him.
But it makes me wonder, what was Lexās plan for deal with Doomsday if Batman had been victorious?
So letās talk about Doomsday. Heās pretty creepy I might have preferred if he looked a little more like he did in the comics, with the spies sticking out of him, but I do like his appearance. He looks suitably hellish, .
But what really makes Doomsday scary and effective as a villain? Itās not what he looks like.
Doomsday brings out our deepest fears because he killed Superman in the comics.
If even Superman can die, then what can possibly save us?
But surely they werenāt going to do that in this movie. What a waste of doomsday to bring him in now as a last minute threat.
I think thatās what a lot of us were thinking.
Dianna sees whatās happening and sets off to help.
So does Bruce.
The president is willing to let Superman die as an innocent casualty if it means killing doomsday, but the nuke doesnāt do the job.
Doomsday falls back to earth and continues his rampage, with no Superman to stop him.
Enter Batman and Wonder Woman.
The nuke seems to have made Doomsday even more powerful. And now heās starting to look more like he did in the comics.
Of course, Supermanās not dead either.
He just needs to be recharged by the rays of Earthās sun.
We donāt see a lot of Wonder Woman in this movie, but what we do see is pretty darn awesome.
Her introduction as she saved Bruce from a blast of doomsdayās heat vision is fantastic.
And yet again the movie gives Lois a chance to make a significant contribution to saving the day as she tries to retrieve the kryptonite spear.
Thereās another humorous moment when Superman asks, about Wonder Woman, āis she with you?ā
And Batman replies āI thought she was with you.
So then, as the music that will become the new wonder woman theme plays, we see them standing together for the first time, the trinity of DC comics. Itās such a wonderful moment.
The battle that ensues is a feast for the senses.
Bruce and Dianna are fighting a losing battle against this thing. Theyāre trying to keep it busy, but they canāt kill it, although Dianna does some significant damage,but it just grows back stronger.
As soon as Clark says āI love you,ā to Lois, we know whatās coming, and so does she.
Itās a very emotional moment. She cries out as he flies off, grabbing the kryptonite spear.
Every second he holds it, he weakens.
Superman is the only one who can get close enough to stab Doomsday with the spear, but in his weakened state, he is vulnerable, and doomsday stabs him through the chest, symbolically, through the symbol that represents hope. So has doomsday destroyed our hope by taking Superman from us?
This is the moment that Superman redeems himself. Superman had said earlier, that nobody stays good. Superman has proven himself wrong. He resolved the situation with Bruce without bloodshed, and now, he makes the ultimate sacrifice. He gives his life to save the world. Superman proved himself wrong. And he proved Lex wronth.
Iām watching this in that cinema, and thinking, I canāt believe it. Theyāre really going there. Theyāre going to have Doomsday kill Superman! Theyāre actually doing it.
Despite what those critics said, I think this movie is dripping with hope and nobility.
I saw this movie opening night in Australia. It was Good Friday.
That made this moment all the more poignant. On a day that I had been remembering the sacrificial death of Jesus, I watched the sacrificial death of Superman.
It impacted me in a powerful way. It moved me deeply.
We get that quick image of Steppenwolf. Itās a little confusing. Is it meant to be a hologram? I mean, heās not actually there in the scout ship, right?
Lex is captured. And he has his head shaved in jail, giving us a more classic Lex Luthor look (but letās not forget, early versions of Lex werenāt bald, they had orange hair, just like the lex in this movie)
So we see two funerales.
A state funeral for Superman (clearly with no body).
And a small funeral for Clark. I think itās fitting that the body is in Smallville, with his family.
Itās nice to see the minister from Man of Steel performing the ceremony. No doubt the local pastor in Smallville. Martha probably attended his church.
We also see Pete Ross there.
And this is a very emotional moment, as Lois sees the engagement ring Clark had intended to give her, and would have, had he not died. I got choked up when I first saw this.
Bruce is a changed man. Heās been truly impacted by Supermanās example and his sacrifice.
When he says āMen are still goodā, it pays off that moment when Superman said āNobody stays good.ā Bruce has finally found his purpose.
This last moment in the movie is filled with optimism and hope.
And when you see the Superman logo with the words āIf you seek his monument, look around youā it shows how Superman has inspired the words, and it proves that Supermanās symbol still stands for hope. It always will now. No, Doomsday hasnāt robbed us of our hope. That symbol stands stronger than ever before.
Bruce knows thereās more danger coming from out there in the universe. He knows this from questioning Lex, who says āThe bellās already been rung, and theyāre heard it.ā Lex has sent some kind of message.
And so he asks Dianna to help him find the other meta-humans. Theyāre going to need to come together and fight, if they hope to save earth from whatever is coming, now that Superman is no more.
This of course, is setting up Justice League.
And that very last shot as the dirt begins to move, on Clarks coffin, gives us hope, that Superman may rise again.
One of the biggest issues some people have with these two films is the portrayal of Superman with flaws. Itās one of the few criticisms I give any credence to, even though I disagree with it.
I have a theory as to why this bothers some people, but not others.
And to explain it, I need to talk about Star Trek.
Let me quote Jeri Taylor, one of the writers on TNG and Voyager. In this quote from the book Star Trek The Next Generation - The Continuing Voyager by Judith and Garfield reeves-Stevens, she is speculating on the reason for the appeal of Star Trek.
āWe donāt have them anymore. We have lost the traditional arenas of heroes. We donāt have gods and legends and myth anymore. We have lost sports figures as heroes--they have been proven all too human and vulnerable. We have lost politicians. We have lost movie stars. Weāve even lost royalty, who have feet of clay also. So, there doesnāt seem to be those icons, now, that are the role models, larger-than-life people who are better than we are, who are heroic, who stand for something. I think that what Gene gave us in Star Trek characters is these larger-than-life people who are committed to an ethical and moral way of life, who are not afraid to go into the wilderness and to confront the feats and terrors of the demons and dragons that are out there, who have a moral principle and a moral centre, and who will not stray from that, no matter what. Star Trek presents godlike figures for us to admire and emulate. And I think that is a need that people have deep inside them that is not being satisfied otherwise today.ā
I think this also explains why Superman is popular to many people. Theyāre looking to him to fill that same need. Thatās why some fans want to keep Superman on that pedestal, and not let him have any flaws.
But, I havenāt lost my god. Iām a Christian. I still believe. I have Jesus to fill that need deep inside me. I donāt look to fiction to fill that need.
So I prefer flawed characters in my fiction. I still want heroes with that moral centre, but I donāt expect them to be perfect. Because none of us are.
Donāt get me wrong, Iām not saying all atheists hate this movie, and all people of faith like it.
But we all come to stories for different reasons. Not every story is going to satisfy every personās reasons.
And thatās okay.
Iāve never been under any illusion that this movie is for everyone.
But Iām one of the people who loved it. For me, it worked. I was in the target audience.
And I for one, was very glad that Warner Bros chose to make this niche movie for people like me, rather than water it down and produce something with mass appeal.
Of course, as weāll see, as we continue through these movies, that wouldnāt continue to be their approach.
But thatās another story.
You can go a lot deeper into this movie than I have in this podcast episode. If youāre interested in going further down the rabbit hole, Iād like to recommend another podcast. Itās called Batman V Superman By The Minute. This podcast will spend an entire episode talking about 1 minute of the movie. Itās pretty full on. But now that Iāve recorded my thoughts, I intend to go through and binge their episodes. Should keep me busy for a while. I invite you check them out.
Next time, I plan to talk about Suicide Squad. That should be a shorter episode.
Catch you then.
Batman V Superman was an incredibly divisive film. People tend to love it or hate it, and always with passion. I'm excited to look back on this movie as part of my journey through the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Love it or hate it, there's one thing we can all agree on with this movie - there's plenty to talk about. So much, in fact, that I had to split this discussion into two podcasts. So today we cover part 1, up until the explosion in the senate building. Next week (yes, just one week) we'll continue with the rest of the film.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 28 of the podcast
Today Iām continuing my look at the DC extended universe with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
And I am, of course, talking about the ultimate edition.Because what other version would you watch?
The description on IMDB reads
Fearing that the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the Man of Steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.
The movie was written by Chris Terrior and David S. Goyer.
It was directed by Zach Snyder
And it first released on the 23rd of March 2016.
As always, this podcast contains full spoilers for the movie, So letās talk about Batman v superman
The poetic voiceover that opens the movie tells us right away that this is going to be a more literary movie than we might have been expecting.
This movie starts in a familiar place. With the murder of Bruce wayneās parents. As all movies that introduce a new Batman do. While weāve seen this many times before, this was totally the right way to start. Because this moment in Bruceās life is what this movie, thematically, is all about.
The intercutting between the murder itself and Bruce running away during the funeral and finding the cave beneath his familyās estate, while the incredible music by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL plays, is very very effective.
Yes, just like the last one, this movie has an incredible soundtrack.
As young Bruce is carried upward by the bats, itās clear that this is very symbolic. Another indication that this is going to be a deeper movie than the average popcorn superhero flick.
Bruce is carried upward toward the light, a light that he refers to as a beautiful lie. Perhaps because Bruce lives his life in darkness and isnāt really capable of believing that there is any light in this world.
Then we jump forward to the climactic battle during Man of Steel, and see those terrible events from Bruce Wayneās perspective, which I think was a truly inspired choice.
And already, Iām loving this version of Bruce Wayne. This is a Billionaire CEO who runs headlong into danger because his employees are at risk. He cares about his people. Having seen so many examples of the stereotypical evil business manager, I love this!
This scene is an important counterpoint to the equivalent scene in Man of Steel, because we get to see it all happen from the perspective of a normal person, well, as normal as Bruce Wayne can be.
Heās seeing an alien invasion.
Heās seeing two inhuman creatures of incredible power having a fight which is destroying the city. Brue is seeing the human cost firsthand. Heās seeing the ordinary people that are getting hurt as a consequence of the conflict between Kal-El and Zod.
Man of Steel did a good job of demonstrating consequences, but this scene takes it orders of magnitude further.
Seriously, the devastation of this attack must have bankrupted the economy of Metropolis.
Bruce is truly heroic. And he comes within millimetres of death when he dives under the falling metal to save that little girl.
When he asks her where her mum is, and she points up at the destroyed building, Our hearts break.
But as Bruce looks up, from the rubble of the destroyed lives, he sees those two aliens, still gripped in battle, smashing through buildings, his eyes burn with righteous anger. Earth never asked for these aliens to come here. Look at all the devastation theyāve caused. But we see that devastation most strongly, not in the skyscrapers, one after another that continue to fall, but in the eyes of one little girl who will never again see her mother.
This is powerful stuff.
And I have to say that Ben Affleckās acting is wonderful in this moment. That look he gives Superman and Zod. It says so much.
A lot of people were concerned about Ben Affleck playing Batman. This is nothing new. People seem to doubt every new actor that gets announced to play Batman.
Well, it didnāt take long for Mr. Affleck to put aside peopleās doubts. He was a fantastic Bruce Wayne, and he was a fantastic Batman.
But weāll talk more about that as we move through the story.
18 months later.
Itās not surprising that the wreckage of the world engine in the Indian Ocean would be an area of great interest to tourists. Especially divers. But also to those hoping to find advanced technology. And thatās how we are introduced to Kryptonite. There was some present on the ship. Makes sense. This alien mineral probably played an important part in the terraforming process, or maybe it powered the ship.
Now weāre in Nairomi Africa. And we meet the DCEUās version of Jimmy Olsen. Heās not in the movie for long. In fact, his identity was never even established in the theatrical cut, but I had my suspicions.
This is a very different take on Jimmy. We quickly learn that heās not just a photographer. Heās actually a CIA agent.
There is a civil war in this country. America is neutral. But men of power obey neither policy or principal, the terrorist leader says. No one is neutral.
Jimmy is discovered. Heās here to propose something to the terrorists, but before he can make his offer, heās shot.
So much for Jimmy Olsen.
You couldnāt dream up a more unconventional version of the character. I did notice Jimmyās absence from Man of Steel. I wonder if they thought he just didnāt fit in with this more serious version of Superman. I mean, the problem with Jimmy is, heās even more nerdy than Clark.
This version is a tough as nails spy.
I donāt mind that change, but Iād have liked to have seen a lot more of him.
Apparently, the Americans were planning an attack on these terrorists, but the surviving guys on the ground are trying to call it off because there are civilians in the area. Not just Lois, but locals.
This whole sequence is an exciting way to re-introduce us to Lois, and show us just how tough she is, and maybe how fearless, even reckless, sheās becoming since she met Superman, but it is very important to the story later on. The teactrical cut majorly dropped the ball on this. So much was lost that none of it made sense.
For some reason, the attack wasnāt called off, but Superman prevents the missile, saving Lois and the other civilians in the area.
But in saving these innocents, Superman allowed the terrorists to live. And a lot of other innocents got killed in the crossfire of the subsequent battle.
A woman named Kahina Ziri is raising awareness of this.
Senator Finch says, The world has been so caught up with what Superman can do, nobody has asked what he should do.
And thatās a very valid question.
Sheās holding Superman responsible for these deaths. He took it upon himself to intervene in this situation, but did his actions make things better or worse?
Superman has incredible powers. Thatās a huge responsibility. He canāt know what all the consequences are of every action he takes. Yet taking those actions is so easy for him. Itās a dangerous position to be in. Quite a scary one, to be honest. Thereās a LOT riding on his shoulders. He canāt afford to make a misstep. Can you imagine living with that kind of pressure?
In the next scene, we get to see Batman in action. This movie presents a Batman who is older and more established. Heās been Batman for a long time. Weāve never seen a Batman so established on screen before, and I was all for it. Weād just come off the Dark Knight trilogy. A series that showed us Batmanās early career. There was no need to go and re-visit all that again.
This was something new and interesting.
And it made sense that Batman had been active as a small-time vigilante for a long time. Not yet famous. He hasnāt yet made a major impact on the world.
This movie takes Batman up to a whole new level. By the end, heāll be a hero concerned with the fate of the world, not just local crime in Gotham.
We also get to see that this older hardened batman is quite harsh. He brands crooks with his mark. Ouch! This is not a Batman you want to be on the wrong side of. This is the classic Batman who is pursued by the police just as much as the villains he battles against.
Lois finds a bullet embedded in her notebook, from the terrorist attack.
I like how this movie gives all our characters their own quests. It takes a while, but they all link up and weave into one story.
Lois and Clark are well established as a couple that are very much in love. When I first saw this I was surprised by that. In the previous movie, we saw Clark and Lois kiss for the first time, after theyād been through a lot. They were at the very beginning of a mutual attraction that might lead to a relationship over time.
I thought weād see that relationship develop. Instead, it all happened off screen.
Looking back, I realise this was the right decision. Itās been 18 months. This wasnāt insta-love. We just didnāt see it all happen. And we donāt need to see the angst of Clark slowly wearing Lois down over time. Been there. Done that. Much better to just have them together so we can tell a story about two people in an established mature relationship.
Clark doesnāt care what people say about him. He did what he believes was right to protect the woman he loves. Despite what people are saying, he didnāt kill anyone.
Lois is concerned. Something doesnāt add up and she wants to know the truth. Because sheās Lois Lane.
Thereās a cute moment where theyāre all serious and then Clark gives Lois a look, and she gives him a look, and he jumps in the bath with her. Itās a fun moment between a loving couple. To those critics who say this movie was devoid of anything light, happy, optimistic, or humorous, I would just point you straight to this scene.
At this moment, Clark and Lois are very happy. And yes. Superman smiles.
Honestly, I donāt know when it became gospel that the way to judge a Superman movie was how much the man smiles, but this movie has him smile when itās appropriate.
We meet Alfred. And once again, this is a very different interpretation of the character than what weāve seen on screen before. Jeremy Irons plays a strong battle-hardened Alfred who is equally capable of keeping up with Batman in the fight against crime as he is in serving drinks to Bruce Wayne. I really like this Alfred. Not just because heās capable, but he serves as Bruceās moral conscience. At least, he tries to.
So very different from Michael Caineās portrayal in the Dark Knight Trilogy (which I also loved). That was more of a father figure. You donāt mess with perfection. You do something different. Something equally cool.
And Alfred speaks gibberish into Batmanās voice distorter to test it. Again this is a nice comedic moment. See, this movie DOES have humour in it. This moment made me laugh out loud. Itās ā¦. Such a British moment. We aussies appreciate the British sense of humour, but I suspect the American critics who trashed this movie donāt.
But this is how I like my humour. Fitting naturally into the story, where and when it is appropriate. It doesnāt feel forced or fake.
Bruce is investigating someone called the White Portugeuse.
Alfred is concerned that Batman is becoming too violent. Too cruel, after seeing the branding in a newspaper article.
Brue points out that theyāre criminals. They always have been.
And this is true. Batman is a vigilante. He operates outside of the law. Thatās a crime.
Now you can argue that in a city like Gotham, where a corrupt police force is incapable of protecting the citizens from especially heinous crime bosses, that Batman is necessary. But we do need to acknowledge that Batman is a criminal.
I kinda like the way Bruce owns this reality here.
But things have changed. Alfred has seen the way Bruce has hardened since Superman appeared. Since the battle over metropolis. He talks about the rage that is slowly building in Bruce. That turns good men cruel. This line is thematically important to the movie.This whole idea of good men becoming bad is a major idea explored by the story. Here, Alfred is specifically talking about Bruce. Thereās no denying his anger is making him more cruel than he used to be.
And now we meet our new Lex Luthor.
And yet again, this is a very different interpretation of Lex. And while many people, even some who liked this movie, hated Jessie Eisenburgās Lex, I have to say, Iām with it.
This is a modern Lex Luthor. This is a young millennial business tycoon. This Lex has often been likened to Mark Zukerberg, the creator and CEO of Facebook. Itās a version of Lex that works in todayās world.
But it doesnāt take long to see that Lex, while brilliant, is a little unhinged.
And scarily, heās the one in possession of the Kryptonite that was discovered in the wreckage of the world engine.
They tested the Kyptonite one General Zodās corpse. They know it is lethal to Kryptonians.
Lex has some reasonable things to say here. Theyāve just survived an alien invasion. The only reason that humanity isnāt extinct is because Superman saved them. Now what if thereās more Kryptonians out there? What if there are other powerful beings or meta-humans, as he calls them.
To be honest, humanity would be insanely foolish not to be looking for ways to defend themselves after their last encounter.
Yes, Superman has proven himself a friend to earth (although Lex doesnāt believe this) but you donāt put all your eggs in one basket. If they have a weapon of their own, they donāt have to rely on āthe kindness of monstersā as Lex puts it. And itās hard to argue with that.
What if something happens to Superman and he can no longer protect us? Or what if, God-forbid, we need to be protected from HIM?
Can we rely on the goodness of Superman? Some fans are offended that weād even ask that question. But I think this movie does a great job of examining the goodness of Superman, and weāll talk lots about this as we go,because I have some things to say.
Lex wants access to the crashed Kryptonian spaceship. He wants Zodās body.
And we get another iconic piece of music - The red capes are coming.
We meet a man, Wallace Keefe, who has lost both of his legs,his wife, and his child, in the Kryptonian invasion.
I love the monument with the names of all those who died in the attack, and the big statue of Superman.
Wallace climbs the statue and desecrates it with spray paint.
He paints the words False God on Supermanās chest.
This is an interesting statement.
Is Superman a God?
Is he a false God?
He is a being of immense power. But he is not a perfect being. He has flaws. He has the same human brokenness that exists in all of us.
It could be argued that he IS a false god, but then, Superman has never claimed to be any kind of god.
We see journalist Clark Kent at work in his office at the daily planet. Perry has assigned him a sports story based on a recent football game between Metropolis and Gotham.
We learn that Gotham is over the other side of the bay from Metropolis. I had never expected these two iconic fictional cities would be so close to one another. But for the purposes of this story, it works. And the interesting thing about this is that Metropolis is the place where the well off live. The professionals. Gotham is the darker seedier place. The wrong side of the train tracks, so to speak. I find this very interesting.
Despite his brief from Perry, Clark has no interest in pursuing this football story. Heās got more important fish to fry. In Gotham.
Heās looking for Kahina Ziri. He wants to talk to her about her accusations against Superman.
It seems some people, even good people, are afraid of Batman. Thereās a new kind of mean in him, one man says.
Perryās sarcasm regarding Clarkās newfound interest in the Batman vigilante was pretty funny.
Clark takes his role as a journalist just as seriously as he takes his role as Superman.
He says to Perry āwhen you assign a story, youāre making a choice about who matters, and whoās worth it.ā
Perry is much more pragmatic about it. He just wants to sell newspapers.
Lois has been investigating that bullet. Turns out itās from an advanced military weapon, so how did these backyard rebels get the latest high-grade military equipment. She thinks the US government are arming the rebels while claiming to support the elected government. Sheās on her way to Washington to investigate.
Senator Finch comes to see Lex. Sheās blocking the import license for the kryptonite.
She sees it as a weapon of assascination, not a deterrent.
He fails to convince her that āthe red capes are coming.ā Demons come from the sky.
I think he really believes that. I think in his own way, he thinks heās right in what heās doing.
Bruce dreams of visiting his parentās tomb. We get our second reminder that his motherās name was Martha. Yeah, weāll get to that.
Bruce doesnāt live in the Wayne family manor. He lives in a modern home. And heās connected the White Portugause to Lex Luthor.
And luckily enough, heās been invited to a charity event at Lexās place.
And thatās where we see Robinās suit, with āThe Jokeās on you Batmanā painted on it.
This was a cool little set-up that weāre sadly unlikely to see ever payed off at this point.
Most people assumed this suit belonged to Jason Todd, who was killed by the Joker in the comics. Zack Snyder has since confirmed that it was actually Dick Grayson.
David Ayer actually had some nice little backstory regarding this, that never really made it into Suicide Squad.
Clark is covering the same charity event that Bruce is attending.
We get our first glimpse of Wonder Woman, who is also there. I love the look she gives Lex as he tells the story of Zeus. Itās priceless. Lex, of course, think Zeus was just an ancient legend. Woman Woman is thinking, āthatās my dad youāre talking about.ā
Alfred is guiding Bruce through the building, looking for information to connect him to the illegal weapons imports, and Clark, of course, can hear it.
Clark basically knows, from this point, that Bruce is Batman.
Alfred is like a worried father, wanting Bruce to settle down and provide some grandchildren. His comments have elicited yet another audible laugh from me.
Lex isnāt a good public speaker. Being rich doesnāt necessarily make you eloquent. But money does allow the unhinged to be re-classified as eccentric.
Then we finally see Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne meet. I think itās kind of cool that their first meeting is in their secret identities.
This scene nicely demonstrates the vast ideological difference between these two men.
Clark is taking a very righteous, almost self-righteous stance against Batman.
Bruce sees this is hypocritical, given the way they praise Superman - an alien, who, if he wanted to, could burn the whole place down.
Bruce and Lex have something in common. Theyāre both nervous about somebody with Supermanās powers being out there. Itās a theme that was explored a lot in the previous movie, but that doesnāt mean itās fully resolved. Oh, Superman has proven himself, donāt get me wrong. But itās completely believable to me that people would still be nervous about him. This movie does a good job of exploring why.
And I love the joker reference where Bruce points out Gotham has a bad history with freaks dressed as clowns. I never thought to compare Superman with the Joker, but I get it.
Clark isnāt able to see what Bruce is really up to because Superman is needed to help save people from a factory fire in South America.
So Superman saves the day, to the wonderful Man of Steel theme by Zimmer.
And we see the veneration these people have for him as they reach out to touch him. This is another little Jesus metaphor. Reminds me of the woman who wanted to touch Jesusā cloak so as to be healed. Superman doesnāt look overly happy about this veneration.
Dianna has stolen the data that Bruce extracted from Lexās computer.
We get a segment with a bunch of talking heads. Most, if not all, are real life personalities. It jumps between them all, with a whole lot of different opinions, and I think thatās the main takeaway here. Everyone has their opinion. As one puts it, āis it surprising that a man of this power would be a topic of controversy?ā Another points out, āmaybe heās not a devil OR a Jesus figure. Maybe heās just a guy trying to do the right thing.ā
Senator Finch has some real concerns over Superman, and the way heās making decisions and interventions that affect the whole world. Heās not controlled by any government. Heās a god-like alien with no accountability. But what do you say to those whose children Superman could have saved, but we told him not to? Finch isnāt saying Superman shouldnāt act, but that he shouldnāt act unilaterally.
And Clark is watching all of this, taking it in. Just like everyone else, heās trying to figure out where he fits in the world. To what level should he act?
So he does what any wise person would do. He calls his Mum. Heās not looking for specific advice, he just wants to talk.
We get to see that Lois also has a sense of idealism, though maybe not as strong as Clarkās. The scientist testing her bullet is āthis is why youāre a great reporter. Stuff like this still shocks you.ā
Meanwhile, Clark is learning that batmanās brand is a death sentence in jail. Many feel Batman is going too far.
To be honest, Iām not sure why the crooks in jail kill anyone with a bat brand. What obligates them to do Batmanās dirty work for him?
Lex comes to visit the Wallace. Now, in a nice suit and an electric wheelchair, he goes to meet Senator Finch. He blames Superman for his situation and he wants to face him.
And now we get to see General Swanwick, from Man of Steel.
His opinion is that Lois went where she shouldnāt have. Superman acted like a rogue combatant to rescue her, and some people died. Donāt invent a conspiracy to put back his halo, or yours.
But this doesnāt address Loisās evidence.
She admits that she made a mistake going into the desert. She got people killed. It keeps her awake.
But she doesnāt believe Superman is bad, and she doesnāt think Swanwick does either.
He agrees to take the bullet and pursue this himself.
Clark really doesnāt care what Perry instructs him to do. Heās refused two stories heās been assigned. Clark is on a crusade for justice against the Batman. He thinks the Daily Planet should stand for something. Perryās perspective is that principles donāt exist anymore. Itās not 1938 anymore. The world is a harsher place. Itās all about the money now.
This is an interesting little meta-commentary on the fact that Superman has changed. Superman was created in 1938. The character has certainly changed from then to now. This appears to be a not-so-subtle statement from the filmmakers that this is a different type of Superman for the times. Deal with it.
Turns out Dianna wasnāt interested in all Bruceās data, she just wanted a photo that Lex had. She returns the drive.
And as Briuce starts to look at the data, he has a vision.
This is the nightmare sequence, the source of much confusion in many a movie-goer.
Iām not going to pretend to fully understand all of it myself. Iām not a comic book expert, but the more you know the comics, the more youāll understand.
Weāre clearly seeing a dystopian future.
The music and the visual make that clear very quickly.
Batman is trying to secure some Kryptonite from Lexcorp.
But itās a trap. A bunch of storm-trooper style soldiers with Superman logos on their arms try to kill Batman.
In this future, Superman has gone evil, he has neo-nazi thugs working for him, and flying aliens rule the world.
Once heās captured, Bruce is visited by Superman. The soldiers bow in reverence to him.
And heās looking pretty mean.
He ruthlessly murders people with his heat vision.
āShe was my world, and you took her from me.ā Superman says before he kills bruce.
And then Bruce wakes up. A weird bearded Flash warns him that Lois Lane is the key. You were right about him, youāve always been right about him.
This is the Flash sending a message back through time from the future. Trying to prevent that nightmare future. But the message has gone back to a point in time too early. Before Bruce even knows The Flash.
Honestly I donāt think you need to understand all this to appreciate it. Itās a tease. Itās setting up cool stuff for the future. Now you can criticise this āevil Supermanā all you want, but this stuff is straight from the comics. Superman hasnāt just decided to go bad. From what weāve heard, Zack Snyder intended that this was a Superman who was being mind-controlled by Darkseid using the anti-life equation. He hasnāt just abandoned all reason because the woman he loved died.
I have zero problems with this stuff.
But I wonder if weāll get a decent payoff to all of this in the Snyder Cut of Justice league coming out next year?
The data on the drive reveals that the white portugeuse is a ship. Turns out Bruce has known more about this than heās let on to Alfred. This is the ship that is smuggling the kryptonite to Lex. Bruce wants to intercept it. To use it. Heās actively considering killing Superman with it.
Bruce says, look at the dead. This guy brought the war two years ago. If thereās even a 1 percent chance that this guy could turn on us then we have to take it as a 100% certainty and take him out.
Bruce doesnāt want to see Superman become a threat, and look back, wishing heād done something to prevent it. He has the means to stop Superman. And honestly, that vision the Flash sent him, has only served to make him even more fearful of Superman. Because heās seen a glimpse of that future. He HAS to prevent it from becoming a reality.
Thatās why the nightmare sequence is important to the movie. It directly impacts Bruceās motivations.
Alfred is convinced Superman is not our enemy.
Not today, Bruce agreed, but what about the future?
How many good guys are left? He asks. How many stayed that way.
This line is interesting. I think this might be the reason for some theories that were popular, at one point, in the internet, that rather than being killed by the joker, Robin actually became the joker. That would make the message āThe jokeās on your Batmanā even more powerful. But it seems this wasnāt actually the plan.
Somebody has sent photos to Clark of the victims of Batmanās brand. And it makes him angry.
The police wonāt tell Clark what happened to the inmate who died, but a sympathetic cop nods him in the direction of the inmate's widow. āOne man decides who lives and who dies. How is that justice?ā She asks.
But thatās what others are asking about Superman. He has the power to influence our lives, but does he have the moral right to make those decisions for himself?
Clarkās cover for never being where heās supposed to be, in this version, is simply that heās not a good employee. Heās always pursuing his own stuff against orders. This makes it work. Itās more believable than versions where heās one of the paperās star reporters, Perryās golden boy. Itās hard to show true dedication to your job and be Superman at the same time.
We really do get some decent Clark stuff in this movie. Thereās been surprisingly little Superman. Most weāve seen of the character has been as Clark, investigating the Batman.
Batman goes to the ship to steal the kryptonite.And we get to see the new batmobile in action for the first time. This new batmobile is a tank of a thing. Armoured and armed with machine guns. Super high tech. Itās the perfect vehicle for this older more established Batman.
Itās really cool.
But superman is there to interfere. Makes sense. Heās been investigating batman this whole time. Now he sees Batman is out and about causing mayhem. So he goes to stop him.
And he gives Batman a verbal warning. āNext time they shine your light in the sky, donāt go to it. The bat is dead. Bury it.ā
Batman failed to get the kryptonite, but he managed to put a tracker on the truck. Now he knows where Lex is holding it.
Finch asks the question āHow do we determine whatās good?ā and she invites Superman to come and meet the people who say they suffered in that desert. The world needs to know what happened. To know what he stands for. How far will he take his power? Does he act by our will or by his own?
These are not totally unreasonable questions.
Meanwhile, Martha encourages him with her perspective.
āThey see what you do and they know who you are. Youāre not a killer, a threat.ā
Supermanās actions speak for him. The fruit of his life, if you like. He may not be perfect, but heās not an enemy of this world.
She tells him to be this worldās hero, or donāt be. You donāt owe this world anything. You never did.
Itās not out of some kind of obligation that Superman does the things he does. He doesnāt help others because he owes them. He does things out of love. Love for humanity. Love for strangers, because he sees value in people and he chooses to help them. Thatās what love has always been. A choice.
At this point the truth starts to come out. First of all, struck with a guilty conscience, Kahina Ziri goes to Finch and reveals that she didnāt tell the truth. She lied to set Superman up.
Then General Swanwick confirms to Lois that Itās a setup. Someone wanted Superman to look guilty. The bullet Lois found was developed by a private company. Lexcorp. He had private contractors at the desert compound.
Lex Luthor is setting Superman up. Trying to destroy his reputation.
Lois wants to run the story immediately. Superman needs to know heās being set up because it might affect what he says to the senators. But Perry is afraid of litigation. And I donāt blame him. As he says, without proof, Lex could sue the Daily Planet out of existence.
Wallace is an employee of Bruce Wayne. Bruce has been taking good care of him, because he cares about those who work for him. But the cheques are all returned with aggressive messages.
Lex keeps saying that the oldest lie in America is that power can be innocent.
He truly believes in the old saying that power corrupts. Therefore, a being with Supermanās power cannot be good.
And he has Ziri murdered so she canāt tell the truth.
Lex is conspicuously absent from his seat in the hearing. Finch finds a little message he left behind for her, referencing an earlier conversation. And then the wheelchair explodes, taking out the senate building.
As I re-trace Frodo and Sam's journey from the Shire to Mordor, I'm revisiting the book and the movie. Join me as I discuss the story in detail. In this instalment, we travel from Buckleberry Ferry to Rivendell. We'll meet Tom Bombadil, Strider, and either Glorfindel or Arwen, depending on what medium you're enjoying the story through.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 27 of the podcast.
Today, Iām doing part 2 of my Lord of The Rings Read, Walk, and Watch Series.
Iāve been using the Walk To Mordor App, and a fitbit, to retrace the steps of Frodo and Sam on their epic journey from Hobbiton to Mordor.
As I walk the story, Iām also revisiting both the book and the movie and discussing the story.
We pick up this second installment at Buckleberry Ferry.
So letās talk about Lord of The Rings.
So Frodo and his companions cross on the Buckleberry Ferry and make their way to Frodoās new home at Crickhollow - the next milestone on my walk.
Its strikes me that Hobbits take such joy in simple pleasures. Frodo sings his favourite bath song. Favourite, implying there is more than one song 1 specifically dedicated to baths.
Frodo learns that Merry and Pippin know a good deal more about his current situation than theyāre supposed to. It seems Sam has been feeding them information. Frodo is conflicted about this. Heās a little hurt and almost feels betrayed, but heās also amused.
Sam reminds him that Gandalf told him to take a companion he could trust with him on his adventure.
āBut it does not seem that I can trust anyone,ā Frodo says.
And Merry says
āIt all depends on what you want. You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends , Frodo. Anyway, there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the ring. We are horribly afraid - but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.ā
One of the strongest themes that comes through this story, to me, is that of friendship.
If thereās one thing that Hobbits are good at, itās friendship. Sam, Merry and Pippin demonstrate true dedication to their friend. Sam especially. I think thatās one of the things we all love so much about this story. Because we all want a friend as true as Sam. and perhaps we all aspire to be a friend like Sam.
In any case, it gives Frodo great joy to know his friends will not let him embark on this journey alone. And it gives me great joy to read about it.
So they finally leave the borders of shire. Theyāre really out of their element now.
The hobbits have a real fear of the forest.
I may not fully appreciate this fear of the woods. European woods are very different to the Australian bush. As I understand it, theyāre more closed in, dark, and claustrophobic. A far cry from the wide open spaces Australia is known for.
And this is where we get our first hint at the idea of sentient trees. These plants are not mindless. They have thoughts. Wills.
And this brings me to my next milestone. Old Man Willow.
Old Man Willow is pretty darn creepy. This ancient tree with a mind of its own, and seemingly malicious intent entices them to sleep, and then traps Merry and Pippin, and tries to drown Frodo.
Enter Tom Bombadil.
Now, Tom Bombadil has always come off as a little bit silly to me.
The hobbitās propensity to sing doesnāt bother me in the same way as Tomās.
Why is that? Is it the nonsense words? Or does it just seem out of place?
When they ask Tom who he is, his first reply is āI am.ā I canāt help but see this as a biblical allusion. In the bible, when asked the same question by Moses, God identifies himself as āI amā In English, we translate this as yahweh.
Is Tom claiming to be God here?
Tom says he is the master of wood, water and hill.
And now I canāt help but liken him to Adam. Not me, Adam & Eve. Adam was tasked with tending the garden. Caring for the earth.
Iām not saying thereās any direct allegory here. Tolkien has been quoted saying he didnāt like direct allegory. But thereās got to be some of his Christian influence coming out in Tom Bombadil.
The more I read of this, the more convinced I become that, yes, the nonsense words really do annoy me. All this āDerry Dol Dillo.ā It bugs the snot out of me.
The next day, in Tomās house which is my next walking milestone, he tells the hobbits stories of wonder. But we donāt hear those stories. So weāre kind of left in the dark about whatās so great about this odd fellow.
We learn the trees, like Old Man Willow, have grown old and hateful because of the destruction wreaked by people. (and by people I suppose I mean all humanoid sentient beings, such as humans, elves, dwarfs, hobbits.)
Tom indicates that he was first. Older than everything. This seems to confirm that he is this worldās Adam.
It actually reminds me of Lorien in Babylon 5 - the first sentient being to arise in the universe.
(and of course, the name Lorien is likely a Lord of The Rings reference)
Lorien was a fascinating wondrous character. I was entranced by him.
Tom Bombadil could have evoked similar wondrous feelings in me, but he just ruins it with his silly name and all the rhymes and prancing about. That kills the wonder, in my opinion.
But one of the most fascinating things about him is that he seems to be immune to the ringās powers. Which raises the question, why doesnāt HE take it to mount doom?
Weāll address this question a little later.
So, they leave Tomās house and get caught in a fog.
Again, fog and mist are much more intimidating in the UK than here. We get a little bit of fog, and it means you have to turn your headlights on. Big deal.
And my hometown sits in a valley, so we can get some decent fog sometimes. But it has very rarely been bad enough to cause me any anxiety. To make it impossible to see where youāre driving, or even walking.
Iāve heard that in Wales, fog can be terrifying and quite dangerous, because you really can get lost and not be able to see your hand in front of your face.
So I have to read this passage with that knowledge in mind.
At my next walking milestone, the hobbits are captured by Baron Wright. This whole passage feels pretty weak. We donāt even really see the character. Itās just. Oh, Frodo bumps into someone. Now heās in a cell.
And then theyāre immediately rescued by Tom, who they summon with a song. He appears instantly. It seems old Tom can teleport.
Tom sings, and the door opens. And just one more biblical reference for you, this reminds me of Peterās escape from jail in the books of Acts.
This whole sequence feels completely pointless to me. Just Filler.
But we learn that Tomās powers are limited to the region where he lives, where he is master. So that explains why he canāt take the ring to Mount Doom.
I remember reading all of this for the first time, after I had already seem the movie. And thinking to myself, I can see why they left all this out. It really doesnāt add anything to the story.
And then, they arrive in Bree, my next milestone. Itās dark, cold, and wet. The comfort of the inn seems very inviting.
They use some great camera tricks in the movie here to make the hobbits look smaller. Itās very basic stuff, using odd angles to shoot, but itās surprisingly effective.
Their joy at arriving at the inn is tempered by the fact that Gandalf isnāt here.
Pippinās reaction when he learns that beer comes in pints is priceless. A nice example of character-based humour. But Pippin still doesnāt understand the gravity of their situation. He forgets to keep the name baggins secret.
We get our first mention of Rangers, as they are so called by the people of Bree. they are thought to have strange powers of sight and hearing. Itās said they can understand animals. They wander about and are rarely seem.
One thing I love in the book is the mystery about what happened to Gandlaf. He was supposed to meet them in Hobbiton but he never showed. And all this time, theyāve still had no word from him. As Frodoās anxiety buits, we canāt help but wonder, what has become of him? Will we ever see him again? If we donāt, what is Frodo to do?
And again, Tokien has this ability to make a hot meal and a comfortable bed feel like the most desirable things in the world. Things we take for granted in the modern world, but in a world like middle earth, and indeed in most of human history, these things were treasured, dreamed of by those who suffered the hardships of travel. We just donāt appreciate that in todayās world.
Once, theyāve been shown their room, and given a meal, the hobbits are invited to join āthe companyā. The movie presents a pub setting thatās quite familiar to us. Individual tables. People sitting in their own groups, talking with those they know. Maybe a few sitting at the bar getting to know each other. But thatās not what Tolkien describes in the book. All those who are staying at the inn that night are gathered together in a room, all talking and getting to know each other. Itās quite an alien concept to me. But it makes sense. Thereās no TV. No phones to look at. What did people do of an evening? They met other people and talked with them.
I like the tension of trying whether or not to trust Strider. They donāt know if he secretly means them harm. He claims to know Gandalf, but ultimately, heās a stranger.
But they get a letter from Gandalf. They at least know he was here. This letter, plus the revelation of Striderās true name, Aragon, seems to put to rest any distrust of Strider. And, theyāre pretty much at a loss by themselves right now, without Gandalf to lead them. So it seems like Strider or no one.
But they still donāt know where Gandalf is, or what heās up to.
The way they shot the sleeping scene is clever. We get shots of Frodo and Sam sleeping, cut with the Riders in the room the hobbits were supposed to occupy. And then we see the pillows.
So they set off toward Rivendell.
And we learn that the ring wraiths were once the kings of men, who were given the 9 rings. But those rings are ruled by the one ring, so they were corrupted by it.
And thatās when we get the famous second breakfast scene, which is just delightful. Itās funny, but also revealing of character. I know this scene has spawned a billion memes on the internet, but letās just appreciate the scene in itās original form. Itās great.
We pass through my next two walking milestones, midgewater marshes west, and midgewater marshes east. Thereās not a lot to talk about here. Plenty of complaining about bugs. I donāt blame them. Iād probably be complaining about the bugs as well.
Souron orders Saruman to build him an army. This is where we see them clearing the forest and constructing a factory deep in the earth, while Gandalf is trapped on top of the tower.
The factory senes are great. We get to appreciate the visuals as the camera swooops around, being the eyes of the butterfly. Theyāre making weapons, but theyāre also making soldiers. The scene where the Uruk Hai is born out of the mud looks amazing. Very creepy, and very alien.
As they walk toward weathertop, Frodo tightens his belt. He notes there is less of him.
Welll, itās working for Frodo. Will it work for me?
It hasnāt yet. But weāre not at Weathertop. This milestone represents 386.23 Kilometres. Thatās a lot of walking. The difference is, Frodo has done it over the course of a couple of days Iāve been doing this for months. Iāve definitely been going out to walk a lot less during the COVID-19 lockdown. We ARE allowed to leave the house to exercise, but honestly, Iāve just been really busy. I need to step this up a bit and try to get in more steps per day.
Strider tells them the story of Beren and LĆŗthien. And itās very briefly mentioned in the movie. They were, of course, a human and an elf that fell in love. Itās quite fitting that Strider tells this story, given his relationship with Arwen, as weāll see later. As I understand it, the story of Beren and Luthien is told in more detail in The Silmarillion, which I should read some time. But thereās some cool tidbits I hadnāt noticed before, here. Strider talks of The Great Enemy, of whom Souron was but a servant. Now Thatās interesting. And we learn they stole a jewel from the the enemyās crown - a silmaril. So thatās where the Silmarillion gets its name. A Silmaril is a type of jewel. All very interesting, the stuff Tolkien just drops in here casually.
The same carelessness from Pippin and the others, that we saw in the pub , also leads the nazgul to the fortress where they sleep. Their fry-up does sound good, but theyāre trying to go under the radar.
So Frodo gets stabbed.
The flight to Rivendell after the stabbing is much more dramatic in the movie. It heightens the severity of Frodoās condition. In the book, heās awake and chatting with the others. I just donāt get the same sense of how much danger he really is in.
So we pass through the Trollshaws and encounter Mr. Bilboās Trolls. These are my next two milestones. Finding the stone remains of Bilboās trolls is a nice little nod to the previous book. It does make sense theyād stumble upon them, because theyāre following the same path to Rivendell that the party did back in The Hobbit. And this scene briefly appears in the extended cut of the movie.
Then they meet Glorfindel at 632 km. And he helps them get Frodo to Rivendell quicker, so he can receive medical attention from the elves.
Of course, in the movie, itās Arwen.
I can see why they did that. First of all, it saved them casting another character for a relatively minor role, but it also allowed them to introduce Arwenās character a little earlier and establish her relationship with Aragorn.
They reach the Ford of Bruinen, my next milestone, with the ring wraiths hot on their tail.
Glorfindel / Arwen uses magic to call the rushing water to sweep the wraiths away.
I love how this is visualised in the movie, galloping horses makde out of water. It looks great, and adds to the magical aspect of it.
And so that brings us to Rivendell. 737 km into my walk. Thatās quite a distance.
This is also the end of book 1. No, not the physical book, Fellow of The Ring. This is Tolkienās original division of the story into six books. The publisher, of course, chose to publish the story in three volumns, each containing two books.
So next time, weāll see the formation of the fellowship, and weāll truly set out, on our journey to Mordor.
Iād better get out there and do some more walking.
I begin my look at the movies of the DCEU with Man of Steel from 2013. Written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan and Directed by Zack Snyder. I'm a life-long fan of Superman. I was obsessed with the character as a child. Christopher Reeve was my childhood Superman, but I was ready for my adult Superman. Enter Man of Steel. I loved this movie because it took Superman seriously as a first-contact science fiction film. This is exactly what I was wanting and Man of Steel delivered.
So join me as I review and analyse this story in detail, and geek out over why I love Man of Steel.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 26 of the podcast.
Today, weāre beginning a look at the movies of the DC Extended Universe, with Man of Steel.
The description on IMDB reads
An alien child is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His peace is threatened, when survivors of his home planet invade Earth.
The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer
Based on a story by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan.
It was directed by Zack Snyder
And the movie first released on the 12th of June 2013.
And this podcast will contain full spoilers for the movie.
I should start with a quick overview of my history with Superman.
Iāve been a lifeline fan of Superman. Seriously, I canāt remember a time in my life before I was a fan. My earliest memories are of begging my parents to let me watch Superman The Movie on TV.
I had all the colouring books, a cape that I got on a holiday in Queensland. I consumed everything Superman that I could get my hands on. Iām sure that included a couple of comics, but from memory, they were mostly the kind of comic you were meant to colour in. Comic books just werenāt a huge thing around here when I was growing up, so it wasnāt until much later that I could catch up on some of the proper comics, thanks to archives on the internet, and later, comixology.
I caught the occasional animated show when I managed to find one, I watched Lois and Clark in the 90s, but for me, Christopher Reeve always epitomised the character.
In my late teens I āgrew outā of superman, as teens often do. Only to rediscover the character as an adult in my mid-20s.
Coming to Superman as an adult, I saw different things in him. It wasnāt just about the colourful costume, and the fact he could fly. I saw a science fiction story about an alien trying to fit in on earth, and use what gifts heād been given for the benefit of others.
Superman returns came along and I enjoyed it. My wife and I laughed at all the in-jokes calling back to the Reeve movies, while the rest of the theatre was silent. I appreciated the way this movie tied into the old Christopher Reeve stuff, but I was disappointed that it also continued some of the cheesier elements as well.
Ultimately, I felt Superman Returns was a fitting end to the Superman movie saga Iād enjoyed all my life.
I was ready for something different.
Christopher Reeve would forever be the Superman of my childhood, but I was ready for my adult Superman.
Enter Man of Steel.
Now Iād loved the movie Batman Begins. I heard somewhere that while working on his trilogy, Christopher Nolan and one of his creative partners (presumably, David S Goyer) started to brainstorm an idea theyād had about how they could approach Superman in the modern age.
When I heard this I was excited.
Yes. Iād loved Nolanās new take on Batman and couldnāt wait to see what heād do with Superman - my favourite superhero.
Iāll drop a spoiler on you and just say it now. I wasnāt disappointed.
This movie presented a brand new interpretation of the classic character. It was everything I was looking for in a superman movie for grown-ups. It was the right movie for the right time.
So letās talk about.
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The movie starts with the deep resonating tones of Hans Zimmerās iconic score. So letās talk about the music right off the bat.
I love the music in this movie. In the lead up to seeing it, I was wondering how they could possibly create something as memorable and iconic as John Williamās Superman theme.
Hans Zimmer delivered something very very different, but just as awesome.
Itās not the kind of music you can hum. Itās a modern theme for a modern movie.
It fits in so well and I love it.
So Krypton is incredible!
I get a sci-fi Lord of The Rings vibe from it. Itās a vibe I canāt get enough of. The alien animals, the unique technology with tactile displays like those pin pictures that you push your hands into.
The city-scape.
The costumes of the council remind me of the Time Lords on Doctor Who. They should look silly, but they work. It fits the ostentatiousness of the council who have lost touch with the common people of Krypton.
The world-building of Krypton in this movie is absolutely top-notch. I could watch a whole movie set on this planet. Again, very different take from the 1978 movie, but very good.
I also like the armour worn by Zod and Jor-el. I like how they kept the idea from Donnerās film, that each Kryptonian family have a crest. Supermanās S symbol is his familyās crest. I remember when they were marketing this movie, there was a website you could go to and it would generate a personalised family crest for you.
Russel Crow is great as Jor-el. I like how, in some ways, he and Zod are on the same side. They both have similar goals, and under different circumstances could have been like brothers.
Jor-elās aim is to reason with the council. Zodās approach is to eliminate them and take over.
Already, weāre seeing a lot more nuance and depth. In the Christopher Reeve movies, Zod tried to take over Krypton because he was an evil bad guy. Here, Zod takes over because he believes it is the best way to save his people. But Iāll talk more about my love for this interpretation of Zod later on.
I love Jor-elās line. āI will honour the man you once were, Zod, but not the monster you have become.ā
At first, weāre not sure what all of this is about. Whatās this codex? How can Jor-el use it to save their race?
I love that the Kryptonians are an interstellar race. They once explored the galaxy. But like the first ones of Babylon 5, they have retreated to their homeworld. There, they have become old, and as Zod says, degenerate.
Krypton feels like a fully-realised lived-in world.
Jor-elās flying dragon thing is really cool.
Another thing this chapter explores is the way laws and rules no longer seem to matter when you genuinely believe the world is about to end.
Zod takes this to extreme, but even Jor-el is willing to break a few rules by entering the codex chamber.
We see that the codex is an ancient portion of a skull with glowing yellow symbols. This evokes so much mystery. I wonder who this skull belonged to. No doubt somebody very important in Kryptonian history. Iād love to know more.
Jor-elās escape is so cool as he flies on that dragon while spaceships fire lasers at each other around him.
I like how earth is just one of the planets in their database. Probably catalogued centuries ago by their ancestors during their explorations.
Lara knows she needs to let her son go. She knows she needs to send him to the planet sheās found. But itās hard. As a parent, I get that. You can know intellectually what must be done, but to say goodbye to your son, to send him away knowing youāll never see him again.
How do you do that?
You do it with the knowledge that if you donāt, heāll surely die.
Did I mention I love the 3d display technology they have? Not only can it display, but it can create objects. Kind of like a replicator using nanites or something.
And we get our first glimpse of the key.
So Kryptonian faster-than-light technology is called a phantom drive. Weāre not given details of how it works, but thereās a clear link between their shipās FTL capabilities and the phantom zone.
Kryptonian society is all about controlling bloodlines. Zod doesnāt want to change that. He just wants to be the one to choose which bloodlines thrive and rule.
Jor-el wants freedom for all Kryptonian bloodlines.
And this is where we get more interesting worldbuilding. Natural childbirth hasnāt been a thing on Krypton for centuries. Kal-el is the first natural-born child in a long time. To Zod, this is heresy.
They breed their people through careful genetic engineering. Again, weāll learn more about this later.
But Iām impressed how much world-building and culture this movie crammed into just half an hour.
You really get a sense of both sides in this fight between Jor-el and Zod.
The codex is so precious. Itās the key to saving Krypton, something both men want to do. The problem is, only one of them can have it.
Zod is so distraught when he realises itās out of his reach. He can no longer save his people.
In a rage, he kills Jor-el.
In the end, Zal-elās ship is saved from Zodās fighters when the councilās forces get the upper hand.
Zod refers to his prison as a black hole.
It seems the same technology that allows their ships to jump to other star systems can also be used to send the prisoners into that black hole, perhaps an artificial one? The phantom zone.
But itās all too late. Realising there is nowhere to run. Lara just stands there and watches the world explode around her.
Her final words - āMake a better world than ours, Kal-el.ā
After an indeterminate period of time, we see Kal-elās ship jump into earthās solar system and descend toward Earth.
End of Act 1.
I remember when I first heard they were making a TV show called Krypton, written by David S Goyer, and serving as a prequel to Man of Steel. I was so excited. I was gonna get to see more of this world.
When the show was finally ready to premiere, I was disappointed to learn that I would have no way of watching it. It wouldn't be airing in Australia at the same time as it was in American.
But, that disappointed as overshadowed by the sad realisation that Goyer was no longer involved in the project and it was no longer part of the DCEU.
At that point, I just kinda lost interest. Pretty sad.
The next section of this movie employs a lot of flashbacks. Yāknow Iāve even heard people criticising this. Non-chronological storytelling is a commonly-used technique. Especially at the time, this movie was made. Itās an efficient way to get the necessary information to us without becoming bogged down.
They could have gone the route the Donner film did, show us Clark growing up in Smallville, and then move to Metropolis, and thatās a valid way to do it, but we wouldnāt even see an adult Superman, nor the character playing him until around halfway through the movie.
This is a modern movie, made with modern sensibilities.
It works.
I like how we actually get to see some pre-superman adult Clark. In many tellings of the Superman story, Clark spent his early adult years travelling the world, learning all he could about Earth and itās various cultures, before finally putting on the suit.
Weāve never really seen this part of the characterās life on screen before, although Lois and Clark in the 90s regularly referred to it as backstory during the first season or two.
I like that we meet Clark here as weāve never seen him before. A bearded man, unsure of himself, working on a fishing boat.
It could be argued that Superman shouldnāt be able to grow facial hair, but hey, this is a particular interpretation of the character. And I like it. Itās just a step toward him become the character we know. I like it.
In the oil rig rescue scene, we see Clark has superpowers, but not infinite power. I liked how we saw him struggling and straining to hold the weight of that massive structure.
Clark doesnāt yet know his limits. So his actions here are brave and selfless. Traits he learned from his adopted father.
Our first flashback takes us to Clarkās early school days. We see him struggling with his senses, his x-ray vision. His super hearing. It must be terrifying for the poor kid. He doesnāt understand why heās like this. He doesnāt know how to control these powers. Itās a fantastic scene.
āThe worldās too big Mum.ā āThen make it smaller. Focus on my voice. Pretend itās an island on the ocean.ā
Not only is this a beautiful character scene, that shows how his mother helps shape who he would become, it also nicely foreshadows some cool stuff that will happen later.
Little scenes like when Clark has to steal the clothes from the car after his were burned up in the fire add some nice believability to his world. These are the practical things he has to deal with.
When he sees a school bus, it triggers another memory.
The bus crash scene gives Clark his first chance to use his powers to help others. Maybe for the first time in his life, theyāre not a burden or a curse. Theyāre a gift. A gift he can give to others.
And hear Zimmerās man of steel theme play again as Clark pulls the bus from the water.
This movie allows Lana to see him do what he did. But who will believe him?
People are starting to notice Clark, and that REALLY worries Jonathan.
He loves his son and heāll do anything to protect him.
Now, this is a somewhat controversial part of the film.
An important part of the Superman mythos has always been the way the Kents raised him. They instilled into him the values that defined what it meant to be Superman.
Some people felt this movie betrayed that though Jonathanās words here.
I believe, the instilling of values from the Kents is still in this movie, but, because this is a slightly darker, slightly more emotionally realistic take on the character, itās all a bit more nuanced and ambiguous.
The truth is, Jonathan doesnāt know how to raise a superhuman. Thereās no manual. Heās got nobody elseās example to follow.
Clark asks āWas I supposed to let them die?ā
Jonathan hesitates and says āmaybe.ā
Note, he doesnāt say yes. Heās not promoting cold hard pragmatism.
Heās giving a raw honest answer.
āI donāt know.ā
He does want Clark to fulfil his potential, to be a good man. To use what he has for good.
But he also wants his son to be safe. And heās not convinced that the world is ready for him.
See, thatās one of the big themes of this movie. What if Superman was real? What if he appeared today, in our world, the real world. How would people REALLY react to seeing a being of that kind of power? Thatās a question I really enjoyed seeing explored. Itās a psychological realism we hadnāt seen much in superhero stories before. There was such an unreality to the way people reacted to Superman and characters like him.
This is the type of exploration I really wanted to see.
And the movie allows the Kents to be good people. But flawed people. People who are doing their best at an incredibly difficult job. It allows them to be uncertain, and even wrong sometimes.
I applaud that.
I mean, heck, as a parent, Iāve been wrong before.
Ultimately, Jonathan doesnāt want Clark to end up being directed in a lab. Heās overprotective because he doesnāt comprehend how powerful Clark will become, but mostly because Clark is his son. And he loves him. As a parent, I get that.
This is the moment Clark is told the truth about who he is. He sees the spaceship that brought him to Earth.
What would it feel like to learn that youāre an alien?
And then thereās a beautiful moment that always chokes me up.
Clark says āCanāt I just keep on pretending that Iām your son?ā
And Jonathan says āYou are my son.ā
I love that.
Clark stands up to a bully who is treating a woman very inappropriately.
But when the bully tries to pick a fight by humiliating him, Clark has to make himself walk away.
You can see the conflict in his eyes. He could flatten this bloke. But he canāt do that. He has to be in control. All the time. Because if he lets himself go, somebody could get hurt. Clark canāt let that happen.
He must want to hit the guy so bad. But he doesnāt.
This is the first time I really see Superman in Henry Cavilās performance. Itās great.
Of course, the movie does allow us the satisfaction of justice, as the bully see his truck mangled.
At this point, itās clear Clark is in Canada. He overhears some military types talking about something of interest.
And heās not the only one here. We get our first glimpse of Lois Lane.
Amy Adams seemed like an unconventional choice when she was announced, but I was open to it. And I really like her portrayal of the character. Iād previously seen her in the movie enchanted, a very different kind of role. It was great to see what she could do in a serious dramatic role like this.
The mystery of the 20,000-year-old object in the ice captured my imagination straight away. It gives a very logical reason for Lois and Clark to meet and become part of each otherās stories.
And we learn itās an ancient Kryptonian space ship. Been here since the days of exploration. Clark knows heās found potential answers when he sees a slot that would fit his key. The key Jor-el; left for him.
The security robot stops attacking him as soon as he inserts it. Jor-elās software has now been downloaded into the shipās computer and has taken over.
I imagine Jor-el suspected there was a crashed ship on Earth, and that Clark would eventually find it.
Maybe it wasnāt crashed. Maybe these people were hibernating waiting for colonists to come join them. Colonists that never arrived because Krypton changed their policy of expansion through the galaxy.
The security program doesnāt recognise Lois so she is still attacked by the robot. Clark has to reveal his abilities to her in order to save her life.
And then, he flies the spaceship off to the north pole.
And here we come to understand that this movies version of the fortress of solitude is that Kryptonian spaceship.
Again, unconventional, but I love it. Everything in this movie has a real sci-fi flavour to it.
Exactly the flavour I was craving.
We now meet Perry White. Laurence Fishbourne isnāt an actor I would have thought of casting for this role, but it turns out, heās perfect for it. Christopher Nolan has a certain way of casting superhero movies. He always gets an unknown for the lead, as is right, but he then surrounds that lead with top-end Hollywood stars. I mean, how great was it to see Michael Cain as Alfred, and then Morgan Freeman in Batman Begins.
Man of Steel was cast in a similar way.
I think some small part of Perry does believe Lois, but aliens? Itās a tough one to sell.
And Lois isnāt afraid to tell it like it is. Sheās not scared of looking silly, because sheās Lois Lane.
Perry says heās not going to publish a story about aliens walking among us. Never going to happen.
And yet, we know whatās comingā¦
So Lois gives the story to a tabloid website. She wants Clark to know she knows the truth about him.
Jor-el uploaded a holographic copy of his consciousness into the key. That program is now running on the shipās computer. So we get the classic superman scene where Jor-el explains to Clark who he really is.
This is very nicely done with the graphics as Jor-el plays.
We learn more about the history of Kryptonās space program. IT lasted for 100 thousand years.
They terraformed alien worlds.
Every child is designed to fill a pre-determined role. This is how Kryptonian society works.
Jor-el and Lara thought something had been lost. The element of choice.
Jor-elās speech is nice. He hopes that his son will embody the best of both planets. His human upbringing will help him grow beyond the weaknesses and failures of Krypton.
I love that the symbol for the house of el, the superman symbol, means hope. Thatās beautiful.
And so, he gets the suit and he puts it on.
He walks out into the snow.
Now heās Superman.
And at his fatherās recommendation, he begins to test his limits.
This sequence, where he learns to fly is brilliant.
The visuals are awesome and Zimmerās music is incredibly powerful.
I love that he fails a couple of times before he succeeds. Itās like a toddler learning to walk. They have that ability, but they have to learn how to form the right neural connections They have to strengthen the right muscles.
When he finally succeeds, itās such a triumphant moment. We see him soar into the sky over grassy plains and oceans. Through mountain cliffs and then into space.
And we see that classic superman shot of him orbiting the earth.
YES! This is Superman.
What a moment!
The character in this movie IS superman. In every way that counts.
Then we have a nice little bit where Lois is tracking Clark through the urban legends heās left behind, the lives he has touched. Sheās a great reporter. Of course, sheās going to track him down. IT would be insulting to her character if she didnāt.
This is a big departure for Lois in a Superman Story.
Weāre not gonna drag it out, having Clark have to pretend around her for years. No, she knows he is Superman from the very beginning. And I think the story is better for it.
It gets rid of all the angst. We had more than enough of that in Smallville. For all the things I loved about that show, man, it sure had a lot of angst.
People love to make fun of the whole, wearing glasses thing, and nobody recognising Clark.
But in this version, anyone who really knows him would not be fooled. Anyone who knows Clark and has had a meaningful encounter with Superman is gonna know who he is.
This movie makes it work.
Not that Christopher Reeve also made it work, but in a different way. The way he changed his performance between Clark and Superman was incredible. Two different approaches. Both good.
I gotta say, they cast the adult and child versions of Pete Ross very well. I totally believe theyāre the same person.
When we see Lois approach the Kent farm, we know sheās reached the truth. Itās very satisfying.
Clark doesnāt want his story told. Lois rightly points out that someone else will figure it out.
Then heāll just run away again.
She also rightly points out that the only way he can truly disappear is to stop helping people, and thatās not an option for him.
I think this is our final flashback. Clark is a young man, perhaps in his late teens. He and Jonathan are arguing about what heās going to do with his life. I donāt think Jonathan really wants him to stay in Smallville and be a farmer. But thereās that fear again, holding him back.
In the heat of the moment, Clark says youāre not my father. Youāre just some guy who found me in a field.
They never really get to resolve their conversion, but the last thing Clark says before they see the tornado is āLookā¦.Dadā¦.ā
I love that he calls him Dad because heās showing he didnāt mean what he said earlier.
Clark takes his mother to safety, while Jonathan tries to help others.
See, again, heās modelling the Superman values to his son.
Jonathan doesnāt want Clark to reveal himself. He still doesnāt think the world is ready for him.
And being a good son, Clark trusts his fatherās judgement.
Itās not like he delivery left his dad to die, he didnāt know what was going to happen.
But thereās this one very brief moment when it looks like itās over for Jonathan. Clark is going save him, but Jonathan signals No.
And he obeys.
Could he have saved him? Maybe.
Should he have? I guess we all have to make up our own minds on that.
Poor Clark will be asking himself that question for the rest of his life.
When Lois makes the decision, to drop the story, for Clarkās sake, Perry is pretty much convinced that sheās telling the truth.
And then he asks the question that sums up the whole movie.
āCan you imagine how people would react if they knew there was someone out there like that?ā
Martha has very mixed feelings when she hears that Clark has found where he came from, his true parents.
Sheās happy for him, but at the same time, sheās worried sheāll lose him to them.
OF course, that will never happen.
Martha talks about how, as a baby, Clark struggled to breathe Earthās atmosphere.
I love that. Just a nice little sci-fi touch to make Clark a more believable alien. I think thatās important, since Krpytonians look human on the outside.
And of course, it will become important later on.
We meet General Swanwick. For the first time. Heās a cool recurring character. I like him. And, of course, Zach Snyder has revealed thereās much more to this character than meets the eye. I guess weāll see how that pans out in the Snyder Cut of Justice League.
And horror horrors, something is approaching Earth. And it looks Kryptonian.
The little gag with the alert on a computer screen that turns out to be low toner in Loisās photocopier is pretty funny. See, these movies do have some humour in them!
And this is the big moment.
The aliens arrive.
A UFO is spotted in the sky. Martha sees something up there. Clark recognises it.
And then the lights go out.
Thereās silence
And then the tv starts making that spooky sound.
And the voice says āYou are not alone.ā
Oooh, that gets me every time.
So many goosebumps.
At this moment, I think we begin to understand what that plan was that Christopher Nolan and his mate had while they were writing the dark knight trilogy.
Their plan for a modern Superman was to treat it as a serious science fiction story.
They realised that the minute Superman is revealed to the world, itās a first contact story.
As soon as Zod appears, itās an alien invasion movie.
Man of Steel embraces its role as both of those.
No wonder I love it so much.
Most other interpretations of Superman on screen never really accepted what a world-changing thing it is to have an alien walking among us. I remember an old episode of Lois and Clark where people were being abducted by aliens and nobody believed it. But ā¦.. There was an alien flying above Metropolis every week. The episode tried to handwave that away but it didnāt work for me.
So Zod has come to earth and he wants Kal-el. If he doesnāt turn himself in, earth will suffer the consequences.
I love the moment when the power comes back on, the globe explodes, and Martha jumps. Such an honest moment. Weāre all feeling the same way.
The tabloid rats Lois out. āLois Lane knows who this guy is.ā
The FBI are after her. The government want to find this alien. Because the survival of the human race is at stake.
Then thereās a nice little scene where Clark goes to a church to consider his options.
The moment is subtle about it, but there is a clear indication that Christian faith was some part of Clarkās upbringing.
I was wrong. Thereās another great flashback. Clark is being bullied. Forcing himself not to fight back, and Pete Ross, who had previously bullied him too, gives him a hand up. I guess they became friends after Clark saved his life.
Jonathan asks if they hurt Clark. āYou know they canāt.ā Thatās not what Jonathan meant. Heās referring to emotional hurt.
Clarkās self-control, his deliberate choice not to use violence against others is an important part of his arc in this movie. Good man or bad, he will change the world.
Clark confesses to the pastor that he is the alien Zod is looking for.
The pastorās not sure how to respond to that.
And thereās a symbolic picture of Jesus behind his head as Clark talks.
Itās obvious Zod is a bad guy, but can Clark trust the people of earth?
Some times you have to take a leap of faith first. The trust part comes later.
Clark makes the decision to surrender himself to the US military, but he wants them to release Lois.
He submits to the handcuffs because it makes the soldiers feel more comfortable.
You donāt control me and you never will, Clark says, but that doesnāt mean Iām your enemy.
Clark lets them turn him over to Zod. Thatās why heās here. Heās sacrificing himself for the sake of Earth.
The Kryptonian shuttle is cool, as is the breathing mask.
Fiaora says Zod wants Lois as well. She agrees to go.
Iām not sure why they want Lois. The movie doesnāt really explain it. This is perhaps the biggest plot weakness of the movie for me.
Clark has an escape plan for her. He gives her the key. Installing the Jor-El program should give her a way off.
I love that the Kryptonian ship has an atmosphere not breathable to humans.
Clark is reflecting their atmosphere because heās spent a lifetime adapting to Earth.
He has to let this run its course.
While heās out, he has a vision of Zod.
I guess this is a type of telepathic communication? Perhaps using technology? Again, itās not really explained.
Zod recounts some information we already know, but gives further details as well.
Turns out the destruction of Krypton freed their prison ship from the phantom zone.
They retrofitted the phantom projector into a hyperdrive. Remember, the two technologies are very simple.
They were to the old colony worlds, but without support from Krypton, these colony worlds withered and died.
But Zod did find a world engine for terraforming.
Clark triggered a distress beacon when he boarded the ancient scout ship. He brought Zod here.
And we finally learn about the codex. The genetic code for every Kryptonian yet to be born is stored in it. The purpose of sending the codex was so that Krypton could live again on another planet. Maybe on earth?
But Jor-el never planned for it to happen Zodās way. Zod wants to terraform Earth into a new Krypton. The people of earth will die.
The scene where Clark is drawing in skulls is very symbolic and creepy. But kinda cool.
Zod admits he killed Jor-el. There isnāt a day it doesnāt haunt me, but if I had to, Iād do it again.
Remember those words. Theyāll be important.
This version of Zod is a fantastic villain. Possibly my favourite villain from any superhero movie.
You see, he is truly the hero of his own story. He passionately believes he is doing the right thing. Heās fighting for his people.
As planned, the Jor-el AI helps Lois escape back to Earth.
So why was she here to begin with? As I said, we never learn the answer to that.
I like the black versions of the Superman suit we see both Jor-el and Zod in.
With the shipās environment changing to human norm, Clark has his powers back. Technically, the other Kryptonians have powers now too, but theyāre not adapted to this atmosphere.
Now that Clark knows Zodās plan, he canāt just surrender to them. He wonāt save earth that way. He has to escape and oppose Zodās forces.
Jor-el wanted Clark to learn what it meant to be human so he could be a bridge between two peopleās. Jor-Elās plan for the codex was for the two species to live oin peace.
When they land back on Earth, I think Lois actually explains why they wanted her. They probed her mind. They wanted to know about Kal-el from the perspective of a human who knew him
There we go. Mystery solved.
I love it when Martha tells Zod and the others Kryptonian thugs to go to hell.
They find Clarkās spaceship, but the codex is not there.
When Clark learns that Zod threatened his mother, he doesnāt hold back. For the first time, here is a foe he can let loose on. He doesnāt have to stop himself.
HE really pounds into him with his fists. Man, it must have felt so good!
And now we pay off that flashback scene in the school. With his mask damaged, Zod is not only struggling with earthās atmosphere, heās getting all the visual and auditory information.
He hasnāt spent a lifetime learning to control his senses. And so he retreats. Wonderful moment.
The big shootout in Smallville is cool.
This is the most visually impressive Superman film weāve ever seen.
I mean, the donner film was just as impressive for its time in 1978, but this is a modern film exploiting all the advantages of over 30 years of technical advancement.
Incredible effects and stunt work
Superman has one big weakness.
No, itās not kryptonite, itās his morals.
He cares about the innocent. Fiora claims this gives her an evolutionary advantage over him. In one sense it kinda makes sense. They can fight harder, to hell with the consequences, because they donāt care who gets hurt.
He canāt.
But is she right? Or can compassion be an unexpected source of strength?
The soldiers are told to engage all targets.
āWhat about the guy in blue?ā
āI said all targets.ā
But by the end of the fight, Clark has proven himself, using that compassion we talked about.
In the end, the soldier says āthis man is not our enemy.ā
They regarded Superman as an enemy at first, as they should.
But heās proven himself. And now they know he is an ally.
Fiora says āYou will not win. For every one you save, we will kill a million more.ā
This is also a very important line to understanding the end of the movie.
The battle has been won, but itās not over.
Fioras words are no doubt haunting Clark.
I love it when Martha says āItās just stuff. It can be replaced.ā
We learn what happened to the codex. Jorel stored the information in the genes of Kal-elās body.
They can extract it from his cells. He doesnāt need to be alive.
And so they release the world engine.
Theyāre going to terraform Earth, making it uninhabitable to humans.
The world engine is in the south Indian ocean.
The main ship hovers over Metropolis. Two parts to accomplish the terraforming.
I love how the water droplets go upward when the process starts.
The noise the world engine makes is creepy as hell. The stuff nightmares are made out of.
Itās wreaking havoc across the ship.
Clark is finally given the name Superman. Thatās what theyāre calling him.
Lois knows how to stop Zod. I think Jor-el told her.
They use Clark's ship like a bomb to trigger the phantom drive and open a singularity, sending the Kryptonians back into the phantom zone.
I love how everything in tihs movie has a slightly more scientific spin. Even if itās just fictional science.
One of the things I love about this movie is that it allows Lois and the US military blokes to play equal parts in the salvation of Earth with Superman.
Theyāre gonna execute the plan to open the singularity but Clark has to stop the world engine.
The scout ship has a genesis chamber on board, which means, once Zod has the codex from Clarkās dead body, he can breed a new race of his people.
The defensive systems on the world engine are cool, another application of Kryptonās nano display replication technology.
Itās chilling seeing the skyscrapers dissolve. BRings back memories of September 11.
Weāll see the horrors of this moment from Bruce Wayneās point of view in the next movie.
Jor-el is actually in a lot of this movie, and itās fitting because the whole narrative has been about the conflict between him and Zod.
Even Perry has his moment to be a hero in this third act.
Superman is weakened by his battle with the world engine, but the first rays of sunlight rejuvenate him.
The climactic scene as they battle to open the singularity is filled with tension and thrills.
Clark chooses to destroy the scout ship to stop Zod. By doing so, he destroys Krypton. His people can never be reborn now.
He is unable to fulfil his fatherās plan. Zod has ruined that.
Ultimately, his loyalty is to earth. Krypton had their chance.
The plan works. The singularity is created, and the Kryptonians are all sucked into the phantom zone.
All except Zod, who was in the crashed scout ship.
Lois and Clark have a quick moment together. Itās the first time they really express anything romantic between them.
This movie doesnāt really give much time for their relationship to develop, but it does make sense Lois is the one Clark would fall in love with. Sheās the first one he was able to open up to. The first one he was able to trust with his secret.
The next moment between Superman and Zod is fantastic.
Zod exists only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which he was born.
And every action he takes no matter how violent or cruel was for the greater good of his people.
Thatās why he sees himself as the hero, and Clark as the villain.
But now he has no people.
That is what Clark has taken from him.
So now itās personal. Now itās revenge.
Zod vows to take the humans from him. One by one.
Heāll make them all pay.
Thatās how you hurt Superman.
Itās fitting that after the rest of the Kryptonians are gone, the final showdown is just Clark and Zod. The two of them, one on one.
Itās a thrilling fight, but it takes a huge toll on Metropolis.
Weāve never seen a Superman fight like this on-screen before.
Thereās only one way this ends, Kal. Either you die or I do, Zod vows. Thatās important.
Zod has spent his life training as a warrior to master his senses. Clark may have the same powers, but he doesnāt have the military training.
The music in this scene is phenomenal once again.
And then the moment that caused the most controversy in this movie.
And Iāll admit, it took me a while to sort out how I felt about it.
Superman kills Zod by breaking his neck.
Zod is using his heat vision to try to kill some civilians.
Clark stops him.
So many people felt this was a betrayal of Supermanās character. Superman should never kill.
I respect that opinion, but ultimately I found I disagreed with it.
Some have said Superman should have just flown upward to save those people.
And that might have worked temporarily, but it wasnāt just about those people.
Zod had made it abundantly clear that he would never stop killing humans. He would keep going until the end of his days.
Clarks pleads with him to stop. He says never.
The Kryptonian ships are gone. The phantom zone canāt be re-opened.
No prison on earth can hold him.
āThis only ends when you die or I do.ā
And so Clark takes the only option he can see available to him.
And it absolutely guts him.
You know, having pondered it for quite some time, Iām okay with Superman killing Zod?
Itās because of that gut-wrenching scream he gives afterwards. The hurt, he feels at having to do something he swore he would never do.
Zod says there isnāt a day he isnāt haunted by the fact he had to kill Jor-el.
Clark will also be haunted by his killing Zod for the rest of his life.
But both men did what they felt was necessary, to save their people.
Itās powerful symmetry.
This is what I love about the emotional honesty of this movie.
In Superman 2, he pushes Zod off a cliff with a smile on his face.
In the 1989 Batman film, Batman kills a minor goon while cracking a joke.
Not in my superhero movie. No. This movie takes death seriously. Death has consequences. Killing takes a toll. This movie acknowledges that. And I love that.
And I think ultimately, the pain of this moment, the guilt heās feeling will only help to further cement his desire to never kill again.
The US military are trying to find where Superman hangs his cape. But heās not going to let them. He destroys their tracking satellite. āHow do we know you wonāt one day act against Americaās interests?ā the general asks.
I grew up in Kansas, he says. Iām about as American as they come. Clark is interesting in that heās not human, and yet he was raised human. He was proven his loyalty to Earth. And yes, he will feel an affinity for the nation he grew up in.
Iām here to help, but I have to do it on my terms, he says.
In the end, the US government are just gonna have to trust him. It won't be easy, but superman HAS proven himself.
Thereās a nice conversation at the end. Martha says Jonathan always believed in Clark.
Clark is sorry his dad never lived to see it, but Martha says he saw it. He saw it in the boy that Clark was.
And I think thatās beautiful, and ultimately it redeems Jonathanās weakness earlier in the film when he said āmaybeā
Clark has given thought to what heāll do while heās not saving the world. A job where he can keep his head to the ground, where people wonāt think twice if he goes into danger and asks questions.
So finally, after the whole movie, we see journalist Clark kent, with the glasses.
I donāt mind that it took all movie to get there. It was a very satisfying moment. It made sense for the origin of the character through the plot.
And I love the double meaning when Lois says āwelcome to the planet.ā
And I love the goofy grin they give each other. She knows itās him. Those glasses aināt gonna fool anyone who knows you buster.
Itās a nice little humorous moment to end the film on.
I love this movie. Itās my favourite superhero movie of all time. Probably my favourite movie full stop.
Not only is it a fantastic superhero movie, but itās also a fantastic science fiction movie. It blends the trappings of superman, the red and blue suit, the S, the flying, and it mixes it with a brilliant first contact alien invasion film.
And ultimately, thatās why I love it.
Star Trek Insurrection was released in 1998 and pitted Captain Jean-Luc Picard against his Federation superiors. The movie explored the classic 'fountain of youth' concept, and asked questions around hard far people are willing to go to help a large group, at the expense of a smaller one, and the theme of displaced people. In this episode, I look back on this film and discuss what worked for me, and what didn't. I find I enjoy watching this movie more now than I did the first time. It missed the mark for me when I saw it at the cinema, but nowadays I can just watch it for what it is and enjoy it as a part of Star Trek history.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 25 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Insurrection. Iāve already covered the other 3 TNG movies on the podcast.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
"The Battle For Paradise Has Begun"
As the Dominion War ravages the Alpha Quadrant, an idyllic planet in the middle of an unstable region within Federation space serves as home to the peaceful Ba'ku ā and a veritable fountain of youth. When the Son'a and the war-torn Federation plan to exploit the planet in order to rejuvenate themselves, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise-E must rebel against the Federation in order to save the Ba'ku and expose the atrocities that are about to take place.
The screenplay was written by Michael Piller based on a story by Michael Piller and Rick Berman.
It was directed by Jonathan Frakes
And first released in cinemas on the 11th of December 1998
Make it so
This movie shows the title card and then jumps straight to footage, showing credits over the action.
Itās great music. First contact stil has my favourite music but still really enjoy the theme of this movie, and it fits the film quite well.
Also letās appreciate the set design of this village.
We get an Idyllic view of primitive living. Looks lovely, and yet, constant manual labour is hard work.
Thereās a reason people invented machines to do the mindless work so we can pursue more interesting things, which I appreciate.
This sequence definitely portrays thee people as happy
Thereās a sudden Contrast in the music as the camera pans up to eveal the village is being watched. And then shock of all shocks, itās startfleet who are watching them.
Weāve seen this before in TNG season 3 who watches the watchers. Thatās the first big plot idea stolen by this movie. But it works. Makes sense this is something starfleet would do multiple times.
When we realise itās Data attacking the village, we can only assume there is something wrong with the starfleet people. I mean, they were shot creepily.
The holographic suit is kinda cool. I like it.
And while Brent spinerās green suit is a very simple visual effect, it works for me.
Michael Piller actually wrote a book about his experience writing this movie. Itās an interesting read. I still havenāt gone over the whole thing in detail, but what Iāve read has been enlightening. Itās called Fade In, From Idea to Draft The Writing of Star Trek Insurrection.
It really highlights the struggles of being a writer in hollywood.
As an indie author, I only have to answer to myself. Sure, I need to listen to beta reads and my editor, but ultimately, nobody but me chooses where the story goes. Itās my baby.
But when writing a movie, there are so many different voices that get to have an opinion. Itās a wonder any script ever gets completed.
So, while I may speak critically about some things in the writing of this movie, I donāt want to sound like Iām coming off too hard on Pillar. First of all, heās a much more experienced writer than I am. Second of all, Star Trek owes a lot to this man. He came in and revolutionised the show in season 3. He made it good. And I think a lot of the credit does belong to him. He made TNG a much more character-driven show. He shaped what Star Trek would be from here on, though DS9, Voyager and even Enterprise (which he wasnāt involved in). Our most beloved Star Trek shows wouldn't be what they are without his input.
This is the first time weāve seen new dress uniforms to match the standard uniforms introduced last movie. I like them. I like them a lot.
Picard and crew are involved in a diplomatic mission, entertaining alien representatives. And itās nice to see them engaging in this kind of thing. We havenāt seen them doing diplomacy in a movie before.
But are we forgetting that we're currently in the middle of the most brutal war the federation has ever faced?
They try to hand wave this away by saying the federation needs all the new allies it can get right now, which does make sense. But why would they send their flagship, a sovereign class vessel, to entertain these people.
The federation diplomatic core is tied up with dominion negotiations. Ok.
But this isnāt the hard negotiating. That appears to have already been done. This is a party. Any minor ship and crew could have done this.
The enterprise should be out there fighting for the survival of the federation.
Michael Piller and Rick Berman both wanted to do a light-hearted movie.
And while I donāt have a specific objection to that, this hardly seemed like the time.
I can understand why they felt this way. First Contact was a much darker Star Trek movie. And both DS9 and Voyager were in pretty dark times at this moment. DS9 was in the midst of the Dominion War, and Voyager had recently been through a frightening encounter with the Borg and Species 8472.
Frankly, I was loving it. This was one of my favourite periods in Star Trek history. But I like the dark stuff. And it wasnāt so dark that I felt the need for relief. I mean, this was hardly Battlestar Galactica.
Some might have wanted some relief from that the darkness in Trek, but not me.
This movie felt very out of place. ā¦.. Very out of timeā¦...to me.
I do like the conversation in the turbo lift, that hints at these being difficult times for the federation. Including picardās line. āAnyone remember when we used to be explorers?ā
And then we meet Worf.
Picard asks him what the hell heās doing here.
And his voice fades out as he gives his explanation.
I hate this. I really really hate this.
What a bloody cop-out!
First contact had a very good valid reason for Worf to be on the Enterprise.
Theoretically, so did Nemesis, although they mishandled that as well.
The aliens that Picard is welcoming as a Federation protectorate look awesome. Very nice makeup design by Michael Westmore.The thing the alien puts on Picardās head is silly.
I think perhaps it was supposed to be amusing. I dunno.
In a lot of ways, this movie feels like an extended TV episode. I think from the moment Rick Berman told Michael Piller he wanted the next movie to be more light-hearted and comedic, it was never going to have the epic feeling that the last two movies had.
Star Trek IV was practically a comedy. And it worked. Itās a favourite movie of most Star Trek fans, including me. But I think thatās an outlier. It shouldnāt have worked as well as it did, but somehow, it did.
They were deliberately trying to model this movie on Star Trek 4.
See hereās the problem.
Comedy in Star Trek can work. DS9 did some hilarious episodes. (They also did some real stinkers in the name of comedy). But we were getting 24 episodes a year at the time.
We were getting a movie every couple of years. To dedicate an entire movie to comedy. Well, it feels like a bit of a waste to me.
Anyway, letās see how this plays out.
So data was scheduled to observe the baku village for one week. He should be back on the enterprise by now. And admiral dougherty is calling, asking for Dataās schematics.
Data has taken the other starfleet observers hostage and is refusing to respond to orders or anser hails.
Dougherty very much views this as a malfunctioning piece of technology. Which, of course, it could be, but that probably shouldnāt be the first thing that comes to mind when dealing with a sentient android like Data.
Doughtery keeps trying to discourage Picard from approaching the planet. And Picard keeps ignoring him.
And this is where we get the one and only reference to Dataās emotion chip.
Apparently, he didnāt take it with him.
What?
In generations, it was fused into his neural net, and couldnāt be removed.
In First contact, he could de-activate it.
And now, he has apparently removed it and left it on the enterprise.
This was so badly handled, in my opinion.
You see, Michael Piller wasnāt a fan of the emotion chip idea. He felt that since Data had finally gained the thing heād wanted all of his life, that heād lost of the most interesting part of his character.
I disagree.
And I would say that first Contact proves my point. They did some interesting stuff in that movie with Dataās emotions. They introduced new vulnerabilities to him that heād never had to deal with before.
But the interesting thing is, in an early draft of this script, Piller actually did some interesting stuff with Data. He had him dealing with some new realities. Heād gotten what heād always wanted, but it had brought some unexpected disadvantages. For instance, he longer enjoyed playing poker. This was interesting. He could have done a lot with this.
But instead of moving forward, he went backwards, and he essentially erased all of Dataās character development since Generations.
I was really unhappy about this.
This was a mistake.
Dataās arc in this movie was about him learning what itās like to be a child. Itās something we might have seen as a subplot in a TNG episode. And I found it very unsatisfying.
But Iām getting a little ahead of myself.
Anyway, given this strange turn of events with Data, Picard decides to delay Worfās return to Deep Space Nine, and ask him to join them. Iām not sure thatās especially warranted, story-wise, but it keeps Worf in the movie.
Picard all but disobeys the Admiral here, by setting a course for the briar patch.
I guess Dougherty didnāt explicitly forbid him from coming, he just discouraged it. He said āItās not a good idea. Just get me Dataās schematics.ā
Picard thinks something is off about this whole affair.
This is also the first appearance of the new Admiral uniform. In DS9, while most characters wore the new grey movie uniforms, admirals continued to wear the bright red admiral uniform. It was a bit glaring. We actually see Admiral Ross transition to the new uniform during the early part of season 6, after this movie had shown.
And this is our introduction to Ruafo, the movieās alien villain, played by legendary actor F Murray Abraham.
Although heās hardly recognisable under the alien prosthetics. And frankly Iām not sure this movie gives him a chance to really show why heās such a legendary actor.
I like the dinosaur-esque aliens that work for the Sona.
The Sona ship is also pretty cool. A bit of a unique design for Star Trek.
I also like the ship that data is flying. Very federation, but quite unique. Bigger than a shuttle but smaller than a starship. And quite different to a runabout.
The visual effects for the briar patch are nothing out of the ordinary by todayās standards, but at the time they looked amazing, and they still look great today. Thereās some clear inspiration from real hubble telescope images.
Riker and Troi are investigating the sona, to see what theyāre all about.
Not only have they enslaved two primitive races, but they are known to have produced mass quantities of ketracel white.
Every Star Trek fan at the time knew what this was. Itās the drug used by the founders to control the Jem Hadar soldiers.
Sisko and his crew risked everything to destroy a ketrecel white facility in Cardassian space. Very recently.
We are at war with the dominion, and the Sona are helping them create the very weapons that are killing our people.
The sona are the enemy.
Troiās question āwhy would we be involved with these peopleā is the understatement of the millennium.
It makes absolutely no sense.
Donāt get me wrong. I appreciate the DS9 reference. I appreciate that they are again, at least acknowledging the war, but it just doesnāt work.
Riker and Troi are acting like āOh, so theyāre drug dealers. Thatās not nice.ā But itās so much more than that. The sona are enemy agents. Theyāre working for the dominion. In season 7 of DS9, we even hear Damar and Wyoun talking about how the sona are requesting dominion assistance to protect one of their ketrecel white factories.
In this scene, we also get our first hints of something rekindling between Troi and Riker
For some reason, they changed the hologram-esque viewscreen sound from First contact with the standard cut and beep in this movie. Not sure why. Itās just another thing that gives this movie a more TV feel.
Picard and Worf go out in a shuttle to capture and deactivate Data.
So Picard tries to distract data by singing a gilbert and sulivan song that heād recently been rehearsing.
I think this was supposed to be funny. It just makes me cringe.
Picard asks Worf if he knows Gilbert and Sulivan, and he says he hasnāt had time to meet all the new crewmembers. Why would Picard expect Worf to know 19th century earth composers? Sure he spent much of his childhood on earth, but still.
I think this was supposed to be funny as well.
The bit where the two ships are connected together is pretty suspenseful.
So theyāve captured data and they beam down to the baku village.
This movie has one big strength over most of the other TNG movies. They get out of the soundstage and do a lot of location shooting. Generations had those beautiful vistas on Veridian III but nothing in First contact or nemesis can compare to the beautiful exterior shots we see in this movie.
And as I think Iāve already said, I really like the outside sets for the baku village.
The baku, while aliens, look completely human. This is a general weakness of Star trek, dating back to the 60s. Back then, it was often a budgetary issue, and I guess that could still be the case even here. I read that at one point they had considered doing something to the baku, some dots on their faces somewhere, to make them look at least a little alien.
It does seem a shame that in a big screen movie, that had supposed aliens that just looked human.
Anyway
The initial conflict wraps up pretty quick. The starfleet crew are not hostages of the backu. It was data who wouldnāt let them leave. But thereās still the mystery of what data was up to.
And then we learn that the baku are technologically advanced. They understand positronics. They once explored the galaxy with warp drive. But they have chosen not to employ their technological knowledge in their daily life. It does seem, however, that they do not wish to lose that knowledge all together.
Their leader says they believe that āwhen you create a machine to do the work of a man, you take something away from the man.ā
I donāt agree with that statement.
Dougherty now orders Picard to leave the briar patch, but apparently, heās not finished here. He says he has a few loose ends to tie up, which sounds suscisious.
Now Riker comes into Troiās office to flirt.
Itās clear that something strange is happening with these two. And yet itās welcome to see them finally sorting themselves out. I think every TNG fan is now saying āitās about time.ā
Troiās reaction to kissing Riker with a beard for the first time was amusing. I did actually find that funny.
Anyway, something about the way these two actors work together, I really feel the emotions between them.
It turns out, the sona, and doughtery were lying. They shot data first, before he malfunctioned.
Why would they do that? Then his ethical and moral subroutines took over.
Dataās last memory of the mission is following some children in the hills in his isolation suit.
So, we beam down to the planet to try to retrace his steps.
The kids have a little alien animal as a pet. By todayās standardās itās not great CGI, but at the time it was pretty significant and impresive.
This is the beginning of Dataās relationship with the baku boy. The boy is uncomfortable around data, even afraid, because these people have rejected technology. As data says, I am the embodiment of all they have rejected.
Cut back to riker and troi, who are sharing a bath together. Troi is shaving riker.
Apparently, they had to very carefully place the soap bubbles around Troiās chest so as to maintain their intended PG rating.
Data finds the lake. And it looks incredible. They found a beautiful place to film the scene, and the water with the snow-capped mountains stand in wonderfully for a paradise planet.
I love it.
Picard tells the boy that Data doesnāt breath.
Which is wrong, because it was established in Birthright part 1, in a conversation between data and Bashir, that he does breath.to maintain thermal control of his internal systems.
Anyway, data uncovers a cloaked ship under the lake. A federation ship.
The effects for the cloacked doors opening looked pretty cool. And this is the second major plot point stolen from a TNG episode.
The ship is a giant holodeck containing a duplicate of the baku village.
It seems they plan to beam them on board during the night, they wake up in a holodeck, not knowing they arenāt on their planet any longer.
And so this is Worfās arc in the movie. He gets pimples. Great.
We get two important pieces of information from Crusher. The sona refuse to be examined, and the federation crew from the planet are in suprisingly good health. Better than they should be.
Picard puts it together and beams down to the planet.
The Baku came from a solar system where terrible wars with technology weapons threatened all life. They came here to escape it. They havenāt aged in 300 years. Thereās a metaphasic radiation in the planetās rings that keeps them from aging.
Aging vs growing up
Admiral dougharty and the Sona planned to discreetly move the baku from this planet so they can harvest the radiation for themselves.
Anij explains that some young baku are attracted to a faster pace of life.
Picard points out that those in the federation would sell their souls to slow it down.
Picard is temped by perpetual youth, but darkest chapters in earthās history are the forced removal of a small group of people to satisfy the demands of a large one.
This ties in the with classic Star Trek theme of the needs of many vs needs of few.
Thereās a nice character scene between Picard and Anij. Almost romantic.
I donāt mind the relationship between them, but ultimately, itās just a romance of the week and will never be addressed again. I hate romances of the week. I find them a ridiculous artefact of 20th century TV. But ultimately, I, like I think a lot of others, felt this was just a distraction from the real relationship between Picard and Crusher, which still, to this day, really hadnāt been explored.
They wanted to give Picard some romance. Fine, so use the character he already has such a connection to.
Also, nice moment with geordi, where he gets to see a sunrise for the first time.
Picard gives one of his famous speeches. Itās a reasonably good one.
This planet is in federation space. The sona have the technology to harvest the particles. That means Starfleet and the Sona are partners in this. They need each other.
There is some nuance here, though. The sona are dying. Thatās why theyāre constantly going through horrific surgical procedures to replenish their bodies. The particles in this planetās rings could save their lives. Many of them are so far gone that the slow exposure just from living on the planet wonāt be enough. Theyāll die before it has a chance to improve their condition.
These particles could also save the lives of the sick throughout the Federation.
So by refusing to vacate the planet, in a sense, the Baku are condemning these Sona to death. But can you force a group of people out of their home to help the sick? And donāt forget, these sick are enemies of the Federation, working with the Dominion.
And is the Sonaās current state natural? Weāll talk a bit more about this a little later, after we learn more about their nature.
Dougherty says weāre only talking about 600 people.
Ad Picard asks an important question. āHow many people does it take, Admiral? Before it becomes wrong?ā
Again, needs of the many vs needs of the few.
So Picard is ordered to release the Sona and leave the system.
Thereās nothing more he can do, short of outright disobeying.
And so, he goes to his quarters, and removes his rank pips.
Now that the big secret has been uncovered, the Sona see no need to bother with the holo ship anymore. Theyāre just going to move the Baku by force.
Picardās senior crew find him getting ready to sneak off the ship. Of course, theyāre with him. I like the moment where Data points out that the effects of the radiation could be stimulating feelings of rebelliousness common to youth in all of them, except him.
To be honest, this is probably true.
But that does change the fact that they believe this is the right thing to do. And so does Data. But I like how they ask him for an objective opinion.
Picardās hope is that they wonāt begin the procedure while the planet is inhabited. This is likely true of Dougharty, but what of the Sona? Will they really hold back from killing the Baku if necessary?
Picard says āItās too easy to turn a blind eye to the suffering of a people you donāt know.ā so Riker is to take the Enterprise out of the brier patch to blow the lid on this whole conspiracy.
The goal is to get the baku to some caves where natural minerals will prevent them from being beamed away.
Then we get a nice action scene as fighters fly down and shoot up the village. I felt the tension.
Also, the Sona transporter effect is pretty cool.
Thereās some tension between Dougharty and the Sona. Theyāre willing to go a lot further than he is. He still wants to keep his support in the Federation council. But Ruaffu talks him around to taking that next step over the line. He agrees to let the Sona ships go an dintercept the Enterprise. To fire on a Starfleet Ship. At a Starfleet admiralās orders.
I like the scene as the Baku trek through the countryside. This gave me Lord of theRings vibes.
So the little boy is finally starting to talk to Data.
And we get the next stage of Dataās arc in this movie. Weāve long explored his desire to be more human, but in this story, he wants to know what itās like to be a child. Thereās a nice little conversation between him and the kid, as they discuss the constant change experienced by a child. Itās a nice enough scene, but it feels like it belongs in a season 3 episode, not a movie, and not at this point in Dataās development. He is so far past all this.
So the Baku have super powers. They can slow down time. Thatās an astonishing thing. Or is it just the perception of time they can manipulate. But time slows down for Picard as well. So, what? Sheās causing his brain to process information at an accelerated rate, so that time appears to have slowed?
Either way, thatās pretty incredible, and the movie does virtually nothing with it.
But I must say, the visual effects here are pretty cool, especially for the time it was made.
And then we get the weird boob scene. Data overhears Crusher and Troi talking about their boobs. And then he goes and repeats their words to Worf. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Data doesnāt have boobs. Worf doesnāt have boobs. Data knows that neither Worf or himself have boobs. And this has got to be the record for the number of times Iāve ever said boobs in a podcast. Sorry about that.
Iāve got no idea what Iām supposed to take away from this scene. Probably another of those things that are meant to be funny.
The drones that tag people for transport are kinda cool. Another nice little action scene.
So Geordi is sitting at the helm, instead of in engineering, just so he can be in the scene. I guess heās acting first officer, so makes sense for him to be on the bridge, to exchange opinions with Riker. When things get dicey, he does go straight down to engineering.
So the Sona use an illegal subspace weapon against the Enterprise. If they have this technolgoy I canāt help but wonder why the Jemā Hadar arenāt using it against the Federation and their allies, but anyway.
It doesnāt bother me that Riker is now sitting at the helm. Theyāre doing a complex menouvre and itās been well established in TNG that Riker is the best pilot on the ship.
So they eject the warp core and detonate it to stop the weapon.
Ok.
So now theyāre stranded. Itāll probably take them decades to get to the nearest starbase now, unless theyāre towed by another ship, but at least theyāre in one piece.
And then we get our obligatory minor swear word that seems to have become a part of Star Trek movies since Star Trek 5. Just one per movie to keep it edgy.
And then Riker activates the manual steering column. Which is a joystick.
Ok.
I donāt really have an opinion on this. It seemed unnecessary and felt a little out of place, but whatever.
All in all, the space battle was pretty weak, but the visuals of the gas were nice for their time.
Thereās a wounded or dead Sona soldier on the ground. Not sure where it came from, since the Sona are using automated drones to tag the Backu, but Crusher learns something important by scanning his body. So I guess itās just a plot convenience.
So what happens in every movie that stars a kid? They lose something, a pet, or a teddy bear, and they run back to get it, which means our heroes have to go after them.
Yep, that happens here too.
So Picard an Anij are trapped by a cave-in.
Anij is injured. They need to get through the rocks quickly so he can get medical attention.
And so now, Picard also has the Baku super magic powers.
The movie makes it pretty clear itās picard who does this, not Anij,
So...ok. Picard is a human. And he ālearnedā how to stop time.
The only explanation I can come up with is itās something to do with the radiation on this planet.
So we now have super radiation that can not only regenerate human cells to prevent aging, but also grants people magic abilities to manipulate time.
Thatās a lot to ask of radion. And is a number of steps too far for me.
This is the one time they actually do something meaningful to the plot with this magic power. Itās never used to solve their primary story problem. It all falls a bit flat for me.
Those beautiful vistas in this movie continue to impress me. Itās the main thing that keeps this movie feeling cinematic.
Of course thereās no reason for the drones to hover menacingly before attacking.
So Picard and Anij get tagged and are beamed up to the Sona ship.
Ruaffu has had enough of this. If the baku want to stay on the planet, let them. Heās going to launch the injector, which will kill everyone down there.
This is one line that Doughtery doesnāt feel he can cross, so weāll see where that takes us in a minute.
But first, Picard reveals what Crusher learned from her scan.
The Sona and the Baku are the same race.
Ok. So years ago a group of young baku wanted to live the ways of the offworlders. They wanted technology. So instead of going off on their own, they tried to take over the colony. When they failed, they were exiled to die slowly.
What this means exactly, weāre not sure. We know they were young when they left the planet, so their lives havenāt been extended unnaturally at this point. It seems more than just the fact that away from the planet they became mortal like the rest of us. No, Iād say their bodies became dependant on the radiation which means that away from it, their bodies deteriorate more quickly than they should.
This opens up all kinds of cans of works.
First of all, it means that by removing the baku from their planet, weād be killing them too.
It also means that the Baku condemned their rebellious children to death.
This movie tries to play itself very black and white, and I do agree, obviously, that what Doughtery and Ruaffu have been trying to do all this time is wrong. I believe some things in life ARE black and white. But sometimes, these issues are difficult. There is more subtlety and complexity to this whole thing than I think the movie fully allows itself to explore.
Dougherty now realises heās been wrong all along. This was an important moment in the movie. Gene Roddenberry always hated the idea of the Federation being the bad guys, and Rick Berman very much carried Roddenberryās flame. It woldnāt suprise me if a last minute redemption of dougherty was madated by Berman.
The tragedy of it all is Doughterty says āIt was for the Federation. It was all for the Federation.ā
But, you canāt bring good out of evil, can you?
So doughtery tries to stop Ruaffu and fails. Ruaffu kils him in a somwhat gruesome scene.
The camera zooms out before it gets too bad.
Thereās a nice little moment when we see Picard tampering with a control panel. He didnāt succeed, but it shows that he wasnāt just sitting on his hands in that cell. Of course heād be actively trying to escape.
So Picard tries to talk Gulnar out of it all. To make him feel guilty so heāll change his mind.
Itās the same thing he tried with Soran back in Generations.
Trying to sway the bad guy with his words.
The twist is that this time, it works.
This was a cool moment and I wasnāt really expecting it, although Gulnarās discomfort with the latest development was foreshadowed.
Picard has a clever plan. As long as ruaffu doesnāt know anything is wrong, he wonāt override Gulnarās authorisation.
Data weakens their shield and then beams the bridge crew into the holoship. Into a simulation of their bridge. The same trick they planned to use against the Baku. Nice one.
But iām very suprused none of the bridge crew know what it feels like to be transported with their own technology. Thatās a hard one for me to swallow.
We see the moment it happens. Thereās a glow and Ruaffu says āWhat was that.ā As an audience we donāt yet understand what just happened.
So ruafuu deploys the collect and we get to see it in all its horror, but itās fake. Ruaffo notices a glitch in the holodeck, but itās too late.
And we get that terrible scream. Was that meant to be reminiscent of Kirkās Khaaaan in Star Trek 2?
Now ruaffo has to go directly to the collector to re-activate it. So Picard has to go on board and stop him.
They technobabble a way to beam Picard through the shields.
And this movie continues the trent from First contact, making Picard an action hero.
This time he gets to have a shooting fight with ruaffo.
So this planet has helped Riker and Troi remember how they feel about each other, and that will continue on in the next film, which is great.
Picard arranges a reunion between baku mother and sona son. To start the healing process.
He hopes the two groups can over come their differences.
Except those sona who are too far gona and will shortly die from their condition, of course. But we wonāt talk about that, because this movie is light-hearted and āFunā
Picard intends to continue pursuing a relationship with Anij. He says heāll use his shore leave to come back to her when he can.
Of course, weāll never hear of her again. In the end, itās just another stupid romance of the week.
The movie closes out with Data playing the hay with the kid. āItās time to go home now.ā
This is the culmination of Dataās arc, learning about what it is to be a child. And it falls really really flat for me.
So then the crew beam back up to the ship as the TNG theme plays and the enterprise warps off to itās next adventure.
It feels so much like a stock weekly TV ending. Nothing has changed in the universe. And apart from Riker and Troi, nothing has changed in our characters.
I came out of the cinema, having seen this for the first time, feeling a little empty.
Is that it?
There was a lot of elements in this movie that I liked, and I can enjoy this film on re-watches, but it kinda missed the mark for me.
But itās still lightyears better than what would follow it in the form of Star Trek Nemesis.
So by now, Iām sure youāve heard the news. The Snyder Cut is coming. Thatās right. The much hoped-for Zack Snyder cut of the Justice League movie is going to be a reality. Itās expected to go live on HBO Max some time next year.
Iām very excited to see how Zachās original vision plays out for this movie and perhaps bring about a better conclusion to the story arc that began with Man of Steel.
But my first thought, when I heard the news was āthatās nice, but will I get to see it?ā HBO Max is an American streaming service thatās about to go online. However, thereās a lot of talk that they plan to go international with the service and itās hoped that it will be available in many countries once the Snyder Cut releases. Iām holding my breath, hoping that Australia will be one of those. So it seems a perfect time to be delving into the DC Extended Universe movies. And thatās exactly what Iām doing.
Next episode, in two weeks time, Iāll be talking about Man of Steel. I canāt wait to geek out over this movie with you.
Catch ya then.
It's finally official. CBS have announced that the next Star Trek show they'll be working on is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which will set set on board the USS Enterprise and will see Anson Mount reprise his role as Captain Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock and Rebecca Romjin as Number One.
It's been almost ten years since that fateful day when Stargate Universe was cancelled. Since then, we've had virtually no Stargate. However, there was a web-series produced by Stargate Command called Stargate Origins. But how did it measure up? Was it a worthwhile addition to the Stargate Universe? Let's watch it and find out.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 24 of the podcast.
Today Iām going to be talking about Stargate Origins.
This movie was originally produced as a web series in 2018 as a way of testing the waters for bringing Stargate back to our screens.
It was edited into a feature length movie and titled Stargate Origins Catherine.
The series was available on the dedicated streaming service Stargate Command. I watched the first couple of episodes which were free. I always intended to pay for the subscription to finish it, but life got in the way, and the next thing I knew, the service was cancelled.
I guess I should have given it my support earlier.
Anyway, the film is available to buy or rent on youtube, so Iām gonna give it a go.
Now as I understand it, the story was created to follow on from the original Stargate movie, but perhaps not specifically intended to fit in with the canon of the TV shows.
So Iāll be very interested to see if I can make it work in canon, in my head.
The description on imdb reads
Stargate Origins explores the journey that sets a young Catherine Langford on the way to helping unlock the secrets of an ancient technology that could change the very course of humanity.
It was written by Mark Ilvedson, Justin Michael Terry
Directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan
And it first aired on the 19th of june 2018
Letās watch Stargate Origins: Catherine.
We open in Giza, Egypt 1928
These Scenes mirror very closely the original Stargate movie, as the gate is discovered.
Then we just forward 10 years.
Itās 1938
Catherine is all grown up. Sheās studying the gate, still trying to figure out what it is
Catherine is played by Aussie actor Ellie Gall. Sheās using an American accent. In the original movie, she sounded european.
Her father is played by Conner Trinier who weāll know as Trip Tucker in Star Trek Enterprise, or as Michael in Stargate Atlantis. Surprisingly, he looks the part, although Iām really not sure heās quite old enough to be playing Catherineās father.
The gate is still in Egypt. Thatās where they are.
Theyāre out of funding so it looks like itās all over.
And then some Nazis break in.
Note that this is just one year before the stargate will be transported to America, where the Nazis will make a second attempt to get their hands on it.
The Nazis have a Picture of the stargate transporing people. Weāve seen it before in the movie. On Abydos, I think.
Nazis are always a good mix with acherology adventures. So their inclusion here is logical and welcome.
They are powering the gate themselves and dialing it manually. Thatās concistent with SG1.
We see the standard whoosh effect and then the backwards whoosh out the back of the gate, just like in movie. The TV show never did that but, it is canon according to the movie.
The Nazis have figured out the address, but the Langfords donāt see what the dialing sequence is. So that kinda works.
The Nazis push langford through the gate and follow him.
Catherine steals the notes from the Nazi guard.
Then we cut to Catherineās boyfriend. Heās a british military officer stationed in Egypt.
Catherine goes to him and his mate Wassif for help.
Now we get to see langford arriving through the gate.
This is clearly meant to be Abydos. Itās looking a lot more pristince. Like a brand new movie set. Not an ancient pyramid.
And we see a DHD. This is a piece of lore that was introduced by SG1, so itās clear at this point that theyāre not abandoning the TV shows. Which is wonderful.
They mention it is just like the one they have in Berlin. So thatās interesting. Thatās where the Earth DHD is at the moment. The Russians will eventually have it. Perhaps they take it as spoils after Germany is defeated at the end of world war 2.
There are instances of rather silly humour in this movie. Not the kind of humour in SG1. Jack OāNeil gave some great one-liners. This is a much sillier and a more juvenile kind of humour. Which Iām not really into.
We get to see areas of the abydos pyramid we havenāt seen before. Thereās a throne room.
Langford tries to speak to them in ancient egyptian. It took Daniel a while to figure out why to pronounce it. The aliens donāt seem to understand, or at least, donāt care to respond.
Langford assumes theyāve travelled through time into the past. An interesting assumption and not entirely unreasonable. Except for the advanced weapon used by the Goaāhuld lady.
So at this point, thanks to the Naziās notes, Catherine has the address to dial abydos.
Even earnest didnāt figure that out, back in SG1. He went to another planet entirely.
Catherine never figured out how to dial Abydos until Daniel offered his help.
How are they going to explain this?
And she knows to use the point of origin symbol for earth. Thatās a real problem.
Jameās reluctance to enter the gate is emotionally believable. Catherine wants to rescue her father. Sheāll risk anything for that. But for James, this represents a very dangerous unknown. Heās a military man. Heās used to doing things a certain way. Walking into that thing like this would be an irresponsible act.
But, they are convinced by the threat of the nazis bringing back an unknown technology.
Catherine takes a moment to appreciate the wonder of the gate.
Just like Daniel does in the movie.
Then she steps in and we are treated to the first person view through the wormhole. Man, Iāve missed that.
Itās a good reproduction of the original effect.
The temple is clean because itās being maintained by the human slaves. It still looks too new, though.
So how did the Nazi know the address for Earth? Daniel found it on a tablet here on Abydos. Maybe Catherine was just typing in the same code that brought them here, but of course, the point of origin symbol is different, so she doesnāt know what to do.
The floating balls are new. I wonder what theyāre about.
Iām wondering why is the warrior hitting them with her staff weapon when she could just shoot them?
And where do the rings beam her to? Thereās no ship above, is there? It might be in orbit.
We see a boy with a bucket ā¦. And I wonder ā¦ could he be a young Kursaf? That would be cool.
Things get interesting here. The Goahuld woman has a baby, and we learn this is a harcesis. The offspring of two goahuld hosts. Strictly forbidden because it will contain the genetic memory of the goahuld.
They really are drawing on the lore of SG1. This is cool.
So the warrior is Serqet. An Egyptian scorpion goddess. Generally thought of as a protective godess but she also had a darker side. It seems she and her queen are hiding here to raise the illegal child. Ra doesnāt know of it. It also seems theyāre part of a revolution. I wonder ā¦ could they be Tokāra?
We Still donāt know the name of the queen.
And it turns out, I was right. The kid is Kasuf!
He reminds me a lot of Skarra. Which makes sense. Since Skarra will be his son.
But Iām confused. James name is now Bill?
So, in the struggle, trying to escpae from the human slaves, Wassif is stabbed. But the slaves have a goaāhuld healing device.
Of course, when they see the pendant with the symbol of Ra, they react much the same way their descendants will in the original Stargate movie.
So having seen the home movie footage of Hitler, the goāhuld resistance are considering allying with the nazis.
I could think of better allies to choose.
So the queen wants more slaves for her cause. Guess sheās still got that evil streak we would expect from a guahuld.
The queen offers the nazis a small piece of naquata. Of course, they donāt understand its value.
Until she demonstrates.
Apparently it also can be used to offer eternal youth. I suppose it is one of the active components of the sarcophagus.
The queenās name is Aset. She has fallen out of favour with Ra, which we already know.
Aset is another name for Isis. Goddess of magic, fertility and motherhood. Makes sense that sheād be the mother of the hecsis.
Isis has been mentioned in SG1 before. Apparently, in the future, her symbiote will end up in a jar, imprisoned by Seth.
The big mystery here is, how did the nazi know so much?
Catherine begins to understand there is more at stake here than just her father. The Nazis cannot be allowed to have access to this alien technology. But she kind of already knew that, because thatās how she convinced her male companions to join her through the gate.
So Catherine and Jamess/Bill are offered Kasufās tent for the night. I always find it odd in period pieces like this where people have sex outside of marriage. Iām sure it happened, but it certainly wasnāt accepted in the way that it tends to be nowdays.
Next morning, the goaāhuld appear with langford in tow.
James/Bill is wise to advise caution to Catherine. They can see her father is ok. But they canāt effectively rescue him right now.
And the Nazi woman is realising how evil her boss is. Even amongst other nazis he stands out as bad.
At the same time, Kasuf begins to see that Aset is not all sheās cracked up to be.
Thereās a nice little callback when Kasuf says reading is forbidden.
Kasuf sends them to the same cave where Shari takes Daniel, where they can find the address to dial earth.
So at this point in time, the tablet with the address is complete. The point of origin has not yet worn off, but itās cracked. Nice little touch.
And then we learn that catherine deliberately destroyed the seventh symbol so the nazis couldnāt find the way home. Thatās kinda cool.
So just as the nazi leader is gonna kill langford, Ra shows up in his spaceship.
I also find it a little surprising that Catherine and James are not at least a little shocked when Wasif and the man who stabbed him begin to kiss.
Again, of course there were people with same-sex attraction in the 30s, and I have no doubt they acted on it, but it wasnāt socially accepted then as it is now. The scene just felt a little forced, especially since the relationship is portrayed so shallowly. For that matter, Catherine and Jamesā relationship is pretty shallow too. Romantic relationships are definitely not the strength of this movie.
The nazi no longer cares about serving Hitler. Heās beyond earth politics. He wants to rule earth as a god, just like the goaāhuld.
And so heās killed by his own associate. She kills him in the name of Hitler, but at least she kills him.
And then, sequet turns out to be working for Ra!
And this is how they make this movie work in canon. Aset erases all of their memories.
More than that, she plants the suggestion in their minds to assemble a team to one day return through the stargate to defeat Ra.
Which of course, is exactly what will happen.
So Wassif and the other guys are turned into Horus Guards! That could even explain why some of the Horus guards in the movie donāt have Jaffa pouches.
And it turns out, that wasnāt the same temple as in the movie, which explains why it didnāt quite look the same. The gate is moved and that temple is destroyed.
Poor Catherine isnāt very lucky in love. James gave his life for her and she doesnāt even remember him. And then later, earnest gets stranded on an alien planet.
So that was an interesting little story. It adds a little to the Stargate mythos, but in a lot of ways, it feels like an inferior copy of the original movie. It certainly mirrors most of the story beats.
Still, it was nice to see something, anything, stargate, on screen again.
I can see why this web series didnāt exactly set the fandom on fire, and itās sad that nothing more has happened since 2019. I can only hope that this isnāt the last weāll see of Stargate.
Reportedly, MGM are interested in talking to people like Brad Wright to maybe bring the franchise back to life.
Only time will tell, but the recent return of Jean-Luc Picard to our screens proves that itās never too late.
Star Trek Generations had a lot of hype to live up to. Not only was it the first time we would see the next generation cast on the big screen, but it would also have the long-anticipated meeting of Captain Kirk and Captain Picard. But, it was also going to be one of those infamous odd-numbered Star Trek movies. So, could it hold up to the hype?
Let's dig back into this movie and see how it holds up.
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Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings
The author of Jewel of the Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 23 of the podcast.
Today weāre talking about Star Trek Generations.
Generations had a lot of hype to live up to. Not only was it the first appearance of the next generation crew on the big screen, it features the long-anticipated meeting between captains Picard and Kirk. But, it was going to be one of the infamous odd numbered Star Trek movies.
So could it live up to the hype?
What did you think of this movie when it first came out?
My overall experience with it was a positive one, and yet, I found myself re-writing it in my head, coming up with alternative stories.
Let's see how it stands up.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
"Two captains. One destiny."
In the late 23rd century, the USS Enterprise-B is on her maiden voyage, and Kirk is no longer in the captain's chair. The ship must rescue El-Aurian refugees from a mysterious energy ribbon, but the rescue seemingly costs Kirk his life. Seventy-eight years later, one of the El-Aurian survivors leads the crew of the Enterprise-D into a deadly confrontation with the Duras sisters as he plots to re-enter the paradise of the ribbon that nearly destroyed him years prior.
The Screenplay was written by
Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga
The Story was by
Rick Berman & Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga
It was Directed by
David Carson
And it first appeared in cinemas on the 18th of November 1994.
Make it so.
The opening credits were reasonably effective for this movie.
I quite like the musical score that Dennis McCarthy created for Generations. Not as memorable as Goldsmithās score for First Contact, but better than what he did on the TV show.
I remember watching the names go by. I knew Kirk was going to be in this movie, but I didnāt know if anyone else from TOS would appear, so I was very excited when James Doohan and Walter Keonigās names appeared.
The bottle of champagne floating through space makes you think of the chateau Picard wine, suggesting that weāre starting in the 24th century. So the reveal of the Enterprise 1701-B was a shock. I nearly wet myself when I saw those original series Wrath of Khan uniforms.
I love how this movie starts in the 24rd century. It feels like it picks up straight after Star Trek 6. And thatās what I really wanted. To start in familiar TOS movie era and then transition to The Next Generation.
Itās not surprising that they got the TOS movie aesthetic spot on, because a lot of the same people who worked on TNG worked on the later TOS movies.
The presence of the news reporters was kinda cool. Weād never seen anything like that in the star trek universe, but it made sense to me that by this point in time, the name Enterprise was famous enough that the media would be present at the launch of a new ship with the name. And the TV style reporters felt like that fit in better in the 23rd century than they did in the 24th.
Still, I cheered when Kirk told the reporter to āturn that damn thing offā
John Harriman gets a lot of flack for being a pathetic captain, but Iāve always maintained that most of the problems were because he was completely un-equipped. Starfleet sent him out without half his crew, and half his equipment non-functional.
I donāt blame Harriman for that. The ship was doing a publicity flight. They werenāt even supposed to leave the solar system.
And yes, heās a little green, and sometimes hesitates, but he doesnāt have the decades of experience that Kirk has.
And what I really like about him, when the moment comes, he swallows his pride and asks for Kirkās assistance. He doesnāt have many resources, so of course he should use the one resource he does have. Kirkās experience.
In my head canon, Iād like to think that Harriman went on to be a great captain, worthy of the legacy of Kirk and Pike.
And I LOVE that they use the TOS movie warp effect and viewscreen sound. Those are the little details that a non fan wouldnāt even notice, but they mean so much to me.
Itās noticeable that these scenes are being written by TNG writers. The dialog is particularly TNG sounding, specifically in relation to the use of technobabble.
The CGI effects for the nexus ribbon look awesome. Even today it stands up as a really cool looking effect.
The use of el aurian refugees fleeing the borg was a pretty cool idea. And the brief appearance of both Soran and Guinan on screen during this part of the movie is important, because it ties it in to the main 24th century section.
I assume that most people listening would be aware that the script was originally written for Spock and McCoy, not Scotty and Checkov, which is why Checkov is suddenly running sickbay. This kinda works for me because I can believe that as a former security chief and first officer, heād have had some medical training.
But his line āYou and you, you just became nurses,ā sounds very much like a McCoy line.
When Harriman gives Kirk the bridge, I like how he hesitates just for a minute, savouring the chance to sit in the captainās chair, before realising thatās not his place.
It also makes sense that Harriman was going to go. He feels pretty useless on the bridge of his ship right now, especially with Kirk there. But Kirk sees potential, maybe even some familiarity in the young man, telling him that his place is on the bridge of HIS ship.
And then the ribbon hits, blowing kirk out into space. And just like prophesied in Star Trek 5, he died alone. Ok, maybe prophesied is too strong a word.
I knew this couldnāt be the last weād see of Kirk. I knew he shared screen time with Picard in the trailer. Still, as Scotty and Checkov race to deck fifteen, I held my breath. No. It couldnāt be.
They couldnāt let Kirk die!
I still felt that loss.
OF course, we have a continuity problem here, because when Scotty beamed aboard the Enterprise D in the episode relics, he said āI bet Captain Kirk has come out of retirement.ā
Itās hard to know how to fix that.
And then we jump forward 78 years into the future. And this is a little jarring because it starts off on a sailing ship on the holodeck. If you werenāt familiar with the Next Generation youād be really confused by this.
Worf is definitely due toe promotion having served on the Enterprise D for 7 years, over 6 as security chief.
And I like that they would celebrate an event like this on the holodeck.
This is the kind of sequence weād never have had on the TV show. And it looks great in itās widescreen high definition glory.
I found the attitudes of the crew quite hypocritical in this scene. When Riker removes the plank, plunging Work into the cold water, everyone laughs. Crusher says itās all in good fun. But when Data pushes Crusher in, everyone is horrified. And Crusher, who advised him to live in the moment and have some fun is angry at him.
WHAT?
Maybe Iām too much an android myself, but I donāt see the difference.
We donāt know whatās in the message Picard gets, but Patrick Stewart sells it very well with his acting. We know something terrible has happened.
This movie has a very different visual look to it than the TV show. Theyāre very close to a star, so thereās an orange tint to everything, including the exterior shots of the enterprise, and the inside of the ship, that orange light coming through the windows.
And I REALLY like this. IT looks fantastic, and reminds us that this isnāt a TV show anymore. It gave the whole thing a more cinematic look that I really appreciated.
Also, I love the new com badges. Keeping the old uniforms helped give us something familiar to hold onto, but changing the com badges showed that we have moved into a new era.
Picard is already showing clear signs of some kind of emotional trauma. Troi is sending it, not that she really needs empathic abilities for that! But I love the look on her face. Nice non-verbal acting from Marina Sirtis.
The transporter beam has been changed for the movie. Similar enough that itās not too jarring, but different enough that it feels more ā¦.. movie-ish.
And as we see Soranās face peeking through the rubble, we see our first connection between these otherwise very disparate stories.
They do a great job with the dead romulan, of making it realistically gory but with green blood instead of red. Green blood is something that could easily come across as cheesy. But it doesnāt.
So given his failure to understand humour, and Crusherās reaction to his attempt (Which I donāt blame him for, because I donāt understand it either), Data has decided to install the emotion chip that Doctor Soong created for him, which he got from Lore at the end of Descent.
The chip suddenly looks a lot bigger than last we saw it.
In Descent, Data didnāt install the chip because he was worried that emotion might lead him to harm others. His friendship with Geordi was too important to him.
In this movie, his reason for not having used it until now is a fear that it might overload his neural net.
I understand the need to not ask too much of the audience in a movie. They want to sell as many tickets as possible. They donāt want to rely on people having seen every episode of the TV show. I make this work in my head by saying that there were two reasons Data didnāt use the chip. Geordi mentions the technological one because he is an engineer, responsible for Dataās maintenance, and because honestly, he had more faith in Dataās humanity than even Data does.
So this is one of the controversial elements of the movie. Some people didnāt like the addition of emotions to Data. Some just found his behaviour after installation to be extremely annoying. Michael Piller lamented the chip when he came to write Insurrection. He liked the pinocchio aspect of Dataās character and thought it a shame that movie audiences never got to see that side of Data.
To me, personally, Iām a fan of character development. I hate it when writers chain themselves to the status quo. I like the worlds in my stories to change, and the people that inhabit those worlds to change even moreso.
So, in my opinion, this was a good time for Data to install the chip, to take his character to the next level.
Picardās ready room and ten forward both look awesome with the new lighting. I love it!
So Data tries a drink offered to him by Guinan. This is the first example of his odd behaviour with the chip. I will admit that Data does get a little annoying in this movie, especially when heās cracking jokes and laughing maniacally on the station, but this works for me. Data is new to emotions. He has no idea how to deal with them. Can you imagine suddenly, a lifetime of emotions, related to all of your memories, suddenly flooding into your system. I donāt think Iād handle them any better than Data does. Imagine experiencing fear for the very first time. It would be crippling. Yeah, in my opinion, this stuff is all very nicely done.
Dataās jokes here are not supposed to amuse us. They certainly donāt amuse Geordi. Weāre seeing the whole thing through Geordiās eyes.
So we apparently El Aurians have some mild telepathic abilities. Soran is able to see Picardās pain. He senses it is related to fire and burning. He understands that Picard is struggling with issues of regret and things not done.
This makes it very easy for him to manipulate Picard into allowing him onto the station.
I can buy that El Aurians have these kinds of senses. Itās probably what gives them the reputation for being such good listeners.
Youāll notice that over the course of this movie, the crew slowly transitions from the traditional TNG uniforms to the newer DS9/Voyager uniforms. This makes sense to me because this IS a time of uniform transition.I wonder if there are any rules or guidelines regarding when they should wear particular uniforms.
Now we come to one of the most powerful scenes in the movie.
Picard is looking through his family photo albums and Troi comes to see him. This is a wonderful character scene for both of them. I love this scene because it gives Troi the chance to actually matter. Something that didnāt really happen in any of the other TNG movies. Troi actually gets to be a counsellor.
We learn that Picardās brother Robert and his nephew Rene have tragically burned to death in a fire.
This is heart-breaking to hear. Doubly so because we met these characters back in the fourth season episode family.
Patrick Stewartās acting in this scene is absolutely phenomenal.
This scene is the thematic and emotional heart of the movie.
Iāve heard it said that the theme this movie is trying to explain is essentially a copy of the aging theme in Star Trek II. But I see a lot of difference between the two.
In Star Trek II, Kirk was basically having a mid-life crisis. Filled with the regret of the loss of the glory days. Feeling like he could never get those days back again.
Picardās experience is very different. Picard never lost his glory days. Heās living the dream right now. Heās captain of the Enterprise. Picardās issue is all about legacy. Yes, Picard is aware that he is aging, that there are āfewer days ahead than there are behind,ā as he puts it.
But that doesnāt bother him so much. He takes comfort in his family legacy. The family will go on. And Rene is very much like Jean-Luc. He is the closest thing he has to a child of his own, and to Jean-Luc, that is quite enough. Heās content with that.
But now that legacy has been stolen from him. Iām sure there are other members of the Picard family alive. Cousins, second cousins. Extended family. But the line of Maurice Picard, of Robert and Jean-Luc, that is gone. And there is no longer any hope that this can be changed.
Time has been cruel to Picard. It has taken away his hopes for the future.
I love that this film, with everything else thatās packed into it, still takes the time to explore some weighty emotional issues with itās characters. Well done, I say. Well done.
And I love the transition from Picard talking, to the sudden implosion seen through the window.
Having spoken with Troi, Picard is able to switch his professionalism back on.
So, a nice touch, Soran is working with the Duras Sisters, rogue Klingons. This is cool because it allows the movie to have a familiar traditional bad guy, the klingons, that fans of the original series and movies would be familiar with, even though in this time, the klingons are our allies.
To fans of TNG, these are familiar popular characters. To other viewers, theyāre just Klingons who are clearly meant to be villains. It works on both levels.
The actors that portray Lursa and Bāetor do a great job of portraying their characters.
I like the little moment when Soran waves his hand in front of his face, suggesting the Klingons donāt smell so good. Just a little bit of visual story-telling.
Crusher identifies Soranās past and figures out Guinan likely knows him, since she was on the lakul with him back when Kirk rescued them.
Why is crusher doing biographical research on him?
Anyway, this is handy because Guinan is able to give Picard more information on his enemy.
I like Guinanās quarters. They look kind of exotic. Lots of candles.
Iāve always liked the character of Guinanan, and in this movie, Whoopi Goldburg shows us a rarely seen vulnerable side of the character.
Strangely, Goldbuerg is not credited in this movie. I wonder why.
The Enterprise D model that flies by is, I believe, the same model used for the TV show. And yet, in this shot, it seems weightier. It feels like a big heavy ship. Is it the camera used to shoot it? The widescreen aspect ratio? Iām not sure.
The new stellar cartography set is really cool, with those massive screens that encircle them. I remember feeling quite impressed by it when I first saw this movie.
This scene pulls double duty. It is an exposition scene where they find out what Soranās plan is. But at the same time, it does some really nice character stuff with Data and Picard.
Both of them are struggling with their emotions. Picard just has a little more experience to draw on than data does. Itās good stuff.
Speaking of Soranās plan, itās a bit dumb. But weāll come to that a bit later.
I understand why the Duras sisters are willing to exchange Geordi for Picard, even if Picard is beamed down to Soranās location. They want to use his visor to spy on the ship so they can destroy it. But why doesnāt Picard suspect their surprising agreement?
Veridian III looks amazing. This was all shot at the Valley of Fire State Park, and man it looks awesome. Especially shot with the cinema cameras and rendered in high def on blu-ray.
Such rugged beauty, so exotic and alien looking. I canāt say enough good about this location. Itās fantastic.
So Soran is willing to destroy two stars, and at least one entire planet populated by people. Just to divert the nexus ribbon to a place he can enter it. When Picard asks why he doesnāt just fly into it with a ship, Dataās excuse is that any ship that has approached the ribbon has been destroyed or damaged. Soran says his plan is the only way.
But we know this isnāt true. Yes, Soranās ship might be destroyed, butā¦.heāll still end up in the Nexus. We'll shortly have proof of that when we see Kirk in the Nexus. He was blown out into space and sucked into the nexus by the ribbon. Pleasantly, that means all those lakul survivors that Scotty couldnāt save also ended up in the nexus. Thatās nice.
The whole thing comes across as a bit convoluted. I understand the writers of this movie were under extreme time pressure, so I can understand why this is what they came up with, but I do acknowledge that it doesnāt really work for me.
But what does work is the character stuff between Picard and Soran. I like how Picard calls back to the borg. Soranās perspective is almost convincing. Weāre all going to die sometime anyway, so is it really so bad that I make it happen a little earlier for a few people so I can experience an eternity of joy?
The Duras sisterās plan is kind of clever and works for me. Theyāve modified Geordiās visor to transmit what he sees, and they see the shield nutation frequency on a panel. That allows them to get through the enterprise shields and actually inflict damage.
But this leads into what I consider to be the first really big negative in this movie.
This battle between the Enterprise and the bird of prey is pretty weak, and honestly, not a great way for our beloved ship to go down.
It always struck me as silly that the Enterprise takes shot after shot, through its shields, yet they get one single torpedo hit on their ship and the whole thing blows up.
The whole sequence feels very weak and pathetic.
The biggest issue, as others have pointed out before me, is that itās all solved with technobabble. If you want to go into more detail on this, just listen to the youTube Lorerunner rant about this scene.
And do you notice that the shot of the bird of prey exploding is a recycled shot from Star Trek VI? I did, even back in the day. The budget must have been really tight for them to have done that.
Although, in the directorās commentary, David Carson talks about watching them shoot the destruction of the Klingon Ship, soā¦.Iām not sure what to make of that.
And so, the writers decide to do what had only been done once before, Theyāre going to destroy a much-loved Starship Enterprise. It made sense to do this.
Firstly, it added bigger, more intense stakes to the movie. Theyād never have done this in the show.
But more importantly, it allowed them to make a new Enterprise for subsequent movies. Remember, these sets were created back in the 80s for a standard definition TV show. They did some good stuff in this movie to make the Enterprise D look good on the big screen, but the Enterprise E was made for the big screen, and as I said in my First Contact video, it looked fantastic.
Sadly, the destruction of the Enterprise D was done very badly. It lacks the thematic and emotional resonance that the destruction of the original Enterprise had in Star Trek III. It is lost because of a battle they should have won with a silly little old bird of prey.
However, after the loss of the stardrive section, the whole battle thing is redeemed, in my opinion by a truly amazing sequence as the saucer section crashes onto Veridian III.
First off, let me say that Dataās swear word got a lot of audible laughter from the theatre when I first watched it, and yes, I laughed too.
The crash landing looks amazing. Seriously, I could just watch this sequence all day long. ITās spectacular. The Enterprise has never felt so big. So weighty. The way it cuts through the trees and scoops up dirt from the surface of the planet.
Man, I canāt say enough good things about it. I Love it.
It blew me away in the cinema, and it still blows me away now. This may just be the best visual sequence out of any Star Trek movie.
And then, after all the firstworks, we have that silent moment as Troi tells Data heās ok. And the sad music starts to swell, as we come to fully realise that the Enterprise, our Enterprise, is gone.
So Picard tries to stop Soran, but he fails. The probe is launched. The star is destroyed. While it doesnāt make sense for the sky to dim so immediately, it IS a beautiful visual image of the ribbon travelling through a near sun-set sky.
And then when the shockwave hits Veridian III, we get another cool visual - the destruction of Veridian III, which honestly, rivals the destruction of Vulcan in Star Trek 2009.
This next bit is a little disorienting, but it doesnāt take a genius to figure out that Picard is in the Nexus, and he is living out his greatest fantasy.
Picard is married and surrounded by a big bunch of kids.
Itās a shame his wife is a random nobody, rather than Crusher. But I do note that Picardās wife looks somewhat similar to crusher.
This all ties in thematically with Picardās terrible loss, and the stuff he talked about with Troi.
As Picard looks at the Christmas tree, he sees what appears to be an exploding star on one of the Christmas baubles. I always assumed that this was an image of Veridian III exploding, that it was the Nexusās way of reminding Picard of what it had cost for him to be here in this paradise. Kind of a nasty passive aggressive jab to prick his conscience. This would also imply some intelligence behind the nexus.
While this all seemed super obvious to me, apparently not everybody thought so, as there have been discussions online about what itās all about.
What do you think?
The sudden appearance of Guinan doesnāt entirely make sense. The whole concept of an echo, a part of herself she left behind isnāt well developed and not that well explained.
But it serves as a mechanism for some exposition and introduces us to the fact that Kirk is alive and well, after all this time, in the Nexus himself.
Picard is apparently able to travel from his own fantasy into Kirkās.
Finally, after all these years, we get to see Kirk and Picard share the screen together.
Itās not exactly in the setting we might have hoped it would be, but it was still exciting to see them together.
Itās a shame they invented the woman antonia, instead of using Carol Marcus, who it should have been.
We can speculate that this moment in Kirkās life takes place some time between The Motion Picture and Star Trek II. Thereās quite a period of time there where Kirk wasnāt happy with his career. I can imagine he left Starfleet for a time and then decided to return, even if it meant resuming his former position as admiral.
Unlike Picard, Kirk is fully embracing this fantasy. I donāt think the movie has really given us enough background to what heās dealing with. Picardās character arc in this movie works. Kirkās not so much.
At this point in the movie, my feelings are that I liked what we got, but I would have loved something different. Kirk never gets to see the Enterprise D. He never gets to meet any of the rest of the crew. I would have liked to see Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise A come face to face with the crew of the Enterprise D. I would have liked to see those two crews work together. Of course, bringing together that many characters would have been a challenge, and would have given few of them a satisfying role.
Generations was put together quickly, and I believe the writers, Ronald D moore and Branon Brage werenāt entirely happy with it themselves. Thereās no doubt that with more time for writing, this movie could have been something much greater, but thereās still a lot to like in what we actually got.
So Kirk quickly realises that nothing in the nexus matters. He gives Picard a speech about never leaving the bridge of his ship and they return to Veridian III just before Soran destroys the star.
IT seems silly that they didnāt give themselves more time. That could have chosen anywhere anytime.
Now that the writers had brought Kirk into the 24th century, they have to decide what to do with him. IT wouldnāt have made sense to send him back and rewrite all that established history. They could have left him alive in this new time period, and at the time, I was in favour of that, but over time Iāve come to agree that it made good sense to kill Kirk in the climax of this film.
But is Kirkās death fitting?
Hmm. Not entirely, but I donāt think itās as bad as some people make out.
First, letās acknowledge that it was originally much worse. Before they showed this to test audiences, they had Kirk shot in the back by a dying Soran after remarking that the 24th century isnāt so tough. Obviously, that was not just a terrible idea, but an insulting one.
They wisely went back and re-shot this sequence with a new death, in which Kirk has to risk his life to get the control pad.
Iāve heard some say they think Kirk should have died aboard the Enterprise. In space.
But I donāt know. This seems a very Kirk way to die.
Kirk was always beaming down to rocky planets like this and getting into fist fights. It seems fitting that this would be the way he would die.
So Iām with it.,
It was still sad to see Picard bury his predecessor, realising that weād never again see Kirk.
Kirkās moment of death is extremely well acted by William Shatner. Possibly his best acting moment.
And the music does itās job well here too.
So having experienced 261 distinct emotional states Data is beginning to learn how to control his emotions, rather than allow them to control him.
Which of course makes perfect sense.
The data weāll see in the next movie will be less annoying and more human.
Good character development, until Insurrection and Nemesis mess it all up.
But those tears, ugh. That was silly and didnāt work for me.
As Picard rummages through the ruins of his office, looking for his photo album, he tosses something over his shoulder, showing complete disregard for it. This was terrible. This object had tremendous scientific and archeological significance, not to mention huge emotional significance as it was given to him by his old mentor, professor Galen. That really annoys me.
So, that was Star Trek Generations. Despite its flaws, I really like this movie.
And I hope you have enjoyed revisiting it with me.
So, that was Star Trek Generations. You know, thereās actually only one Next Generation movie that we havenāt talked about on the podcast yet. And that, of course, is Insurrection. So I will be doing an episode about that at some point in the reasonably near future.
Now, if you like Star Trek, then donāt forget that my series of books, Jewel of The Stars, is very Star Treky in nature, itās actually about a cruise ship in space on the run from an alien amarda after Earth has fallen to an invasion. You can actually read the entire first episode, completely for free now, going to wattpad and searching for Jewel of The Stars by Adam David Collings, or you can pick it up in any ebook format from the major retailers for 99 cents. And it is also available in paperback.
Well, next episode weāre gonna be doing something a little different. Iāll be talking about the movie Stargate Origins: Catherine, so Iāll see you for that in two weeks time
Live long and prosper
Make it so.
Who doesn't love Lord of The Rings? It was that epic story that birthed a genre. I've been using the Walk To Mordor app and a pedometer to re-tract Frodo and Sam's legendary journey from Hobbiton to Mordor. As I go, I'm also revisiting the movies and the books. In today's podcast, we talk about the beginning of the story, up until Buckleberry Ferry. So grab some lembas bread and let's go on an adventure!
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the Stars.
And I am a nerd
This is episode 22 of the podcast.
Today is the first installment of my Lord of The Rings, Read, Walk and Watch series.
If youāve been following my content anywhere, youāre most likely aware that Iāve been doing a walk to mordor challenge.
Using a pedometer, and an app on my phone called Walk to Mordor, I enter the distance Iāve walked at the end of each day, and the app tells me how far along the legendary journey from the Shire to Mordor I have travelled. There are lots of milestones along the way.
From time to time, Iāll be doing one of these episodes where I dig into the story of Lord of The Rings, discussing it as far where Iāve walked, drawing from both the books and the movies.
Iām not really going to be comparing the book and movie, Iām just going to be drawing from both.
In this installment, Iāll be talking about the beginning of the story, up and until Buckleberry Ferry
Lord of the Rings Part 1 The Fellowship Of The Ring was written by J.R.R Tokkien.
It was first published in 1954.
The movie was written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson.
It was directed by Peter Jackson
And first released in cinemas on the 19th of December 2001.
The description on IMDB reads
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
So. Letās go on an adventure.
My first experience with Lord of The Rings was seeing Fellowship of the Ring at the cinema. I hadnāt read the book prior to this, and was blown away by the epic scope of the story.
So Iām not a hard-core lifelong Tolkien fan. There are many people who cold run rings around me in terms of their knowledge of the lore of Lore of The Rings.
So Iām not doing this as an expert, just a nerd geeking out of a story that I think we can all agree is pretty darn awesome.
Both the book and the movie start off giving us backstory and setup, but they do it in very different ways. The prologue to the novel reads somewhat like a non-fiction book written in universe. No book would ever be published today if it began this way, but there is a certain old-fashion charm to this prologue.
While the book focuses on the smaller details, the history of hobbits, and how Bilbo came to have the ring, the movie delves right back to the creation of the ring and the first battle with Sauron. Important aspects of the world that the books keep a mystery for now.
I think both were the correct choices for the given medium.
See, I said the point of this wasnāt to compare the two, but given the different ways they start, itās kind of hard not to.
This opening sequence for the movie sets up the stakes from the beginning. We know how powerful, and how dangerous this ring is. So when it comes into Frodoās possession, we already fear for him. These sequences were great to watch. This movie was pretty revolutionary in itās use of CGI to create huge armies.
It was the feat for the eyes when it first came out, and is still impressive today, although no longer unique.
I like the sense of wonder you get as history become legend and legend became myth over 2 and a half thousand years.
The extended version of the movie actually follows the prologue of the book more closely. Narrated by Bilbo.
I only saw the extended version about a year ago, so itās still pretty new and exciting to me.
The set for Hobbiton is awesome. Iāve always loved it. You canāt watch this and not just want to be transported there.
And of course the music! It fits the visuals so well and has got to be one of the most memorable pieces of movie music ever. I love it.
The new scene where Bilbo has a panic attack because he canāt find the ring is a nice touch. IT shows the addictive powers that it has over those it owns.
Bilbo and Frodo kind of represent two different responses to the amazing World Tolkien created. Bilbo is tired of living in the idyylic shire. He wants to go and travel, to experience advanture again.
Frodo also has some interest in adventure, but he is still in love with the shire. And who wouldnāt be? I can identify with both of them. Iād want to go and see the whole of Middle Earth. But Iād want to know the Shire is still there to return to. If thereās one thing the story shows us at the beginning, itās that life in the shire is very very good.
One of the best things about being a hobbit would be how much they love food.
They also like drinking beer and smoking pipe weed, neither of which interest me, but I loooove food.
Bilbo has some genuine regret about leaving Frodo behind. Heās the only family that Bilbo actually likes.
Bibloās behaviour regarding the ring stimulates Gandalfās suspicions straight away.
He doesnāt know the full story, but thereās definitely something off about it.
The ring hadnāt been used in decades. When Bilbo uses it to escape, he doesnāt seem to suffer any effects. No scary flaming eye staring at him. But that moment of usage is probably what first gets Sauronās attention. The ring calls out to him after all these years. Now he must retrieve it.
And so, Golumn is captured and tortured.
I like the scene in the movie where Gandalf is researching the ring. I know itās just him reading to himself, but it adds a real sense of history.
Life continues as it always has back in the shire. They eat, they dance, they sing. Itās a truly joyful moment when we see them in the pub.
And then Gandalf shows up to share what he has learned with Frodo.
For that one moment, when Frodo says there is no text, I think Gandalf thinks maybe, just maybe he was wrong. But when Frodo says the Elvish writing has appeared, his face just dropped.
So this trinket that Bilbo passed on to Frodo is the one ring. Such a significant and ancient thing. While both Frodo and Galdalf must be feeling a lot of fear and dread in this moment, thereās got to also be a profound sense of wonder that theyād be feeling as well. I know I would. Which, I suppose, is a problem, because itās just another thing that makes the ring more enticing.
This discovery about the ring comes in parallel with Gandalf learning of the return of Sauron and the regathering of forces at Mordor. Even the hobbits are talking. They know something is brewing in the wider world.
We learn here that the ring is basically sentient. It has a consciousness. It thinks. It has desires. This is because Sauron poured part of himself into the ring. Itās like a piece of his consciousness possessing the inanimate object. Without that, this is just a piece of gold like any other.
When Frodo learns the truth about the ring, his first impulse is to hide it. Itās actually impressive how quickly he formulates a good plan. āNobody knows itās here. We just bury it and never speak of it again.ā Thatās a good plan, and it could have worked, maybe for thousands more years. Except that itās too late. Because of Golum. Sauron got to Gollum first and has told him exactly where to find the ring. Shire. Baggins. That will take the enemy literally to Frodoās front door.
This is the point in the book where we get an interesting discussion about mercy, a discussion that happens much later in the movie.
Frodo wishes that Bilbo had just killed Gollum back when he found the ring. If he had, their problems would be over. They could hide the ring and Sauron would probably never find it.
It actually comes across a little callous, just how quick Frodo is to wish death upon another, even a creature as wretched as Gollum.
Specifically, Frodo says āItās a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature , when he had the chance.ā
And Gandalf replies āPity? It was pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure, that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the ring with pity.ā
Frodo admits he has no pity for Gollum, and that it is because of his fear. And isnāt that so true of fear, and the things attitudes it leads to. He says Gollum deserves death.
āDeserves it,ā Gandalf says. āI dare say he does. Many that live deserve death . And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.ā
I really like this conversation. As for myself, I value things like mercy and compassion, so I love what Gandalf says.
At this point, Frodo just wants to give the ring to Gandalf. He doesnāt want any part in it.
And Gandalf immediately refuses.
It is far too great a temptation for him.
The ring has great power, and if he possessed it, he would want to use that power for good. But the ring would work great evil through him.
This isnāt just a question of power corrupting, something I donāt take as a given.
The ring itself is evil. It has its own will. So the ring doesnāt just represent neutral power.
To me, the ring has always been a pretty strong representation of temptation and sin.
This is seen thematically through the whole story.
Gandalf doesnāt believe he has the necessary willpower to resist that temptation when it comes, and he is very wise to recognise that, so he chooses to excercise that willpower now, and refuse the ring. Better never to possess it.
But what does that say about Frodo? He wants Frodo to keep it. He worries that it will be a great burden to Frodo, of course, but I think he recognises a moral strength in Frodo that most lack, including himself.
And then they realise that Sam was outside the window, and we get that awesome amusing line āI āaint been dropping no eaves.ā I love that line. Itās not some witty one-liner, itās just a statement that comes out of a genuine simple misunderstanding.
Gandalf warns Frodo to never put the ring on. Itās use will draw the attention of Sauronās servents. It wants to be found. And thatās chilling. Anyway, weāll see how that goes in the future.
And so, here is where my walk actually begins.
Frodo and Sam leave Bag End. Thatās the starting point on my walk to Mordor app.
Itās taken this long just to get to the starting point.
But itās been well worth it.
So within less than a page, we hit my very first milestone. Tookland. Itās just a sentance they says they passed through tookland. This is where Pippinās family are from.
From here on, the order of events is a little different between the movie and the book, but they both follow the same points. My Walk to Mordor app obviously follows the book.
As theyāre walking through a paddock, Sam stops. And he says āThis is it. If I take one more step, itāll be the furthest from home Iāve ever been.ā
I like this recognition of the significance of this moment. Itās not an expression of fear, or anxiety, about being so far from home. Itās simply an acknowledgement of something that feels significant to Sam.
I understand this.
I went on my first cruise a few years ago. I was 39 at the time, and Iād never been outside of Australia. This would be my very first time setting foot in another country. I felt like Neil Armstrong.
I remember that morning at our first port, Noumea, the capital city of New Caledonia. I stepped slowly down the gangway toward the soil of another nation.
I say soil, but it was actually concrete. It was a dreary industrial port, but that wasnāt the point.
This was a significant moment for me. Unfortunately, the staff were hurrying us on to get a photo, so I didnāt really get to stop and really take in that moment, savour it, like Sam is doing here.
Even before Saruman is revealed to be evil, there are hints. Isenguard looks very dark and creepy. Sauramon looks at Sauron, and his armies, and he can find no logical way to defeat him. Faced with what he believes is inevitable defeat, he believes the only option left is to join Sauron, because it is impossible to oppose him.
Gandalf accuses Saruman of abandoning reason for madness. But it could be argued that Sauramonās choice here is governed by pure reason. Cold unfeeling logic. Absolute pragmatism.
Gandalf has one thing that Saruman lacks. Faith. That there are forces in this world other than the forces of evil, that even in the face of seemingly impossible odds, there is still reason to hope. That even a hobbit, could, in fact, oppose the will of Sauron.
Itās illogical. It doesnāt add up mathematically. But choosing faith is a preferable option to him than giving in to the evil.
And I really love that about Gandalf.
Also, I gotta say, what was Tolkien thinking, naming Sauron and Saruman such similar names. And given that Saruman ends up working for Sauron. Thatās really on the nose. One of the first things a modern author is taught is not to give characters names that will get confused with one another. Try not to even have two main characters whose name starts with the same letter.
Then we reach my second milestone, the encounter with the black rider.
The movie does an especially good job of this. Itās so creepy. Frodo senses something off about the black rider before he even appears. He is, of course, a ring wraith. Itās such a tense moment as it stops near the tree theyāre hiding under and sniffs.
Frodo is really tempted to use the ring to hide. Even though Gandalf warned him not to. It takes Sam to keep him from doing it.
If heād put it on, it would have all been over. The rider would have sensed the ring more strongly and kill them then and there.
My next walking milestone is a meeting with the elves at the 65 km mark. Thatās a fair chunk of walking. And Frodo still hasnāt even left the borders of the shire.
At this point in the book, Frodo is getting worried about Gandalf, who was supposed to show up for his farewell party, but hasnāt been heard from.
In the movie, the encounter with the elves is brief, Frodo and Sam spy them in the distance but donāt actually make contact. They are already aware that the elves are heading to the harbour, leaving middle earth forever. This makes me think of, and is very likely the inspiration for, the first ones from Babylon 5, going beyond the rim and leaving our galaxy. Itās a powerful trope. Itās like all the magic is leaving the world.
Sam says it makes him feel sad. I get that. Sheridan expressed a similar feeling in Babylon 5. Delennās response was ānow we make our own magic.ā
The last milestone Iāll talk about in this episode is Farmer Maggotās field.
In the movie, Farmer Maggotās field is where they finally meet up with Merry and Pippin. Keep in mind that this is further than Sam has ever been from home. Keep in mind, theyāve travelled two nights and at least one and a half days. My Walk to Mordor app says itās 98 km from Bag End. But they find Merry and Pippin casually here stealing crops. It doesnāt quite add up. Have those two travelled two days and slept under the stars two nights just to come here and steal some carrots? It sounds like they do this almost every week.
By the way, it says a lot about hobbits that they so love raw vegetables they rebellious young hobbits would steal vegetables with such glee. Itās not just junk food that they take delight in. They love their vegies too.
Of course, in the book, they go and have a drink with farmer maggot. The stealing of crops is just part of Frodoās childhood backstory.
The main point of all of these encounters seems to be to remind us that the black riders are dangerous and to re-emphasise that they are actively searching for Frodo.
But thereās a little moment I like when Frodo says āIāve been afraid of you and your dogs for over 30 years. Itās a pity as I have missed out on a good friend.ā
And thatās so true, isnāt it. Fear can make us miss out on all sorts of things, including friendships with people who may not be at all as we feared them to be.
Also, Iād like to point out that while Frodo, Sam, and Pippin got to ride all the way to the ferry in Maggotās wagon, I had to walk all that way!
Anyway, that brings us to the fifth milestone on my journey. Buckleberry Ferry.
So Iām going to leave it here for this time. Itās been a fun journey so far and there is plenty more to come.
Next time I do a Lord of the Rings Read, Walk and Watch, weāll meet Tom Bombadil.
Until then, happy walking.
Feel free to add me as a friend on the Walk To Mordor app, if youāre using it.
And Iāll see you somewhere in Middle Earth.
Next time I do a Lord of the Rings Read, Walk and Watch, weāll meet Tom Bombadil.
Feel free to add me as a friend on the Walk To Mordor app, if youāre using it.
Next time on Nerd Heaven, in two weeks time, Iāll be talking about Star Trek Generations, that epic meeting between captains Jean-Luc Picard and James T. Kirk. Iāve got plenty to say about the movie, so I hope youāll join me.
Until then,
Live Long and Prosper.
Make it so.
My history with Star Trek began in the year 1986 when I received a "Star Trek Annual" as a Christmas present. That launched me into a lifelong love of the franchise. In today's podcast, I tell the story of my history with Star Trek.
I'd love to hear your Star Trek history stories as well. Drop me a comment wherever you listen to this podcast.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AdamDavidCollings
Star Trek Picard's season finale "Et in Arcadia Ego Part 2" has arrived. We finally get to see some turn of the century Starfleet ships, plus a welcome familiar face. So what did I think of the climax? I talk about what worked for me, and what didn't. It's been a wild ride over the last ten weeks. I've enjoyed the journey, and I hope you'll continue to join me on Nerd Heaven now that Star Trek Picard is finished. There's plenty more to come!
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 20 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking the 10th episode and season finale of Star Trek Picard Et in Arcadia ego Part 2.
And yes, apparently, itās et, not et. Itās apparently latin. Last week I interpreted it as a mixture of french and english. Which should probably be a little embarrassing.
So weāve made it all the way through season 1. Be sure to stick around to the end of this podcast, because Iāll be talking about what the future holds for Nerd Heaven now that Picard season 1 is finished.
Iām recording this episode on the 28th of March 2020. And right now, basically the entire world are being told to stay in their homes unless absolutely necessary, due to the spread of covid 19. Itās a crazy time. But at least we have new Star Trek to talk about.
The description for this episode on memory alpha reads
Picard and his team are pitted against the Romulans and the synthetics of Coppelius in a final confrontation.
The teleplay was by Michael Chabon.
The story was by Michael Chabon and Akiva Goldsman
It was directed by Akiva Goldsman
And it first aired on the 26th of March 2020.
Make it so.
I love that opening shot of the Borg cube crashed on the shore of the ocean.
And we see that Narak has arrived. Makes sense this would be the place heād go.
Elnor and Seven are just sitting around in the dark talking about xbs. Why did they stay behind again? One of the downsides of this show seems to be under-utilising certain characters, such as these two. I think this scene epitomises that problem.
However, itās a great scene.
Elnor posits that because the xbs have no home, and are hated by everyone, that they might be better off dead.
Seven reminds him that sheās also an xb. Does that mean she should just kill herself?
The reason he gives that she should not, is that he would miss her. Nice little friendship growing between these two.
So in Elnorās philosophy, being loved by another is a reason to live. And it is. Itās one of the strongest driving forces that keeps us going through hard times. Itās also one of the most soul-destroying things that rob people of their hope, when they feel that nobody loves them.
And then surprise surprise. Rizzo is on the cube. This has me really confused. We saw her being attacked by xbs. At the last second she beamed aboard one of the Romulan ships and left the cube, heading for Coppelius. And then last week, we saw her commanding one of the warbirds, a day away from the planet. Unless that was Oh. We know sheās commanding the fleet now. But it seemed very clear to me, back in Broken Pieces, that she had beamed off the cube. So if weāre supposed to accept that sheās been hiding on the cube all this time, theyāve not done a good job of explaining it.
Now sheās on the cube, but the fleet hasnāt arrived yet. I was waiting for her to fade out, as a hologram. Very strange.
Weāll see the robot butterfly flapping about a lot in this episode. It could be symbolic. Iāll talk more about it later.
For now, Picard is envious of the freedom the butterfly has, since he is currently imprisoned.
Soji comes in to see him.
It seems she wasnāt being a double agent last week, when she agreed with her evil twin Sutra.
And she has the nerve to say to Picard āTry to see this from our point of view.ā
Weāre going to kill you, everyone you ever loved, and literally all organic life in the galaxy. But try to see it from our point of view.ā
She says of his plan to rescue them in his ship, āYou choose if we live. You choose if we die. You choose. We have no choice.ā
But thatās exactly what sheās doing right now. Sheās choosing whether people live or die, and sheās chosen for them to die.
The synths have legitimate grievances again organics, but she has become just like her enemy.
But she has become worse.
Worse than the Federation.
Not worse than the Zhat Vash, who want to exterminate all synthetic life. The synths and the Zhat Vash have become mirrors of each other. And both because of the same motivation. Fear. Again, weāll come back to this.
Picard says āTo say you have no choice is a failure of imagination.ā Which I think is a great line. And one that we can all apply to our own lives.
And as he points out, not only have the synths become the Zhat Vash, they have become the very monsters the Zhat Vash fear.
And so another party separates, leaving one of their number behind on the Borg cube. This time, Rizo remains to bring the weapons online. Not sure what she hopes to accomplish with the weapons of a grounded borg cube, but anyway.
And Elnor notices Narak and follows him.
Rios and Raffi are fixing the ship using the magic repair device. It feels like a technology that would be more at home in Doctor Who than Star Trek, but itās interesting. I do like the friendship these two have.
Altan Soong is an interesting one. He really is okay with all organic life being annihilated for the sake of his synths. As long as he gets to transfer into a synth body, of course.
He really believes Agnus is willing to help him do that, and then die herself. And heās okay with that as well.
The guy is a bit unhinged.
Of course, Agnus has no intention of helping him, or of dying.
Narak makes a good point to Rios. Heās trying to save the universe. And he is. While Narak and his sister are really not fantastic villains, this is one aspect of them that I like. They believe theyāre the good guys. Theyāre not just evil for evilās sake. I do like a villain who is the hero of their own story.
Right now, Narak and Rios have a common enemy, and a partially common goal. They need to stop the synths from calling in the supersynths. Of course, Narak wants to do that by eliminating all the synths. So working with him is very risky.
But maybe, just maybe, the partially genuine feelings he developed for Soji have softened him just a bit. Maybe heās hoping to find a way to save the universe without slaughtering the synths. Maybe thatās why he insisted that Rizo stay behind at the cube, because sheās more trigger-happy than he is.
I really like Elnorās innocence. He just says whatās on his mind like a kid. He looks across the campfire at Narak and says āI donāt like you.ā And yet, somehow, Evan Evagora sells it without it sounding silly or on the nose.
So Narak tells the story of ganmadan. Itās like the Romulan end times. Whatās interesting is that he says āsome say it dates back from long before our ancestors first arrived on vulcan.ā
Now, either this is a mistake in dialog, meant to say ābefore our ancestors arrived on Romulus from Vulcanā, or they are implying that Vulcans are not native to their homeworld, that they travelled their from somewhere else.
Which is a major game-changing idea to casually just drop into conversation like this. What are we supposed to make of this?
Anyway, Ganmadan is a story that is eerily reminiscent of what is going on, even more eerily reminiscent of what will soon happen later in the episode. Narak doesnāt believe itās a prophecy, he believes itās history. A history that will repeat itself.
Okay. So we know the super-nasty-synths from a higher plan have come and annihilated organic life before. But they were called by two sisters? It seems strangely coincidental that all those eons ago, it was synths made in sibling pairs, just like Maddoxās synths, that called the big bads.
So Iām left wondering. Is there more to it? Thereās no time-travel involved in this show. Will there be there in the future? Or is it supposed to truly be a real prophecy? Something none of the characters around this fireplace actually believe in?
I know it would probably be easier to pull off their plan in daylight, and the campfire scene allows the episode to give us some exposition in a dramatic way, but given the stakes, they seem to have very little sense of urgency. If I were them, Iād be trying to destroy that beacon as soon as possible.
They do that cutting back and force thing again here, and it works well for me here, because itās kinda reminiscent of a heist movie.
They hide the detonator in a soccer ball, which the synths let him carry into the village. Odd that heād happen to bring a soccer ball, but whatever. Iāll give them that one.
So agnus breaks Picard out of jail. I love Agnusās face when she says she thought sheād be a terrible secret agent, but sheās starting to think she may have a gift.
Picard and Agnus are talking about how to stop the synths. Technologically, theyāre more advanced, but theyāre also like children. Their only teachers have been a couple of hermits. And we already know that one of them, Soong, is a pretty unstable guy. Theyāve lived their lives under the threat of extermination.
Picard canāt single handedly take down the Romulan Fleet, or destroy the beacon, but he can teach the synths some better lessons. This is what heās good at. This is the speech-making Picard weāve known all these years. Who debated passionately with Q. Who pleaded with Soran to call of his genocide of the people in the Viridian system.
Picard is a man who influences and convinces. Thatās how heās going to save the day.
āYes, they have life, but nobody is teaching them what life is for. To be alive is a responsibility as well as a right.ā Heās going to teach them this lesson by example.
This is a pretty decent Picard speech, and will likely be remembered alongside many from TNG.
āFear is an incompetent teacher,ā he says. Feat has been an important theme throughout this show. Probably the most important. Everybody in this show is allowing their actions to be dictated by fear. The Zhat Vash, Starfleet, the synths. Theyāve all succumbed to it. Thatās the other thing about fear. None of us are immune to it. You know what would have made this theme even more powerful, is that if Picard himself had struggled with fear a little through this season, but overcame it in time to teach the galaxy this lesson.
Picard has had an arc, and he has struggled with things, but fear hasnāt been one of them. Which makes him come off, just a little pompous. But then, I guess thatās also been a bit of an aspect of Picardās character all these years. Heās the high idea, the one who teaches us all the error of our ways. This show has probably given us the most flawed Picard weāve ever had. So, Iāll not be too harsh here.
Actually, Iāve gotta say on second viewing, Iām really connecting with this more than the first time.
The thing is, at 94 years of age, Picard is no longer an action hero. Heās using what heās got. His mind. His mind, and his conscience are as keen as the day we first met him coming down the lift in the engine room of the newly commissioned Enterprise D.
And then we finally get our one and only āMake it soā in the season. And itās spoken, not by Picard, but by Agnes.
In a way that feels very much fan-service easter-egg.
I talked about this last week. āMake it soā is not something that should be fan service. Make it so is not an easter egg. Make it so is a very natural and regular part of Picardās vocabulary. I donāt think the writers of this show understand that.
It makes little sense for Agnus to say it. First of all, how does she even know itās a phrase of his. Heās never said it in front of her, at least not on screen.
Itās like theyāre thinking, āwe canāt put in too many easter eggs, and weāve got to mix them up, so weāll have Agnus say it.ā Totally missing the point there. As I said last week, there have been plenty of opportunities for Picard to say it very naturally. But instead, they give us this.
I know itās a small thing, but we Star Trek fans like to nitpick the small things. And this was a bit frustrating to me.
Anyway, moving on.
So Soong learns the truth. Saga was killed not by Narak, but by Sutra, who let Narak go.
So he decides to become one of the good guys. He confronts Sutra and de-activates her.
But remember, minutes ago, this was the man who was quite okay with all organic life being obliterated. This is a little too much for me. Itās not that the realisation that heās been played makes him join the good guys, itās the fact that he went so far the other way first. Iām afraid itās not quite working for me.
Soong realises at this moment that heās been a bad teacher. His line as she falls is kinda telling, though. āTurns out, youāre no better than we are.ā It seems that Soong believed the synths were better than humanity. Superior, not just physically, but morally. Perhaps thatās why he was willing to let all organic life die. This line helps, but his turn is still too jarring, from super-super-evil-moustache-twirler to reasonable man.
And Iām afraid I have to point out that Elnor and Narak punching and kicking synths is ridiculous. All theyād get for their trouble would be broken fingers and ankles. These are androids. Metal and plastic. Super strong. And super fast. Honestly, thereās no way our heroes should succeed here. But of course, they donāt.
For a second there, I thought Soji was going to turn good and help them. But no, she throws the detonator into the sky.
Sheās really still okay with comitting genocide.
Iām ok with the other synths being committed to this plan. As picard says theyāre children whoāve not been taught well. But until recently, Soji thought she was human. And sheās begun to develop relationships with humans.
Anyway
Rizo is trying to use the Borg weapons to destroy La Sierena. But Seven shows up to stop her.
I always thought Elnor would be the one to kill Rizo, but Iām okay with Seven doing it. In fact, that may be even more satisfying. Especially when she says āthis is for hugh.ā
Rizoās prejudice against rescued former borg is inconsistent. She doesnāt treat her aunt Ramdha with hate, or call her a half-meat. But itās probably a mistake to look for logic or consistency in hate.
Have I mentioned before that I quite like the designs of the new Romulan warbirds?
Oh orders her people to sterilise the entire planet.
I feel like the episode should be over at this point. They should have been able to destroy the settlement before the orchids even made it into orbit.
Anyway, those orchids buy us a little time.
I have quite mixed feelings about this next part of the episode.
So Agnus and Picard come up with a plan, inspired by the old Picard Maneuver he used on the Stargazer against a Ferengi vessel all those decades ago.
Picardās plan here is to show Soji a better way. Her specifically. Sheās the one he can reach. Sheās the one heās been building a relationship with all this time.
Heās not just trying to stop the synths from unleashing hell. Heās also trying to stop the Romulans from killing the synths. In effect, heās on both sides of the conflict, or on neither.
He wants Soji to know that despite what sheās doing, he still wants to save her people, to find an option that works for all.
Again, Oh orders all ships to target the nest. Then a good 30 seconds before Picardās fake ships even appear. The nest should now be destroyed. But no, the Romulan ships are just sitting there, their guns glowing. Doing nothing.
And Oh is so distracted by the site of La Sirenna. One ship. āWhat is that?ā she asks, like sheās seen something amazing.
This is not a new problem. TNG often had the crew of the Enterprise sitting around like stunned mullets when they should have been acting. This time around, itās the villains.
Then Agnus pulls off the trick. Lots of fake La Sierannas. It distracts the Romulans for a moment or two, but it doesnāt actually achieve anything.
Except, I guess, it buys them a little more time for Starfleet to get there.
But before that can happen, the brecon activates. It opens a whole in space. A portal.
Again Oh, is so slow. Does it really take that long to re-target their distruports? āOn my command. Now Iāll start into space dramatically for a few seconds beforeI give the command. Oh. too late. Starfleet are here now.ā
However, the arrival of Starfleet was a great moment.
Weāve been wanting to see some turn-of-the-century Starfleet ships, and finally we get some.
This is the moment weāve been waiting for.
We spot some modern upgrades to the nebula class, an excitingly, a couple of sovereign classes! Could one of these be the Enterprise? Has the Enterprise E been retired or destroyed at this point? We donāt actually know. But either way, itās wonderful to see the sovereign class. I love that ship. And you know, this is the first time weāve actually seen the sovereign class in a TV show. Back when they were doing the TNG movies, we never saw a sovereign on screen in either DS9 or Voyager. I thought that was a shame, personally.
At a closer look, those other ships are not so reminiscent of the nebula class. Theyāre kind of a squishy hybrid between the intrepid class and the galaxy class, but skinned with the aesthetic of the sovereign class.
Most of the fleet seems to be made up of this new ship class, and sovereigns, although I think I might have spotted something slightly deficient-esque. But maybe not.
Anyway, then, a not-so-big-but-still-welcome-suprise.
This is acting Captain Will Riker in command of the USS Zheng He.
I was hoping Riker would put the uniform back on to lead the fleet coming to Picardās aide. Heās not on board his old ship, the Titan. This, apparently, is Starfleetās most powerful ship.
The ship is named after chinese explorer Zheng He. Apparently, he was also a mariner, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch! Thatās quite a diverse career.
He lived from 1371 to 1433.
We donāt know much about this ship. We donāt even really see the exterior. Memory alpha describes it as a Zheng-he type starship. So itās a new class, a prototype. We have no registry number.
We do see the interior of the bridge, and I quite like what little we see of it. Loving that super wide viewscreen.
Apparently, the bridge is a redress of the USS Discovery bridge. All I recognised was the chair, so it must be a pretty significant redress. Anyway, that aesthetic looks a lot more appropriate here at the turn of the 25th century than it ever did in the twenty third.
As much as I love this moment, Iām kinda annoyed that they donāt even show us the exterior of this ship. We Star Trek nerds live for this kind of thing.
And all the while everyone is talking, that beacon is still working, and the portal is open. Thereās a real timing problem with this confrontation.
While all of this is happening, Picard is having some kind of stroke or something. Obviously related to his brain defect. It seems his syndrome, irumodic or otherwise, is taking his life a heck of a lot quicker than we were expecting.
But Picard still has to convince Soji.
He begs Soji to prove to the Romulans that sheās not the destroyer, that they donāt need to fear her.
And while all of this is going on, those fleets are still just sitting there. No shot has been fired yet. Even though Oh ordered her ships to target the Federation fleet and attack. For some reason, these romulan weapons take an absolute eternity to re-target, which is preposterous to me.
Picard makes a good point. Weāre not trying to destroy you. Weāre not joining the Romulans, targeting you. Weāre defending you. Because we believe in you.
Then we get a cool but brief look at the super-synths. Theyāre really creepy. The stuff of nightmares. Crawley tentacled things squirming in red-tinged space.
Soji finally listens to Picardās words and turns off the beacon. As well she should. Picard, I believe, has successfully made his point.
But itās at this moment when everybody seems to give up too easily.
The super-synths are just gone. Now we have to speculate at this point, that the beacon is more than just a message, saying come help us. It literally opens a portal into our universe. A portal that canāt be opened from the other side? It would seem to me that these super-synths wouldnāt just give up and go home just because the beacon stopped transmitting. I mean, the beacon could have been destroyed by the organics.
The romulans give up too easily. These extremist Zhat Vash who have devoted their lives to wiping out synths leave the scene immediately. And then the entire Federation fleet leaves the system. Escorting the Romulans out of Federation space, apparently, but not one ship remains behind to guard the planet, or to make sure no super-synths return with a portal of their own.
I love that we got to see the Federation fleet, and I love that we got to see Riker in uniform again, the new uniform. Looks good on him. But I wanted more. Starfleet didnāt even fire a shot.
I get that this show is more sci-fi drama than sci-fi action. But this felt quite anti-climactic to me. I was expecting an epic space battle here. It could have been one to rival the battle in Deep Space Nineās Sacrifice of Angels. The two fleets should have battled while Picard was convincing Soji.
Anyway. That was the plot climax for the series. But not the character climax. Thatās about to come now.
The little exchange between Picard and Riker actually felt reminiscent of the scene between Kirk and Sulu at the end of Star Trek 6. They may not be stationed on the same ship together, but these characters will always have each otherās backs.
And now that itās all over, Picardās brain tears itself apart.
Hastened by the dru Agnus administered.
Iāll admit, this surprised me.
I thought Picardās slow descent into dementia and eventual death would be an arc that would take us through all seasons of this show.
Itās an emotional moment, but at the same time, itās kind of hollow. We know this is not the end.
We know theyāre already working on season 2. The show is called Star Trek Picard. Theyāre not gonna do it without him. So we know theyāre gonna pull some kind of magic reset button like they did back in the days of TNG.
As Picard dies, he tells Rafi she was right. She asks what about, but he never gets any more words out.
What do you think he was talking about?
Iām guessing he means when she got angry at him for giving up after Starfleet refused to help the Romulans.
Itās the one big disagreement they had.
So now we get a couple of character scenes between different people.
When Rios says āYou heard?ā they make it clear that Picard has died. But thereās more they donāt tell you yet.
Seven is angry at herself for killing somebody just because itās what they deserve. Just because it feels wrong for them to still be alive.
I love this moment.
I agree with Seven. It felt wrong for Rizo to still be alive, given how evil she was. If we were talking about a real person, Iād feel differently, but because she was fictional, I really really wanted her to die.
But I love that the show addresses the harsh reality of this. Seven took a life. Thatās not a good thing. Itās not something to be celebrated. In so many shows, the good guy kills the bad guy, and feels nothing. This show is acknowledging that Seven did what had to be done, but that doesnāt means she should be okay with it. Taking a life exerts a toll on the killer. I assure you I donāt say that from experience. Iāve never killed anyone, and I desperately hope I never have to.
As for Rios, heās angry for once again letting a great captain, another father figure, into his heart, only to lose them again.
These are the moments that Star Trek Picard excels at. The quiet character moments.
And then the butterfly swoops past the camera again.
At this moment, my wife said āThat butterfly has to be symbolic of something.ā
Poor Elnor. The way he puts his fists up to his eyes didnāt feel like a good acting choice. Looked more like a little kid crying of a broken toy, than a young man crying over the death of the only father he ever knew. But apart from the tiny moment, this scene still made me hurt inside. As Elnor sobs and Raffi holds him. Yeah, that got to me, so well done to both actors.
And then we cut to Picard.
I think that maybe, the butterfly was symbolic of Data. Although the butterfly has what Data lacks. Freedome. But iām getting ahead of myself.
Picard wakes up in a room with Data. Data calls it a massively complex quantum simulation.
Turns out, Picardās consciousness has been uploaded into a computer. That computer also contains the consciousness of Data, originally backed-up to B4, and used to clone all the other synths. So..this is efficevely, the real data. Not a dream.
This is wonderful because it gives Picard the chance to actually have a real talk with the real data.
Also, I love that Data shows up in my favourite uniform - the TNG movie uniform he last wore before he died.
Makes sense. Thatās what he was wearing when he backed up his engrams into B4.
I love how Picard says āI was furiousā because Data sacrificed himself to save Picard. And Data says to straight āI apologise, Captain. But I am not certain I could have done otherwise.ā
Data doesnāt quite look right in this scene, but honestly, that doesnāt bother me in the slightest. Brent Spiner is 71 years old. He was 38 when he first played Data. Heās allowed to look different, even under all that makeup. And this is a beautiful scene.
This really is a great conversation. They talk about their lack of regret for the sacrifices they made for others. This all helps Picard finally come to terms with Dataās death.
Itās beautiful.
Which makes it all the more heartbreaking when Data makes a request of Picard.
Data asks Picard to terminate his consciousness.
What did I say about this show being full of suicide? Hereās another example.
I struggled with this. Data says he doesnāt want to die, he wants to live, however briefly, knowing his life is finite. Mortality gives meaning to human life, captain.
Data says peace, love and friendship are precious, because we know they cannot endure.
I agree with Data that these things are precious, although Iām not sure I agree with his reason. They are precious, but not necessarily because they cannot endure. Iām not even sure I fully agree that they cannot endure.
Anyway, Data has always wanted to be more human, and there is nothing more human than mortality. As Picard said to Soran in generations. Itās our mortality that defines us. Itās part of the truth of our existence.
Picard agrees.
And so, heart-breakingly, we have to watch Data die a second time.
And itās worse than the first time.
But Iāll get to that.
The thing I like about this show is that, in some way, it redeemed Star Trek Nemesis. Donāt get me wrong, I still think thatās a bad movie, but this gives much greater meaning and depth to it, in much the same way that Avengers Endgame gave more depth to Thor Ragnarok and Guardians of The Galaxy.
So they downloaded Picardās consciousness into the golem. It looks exactly like Picardās real body.
We still donāt understand if this golem is made of metal or flesh. But given he has normal skin tone, not yellow skin and eyes, Iād suggest itās probably a flesh body like what Soji has.
Picard seems remarkably okay with this. Personally, Iād find the realisation that Iād died and was now in an artificial body a difficult transition to get used to. Iād be feeling a whole host of emotions.
But this body is not augmented. No super strength or speed.
The brain abnormality is gone.
I love when he says, almost panicked, āyou havenāt made me immortal.ā
āNo, we were paying attention. Youāll die roughly around the time you would have died otherwise.ā
And then Picard says āI wouldn't have minded an extra 10 years. Maybe 20.ā
We still donāt know what the average lifespan of a human in the 24th century is, but itās clearly longer than current day.
So picard de-activates data. As he listens to Blue Skies he sips a drink and closes his eyes with satisfaction. He lies down, like heās going to have a nice nap.
This is a hard scene for me to watch.
Last time, we just saw the ship blow up. This time, we have to watch dataās face rapidly age, into a ray dried husk. And then he whisps away like heās been Thanossed out of existence.
Thatās hard.
It hurts that they brought him back like this, just to have him die again.
So now that weāve all crying, letās take a look at thematically what this is saying.
Dataās desire to end here, seems to connect with the common quesion that people often ask, āwould eternal life became a form of torture? Would living forever eventually become so painful that you would want to end?ā
This is a thematic question that Star Trek Voyager once addressed, in the episode Death Wish. The best Q episode they ever did on Voyager, and some would argue, the only good one.
This is an interesting philosophical question.
And I understand where people are coming from, when they ask it. And to be honest, I have contemplated the question myself, certainly since I first watched this scene last night.
I personally do believe in an afterlife.
But I donāt believe it will end up becoming torturous. I believe it will be a fulfilling existence, and that it will be eternally fulfilling. Thatās the biblical perspective.
But Data is not living in the version of eternity that I believe in.
Dataās situation is not entirely unpleasant. We metaphorically see it as a room he is in. A comfortable room. In reality, heās an isolated personality inside a computer simulation. He probably has plenty of literature to access, and we know Data was creative, so he can probably create his own entertainment. But he is alone. Nobody to interact with. And as much as someone like me might jokingly say āthat sounds like introvert heavenā to really truly be alone, with nobody else, for the rest of eternity. That would be hard. That would be painful. Even for an extreme introvert like me. So I can see how he wouldnāt want to remain like that forever.
Itās all very thought-provoking.
So I get why they did this Data. Itās sad that Data, the one who should have endured long after all his shipmates is truly gone. But itās good to know a part of him will live on in the children Maddix and Soong have created from him. Data will not be the last soong-type android. He is the father of a new race.
But what about Picard?
As I said, I thought the arc of his brain abnormality would continue through the rest of the show. The writers said they planned to make this a 3-season show.
I feel they jumped the gun a bit here.
Picardās illness played out too quickly. They killed him, only to put him in a synth body, the problem all solved now.
Why did they kill him off only to bring him back like that? It all feels kinda pointless to me.
Itās like, theyāve just eliminated the most interesting part of his character, for no real reason at all.
That reset-button mentality was, in my opinion, one of the weaker aspects of TNG and Voyager. And not something that I am thrilled about them reviving.
And then we get that final scene on the La Sirena.
The ban on synths has been lifted. In one sense, this again feels a little too easy. But I can accept that once Starfleet understood that it had all been a conspiracy, that Oh had infiltrated Starfleet and set the whole thing up, to make the synths look bad, they would see their mistake and undo it.
The whole problem is fixed. It seems Elnor and Seven and Soji will all remain on board, as part of Picardās new crew.
Picard now plans to wander the universe, Doctor Who style. Looking for whatever adventure may find him.
It feels like everything has wrapped up a bit too nearly.
I thought this was gonna be a 3 season story, but it seems this story is completed, and season two will be a completely new standalone story. Thatās not different to Discovery, really, but, I dunno, this ending just felt a bit too much like a TNG ending.
Thereās a lot of great nostalgic stuff from TNG Iāve wanted to revisit, but TNG also had a lot of weaknesses, and this feels like theyāre reviving the weaknesses along with the strengths.
I hope I havenāt come across too critical this time around. When I first watched it last night, this finale fell a little flat for me. Upon second viewing, Iāve appreciated the thematic and character stuff a lot more, but the climax still felt a little ā¦ well ā¦. Anticlimactic.
Star Trek Picard hasnāt been a perfect show, but I would say on balance it has been a good show. Iāve enjoyed it, and Iām sure Iāll get it on Bluray when the time comes. Certainly this show has been better than both seasons of Discovery so far. So yes, my opinion is overall positive.
I really liked how all the story elements came together, and how the mysteries were paid off.
This has been the first STar Trek show ever, to not focus on Starfleet. I feel that at the end, Picard has a rag-tag group of friends, not a crew as such. Itās almost taken us to a bit of a Farscape-eqsue kinda place. Which is interesting.
A part of me wants more Starfleet, though. I want to see what will become of Starfleet as we move into the 25th century. I wanna know what their new ships can do. I want to see more people in that new uniform.
I think ultimately, I am hoping that this wonāt be the only show set in this time. Weāve opened up a whole new era of the Star Trek universe. And I want to keep exploring it. Iād actually love something that connects a bit more with Deep Space Nine.
Anyway, I think Iāll leave any further overall thoughts on the series as a whole for another time, after Iāve let it marinate a bit.
But Iām very glad that CBS have given us this show. Iāve had a fantastic time on the ups and downs of this journey.
So now that Picard is done and dusted. What am I doing with the Nerd Heaven Podcast.
Well, it certainly isnāt over. I feel weāre just beginning.
Iāll keep talking about sci-fi and fantasy. And Star Trek will always be a big part of that. Iām going to move from a weekly schedule to a fortnightly schedule, now that Iām not talking in real time about a current show on the air.
Iāll be back next week, where Iām gonna talk about my own history with the Star Trek franchise.
But thereāll be no podcast the week after. And then back the week after that.
Iāve got plenty planned for the future.
I plan to talk about the two remaining TNG movies, Generations and Insurrection. In fact, Iāve already recorded my thoughts on Generations. I have some Stargate content I want to do, and a Lord of the Rings, Read, Watch and Walk series. And I want to work my way through the DC movies. Iāll probably tackle the Marvel movies at some point as well.
Will I return to the weekly format? Maybe. Perhaps when Discovery season 3 comes out. Weāll see.
But going fortnightly now will give me a bit of a breather, and let me get a small backlog built up, so I donāt feel I have to spend all of my Saturday every week putting this show together as quick as I can.
Plus, Iāll have time to give some attention to some of my other creative endeavours.
Anyway, be assured. The party is just getting started.
Iāll see you next on Nerd heaven.
Live Long and Prosper.
Make it so.
It's the second-last episode of Star Trek Picard season 1. And all the threads have now come together. A show like this lives and dies on the payoffs to its mysteries and mythology. And I feel that Star Trek Picard is doing pretty well in that regard. What do you think? This episode manages to be quite thematic and thought-provoking while still leading up to the grant finale. Let's dig deep into this show.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings
The author of Jewel of the stars
And I am a nerd
This is episode 19 of the podcast
Today, weāre talking about the 9th episode of Star Trek Picard.
Et in Arcadia Ego Part 1.
Et? Et? I want to say et because in French, e t is pronounced et. It means and.
But the rest of the title is in english. So I donāt know whatās going on with this title.
Anyway, itās the first Star Trek episode title thatās had Part 1 in it for a very very long time. Voyager was probably the last show to do it. Actually, I think Enterprise used the same title with parts 1 and 2 for the two-parter In A Mirror Darkly.
Anyway, This is the second last episode of season 1. Can you believe it?
The description on memory alpha reads
Following an unconventional and dangerous transit, Picard and the crew finally arrive at Soji's home world, Coppelius. However, with Romulan warbirds on their tail, their arrival brings only greater danger as the crew discovers more than expected about the planet's inhabitants.
The teleplay for this episode was by Michael Chabon & Ayelet Waldman.
The story was by Michael Chabon & Ayelet Waldman & Akiva Goldsman
The episode was directed by Akiva Golsman
And it first aired on the 19th of March 2020.
Make it so.
In story structure, the second plot point takes place at the 75 percent mark of the book or film. It comes just after the darkest moment, when all hope seems lost. IT signifies the protagonist setting off for the final showdown, heading toward the climax, and it signals the beginning of act 3.
The end of last weekās episode felt very much like the second plot point, and itās showing up in roughly the right place.
So this is act 3.
After a harrowing trip through a borg transwarp conduit, the La Sierrena arrives at Sojiās homeworld. A planet called Coppelius.
Agnes is still wandering the ship and asks āAm I still under arrest?ā
Iām still kinda shocked that theyāve brought her here to the synth homeworld. I know she says sheās turned over a new leaf, but honestly, this is a risk I wouldn't be taking. She killed the man she loved in order to prevent the creation of new synths. Now she says she wonāt harm the synths themselves. I wouldnāt be taking any chances with her.
If I were in Picardās shoes, Iād have continued to DS12 to drop her off. Or, if the urgency of the situation didnāt allow it, which is how Picard ultimately felt, Iād be keeping Angus under close guard. Just in case.
Anyway, Narak shows up and they have a nice little space battle.
They manage to get in a lucky shot, which gives them a nice moment to discuss the morality of rescuing your enemies, but it turns out to be a bit of a ruse. They really donāt stand a chance against Narakās advanced fighter.
But, surprise, a honking big borg cube comes out of the corridor. I cheered out loud when this happened. Seven!.
But the cube doesnāt even have a chance to be awesome.
The orchids are really cool. A bunch of giant space-faring flowers come up and swallow the ships. This was really cool.
This is Star Trek. This is the kind of wondrous thing you find at a strange new world.
So the flowers drag the ships down to the surface in a visual and audio extravaganza that rivals any big screen movie Iāve seen.
I was a little skeptical about the flowers bringing down the cube, but there were several attached to it, and itās not operating at peak efficiency. They mention later that the flowers are not used to bringing down something so big.
It was a bit of a shame though, because seeing something as terrifying as a borg cube coming to the rescue is a new idea that I was looking forward to. But weāll see later. That cube āaint going anywhere ever again.
Picard chooses this moment to exhibit symptoms of his dementia. Just briefly. We get a nice little scene with Agnes, doing her medical thing. It was nice to see and hear the old TNG tricorder.
Agnes knows about his condition. The acting between these two is amazing in this scene. The way Allison Pill makes her mouth quiver with emotion. I have no idea how actors do that kind of thing, but Iām somewhat in awe of it.
So Picard tells the whole truth to his crew. Raffiās face when she hears Picardās prognosis is terminal is subtle but heartbreaking.
They seem to be going out of their way to avoid using the words irumodic syndrome. I donāt know why, but to be honest, itās kind of annoying me. Theyāre clearly drawing from All Good Things, so for goodness, just say it and get it over with.
And on that, we have yet to hear Picard say āMake it soā even once on this show.
Thatās Picardās most iconic catchphrase.
And, putting that into the script would not be an easter egg. It would not be fan service. It would be remaining consistent with his character.
When Picard seeks options and recommendations from his crew, which has happened a number of times in this show, the words he always chooses to communicate his agreement, and instruct them to proceed is āMake it so.ā The whole thing is very glaring by its absence. Itās like theyāre deliberately trying to avoid using it for some reason.
Iāll be disappointed if he doesnāt say it next week. But, I donāt want them to just shove it in there either. There have been missed opportunities to use it naturally in the past.
Anyway, moving on.
Soji is pretty sure her fellow synths donāt hate biological lifeforms.
But I love Riosās line. They crashed my ship without even asking. That feels a little biased to me.
The surface of the planet looks really cool. Rock formations. Alien plants. Itās a nice mix of the familiar but beautiful, which is live action, and the unusual, which is CG.
So theyāre off to rescue Hugh and Elnor first. Of course, what they find is Seven and Elnor.
The reunion between Elnor and Picard is very nice.
And thereās a nice final send-off for Hugh and Picard and Seven talk about the loss together.
So theyāve established the xbs are okay. Thereās nothing Picard can do for them. But Raffi and Rios are able to use the Borg sensors to determine the Romulan fleet is 2 days away, and itās massive.
Itās time to take Soji home to her settlement.
Honestly Iām not sure why Seven and Elnor are staying behind. I mean, Seven came all this way specifically to help Picard.
Picard says the xbs need protection more than him. Which frankly seems an absurd statement to me.
But theyāre gonna try to get defensive systems online. I suspect the borg cube may end up being a refuge from the Romulans next week.
Itās feeling like they really havenāt used Elnorās character to his full potential. Heās barely spent any time with Picard and the La Sirena crew. We spent an entire episode recruiting him. I donāt think thatās paid off as well as it should have.
Anyway, off to the settlement.
Which looks pretty cool. A very nice place to live.
The synths that live here have tinted skin and yellow eyes like Data. They donāt look as human as Soji.
And their skimpy outfits make this look a little like an episode of TOS.
They also speak more like Data. As if they have a less advanced emotional program than Soji. Again, more like Data.
The crew are welcomed into the facility. But Soji has to give the bad news. The Romulans are coming and the synths donāt have anywhere near enough orchids.
And then the big surprise.
Brent Spiner appears. As himself. Fully human with no de-aging.
Turns out heās playing Dr. Altan Inigo Soon, the son of Dr. Noonian Soong.
It seems every male Soong, of any generation, looks just like Brent Spiner.
But it was a cool way to bring him back onto the show.
It seems reasonable to me that Soong had a biological son. We know he had a wife.
And it makes sense the son would be this old. I mean, Soon was over a hundred when we saw him die in TNG.
Altanās mother canāt have been Juliana Soong, because she didnāt marry Noonian until he was living and working on omicron theta.
So Iād say Altan was the product of a previous relationship. Probably long out of the picard by the time Data and Lore were being created.
So then a more android-looking version of Soji reveals herself, first to Picard, and then to everyone else.
This is Sutra, Janaās sister.
It seems that there are a number of different models, and many copies of each model, but always in sibling pairs. If youāre thinking this all sounds very familiar, youāve probably seen Battlestar Galactica. The more I think about it, the more paralleles I see.
And letās just acknowledge that now, we have Agnes walking around mixing with these synths. Risky business if you ask me. And yes, weāll learn some information soon that may alleviate some of the anxiety, but they donāt know that information yet.
If I were the synths, Iād be pretty angry that Picard had brought this person into their midst.
And this is where Sutra makes quite a jump, mentally, to a theory she has very little evidence to support. But it makes sense, and itās really interesting.
She theories that the admonition was never intended for organic minds. Weāve seen how it drives many insane. Itās not the nature of the content as such, itās more of an incompatibility. Which I like, because it seems a lot more believable. I mean, weāre gonna see the full contents of the admonition shortly. Dunno about you, but it didnāt make me want to commit suicide.
So this is fascinating stuff.
The theory is that Agnes was driven somewhat insane by the admonition, and thatās why she killed Maddox. But now the madness is leaving her, and sheās getting back to being her old selse.
This doesnāt exactly justify her crime, but insanity is a legal defense used. Agnes wasnāt in her own right mind when she did what she did. Which means sheās not entirely to blame. Which means, she is less of a risk now. Ok. Iām with that. Not sure how Sutra made that leap, but the conclusion is logical and makes sense of a lot of stuff in the show.
Sutra theories that the admonition was intended for synthetic minds.
And this is where it gets a bit weird. Sutra is fascinated with Vulcan culture. And she has taught herself how to mind meld.
And thatās absurd.
Mind melding is not just a skill you can learn.
The mind meld is a biological thing.
The vulcan brain has telepathic abilities. This is linked in some way to their sense of touch.
Now, can I conceive that an artificial brain could be constructed to simulate the same telepathic functions of the organic Vulcan brain? I suppose so.
But Bruce and Altan would have had to have constructed her specifically that way from the beginning. She canāt just decide she likes vulcan culture and teach herself. Iām afraid I donāt buy that. Not one tiny bit.
But Iām just going to have to accept it, as silly as I think it is.
It does solve a story problem. They canāt afford a big detour to take Sutra to the grief world. And she needs to be able to see the admonition somehow.
But Rios is against this. As he says, āAgnes is just starting to get over this.ā Heās worried, and legitimately so, that this mind meld, forcing Agnes to relive the admonition again, could re-trigger her madness.
Not only would that be bad for Agnes, but it could make her a danger to the synths, once again.
Heās right to warn caution here.
But Agnes feels the synths have a right to know, and this information could be the key to solving the whole mystery. So the mind meld goes ahead.
Again, some great acting from Alison Pill. Sheās terrified to live through this again.
So now we finally get the whole truth behind all of this.
And itās a bit of a twist.
Organic life is fragile and impermanent. As it advances, organics seek perfection, and that perfection drives them to create synthetic life. But they always end up fearing that synthetic life and feeling threatened by it. Which leads to conflict. Inevitably, this will lead to conflict.
The big mysterious force out there does not come to wipe out races to prevent them from creating synthetic life, as the Zhat Vash believed. No, they are an alliance of synthetic life. They wipe out races to protect the synthetics.
The admonition wasnāt a warning to organics. It was a promise of help to synthetics.
Thatās really interesting. At this point, I feel like everything has come together. It all makes good sense.
A show like this lives and dies on the payoffs of its mysteries and mythology.
And I feel that Star Trek Picard is doing a good job with itās payoffs.
So well done to the team.
A couple of little thoughts about the admonition message itself.
First. Why all the starfleet imagery. We see Dataās face. Starfleet logos. Even an image of the Mars attack.
Obviously, the ancient race couldnāt have known about these things when they created the message.
But perhaps it's because they tailor the message. I mean, theyāre still out there. Monitoring. Adding new relevant imagery to the message. Except what weāre seeing here came from the grief world 14 years ago. The mars attack hadnāt happened yet. So are we saying these synths can see the future. Personally, I think this is just a bit of sloppiness on the part of the show, choosing visual symbolism to aid the story-telling at the expense of in-universe believability.
I really donāt think there's any time travel or seeing into the future going on.
Second thing. The way they show a human aging from a child to an old man was very impressive visual effects. And the shot of the fox dying and rotting away to nothing was impressive but kinda of gross and disturbing. Do they timelapse film a real dead animal? I dunno. But it kind of made me uncomfortable.
Itās cool that Altan made android butterflies because he missed them.
We have a nice conversation between Agnus and Altan. Altan makes it clear that he is not dismissing her crime. The loss of Bruce Maddox is a tragedy. Not just because human life is precious, and the death of any human being is a tragedy, but because his was a great mind, that could have done so much more. And she extinguished that.
Perhaps her insanity defense means sheās not guilty of murder as such, but she still owes a debt. They both know it.
Altan offers her a chance to repay her debt. He shows Agnus what heās been working on.
Itās not entirely clear.
We see a synthetic body.
Is it an android, or is it biological like Soji? Not sure.
Agnes calls it a golem.
The world golem comes from Jewish folklore. It is an anthropomorphic creature made out of clay, animated and brought to life by magic.
She then starts talking about mind transfer.
It seems Altan has created an empty shell of a body, into which he plans to transfer a living mind.
Apparently, Altan was the body guy, and Maddox dealt with what Altan calls substrates.
Now Iām wondering, whose mind is gonna end up in that thing by the end of this show?
I think Altan is planning it for himself. Perhaps because of his age. Maybe he too is dying. He says he recently regained an interest in mind transfer, along with a sense of urgency.
His father, Doctor Noonian Soong, also worked on mind transfer and successfully transferred his wifeās mind into an android body at the time of her death. This android, Dataās mother, continued to live, believing that she was a human, rather than an android with all the memories and feelings of that deceased human.
Data discovered the truth about this, and chose not to tell his mother what she really was.
I wonder if sheās still out there.
Sutra has a worrying plan. I understand where sheās coming from. All they have to defend themselves from the Romulan fleet is a few space flowers, an old man and his friends. They wonāt last more than a few minutes. And I canāt argue with that.
She wants to contact the alliance of synthetic life. Get them to come in and ābring hellā as Agnus put it last week. Wipe out the Romulans.
Except, I donāt think theyāll stop there. Theyāll wipe out all organic life in the alpha quadrant.
Soji has an alternate plan. Repair the La Sirena and flee this world before the Romulans get here. Apparently thereās room in that little ship for the whole colony of synths.
Sutra believes they will never be safe as long as the Zhat Vash is out there.
Again, sheās probably right about that.
But it doesnāt justify what sheās planning to do.
Sheās operating from cold logic. She lacks Sojiās humanity.
And then Narak shows up.
They found him and brought him in.
It was cool that we got to see spot 2. An artificial cat. Again, Iām asking, is it a robotic cat, or did they manufacture it biologically, like Soji?
This leads to a nice moment between Rios and Agnus. It shows that there really is still a spark of something between these two. Itās actually kind of sweet.
We also get a nice scene between Raffi and Picard.
She has finally, fully forgiven him for all that went on 14 years ago. We get a sense of just how close these two are. She means every bit to him as much as Riker, or Deanna, or Geordi does.
Thereās a really awkward moment between them as Raffi says she loves her.
Picard shows a lot of growth as he manages to let himself say it back to her. Picard has never been one to express emotions to his crew. Heck, it took him seven years just to join his crewmates in their weekly poker game. I find Picardās character arc very satisfying. I feel weāre seeing the fulfilment of an arc that began all the way back in Encounter at Farpoint. And thatās awesome.
Also, I donāt read any hint of a romantic aspect to what these two are sharing. They love each other as close friends. Thatās a thing.
Rios and Raffi are off to repair their ship with a magic repair device. I believe this is the last we see of them this episode.
Jean-Luc is unable to get a message through to Starfleet.
Thatās annoying. But itās not like Clancy canāt figure out where heās gone. Sheās already got a squadron on its way to DS12 to help him.
Letās just hope Picard was smart enough to give her the coordinates of the planet before he set off without the squadron.
I love how Narak is judging the synths on their treatment of him as a prisoner, and when Saga asks him how Romulans treat their prisoners, he says āLetās change the subject.ā
There are two races you donāt want to be a prisoner of in the Star Trek universe. Cardassians, and Romulans.
I also like that Soji is having none of Narakās talk. Heās not gonna smooth talk her back into trusting him again. That would be a huge disservice to her character.
As soon as the camera zooms in on her bird broach, we know itās gonna be the weapon that kills her.
Not only is Soji not trusting Narak. Sheās very seriously considering killing him. She seeks Picardās council. And we have an interesting conversation about the morality of killing, and the logic of sacrifice. Heās not an idiot. He is concerned about what she might be considering. Picard isnāt interested in having an academic philosophical debate. He wants to know what theyāre really talking about.
Sutra has a plan. And it makes sense. She knows her idea of calling the synth alliance is gonna be a hard sell. So she needs a way to convince her brothers and sisters.
So she lets Narak go, makes it look like he escaped and killed Saga.
Just another reason for the siblings to believe that organics cannot be trusted.
When villains talk about sacrifice in stories, theyāre always talking about someone else. But the true meaning of sacrifice is paying that cost yourself. Self-sacrifice. The one who suffers the loss is the one making the sacrifice.
Both Soji and Sutra are considering āsacrificingā the life of another for what they consider to be the greater good.
For Soji, sheās thinking of killing Narak.
For Sutra, she lets her sister Saga die. Who actually carried out the murder? Her or Narak? It doesnāt really matter. Ultimately, Sagaās metaphorical blood is in Sutra's hands.
The difference between Sutra and Soji is that Sutra carried out her plan. Soji is still wrestling with the ethics of hers. And then itās too late.
Everyone would have been better off if Soji had killed Narak (well, everyone except Narak) but does that justify it morally? Personally, Iād say no. But you can see Sojiās regret that she didnāt act sooner.
Sop Sutra makes a speech to her people.
The organics came here and now we have lost another sister.
Notice how she puts all organics in one big basket. Narak and Picard are the same. Theyāre both organics. Organics are not to be trusted. This is the very definition of prejudice. Itās interesting to see the show demonstrating this prejudice from both sides, the Zhat Vash and the synths.
I feel like all the themes that this show has explored are all converging at this moment.
Itās really quite well done.
And Altan Soong is siding with his synthetic children. He even helped Sutra create the beacon to contact the synth alliance. I wonder, does he believe he will be spared? Because itās pretty obvious Sutra thinks that all organic life must be exterminated.
Altan is right about one thing, though. Picard canāt guarantee that the Federation will listen to him. If anything, what sutra is planning to do will make the Federation fear synths even more.
In a way, Picard is probably viewing these synths as his second chance to succeed, after he failed to help the Romulans.
But soji says āwe canāt be your means of redemption. Weāre too busy trying to survive.
So Picard is placed under house arrest.
They agree to let Agnes go free with the promise that she will protect them as a mother protects her children. She would die for them.
And now I get it. Iām certain that Altan wants to transfer into his synthetic body, so as to survive the coming apocalypse. They wonāt kill him if heās a synth too. Agnes will help him do that. But what about her? Sheāll die too, unless sheās in a synth body.
Meanwhile, Rios, Raffi, Enor and Seven are free, able to still help. But then so is Narak.
And the Romulan fleet is 24 hours from the planet.
Things are getting exciting. Iām very interested to see how it will play out next week, in the season finale.
All in all, another great episode. Iām continuing to love this show.
I havenāt hit any more milestones in my walk to Mordor since last episode. Iāve been a bit distracted, but Iāve still managed to go for my morning walk some days.
The world is kind of crazy right now, isnāt it? The company I work for has decreed that everyone works from home until further notice. Which of course is business as usual for me as I work from home by choice anyway.
I know a lot of schools in other countries have closed. Here in australia, our schools are largely staying open, but weāve got school holidays coming up in a few weeks. The scariest thing locally is that weāll soon be heading into our winter, and Tasmania has pretty cold winters, so people are going to be more vulnerable to disease.
Anyway, stay hopeful. As Picard would say, donāt give in to fear. Donāt panic buy toilet paper or food. Just get what you need and then thereāll be enough for everybody.
Iāll catch you next week for the season finale of Star Trek Picard.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Everything is coming together in this week's episode of Star Trek Picard "Broken Pieces". We delve deeply into Rios's character, seeing the broken pieces of his life symbolised in his holograms. We also get a much greater understanding of the mythology of the show. And it's exciting me. We're getting the big-scale science fiction coming into view, and we finally add a little more depth to the villains of the show. Let's dive in and geek out over this episode together.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the stars
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 18 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the 8th episode of Star Trek Picard. Broken Pieces.
The description on Memory alpha reads
When devastating truths behind the Mars attack are revealed, Picard realizes just how far many will go to preserve secrets stretching back generations, all while the La Sirena crew grapples with secrets and revelations of their own. Narissa directs her guards to capture Elnor, setting off an unexpected chain of events on the Borg cube.
The episode was written by Michael Chabon
It was directed by Maja Vrvilo
And it first aired on the 12th of March 2020.
Make it so.
This episode is really starting to fill in the new mythology of the show now. Thatās seen straight away with this weekās flashback, in which we learn about the origins of the Zhat Vash.
The episode begins with some beautiful scenes of a nebula. Just like the first episode. But we donāt see the Enterprise D. Instead, we zoom past 8 suns onto a planet.
The on screen label calls this Aia, the great world. It seems a group of Romulans, all female, sent out to study this strange phenomenon. A system of 8 stars, which seemed scientifically unfeasible. There they found, on a planet, the remnants of an ancient civilisation, and a storehouse of memories that explained how their civilisation died.
Yes. This is the kind of cool mythology Iāve been wanting from Star Trek.
We donāt even know the name of this ancient race, but they were clearly very advanced. I wonder if they knew the Iconians. They also operated in what is now Romulan space in the distant past.
The Romulans call this warning message āthe admonition.ā The first time they heard it, they formed the Zhat Vash. This was hundreds of years ago, so pre-Kirk.
And interestingly, Commodore Oh appears to be their leader. So, weāre left wondering again, is she biologically a Romulan or a Vulcan? Weāll come back to this later.
We donāt get to see the full extent of the message, but as Oh says, it drives many of them mad. In fact, after seeing it, most of them immediately commit suicide, some of them in quite unpleasent ways.
This is super dark. I actually found it pretty disturbing. It seems weāre getting a lot of suicide in this show. Now, Iām really fortunate that Iāve never been touched by suicide in my life, or my family, but even I am fiding this quite disturbing.
Weāll talk more about what this message means later, when Picard and crew figure it all out, but for now, letās just say that the show has fleshed out more about the Zhat Vash, and why they hate synthetic lifeforms. Which is good.Our villains are finally getting some depth to them.
And, we learn that Rizzo really is a cold-hearted monster. While the others tear out their hair and do other horrific things to themselves, she stands there, clearly struggling with the images a little, but holding it all together. If she were a Vulcan, Iād call this emotional control. But I think that Rizzo just doesnāt have a heart. Sheās an evilā¦..weāll...letās just say I donāt like her.
There are two kinds of Villains in fiction. There are some that you love to hate. These are the ones that you want to see more of. You get excited when they appear in an episode. Weyoun, Bester, Morden, Scorpius. And then there are others that you just kinda hope they die soon because you just donāt want to see them. Rizzo is firmly in the second camp for me. I find myself wanting her to die for all sheās done. Man, I promise Iām not so vindictive against real people. Just fictional ones.
We get confirmation now that it was the Zhat Vash who organised the synth attack on Mars. So they sabotaged the rescue efforts to help their own people. Iām kind of in a place where I can buy that now. Theyāre worried about what they consider to be a significantly greater threat than the supernova. And having read the novel, The Last Best Hope, it seems that due to their arrogance and price, half the Romulan leadership didnāt want Starfleetās help to begin with.
We recognise another of these first Vhat Vash. Ramdha, the Romulan who was assimilated and then went crazy, calling Soji the destroyer. She doesnāt handle the admonition as well as Rizzo, but she does survive. This is making sense of a lot of what weāve seen. It seems to have been the admonition itself that drove the borg cube to shut down after they assimilated Ramdha. Really interesting stuff.
Oh and Ramdha is Rizzoās aunt. She raised Rizzo and Narak. Rizzo says that when Ramdha lost her mind, she did it with panache. I feel like panache is not the kind of word youād expect to hear from a Romulan.
I know theyāre reallying speaking Romulan, and weāre just hearing a translation into english. But panache is a french word, included in our language for historical reasons. I dunno, it just didnāt feel right somehow to me.
Thereās a nice bit of subtle foreshadowing when Rizzo says āIād have made a much better borg than you. Resistance is futile.ā
And let me just say, while I keep going on about hating Rizzo, I found Peyton Listās acting in this episode pretty darn good. I think sheās a lot better when sheās not so busy trying to seduce her brother or being Miss-Super-Evil-Face.
Once again, the romulans are choosing to fight Elnor hand to hand instead of shooting him with a disruptor. If theyād shot while he was stunned by that grenade, heād be dead. This whole tradition of Zhat Vash fighting Qowat Milat by hand seems a plot convenience that exists purely so they can have a kick-butt sword wielding elf on the show. Donāt get me wrong, I love Elnor. Heās awesome. But a fighter who uses a sword just doesnāt work in a sci-fi setting like Star Trek.
Anyway, Seven saves him at the last minute and asks āWhere is Hugh?ā
Then thereās a very nice touching moment as Elnor breaks down and Seven has to, rather uncomfortably, console him. She does a good job seeing as though itās pretty clear this is outside her comfort zone.
So apparently Seven knew Hugh off-screen, we just never got to see them together. My guess is that Seven gave Hugh the Fenris Ranger contact card. Elnor was actually in Hughās office when he found it. So that kinda makes sense now.
Iām still not thrilled about Hughās death. It feels like theyāve totally wasted the potential of his character. They made such a fuss about bringing him back, but barely did anything with him. And his death wasnāt satisfying. He didnāt die saving the day. He kinda failed. Yes, thereās a realism to that, because we donāt always die in some big grand moment. Thatās kind of why I have somewhat defended Tasha Yarās death. I dunno. Iām torn between my appreciation for gritty realism, and my desire for Hugh to have been treated with more respect.
Itās very clear that something weird is going on with Rios the minute he sees Soji.
Thereās a lot going on in this scene. Picard wants to go to Deep Space 12 to get reinforcements from Starfleet. Makes sense. They canāt fight off a whole fleet of Romulan ships by themselves. This understandable makes Soji nervous. She thought they would be heading straight for her homeworld. And then Raffi is suddenly very suspicious of Soji, given the revelations about Agnes.
First of all, I like that the crew have figured out that Agnus killed Bruce Maddox. Theyāre not gonna drag that out and have our characters unnaturally stupid. Good.
I can understand Raffi is distrustful because Picard knows nothing about Soji. Heās putting all his faith in that single Neuron. But, this was the mission. Rescuing Soji is the whole reason they came out here.
Picard is kinda kidding himself a bit, trying desperately to make up excuses for Agnes, because he doesnāt want her to be a Romulan spy, and a murderer. But he does accept reason, even though he doesnāt want to.
There was a nice little scene between Picard and Clancy. And I feel it redeems her as a character a little. She is starting to regain her respect for Picard, now that heās proven to be right. She even calls him Admiral Picard. I love it when Picard says, āIām sorry but if you say this is not a job for Starfleet then you are a waste of space.ā
Anyway, she agrees. Sheās sending a squadron to meet Picard at DS12. Heās to wait there for them to arrive.
I like how Raffi is getting all giddy with excitement about the whole conspiracy theory, even while knowing she shouldnāt because the whole thing is horrible. She does like her conspiracy theories.
It makes no sense that it takes Raffi so long to realise that the Rios sheās talking to is a hologram. I mean, his Irish accent is hard to miss. She must be really preoccupied.
The fact that the ENH recognises Soji and calls her Jana is very interesting information. It confirms that Rios has seen a soji-type android before. Which explains his reaction to her.
Iām not really a fan of the glowing eyes while thinking thing the holograms do in this episode. First of all, thereās no reason for them to do that. The Doctor never did that on Voyager. Second of all, why take so long to access such a simple piece of data. Computers today could gather that same information, from the internet, in a fraction of the time the hologramās eyes glow. And this is 24th century computer technology. The whole thing is like programming an artificial progress bar when none is needed. You can maybe explain that theyāre downloading this information from memory alpha, in which case, thatās pretty high bandwidth for subspace. But this is information Iād expect them to have locally.
But I like that the ENH actually proves useful, when Raffi realises she does have an astrogation question.
The Romulans were depicting an octanary system all over the borg cube. A system of 8 stars.
Enoch says that septenary systems are extremely rare. The only known account of an octanary is an apocryphal ancient Romulan star chart. Now Raffi begins to realise the conclave of 8 refers to the place where the bad guys met, not 8 people. Now theyāre getting somewhere.
I like that they at least acknowledge here that the gravitational mechanics would be incredibly complex. Which, of course, is true. Having read the book, The Three Body Problem, I have an inkling of just how complex a trinary system would be. For a planet to actually exist in an octanary system seems pretty unrealistic. But again, weāll come back to that.
I love Elnorās childlike innocence. That combined with his kick-butt skills as a warrior make him quite an interesting character.
Sevenās plan, originally Hughās plan, is to regenerate the cube. Re-activate the borg drones. I love the shot of the drone rebuilding the ship. At first, I thought they were nano probes. But then when you realise the scale, theyāre a lot bigger. Letās call them macro probes. It seems a logical aspect of borg technology.
Sheās playing a bit of a dangerous game. There are huge moral questions about what sheās doing, essentially re-assimilating the XBs, putting them into a localised micro-collective. Controlling their thoughts like a pseudo Borg queen. Itās chilling when she says āI might not want to release them.ā
Thereās a very nice character scene between Picard and Soji and the dinner table.
It doesnāt really push the plot forward at all, but it deepens both of their characters, and I really like it.
The choice of a scottish accent for the engineering hologram is quite on the nose, as a tribute to Scotty. Especially since Lorca already did that in Discovery. But it doesnāt really bother me. Heās quite different to Scotty. I actually quite like him.
The idea that this octanary system was artificially created is very interesting. My sense-of-wonder metre is going off. Itās showing you the power of this ancient race, whoever they were. Showing off isnāt a bad guess at their motivation, but clearly raffi has the better theory. Such an extreme act would call attention to a message you really want people to hear.
Iām enjoying Raffiās little detective work in this episode. I think maybe sheās jumping to the truth more easily than she realistically should, but itās still enjoyable.
Thereās some good quiet scenes with Rios in his quarters in this episode. Nice to see his old Starlfleet uniform. Looks like Riosās old ship, the ibn Majid might have been a sovereign class, like the Enterprise E, which is pretty awesome.
I donāt think itās stated outright, but I get the impression Rios was first officer of the ship.
His captainās name was Alonzo Vandermeer. Not a name weāve heard before, I believe.
The scene with all the Rios holograms together is absurdly fun. Iām quite enjoying the engineerās overuse of scottish slang. But that tactical hologram. How useless is he? The bloke just wants to sleep and laze around.
It seems the holograms donāt just have Riosās appearance, and aspects of his personality, but his memories as well. But Rios has removed something from their memories. And itās all about his time on the ibn Majid.
We learn that captain Vandermeer killed himself. Yet another suicide in this show.
So then we get Picardās reunion with Agnes. Thereās no more self-deception. Picards tells her straight. You will turn yourself over to the authorities for the murder of Bruce Maddox.
Agnes said Oh put her hands on her face and poured in poison. Why doesnāt she know thatās called a mind meld? Put her hands on my face seems a very awkward phrasing when she should just say āshe mind melded with me.ā Weird.
So Agnes gushes all over Sojiās human-like attributes. Just like Bashir and Kestra.
But Agnes says now that sheās met Soji, sheād never kill her. Iām finding that hard to buy. The admonition Oh showed her was so traumatic it caused her to kill her lover and mentor. But now, having met Soji, sheās a changed woman? Iām afraid I donāt trust Agnes at all at this point. Soji says sheād never give agnes the opportunity to kill her, but sheās giving her an opportunity right now.Why on Earth did Picard leave those two in a room together. Thatās crazy. Agnes should be in the brig until they reach DS12. she certainly shouldnāt be roaming the ship and joining them at their makeshift conference table. āIām done murdering people now, so thatās a good thing.ā
āOh, well in that case Agnes, itās all good. Take a seat, Mate.ā I mean, come on.
Raffi refers to Riosās record player as a walkman. Reminds me of an early Christopher Ecclestone Doctor Who Episode, where they refer to a jukebox as an ipod. Somehow it was funnier in Doctor Who.
Rizzo is going around murdering all the xbs. So Seven does what she doesnāt want to do. She takes control of the queenās systems and re-assimilates the drones.
I got a thrill when the drones woke up, and we hear the voice of the collective say āWe are borg.ā
But was kinda disappointed when Rizzo immediately had all of them, every single one, ejected into space.
So hereās a rundown of what we know.
There was once some kind of sisterhood of Romulans. Not the Qowat Milat. Some other group. They found this planet in the octanary system, with a warning left behind by a long dead race. The impression I get is that once a species reaches a certain threshold of developing synthetic life, a threshold Starfleet is on the verge of, some outside force comes in and destroys that civilisation, rather than just the synthetics themselves taking over. This outside force theory seems much more compelling and creepy to me. So I kinda hope they are leaning that way.
Those who survived the horror of this admonition formed the Zhat Vash, dedicated to preventing the return of this outside force, by preventing all synthetic life from being created. In their minds, theyāre saving the universe, which to be fair, they might just be.
One of them was Oh, a half Vulcan half Romulan. Iām not sure how such a person would come about. Romulans and Vulcans are completely disunited. Until recently, they werenāt even allowed in each otherās space. So how do two of them end up mating and producing a child? I know thereās a non-canon theory that Saviik was also half Romulan / Half Vulcan. I guess Nimbus III, the planet of intergalactic peace, may have been one place where vulcans and Romulans could have mixed. Ohās mixed heritage explains a lot of things. Her lack of inner eyelids, but her ability to perform a mind meld.
Anyway, when Data is created, the Zhat Vash are concerned. So Oh infiltrates Starfleet and works her way up to chief of starfleet security. All with the hopes of preventing the Federation from developing true synthetic life.
She engineers the attack on mars, to turn the Federation against synths, and ban their research.
It works.
Bruce Maddox flees to a distant world and continues his research.
Then the ibn Majid encounters a ship from that world, containing two of Maddoxās creations. One of them looks identical to Soji and Dahj.
Starfleet treats this like any other first contact situation, but Oh gives orders to captain Vandermeer to kill the synth ambassadors. If he disobeys, the ibn Majid and its crew will all be killed. Heās got to know at this point that Oh is not above board. Does he consider going to someone else in Starfleet, I wonder? I guess he decides the only way to protect his crew is to carry out the order. So he does.
Rios goes at him hard for this. Telling him this was the wrong thing to do. Overcome with guilt, Vandermeer kills himself. And now Rios has to live with the guilt that his judgement pushed his captain over the edge. Rios is a broken person, symbolised by the 5 holograms, each a broken piece of him. He covers up the whole thing, so as to protect the ibn Majid. But he goes through post-traumatic stress from the whole experience and is booted out of starfleet.
Maddox sends two of his creations, Dahj and Soji, out into the universe, to find out the truth behind the synth ban. One to earth, the other to the Borg Cube. We can see how the borg cube is connected. They assimilated Ramdha, and the knowledge of the admonition caused the borg to all shut down. But how does Maddox know this connection? How does he know to send Soji there?
But it backfires. Her presence on the cube allows Narak and Rizzo to find the location of Maddoxās world, and now theyāre sending a fleet to destroy it.
Itās all coming together, and Iām really liking it. The value of a mystery is all based on the payoff. So far, the mysteries on this show are paying off much better than the Red angle did on Discovery season 2. That, in my opinion, was the biggest weakness of that season. I loved the setup, and I loved the character stuff with Pike. Pike was awesome. But the payoff fell flatter than Iād hoped.
This episode only makes my excitement about Star Trek Picard grow. I feel like weāre in the middle of something very important. Something big.
Now that she realises that she has put her people in danger, Soji isnāt willing to wait for Clancyās squadron. Thereās no time to lose. They have to get home to protect the world from the Zhat Vash.
So she takes over the ship.
But I love Riosās lullaby that gives him back control of the ship. Smart.
At this point, Picard is willing to let Soji take them straight to her home. āSheās done it Maddoxās way, she done it my way. Letās let her try her way.ā
Iām kinda torn on this. The Zhat Vash ships are on their way. Weāll see more of them leave the sub shortly. If we donāt get there before they do, itās all over.
On the other hand, what can one little ship do against that Romulan fleet? Clancy told Picard to wait at DS12 for the squadron. Howās she gonna feel about him now that heās disobeying that order. Just as they were starting to be able to work together again.
But they can at least get there in time to warn the synths of the coming danger. Maybe the synths have some defenses.
Itās understandable, and mildly amusing, that Picard doesnāt know how to operate the new holographic controls on this ship.
So they head off for a Borg transwarp conduit, which should get them there quicker.
While the un-reclaimed drones have all been flushed into space, there are still xbs on board, which Seven appears to be controlling. They swam Rizo. And yes! Finally, She dies! Woohoo.
Ah. Iām a terrible terrible person.
Iād say itās more likely theyāre assimilating her, rather than tearing her apart, so maybe sheās not fully dead. But assimilation seems a fitting punishment for her crimes. For her hate.
I donāt have a problem with her trying to save the universe from this big evil threat, but itās the way she goes about it. Instead of warning everybody of the threat, she works in secret, because thatās the romulan way, and she doesnāt care who she hurts or kills in the process. Thatās what upsets me about her.
Actually, on rewatch, what I thought was her assimilation, I think, was her beaming out to safety.
Darn it!
So Seven achieved nothing. She regained control of the cube, but the Romulans are all gone anyway.
We learn that as an ensign, Picard served on a ship called the Reliant. Not the same Relient from the wrath of khan, of course. That one was destroyed. This was probably the Relient A, or maybe the Relient B.
Thereās a nice little conversation between Picard and Rios. Picard pointed out that the Zhat Vash set the trap, with the attack on Mars, but Starfleet could have side-stepped it. Instead, they gave in to fear. I feel like this theme of fear is even timlier that the writers intended, given the whole covid-19 thing going on right now. Thereās certainly a lot of feat in the world right now.
Risk points out that there is still a very real danger.
Picard believes fear is the great destroyer, not the synthetics, or some outside force from 200,000 years ago.
I think they both have interesting points.
Picard is right about fear, but I think heās not giving enough credence to the threat this outside force could represent.
Of course, what we need is more information. The truth can sometimes dissipate fear. Of course, the truth can also confirm our fears.
Itās all very interesting stuff.
Itās all very Star Trek.
As the La Sierrena enters the borg conduit, we see that Narak has found them again. Logical. He knows where theyāre heading.
He follows them in.
I really enjoyed this episode, and Iām hungry for more. Bring it on.
With my ongoing walk to Mordor, Iāve been captured by Baron Wright. My next milestone is Bree. Iāve been recording my thoughts about Fellowship of the Ring, both the book and movie. After weāre finished with Star Trek Picard, Iāll be sharing my very first Lord of The Rings Read, Watch and Walk episodes.
But until next week, Iām Adam David Collings.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Wow. This was a fantastic episode. Bringing back Riker and Troi wasn't just a nostalgia stunt. These character were very well used to fantastic effect. This is a beautiful character episode that adds more depth to Riker and Troi's characters than was done by any of the TNG movies. This episode is packed with scene after scene that makes you feel a variety of emotions. Let's dig in and geek out over this wonderful piece of television.
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This is episode 17 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Picard episode 7 - Nepenthe.
Iām away at Ulverstone in North-West Tasmania for a church family camp. So you might hear some rolling waves or even a fairy penguin or two in the background of this episode, because Star Trek waits for no one.
And wow, what an episode we have to talk about!
The description on Memory Alpha reads
Picard and Soji transport to the planet Nepenthe, home to some old and trusted friends. As the rest of La Sirena's crew attempt to join them, Picard helps Soji make sense of her recently unlocked memories. Meanwhile, Hugh and Elnor are left on the Borg cube and must face an angered Narissa.
The episode was written by Samantha Humphrey and Michael Chabon
It was directed by Douglas Aarniokoski
And it first aired on 5 March 2020.
And of course, it guest starred Jonathan Frakes and Marini Sirtis.
Make it so.
Man, I loved this episode. It exemplified what Star Trek Picard is, when itās at itās best.
It was a slow-paced deeply character-driven story.
This weekās flashback takes place just 3 days ago, taking us back to Episode 3 of the show. We get to see a little of what went on between Commodore Oh and Agnus. She asks a few questions about what Agnus told Picard and then she says sheāll show Agnus what will happen if Synthetic lifeforms are allowed to exist. And she performs a mind meld with her.
So up until now, my assumption has been that Oh is a Romulan posing as a Vulcan.
But can Romulans perform mind melds? We know they are an offshoot of the Vulcan race, and we know that mind melds are a very ancient Vulcan practice, but to my knowledge we have never seen, in any canon or non-canon source, a Romulan perform a mind meld.
Raffi and Maddox both believe there are Starfleet officers complicit with the Zhat Vash behind this whole thing, so maybe Oh really is a Vulcan, just working with the Romulans. It seems pretty obvious to me that she knows Rizzo is a Romulan.
We donāt know exactly know what she showed Agnus. A few rapid flashes of images. I believe there was an exploding planet in there. We donāt have a full enough picture to see what exactly it was to change Agnusās mind so completely, to drive her to betray Picard and murder Maddox. It had to be really compelling. So far, we havenāt seen any compelling motivation from the bad guys in this show, other than, āthey hate synthetic lifeā, which is pretty weak.
Did Oh convince her, or mind control her? We donāt know enough. In fact, this flashback doesnāt really tell us anything new, other than a mind meld was performed.
Anyway, Oh gets Raffi to swallow a tracking device, which will come back later in the episode.
Back in present day, The La Sierenna is caught in a borg tractor beam at the artefact.
And poor Hugh is being interrogated by Rizzo. I am so ready for her to die!
Rizzo says she canāt kill Hugh because as a Federation citizen, it would be a treaty violation. She doesnāt strike me as the kind of person who cares about treaty violations. Her real motivation here is to get Hugh to talk. She canāt get the information out of him that she needs if heās dead. So instead, she starts killing ex borg. Knowing how much Hugh cares for them.
When Hugh refuses to talk, she letās the La Sierra go, but sends Narak out to follow them.
Elnor stays behind to help Hugh. This is where he is needed. MY biggest question is, where was Elnor while Hugh was being interrogated. Why didnāt he just jump in and behead Rizzo right then and there.
What I like here is that the people in this show are not stupid. Rios thinks that Raffi hacked the tractor beam, because thatās what she was trying to do, but within seconds, they realise thatās not the case. They know this is suspicious and they have their guard up from that moment on.
That brings us to the planet Nepenthe, which is very earth-like. Looks like a bit of a paradise planet. Picard and Soji emerge from the Sakarian gateway thing and are immediately confronted by a warrior armed with a bow and arrow.
Quick aside. Am I the only one terrified that the borg now have the technology to beam a drone onto a planet from lightyears away? One drone is all it would take to cause an apocalypse. And theyāre using it solely as a means of escape for the queen. That seems ā¦ illogical.
Anyway. I love how Picard points out that his heart is solid durateneum. I think this is the first time itās been made clear to new audiences that Picard has an artificial heart. Of course, it turns out the warrior is a child, and that Picard knows her, and her parents. By this point, Iām sure weāve all guessed that her parents are Riker and Troi.
I love that they named their daughter Kestra, after Deannaās older sister, who tragically died when she was just Deanna was just a newborn. That story is told in one of the few really good Lwaxana episodes that TNG did āDark Pageā. DS9 did several good Lwaxana episodes, and one bad one. Anyway, I Think thatās a wonderful tribute to her sister.
Weāll learn later in the episode about Will and Deannaās other child, who also has a significant name.
Through a nice conversation between Soji and Kestra, we find that Soji trusts nobody, including Picard. After what sheās just been through with Narak, and the shock of finding out her entire life is a life, I really donāt blame her.
The way Picard breaks the news to Soji that sheās an android was really sloppy. He should have handled that with a lot more delicacy. He should have put off Kestraās question, and taken the time during the walk to break the news to Soji as gently as he could.
Personally, I think that discovering youāre not a āreal personā but are actually artificial, would be a massive shock, and quite a difficult thing to accept.
But this is all another case of Picard being a good man, but not perfect. Sometimes he stumbles, even just on the little things. And I love that about this show.
He kinda stumbles again when he tells her that Dahj WAS real. That implies that Dahj is dead.
She assumes this whole thing is just another mind game. Again, I donāt blame her.
And we get our first glimpse of Troi. I love the look of joy on her face when she sees Picard.
She knows immediately heās in trouble. And then she just clouds over as she senses the depth of what Picard has been through, and is still going through. Because, of course, sheās an empath.
Marina Sirtis is absolutely fantastic in this episode. Itās a good reminder of what a great actor she is. Something Star Trek didnāt always give her the opportunity to show.
When Picard introduces Soji and Dr. Soji Asher, she says ājust Soji.ā Sheās just learned that her doctorate, and her surname are both lies. Nice touch.
Then we get to see Riker for the first time.
He may not have his wifeās empathic abilities but he can either see in Picardās face, or just knows he wouldnāt show up for a social call.
And so Riker says āShields Up!ā Thatās such an iconic Riker line. Loved it. And I just love that Riker has shields on his house. Heās prepared for all eventualities. I thought he said āweāve had some problems with the Xindi, would have been a nice nod to Enterprise, but no, itās the Kzinti. Have you heard of them? Top points if you recognise the name. I didnāt. But theyāre a race of aggressive felines that were previously seen in Star Trek The Animated series. So thatās a pretty deep cut.
Deanna recognises the emotion on Sojiās face and acknowledges that sheās been through genuine trauma. But she canāt sense those emotions. This makes me wonder if she could sense Dataās emotions once he installed the emotion chip. The movies never answered that question. Either way, Troi respects the truth of Sojiās emotions, artificial or not.
Picard tells his friends that he is in over his head. I think this is the first time heās slowed down long enough to truly realise that. Heās lost his crew, and his plan was not as fully formed as heād thought. He was so focussed on finding and rescuing Soji, he hadnāt given any thought to what heād do once he found her.
He needs a place to regroup and formulate a new plan. And where better than he with his most trusted friends.
Will Riker, his right hand, and Deanna Troi, his conscience.
Iām loving the relationship the Rikers have with their daughter. It seems like a very happy family. And thatās probably, partly because of, rather than just in spite of, the tragedy weāll learn about later.
From what we see of it, Nepenthe is a beautiful world, but I would have liked it if it were just a little more alien. Apparently they have venomous animals called bunnicorns, but they look exactly like rabbits. The name bunnicorn is a bit on the nose. Actually, a lot on the nose. I know they donāt have infinite budget, but Iād have liked it if theyād used a CGI creature, just to add a little alien-ness to the planet. At least in TOS they put horns on the dog.
Kestra is fascinated that Soji is Dataās daughter. She asks her if she plays the violin or likes Sherlock Holmes, two things we know about Data. Thatās a very kid way to approach it.
Kestra is more fascinated with the little human details about Soji, than the superhuman things. The fact that she has mucus fascinates her.
This reminds me of the time Julian Bashir met Data. He wasnāt impressed that Data had super strength and speed. He was fascinated that Data breathed and had a circulatory system.
Soji doesnāt understand in what sense Data could be her father. She was created long after Data died. Picard really needs to take some time to explain this whole neuronic clone thing to her.
I like the relationship that is developing between Kestra and Soji in this episode. There are so many great character scenes. Itās just one after another after another.
I like the subtle little moment as Deanna sighs before opening the door to Thadās room.
We learn that the Rikers had a son. Had being the operative word. Last week would have been his 18th birthday. So thatās a very sad development. I love the photo of Picard in uniform holding baby Thad. Picard has such a smile on his face. By this point in his life, heād mostly gotten over his fear of children, but this was just any child. This was the child of his dearest friends. Of course heās gonna have a huge smile plastered all over his face.
I love the acknowledgement from Picard that as Kestraās aching for her brother slowly fades, it brings a whole different ache to Deanna and Will. I love the writing in this episode.
Their sonās name was Thaddeus Riker. Thad was likely named after Colonel Thaddius Riker, an ancestor of Willās. He fought in the American Civil War during the 1860s and was named Old Iron Boots by his fellow soldiers. Will knows this story well, and was shocked once to learn that Colonel Riker was rescued by a Q posing as a human. Itās doubtful he remembers this detail, however, as he was transported to the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant to give evidence in a trial against the Q, before being returned to the alpha quadrant with his memories erased.
Rios has figured out that somebody is tailing them. Again, the crew are not stupid.
Another thing Rios and Raffi are noticing is that Agnes is not herself.
Agnes makes a comment about wanting to be the fun crewmember who suggests hiding in a comet that turns out to be a giant gormagander. This seems like a bit of a Star Wars reference, referring, obviously, to Empire Strikes Back, where the Millennium Falcon hides in a cave in an asteroid, that turns out to be a giant space worm.
But itās also a reference to something that was introduced into Star Trek lore by Star Trek Discovery. The gormagander is a space wale. A sentient animal that flies through space. They were on the endangered species list in the 23rd century, so the fact that Agnes is making this comment suggest that maybe they are a little more plentiful in the 24th. Which is cool.
Agnus is really out of character at this point. She suggests abandoning the mission, abandoning Picard and abandoning Soji. She was so excited to meet a real living synth, and now she wants no part of it. Sheās getting really bad at hiding her true feelings.
I love the little shorthand between Rios and Raffi. With just a look, she says āLeave it to me, Iāll work on her.ā And with a look of his own, Rios says, āGo for it, sheās all yours.ā
That demonstrates the shared history of two old friends better than Raffiās use of JL as a nickname for Picard. Not that I particularly mind the JL thing.
Next we get yet another wonderful scene. This time between Picard and Riker. Picard is still trying to protect the Rikers from all this and he thinks the best way to do that is to tell them nothing about his situation. Rikerās comeback is both stinging and heartbreaking.
āI was just thinking about how great it would be if ignorance of danger was all it took to keep it away from the people we love.ā
Itās a very personal statement for Riker, as we see him choke up while he says it.
The soil on Nepenthe has regenerative powers. Things grow really well here. Itās why they came here. It seems Captain Riker gave up his Starfleet career to move here to Napenthe for the sake of his sonās health. He and Deanna thought that maybe it would help.
Soji is exhibiting more and more android traits. Now that sheās activated, sheās found she can read a 300 page book in a few seconds. And she gives a little head tilt. I recognised that as very Data long before Riker called it out. Iām sure you did too.
Riker shows Picard how foolish heās been trying to keep everything to himself, but essentially recounting the entire story of the show so far. Heās not an idiot any more than Rios and Raffi. And he reminds Picard that heās not the captain of a starship anymore. Heās dealing with a teenager. Something Picard has no experience with. But Riker does.
We get some interesting insight into Thad. He grew up on Starships, mostly, on the USS Titan presumably. He never felt like he had a homeworld. His mother was from Betazed. His father was from Earth. Thad didnāt feel like either of those planets was his home. He was a child of space. But he was fascinated by the idea of a homeworld and invented his own. Ardani. He came up with various different cultures and even whole languages. Itās very creative. I can so identify with that as a writer. Already, this boy that weāve never seen on screen has so much more depth than half the characters on Discovery. Interesting that. I hope it doesnāt sound like Iām bagging out Discovery. I like Discovery, but I must admit, Iām loving Picard more.
Eventually, when they came to Nepenthe, for Thadās health, it became his homeworld, and he loved it.
He had Manadaxic neurosclerosis, a silicon-based virus. The heart-breaking thing is that it was curable, using positronic technology, which of course was banned after the synth attack on mars. The machine that could have saved Thadās life was made illegal. I wonder if Riker and Troi tried to get their hands on it through illegal means to save their son.
This ties into an interesting discussion which starts with a comparison of grown verses replicated food, and culminates in the question of whether real is always better than synthetic.
You know what I love about this scene. Itās allowing Troi to be a counsellor again. Her character was used pretty badly in most of the TNG movies. She got to be a counsellor for one brief but fantastic scene in Generations, and then that was it. Voyager gave her the chance to do a little more, but itās been a long time since weāve really seen Troi being so awesome in her field. Itās fantastic.
But Soji still doesnāt trust anyone. All these friendly faces, these people being caring, just when she needs that more than ever, it could just be another mind game like the one Narak played on her in the meditation chamber. Again, I donāt blame her. And yet I know these people. I know she can trust them.
Picard responds to this with bluntness.
As Riker said, Picardās not so great with teenagers. He may not be up to the challenge.
But then Troi calls him out and says he had it coming when Soji shoves him.
āTo you, the idea that this could be some kind of subterfuge or simulation is preposterous, but to her, it would be more of the same.ā
And then she makes a great suggestion.
Pretend our dinner table is the ready room of the enterprise, or more accurately, the conference lounge.
I really love Troi and Riker in this episode, but especially Troi.
So Hugh is determined to take the cube from the Zhat Vash. He wants to protect the Xbs. As we established last week, they are victims. Hugh is one of the few people who care about them.
Sadly, the stupid-face Rizzo appears at that moment. And here we run into that problem. No matter how good you are with a sword, youāre useless against a phaser. At least a lightsaber can deflect blaster bolts. But Elnor just carries a metal sword.
Fortunately for him, the Zhat Vash have a duelling tradition of hand-to-hand combat against the Qowat Milat. If that werenāt the case, Elnor would be dead now.
But in some ways, this is subterfuge on Rizzoās part, and there is a cost. Tragically, that cost is Hugh.
What sucks the most is that Elnor fails to kill Rizzo because she beams out at the last second. Oh man. Iāll be cheering when Elnor finally chops off her head.
I canāt believe Hugh died. Thatās so sad. This show has quite a high body count. At least died a hero, trying to save the Xbs from the Zhat Vash. I hope Elnor can fulfil his legacy by saving them in Hughās name.
You know what upsets me the most about Hughās death here. Weāll never get to see him meet Seven. I was sure those two would share scenes together in this show. And weāll never get to see him reunite with Geordi, his first friend. I feel like both Descent and now Picard have robbed us of that reunion. Which is sad.
Raffi is trying to draw out whatās bothering Agnes. She thinks itās just the pain of losing Maddox. But then Agnes absolutely breaks down. She canāt hold in all the stuff that sheās hiding.
But before they can really dig deeper into this, Rios announces that Narak is back, still following them, which doesnāt seem possible.
Remember that tracking device Oh had Agnes swallow?
I like how Riker just casually calls Troi Imzadi like a pet name now. Back in TNG, they would use this term sparingly, only on special occasions. But they, theyāre been married for 20 years. Theyāre extremely comfortable with one another. Imzadi seems a natural pet name to use at this point in their relationship.
WE get a classic Star Trek conference scene, but it has pizza! Iāve missed these scenes. So having one again, with Riker and Troi, but also their daughter and Dahj. That was so cool.
And did I mention pizza?
I also like how Kestra makes a worthwhile contribution to the discussion, but not in a way that feels unrealistic for a child of her age. I really like Kestra.
Rios is playing an interesting game with Agnes. I donāt for one minute think he truly believes that Raffi is being tracked, on purpose or otherwise. Given the strange way Agnes is acting, I think he suspects she has something to do with it, and heās trying to draw her out by expressing his fake suspicions of Raffi. Remember, he already knows that Raffi was doing down on Freecloud, and why she returned to the La Sirena.
And it kinda works. She admits, āitās not her.ā
And then we get a very dark scene. Agnes replicates a neutron-toxin. It appears this is a suicide attempt. Is this just because she feels guilty, or does she think killing herself will stop Narak tracking them? Maybe this is part of her mission from Oh.
I think she is probably trying to prevent Narak from tracking them, from the way she kind of psychs herself into it, saying āyou can do this,ā which was horrifying, by the way.
I wanted to reach into the screen and stop her.
But I couldnāt
She injects herself.
And then she collapses.
And then she starts foaming at the mouth.
This was horrific.
And my theory is proven true, because once she starts to die, Narak suddenly loses the signal.
The EMH gets reactivated and manages to save her life, but sheās stuck in a coma.
I wonder what Riosās idea was, the one Raffi wasnāt gonna like. We never actually get to find out.
Thatās an odd bit of storytelling. I wonder if that will come back later. If not, why include that line at all?
Meanwhile Elnor finds a tag and presses it. It activates a Ferris Ranger SOS. I guess heās calling Seven of Nine to come help him. Cool!. But what on earth was it doing hanging here in a Borg cube? Thatās kind of weird.
Now that theyāre not being tracked, the La Sirena can finally meet Picard on Nepenthe.
I kinda laughed when Picard said his new crew carry way more baggage than the TNG crew ever did. Because, of course, Rodenberry wouldnāt allow them to have baggage.
Riker makes it clear heās still on active reserve with Starfleet, but it would take a very good reason to get him back in uniform again.
We have another nice scene between Picard and Riker as they sit by the pond. We do see an interesting rock formation in the background, that lends a little alien-ness to this planet.
But then we get an awesome scene between Soji and Kestra. It seems Soji has lost one sister, only to gain another.
And I LOVE how Kestra talks about what got her through her hard times was her parents. As a parent myself that affects me deeply. I think the hope of every parent is that their child might be able to say those words to someone.
She urges Soji to let Picard be that support to her, a father figure. Those two have a bit of work ahead of them to really let each other in.
In noticed in the credits that Jay Chattaway was credited as having written Lullaby #2 in this episode. Not sure what that piece of music was. Jay Chattaway was a regular composer on Star Trek back in the 90s. Especially on Voyager. Maybe it was just a little music queue that they referenced in the score of this episode. Iām really not sure.
This was a phenomenal episode. It gave me such a Star Trek: The Next Generation feel, and yet, it was very much not TNG. TNG only ever tried to do a character episode like this one. Family. This show takes the best of what we remember nostalgically, but does something very new and fresh with it.
Iāve really enjoyed Star Trek Picard up until now, but if I didnāt already, Nepenthe has definitely made me love it.
Well done to everyone involved in bringing this beautiful chapter of the story to our screens.
Next weekās episode is called Broken pieces. I wonder what it will bring. A quest to find Sojiās homeworld, no doubt.
Itāll be very exciting.
As for my walk to Mordor, I got a whole lot of steps in yesterday. Packing for our trip and then walking along the beach with my daughter. I just encountered Old Man Willow, and my next milestone is Tom Bombadilās house. Thatāll be a trippy experience.
Stay tuned for the next episode of the Nerd Heaven Podcast. Please consider giving the show a review wherever you listen to podcasts, or if you are watching on youTube, click that like button.
Also, if youād like to support what Iām doing here, you could buy me a hot chocolate.
Just go to buymeacoffee.com/adamdavidcollings.
Have a fantastic week.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Everything begins to transition in episode 6 of Star Trek Picard. Jean-Luc finally meets up with both Hugh and Soji. What starts as an investigation turns into a daring rescue as Narak finally makes his move against her. Picard also has to confront his haunted past as a former Borg drone. Everything changes after this episode. Join me as we dig in deep to geek out over this one.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.
This is episode 16 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about Star Trek Picard episode 6. The Impossible Box.
Oh, and I guess I should say happy leap day, because Iām recording this on the 29th of February.
The description for this episode on memory alpha reads
Picard and the crew track Soji to the Borg cube in Romulan space, resurfacing haunting memories for Picard. Meanwhile, Narek believes he finally found a way to safely exploit Soji for information.
This episode was written by Nick Zayas. Thatās a name I havenāt seen associated with the show up until now.
It was directed by Maja Vrvilo
And first aired on the 27th of February 2020.
Make it so.
I really enjoyed this weekās episode. There was plenty I liked in last weekās episode as well, but it was pretty brutal. This episode allows us to take a little breath. But thereās still a little for us to chew on.
This weekās flashback is not so much a true flashback, as it is a nightmare of Sojiās childhood. Which we know must be implanted data, because she didnāt have a childhood. She creeps through a dark hallway on a stormy night, into a workshop where she sees her father. He yells at her and she wakes up.
And despite his accusations against her two weeks ago, Soji is still in a relationship with Narak.
I kinda got the idea she was gonna give him the boot, but then what couple donāt have arguments.
Narakās perspective that āeveryone is hiding something, whether they know it or notā is so very Romulan. But itās specifically true for Soji. Sheās hiding her true nature, a nature she knows nothing about.
Letās think for a minute just what an incredible job Maddox must have done to create an android that believes she is human. All the little details. Itās not just the emotions. Itās the physical things. Sheād have to eat, as Data did, but sheād have to taste. Sheād feel sensations on her skin. Sheād get hungry. Sheād experience tiredness. Thereās all the sensations and experiences related to her sexual relationship with Narak. And, if itās not too delicate to say ā¦ Sheād have to go to the toilet as well.
There are so many little things that could give away her true identity if they were not present.
Sheād also have to pass scans.
Iām reminded that Picard thought that Soji was created out of flesh and blood, not machine parts, but still with an artificial positronic brain. Kind of like the humanoid cylons in Battlestar Galactica. So that goes a long way. But still, itās a mind boggling achievement, significantly greater than anything Noonian Soong did.
I guess itās also possible that there is programming within her that actively makes her ignore certain facts that should give away her true nature. Narak talks about this later in the episode.
So Romulans have a true name they only share with the one they give their heart to. Thatās very Doctor Who.
Then we cut to the La Sirena and have to deal with the corpse in the room. How is Agnes going to get away with her murder of Bruce Maddox.
During that scene in sickbay last week, I thought it very odd that the EMH wasnāt on. Heās their medical officer and they definitely had a medical emergency. Some viewers thought that Maddox was under the medical care of Agnes. And thereās a reason for that.
Itās revealed in the Book The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack, but in the show itself, that Agnes was a qualified medical doctor before she met Maddox and began studying under him for her doctorate in robotics
So anyway, that makes a bit more sense. Iād forgotten this detail. I thought she was just in the room in the capacity as Maddoxās friend and lover.
So that makes a little more sense. Thatās why she can now bluff her way out of it all, by telling Picard that Maddox died of his injuries and she was unable to save him. As long as nobody talks to the EMH.
Iām finding thereās a lot in this show that wouldnāt make sense if you havenāt read the extended materials. And thatās a bit of a problem.
But Iāve also got a bit of a problem with her backstory.
If we assume that Agnes Jurati is the same age as her actor, Alison Pill, then sheās only 34.
The synth ban happened 14 years ago. That means she was 20 when the synth ban happened. She met Maddox and began her robotics studies 2 years earlier.
So that means, she was a fully qualified doctor, out of medical school as a teenager.
She must be some super genius. That just doesnāt seem realistic to me.
I guess Agnes must be older than her character (much like Picard is a lot older than Patrick Stewart).
But thatās a little hard to swallow as well. I think she already looks younger than her 34 years.
I guess, 24th century medical advances and all that. After all, thatās how I explain Picard.
We donāt learn in this episode why Agnes killed him. What her deal is, but her relationship with Maddox gives her a perfect excuse for all the painful emotions sheās struggling with.
And then Elnor comes in and asks what the Artifact is, then realises itās none of his business and that he should out-but. I missed that little joke on my first viewing. But I like it. This is a particular type of humour that I really enjoy. When people say something not quite right because theyāre in a fish out of water situation.
I said in episode 3 that I was really liking Agnes as a character. She was the wide-eyed innocent who was just thrilled to be on board, who balanced out the other world-weary characters.
Well, we say how that turned out. She sure isnāt innocent anymore. And her innocence after rmeeting Oh was all an act.
But it seems that Elnor is now filling that hole.
Iāve heard people say that they donāt really like Elnor. Heās too child-like. But more and more, I think Elnor is playing out the Australian sense of humour. Evagora isnāt writing the lines of course, but thereās something very Aussie about the way heās delivering those lines. We Aussies have a very self-deprecating sense of humour. And thatās all over his performance as Elnor. And Iām loving it.
Agnes raises a good question. Why would Maddox send Soji to the artifact, of all places, to learn the truth about the synth ban? Iād very much like to know the answer to that.
This episode forces Picard to confront something from his past that still haunts him to this day.
Weāve seen this in every Borg story Picard has taken part in. We saw in First Contact, that the emotional pain of his assimilation was as raw and fresh as the day he was taken.
Back in I Borg, Picard tried to convince Troi, and himself, that he was all good now. That he was fully recovered. But now, as an older and wiser man, heās got no pretext.
He hasnāt set foot on a Borg Cube since he was assimilated. The borgified Enterprise engine room was a close approximation, but not the same.
By going aboard that artifact, Picard is going to have to confront his deepest fear.
Iāll admit I had to look up the word metastasize. It means to spread through the body like a disease, causing damage. Thatās a good description of what the Borg do.
Even though Elnor is clueless about the culture around him, heās got a keen sense of insight into people. He can see that Agnes is haunted by something she wants to forget.
And then we get a call back to that joke as he asks if he was in-butting.
Patrick Stewart is really selling Picardās anxiety about the Borg. Itās absolutely wonderful.
And then. Finally, he says it. āComputer.ā
For the last few episodes, characters have been giving verbal instructions to the shipās computer, but they never actually begin by saying ācomputer.ā It was very glaring by its absence.
So I cheered out loud when he said that. I think my wife may have rolled her eyes at me.
But thatās ok. Iām a nerd.
Thereās lots of nice visual callbacks in the image search result that Picard runs. He sees Hugh as he first knew him, and as he looks now.
They like to do this weird camera shot where you see people through the translucent holographic screens, and their face blends with another.
Itās strange
But in this case, itās very effective, as we see the image of Locutus merge with Picardās face.
Thatās chilling.
Of course, for the shot to work, the original image has the borg implants on the wrong side of Picardās face. Which is wrong.
As I nit-picking?
Actually, it occurs to me now, that image of the borg not have been Locutas at all. It may have been a borg drone. Which makes it work.
Thereās a shot in the opening credits that looks like the end of a Dalek eye stalk. I assume itās meant to be some kind of Borg implant. But every time I see it, all I can think is Dalek.
As the La Sierra heads toward Romulan space, he learns, officially, that the neutral zone no longer exists.
In movies and TV shows, peopleās emotional pain somehow morphs into romantic or sexual feelings. Which makes zero sense to me. If I was in the kind of pain Agnes is in, sexy fun times would be the last thing on my mind.
But people do sometimes turn to pleasure as a way to comfort themselves when theyāre hurting, so I guess I can understand Agnes in this scene. It sure makes a lot more sense than that weird turbolift scene between Spock and Uhura in Star Trek 2009.
But what I like here is that Agnes verbally acknowledges that this is a mistake. And that it will not really help her in the long-term. At best, itāll take her mind off her troubles for an hour or two at most.
This is a more grown-up approach to sex than Star Trek is known for.
The Romulan puzzle box not only acts as a symbol to demonstrate the difference in personality and approach between Narak and Rizzo, but also foreshadows Narakās attempt to kill Soji later in the episode.
Finally we have a conversation between these two weird erotic siblings that actually moves their story forward. The last two times weāve seen them together have been pretty pointless. Just rehashing the same old lines.
This time, we get some insight into Narakās investigation. He is making progress. He is gaining insight into Soji. He has a plan.
So Narak addresses what I was talking about earlier. How can Soji not know sheās a machine?
Narak points out that all day, every day, there are probably little hints that she has to ignore. Maybe sheās actively programmed to ignore them. But as he says, āthat cognitive dissonance must go somewhere.ā In her dreams, sheās reconciling the sides of herself. This is a vulnerability he can exploit.
He can gain access to the information they want out of her, such as the location of her homeworld, without triggering her self-defense mechanisms, as they did with Dahj.
So Romulan space is still called Romulan space, and itās still a violation of treaty for a Federation citizen to violate it without authorisation.
Raffi calls in an old favour from a friend to get diplomatic authorisations for Picard.
Or more specifically, blackmails the old friend.
But she got the job done.
Thereās a nice character scene between Raffi and Rios, as she tells him about her estranged son, and the granddaughter sheāll never get to know.
I canāt imagine the pain of never getting to know your grandchild. Iām not a grandparent, but Iāve seen how special that relationship is to my parents. Iāve always known that relationship is special, from having my own grandparents, but now Iām seeing it from the other side in my parents.
Soji tries talking to her mother, actively trying not to fall asleep. She succeeds briefly. When she wakes up, she scans all her belongings. They are all 37 months old. Everything in her life is fabricated. She knows this now. Her entire life is a lie.
Can you imagine how that must feel?
Picard beams in, and heās standing there alone, in the dark, on a Borg cube. He sees the regeneration alcoves. He hears the noises of the cube. That would be terrifying. We get to see a lot of rapid flashes, all from First Contact. And sound effects too from that movie. Itās great.
They go by pretty quick, but if youāre paying attention youāll see corridors of the Enterprise E, even the Borg queen herself. And you hear the queen.
And finally Picard gets to meet Hugh again, after all these years. This was a great moment. And I love how happy they both were to see each other. And Hugh is instantly willing to do whatever he can for Picard. That was heart-warming.
If thereās one person who can understand how Picard is feeling here, itās hugh.
The reason the freed borg refer to themselves as XBs is that, as Hugh puts it, a new name can sometimes be the first step to a new identity. Thatās a lesson he learned on the Enterprise. Which of course, ties in beautifully to I Borg. Especially that scene when he says to Picard, āNo, I am Hugh.ā
Seeing these drones is a good reminder of what the borg are underneath. Theyāre victims, not monsters. Despite what he said earlier, about the Borg collectively, Picard has compassion for the individual drones. They were all people once.
But not everybody does. Hugh reminds us that ex borg are still among the most hated people in the galaxy.
Iām still not sure I buy that. But whatever.
Narak is going to use a Romulan meditation technique to help unlock the answers in Sojiās unconscious. But this meditation is forbidden for non Romulans, or round-ears as they are called. A slur of sorts.
But man, Narak has a lot of sway on this cube.
Narak begins to cement more of her trust by telling her his true name.
Narak teaches her to take control of the dream. To look in directions other than what sheās always done.
They do this with a window as practice, but this will be necessary once she gets into the lab.
Soji canāt see her fatherās face. I guess because thereās no data to draw on. Her father doesnāt exist any more than her mother does. And then, she sees herself on the work table as a wooden doll. And Narak instructs her to look up at the skylight. She sees two moons. They may have uncovered enough data to locate her home. Wherever it was that she was assembled.
Hugh asks who Soji really is, and Picard says āthereās no time.ā presumably so we donāt have to listen to exposition about stuff we already know. But Soji is being hidden from sensors, so they just have to sit around and wait. I assume during this time, Picard would explain the whole story to Hugh. It would certainly make no sense for him not to.
And now that heās got what he wants from her, Narak is ready to kill her.
But he doesnāt just shoot her, he locks her in the chamber and leaves the puzzle box to release a fatal radiation.
Why do bad guys always use such elaborate ways to kill people, giving them a chance to find a way to escape? It makes no sense.
But we can see, Narak is still fighting his feelings. Heās made the decision to kill her, thatās what he knows heās supposed to do. And yet, You can see itās bothering him. He does have some form of feelings for her.
And of course, she uses her android strength to rip the floor open and escape.
Which allows Picard and Hugh to detect her.
Now itās a race. Who will get to her first? Narak or Picard and hugh?
And finally, finally, Picard meets Soji.
He doesnāt have time to explain everything, but he explains enough to earn Sojiās trust.
She doesnāt have many options, so it seems logical to go with this stranger.
Hugh has discovered a special emergency escape device obtained after the borg assimilated the sikarians. This is a nice deep cut into Voyagerās history. Voyager encountered the Sikarians during their first year in the delta quadrant. They had extremely long-range transporter technology. Technology that could have helped them get all the way home to the alpha quadrant.
Thatās really sad that they were assimilated. But not surprising. Every race in the Delta Quadrant is at risk.
Anyway, this technology is used to allow the queen to escape a cube.
Theyāre going to beam themselves to a planet called Nepenthe.
And then Elnor arrives to protect them from the Romulan guards.
Picard thanks him for disobeying his orders to stay on the ship.
The Romulans guards will just follow them through unless Elnor stays behind to fight them off to give Hugh time to hide the room.
But Picard canāt leave Elnor behind again.
This is a nice little healing moment in their relationship. But Picard canāt convince him to come.
So Elnor and Hugh remain behind on the cube. I have no doubt weāll see them again. Theyāll both want to find Picard and help him.
So the episode closes on that awesome line. āPlease, my friends. Choose to live.ā
I love that about Elnor. I love that he always begs him enemies to choose to live, rather than force him to kill them. He has a respect for life. All life.
We have officially hit the midpoint of the story now.
In story structure, the midpoint is an important moment. Itās a transition from ractivness to proactiveness.
In the first half of a book, the protagonist is reacting to the events of the first plot point. But in the second half, he or she is trying to be more proactive. To go on the offensive, rather than just being on the back foot the whole time.
The rescue of Soji feels like a similar transition.
No longer is Picard stumbling around, trying to figure out where Soji is, and why the Zhat Vash are after her.
Now, he has rescued her, and they will be working together, the hunted has become the huntress.
Of course, the protagonists attempts to go on the offensive usually fail. After all, thereās still half of the book to go. But thereās a shift of attitude, and a little change of power.
The story is in full force now. Weāre gonna start seeing a lot of things happening. Everything changes from here on.
And thatās very exciting.
Next weekās episode eis called Nepenthe. So weāll be seeing what Picard and Soji get up to when they arrive on that planet. Nepenthe sounds kind of Klingon. Similar to Rure Penthe. Thatās logical, given that both the Klingons and Romulans exist in the beta quadrant.
So...I wonder ā¦ will we be seeing Klingons next week?
Everyone was a little nervous about what Klingons might look like in Picard, Would they look like discovery Klingons? And if so, what would that mean for worf?
Alex Kurtzman confirmed a while back, that if we ever see Worf, he will look the way he as always looked, explaining that just as there are different looking romulans, there are also different looking Klingons.
A lot of people really wanted to see some more variation in the Klingons in Discovery. A few TNG style Klingons in the background, just to show they still exist. Once again, Picard has learned from some of Discoveryās mistakes. Weāve already seen that with the Romulans. Picard has actually added to canon, explaining the disparate appearances of Romulans throughout the history of the franchise.
so...Iām included to trust them on this.
If we do see Klingons next week, I suspect thereāll be a mix of discovery style and TNG style.
Anyway, this is all just speculation based on a planet name. Itās entirely possible Iām completely wrong about any Klingon connection.
Weāll find out next week.
Now I havenāt been updating you on my progress in my walk to Mordor. Iāve just passed Crickhollow and my next milestone is Old Man Willow. I have 2981.2 km to reach the end of my adventure.
And a friend of mine has joined the walk as well. If you want to travel this journey with me, be sure to add me as a friend. Youāll find me as āAdam David Collingsā
Donāt forget to subscribe to Nerd Heaven, wherever you listen to Podcasts. And please consider leaving a review. It would certainly help me out.
Iāll see you next week.
Live long and Prosper.
Make it so.
Things get serious in the 5th episode of Star Trek Picard. There's a lot to talk about, I dig deep. What a fascinating mixture of brutality, darkness, and light-hearted adventure. We get to spend some time with Seven of Nine, and finally catch up with Bruce Maddox. But there's a lot lurking in background here. This episode has it all. Laughs, triumph, drama, and heart-break.
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Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 15 of the podcast.
Today, weāre discussing the fifth episode of Star Trek Picard, Stardust City Rag.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
The La Sirena crew begins an unpredictable and lively expedition on Freecloud to search for Bruce Maddox. When they learn that Maddox has found himself in a precarious situation, a familiar face offers her assistance.
This episode was written by Kirsten Beyer,
directed by Jonathan Frakes
And it first aired on the 20th of February 2020.
Make it so.
In America, CBS All Access have been showing little āNext week on Star Trek Picardā clips. We donāt see those in Australia on Amazon Prime, but a few screen captures usually make their way to the internet.
Iād seen images of Picard wearing an eye patch and Rios in a silly hat. I was prepared for this to be a very silly cheese-fest. I was prepared to not like it.
Well, imagine my surprise when we were served up what is probably the darkest episode of the show so far.
Notice also that we didnāt once cut to Soji and Narak on the cube. Last week, they spent some time over there, but that plot wasnāt really advancing.
This time, I think they made the good decision to just focus on Picard and crew. IF nothing is happening with the other plot right now, then letās just not cut over there. And there was plenty happening with Picard and his new crew.
The episode begins, as always, with a flashback. A former borg drone is having his implants rather violently removed from his body. And surprise surprise, itās Icheb!
I picked it up from the shape of his nose. I said to my wife, āI think thatās Icheb.ā Then, when we saw the shape of the implants that had been removed from around his eye, it was confirmed.
I had such mixed emotions during this scene.
I was so excited to see Icheb back. Great to see that he fulfilled his dream of becoming a Starfleet officer. Iāll bet he was a fantastic one.
But then the very real sorrow when he died. That was so sad. I always liked Icheb, so it was heart-breaking to see his story end this way. But what a powerful scene. It had so much more emotional resonance because it was a character we knew and loved.
Icheb was like a son to Seven. She calls him āmy childā as he dies.
We just know that sheās going to get some payback for this heinous crime.
And it sure was heinous. They did all this to him without anaesthetic, and then left him to die slowly. Seven is left with little choice but to put him out of his misery with a phaser. For them to be that monstrous is almost cartoonishly evil.
It was a pretty bold move to kill off a beloved character in such a brutal way. And while, he was never in the opening credits, Icheb probably got more character development in the year and a half he was on Voyager than Harry Kim and Chakotay together.
It wasnāt the original actor playing him. Thatās a shame, but it worked for me anyway. Weāve already seen another actor play Icheb at around this age in the Voyager episode Shattered.
We can be sad that Icheb came back for a few seconds only to die like this, but I think it makes me appreciate his journey up to this point all the more.
Iheb was assimilated as a child, because of uncaring parents who wanted to use him as a weapon. He was doomed to spend his entire life as a drone. But then Voyager rescued him.
And because of that, he got to have a life. He got to grow up. He got to pursue a career in Starfleet. He got to make a difference. And most of all, he got to know what itās like to be loved. He had a family. He had a mother-figure in Seven. His life may have been short and it may have ended badly, but he had a full life, one he never would have had if Voyager hadnāt rescued him from that cube.
Also, did you notice the line where the doctor asks āWhereās your cortical node, Buddy? Gotta be in there somewhere.ā That was a very nice touch, and is of course, a reference to the Voyager episode imperfection.
Iām talking about this first scene a lot because it had a big impact on me. And honestly, Iām still sorting out all the emotions it has made me feel. But that means the writers did their job well. This made me feel deeply, and thatās what a writer is supposed to do. Thatās their job.
But before we leave this scene, we need to acknowledge that this has got to be the most violent scene we have ever seen on any Star Trek. It was graphic. It was horrific. If the swear words werenāt enough of a hint, we have no doubt now that this is firmly an adult show.
Then we jump to almost present day.
We meet up with Bruce Maddox. Finally. Again, itās not the original actor, which is a tremendous shame. But Iām sure they tried. Heās played here by John Ales. Itās been a long time so I guess I can accept that a much older Bruce could look like this.
Heās been in hiding and his meeting with a woman called Bjayzl. If you had a keen ear youād have noticed the evil doctor in the previous called out the name Bjayzl when she heard Seven entering the room.
And theyāre drinking Tranya. Nice TOS reference.
So Bjazyl is the loan shark Maddox went to, but he canāt repay her since the Tal Shiar destroyed his lab, and almost killed him.
So, I guess thatās why he disappeared after the Mars attack.
So Picard better get to Freecloud quickly, because Bzayzl is gonna sell Maddox to the Tal Shiar.
So Deven is awake and comes to see Picard in his holographic ready room. It seems sheās moved on from the purely practical nutrient supplements. She drinks bourbon now. And it does kind of suit her harder, more world-weary personality.
Seven is a member of the Fenris Rangers. Self-appointed police officers, trying to keep the peace in the power vacuum left behind by the Romulan Star Empire. Thatās why she came to Picardās aid at the end of last episode.
Picard sees them as vigilantes and is a little uncomfortable about their role and self-appointed judge, jury and executioner. But as Seven points out, they are the only law that region of space knows.
Sevenās motivation is to help people, the little people, one at a time, as best as she can.
She represents what Picard could have been if he hadnāt given up. Something she points out rather bluntly.
So when she hears Picard is on a mission to help someone who has nobody else to help them, sheās interested.
We get confirmation, through a holo-recording, that Agnes and Maddox were together, romantically. I wasnāt surprised by this, because Iām reading the Picard novel, which seems to be setting things up in this direction.
Funny how we see her tear as she watches, and think sheās just missing him. Not realising thereās a lot more beneath the surface.
The holographic pop-up ads as they near freecloud were ā¦. Interesting.
Very much targeted advertising. Rios gets the offer of ship repairs from a Red Bolian. I wonder, does this suggest that there are red Bolians? Humans have different skin tones, so itās possible.
Picard gets an offer of high tea in a classy restaurant.
Agnes gets a job offer from an entertainment robotics company and has to behead the thing to make it go away.
And Raffi gets an offer of snake leaf, the drug she was smoking back in episode 2.
And Elnor, poor Elnor doesnāt get any, because heās lived in isolation with the nuns, so he has no presence on the space internet. He seems almost disappointed. Iāll admit, that got a laugh out of me.
Anyway, this whole targeted ad thing was very topical for the present day. But it doesn't feel completely out of place in the 24th century. It reminded me of the jingle Quard had programmed into Deep Space Nineās computer.
Sevenās ears prick up at the mention of Bjayzl.
When Picard says āOptionsā to his new crew, well, it felt like the old Picard we knew. Heād often say that to his Enterprise crew.
So theyāre gonna pose a go-betweens to put Bjayzl in touch with the Tal Shiar. And they have to perfect bait. Seven.
Sheās more than willing to help them, of course, but not for the reasons they think.
The exterior context shots in this show all look great. Iāll bet thereās a few easter eggs hidden amongst the los vegas lights of freecloud.
And I just spotted one. It seems Mr. Mott has gone into business here. He was the hair-dresser on the Enterprise. He now has a shop here called Hair Enterprise. And right next door is a bar called Quark!
Is this actually our favourite Ferengi? Heād likely have more lucrative business on Freecloud than he ever had on Deep Space Nine. Or is it just a place called āThe Quark Barā named after the elementary particle?
This show loves to do this thing where it intercuts two scenes jumping backward and forward through time every sentence, or just cutting to a different location entirely. Most of the time, it has been jarring and annoying.
This time, it works. Because it makes this whole thing feel like a heist movie. Itās been a negative every other time theyāve used it, but this time, for me, itās a positive.
So now we get to see the costumes.And, they do look silly. Thereās no denying that. And yet, when you see them down on the planet, they fit in a lot better than Iād have thought. It actually works for me, a lot better than I thought it was going to. And Raffi gives a good practical reason why theyāre dressing this way.
Rios especially sells it.
Did you notice the guy in the bar with holographic angel wings? That was ā¦. Different.
Why are there so many translucent holograms about? Itās well established that in the 24th century, they have opaque holograms that you can feel and touch. Anyway, At least the EMH is opaque.
Riosās contact is Mr. Vup. A Beta Annari. Theyāre a reptilian species that can smell a lie. IS there any scientific basis to such a concept? Iām gonna guessā¦ probably not. Maybe some species give off different endorphins when they lie vs when they tell the truth. I dunno. Iāll go with it.
And we get an actual name drop of Quark. Which was very welcome. I still want more. Thereās plenty of TNG and Voyager, but I need me some Deep Space Nine.
Anyway, the fake references they created for Rios include him assisting Quark with some trouble relating to the Breen. Interesting.
So, Rios is gonna offer Bzayzl an alternate buyer for Maddox. The payment being Seven of Nine. A dangerous game. Bzayzl is not gonna want to go back on a deal with the Tal Shiar. Honestly, Seven is probably the only bait that would ever entice her to consider it.
Itās a good thing Rafiās medications can fool his senses.
Which only goes to strengthen Riosās position more than if Mr. Jup hadnāt been able to smell truthfulness and deceit.
I love how through all of this, Elnor is trying to get his head around their deceit. Remember, heās grown up with the doctrine of absolute candor. The never concept of a lie is a concept more alien than anything heās encountered.
When it finally clicks for him and he says āItās a lie.Youāre all behaving as someone other than who you are.ā I had a good laugh. But then he realises āeverybody except me.ā
Elnorās inability to be dishonest may be a danger on this mission.
I laughed again when he said āI donāt know how to not be Elnor.ā So Picard and Seven give him good advice. āThen be Elnor. An Elnor that doesnāt talk.ā
And can I point out that Patrick Stewartās idea of a French accept is so stereotypical it probably borders on insulting. He sounded like Inspector Cleaseu from The Pink Panther. Again, it got a little laugh from me, but Iām not sure itās truthful for Picard, who is supposed to actually be French.
Why is Agnes so afraid of operating a transporter console? Sheās a blooming robotics engineer. And not knowing how to operate a transporter is probably the equivalent of not knowing how to drive a car. Sure, not everybody can drive, but itās a fairly normal everyday activity.
Iām just not buying that somebody as technologically minded as her would be so anxious about having to beam somebody aboard.
Youāll notice theyāre putting a reasonable amount of humour in here. Now, I am not one of those people who say āyouāve gotta put levity in everywhere, or that everything has to be made light.ā
I like a serious story. But Iāll admit, the humour they add to this episode is useful. It does help to balance out the really heavy darkness and brutality we also see. Iām not saying that darkness always has to be balanced out in a story. Often, I find itās impact is lost when you try to do that. But here it worked for me. And I think one of the big reasons is that the humour comes naturally out of the characters. Youāll hear me say that a lot. Humour needs to come believably and naturally out of the characters. Thatās where I think the Marvel movies often fall flat (and I love the marvel movies, donāt get me wrong) but they have characters cracking jokes in the middle of tense situations that is totally unbelievable for me. I
n my opinion, this episode did it well.
And now we get to see what Rafiās business on Freecloud wa sall about. Sheās beaming down to see somebody called Gabriel Hwang
So Iāve mentioned before that Picard is setting up a lot of mysteries. And Iām not the only one whoās been wondering if the payout of those mysteries would be satisfying. Why do they have to keep Rafiās business on Freecloud secret? Now we get the payoff. And to me, it was satisfying. Because itās a character beat. We learn something about her, and we have a very emotional experience with her. And honestly, this is something she probably wants to keep private because itās so personal.
But first we have a touching goodbye between Rafi and Picard. It seems theyāve kind of repaired their relationship. Which is nice.
And this point, Iām invested as much in their relationship as I am with Picardās relationships with Riker, Data, and all the TNG characters.
So Gabriel is Raffiās estranged son. Agin, heās been mentioned in the book.
When Rafi took the job as Picardās first officer on the Verity, she had to leave her husband and son back on earth for an extended period of time. But we get the impression that even when she was back home, she was a mess. Her drug addiction may have been a bigger problem than we realised, and she became obsessed with her conspiracy theories about the Federation and Romulans working together to allow the synth attack on mars, making her an absent mother even when she wasnāt away.
Iām still keen to find out if Rafi is correct with her theories.
Gabrial wants to know if sheās really changed, or if sheās still obsessed with what he considers a crackpot theory. So he tests her by bringing it up and calling it nonsense. And of course, she immediately defends it.
Kinda proving that she hasnāt changed as much as she wants to make him believe.
This is all powerful character stuff. Gabrial is carrying a lot of resentment. Heās not going to let go of it easily.
We learn that Raffiās name is actually Rafaella.
Gabe is married to a Romulan named Pel and theyāre expecting a daughter.
I really hope that over the course of the show, Raffi and Gabe can work out their differences, for the sake of the baby if nobody else.
She deserves to have a relationship with her grandmother. And how heart-breaking would it be to have messed up with your child, and then not even have a chance with your grandchild.
Of course, Gave is worried that Rafi will let down his daughter as she let him down.
Anyway, letās hope they can all get it together.
Iāve been hoping weād hear the Rios EMH says āPlease state the nature of the medical emergency.ā We almost get there in this episode. It says āWhat is the nature of your psychiatric emergency.ā
This scene makes so much more sense on second viewing. We think Agnes is just panicking about using the transporter console. But no. Sheās frantic about something else she knows she has to do. Sheās so worked up it automatically launches the EMH. I guess it is programmed to monitor the crewās vital signs when it is turned off. Which actually makes perfect sense.
We get confirmation of something Iāve long suspected as head-canon. If you reclaim a borg drone quickly, there is much less technology that needs to be removed. You can more fully restore them. But when theyāve been assimilated for a long time, since childhood, theyāre so riddled with it, you can never get it all out. Thatās why Picard is so much more Human than Seven and Icheb ever were. Itās why Janeway, Tuvok and B'elanna, who were all assimilated, seemed to come back from that with no lasting consequences. Heck none of them even got their eyes replaced.
Picard and Rios realise that Seven and Bjayzl know each other. She even calls Sevan Annika. Her original human name.
Picard drops the act and returns to his normal accent when he asks Seven what the hell is going on.
And then Elnor says āAre we still pretending?ā
I laughed out loud at that line.
The way Evan Evagora delivers that line, I think itās a bit of the self-deprecating Aussie humour coming out there. I love it.
Picard points out that murder is not justice. He pleads with Seven not to squander her humanity by killing Bjayzl. And heās right of course. This is classic Jean-Luc Picard. And yet, the way that set this up at the beginning, the way we saw Icheb treated, I find myself rooting for Seven to take revenge, dare I call it justice, against Bjayzl. I agree with Picard, but I find myself still wanting Seven to kill that monster.
This is why it kind of had to be Icheb, It wouldn't have worked any other way.
Seven listens more to the practical argument from Rios than she does to the moral argument from Picard, but she beams up with them all, leaving Bjayzl behind.
Thereās a nice moment when Seven asks Picard if he ever felt he regained his humanity after being reclaimed from the Borg. He answers yes without hesitation. But when pressed ,he admits, not all of it. But itās something he and Seven are still working on.
As seven beams away, thereās a hint of the Voyager theme. I didnāt pick up on it the first time, but a friend brought my attention to it.
So Seven wasnāt as willing to leave Bjayzl as she lead Picard to believe. She beams right back down.
Picard still thinks thereās a place in the galaxy for mercy and Seven didnāt want to disillusion him. And I believe her when she says that.
So seven gets her revenge and then walks out of there shooting two phaser rifles at once.
So Maddox explains to Picard some of what he doesnāt know. We get confirmation of what Iāve long believed, that Dahj and Sojiās mum is an AI built into them.
As maddox tells Picard where to find Soji, we canāt help but wonder whatās going on with Agnes. Why is she off to the side looking so sad. Why isnāt she by Briceās side?
So Bruce sent Soji and Dahj to the cube and earth respectively, to find the truth behind the synth ban. It seems the Romulans arenāt the only ones after Soji. The Federation is involved somehow. Seems Rafi might be right.
Speaking of Rafi, after failing to reconcile with her son, sheās back on board the ship. I guess sheās got nowhere else to go.
And then we get the shocking final scene.
So Brue has fulfilled his lifeās work. He has replicated Soongās work.
We still donāt know where he got one of Dataās neurons.
Agnes clearly regrets her role in helping to create the androids. She calls it one more thing she has to atone for.
And then ā¦. She kills him.
Agnes Jurati kills Bruce Maddox.
I didnāt see that coming.
Some people have been talking about Agnes since Episode 3.
Commodore Oh went to meet her, then she signed on to Picardās mission.
Some felt she wasnāt entirely what she seemed.
It appears they were right.
āI wish you knew what I know,ā she says, as he chokes.
āI wish I didnāt know what I know. I wish they hadnāt shown me.ā
She kills the man she not only respected, but loved.
What would drive her to do that?
I must know!
Things are getting real now.
And thatās two classic Star Trek characters this episode has killed.
Wow.
I donāt know what to think about all of this.
To me, Agnes was always the nice kindly, somewhat awkward character we could all relate to.
But sheās just become something very different. I donāt think any of that was a lie, but whatever Oh showed her, it was serious.
I guess weāll find out more next week on the episode āThe Impossible Box.ā
So, in the tradition of shows like The Walking Dead, Iām not going to play any outro music this time.
Letās just have a moment of silence for Icheb.
And for Bruce Maddox.
And, well, for Juratiās innocence.
See you next week.
Picard and his crew are finally off, travelling the stars in their ship. Their first stop is a planet called Vashti, where Picard helped Romulan refugees 14 years ago. This episode forces Picard to confront his past failures, and the guilt he carries because of them. And we meet Elnor, a warrior from a Romulan religious order. Can Picard convince Elnor to join his quest?
I found there were some interesting themes to talk about in this episode. So let's dig into it together.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings. The author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 14 of the podcast.
And today weāre talking about episode 4 of Star Trek Picard. Absolute Candor.
So Iāve finally read the third and final edition of the Star Trek Picard Coundown comic book. Originally, I expected this story to explain why Picard left Starfleet, something the show has already done a good job of explaining. Instead, it gives us some insight into the adventures Picard experienced while trying to help the Romulans. It also explains the backstory of Jaris and Zhuban, and why they are with Picard at his chateau.
I would highly recommend people read this comic. Without it, I would have found characters like Rafi, Laris and Zhuban are bit jarring. Who are these people? Itās available on Kindle and Comixology.
Iāve also started reading the first Star Trek Picard novel. The Last Best Hope. The blurb doesnāt tell you anything about the plot of the book, but so far, it seems to be showing us the very beginning of the rescue efforts, from the moment Picard first learned of the supernova.
And, Iāve finally started playing Star Trek Online during the last week. I created a character years ago but never really got into it. Anyway, Iāve been quite enjoying it. There is such a vast library of stories to interact with after 10 years.
But thatās enough of my general Star Trek geekdom. We have an episode to discuss.
The description for Absolute Candor, according to Memory Alpha, reads
The crew's journey to Freecloud takes a detour when Picard orders a stop at the planet Vashti, where Picard and Musiker relocated Romulan refugees fourteen years earlier. Upon arrival, Picard reunites with Elnor, a young Romulan he befriended during the relocation. Meanwhile, Narek continues his attempts to learn more about Soji while Rizzo's impatience with his lack of progress grows.
This episode was written by Michael Chabon
And directed by Jonothan Frakes
It first aired on the 13th of February 2020.
Make it so.
I can already hear people complaining about the pace of this show. We were supposed to be going to Freecloud, and now weāre spending an entire episode on a detour. Picard has done nothing but recruit new people to help him on his mission for several episodes.
Technically, that is true, of course.
But Iām enjoying the pace of this show.
Is an adventure on Vashti really any less desirable than an adventure on Freecloud?
Yes, this show is slow-paced, but with every little step, itās doing a whole of stuff with character. And Iām loving it.
This episode starts with another flashback to 14 years ago. I think this is a structure we should get used to.
Picard is in the midst of his rescue mission.
Heās been helping Romulan refugees settle on a planet called Vashti.
We see some Romulans with heavier ridges, making them look pretty much like TNG Romulans. So that was nice.
We follow a young boy through the streets. Iām loving the details in this location. This show really does feel like a movie.
And Picard beams down dressed like John Hammond from Jurassic Park.
Perhaps heās wanting to put the Romulans at easy by not parading around in Starfleet uniform, but I think the main reason is Patrick Stewart wanted to avoid wearing a uniform except when absolutely necessary.
Picard is well-loved on this planet. Especially by this little boy, Elnor.
The two have a very special bond. Itās quite heart-warming to watch. Itās a shame Picard spent so much of his life afraid of children because heās actually very good with them now. He would have made a fantastic grandparent. But, as it is, he makes a wonderful āspare grandparentā, and honestly, thereās nothing wrong with that. This type of relationship is important and is not to be undervalued.
So Picard is working with the Qowat Milat. Romulan warrior nuns. The show is giving us a positive sympathetic exploration of religion, which, apart from Deep Space Nine, has been pretty rare in Star Trek. So Iām really liking that. These sisters are raising Elnor, but all agree itās not the best place for him to grow up. Picard is determined to find him a more suitable home.
We learn about two of their tenants in this episode. Iāll talk about one of them later, but the sister says āA promise is a prison. Do not make yourself anotherās jailer.ā
This is a thought-provoking quote.
I think in our society, we can take promises a bit flippantly at times. Until, of course, a promise that is owed to us is not fulfilled.
A promise is something that should be entered into in a very considered way. Itās better to not make a promise than to make one you wonāt be able to fulfil.
So in the same way, expecting somebody to make you a promise, pressuring them into making one when they havenāt given it that due consideration, could be thought of as a bad thing.
Basically, Zani is counselling Elnor against pressuring Picard into making a promise he may not be able to keep.
I think thatās interesting.
I think to Picard, this relationship with Elnor is helping to fill the hole in his heart left behind by his nephew Rene. A boy he was starting to bond with, before he was cruelly taken away by a fire.
Itās at this moment when Picard first learns of the synth attack on Mars.
Itās a shame they couldnāt have put Jeri Ryanās name in the ending credits for this episode, rather than the start, so as not to spoil her appearance right at the end. I spent the whole episode waiting for her appear. My wife said āI bet she'll show up right at the end.ā
Poor Agnes is bored. Surely she can find something to do. Theyāve got a holodeck on board. Weāll see that shortly. Maybe she should have brought some entertainment of her own. I know I would have. I guess Iām just used to my kids saying āIām bored.ā I was never bored as a kid, and youāve got so much more than I had. And I had so much more than my parents.
The book Rios is reading is a real book. He says itās about the existential pain of living with the consciousness of death and how it defines us as humans. Sounds like a cheery read. Iām sure this is going to be telling of his character.
The emergency hospitality hologram pronounces Zhuban really strangely. I dunno where he gets the ch sound from. Those letters are nowhere in the name.
Anyway, Picard wants to make a stop at Vashti, that same planet we saw in the teaser 14 years ago.
We learn, as is logical, that the qiros system, where Vashti is located, is now a dodgy place. Thereās a big power vacuum since the fall of the Romulan empire. The whole place is run by a gangsta with a hundred-year-old bird of prey.
We get a namedrop of the Romulan rebirth movement, but no explanation of what exactly that is.
And this is where we learn the other tenant of the Qowat Milat, although weāve already seen it demonstrated.
Absolute candor. Total communication of emotion without any filter between thought and word.
On one hand, this type of open honesty could be refreshing. You always know where you stand with someone. They donāt mince their words or hide things from you. A lot of problems in life are caused by people not being honest with one another.
On the other hand. I believe our words should always be carefully considered and filtered by thought. You know the old saying, āthink before you speak.ā A lot of problems in life are also caused by speaking rashly without thinking first.
Picard has good practical reasons for making this detour. The assistance of the Qowat Milat could be invaluable on this mission. But really, he is being driven by his guilt.
As Rafi puts it, the death of Dahj has you thinking of Elnor. The boy you promised to help, but couldnāt. When Starfleet called off the rescue mission, Picard was never able to return.
As he says, āI may never pass this way again. If he ever wants to make things up to the sisters and Elnor. This is the time.
Back on the Borg cube, we get a little more insight into what Ramdha was saying last week. It seems that she believes that Soji is a part of Romulan religion. She is the prophesied destroyer. The Uuk Vash also believe Soji is the destroyer, but possibly for more practical reasons related to her being synthetic. I dunno. Itās all a bit mysterious right now. This show is raising a lot of mysteries. What happened to Rios when he was in Starfleet? Whatās Rafiās deal with Freecloud. Picard even withholds the criteria used by the Qowat Milat for no reason other than to reveal it at the end of the episode.
But the most compelling mysteries on this show, to me, are those being explored by Soji. The stuff about Ramdha. The assimilation of her ship that somehow killed the cube. And how it all fits into Romulan mythology.
Soji felt drawn to Ramdha. No doubt some programming built into her.
She wants to know Narakās deal. Why he has such unrestricted access to the borg ship. He, of course, is not forthcoming. The one thing heās been open and honest about with her from the start is that he has secrets, and he wonāt reveal them.
The scene where Narak and Soji slide down the corridors would feel extremely romantic, except that we know Narak is evil and heās using her.
Itās funny. TV shows so often go straight to sex to show the intimacy between characters, but I felt the intimacy between the characters so much more in this scene than I did when we saw them in bed together. Itās something about the way Isa Briones acts with her face. She really gets across the attraction sheās feeling. The scene brought back memories of the feelings I had when my wife and I were first in love, just doing fun things together.
But Narak kind of drops the act when he outright accuses her of lying about being on the ship that brought her here. Itās clear that her past is fabricated, and heās laying seeds of doubt in her, making her question her own past.
Despite being a ragtag crew of misfits on an old civilian ship, this episode is feeling very star treky. Which just goes to show that you donāt actually need the uniforms to make it feel like Star Trek.
I enjoyed all that time we spent on earth, but man it feels good to be on a spaceship beaming down to alien planets at last.
We see a symbol on the shoulders of several Romulans. No doubt the āRomulan rebirth movement. Whatever that is.ā
Vashti sure isnāt what it used to be. Thereās a sense of hopelessness hovering over the settlement. And none of them are happy to see Picard. A stark contrast to last time he beamed down here.
I like that they adopted Jolan tru into the Romulan language, which is a greeting we first heard in the TNG episode Unification.
Anyway, everyone on Vashti is angry about Picardās presence. And the gangsta Kar Kantar is on his way.
Iāll admit that Vashti feels a little Star Wars. But itās logical that a frontier world like this would feel like Star Wars, because so much of Star Wars is set on worlds like this. It makes sense for the setting. This is well outside of Federation space, and weāve already established thereās a power vacuum.
And then we see Elnor. Now all grown up.
Elnor is played by Australian actor Evan Evagora. Heās fairly new to acting but appears in the new movie Fantasy Island.
I love that they let him use his native Aussie accent in the show. And why not? We have an Irish Romulan in Laris. A British Romulan in Narak. Why should all aliens have to sound American?
This episode is forcing Picard to face his past failures.
Zani says āBecause you could not save everyone, you chose to save no one.ā
āI allowed the perfect to become the enemy of the good,ā he says.
We talked about this last week too, but Picard almost made the same mistake as Starfleet. He failed to convince them to resume their rescue efforts. Theyād given up.
So he gave up.
He did.
He could have jumped in a private ship and flown to Vashti. He could have helped Elnor. He could have continued helping people one at a time. One man couldnāt do much to help save an entire race, but he could have helped individuals. One at a time. Thatās what Raffi was trying to tell him 14 years ago.
But in his mind, offering his resignation was his last-ditch effort. When that failed, he felt there was nothing left he could do. So he retired to his vineyard.
I think now heās regretting that decision. Heās wishing heād gone out on his own and tried to save those individuals.
Itās like the story of the starfish. Have you heard that one? The man walking the beach strewn with starfish. He sees a boy frantically throwing the starfish back in the water. āHelp me,ā he begs. āIāve been walking this beach for ages. There are hundreds of starship back that way. Youāll never help enough of them to make a difference,ā he says.
The boy picks up a starfish and throws it in the water. āIt made a difference to that one,ā he says.
Thatās the kind of difference Picard could still have made.
If only he could go back and make a different decision.
Once again Iām loving how Picard is still the good man of great conscience that he has always been, but at the same time, the show allows him to be flawed. To be human.
Elnor has all the training of the Qowat Milat. He is, in every way that matters, one of them, except that as a male, he can never really be a member, because their order is a sisterhood.
Heās the perfect one to join Picardās quest. It would be mutually beneficial.
Except for one thing, Elnor is filled with bitterness and resentment that Picard never came back for him.
The Romulans only sign reminds me of racial segregation, that has occurred in a number of places in the past, but itās a very different context here.
We get a sense from the former senatorās speech about how it felt from a Romulan perspective to have to rely on Federation aide. It would have been humiliating.
The Romulans are a very proud people. They didnāt even want to admit to the Federation that their world was dying. And some among them actively tried to prevent or interfere with Federation aide. They wanted to save themselves.
But the worst of it all was that at a time when they were most vulnerable, they put their trust in Picard, only to have him fail them. In their minds, he may have made things worse for them.
This is really interesting stuff. It digs deep into what could have been a very shallow story idea, but the show looks at how people really felt, how different cultures affected what it all meant. Itās great stuff.
So the senator wants to fight Picard with swords. Good thing Picard is a fencer. But heās not as young as he was. Heās not getting drawn into this.
So Elnor comes to his rescue. I love how he says āPlease my friend. Choose to live.ā
He doesnāt want to have to kill this Romulan. Heās kind of begging, āplease donāt make me kill you.ā
The senator chooses badly so Elnor chops off his head. āI regret your choice.ā
Thereās something we have to talk about.
Elnor is basically a warrior elf. You might argue he belongs in Lord of The Rings more than he does in Star Trek.
I heard a criticism of the Picard trailer a few months back.
Itās the age-old problem that no matter how good you are with a sword, thatās not much help in a world of guns. I mean, Indiana Jones showed us that rather humorously.
But I love that the episode actually calls itself out on that. Twice actually. The Romulan says your sword is no match for a disruptor, and they have to beam out urgently. Then Raffi calls him āa boy with a stickā. That second one got a good chuckle out of me.
I think now that we understand where the character has come from, we have good reason so his elvish appearance.
So what good really is Elnor going to be when theyāre up against enemies armed with disruptors?
Think of it this way. Warrior traditions in science fiction often value traditional hand-to-hand combat skills with weapons like swords. Especially those with a religious connotation. But that doesnāt mean itās the only skills they teach.
Look at the Anla'Shok in Babylon 5. They learn to fight hand to hand with pikes. But thatās not their only skill. Theyāre also fighter pilots in space.
Iāll be interested to see how they use Elnor in future episodes. Right now, Iām totally open to it.
Anyway, Picard finally tels Agnes the criteria for worthiness used by the Qowat Milat. They will only bind their sword to a lost cause.
So it wasnāt just me. Everyone is talking about how creepy the apparent incestuous overtones of Narak And Rizoās relationship. What on earth is their deal?
I actually donāt think they are biological siblings. I think perhaps members of the Juck Vash refer to each other as brother and sister.
Just a theory.
Rizo and Narak have different approaches to Soji. Rizzo is worried that Narak is developing feelings, even sympathies for Soji. And there may be some truth to that.
And then we get a good old space battle with an old school TOS Romulan warbird. Very cool.
This thing wouldnāt threaten the Enterprise, but it packs enough of a punch to endanger Riosās ship.
Itās nice that they donāt get out of this fight with technobabble like Voyager would have.
And we meet yet another hologram. The emergency tactical hologram. Is this starting to get a little too much?
Iām noticing something on this show. Weāve heard the shipsā computer speak, and weāve heard the crew talk to it. But not once, has a person actually addressed it as āComputerā
I find Iām missing that. I wanna hear Picard say āComputerā before giving it a command. We really havenāt heard that since Voyager. They didnāt have a talking computer on Enterprise, and I donāt think Iāve heard it much on Discovery either.
I didnāt think so last week, as some did, but now Iām starting to wonder.
This hologram is like a drunk old version of Rios who looks kinda like Aquaman. Seriously, with that long hair, he looks a lot of Jason Momoa.
But itās not very good at its job. Itās kind of too lazy to fire the weapons.
Not sure this quite worked as intended.
I like the awkwardness that still exists between Picard and Rios. Picard is in charge of the mission, but this is Riosās ship. Iām sure theyāll figure it out eventually.
And then Seven of Nine comes to their rescue. We donāt know itās her until she beams aboard, except that, of course, we know itās her. She was in the credits, and we havenāt seen her yet.
They true weakly to conceal it by having the pilot respond in text rather than voice, and constantly referring to āheā and āhimā but we all know itās Seven.
Picard and Seven have never met on screen before, but of course, they recognise each other on sight. I mean, heās Jean-Luc Picard. And sheās Seven of Nine.
I canāt really talk about this yet, because thereās nothing to talk about. We see her for a few seconds. Her one line āyou owe me a ship, Picardā is somewhat amusing. But then the episode ends. Letās just say Iām excited to see Seven in the show next week, and Iām sure Iāll have lots to say.
So another very enjoyable episode.
Until now, Iāve been enjoying the show, but the first three were so connected that it wasnāt the kind of show where you could say āI especially enjoyed this particular episodeā. This is the first one that you can kind of pull out on its own and say āthat was a good episode.ā which is fine. Thatās the nature of serialised TV, and Iām ok with it.
But yes, tonight was a very Star Trek kind of show, and I had fun with it.
Canāt wait for next week.
Donāt forget to check out my writing.
If youāve like to sample it for free, you can get the prequel story that sets up the premise of my Jewel of The Stars series, by joining my email list at AdamDavidCollings.com/free
You canāt get the story anywhere else.
Or, you can read the first book free on Wattpad. I post a new chapter each week.
Iāll catch you next week when we discuss episode 5 of Picard. Stardust City Rag. Thatās an interesting title.
See you then.
Live Long and prosper.
Make it so.
Jean Luc Picard finally takes command of a new ship and crew in the third episode of Star Trek Picard. Join me for a detailed review and analysis of this episode. This one feels more Star Trek than the previous two. The plot is beginning to heat up. Plus, the return of Hugh, and revelations about Dahj and Soji that raise many more questions than they answer. There's a lot going on in this episode. Geek out with me!
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Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.
This is episode 13 of the podcast.
Today, weāre talking about the third episode of Star Trek Picard, titled The End is The Beginning.
First of all, though, I have to apologise for something.
In the last two episodes, Iāve been saying Akiva Goldsmith, but the manās name is actually Akiva Goldsman. So, sorry about that. I realised my mistake while listening to other podcasts on the show. You know your eyes sometimes just see what they think is there, rather than what is really there.
Okay. Onto this weekās episode.
The description on Memory Alpha reads
Completely unaware of her special nature, Soji continues her work and captures the attention of the Borg cube research project's executive director. After rehashing past events with a reluctant Raffi, Picard seeks others willing to join his search for Bruce Maddox, including pilot and former Starfleet officer CristĆ³bal Rios.
This episode was written by Michael Chabon and James Duff
It was directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper
And it first aired on the 6th of February 2020.
And as Picard said for the first time this episode,
Engage!
Well there's certainly a lot of cool stuff happening in this episode. And this is definitely the most Star Trek feeling episode weāve had so far.
First of all, do you remember last week, when I was disappointed that Picardās old com badge made the wrong sound when he tapped it?
Well, in the āPreviously on Star Trek Picardā bit, they changed it to make the correct sound.
But then, later in this episode, it makes the wrong sound again.
Whatās that about?
Anyway, letās talk about the story.
We get a few quick flashbacks of the attack on Mars yet again, and then we cut to earth. Itās still 14 years ago, and we see Admiral Picard. Inm Uniform! Itās a uniform we havenāt seen before, except in the comics.
I gotta say itās a thrill to see Picard in Starfleet uniform again, even if it isnāt the familiar uniform from the TNG movies.
Jean Luc has been presenting his plan to Starfleet command. The rescue fleet is gone, but there are still options. Using reserve duty officers and mothballed ships they could still mount a rescue. Not as significant as the originally planned rescue, but itās something. But if they used synthetic labour, it would be far less reduced.
His first officer, Rafi Mussiker is keen to know how it went.
Weāre seeing a very different Rafi here. She still has her starfleet optimism. Her idealism. But itās about to be crushed.
They said no. As Picard says, half of them never wanted to help the Romulans in the first place. (something I still find a little hard to believe).
We learn a little more about the situation with synthetic lifeforms. Not only is the development of new synths banned, but all current synthetic lifeforms must be dismantled.
This seems like quite an overreaction, but again, I can kind of see where Starfleet are coming from. They need to be very careful to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. But what they really need to do is understand what caused it. They say it was a fatal flaw in the unitās operating systems. But, in that case, you find the bug and you fix it. You donāt say āall computers must now be dismantled.ā Iām a computer programmer. I do this for a living.
As rafi says, something smells off about all this.
It seems like there is a conspiracy at the highest levels pushing for this overreaction. Could they even be responsible for programming the synths to attack in the first place? Thatās a trope weāve seen in Star Trek before.
This also explains why B4 was dismantled.
Rafi thinks the tal shiar are behind it, but Picard makes a very logical point. Why would the Romulans do something to sabotage their own rescue efforts. It doesnāt make sense.
Weird question, why is Rafi, Picardās first officer, therefore, a command officer, wearing yellow? Commodore Oh last week made sense. Sheās head of Starfleet Security. Itās been established they wear yellow. But Rafi?
Picardās departure from Starfleet is seen in a different light through this flashback. He didnāt just run away in a childish tantrum.
He asked them to accept his rescue plan, or accept his resignation.
To his shock, they accepted his resignation.
And now we learn why present day raffi is so angry with Picard. He gave up. Ironically, just like starfleet did. Raffi holds Picard accountable for the same thing Picard holds starfleet accountable for.
In Picardās mind, there is really nothing more he can do. Offering his resignation was his last hope. Now, without Starfleet, heās out of options.
But Rafiās not ready to give up. She wants to find a way. Somehow.
Who is right?
Clearly Rafi didnāt succeed.
But if Picard had kept trying with her, could they have succeeded? Weāll never know.
Back in the present, Picard makes the same request to Rafi he made to Starfleet.
I need a ship and crew to go find Bruce Maddox.
And she gives him the same answer.
And thenā¦...she smokes. She puts a flow off some plant she calls snake leaf, puts it in some kind of electronic cigarette thing, and she smokes. Honestly, this pulled me out of the story even more than the swear word last week.
Gene Roddenberry had a very strict rule as far back as the original series in the 60s. Nobody smokes in the 23rd century. As Iāve said, I donāt always agree with Rodenberryās rules, but I credit this one as why the original Star Trek has been as timeless as it is (old fashioned looking sets no withstanding). Smoking was very common in the 60s, but much less so now. If youād had Captain Kirk puffing on a cigarette on the bridge of the enterprise, it would have firmly rooted the show in the 60s, and would feel very wrong today.
Kirk did smoke briefly in Star Trek 6, to keep warm on Rure Penthe, and it pulled me out of the story then as well. And later in this episode we see Rios chewing on a cigar.
I know Raffi has been through a lot. Character-wise, itās a realistic move. Anywhere else, it would add an element of gritty realism. But Iām starting to think that Star Trek exists in itās own little reality. Does realism actually feel unrealistic in Star Trek? Iāve always though I wanted realistic Star Trek, but the F bomb and now the smoking have me wondering, DO I really want realism in Star Trek? Emotional realism from the characters, absolutely. But touches like this? Iām not sure. I guess I need to keep thinking about it.
But speaking of that character emotional realism, Iām loving what theyāre doing with Rafi. Sheās carrying 14 years worth of hurt and rage.
But why, at the end of the 24th century, where money and poverty donāt exists, is Rafi living in what she describes as an embarrassing hovel? I can only assume itās by choice. Sheās sealed herself off like a hermit as Vasquez Rocks. Yes, for the first time, this iconic star trek location is being used as itself, not as an alien planet.
She burns picard with a scathing truth. It might have been nice to hear from you, and not just because you need me to hook you up with a ship and pilot.
Iām loving character scenes like this in the new show. This scene in particular is effective. Beautiful writing and acting.
Patrick Stewart is a phenomenal actor. We all know that. So, he kind of needs to be surrounded by other good actors, or else it really shows. Michelle Hurd seems to be up to the task. She can carry a scene with Stewart very well.
Now we get to meet Hugh for the first time. We knew he would be in the show, but this is his introduction.
We learn that heās the director of the Romulan borg reclamation project.
But what lead him here? The last time we saw him was in Descent. He was leading a small group of Borg who had been disconnected from the continuum and regained their individuality.
Whereās he been up to all these years. Where are the others he was leading?
How did he get involved in this Romulan project?
Weāre still to learn all this. And Iām hoping we will at some point.
Hugh is very impressed with Soji, the way she speaks to the drones in their own language. She has respect and compassion for the ex borg.
Apparently this is rare. Hugh tells us that ex borg are among the most despised people in the galaxy. Which is interesting because Picard is an ex borg.
I think the difference is that he doesnāt look like a nex borg. He was reclaimed much sooner than most, so all of his visible implants were able to be fully removed.
So Hugh is allowing Soji to interview someone called Ramdha. Sheās a romulan ex borg.
And this is weird. Soji has seen her dossier from before she was assimilated. Hugh is shocked by this. Soji says, āI find if I ask people for help theyāre happy to give it.ā
Soā¦.does soji have some kind of android powers of persuasion?
I suspect this is something weāll come back to.
Picard has already figured out that the Federation has to be complicit for the Tal Shiar to be operating so openly on Earth.
Raffi saw Romulan connections 14 years ago. Picard didnāt believe her then.
She claims to have concrete evidence that a high ranking starfleet official allowed the attack on mars to go forward, in order to stop the rescue mission going forward.
Thatāsā¦... pretty heavy.
Raffi refuses to help Picard on this mission, but she does offer to connect him with a pilot.
Thatās the depth of their relationship, even though she currently hates him.
I like this because it shows that Picard has that same sense of family with Raffi that he had with Riker and all the others on the Enterprise. We didnāt get to see it develop, but itās there. And that makes sense. Picard had a life during all those years he wasnāt on our screens. Raffi is new to us but she sure isnāt new to Jean Luc. The show sells this well, and so weāre willing to just accept raffi as if weād always known her.
Picard does form strong family bonds with those he works closely with. When he was younger, he didnāt show it as openinly, but it was still there.
And then, we see Commodore Oh wearing sunglasses.
Have you ever seen something more comical? More out of place?
Ok. Realistically, in the 24th century, you still need a way to shade your eyes in the bright sun.
Makes sense. But seeing a starfleet officer wearing present day sunnies, and a vulcan at that. Itās not wrong, it just pulled me out of the story again, much like the swearing and the smoking.
Itās weird isnāt it. The realism touches seem to be having the opposite effect on me. Thatās really strange.
Although, memory alpha reminds us that vulcans have inner eyelids that make sunglasses unnecessary, based on an episode of enterprise. But Iām still suspecting that Oh is Romulan, even though everyone, including Picard, believes she is vulcan. So is this some clever foreshadowing?
This is interesting. Hugh says heās come to see patient 4822 stroke 2.
I have the subtitles on so I know how to spell things.
Looking at the way itās written, Iād pronounce that as slash 2, not stroke 2.
Iāve never heard anyone pronounce the slash character as stroke.
Is that an American thing?
Anyway
When romulans are assimilated, and then reclaimed, they seem to lose their minds. All the romulan former drones have severe mental illness. Thatās fascinating. Is that a peculiarity of romulan Physiology? Thatās fascinating, but also, very sad. It means that if a Romulan is assimilated by the borg, theyāre never coming back. Even if they are restored, theyāll never be the same again.
Although that contradicts the voyager episode Unity. Iām sure there were Romulan ex borg in that episode. Iād have to re-watch it to be certain.
I love the scene when Picard calls Rafi.
Youāre doing the research, arenāt you?
No
Iām sending you all I have on Bruce Maddox.
I donāt want it.
Carry on.
That really amused me.
Thatās character-based humour done the right way.
Then we get our first look at the new ship, and we meet Santiago Cebreraās character. Rios.
I love how it plays the TNG theme when Picard first breams aboard the ship. He probably hasnāt set foot on a starship in 14 years.
I love that Rios has an EMH. Makes perfect sense that after 20 years theyād be so common that everyone would have on on their ship. This is the perfect situation for one. Little ship with minimal crew. Rios isnāt gonna hire a doctor to travel with him in case he needs one occasionally. A holographic doctor would be a bit like a microwave. Something everybody has, and nobody can remember how we ever lived without them.
Itās also logical that his EMH looks like him. By now this is a mature technology. Of course youād be able to skin your EMH with a custom appearance and personality that you find agreeable.
Itās possibly telling of riosās character that his choice is to have holographic representations of himself, with various different accents.
Letās talk a little about Riosās ship. On the outside, it doesnāt look very star trek at all, in design. Based on the trailers, I didnāt think the inside looked very star trek either, but now that Iām seeing details from various angles, Iām noticing little touches like the navigation thing at the from between the two forward stations, just like on Kirkās Enterprise. And I think I can even see some LCARS on one of the consoles.
This ship has elements that root it in the Star Trek universe, while still feeling very fresh and new.
We get hints of a rich backstory for Rios. He was the XO of a starfleet ship called the ibn Majid, named after an Arabian navigator and cartographer from the 1400s. It strikes me how little I know of non western history.
Apparently, the ibn Majid ws erased from official starfleet records, kind of like the Discovery.
Rios served a grand heroic captain, who died horribly. Somebody we know, I wonder?
Clearly theyāre hinting at something significant in the past there, and I canāt wait to learn what itās all about.
Raffi locates Maddox on a place called freecloud. Looks like a casino. I wonder if weāll see some Ferengi when we get there! Wouldnāt it be interesting if Quard had moved up in the world. Iād love to see him. We need some more deep space nine references in Picard. DS9 was always my favourite.
Anyway, I noticed the text Gorn Egg on the screen as sheās researching. Significant?
Judging by her facial expression, the name Freecloud has great emotional significance to Raffi, and clearly negative emotions.
I love the emergency navigation hologram fanboying all over Picard. He name drops some important references to the past. The Q continuum, Picardās role as arbiter of succession. Cool stuff. This show seems to handle fan service better than any other show Iāve seen. It does it right, in a way that feels completely natural.
Thereās a nice touching scene between Picard and Laris. Iām gonna miss Laris and Zhuban just as much as Picard will. I hope we see them again as the season goes on.
I chuckled quite a bit when Hugh called Soji a know it all. Lots of characters in Star Trek are knit alls, if weāre really honest, but I donāt think anybody has ever been called out on it before.
Thereās a whole lot of interesting stuff going on between soji and Ramhda. Cool cultural details about false doors on Romulan houses. Stuff about romulan mythology. I donāt know what it all means, yet.
Ramdha knows about soji. She is one of the twins. One lives and one dies. She says she recognises Soji from tomorrow.
What on earth is that about? Are we hinting at time travel? This interesting. But we donāt get any answers in this episode.
Thereās a whole mystery about what caused this borg cube to die. And it seems it has something to do with ramdhaās ship, the last ship assimilated by the cube. Iām hungry to learn more about this, too.
Thereās another great action scene as Romulan comandos invade chateu picard. I like how they acknowledge Picard needs protecting. Heās not a young man anymore. But this doesnāt diminish him in any way.
And then Agnes Jurati is forced to kill a romulan to save them all. She is clearly shaken up by this. Of course she is. Sheās not a soldier. Taking a life takes a huge toll on people.
The episode doesnāt take a lot of time to really delve into the emotional impact this will have on her. I hope they continue to give this time to develop over future episodes. It should haunt her.
The romulan forehead ridges in this show are a lot subtler than they were in TNG. So much so that at first I thought those were just creases in the actorās face that plays zhuban. But apparently, itās northerners that have the ridges.
In episode 1, I thought it was an overloading disruptor that killed dahj, but I have to agree with everyone else now, it seems these zhat vash Romulans spit some kind of acid.
There is clearly more to learn about Dahj and Soji. The romulan fear of them seems to be much more than a generic hatred of androids. Two romulans refer to her as the destroyer. Interesting.
Soji contacts her āmotherā just like Dahj did. The mother lies to soji about dahj being okay. I'm pretty certain the mother doesnāt exist, but is just a part of the girlsā programming.
And just like dahj, soji gets flashes of knowledge that she shouldnāt have.
Risso is back on the cube, and no longer disguised as a human. Not sure why. She and Narak are ā¦ strangely intimate for brother and sister.
All the talk of Rios being expensive to hire, and Agnes earning her keep, is kinda of strange in a world where we know they have no money. That never made any sense anyway. I have to imagine that people like Rios probably interact outside of the federation a lot, so they use money. But where is Picard getting the money to pay for Riosās services?
Iām living the longer transporter effect, that we saw when Picard and Laris beamed into Dahjās apartment, and also on Riosās ship. Itās very reminiscent of the tng transporter, just updated.
Iām really liking Agnes. Her youthful innocence helps balance out the world-weary characters like Raffi and Rios.
Raffi still doesnāt want to join Picardās mission,but she wants to ride with them to freecloud, for reasons she wonāt disclose. Interesting.
So Picard has a new crew. Theyāre a motley lot. Itās going to be an interesting ride.
And thenā¦.he says it. Picard says āengageā. And as the TNG theme swells in all its wonderful glory, the ship jumps to warp.
Iāve watched that scene 3 times and I still get goosebumps.
Now, itās star trek!
I love it.
No doubt, there will be people who say itās taken too long to get to this point. But iām going to disagree with that. Iāve enjoyed the slow burn, taking time to let Picard get to this point on Earth. Exploring setting and character.
But this all makes good sense, and the reason is story structure.
Remember, weāve been told this show is a 10 hour movie.
Another way to look at it, is itās a novel on TV in 10 chapters.
The episodes of this show are made in chunks of 3. A collection of 3 episodes are all directed by the same person. These first 3 were directed by Hanelle M Culpepper. The next 3 will be directed by Jonathan Frakes.
Akiva Goldsman described these first three as act 1 of the story.
In story structure, act 1 takes us up to the first plot point at the 25 percent mark of the book, and thatās roughly where we are now.
Something significant happens and at the 25% mark, the character reacts to it, and will spend the rest of the story reacting to it. This is the moment when the protagonist really engages with the plot. They have a mission theyāre all in.
The next quarter of the story will be quite different. Picard is actively on the case.
Iām really enjoying Star Trek Picard so far, and Iām excited for the next part of the story.
Bring it on, mate.
Well, itās time for an update on my walk to mordor.
Iāve walked 71.1 kms so far.
Iāve had my encounter with the black rider, and Iāve met the elves. My next milestone is the edge of farmer maggotās field, which Iāll hit in 27kms.
I need to get out and have another significant walk this weekend. There have been days this last week Iāve been too busy to fit in my working and afternoon walks.
I still havenāt read the third Star Trek Picard countdown comic book, but Iāll endeavour to be able to talk about that next week.
Donāt forget, if you like Star Trek, which you must, because youāve listened this far, I think youāll also love my Jewel of The Stars series. My setting has drawn significant inspiration from Star Trek, and thereās a real boldly going kind of feel to it, even though these people are hardly starfleet. Theyāre the crew and passengers of a cruise ship that can no longer return home. So thereās a bit of battlestar galactica going on in there as well.
You can get book 1 for just 99 cents at all the popular ebook retailers, and itās also available in print if you prefer that.
Also, if youāve been enjoying my in-depth discussions on Star Trek Picard, why not shout me a hot chocolate. Just go to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AdamDavidCollings
Iāll see you next week when we geek out over episode 4 of Picard, titled āAbsolute Candorā
Until then
Live long and prosper
Make it so
In the second episode of Star Trek Picard, Jean-Luc goes head to head with Starfleet, and things get very heated between him and Admiral Clancy. We learn quite a lot in this episode about what the Romulans are up to, but there's plenty more to discover. Basically, a lot of setup this time around, but that doesn't mean it isn't compelling viewing.
Join me as we dig deep into this episode of Star Trek Picard.
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Transcript
Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.
This is episode 12 of the podcast. Today, weāre talking about the second episode of Star Trek: Picard. Maps and Legends.
The description on IMDB reads
Picard begins investigating the mystery of Dahj as well as what her very existence means to the Federation. Without Starfleet's support, Picard is left leaning on others for help, including Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) and an estranged former colleague, Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd). Meanwhile, hidden enemies are also interested in where Picard's search for the truth about Dahj will lead.
This episode was
Written by Michael Chabon & Akiva Goldsmith
And Directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper
And it first aired on the 30th of January 2020.
Make it so.
So episode two begins with a flashback to the synth attack on Mars. There have a bunch of androids who live in a closet. They appear to be manual labourers. Iāve heard a few people say that the shuttles in Picard are copies of Discovery shuttles. And that may be so. Iād have to look at them side by side. By honestly, they fit in much better here. They look like 24th century shuttles. So I donāt see that as a problem. Their use here is fine. Their use in the 23rd century is the issue.
One of the human workers is kind of mocking the android F8. This just seems weird to me. I mean, I donāt insult my toaster and make fun of it because itās not alive. And from what we understand, these androids are not sentient.
In fact, this was all established way back in Voyager.
In the episode Prototype, B'elanna Torres is asked whether her culture includes artificial lifeforms.
She answers āAs a matter of fact, it does. They come in different shapes, different sizes, some have limbs, some donāt. Most donāt have your cognitive abilities. I guess you could say that the robots we use are servants in a manner of speaking, but they aren't sentient like you. In fact, we have only one sentient artificial lifeform in our society and he is treated the same as any human.ā
She, of course, is speaking of Data.
What weāre seeing here fits very nicely with what Belana said in Voyager. Anyway, that woman was a bit odd. She didnāt feel very federation.
Iāve heard some people saying that this new show completely destroys Gene Roddenberryās utopian view of the future, and this was before the show even came out. Thatās not the way I see it. Deep Space Nine pushed back against the upotian thing, and I think the show was better for it, but I think it might have done a better job. This woman being intolerant of a non-sentient non-living android is a bit clumsy.
And then F8ās eyes flash and he starts doing something at the computer which initiates the synthetic attack.
What brought this on? Was it the womanās mockery? Were they rising up because they werenāt being treated with respect? I donāt think so. F8 isnāt capable of feeling offense The flashing eyes seems to represent something activating in him. Some latent programming that somebody has turned on.
Iām very interested to learn more.
Fun little tid-bit. Looking at the various images in the opening title sequence, we see some 3d glass polygons. Weāve seen something that looks like that before. A holographic portrait of Tasha Yar that belonged to Data. Interesting. I wonder why they chose that particular image.
Back at chateau picard, Jean Luc is on the case, trying to learn what he can about the attack on dahj.
And we learn about the Romulan myth of the Juk vash. A romulan police even more secret than the tal shiar. Most romulan, including zhaban donāt even believe they exist.
In this opening scene, they keep cutting between Picard at his home, talking with his romulan friends, and Picard 7 Laris investigating Dahjās apartment. Itās pretty confusing, and Iām left having no idea which of these two events took place first, chronologically.
Some people enjoy filmmaking tricks like this, but I find it pulls me out of the story. Iām the same with books. I tend to like fairly basic prose that doesnāt draw too much attention to itself, because itās the story I care most about.
We get another look at the new transporter effect. When Picard and Laris beam into the apartment, the effect is longer, and looks more like a modern update on the classic TNG transporter effect. It seems logical there are different types of transporters in operation, and one available to civilians (and retired starfleet officers) would be an older type. Anyway, I like this effect more. Looks more transporter-ish
The romulan technology that lets Laris somehow see what was happening in the room several days ago based on particle residue or something, seems a little absurd to me. I know most of the technology in Star Trek is essentially magic, but I have a harder time suspending disbelief with this than I do warp drive, transporters or phasers. Maybe someone more in the know could explain the science, or at least pseudo-science behind it, but I donāt get it. It gives a clear photorealistic image and even sound. Whereās it getting that data from?
But the biggest thing here is the massive consequence a technology like this has on the world of Star Trek. If you can do this, it changes everything.
So, at the heart of this mysterious Juk Vash is a deep hatred for artificial lifeforms and AI. We just donāt know why yet.
Through a bit of technobabble, Picard and Laris figure out that Dahjās twin sister is not on earth.
Which takes us to the borg cube
We learn quite a bit more about the cube in this episode.
We learn that the romulans are actively trying to reclaim the drones and the technology. Freeing borg and giving them back their individuality, just as was done for Picard and Seven. This is admirable.
Iām sure they have selfish reasons as well. They want the borg technology. And given there are very few of them left, I donāt blame them. They need any advantage they can get at this point.
Sojiās job is to help seperate the drones from the collective, so I was wrong about her being a psychologist. Sheās more of a surgeon.
So those glimmers of attraction I thought I saw in Sojiās eyes when she met Narak last episode turned out to be true. And theyāve gone straight from attraction to sleeping together, because thatās how it works in hollywood.
Narak is very unwilling to share much about himself, which is funny since last week he was basically, āGāday. Iām Narak. I have a dead brother which makes me very sad.ā
Now we meet a brand new character. Doctor Moritz Benayoun. Heās an old friend of Picards. They served together on the Stargazer, which, of course, was Picardās first command.
This is a nice touch and reminds us that Picard had a full life before we met him as he first took command of the Enterprise D.
I dunno if Benayoun has a great bedside manner, though. His face immediately gives away the bad news, and then he tells Picard he might need a stiff drink.
But then this isnāt just a doctor talking to his patient. This is one friend to another.
So basically, Picard needs medical clearance so he can approach starfleet and ask to be reactivated to go on a mission to help find Dahjās sister.
Picard is very healthy, except for a little defect in his parietal lobe, which of course, Beverly discovered back in All Good Things.
Now I loved this because theyāve acknowledging the intergalactic elephant in the room. Picardās irumodic syndrome. Iāve been wondering if theyād just ignore that altogether. Iām kind of glad they are acknowledging it, because it will gives us a whole other dimension to Picardās character. Clearly itās not as advanced as it was in the alternate future created by Q, but itās still there. Picard is heading toward dementia. And thereās nothing he can do about it. The dreams are likely part of it.
Iām really looking forward to seeing what they do with this.
Seriously, what other TV show gives us a hero in their 90s dealing with the inevitable onset of dementia?
For the sake of friendship, Benayoun is willing to sign Picard off as fit for duty.
But he says if heās lucky, whatever heās getting himself into will give him before the syndrome does. Thatās kinda dark. But I get it. Many people would rather go out in a blaze of glory than slowly descend into madness.
Now we get the scene where finally, Picard returns to Starfleet headquarters. The show is beginning to feel a lot more star trek. We hear the starfleet fanfare, and then the TNG theme.
And in this moment, Picard is relishing in it.
Despite the problems he had in the past with Starfleet, it still means a lot to him. That uniform, everything it stands for, thatās what his life was all about. As he walks into the building, he feels home. Just look at his face.
I quite like the public transporter chambers. They look pretty cool and they make sense as a logical form of public transport on 24th century earth.
And as he looks up, he sees holographic representations of a constitution class ship and then a galaxy class. Beautiful. OF course, what weāre seeing is the Discovery retconned design for the constitution class. Still not sure what how I feel about that. But you can still imagine that it was a different version prior to a refit when Kirk took command. Anyway, itās a minor thing.
The fact that the guy at reception has no idea who Picard is gives him a harsh reality check that the world has moved on without him. I think anyone at least approaching middle age can probably identify with this a little. Picard tries to be cordial but heās got some annoyance there which bubbles to the surface.
That brings us to the scene with Picard in the admiralās office.
First of all, I want to talk about this whole neuron cloning thing that was brought up last episode and again in this scene.
Maddox thinks he can re-create the entirety of what Data was from a single positronic neuron.
Which really doesnāt make a lot of sense to me.
Weāre talking about a neural network here, which is a real world concept in computer science.
A neural network is made up of many neurons, connected by pathways of varying weights. Itās a simulation of how the human brain works, at a very basic level.
But a neural network is just that. Itās a network. The data, the understanding, is stored in the various weightings between neurons. If youāre got one neuron, youāve got one neuron. That canāt tell you anything about how all the other neurons relate to each other.
All I can think is maybe each neuron stores a cached backup of the entire network within itself, which seems kinda of extreme redundancy. I dunno. It really doesnāt make sense.
But, dataās neural network was more than just a software concept. He had a positronic brain, which was a physical hardware device. So, I guess thereās a lot more to it than what we understand in the 21st century.
Still, this is probably the hardest thing in the show for me to swallow.
I have very mixed feelings about the conversation between Picard and Admiral Clancy.
First of all, letās just get the swear word out of the way.
Iāve talked a little about this regarding Discovery in the past.
It is basically Star Trek canon that swearing is not a thing in the future. Kirk and Spock are exposed to it in Star Trek IV when they travelled back to the 1980s. Kirk says āItās simply the way they talk. Nobody listens to you unless you swear every other word.ā Both Kirk and Spock attempt to swear to fit in, but neither of them do a particularly good job of it. Spock especially. Clearly, they swearing is not something theyāre accustomed to doing, or hearing.
Now, Iāll grant you that In Star Trek III and V, Kirk does utter a mild word. And Data also makes that amusing utterance as the Enterprise D is crashing, but I can kind of hand-wave those away.
But the sudden propensity of Starfleet officer to drop F bombs, thatās not Star Trek. I argue itās not canon.
Plus, Star Trek has always been a family show. Does this add anything? Maybe. Enough to make it worth losing the younger audience? Iām not convinced.
However, Iāll say this for Picard. The way that word was used in Discovery was very badly done. Tilly says āthis is so effing coolā. It added nothing to the drama. It wasnāt used to emphasise strong emotions. It was basically just the writers saying āHey, weāre on streaming now. We can swearā¦...because we can.ā
Contrast that with how it is used here. It powerfully gets across Clancyās emotions. It shows us a lot about who she is, about how sheās feeling, and about what she thinks of Picard. Itās used in a moment of high tension. And thatās the way I prefer swearing to be used in fiction. If itās peppered all over the place it loses its impact. But placed here, to emphasise drama, it actually means something.
I still donāt think Star Trek needs f bombs, but I much prefer how it was used here than in discovery.
Also, I love the little thing Patrick Stewart does with his eyebrows when Clancy starts her triade. Great physical acting.
So clancy comes across as a massive jerk. We absolutely do get to choose whether a species dies, she says.
Iād like to have a little bit of balance in all this. Iād like to see a sympathetic character who sees things differently to Picard.Who has different opinions, but not the almost ridiculous extremes that weāre seeing from Starfleet as represented by Clancy. Iād like to see the issue actually explored and honestly look at both sides.
We get a little of that, but I think Starfleet is being set up as a bit of a caricature of pure evil.
We start to understand some of the pressure that went into starfleetās decision not to help the romulans. 14 member species threatened to pull out of the Federation unless they cut the Romulans loose. Again, that seems very un-federation. But itās also realistic. So many species with so many values and ideas.
The Federation council had a lot of difficult things they were trying to keep together.
Iām not saying I agree with Starfleetās decision to abandon the romulans, I just like the acknowledgement of the complexity of the issue.
This is something that Babylon 5 was especially good at. Looking at multiple sides of an issue and then asking the audience, what do you think? Discuss?
Picard does probably come in here with a little too much ...arrogance isnāt quite the right word. But he expects theyāll give him a ship and crew. And heāll concede to be demoted to Captain.
He also admits that he shouldnāt have spoken against starfleet in the news interview. That was a mistake. I like how they allow Picard to be imperfect, but still good.
In the end, Picard comes out of this as a man with a very strong moral conscience, which is the core of his character.
I think I can safely say that Gene Roddenberry would not have liked this show. But then, I donāt always agree with Gene Roddenberry either.
And honestly, if itās a choice between this, and the Rodenberry rules of early next generation, where no crewmembers were allowed to have conflict with each other, Iād choose this in a heartbeat.
We get to see a number of familiar star trek species in the background on the borg cube. I like that. I saw a few Andorians, and quite a few of a species that I honestly canāt remember the name of, but Iām sure Iāve seen them. The have kinda slimy green faces with a bit of a beak..
The sign that says 5843 days without an assimilation is chilling. Good reality check of what theyāre dealing with here. Where they are.
I assume the safety badges are coded to turn green when they detect the presence of Borg nanoprobes.
We still donāt know the history of this cube. How was it damaged. When did the Romulans find it. I hope we learn more about that.
Why doesnāt Narak need authorisation of the director to watch the procedure? I guess weāll find out later.
We get a bit of a look at the borg makeup in this episode. Not much more than weāve seen in the trailers. We still havenāt really seen a full borg, completely assimilated, but what Iām seeing so far I like.
Pretty close to the First Contact borg.
And then, finally Picard takes out his old com badge. Itās the familiar one we remember from the TNG movies. My favourite com badge design. Itās a wonderful moment.
But itās kind of broken when he taps it and it makes the wrong sound. Iāll be honest, that really disappointed me.
I wanted to hear that familiar high-pitched click.
Anyway, Picard calls somebody named Rafi. Weāll come to her shortly.
I gotta say, I really love Laris. Zhuban too, but especially Laris. Sheās so cool.
She worries a lot about Picard. She really does mother him, which is funny given his advanced age. The way those two romulans play off each other is delightful.
Iām not sure why Picard wonāt take Zhuban with him. He says āthe grapes are in far more need of protecting than I am.ā Which is just plain wrong. Picard knows the Tal Shiar are dangerous, these people after Dahj and her sister even moreso. So why does he want zhuban to stay?
I enjoyed the name drops of Riker, Worf and LarForge. They are the obvious ones for Picard to go to for help. Picardās excuse that he doesnāt want to get them involved feels like a flimsy excuse for āweāre not getting all the old actors back.ā but at the same time, Picard doesnāt want to risk loosing his closest friends. Which kinda makes it seem like Rafi is expendable. Doesnāt matter if she dies, as long as Riker, Worf and Geordi donāt die.
We get to see some inner workings at starfleet. Admiral Clancy is talking to a vulcan officer about picard. The vulcanās name is Commodore Oh. Thatās a weird name, especially for a vulcan.
Letās briefly talk about the new Starfleet Uniform.
I donāt mind it. Itās not my favourite, but itās both new while still having familiar elements.
There are two things I especially like, because they call back to the future uniform we say in All Good Things. First, thereās the com badge, which is very similar to the all good things combadge. Nice touch. Then thereās the rank pips on the chest, again, quite similar to the all good things uniform. I can very much believe that this is a slight update on that uniform.
Anyway, Oh meets with a lieutenant Narissa Rizzo.
At first, her performance felt a bit wooden and stiff. The kind of less realistic acting that my friend Paeter often associated with Star Trek. Both my wife and I were actually looking at the ears to see if she was Vulcan. But no, she looks human. But something about the angle they shot her really emphasised her ears and made her look almost vulcan.
Itās starting to look as though we have a secret romulan incursion in the heart of Starfleet. It seems that Oh and Rizzo are behind the people that killed Dahj. I think Rizzo is a Romulan surgically altered to look human. And as for Oh, well, she doesnāt even need to be altered, because Romulans and vulcans look so similar.
And Narak is working for them as well. So it seems he is manipulating Soji, rather than having a genuine romantic interest in her. Some people got some manipulative vibes from him at the end of last weekās episode. I didnāt, but I can see it now.
Actually, I missed this on first viewing, but we get confirmation Rizzo is absolutely a Romulan in disguise. Narak makes fun of her rounded ears. And calls it a terrible disguise. More than that, she is Narakās older sister.
Anyway, I now have no issue with the way Rizzo talks. Because sheās talking like a Romulan.
Letās talk holographic communications.
They did this in Discovery and I really didnāt like it. There, it was a significant canon issue. They tried to patch it up in season 2. Not really satisfactorily, but they tried.
Here, it makes a lot more sense. Holographic technology is all over the place in the 24th century. We know Starfleet dabbled in holo communicators during Deep Space Nineās 5th season, before letting it go by the wayside. Itās logical that they would improve the technology and then bring it back. So thatās all fine.
I donāt have any canon issues with it. It makes a lot more sense in this setting.
Except...I dunno. I still donāt overly like it. My main problem with it is the way itās done. The way holograms walk around the room. The worst example was in Discovery when a holographic Sarak actually sat on the edge of a desk in Georgouās office.
The only way I can see this working is if Rizzo is in a holodeck, and sheās seeing a holographic representation of Narakās room. She sees everything he sees. And for both of them, itās like theyāre in the room together. That works and Iād be cool with that, in fact I kinda like that, so until Iām proven wrong, Iām going to adopt that as my head canon.
Picard goes to see Raffi Musiker. You may be wondering who she is, and if thatās the case, you clearly havenāt read the Picard Countdown comics. Essentially Raffi was Picardās first officer on the Verity which he commanded after the Enterprise, while he was trying to evacuate Romulans.
It seems that she left Starfleet as well, and clearly she has some issues with Picard. I donāt know all the backstory yet, because I havenāt yet read book 3, which has just come out, but I would certainly recommend reading these comics to ge the full experience. Without that backstory, this would feel kinda weird.
Thereās not much more to say about her at this point, so letās delve into her character next week.
Interesting that so many locations we saw on the trailers, which I assumed would be alien planets, turn out to be Earth.
So there you have episode 2 of Star Trek Picard. When the credits appeared I was shocked. What? Over already? Iām not sure if I felt that way because I was really into it, or because it felt like nothing much actually happened in the episode.
I think itās probably both.
This episode had a lot of setup in it. It actually moved the plot forward a whole lot less than episode 1 did. And thatās ok. Thatās the nature of serialised storytelling, and this show is even more serialised than Discovery. Some people may not like that, but I love serialised storytelling.
The last thing I want is to see Picard go on 40 minute advntures of the week every episode.
Iāve got 7 seasons of that I can go back and watch. I donāt need any more of it.
What I want is a big grand story that has enough time to really dig into characters, and shoe us long term consequences. Which is exactly what weāre getting.
So overall, Iām still really enjoying star trek Picard, and canāt wait to see what we get next week.
I wonder which episode Picard will finally go into space. Do you think itāll be next week, or further away than that? When do you think weāll get our first Engage or Make it so? I know heās going to say engage at some point because itās in the trailer. Weāve already heard a twist on Tea, Earl Gray. Hot.
So last week I mention Iād started a walk to Mordor, based on the journey taken in Lord of The Rings. Iām pleased to report that itās still going well. I have now reached the encounter with the black rider.
Overall, Iāve walked 55.41 kilometers. Just 3,053.76 to go.
My next milestone will be an encounter with the elves at 10.57 kilometres.
Donāt forget to check out my Jewel of The Stars books. You can get the first one for just 99 cents at books2read.com/jewel. And thatās the number 2.
Or, you can read it for free, on wattpad. I add a new chapter every weekend (except for last weekend. I forgot because I was so busy making the podcast.)
Iād appreciate a review wherever you listen to this podcast. Reviews on iTunes are especially helpful, even if youāre not an apple person. Iām an Android man myself. But if you are on Ios, you can leave a review directly from your phone. Iām told itās quite easy. That really helps raise the visibility of my podcast so others can join us on this journey.
Anyway, Iāll talk to you all next week when we discuss episode 3, āThe End is The Beginningā
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Star Trek Picard has released its first episode - Remembrance. And I'm here to dig deep and talk about it. After giving a brief spoiler-free review, I dig deep and discuss the episode in detail. Remembrance is an emotionally satisfying journey into the later life of Jean-Luc Picard. It maintains a beautiful balance between old and new. There is plenty of nostalgia for die-hard Star Trek fans, but everything is there for a reason. The story being told is new and will feel satisfying to newcomers to the franchise.
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Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.
And I am a nerd
Can you believe it? Weāre finally here.
The first episode of Star Trek Picard has released! Itās out in the wild and weāve seen it.
Iāll admit I found it kinda hard to concentrate on work yesterday, knowing it was available and just waiting for me to watch it, but I muddled through.
So today, weāre talking about Remembrance, the first episode of Star Trek Picard.
The description on IMDB is
At the end of the 24th Century, and 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard is living a quiet life on his vineyard, Chateau Picard. When he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj, in need of his help, he soon realizes she may have personal connections to his own past.
This teleplay was written by Akiva Goldsmith and James Duff
Story by Akiva Goldsmith, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, Alex Kurtzman and James Duff
Directed by Hanelle M Culpepper
And first aired on the 23rd of January 2020.
Make it so
Before I go deep into this episode, I thought Iād share a few spoiler-free thoughts.
I loved this episodes. It was a delight to watch.
It was lovingly crafted with exquisite attention to detail.
The episode maintained a near perfect balance between the old and the new.
There was a lot of nostalgia in this episode, but the story wasnāt chained to it. It wasnāt indulgent. The episode told a fresh and new story with a much-loved character.
Thatās not to say that the nostalgic elements werenāt integral to the plot. Everything was there for a reason. But I think a non-star trek fan could sit down and watch this, apart from perhaps a little disorientation from a dream sequence, and not just follow the story, but feel like theyāve had a satisfying experience.
The story builds slowly, giving itself time to really focus on character.
So if youāre on the fence about checking this show out, let me wholeheartedly recommend it to you.This is one of the good ones. I signed up for a new streaming service so I could watch this. I donāt regret that decision.
From here on weāre going full spoilers, so if you havenāt seen this episode, stop listening, and go watch Star Trek Picard.
The episode opens with a dream sequence.
But the very beginning is a couple of beautiful shots of nebulae with the song Blue Skies playing in the background. This provides a beautiful link to the very last time we saw Picard on screen at the end of Star Trek Nemesis, when he was in his ready room, and B4 started to sing the song. Itās also very emotionally evocative of Data, because he sang that song at Riker and Troiās wedding. But to Picard, that song represents the hope that maybe a part of Data survived in B4. A hope that he desperately wants to be true.
And then we see the Enterprise D. In all her glory. And she looks beautiful.
This dream sequence is all a bit messed up, which is exactly how dreams are.
Picard and Data are on the Enterprise D, but Data is in his Enterprise E uniform. Picard is old and wearing civilian clothing. And then suddenly, theyāre not in a nebula, theyāre in orbit of Mars. Picard was an admiral, in command of the Verity when Mars was attacked. Iām sure youāve had dreams like this. I know I have. This is probably the most realistic dream sequence Iāve ever seen in a movie or TV show.
I kinda wish these scenes had not been spoiled in the trailer. I would have wet myself if I hadnāt known they were coming.
I imagine the conversation Picard has with Data about his tell was probably a real conversation they had at some point. Or perhaps, Picard did notice Dataās tell but never spoke about it. We canāt really know. But dreams do pull on real stuff from our lives.
And then weāre in the present, meting Number One, who weāve all fallen in love with in the trailers. Right? Looking at Picard during the TNG era, I never really saw him as a pet person. But now, living his retirement on Earth, I can see it. His whole life Picard has been surrounded by people that depend on him. Now, heās alone, with only his two Romulan friends for company. It makes sense to me that he would want a pet. I know the choice of a pit-bull was due to Patrick Stewartās passion for the breed, but it works for me. And people mellow as they get older.
Itās a thrill to be back here at the Picard vineyard. It brings back memories of the episodes Family and All Good Things.
Then we switch to Boston, which looks pretty cool. Did you notice the big glowing Ferengi symbol on one of the high-rises? I just did as I paused. Thatās cool. Of course the Ferengi would have a business presence on Earth.
By the way 99 percent of this episode is set on Earth. Itās rare that we get a really good look at 24th-century earth, and Iām loving it. Yes, I want to get out into space, but I do enjoy seeing beauty of earthin Star Trekās future. I always have, and we get to see it so rarely.
So weāre introduced to Dahj for the first time. Sheās at the highpoint of her life. Sheās just been accepted into the daystrom institute, and sheās very much in love with her boyfriend. You know that happiness isnāt gonna hang around for long, right?
By the way, we get a few instances in this episode of 21st century colloquialisms. Dahj actually calls her boyfriend āDudeā. And then he says āthatās pretty coolā. This feels really out of place in the 24th century. But at the same time, it lends a sense of realism. So I think I can accept it, but, maybe ādudeā is a step too far for me.
Then the masked figures bean in and kill the boyfriend. This scene feels genuinely dangerous. Iām feeling the same fear that Dahj is feeling. The music, the editing, the acting, it all just feels thrilling. Compare this to action scenes on The Next Generation, and they become laughable.
This show is much more sci-fi drama than sci-fi action, but when the need arises, they do action, and they do it well.
This scene is a little dis-orienting. Dahk is very much the viewpoint character here. She doesnāt know whatās going on, and we experience that through her eyes. And weāre just as shocked as she is when she suddenly goes all terminator and kills the intruders.
The emotional realism when she runs to her boyfriendās dead body is perfect, and again, much better than what we saw in most of TNG.
Now we have a brand new opening credit sequence to talk about. Iād heard this described as rather āJames Bond-ishā which isnāt a bad descriptor, but Iād just say it feels very much like the opening credits of a modern TV show. Very artistic. Lots of images, representing different things.
The sky cracks into pieces at the start, and then those pieces fill in a whole in Picardās face at the end like a jigsaw puzzle. Iām not sure what that is meant to be symbolic of yet, but it does feel very symbolic.
I think a lot of what weāre seeing will make more sense as the season goes on. But it all looks great. Theyāve followed the same kind of mould as Star Trek Discovery, in that all the guest star, written by etc credits that youād traditionally see after the credits, overlaid on the story, are in the title sequence, so there are no words on the story itself.
The music is very sedate. Fitting for the show I think. Not very memorable, melodically, which again, is kinda modern. It takes a while to develop an affinity for these modern themes, I feel. It certainly doesnāt move me like, the theme from The Crown, for instance, but itās nice music. Iāll report back on this as the show goes on.
And just as Discovery gave a nod to the TOS theme at the end, this music gives a nod to the TNG theme at the end.
And also, notice rather than the traditional āBased upon Star Trek Created by Gene Roddenberryā it says āBased upon Star Trek The Next Generation created by Gene Roddenberry.
Nice touch, showing us that they really are all-in for the particular Star Trek that made me a hard-core fan.
I like the location they used for chateau Picard. Itās not the same as what weāve seen before, but itās beautiful, and it works.
And then Picard speaks french to number one in a rather cute scene that show heās just like our cat. He loves to hunt birds and them them into the house.
Itās nice to finally hear Picard speak french. I enjoyed that touch.
So meet Laris and Zhaban. Two Romulans that live and work at Chateau Picard.
If you havenāt read the Star Trek Picard Comics, then this might be really confusing to you. We first meet these characters on a Romulan colony world which Admiral Picard has come to help evacuate. Theyāre former Tal Shiar operatives that worked with Picard and have obviously becomes his friends. Iām still waiting for book 3 to come out so I donāt understand all the backstory of how they came to be here, but I at least know them. This must be a little disorienting for those who havenāt read the comic. The way theyāre doing Romulan eyebrows is a little different on this show. I donāt really mind it. Helps distinguish Romulans from Vulcans. Alex Kurtzman has promised that weāll see some TNG style Romulans in the show, with the v-shpaed forehead ridge. Canonising the fact that some Romulans have them and some donāt. Makes sense to me. Afte their ancestors left Vulcan, they undoubtedly intermarried with some other species. Plus, there are variations among humans, so across a vast star empire, it makes sense there would be variations among Romulans too.
The replicator looks cool. Very similar to the TNG replicators.
The effect suggests the object is being built up molecule by molecule like an advanced 3d printer. It doesnāt quite fit with the established understanding of how they work, which is more akin to transporter technology, but it looks cool. Maybe theyāve found this is a more efficient way of doing it.
And notice that the computer interfaces on this show are very reminiscent of the LCARS okudagrams used inthe Berman era. The sound effects too. The aesthetic of this show all feels like a logical extrapolation of the berman era 20 years on. Replicators, transporters, shuttles.
And we learn that Picard is now having his earl gray decaffinated. Interesting. As I understand, people often sleep less as they get older. (either that or they sleep all the time). But I can imagine that as a 94 year old (yes, thatās Picardās age) he may have found reason to adust his favourite beverage slightly.
I love how Laris mothers Picard. Very amusing.
The TV interview is an effective way to get out quite a lot of exposition in a dramatic way. This show is introducing us to a brand new era in the Star Trek universe, and weāve got quite a lot of catch up on. The interview scene pulls double duty, getting this information across, but also showing a lot of Picardās character. Very nicely done.
I loved the little images of Picard from the past. Two from the TV series, and two from the movies.
And we learn that since retirement, Picard has been writing history books. He left his day job to become an author. A man after my own heart.
This brings us to the supernova that destroyed Romulus, which, of course, connects us to the narrative of JJ Abramās Star Trek 2009 movie, co-written by Alex Kurtzman. Weāve always known that this even took place in the original prime timeline, in which TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager all took place. When nero and spock were pulled into the singularity and thrust back to the 23rd century, they created the new timeline in which those Kelvin movies are set.
But now, we get to see the ongoing consequences that event had on the prime timeline, which I think is really cool.
That was a massive event. Liken it to 911 but even that falls short.
We learn that when it happened, some in the Federation opposed helping the Romulans. Feeling the resources of the Federation could be put to better use than helping a former enemy.
Now this is really interesting.
Iāll be honest. I have a hard time buying that.
First of all, this is Star Trek. Resources are basically limitless. But letās put that aside because that never really made a lot of sense anyway.
Weāre talking about the potential extinction of an entire sentient species. This is the Federation. Do-gooders of the galaxy. And I donāt mean that with derision. The federation is a very moral organisation which values compassion and peace.
If it were the Jem Hadar, at the height of the Dominion War, I could maybe buy it more. But the Romulans? Letās not forget they were our allies during the war. And relations only improved after the whole Shinzon incident in Nemesis. I donāt think the Romulans posed any significant threat to the Federation at this point. Could anyone in the Federation really not look with compassion on a former enemy and help save them.
Of course, in the real world, people have many different opinions on issues, so again, this adds a greater sense of realism to the Star Trek universe, so Iām with that.
But even in the real world, let's say Russia, who were once considered the enemies of the western world. If some natural disaster was going to destroy eastern europe, and a western country had some means of saving them, would anybody argue against helping those people? Civilians? Children?
But then I realise I think the writers are trying to connect this with the real-world issue of refugees, which has been a hot-button topic for a number of years, in many countries. Donāt worry, Iām not going to divert into real world politics.
So I guess there could be debate and disagreement in the Federation council regarding this.
I also very much buy that Jean Luc Picard would want to help those in need, regardless of who they were. And while physical resources such as food as ships are near limitless due to replicator technology, the availability of habitable planets to house that many Romulan citizens would be a very real concern.
I do like when the interviewer says āRomulan livesā
And Picard replies āNo. Lives.ā
And this is where we learn about the attack on Mars. A group of rogue synths (androids) attacked Mars and destroyed the rescue armada (thereās that word again) being constructed at Utopia Planitia. This has me worried for Gerdi. He was at Utopia Planitia in charge of that construction project. Is he still alive. Man, I hope so.
There were two major consequences of this attack.
Firstly, it destroyed Starfleetās ability to evacuate those Romulans. The fleet they were building was gone.
Second, the Federation placed a ban on the development of synthetic or artificial life forms.
Iām not sure why we have to introduce this new term, synthetic, into Star Trek Lore. Whatās wrong with Android? Although weāll get into more of this later.
But the real reason Picard resigned from Starfleet is that they went back on their decision to help the Romulans. They didnāt rescue them.
This is a complex issue and we donāt know all the facts. But with that rescue fleet destroyed, did they even have the ability to help? On one hand, no. I mean, if their existing fleet was sufficient for the job, they wouldn't have been building new ships in the first place. They probably couldnāt have rescued everyone as they had planned to do, but I am sure they could have rescued someone. But it seems they just gave up. They became inwardly focussed, mourning the loss of the many many who died on Mars.
I can understand Picard resigning over this. āIt was no longer Starfleetā, Picard passionately says.
He likens the rescue of the Romulans to Dunkirk, where allied forces retreated from France into England during world war 2.
All of this just feels like itās adding some gritty realism to the Star Trek universe, which Iām with.
Then Dahj comes to Picard at his estate. She saw his interview, but something in her mind flashed like lightning and told her to seek him out. That sheād be safe with him.
This is the big msyery of episode one.
I love how Picard responds to her. This werid stranger turns up in his front yard and starts crying.
He immediately responds to her with compassion. He takes her into his home. Most importantly, he listens. Thatās Jean-Luc Picard.
Picard was always a compassionate man, but as heās mellowed with age, I think heās become much more empathetic. He becomes even more, someone weād all like to know.
At this point, Iām already wondering if she is synthetic. But sheās bleeding, so she canāt be, right?
Then we get our second dream sequence, and weāre treating to Data and Picard int their original TNG uniforms. Yay.
Data is painting, which is something heās always been known for.
Picardās mind is trying to tell him something. Something he isnāt yet willing to consciously admit.
The visual similarity between Dahj, and Dataās daughter, from the TNG episode The Offspring, is hard to ignore.
I really liked the way they used Data in this episode. My theory was always that Data wsa a hallucination, a sign of Picardās developing Irumodic Syndrome. Iām still not completely discounting that as a possibility for the future, but his appearances here have all been in dreams. It has been done in a way that feels natural to me.
So Picard goes off to the Starfleet archives to investigate. And as we get our first real hint of Star-Trekiness, or at least, of Starfleet-iness, we hear hints of the TNG theme (which, of course, is actually the theme from Star Trek The Motion Picture, credited that way in the end credits, by the way).
I like the holographic index in the archives. Given the prevalence of holographic technology in the 24th century, it makes perfect sense to me that an archive would have a holographic librarian.
This is the scene the fans have been waiting for. From the moment we first hear that Door whoosh sound, the show allows us to really dwell, for a moment, in unadulterated nostalgia. But in a way that again feels completely natural. And if you were new to Star Trek, youād just think, ok , this is some old things of Picards. But to us, every item in this room holds meaning, brings back memories.
We see his model of the Stargazer from his ready room on the Enterprise. A klingon batleth and daktag. And notice, these are the original designs, not the re-designs from Discovery, which, I suppose, were simply 23rd century equivalents.
We also see the book that was displayed in his ready room. Shakespear? Probably.
Thereās a model of the Enterprise E, The Captain Picard day banner, models of the captainās yacht, and Enterprise D. What else did you spot?
So the reason Picard came here was to see a painting Data gave him. It looks like Dahj. Data called it Daughter.
Soā¦.this was a painting of Lal?
Dahj calls her mum, further confirming that she is human.
But when her mum tells her to go back to Picard, even though Dahj never mentioned that, we have doubts again. Who and what is this girl?
The floating holographic interface doesnāt look very TNG, but iām cool with that. Remember back in the DS9 episode, The visitor, was set somewhere around this time, and Bashir remarks to Dax about how he doesnāt know how they ever manage dusing 2d interfaces. This is a natural progression of 24th century technology.
We see a few Starfleet uniforms in the background. We donāt get a really good look at them. Iām sure weāll see more in subsequent episodes. We know from the trailers that Picard will go to Starfleet headquarters. So Iāll talk about them when we get a closer look.
At this point, Picard has figured it out.
She knows what Dahj is.
He tells her all about Data.
He believes Dahj is a synthetic. It all makes sense when he lays out the evidence.
All her memories of her childhood and family, are implanted. But Picard doesnāt belittle those memories. He calls them beautiful.
He refers to Dahj as something that is lovingly and deliberately created. And I really like that.
And although he doesnāt fully understand the nature of the connection, after all, Lal died, Picard is at a point where he is willing to consider Dahj as family. You are dear to me, he says.I will never leave you.
Iām loving this stuff. This is emotional. Itās great character drama, and as a parent, Iām connecting with it strongly.
At the same time, at this point Iām dying to understand the mystery. Did data secretly build a second Dahj back in the day? One that survived? Or is it something else?
Then we switch into thriller mode again. First of all, I love how Picard is struggling up the stairs. OF course he is. Even with 24th century medicine, heās in his 90s. I like that the show allows Picard to be old. How many shows do we get with elderly heroes like this?
This action scene is fantastic. I feel like Iām watching a big screen action movie. Brilliantly done.
When Dahj does a superman jump, weāre left with little doubt that Picard is right about her. But whatās with that bleeding?
Letās talk about the new transporter effect.
I donāt mind it. Itās still somewhat reminiscent of the TNG transporter effect. But itās very quick. Again, I can buy that. It seems a logical advance that would occur in the technology.The sound effect still has hints of the old sound, but perhaps sounds a little too hologrammy to me. But Iām with it. This is a new era with a new aesthetic. But that aesthetic doesnāt feel like it came out of nowhere.
And then the big shock that I did NOT see coming.
The romulan puts his disruptor on overload. It explodes.
And Dahj dies.
I thought she was gonna be a major character in this show, and she didnāt make it to th end of the first episode.
That was shocking. And she Isa Briones played her death wonderfully. The fear on her face. The horror as she realised she was about to die. That hit me.
Not to mention Picardās reaction.
Now we need to talk about something. Dahj has been experiencing and expressing a lot of emotion. She didnāt even know she was an android.
Data, as we know, was incapable of feeling emotions, at least until he installed the emotion chip that Soong developed later in life. So this android is more advanced than data.
Remember, also, though, that Lal was able to experience emotions, or at least a reasonable simulation of them just before she died. That was explained as a glitch in her positronic brain.
Anyway, this is something to keep in mind. Somebody has the ability to create android with emotion.
When he wakes up, Picard has a character growth moment, as he realises he hasnāt been living, heās been waiting to die. I wonder if he remembers at this moment, a conversation he once had with James T. Kirk, about making a difference.
So he heads off to the Daystrom institute to talk to an expert about whether one can make an android out of flesh and blood.
And can I just point out how awesome all of the sets on this show look. Brilliant.
And here we meet another main cast member of this show. Doctor Agnus Jurati. Sheās the expert.
She says a flash and blood android was in their sights, but a sentient one, not for a thousand years.
This kind of makes sense. A body is just a body. The impressive thing about an android like data was not the mechanical arms and legs. It was the brain. The mind.
When it comes to creating life, thatās the hard bit. Thatās the bit that matters. The mind. And potentially, the soul.
I can buy that in the 24th century, that can manipulate biological matter to an extent that they can create a body out of bio matter. One that would bleed, like a true biological organism.
But creating a positronic brain like Dataās is something only one person ever achieved. Doctor Noonian Soong. And nobody has ever been able to duplicate his work.
This is why I think maybe the word synthetic could work. Because itās more than just android. Itās talking about synthetically created biological organisms with robotic brains.
And now we learn the fate of B5. Heās been disassembled and put in a drawer at the Daystrom Institute. I wonder why they dismantled him.
Jurati tells us what we already knew, that B5 is an inferior copy of Data. And we learn that sadly, Dataās neural network didnāt take in B4ās primitive brain. Almost all of it was lost.
And then we get an exciting name drop. Bruce Maddox, from the TNG episode Measure of a Man.
Maddox was trying to follow up on Soongās work. He wanted to dismantle Data to learn more so he could create more soong-type androids. Data refused, believing the procedure too dangerous, as Maddox needed more research. That, of course, lead to the court case where Dataās rights as a sentient life form were established.
Data and Maddox continued to keep in contact over the years. Heās occasionally mentioned in TNG. It seems he kept working and eventually recruited Doctor Jurati.
They came close to succeeding, and then mars happened, and the ban on the creation of synths. That understandably crushed him. He was no longer allowed to finish his lifeās work. The guy was a jerk in TNG when we first met him, but Iām feeling sympathy for him now. Will we see him in a future episode. Man, I hope so.
Letās talk about this ban on creating synths. As I understand, weāre not talking about taking away anything from synths that already exist. Weāre talking about making it illegal to create more.
Was this an over-reaction? Possibly. Picard certainly thinks so.
But I can understand the feat that drove that decision. To this day, nobody knows why those synths attacked mars.
You canāt blame an entire race for something done by a finite number. Obviously.
But at the same time, weāre not talking about people. Weāre talking about machines. And probably not even sentient machines, as theyāre still trying to crack that nut. Created by technology. Created by flawed imperfect humans. Was there some kind of failure of glitch in the technology that lead to this tragedy? We donāt know.
Iām not sure where I stand on this issue right now, but I can see both sides.
Maddox disappeared after the ban. Even Jurati doesnāt know where he went.
Because nobody is clever enough to duplicate Soongās work, any new sentient android would have to be created from data
Jurati then tells us about the theory of fractal neuronic cloning. Maddox believed all that data was could be re-created from a single positronic neuron. Kind lof like re-created a human from a strand of DNA in one of its cells.
So the theory is that Maddox created Dahj using this method, and modelled her appearance after the painting of Lal. Theyāre created in pairs. Twins.
Why this is the case, I donāt know. The episode doesnāt do a good job of explaining that. I canāt see a logical reason why the technology would require you to make two. Hopefully this will be explained more in future episodes.
And as Picard comes to the conclusion that there is another one out there somewhere, we leave him, as the episode cuts away from Earth for the last scene.
But now, it seems, Picard has a goal. A mission. This will guide us logically into the plot of episode 2, and perhaps, the entire season.
The new Romulan ship looks pretty cool. Very birdlike. The voice we hear as it flies by sounds very Klingon to me, but I assume itās supposed to be Romulan.
This new location is referred to as the āRomulan Reclamation Site.ā What that means, we have no idea.
We briefly meet another major character, a Romulan named Narek.
And then we meets Doctor Soji Asher. Who looks exactly like Dahj. The twin! I think sheās a psychologist.
We get a little backstory about Narek. He had a brother that he lost recently. Thereās not a lot to say about this. We donāt know what part this character will play in the show. Itās essentially a cameo.
And that brings me to something about this show.
This very much feels like a story about Jean-Luc Picard. There are other characters around him, of course, and theyāre important, but this is much less an ensemble show than any other Star Trek. Most of the cast, we havenāt actually met yet.
They tried to do that with Discovery, but Discovery canāt quite decide whether itās the story of Michael Burnham, or a kind of lower decks ensemble show. I get the impression this show is much more certain of its identity.
And as the camera zooms out, in a shot reminiscent of Star Trek First Contact, we learn tat this Romlan Reclamation Site is actually a damaged Borg cube.
Interesting!
The credits mention somebody played a tellarite. I missed that.
I havenāt talked much about the music, so let me just say that I really liked it, and I think it fits the show well. Itās a lot less generic than the berman-era music, which I know a lot of people complain about, but there are a few hints of TNG-era music. I thought I heard a hint of something from Generations.
So that was the first episode of Star Trek Picard. Letās go into some summary thoughts about the episode.
In short, I loved almost everything about it. I loved the tone. I loved the aesthetic. I loved the character focus.
In a way, this show is giving us the equivalent of what the movies gave us for TOS. There was quite a big gap between the original series and the original movies. Not so with TNG. They were filming the final episode, and then practically the next day there were filming the first movie. In a way that was good because we saw continuity. We travelled with these characters from Encounter at Farpoint through the Nemesis.
But we didnāt get to grow old with the characters like we did with Kirk, Spock and Bones. We saw them grow and change. Become old. We saw the world around them change. The look and feel of the original movies and very different than that of the original series.
But Star Trek Picard is giving us that opportunity with the Next Generation characters, and potentially, with Voyager and DS9 as well. We know Seven of Nine is returning. I live in hope that weāll see someone from Deep Space Nine at some point during the planned 3 seasons of this show. And honestly, after Picard ends, I hope we get more of this era.
Iāve been wanting to return to the 24th century for about 20 years. And I canāt believe itās finally happened. Weāre getting to see a future for my favourite era of Star Trek, the Berman era.
If youāre coming to this, looking for TNG, youāre not going to find it. Theyāve told us that all along. This isnāt planet of the week. They havenāt even left Earth yet. The creators described this as a ten hour movie. If thatās not the kind of thing you like, you might be disappointed, but I love this kind of thing.
So Iām really pumped and I canāt wait for next week so I can have another helping of Star Trek Picard.
What about you? What did you think of the show? Feel free to leave me a comment wherever youāre listening to this. (or watching)
So what other nerdy stuff is happening in my life?
Well, I recently started walking to Mordor.
You see, Iām quite overweight. My job involves sitting at a computer all day, and most of my other interests also involve sitting at a computer. So, thatās really very unhealthy.
I need to move a lot more during the day.
I thought a fun, nerdy way to motivate me to exercise more, (youākow, other than not dying) would be to retract Frodo and Samās journey from the shire to Mordor to destroy the one ring.
Iāve got the Walk to Mordor app on my phone, which has all the distances calculated, with various milestones along the way, from the story. Whenever I go for a walk, I log the distance and it fells me how far I have to go.
I started at Bag end, and Iāve just passed through Tookland. In about 35 kilometers, Iāll have an encounter with the black rider. You remember that scene in the movie where they hid under the log with the black rider looming over them. It was terrifying. Thatās in my future.
Anyway, it seems to be working. Iām finding myself wanting to go for walks. And as I do, I imagine myself on an epic quest through fantastical countryside.
The imagination is a powerful thing, and itās interesting the tricks you can play on your own brain.
Iāll keep you up to date on my progress through middle earth in future podcasts.
But for now, Iām gonna say goodbye, until next time, when we meet with our friend Jean-Luc once again.
Have a great week.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Star Trek (2009) directed by J.J. Abrams was a game changer for Star Trek, which had lain dormant since the cancellation of Enterprise. This movie brought it back to our screens. It was an exciting time. The decision to do a "soft reboot" in canon using time travel and an alternate timeline was a clever concept and brought in a new generation of fans. But what does this movie have to do with the new Star Trek Picard, which will be set back in the original prime timeline? Plenty. The inciting incident of this movie takes place in the prime timeline, and this event will have a profound effect on the life of Jean-Luc Picard. Join us as we conclude our countdown of the 10 episodes and movies you should watch before Star Trek Picard. Next week, we look at the first episode of Picard!
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Welcome to Nerd Heaven.
Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the stars.
And I am a nerd.
This is episode 10 of the podcast. Today we finish our look at the 10 episodes and movies that you should watch before Star Trek Picard.
Today, weāre looking at JJ Abramās Star Trek 2009 movie, because although it creates a whole new Star Trek timeline, itās inciting incident takes place in the prime universe, and its impact will have a profound effect on Jean-Luc Picardās life.
The IMDB description for this movie reads
The brash James T. Kirk tries to live up to his father's legacy with Mr. Spock keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.
This movie first appeared in cinemas on the 6th of April 2009
Punch it.
I was very excited about the impending release of this movie. Star Trek was back! Ever since the cancellation of Enterprise, Star Trek had been dead. The franchise was off the air.
We didnāt know when or if weād ever see it again.
Paramount decided to bring it back in the form of movies, and hired JJ Abrams to create the first one.
Some fans were very cautious about this movie. Claims that this movie would be more open to wider audiences, suggested it would lack the heart and soul of Star Trek.
I too was cautious, but optimistically so. I just wanted a good story. I wanted Star Trek back.
One of the first things you notice when this movie stars is the lens flare. A common trick to make CGI look more realistic is to add a little lens flare. To give the illusion that these computer-generated images were shot with a real camera. JJ wanted to go for a very realistic believable star Trek universe, so he added a lot of lens flare to his cgi. And so it didnāt look out of place, he also added a lot of lens flare to the live-action footage.
Except, in my opinion, he went way overboard. They actually had people on set with torches, (sorry, flashlights, for you American listeners) shining light into the lens of the camera. Itās a bit distracting. But, itās his style.
The next big thing you notice is that the viewscreen is a window. And communication messages appear as translucent overlays on that window.
It could be argued that the bridge of the enterprise shouldnāt be right up the top of the saucer. Itās a vulnerable position. Thereās no need for it. Itās not like theyāre looking out a window.
JJ Abrams and his team were trying to provide a justification for the position of the bridge, and so, they made the viewscreen an actual window.
I wasnāt a fan of this approach and was disappointed when Star Trek Discovery followed suit.
But we get an epic space battle. Right up front, we realise this will be a much more action-packed star trek. And that was welcome. Star Trek movies had always fell a little flat on the action front. Even the borg battle in First Contact was over way too quickly.
I love the scene where someone gets blown out of the ship due to a hull breach and it suddenly goes silent, because, of course, there is no sound in the vacuum of space. Nice touch. Very atmospheric.
So this ship is the USS Kelvin. Named after JJ Abramās father. It has been suggested, by some fans, that in-universe, this ship could be named after William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, after whom the kelvin unit of temperature is named. But to my knowledge, this isnāt canon.
The captain of the Kelvin is taken on board the Romulan ship. They ask what he knows of Ambassador Spock. I love that they call him Ambassador, linking back to the next generation.
There are some cool looking aliens on the Kelvin. Some nice creature effects on the bridge, and a midwife with funny eyes. Itās nice to see some more alien aliens on Star Trek. But the lack of any familiar races at all, kinda makes it feel a little more like Star Wars than Star Trek. It would have been nice to throw in an Andorian in the background somewhere.
We get some very emotional music during the birth scene. And there are little to no sound effects in this scene. We just hear hte music as Kirkās mother gives birth, and the ships battle it out. This technique was sometimes used on Babylon 5, to amazing effect. I loved it there, and I love it here. Very effective. This whole sequence as George Kirk asks about his newborn son and says goodbye to his wife is fantastic.
I always give this movie a lot of credit for making me cry before the opening title even appears.
Powerful stuff.
I Love this teaser. Always have.
But one question. Where do the shuttles go? How do they escape the Narada? Do they have warp drive?
As as the title card comes up, we are treated to the new theme music. This film was scored by Michael Giacchino. He wrote quite different music, but it was great stuff.
I like the kid kirk driving sequence. I love how his communicator is a Nokia brand. Yes, this is product placement, but to me, these touches add elements of believability to the world.
The boy he passes on the street is supposed to be his older brother George. There was a deleted scene where he was leaving home because of their abusive stepfather. That scene was cut.
And yes, I like the rock music. Maybe it doesnāt fit star trek, but thatās ok. I also liked the Enterprise theme song and thought it gave the show a more contemporary feel, which was suitable since the show was set closer to present day.
Maybe itās less suitable in the 23rd century.
Spock is wrestling with his identity as both Vulcan and human. At first, his father suggests that although he is half-human he should live his life fully Vulcan. But later tells him he should choose his own path.
Spock chooses the Vulcan way of life, and yet, he has concerns that his mother will consider this an insult against her. I like this.
Then the Vulcan leader insults his mother, referring to her as a disadvantage.
The way Spock says āLive long and prosperā speaks volumes. It carries a very different message. Nice acting by Zachery Quinto.
Kirk flirting with Uhura seemsā¦...weird. But I can understand it. Heās a young guy, sheās an attractive woman, and sheās not an officer under his command.
Kirk isnāt even in Starfleet, just a very intelligent delinquent kid.
So we get Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike. And he does a good job of
It.
Pike gives that weird line about the Federation being a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada.
First of all, heās confusing the Federation with Starfleet. The federation is a political coalition of planets. Starfleet is their āarmadaā if you want to call it that, although that word carries very military connotations. Starfleet both is and isnāt a military. Itās confusing, but yes, itās focus is on peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, as well, of course, as exploration.
We see the Enterprise begin constructed on the ground in Iowa. Obviously something in this new timeline changed, causing it to be built here instead of at the San Francisco shipyards (which we assume are orbital)
This movie presents us with a very different Kirk.
In the original timeline, Kirk wasnāt a brash delinquent. He was a nerd. Constantly carrying books around. This, of course, is explainable, given he grew up without a father (he had a step father but he was a real deadbeat.)
And then we meet McCoy. I like how we finally get an explanation for Kirkās nickname for him - Bones. Makes good sense. And it canonises that McCoy has been married but is now divorced.
The Romulans we see in this movie are not like any Romulans weāve seen before. But these are not military officers. Theyāre labourers. And theyāve been through some really bad stuff, so again, Iām cool with all that.
Itās pretty cool that we get to see Kirk taking the Kobayashi maru test.
Notice heās eating an apple, just like he is when he tells the story of this day in Star Trek 2.
Spock hits pretty low when he references Kirkās father during the hearing.
And then we get the Paul McGillion cameo. At the time this movie was in production, Paul McGillion was playing Dr. Carson Becket on Stargate Atlantis, a character with a Scottish accent. A very popular character. And there was a fan movement to get him cast as Scotty in this movie. It would have been a nice choice. But JJ Abrams had worked with Simon Pegg on Mission Impossible and was determined to cast him as Scotty. He did, however, give McGillion a little role as the officer assigning people their posts as the cadets are called into active duty because of an emergency at Vulcan.
So we learn that Spock and Uhura have a relationship. This was a very odd choice, which somehow kind of works.
And we finally get our first proper full look at the enterprise.
And she looks pretty good.
Pretty close to the original version, and again, because this is a changed timeline, Iām willing to accept the differences.
Itās a pretty decent modern re-imagining of the original.
I canāt say the brewery engineering room quite works for me, but hey, they tried something.
I donāt have an issue with Checkov being on the bridge, even though we never saw him in TOS until season 2.
First of all, yes, that alternate timeline defence, and second, Checkov could have been on the ship during season 1, we just never saw him on screen. In fact, we know that he must have been because Khan recognises him in Star Trek 2, canonising this theory.
I Love how Kirk is still flirting with every woman that passes him, even though heās really sick. He reminds me of Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who.
So Vulcan is being attacked by a Romulan ship. The ship we first saw in the teaser. Neroās ship. The Nerada
This ship looks really cool. Itās mean and itās powerful.
But itās supposed to be a mining ship. It makes no sense that it would be this powerful.
The non-canon countdown comic tries to explain this. I donāt quite buy into it.
The characters know a little too much about Romulans for the time when this movie is set. Remember, they donāt yet know that Romulans are related to the Vulcans. But they were probably pushed into closer investigation into them after the Kelvin incident.
We get some Awesome visuals as the Enterprise drops out of warp in the middle of a debris field from the attack.
It was very nice to see Star Trek with modern big-budget effects. This was a big step forward from Nemesis, the last time weād seen Trek on the big screen.
So Nero demands pike come aboard, leaving Spock in command, and cadet Kirk is promoted to first officer. Quite unlikely, but I guess Pike sees something in Kirk.
So this movie kills a redshirt in true Star Trek tradition. Of course, heās not wearing a red shirt because theyāre in spacesuits. And heās an aussie. But given his accent, I doubt the actor is Aussie. Itās a shame that one of the very few Australians to appear in Star Trek is such an idiot.
The battle on the drill is pretty thrilling.
And I do like Suluās fold-out sword.
Say what you will about this movie, itās an effective action film.
They beam Kirk and Sulu from their freefall. They crash onto the platform.
But if they maintained the same velocity, shouldnāt that impact have killed them.
The new transporter effect is kinda cool. The way it swirls around each individual part of the body.
So Vulcan is being destroyed by creating a black hole at the centre of the planet.
So they beam up the Vulcan leadership and Spockās family, but Spockās mother, Amanda.
Doesnāt make it.
This shows without a shadow of a doubt that weāre in a new timeline. There are new rules. We canāt assume anyone will survive.
And they actually destroyed Vulcan.
That was bold.
I was torn about this. I didnāt want Vulcan to go, but weād all been criticising star trek for using the almighty reset button. Finally, they were willing to make a major change in the Star Trek universe, and not backpedal it.
The scene with Uhura and Spock in the turbolift is WEIRD.
She goes in to comfort him. And ends up kissing him.
She asks him what he needs. She seems almost disappointed when he doesnāt ask for anything romantic.
Really really weird scene.
So Nero explains he is from the future, and that in his future, Romulus was destroyed. The federation did nothing. Spock failed to save their world.
I like the callback to the creatures Khan used to control people in Star Trek 2. They look ever so slightly different, but Iāve always taken them to be the same creature.
While Spock is right, he has very flimsy evidence to drive him to assume Nero is from the future.
Spock makes it clear that Nero has caused a new timeline. An alternate reality.
Spockās choice to throw Kirk off the ship onto a planet where heād likely die is extremely harsh and illogical. All he had to do was put him in the brig.
So this planet is supposed to be delta vega
But itās way too close to Vulcan.
Now Iāll accept that planets donāt have uniform climate across the whole world. Earth certainly doesnāt. So I can accept that the desert planet we saw in āWhere no man has gone beforeā could have frozen polar caps, and thatās where Kirk is.
But Delta Vega is near the rim of the universe. Nowhere near Vulcan.
I read that the writers of the movie thought fans would appreciate the callback.
But this shows a lack of understanding of fans.
No callback is preferable to a callback that blatantly breaks canon like this. They could have called this planet anything.
The alien animals we see on the planet are AWESOME.
Star Trek has needed a few good space monsters for a long time, so their inclusion was very welcome in my opinion.
And surprise surprise! We see old Spock. Played by Leonard Nimoy!
This is what really made this movie. Nimoy provided a link to the past. To old Star Trek.
This is the original Spock. Last seen on screen as Ambassador Spock in Star Trek The Next Generation.
So a star went supernova in the 24th century. Spock promised the Romulans he would help them save their planet.
But he failed. The supernova destroyed Romulus.
Spock and Nero were both pulled into the black hole and ended up in the 23rd century.
This event happened in the prime timeline. The original timeline. And this is the event that will be important when it comes to Star Trek Picard.
We get a nice little Spock/bones scene. These movies never quite reach the same levels of portraying the relationship between Kirk, Spock and bones as the original series, but little scenes like this give an inkling. There was another good scene with Bones and Spock in Star Trek Beyond.
Then we meet Scotty. Simon Pegg does a pretty good job in the role.
Heās mostly used for comic relief in this film. Iām not a huge fan of purely comic relief characters, but I was very amused by his line when he asks Spock if they have sandwiches in the future.
Scotty mentioned beaming admiral archerās prize beagle to another planet.
This, obviously, canāt be Porthos. I can accept that maybe Archer is still alive as a very old man, but Porthos? No way. So clearly Archerās love of beagles continues through his life.
And this is where we encounter the problem of transwarp beaming. The ability to beam long distances from one planet to another. This is a big issue in the JJ Abrams movies. It was a convenient plot device to get Kirk and Scotty back onto the Enterprise in this episode. But itās used very badly in the next movie, Star Trek Into Darkness. Iām afraid Iām not a fan of transwarp beaming. Not at all. It makes starship virtually obsolete.
Spock knows the potential that kirk and young Spock have to do great things together.
He wants kirk to take over the Enterprise. Spock assures Kirk that he just saw his planet destroyed. He is emotionally compromised. Both of him.
Why does the Enterprise have water tubes running around that go into a big spinner choppy thing? Feels a bit too much like Galaxy Quest.
Spockās emotional outburst is understandable, given what heās just been through.
Itās a good thing Sulu was there to hear Pike promote Kirk to first officer. Otherwise, I doubt anyone would accept him as the new acting Captain.
So now we have a cadet in command of the ship. Giving orders to crew who all outrank him, who have more experience and seniority than him.
Itās a little absurd.
Then we have a nice emotional scene between Sarak and Spock.
Ben Cross probably plays a more believable Sarak here than James Frain does in discovery.
So Nero is now planning to destroy Earth the same way he destroyed Vulcan.
This movie is the first time we really see normal Starfleet hand phasers firing bolts instead of beams. Discovery continued this trend.
Now, when The Defiant first appeared in DS9, firing bolts out of its cluster phasers, I loved it. It was so much meaner and tougher than normal phasers.
But now that everything is bursts, I miss the beams, because they feel more star-trek-ey.
So they find Ambassador Spockās ship from the future.
The computer voice is played, for one last time, by Majel Barret.
Although, to be honest, it really doesnāt sound like her to me.
But anyway.
For once, it actually makes sense why there are no ships protecting earth.
They all went to Vulcan and were destroyed by the Narada, leaving Earth defenceless.
So they save Earth, and a black hole forms around the Nerada.
Kirk tries to do the Starfleet thing, offering compassion to oneās enemy.
Even Spock wants him to blow Nero away.
When Nero refuses Kirkās help, they gladly pummel it with phasers, destroying the ship.
Except now the Enterprise is stuck in the gravitational pull of the black hole.
Nice that Scotty threw in his life āIām giving it all sheās got, captainā
The solution, of course, is to eject the warp core.
Which looks nothing like a warp core. In fact, itās a whole lot of separateā¦..things.
This doesnāt make a lot of sense. The enterprise is now without its warp core. It should have virtually no power,
But now it can power out of the black hole.
Apparently the destruction of the core did something technobabble-ish to disrupt the gravity or something.
We get a nice little scene where Spock and Spock meet.
Old Spock wanted Kirk and young Spock to find the friendship he knew that could have. A friendship that would define them both.
Spock tells his younger counterpart to forget logic and do what feels right.
This is kind of the culmination of his character journey, his increasing embracing of his human side was seen in both star trek 6 and tng unification.
Itās a nice book-end to this character.
So, Kirk, the cadet who has not yet even graduated the academy, who hasnāt even made ensign yet, is named captain and given command of the Enterprise.
This is completely illogical and ridiculous. Itās the thing that bugs me about this movie the most.
But anyway.
So now the crew of the enterprise are all together, on the ship, as they should be, with Kirk in the captainās chair and Spock at his side. The glimmers of a potential friendship kindled between them.
Weāre going to leave the Kelvin universe here and return to the prime timeline, because the event of this movie that really matters, is the destruction of Romulus by the singularity.
This event had a huge impact on the prime timeline, and on Captain Picard in particular.
The countdown to Picard comic book gives us some details on this.
At the time of recording, Iāve read the first instalment.
Well, that was star trek 2009
I still enjoy this movie.
Itās a very different kind of star trek, but it showed us a modern, high energy take on the franchise.
Next week, can you believe it? Iām very excited to announce that will be talking about the first episode of Star Trek Picard.
Weāre almost there, people
And thatās very exciting.
See you next week on Nerd Heaven.
Until then, live long and prosper.
Iām Adam David Collings
Star Trek Nemesis has a reputation for being a bad movie, and I won't dispute that, but it's important in terms of setup because this is the last time we saw Picard and his crewmates. So let's take another look at this movie and see what we make of it. Join me as I count down the 10 episodes and movies you should watch before Star Trek Picard.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AdamDavidCollings
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Iām Adam David Collings. The author ofĀ Jewel of the Stars. And I am a nerd.
This is episode 9 of the podcast and the second last instalment of the 10 episodes and movies that you should watch before star trek Picard
Today, weāre looking at Star Trek Nemesis. A lot of people donāt like Nemesis. Letās be honest, itās the bottom of the barrel. Iāve joked in recent episodes that itās āthe movie everyone hates,ā but I will freely acknowledge that there may be people who like this movie, and good on āem. There are some movies that many people hate, which I love, such as Batman V Superman, and I donāt like it when people comment that everybody hates that movie, because itās just not true. So, if you Like Nemesis, I think thatās awesome.
Iām not going to do an in-depth rundown of every little thing I think is wrong with this movie. Others have done that. If youāre interested in that kind of analysis, check out the videoĀ Star Trek Nemesis LamentationĀ by the youTuberĀ Lorerunner. He does a much better job of it than I could.
I will point out some issues along the way, but Iāll also try to point out some positives.
So if this isnāt a well-loved movie, why am I talking about it? Well, itās actually very important for Star Trek Picard. This movie is where we last saw the TNG characters, Picard in particular. This movie wraps up their stories. We already know from the trailer that Picard is acknowledging the things that happened in Nemesis. Itās picking up on these characters and showing us what has become of them since this movie ended.
The IMDB description for this movie reads
The Enterprise is diverted to the Romulan homeworld Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a peace treaty. Captain Picard and his crew discover a serious threat to the Federation once Praetor Shinzon plans to attack Earth.
And this movie first appeared in cinemas on the 13th of December 2002
Engage.
Jerry Goldsmith wrote the music for this movie. He creates some extremely memorable themes in First contact and Insurrection. But nothing in the music stands out to me in Nemesis. The new big-screen version of the Romulan city, which weāve seen previously as a painting, looks fantastic. This movie is the first mention we get of the planet Remus since the TOS episode Balance of Terror, which introduced the Romulans. This movie established that the planet Remus was home to another sentient species, the remans. Thatās interesting, although funny theyāve never been mentioned, but then Starfleet doesnāt know a lot about the inner works of the Romulan star episode. I imagine that when the proto-Vulcans first arrived in this part of space, they subjugated the remans, who became the first subjects of the Romulan empire
The face-melting scene as all the senators die was reasonably well done. Suitable creep and gross.
Then we get the wedding scene. I really liked this. Riker and Troi are finally married. About time. Picardās best man speech is suitable amusing, as well as emotional. Itās a nice character moment. And we get little cameo appearances from Guinan and Wesley. It was very nice to see Guinan again for the first time since Generations. Amusing that sheās been married 23 times.
The Wesley thing is jarring by the lack of explanation. They cut most of his scenes When last we saw him, he left Starfleet to journey with the traveller. Now heās back and in uniform. But, Iāve seen those cut scenes, and honestly, it was pretty weak. Apparently, he was off to be a junior engineer on a second rate ship. Probably best they cut it. Guinan mentions that Romulan ale is illegal. That bothers me because the trade sanction was lifted during the dominion war. I suppose itās possible they re-instated it, but thatās the problem. This movie fails to acknowledge the changed relationship between the federation and the Romulans that happened as they were forced to work as allies against the dominion. And that annoys the heck out of me.
Also, why is Worf on the enterprise? When last we saw HIM he had also left Starfleet to become federation ambassador to the Klingon empire. Now heās back, in uniform and apparently serving on the enterprise. The explanation for his presence in First contact was great. The explanation in Insurrection was a total cop-out (Picard asks what the hell are you doing here) and we donāt hear his answer. In this movie, they donāt even acknowledge it. This irks me.
Worf doesnāt want to be naked at the official wedding ceremony on Betazed (all guests are naked at traditional Betazoid weddings). Picard seems to think the reason someone would not want to be naked is because of their physique, that they may not have enough muscles. If I had to be naked in public, itās not my physique Iād be worried about exposing. I REALLY feel to Worf here. Heās essentially ordered to ignore his feelings of modesty. And that sucks. In fact, Worf has only been used for un-funny comic relief so far in this movie.
Thereās nothing inherently bad about the B4 plot in this movie, except that itās been done before. B4 just feels like an inferior copy of Lore.
The stuff on the planet isnāt bad. The new shuttle looks pretty cool. And the dune buggy is kinda cool. Patrick Stewart looks like heās having a ball.
The over-exposed film is supposed to make the planet look alien. It doesnāt quite work for me. Funny how we first meet B5 in pieces. Thatās exactly how we see him in the trailer for Star Trek Picard. Then the aliens show up. They look pretty cool. Especially considering we only see them very briefly. Nice effort. So much for the prime directive. Worf is shooting at them. Too bad if one of them died in the crash. I really enjoy the little appearance by Admiral Janeway. It makes good sense to me that she would be admiral now. After 7 years in the Delta Quadrant, she would probably welcome a desk job. Picard, on the other hand, ahs always wanted to remain on the bridge of his ship. (although we know heāll eventually accept a promotion to Admiral as well.)
Geordi asks Data how he feels about giving B4 all his memories. Data replies āI feel nothing.ā Seriously? Is this season 1 Data? In my opinion, it was a mistake to ignore the emotion chip. Michael Piller wasnāt a fan and wrote that Data āleft it behindā in Insurrection. In this movie, well, itās like the chip never existed. All that character development undone.
Shinzonās ship, the scimitar looks pretty cool. Very mean.
This is where the movie starts to drag. They beam onto the Scimitar and meet Shinzon, who surprisingly is not Reman, but human. A clone of Picard. The reveal is long and drawn out. Especially so given that the reveal falls completely flat because Tom Hardy doesnāt look like Patrick Stewart.
Shinzonās backstory is moderately interesting. I like how the plan to replace Picard was abandoned due to a change of government. Very believable.
So heās promising peace, but Picard doesnāt trust him. And He has a very dangerous weapon on board, based on Thalaron radiation. Shinzonās viceroy tells him heās wasting time. And I tend to agree. Get on with the story, guys.
Ugh. and then we get the rape scene. First Shinzon wastes time having dinner with Picard, trying to convince him he wants peace. Then he decides to telepathically rape Deanna. WHAT? Are you telling me that if Picard had suffered a harsher upbringing, heād be a rapist? This is creepy, and not in a good way. So B4 is Shinzonās spy. Ok.
Beverlyās new medical tricorder looks really good. Finally, it has a full-sized screen. About time. A tricorder is, after all, a scanning device, so it should have a decent-sized screen.
One hour into the movie, things finally begin to happen. Picard is kidnapped, beamed aboard the scimitar. And Shinzon proceeds to detail his entire plan.
It was a nice little moment when B4 comes in to see Picard and it turns out to be Data, here to rescue him.
Thereās a fun little action scene where they fly an attack shuttle through the corridors of the scimitar. A little silly, but fun.
So, Picard was abducted, told all about Shinzonās plan, and then rescue. And Iām left wondering, what was the point of it all? This story still hasnāt really done anything.
It amuses me that Shinzonās Romulan supporters keep criticising him for delaying. I find myself agreeing with them.
Beverly finally explains whatās going on. Shinzon is dying because of a defect in his DNA. He needs a complete transfusion from Picard, the only one with compatible DNA. The plot of this movie isnāt just slow and uninteresting, itās very convoluted.
So, Shinzon asks the federation to send a ship. Then he has this big speech about wanting peace. All of this just so he can use Picard to heal himself. Luck the enterprise happened to be the closest ship. But when got his hands on Picard, after wasting time with dinner and drinks, he doesnāt take Picardās blood. No, instead, he reveals his plan to attack the federation and then walks out of the room. And why does he want to attack the federation anyway? He has zero motivation for that.
The Thaleron weapon is actually quite interesting. With their cloak, they can fly past every federation ship and kill the entire crew. Theyāll never even know what hit them. Thatās terrifying.
Iām going to backpedal a bit on what I said about the music. Sure, thereās nothing in it as memorable as First contact or insurrection, but thereās still some reasonably good music.
Thereās a little thematic stuff between Data and Picard, comparing Shinzon with B4. Itās not a lot, but itās something.
I donāt mind the new design for the Romulan warbirds.
And I like the green nebula in the background during the space battle. Itās clever how they use Troiās empathic abilities to find the scimitar. Kind of gives her a little revenge for the mind rape.
The Romulans join the fight against Shinzon and the Remans board the Enterprise. Worf comments to Riker that āThe Romulans fought with honour.ā Thatās a big deal coming from Worf. He has always viewed the Romulans as being without honour. So nice touch there.
I like the scene when the bride gets hit and the whole front window gets blown away. Bye-bye viewscreen. That was nicely done.
Picard beats Shinzon by being unpredictable Picard actually knows Shinzon much better than Shinzon known Picard. Because Picard has his whole life to look back on, whereas, Shinzon has never been the person Picard is. He hasnāt gotten there yet. And I like that.
Ramming the enterprise into the scimitar seems a pretty extreme thing to do. I sure hope they had time to evacuate the forward sections of the saucer. The crash itself looks pretty cool. Not as cool as the Enterprise D crashing on Veridian III, but still cool. And you probably noticed that Troi was at the helm when it happened. Weāve seen her at the helm of the Enterprise twice. The first time, she crashed the enterprise. The second, she rams it into another ship. Now, you could argue that neither was her fault, and in fact, the second time was a deliberate act, but still. Itās not a good flight record.
But what does the ramming accomplish? It doesnāt stop Shinzon. Shinzon says āsome ideas are worth dying for, arenāt they Jean-Luc.ā In Picardās case, yes, heās willing to sacrifice his life and his crew to prevent Shinzon from destroying the federation. What is Shinzon sacrificing his life for? Killing the Enterprise crew, who were going to self-destruct themselves anyway, to destroy the scimitar. He wonāt be around to kill anyone else after that. Maybe he thinks heāll survive his sickness long enough to fix his ship and use his weapon on earth. I dunno. So Iām not getting a sense of his motivations. It doesnāt make any sense.
So anyway, data uses the mobile transporter thing, which was foreshadowed earlier in the episode, to beam Picard to safety, and sacrifices himself to save everyone else.
This is an emotional moment. Dataās wake is a good scene. I like how it calls all the way back to Encounter at Farpoint. Brent Spiner has explained that he felt he was getting too old to play Data and thought that a death scene would be a fitting way to farewell the character. Interesting that now, in the age of digital de-ageing, heās going to reprise the role again.
I also like when we see the shot of The Enterprise is spacedock, Goldsmith calls back to his slower arrangement of the motion picture/next generation theme, just like he used in that first movie. Fortunately, this panning shot of the ship doesnāt go for 15 minutes.
Nice little moment between Riker and Picard as they part ways. Riker off to captain his own ship.
The closing scene with B4 is ambiguous. He clearly doesnāt understand what Picard is trying to teach him, but then he starts singing blue skies. It seems something of Data may have survived in B4.
So thatās where we leave our friends. Riker and Troi have left for their own ship, Data is dead, and the rest are presumably remaining with Picard on the Enterprise, which needs a major refit.
Oh, and B4 has been re-activated, at least temporarily, by Picard. But from what we understand from Brent Spinerās comments about the trailer, B4 has been disassembled again and placed in storage. Iām keen to know the story there.
So that was Star Trek Nemesis. Iām sorry I didnāt find more positive things to say about it. Even though I wasnāt really keen on this movie, Iām glad that the new Picard show is picking up on elements from the movie. You see, this movie wasnāt the great send-off for TNG that weād hoped for, not like Star Trek 6 was for TOS. So Iām very glad that the new show is going to give us a new (and surely better) send-off for at least some of these beloved characters.
Iām really looking forward to finding out what happens next. Itās gonna be a wild ride.
Well, weāve only got one more movie left to watch before Picard. Itās JJ Abramās Star Trek 2009, which is actually 10 years old now. Can you believe that? While most of the movie takes place in an alternate timeline, it establishes a very significant event that will have huge ramifications for the prime timeline, especially Picard.
See you next. Live long and prosper. Make it so
The Gift continues the story right where Scorpion let off. This episode of Star Trek Voyager takes the borg drone Seven of Nine, the villain of the previous episode, and explores her transformation from drone to human. This episode finally introduces us to the person that Seven of Nine will become. Her journey will continue over the next four seasons, and beyond. We know from the trailer, that she will be a much different person in Star Trek Picard. Join me as I count down the top 10 episodes and movies you should watch before Star Trek Picard.
And if you're enjoying the show, why not buy me a hot chocolate at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AdamDavidCollings
We switch to Star Trek Voyager today and talk about Scorpion, my favourite Voyager episode This is the introduction of Seven of Nine, a popular character that we know is returning in Star Trek Picard. Geek out with me as I count down the 10 episodes and movies you should watch before Star Trek Picard.
And if you're enjoying this podcast, why not https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AdamDavidCollings
Star Trek First Contact is my favourite Star Trek movie. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our beloved franchise. In this video, I geek out with delight over the movie, and yes, I point out a couple of things that could have been even better. Join me as I review the 10 episodes and movies that you should watch before Star Trek Picard.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AdamDavidCollings
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Iām Adam David Collins, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.
This is episode 6 of the podcast, and weāre continuing our look at the 10 episodes and movies you should check out before watching Star Trek Picard, which goes live late January.
Today, weāre looking at Star Trek First Contact.
The IMDB description for this movie reads The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earthās first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed. And this movie first appeared in cinemas on the 13th of November 1996, which was in the UK, prior to the american release on the 22nd of November. Here in Australia, we didnāt get it until the 28th.
Letās do it.
This is my favourite Star Trek movie. It came out during the year of the 30th anniversary of Star Trek. What an awesome year that was. We got Trials and Tribble-ations, which was amazing. We get this movie, which was amazing, and we got Flashback over on voyager, which was really good.
There are some nice 30th anniversary tidbits in this movie that link it to other Star Trek shows. Weāll cover them as we get to them.
Letās start by saying that the music in this movie is incredible. Jerry Goldsmith composed a hauntingly beautiful theme for First Contact. I always sit through the opening credits just to listen to it. Plus, the names slowly coming into focus looks pretty cool.
Nice little callback at the start, seeing Picard in his TNG uniform for the flashback to Best of Both Worlds.
That pull back shot gives us a sense of the vastness of the Borg ship.
And as Picard wakes from his nightmare, we get our first glimpse of the new TNG movie-era uniforms. This is my favourite Star Trek uniform. It looks so cool. I really want one.
Picard is still having nightmare about his assimilation. I image, after going through something like that, the nightmare would never stop. Of course itās implied that the nightmare is caused by the proximity of the Borg ship. You gotta wonder what made the Borg decide to send another shop to assimilate Earth at this moment. Clearly, they still think one cube is enough.
And then we get another first. Our first glimpse at the new USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-E. The last Enterprise was destroyed in the previous movie, Star Trek Generations. The Enterprise E looks fantastic. Sleeker, meaner than the D. Of course, I also loved the D. But this new Enterprise was made for the big screen, and it fills it beautifully.
Gorgeous image of a nebula behind the ship, too.
Do you think Starfleetās reluctance to let Picard anywhere near the Borg is more related to his previous assimilation, or his handling of the Hugh situation? Either way, itās a foolish decision. No one knows the Borg better than Picard.
The voice effect used for the Borg collective in this movie is creepier than in the TV show.
I love the bridge of the Enterprise E. Those little screens for Picard, Riker, and Troi, the little corner desks for Data and Hawke. Fantastic production design.
And that Borg cube. So much more detailed than the model used on the TV show.
And hereās a first connection to other Star Trek. The Defiant from Deep Space Nine has joined the fight against the Borg. Obviously. This ship was designed to fight the Borg. It was likely one of the weapons shelby was working on prior to Best of both Worlds. Remember, those new weapons that werenāt ready yet.
The Defiant gives us the perfect opportunity to bring Worf into the story, who was a series regular on Deep Space Nine at this time.
I love the holographic viewscreen on the Enterprise E. I wish theyād continued to use that effect in subsequent movies.
Picard can still hear the Borg in his head. Surprising, since he no longer has any implants. But given how hard it was for the doctor to remove all of Sevenās implants in Voyager, letās assume maybe thereās still a little something in there. He gets some inside information on a weak spot that allows them to destroy the cube. This seems a little problematic. Remember, Borg cubes are extremely redundant. They shouldnāt have weak spots like that that cause the whole thing to blow up. I mean, this isnāt the blooming death star. But, they need to keep the story moving. The Borg need an excuse to time travel into the past. This, of course, makes absolutely no sense. First, if the Borg simple go back in time and assimilate species when they were vulnerable, why not just do that to begin with.
But thereās a bigger problem. What do the Borg gain by assimilating a broken earth that is still recovering from world war 3? Their technology is useless. Biologically, humans are that different to many other species. It makes zero sense for the Borg to want to assimilate 21st century earth. So, the very premise here is filled with plot holes. But, I forgive them, because this movie is awesome.
What do you want from me?
So the Borg and the Enterprise arrive on my 85th birthday. And you better believe, when I turn 85, Iāll be making a pilgrimage to Montana, USA to meet the Vulcans. But I digress. Interestingly, 2063 is also the 100th anniversary of Star Trek.
First Contact presents us with a very different Zephram Cochrane that we are used to, from his appearance in the original series. Heās not the amazing historical figure that starfleet puts on a pedestal. One of the first things we hear him say is āI sure as hell am not going up there sober.ā Surprise surprise, Cochrane was human. This is a theme through the whole movie. We have a tendency to venerate great men and women from history, and Iām not saying we shouldnāt, but, these people were human just like us, with the same flaws and emotions. They burped and broke wind just like we do.
James Cromwell and Alfre Goodard are both great as Cochrane and lily. Woodward is especially awesome as lily.
The enterprise destroys the Borg sphere. Again, it all seems too easy. I remember thinking, the first time I saw this, they had 2 Borg ships, and theyāre both destroyed. Weāre not even 30 minutes into this movie. So much for a movie about the Borg. Of course, seeing the enterprise slowly get turned into a Borg ship ended up being much more compelling. So, itās all good.
I love time travel stories, especially if they are internally consistent. Weād never seen the TNG crew interact with present day. This was as close as weād get. This was kind of TNGās Star Trek 4.
I also like the new engineering set for the Enterprise E, with that massive warp core.
The idea of tunring a left-over nuclear missile into Earthās first warp-speed ship is symbolic. And kinda cool.
The sickbay on the Enterprise E looks very much like the Voyager sickbay. This was probably just a cost-saving choice to re-use an existing set, but in my mind, back in the day, it was a deliberate creative choice, to make the two newer ships, Enterprise E and Voyager, look alike. And now we get our next link to other Star Trek. And this is brilliantly done. Crusher needs a diversion to get every away from sickbay before the Borg break in, so, of course, they activate the Enterprise EMH, brilliantly played by Robert Picardo from Voyager. I love this scene. I always have. Obviously the enterprise sickbay would have an EMH. They simply donāt use it because they have a medical staff.
If you count Zephram Cochrane as a TOS reference, then this movie has now included cameos of ships and characters from all the other Star Trek shows that existed at the time.
Troiās character doesnāt get a lot to do in this movie. In the previous movie, she had some fantastic scenes where she actually got to be a counselor. Here, sheās mainly relegated to comic relief. Still, Marina Sirtis does a good job of it.
The emotion chip is put to good use in this story. And despite Data initially being quite annoying (deliberately so) I thought it was used effectively back in Generations as well. It was very thematic in that movie. And it plays an important part in First Contact as well. Itās interesting to know that data can de-activate the chip. Donāt you wish you could simply turn off your emotions sometimes. It would be handy.
And now we get our first proper look at the Borg in their new big-screen, bigger budget glory. They look fantastic. So much detail. The chalky skin that looks like makeup is replaced with slimy pasty skin that looks a lot more realistic. The costumes are more detailed. And the Borg represent many different species. There are Klingon Borg, Cardassian Borg, Bolian Borg. If you look closely, youāll notice all sorts of species.
The Borg visual effects for things like their personal force field have also been updated.
This is the first time we see the use of assimilation tubules. The assimilation process has always been a bit of a mystery. But here we see the injection of nano-probes (not specifically mentioned in this movie, but explored later in voyager).
Thereās a chilling moment when an assimilated crew member asks Picard for help. Picard shoots him dead. They donāt have the resources or the ability to surgically disconnect and restore each assimilated crew member right now, and Picard knows from personal experience, that itās better to die than be a Borg drone.
Riker and Troi explain the Roddenberry philosophy to Cochrane. Tomorrow morning, earth will make first contact with aliens after his successful warp test. Within a few decades, war, poverty,disease are all erased. This makes First Contact a very Star Trek show, again cementing itās place as a 30th anniversary celebration movie.
Picard meets Lily. I really like the friendship that develops between them. Picard manages to convince her that he really is from the future. I have to say I really like that when the window opens, and they see earth, theyāre over Australia. Yeah!
And we meet the Borg queen for the first time. The visual effect of her coming down from the ceiling is fantastic.
The Borg queen is a really interesting concept. In a way, she contradicts what the Borg have been established to be. She refers to herself as I. Saying I am the Borg. Hereās the way Iāve always thought of her. She is the central hub of the Borg. Up until now, weāve always assumed the Borg collective was a peer-to-peer network, but now it seems they are a client-server network. The queen is the server. You could say that the collective consciousness is her consciousness. This is not really what was previously established, but itās interesting. I think that the Borg work better without the queen. But I think they felt a movie must have a villain that audiences can relate to. And I do admit that the Borg queen fits this bill very well. Alice Krige plays her brilliantly. Thereās a lot about the queen that doesnāt make sense. She was on the Borg cube that was destroyed in best of both worlds. The same biological organism. But that ship was destroyed. And after she dies here, weāll see her again in Voyager. Her explanation for this is āYouāve become small. You humans think in this three-dimensional termsā, which is a total cop-out. This is writer slang for āI donāt have an explanation for this that makes sense.ā
Picard gives Lily the ridiculous line about there being no money in the 24th century. Everyone works to better themselves and the rest of humanity. Which is total nonsense, of course. A system like that cannot work. The biggest issue I see is the unwanted jobs. Who cleans the toilets? Sure, in the Star Trek world, I would work hard writing books or exploring space, all in an effort to better myself and humanity. But who does the menial jobs that nobody wants? What motivates people to take that on? And we know that people do these menial jobs, itās not all just robots, because Rom works waste extraction, literally wading in sewage, on deep space nine. Anyway.
The holodeck scene is FANTASTIC. It ties us all the way back to TNG season 1, where Picard used to play Dixon Hill on the holodeck. But Dixon Hill never looked this good, with massive sets, heaps of extras and exciting action set pieces. I love it. The idea to use a holographic tommy gun to kill the Borg is very clever. Bullets are not something theyāll have adapted to.
We see first hand just how much hurt and pain Picard still has buried, as he continues to pump the Borg full of bullets, long after itās dead. Itās all come back to the forefront for him, like it was yesterday. And the carelessness when he says āthis drone was ensign lynch.ā I understand. In his mind, this is not ensign lynch. This is a drone. But still. This scene is really powerful.
Nice little cameo from Reg Barclay. It doesnāt make a heap of sense that so many people from the enterprise d wind up on the enterprise e. Not just the senior staff, but people like Nurse Ogawa and Barclay. But, itās nice to see them so whatever.
Cochrane is finding it very difficult to live up to the celebrity everyone keeps telling him heāll have. His discomfort make sense. Who could live up to that kind of hero worship. But at the same time, given his importance in their world, I understand the hero worship.
This is the first time we see the new space suits, which will come back again in Voyager. The battle on the hull near the deflector dish is fantastic. Slow, but awesome. Itās pretty unique.
But Worfās line āAssimilate thisā is cheesy and feels like itās out of a really bad action movie parody. Also, why is his voice distorted? He sounds like a robot.
Dataās assimilation is interesting. Usually, they add cybernetic implants into biological beings. But here, theyāre adding biological elements to a cybernetic being. They do like the mixture. Thereās a whole lot of manipulation going on here. The queen reactivates his emotion chip, which makes him a LOT easier to manipulate.
Cochrane is a far cry from the historical figure they all talk about, but, as he gets older, he will become more like that figure.
Thereās some fantastic drama between Picard and Worf on the bridge. Worf accuses Picard of allowing his personal experiences with the Borg to influence his judgement. And of course thatās influencing his judgement. How could it not? The scene between Picard and Lily in the conference room is amazing and powerful. Alfre Woodard and Patrick Stewart are incredible. This scene gives me so many chills. And thereās lots of thematic stuff in here too. Lily helps Picard realise that heās being motivated by revenge and hate. And so he changes his plan.
When theyāre preparing the evacuate the enterprise, Picard says āsee you on Gravette island.ā Iāve tried googling this, to see if itās a real place. I came up empty. But I have a head canon about this. I imagine that Gravette is an island that remains unpopulated through most of human history. And that Starfleet has standing orders that any crew who get stranded in earthās past are to set themselves up there and stay out of historyās way. I think that would make a good TV show actually. Gravette Island, about a Starfleet crew making a new life on present day Earth. Of course, something would have to entice them out of hiding to interact with the rest of the world, or thereād be no story But Iām getting quite off topic now.
I love how Zephram Cochrane canāt take off without his music. The Pheonix looks great. The perfect mix of old-fashioned real world space program, and the star trek future. I remember geeking out that the bussard collectors at the front of the nacelles resembled those on the original series enterprise.
Does Picard really mean it when he offers to become Gorg again, in order to free Data? I have to think that he does. But, how could he possibly be willing to go through that again. Thatās self-sacrifice. Thatās friendship. But to willingly go into that living hell?
It like how the Phoenix takes a few minutes to accelerate up to warp 1. The climactic battle in engineering has some awesome visual effects, included the death of the queen. The Borg shouldnāt really explode when the queen dies, but it kinda works for the movie.
The flight of the phoenix, and the landing of the alien ship are full of the sense of wonder that Star Trek is sometimes known for. I remember sitting on the edge of my seat in the cinema, thinking āplease be the Vulcans. Please be the Vulcans.ā It had to be. I read that the design of the Vulcan ship was based on real-world descriptions of UFOs. The implied idea being that Vulcans had previously visited earth discreetly.
So there you have it. My favourite Star Trek movie. Itās got some little flaws, but thereās so much good stuff theyāre easy to forgive.
Do you think weāll see the Borg Queen again in Star Trek Picard? Will they acknowledge her?
Itāll be interesting to find out.
Next time, we delve into the origin of another character that is returning for Picard. Seven of Nine. Iāll see you for my favourite episode of Star Trek Voyager. Scorpion.
Live long and prosper. Make it so.
All Good Things is the finale episode of Star Trek The Next Generation. It is noteworthy because, in it, Picard jumps forward through time into the future, around the time that the new Star Trek Picard will be set. Join me as I geek out over the 10 episodes and movies you should watch before Star Trek Picard.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Iām Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.
This is episode 5 of the podcast, and weāre now halfway through my list of 10 episodes and movies that you should check out before watching Star Trek: Picard.
Today, weāre looking at the finale episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. All Good Things.
The IMDB description for this episode reads
Capt. Picard finds himself shifting continually into the past, future and present and must use that to discover a threat to humanityās existence.
And this episode first aired on the 23 May 1994
Make it so.
My first encounter with this episode was actually seeing the VHS for sale at a shop. It was a special numbered limited edition that came with a little book that covered the history of the show and that was the first I even knew the show was ending, so I bought that and I watched it, and then I watched most of the rest of season 7 on TV. Itās just how it goes down here.
So this episode begins with Worf and Deanna Troi finishing up a date on the holodeck. This relationship is something that theyād been building slowly over the course of season 7. Personally, I was never quite able to buy into the idea of Worf and Troi as a couple. Worf and Dax seemed a much more natural pairing to me. But, it added some interesting drama to this episode, as weāll see.
And just before the credits roll, Picard arrives, as close as weāve seen him to panic, explaining that somehow, heās moving back and forth through time.
Having a big grand 2-hour finale was a pretty rare thing in 1994. A lot of shows started off with a movie-length pilot, but most shows didnāt end with such a big bang. Star Trek the Next Generation had a planned end, because they wanted to start making movies with the TNG cast. This set a precedent that both Deep Space Nine and Voyager would follow.
So as Picard tells Troi about his time-travelling, he jumps forward as we get our first glimpse at the future. This is the year 2395. Star Trek: Picard will be set 4 years later in 2399. So weāre near the end of the 24th century. Picard is retired from Starfleet, having served as an ambassador. Heās now living on the Picard Estate tending the vineyard. This is a very similar life situation that weāll find him in the new show. But in Picard, heād been an admiral before retirement and we get the impression there was a lot more tension to his departure from Starfleet. Either way, heās ended up in the same situation.
Itās important to note here that what weāre seeing in this episode is an alternate future. We know things will proceed differently in the real future, that is Star Trek: Picard. The characters say this themselves in the show. And, the Enterprise D was destroyed in Star Trek Generations, so it wonāt still be around at this point to have a third nacelle installed.
And we learn that Picard has irrumodic syndrome, a form of dementia. A lot of the drama in this episode comes from Picard trying to convince his crewmates that heās not crazy. In the future, itās because of his irrumodic syndrome. In the past, itās because he canāt risk telling them the truth of whatās going on for fear of affecting the timeline. In the present, they come to believe him quickly, because Crusher is able to measure the fact that heās accumulating days worth of memories in mere moments.
Crusher also finds a defect in Picardās brain, in the present, that could lead to a condition like irrumodic syndrome. So itās a very real possibility for his future. I wonder, what will they do with that in Picard? Will they acknowledge it? Weāve seen in the trailers, times when Picard is talking to Data when he clearly canāt be there for real. Are these dreams? My guess is that Picard is hallucinating Data because heās developing irrumodic syndrome. What do you think?
Then Picard flashes back to the past, to season 1. We see a scene that occurs just before the pilot episode. The past sequences in this episode give a wonderful sense of nostalgia. Star Trek: The Next Generation changed a great deal over its seven years. The uniforms changed, the tone and feel of the show changed. The sets changed. But most of all, I changed during that time.
When the show first started, I was a kid. When it ended I was well into my teens. Finishing up school and preparing to go to university. There was a lot Iād forgotten about the early days of the show. Iād almost forgotten that the character of Tasha Yar had ever existed. But this episode brought it all back. We even get to see a beardless Riker through the use of some old footage on the viewscreen. Very cleverly done.
Each time Picard shifts, he retains more knowledge of his experiences. He becomes completely away of all three time periods.
I like how Geordi is willing to just go with Picard to visit Data. He doesnāt entirely believe Picard, but heās a friend, so heās willing to accompany him.
The exterior shot of Dataās house in Cambridge is cool. I love the mix of the old and the new, well, futuristic. I also love his tea lady. Itās great when he asks for Tea, Earl grey hot. And she says āOf course itās āot. What do you want in it?ā Interesting note, Data says that she makes him laugh, which suggests to me that in this timeline, just like in ours, Data eventually installed the emotion chip. At this point in his life, Data has fully integrated his emotions into his being. And thatās kind of how he comes across.
Itās great to see OāBrien back appearing in the red uniform just as he did in the pilot episode, Encounter at Farpoint. Of course, at that point, the character didnāt have a name. He was just the conn officer.
Picard calls for a red alert in the shuttle bay, because he keeps seeing visions of people, which weāll learn are from Qās fantasy based on the post-atomic horror. The crew all look stunned and refuse to move.
This is actually kind of believable. When I did training to be a fire warden at work, I learned a little about peopleās behaviour. Their natural inclination in a situation like this is to wait and see what everyone else does. The captain is acting very oddly, so Iāll just stay still and look uncomfortable. But Yarās training kicks in. The captain ordered a red alert. It doesnāt matter if I donāt understand his reasoning. Heās the captain so his orders are to be obeyed. She makes the others move, which is kind of what a fire warden needs to do when the evacuation alarm goes off.
I appreciate the trouble they went to in order to modify the sets to look as they did in season 1. The wall of the conference room is different in later seasons. There are also some panels on the bridge that change.
Picardās slip up when he gives Worf an order that should be given to the security chief is a nice touch.
In both the past and the present, Romulans are entering the neutral zone to investigate an anomaly, which of course is a dangerous situation.
I also really like how Dataās dialogue and performance are different between the time periods. It shows just how much Data has changed over the years.
Crusher is really struggling with Picardās irrumodic syndrome. Sheās convinced it will happen just as Picard has seen in the future. Heās not as worried. The future is not set in stone, he says.
I like that this episode lets us really see the human side of Crusher. I donāt think the show always did her justice. Itās a nice little reminder that Crusher has very deep feelings for Picard, as was recently revealed in the episode attached.
Interesting little tidbit. Future Geordi has the blue ocular implants like weāll see him get later in the TNG movies.
I love that Crusher is now captain of a medical ship. The USS Pasteur is a cool looking vessel. And the future Starfleet uniforms also look really cool. We know that theyāre choosing not to use these uniforms in Picard, which is a shame. Especially since DS9 and Voyager both consistently used these uniforms whenever they portrayed this time period. Still, people like to put their own marks on things. I do like that theyāve taken some inspiration from this uniform, such as the rank pips on the chest.
I like that Picard and Crusher married in the future, but it always disappointed me that they were divorced. Whenever I hear about a divorce, it always makes me sad. Even a fictional one. I just, I canāt comprehend divorce. I canāt fathom it. I guess that shows how lucky Iāve been with my marriage. The fact that Crusher kept the name Picard shows that she still cares for him. I guess there could be other more practical reasons she kept it, but the way she interacts with him also shows how much she cares. So, Iām left wonderingā¦what went wrong?
I hope they acknowledge the relationship between Picard and Crusher in the new show.
The nostalgia kicks into high gear when Picard finds himself standing in the 21st-century courthouse and Q appears in his ridiculous judge outfit. I remember thinking how awesome it was that they were tying this story directly back into the first episode.
So Q makes the argument that Picard and his crew have squandered the last seven years. In Picardās mind, they have expanded their understanding of the universe, but from Qās point of view it has been a very limited amount of progress, compared to what they still have to achieve, and from a Q point of view, I can understand that.
Hereās an interesting question. Why are the Q so interested in the human race. The crew of the Enterprise and Picard in particular? Why are they not judging the Klingons, or the Vulcans, or the Pakled, or the Ferengi?
My theory is that they see something special in the human race. A potential for greatness. And in their own, rather inappropriate way, I think theyāre trying to encourage us to reach that potential.
And then Q drops a bombshell. The destruction of the human race will be Picardās fault. He will cause their extinction.
Canāt you just feel Picardās frustration when the anomaly fails to appear in the future. It just confirms to everyone else that all of this is in his mind. Of course, it makes perfect sense why the anomaly isnāt here, once we know what is causing it, but it doesnāt help Picardās credibility.
Given the evidence, itās actually extremely loyal of Picardās friends to still be doing this with him. As Crusher says, āIf it were anyone else but you, we wouldnāt even be here.ā
At this point, Picard starts taking advantage of his time-shifting, using knowledge he gains in the future to help him in the present and the past.
The anomaly is having strange effects on the crew of the Enterprise. Their bodies are reverting to previous states. This is causing old injuries to be healed, but itās not so good for Nurse Ogawa who loses her baby. This phenomenon is a key to whatās going on with the destruction of humanity.
The anomaly is fascinating. The earlier in history, the larger it is. When Q takes Picard back to prehistoric times, the anomaly fills the entire Alpha Quadrant. It prevents life from arising on earth.
Q Goes out of his way to give Picard hints to help him figure this all out. Thereās no malevolence on his part. He wants Picard to succeed and save his people.
So the anomaly prevents humanity from coming into existence, and Picard is responsible for the anomaly. He still doesnāt understand how he caused it though.
We learn that Troi died at some point in the past. Worf and Troi never got together. Worf saw Riker as the reason. This has caused a rift between these two friends. The scene where Riker discusses this with Crusher, Geordi and Data is really good.
When Picard sees the three tachyon pulses, from three different time periods, all converging, he realises what caused the anomaly. They caused it with the pulses. In effect, they created the anomaly they were looking for, but because it travels back through time, it didnāt exist in the future. Unfortunately, now that he knows, he has the challenge of trying to convince his shipmates, who are by now convinced he is crazy. How frustrating it must be to have the answer, but struggle to articulate it. And worse, people wonāt listen to you, to give you a chance to explain yourself. Luckily, Data catches on and allows him to speak.
Unfortunately, at this point, thereās a whopping big plot hole.
You see, it makes no sense for them to see the initial formation of the anomaly when they return to the Devron system. The anomaly existing reversed in time. It grows as it travels back through time.
And, if it exists now, then it should retroactively be at the earlier point when they were on the Pasteur. It doesnāt work.
Itās a difficult hole to plug, and I canāt think of how they could have written it differently off the top of my head. Donāt get me wrong, this is an awesome episode, but this plot hole does bother me. Itās bothered me for 26 years. Anyway, weāll put that aside.
The climactic scene where the three versions of the Enterprise enter the anomaly and collapse it with a static warp shell is fantastic.
Q was ordered by the continuum to put Picard though this, but helping him out was Qās own idea. Through all of this, Q has shown Picard a new level of exploration. He expanded his mind to think outside of the normal constraints of space and time, considering options heād normally never consider.
See why I have that theory about the Q seeing potential in humanity and wanting to push them along a bit to see how far they can go.
Qās final words to Picard almost suggest a promise from the writers, that there are amazing things to come, where Picard will be further stretched. The movies never really paid off on this promise. I understand why. They had to stand alone for a wider audience. But I wonder if theyāll come back to this idea in Star Trek: Picard? I wonāt hold my breath, but it could be interesting.
The episode rounds out with a touching scene as the whole senior crew get together as a family. Picard joins them for their poker game, for the first time. And the Enterprise sails off into the unknown.
This really was a fantastic episode. It worked on multiple levels. It was a great character piece. It had a really interesting sci-fi concept. And, it not only called back to the past but closed off the present and hinted at the promise of the future as well.
You might say it was the perfect finale episode for The Next Generation. It doesnāt have the sense of finality and closure that you might expect in a finale, but this isnāt really the end of the story. They were jumping straight into movies after this.
Iām looking forward to seeing how the world of Star Trek Picard differs from the future portrayed in this episode, as well as the similarities it may have.
I hope youāve enjoyed this look back at All Good Things.
Next time, weāre looking at the movie Star Trek First Contact, which continues the development of the Borg, and adds a whole lot of new lore to the star trek universe. Iāll see you then.
Live long and prosper.
Make it so.
Star Trek The Next Generation Descent continues to explore the character of Hugh and the impact his individuality has had on the Borg. Join me on the Nerd Heaven Podcast as I discuss Star Trek episodes in preparation for Star Trek Picard.
I Borg is an important episode of Star Trek The Next Generation when looking at Picard's character arc. This story forces him to confront his feelings over the borg. It also introduced the character of Hugh, who will be returning for the new Star Trek Picard. Join me on the Nerd Heaven Podcast as we discuss the episodes and movies that you should watch before Star Trek Picard.
Family is a surprisingly character-driven episode of Star Trek The Next Generation. It gives us a much-needed reflection on the recent events of Best of Both Worlds. Join me as I count down the 10 episodes and movies that you should watch before Star Trek Picard releases. Nerd Heaven is a new podcast that discusses Star Trek and other science fiction stories.
If you enjoyed this episode, you canĀ buy me a hot chocolate.
Welcome to the first episode of Nerd Heaven. We're counting down the 10 Star Trek episodes and movies that you should watch before Star Trek Picard releases.
Today, we're looking at Star Trek: The Next Generation "The Best of Both Worlds". I share my thoughts and review of this iconic episode which changes the life of Jean-Luc Picard forever.
If you enjoyed this episode, you canĀ buy me a hot chocolate.
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Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. Iām Adam David Collings, The author of Jewel of The Stars. And Iā¦am a nerd.
In this podcast, weāre gonna geek out together over works of science fiction and fantasy. TV shows, movies and books. Star Trek Picard is coming out on the 24th of January next year. Today is the first of our looks at the Star Trek episodes and movies that you should watch before Picard.
And todayās episode is Best of Both Worlds. The IMDB description for this episode is Responding to a distress call on one of the Federationās outer-most colonies, the Enterprise arrivesā¦only to find a big hole in the ground where the town used to be and discovers the Borg are behind the attack. Part 1 of this episode first aired on the 18th of June 1990. Part first aired on the 4th of September, 1990.
So letās launch right into the episode.
The episode starts out like any other. An away team is beaming down to investigate a distress call. It could be caused by any alien of the week. But as they appear in what should be the centre of town, and see before them, a massive hole in the surface of the planet, we know, this isnāt just any episode. This is something significant.
That visual of whatās left is fantastic, and they a great job of integrating the live actors into the scene.
The tone and stakes are made clear right after the credits, when Admiral Hanson says, āHell, we are not ready. Weāve known they were coming for over a year. Weāve thrown every resource we have into this, but stillā¦ā
The second season episode, Q Who, did a great job of establishing just how unbeatable the Borg are. In that story, we encountered them in the delta quadrant. The enterprise survived because Q was able to snap them back home. But now, theyāve come to us. This isnāt the depths of unexplored space. Theyāre heading for our backyard.
So we get the introduction of Commander Shelby. Now, I donāt know how much Iād like her as a person if I really knew her, but I can say I definitely like her as a character. She brings a whole lot of interesting conflict into the show and forces Riker to take a close look at himself.
Itās tempting to think of Best of Both Worlds as a Picard story because it has such a major life-changing effect on him, and thatās true. Thatās why I chose this as an episode to watch in the lead-up to Picardās new show. But in a truer sense, this is a Riker episode. Riker is the protagonist. Of Best of Both Worlds.
Shelby is a good officer. The traits that make her so frustrating, that make her clash with Riker so much, are also the traits that were needed to cut through all the drama and make some progress, trying to develop a defence against the Borg.
This is the third time Riker has turned down an offer to captain his own ship. I can understand that. After all, this is the Enterprise. Plus, thereās something comforting about a stable job. Staying where youāre comfortable. In the 20 years since I left university, Iāve only had 3 jobs. Of course, nobody has been offering me the captainās chair of a starship!
Shelby does make some genuine mistakes. Her first is beaming down ahead of schedule without permission. I wonder if part of that is the great latitude that Admiral Hanson has been giving her. She is clearly surprised that Riker is so upset by her actions. She thought heād be cool with it.
I love this episode for the character stuff with Riker and Shelby just as much as I do for all the Borg stuff. I like exciting sci-fi action plots with big stakes, and I like powerfully emotional character-driven stories. But my favourite types of episodes are those that combine both. Thatās one of the things I loved so much about Babylon 5.
I love how the dread slowly building through this episode. First of all, thereās the mystery. We think itās the Borg. Then the confirmation. Then our first encounter with them. Each step raises the tension and clarifies the stakes.
Picard doesnāt want to lose Riker. Heās a fine first officer. But as a friend, he wants what is best for Riker. Interestingly, this kind of reflected Michael Pillerās own journey. He was considering leaving the show. He wrote episode 1 without knowing what would happen in episode 2, or if he would even be there to write it. It was Gene Roddenberry who convinced him to stay.
Sometimes when a writer draws from their own life experiences like this, they can create something that rings especially true. I know Iāve found that with my own writing.
Riker and Shelby argue about whether to keep working on their defences or get some rest. Iām never quite sure whose side Iām on. Because theyāre both right. As Shelby says, the borg are coming. They HAVE to get a workable defence. At times like this, maybe sleep isnāt the highest priority. The clock is ticking and every second counts. But Riker is also right. They canāt function on no sleep. I know for me, if Iām stuck on a problem in my work as a programmer, pushing on into the night is completely pointless. But if I call it a night and try again in the morning, the answer often presents itself surprisingly quickly. Itās uncanny.
That actually happened to me last night. Iād been working on a problem all day, and I just couldnāt find a solution. This morning, I thought āhmm. Iāll just try thisā. And that lead me to the solution. It happens.
The music in this episode is great. A lot of the music in the early seasons of TNG sound very dated to me, but this episode is the first one that I remember having a truly epic musical score
Also, the show looks absolutely beautiful in high definition. I know all the episodes look good in their remastered form, but I was especially noticing it here. Not sure why.
Shelbyās second big mistake, of course, was going to Picard behind Rikerās back with her plan, bypassing the chain of command. I get her perspective. She has a plan she really believes in. Riker might be playing it too safe. She doesnāt want to plan dismissed because he thinks itās too risky. As she says, āIād like the captain to make that determination.ā But Riker clearly said he takes all alternatives to the captain. She didnāt need to go behind his back.
And then we get the scene where they have it out in the turbo lift. Itās awesome stuff.
In an era where writers were virtually banned from having conflict between the characters, this story really broke free and let loose. Sure, itās tame by todayās standards, but at the time, and under the rules the show was being run with, it was huge.
The episode slows down a little here, as the enterprise hides from the borg in the nebula. That isnāt a bad thing. It gives us space to really live in the tension and acknowledge just how much worse this situation is than anything our heroes have ever faced before.
Picard has a great conversation with Guinan. I love Guinan, and Iāve always enjoyed her relationship with Picard. I wonder if weāll see her return in Picard. Theyād probably have to use some de-ageing technology, since the character doesnāt age, like the human actor who portrays her.
So the borg kidnap Picard and then set a course for Earth. Could things possibly get any worse.
The interior of the Borg ship looks great. They took the design from Q Who, which was already good, but made the ship look bigger and creepier.
The struggle to adjust to being captain begin immediately for Riker, as he has to be corrected by Troi in front of the entire bridge when he insists on leading the away team himself.
And so Picard is assimilated. This is the very first assimilation weād ever seen. In fact, the first suggestion of the idea of assimilation.
How chilling that must have been for the characters. Being killed by your enemy is one thing, but for them to make you one of them? Thatās the fear that drives our current fascination with zombies.
And now we come to that epic incredible cliffhanger. Where Picard appears on the viewscreen as Locutus, speaking for the Borg. And Riker orders Worf to fire.
And this is where my experience differs from most. You see, I didnāt see this episode on TV. Around the time this episode was airing in Australia (which would have been a year after America) there was weird stuff going on with the TV stations in my state, Tasmania. Essentially, the TV station in the south of the state had the rights to show Star Trek, and the station in the north of the state, where I am, didnāt. So we actually missed a few seasons of the show. I actually saw Best of Both worlds on VHS. I was at our local video rental place. It was called Wills and was later bought by Blockbuster when they moved into Australia. I saw they had an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation. I was missing the show so gladly hired it. It was both episodes together, edited together into a movie. And I was blown away by the epic nature of it. This wasnāt just any Star Trek episode. This was so much more intense. So much more exciting.
So I never had that horrible wait they everyone describes as they waited to see if Picard would die. To find out if Earth would be enslaved by the Borg. I just watched it all back to back.
So, the plan doesnāt work. Picard knew about it, so now the borg know about it. Picardās assimilation actually gave the writers the perfect way to resolve the cliffhanger, which they hadnāt planned ahead of time.
Hanson essentially declares Picard dead. It seems callous and premature, but I understand his reasoning. They have to take out that borg ship. They canāt keep thinking of Locutus as Picard. Riker already understands this. He gave the command to fire, after all.
The shot of the tear falling from Picardās eye as they complete the assimilation process speaks volumes.
Even though he doesnāt appear in the episode, itās nice to hear mention of Barclayās name. I like little touches like that. Iāve never noticed it before.
Riker and Shelby managed to sort out a lot of the conflict between them.
And then the battle of Wolf 359 takes place off-screen. That makes sense, both for budgetary reasons, and also because this story follows our heroes on the enterprise. It might have been nice to see some of the battle, but this way, we got to see it in deep space nineās pilot ā Emissary. Part of me actually wants to see an extended cut of best of both worlds that incorporates some of the footage from Emissary. I wonder how seamlessly it could be edited in.
We get another Guinan conversation. This time she has some wisdom for Riker.
I notice that since Riker received his promotion to Captain by Admiral Hanson, heās the fourth pip on his collar. That symbolically shows that they really donāt expect to get Picard back.
They also donāt think thereās any way to get out of this situation alive.
His first job as captain is to save Earth from an unstoppable enemy. Pretty tough gig for his first day as captain.
The shot we get of the Enterprise flying through the wreckage of all the ships destroyed at Wolf 359 is powerful and is probably more effective than showing the battle would have been, anyway.
Riker manages to distract the Borg long enough to rescue Picard.
Amusingly, the borg arenāt really bothered by this. Locutus can continue to speak for them from the Enterprise as easily as he could from the cube.
This is more than just wanting to save their friend. There are tactical reasons to try to access the knowledge that Locutus has of the Borg.
Earth sends three fighters to intercept the cube, which dispatches them immediately. This is, to my knowledge, the only time we have ever seen Starfleet using fighters, until the Discovery season 2 finale.
Itās not clear to me how exactly Picard was able to reach out to Data, and itās never really explained. My best guess is that it was something to do with Dataās attempts to hack into the collective. Maybe he weakened some firewalls or something.
The idea of implant a command into the collective through Picard is pretty cool. And the choice of āsleepā as a command to tell all the drones to regenerate was very clever.
I wonder if Rikerās plan to destroy the cube by colliding the enterprise with it would have worked. Given the destructive nature of a warp core breach, I suspect so. As Scotty said in The Motion Picture, when that much matter and anti-matter comes together, oh yes, we will indeed.
What a relief we all felt, what triumph, as explosions began to break out along the hull of the borg cube.
In typical TNG fashion, things go back to normal at the end. Shelby is off to rebuild the fleet. Picard has his job back, and Riker is likely to remain on the enterprise.
But if it hadnāt happened this way. After watching this episode, I went outside and started to make-believe another option. I imagined an entire season with Riker in command as captain of the enterprise, only to finally bring back Picard at the end of that season. I guess even as a kid, I like the idea of actually making bold changes on a tv show, rather than always putting the reset button.
Exceptā¦.not everything is back to normal for Picard. As we linger on his face at the end of the episode, it is clear that he has been changed. His life has been impacted in a very significant way. He will never be the same again. And credit to the writers, in an age where continuity was rare, they continued to run with that.
I expect that his assimilation by the borg will continue to haunt Picard as he embarks on his new adventure next year.
Best of Both Worlds showed us Star Trek The Next Generation on a scale weād never seen before. It was epic, exciting and deeply emotional. Thereās a reason many people consider this one of the best.
Itās been fun revisiting this with you. Thanks for geeking out with me.
If you like Star Trek, youāll probably like my Jewel of The Stars series of books. Itās about a cruise ship in space full of eager tourists. When Earth is invaded and falls to an alien armada, they canāt return home, so they flee into unexplored space. They might be the last free remnant of humans in the galaxy.
If youād like to sample the series, you can find episode one on Wattpad. Iām adding one new chapter each week. Or, you can read the whole book for just 99 cents. Find it at all the major ebook retailers by going to books2read.com/jewel.
Next week, weāll look at the episode that directly follows best of both worlds. Iāll see you then for Family.