TOS - Obsession

This Episode is aptly named. It is about the nature of obsession. Obsession is a perilous state of mind, but it can also pay off. More specifically, this episode is about Kirk’s obsession. Kirk makes a legitimate point, that if the creature he is pursuing came to an inhabited planet then the entire population could be wiped out. But this is not why he is so doggedly pursuing it. His motives are personal; his obsession is motivated by grief and remorse. Because of this obsession, a good number of his crew die, and Kirk almost loses his command, but in the end Kirk proves victorious. Other than the comment this episode makes about the nature of obsession, it is not one of the better episodes of Star Trek’s Second season. There is a great deal of overacting and cheesy special effects in this episode even more than usual for The Original Series. Obsession seems to takes the cake for the number of “Red shirts” killed off in one episode. Making it seem even cheesier! While Obsession does have a good story line that makes an interesting point about the nature of that emotion, the special effects and acting in this episode are so bad that they significantly detract form one’s enjoyment of the episode. Because of this, Obsession was definitely not one of the better episodes of the original series

TNG - The Royal

The Royal is a variation of the “malfunctioning holodeck” plot line that is very common to Star Trek. Not that this is a bad thing. This type of story line, in which Star Trek characters from one series or another are trapped in some kind of “fantasy world” such as the Royal and have to find their way out, usually makes for a very good episode. The Royal is no exception. The bad novel that the Commander Riker, Worf, and Data find themselves trapped in, gives this episode an almost comical quality. The melodramatic actions and dialogue of the novel’s characters are so bad it’s funny. This episode has very few negative aspects. Worf’s characteristically frank, surly attitude and Data playing cards are two entertaining aspects of this episode. The away team’s solution to being trapped in the casino; playing out the novel to its conclusion, is enjoyable to watch. The Royal is one of the better episodes of the second season of the next Generation because, of the entertaining nature of the actions of most all of the characters in this episode.

DS9 - Bada-Bing, Bada-Bang

This episode is one of the best all around episodes of Star Trek ever made. It had comedy, conflict, drama, suspense, and anything else anyone would want in an episode. Even the score of this episode is amazing. Oddly enough this episode has nothing to do with space, but that of course does not mean that it is not a good episode. If fact because it has nothing to do with the world outside of “Vic Fontane” it is refreshing change from the diet of serious, Dominion War-related stories that are so common to the 7th season of DS9. But is not comical to the point of stupidity, such as are many of the comic relief episodes in the later seasons of DS9 or the rather common subplots within serious episodes throughout the series. While this episode does have its comical moments, it also has a plot line that not only isn’t ridiculous but is somewhat serious and incredibly entertaining. Bada-bing, Bada-bang effectively blends comedy and conflict into one amazing plotline; the funny moments are hysterical and the rest of the episode is serious in a light-hearted sort of way, enjoyable not only because of an involving plot line that is novel to Star Trek, but because it is done so well! The scene where the crew of Deep Space Nine walks down the promenade, and those prior to it, together comprise one of my favorite sequences in all of Star Trek. The musical score of this episode, some of it period music, is another highlight of this episode. It fits every aspect if this episode perfectly! The rendition of “The Best is Yet to Come” at the end of the episode is very enjoyable although Avery Brooks’ singing talent is modest at best. In short, what made this episode great was that it was original, creative, and had a bit of everything, done to a point of perfection; every this about this episode was great! Deep Space Nine’s Bada-Bing, Bada-Bang is definitely a classic episode of Star Trek.

Does The Federation Have Currency?

In Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Picard implies that there is absolutely no form of currency in the world of Star Trek, and humans literally work for nothing, except to provide for their fellow man. He also implies that all greed and selfishness as been bred out of humanity. I find this, frankly to be absolute bullshit! There is no way that the human race could have changed its basic nature so drastically in such a relatively short time; greed and selfishness will always be a part of the humanity. Therefore, an economic system complety devoid of currency is not possible for humanity. History shows us that an economic system, similar to that which Captain Picard describes, was Communism. It did not work because of human nature, and it quickly became corrupt and collapsed. Fortunately, other episodes of Star Trek offer alternate explanations for the economics of Star Trek. Many episodes of Star Trek have mentioned the Federation Credit. It is possible that the Credit could be some form of electronic currency, meaning that there is indeed no form of bona fide “paper money” in the federation but there is a form of currency that is handled totally electronically. Generic references to currency in other episodes appear to corroborate this theory. This would also fit in with the fact that many non-federation people believe that the federation has no currency, because the federation credits are only theoretical numbers in computers and not equated with any form of valuable commodity. The credits only have relative value to citizens of the federation. However, it has also been mentioned in episodes, such as DS9’s In The Cards that humanity abandoned a currency-based economic system; in favor of a philosophy of self enlightment. This may be true in so far as most humans no longer let a quest for wealth consume them, as the Ferengi in Star Trek do. Because of human nature, having no form of currency in Star Trek is absurd. It is therefore logical to conclude that there is a form of theoretical, electronic currency, the Federation Credit, driving the economics of the Federation.

TNG - The Measure of a Man

This episode obviously deals with the nature of Data, making the point that the fact that Data is a sentient machine, rather than just a regular machine, gives him more rights than any normal machine may have. By way of making this point, The Measure of a Man also deals with the more fundamental question, “What is a soul?” It makes the point that what truly what makes any human being superior to the computer on which I am currently typing this article is the fact that human beings have a soul and are self-aware and computers do not. The main plot of this episode is riveting because of the subject matter. Through the hearing regarding Data, we learn what makes man, different from a toaster. The subplot of this episode, regarding the past relationship between Picard and the head of the judge advocate general’s office is extraneous, it does nothing whatsoever to further the plot line; it just wastes time and seems out of place in the episode. Despite the existence of the episode’s subplot, the content of the main story line of Measure of a Man makes it a very memorable episode.

VOY - Flashback

This is apparently Voyager’s version of Deep Space Nine’s Trials and Tribble-ations. In this episode we get to see another angle on the events of Star Trek the Undiscovered Country; from the point of view of the Excelsior. The added perspective Flashback provides on the movie makes this episode thoroughly enjoyable. In fact, the plot of Tuvok’s repressed memory is completely overshadowed by that of the Excelsior’s journey to Kitomer. Another aspect of this episode that is worth mention is the interesting and very accurate observation that Captain Janeway makes about the Starfleet Officers of the 23rd century. Specifically, that Kirk and the others would be booted out of the 24th century Starfleet. The recreations of TOS movie era sets are quite accurate as are the recreations of sets that actually were in The Undiscovered Country. Flashback is Voyager’s homage to the Trek series that started it all, and was a fitting and enjoyable tribute to the original series.

Did V'Ger Come From The Borg

“V’Ger will comply”; doesn’t this sound familiar? It certainly reminds me of the Borg Collective. The language patterns of the Ilea probe in TMP (The Motion Picture) are not the only thing that points to Borg involvement in the transformation of Voyager VI in to V’Ger. It is stated in the movie that Voyager VI was lost in “black hole “or wormhole type phenomena, and probably emerged of the other side of the galaxy, presumably the Gamma or Delta quadrants, where the Collective is located, where it fell into orbit around a “machine planet”, which is actually an apt description of what the Borg Home World would look like, since the Borg are a very mechanized. The inhabitants of this planet interpreted its programming literally, just as the Borg would, and built a ship for that actually allowed it to fulfill its mission. It is also suggested in TMP that the “Machine Beings found Voyager VI to be primitive, but kindred. This is not at all surprising considering that one of the main directives of the collective, amassing as much knowledge as possible, is the same as the directive of Voyager VI. The two differ only in methodology. Voyager VI, amassed knowledge by recording data, and the Borg did so by assimilating other races. In fact once Voyager was transformed into V’Ger, it essentially “assimilated” everything it came into contact with into its memory banks and holographic arrays, only instead of assimilation it was termed as “data patterning” The advanced technology of the ship itself also points to Borg involvement as they are the only “Machine People” who were technologically advanced enough to construct such a ship. Some may argue that if Voyager VI had come into contact with the Borg, then they would have tried to assimilate Earth as soon as they learned about humanity’s existence from the probe. However this is not necessarily the case. In the TNG episode Descent, Lore mentions that the Borg’s ultimate goal is total mechanization, they, apparently, see it as a state of total perfection; a god of sorts. Furthermore in TMP it is mentioned that V’Ger thinks of its creator as a machine. It is possible that the Borg might have originally planted the idea of mechanical divinity in its memory banks. Because of the Borg’s believing that total mechanization is a state of complete perfection it is very possible that the Borg would have considered the machines they believed crated Voyager VI kindred, primitive, but equal, instead of a biological source of drones. Most all of the aspects of the V’Ger probe are similar to the Borg in some way. In fact many are practly identical. Therefore, because of these similarities it can be concluded that V'ger probably came into existence due to the Borg Collective.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

This was of course the first Star Trek movie and is actually one of the better Star Trek movies. The question of “why?” can be answered in one word: awe; the sheer scale of this picture, the V’Ger cloud, the special effects, the scope of the narrative, and even the musical score, all are on such a large scale that they covey a sense of overwhelming awe, and that is what makes this movie amazing. While this movie does admittedly have some flaws, such as its length, and colorless set design, other than these two things this movie is practly flawless. The overacting usually common to all original series productions was nonexistent in this movie. The main plot of TMP is slightly reminiscent of the original series episode The Changeling, while larger than life stakes inherent to this type of plot line make the move enjoyable, as it did with its original series predecessor. The fact that V’Ger has an actual intellectual motive of great scope and the subplot of Spock’s “quest for answers” are what truly “make” The Motion Picture’s storyline. As previously stated the large amazing special effects both of the V’Ger cloud and of the Enterprise and the musical score do an excellent job of enhancing this story line. Everything about Star Trek: the Motion Picture was done on an incredibly large scale, giving a bone chilling, and awe inspiring power. It is this power that makes TMP a truly amazing experience.

DS9 - The Siege of AR-558

The Siege of AR-558 is probably the most powerful episode in all of Trek. It is simply a very tragic episode about the situation on the front lines of the dominion war. Very eloquently, it makes the point that casualties of war are more than just numbers or names, but actual people. The tragic storyline of this episode is enhanced by the musical score, which seems to embody the emotional essence of the plotline. The technical aspects of this episode are well done, the lighting and even the camera angles serve to enhance one’s enjoyment of this episode greatly. While every aspect of this episode is outstanding what makes this episode truly great is the exceptional, deep story line and profound dialogue, it makes the Siege of AR-558 and example of Trek at its best!

ENT - Carbon Creek

Carbon Creek is both a thourly entertaining episode and makes significant contributions to the Star Trek cannon. It has its share of humorous moments, as there always is when Vulcans try to make sense of human behavior, but also a great deal of effective serious senses. Perhaps the best part of the episode is the ending. The writers lead us to believe that the entire episode was a “fish story” until T’mir’s handbag is reviled in the final scene, this device is very effective. Yet more comments about the potential of humanity are made in this episode. Also notable is the fact that Reed, Mayweather, phlox and Hoshi do not appear at all on this episode. Carbon creek was one of the more memorable episodes of the second season of Enterprise mostly because of its unique storyline.

The Most Annoying Character in Trek

Kes is annoying, useless and naive, a whining, complaining gardener who contributes abously no vital services to Voyager. In short, she is all of the bad aspects of any and all other Star Trek characters, rolled into one. On Voyager, Kes does two things: tend the hydroponics bay, and hand the Doctor hyposprays. After Kes left Voyager, the hydroponics bay seemed to get along just fine, and sick bay did not suffer much from her loss. Kes’ wide eyed wonder at practaly every thing is another aspect of her character that drives me up the wall, besides the fact that the blatant naiveté she displays is annoying. It also contributes to the fact that her character is the biggest smart ass in all of Star Trek. This is because when Kes is not participating in one of her many useless activities, she usually enjoys giving advice to people (usually the doctor) when she is the person that should be receiving, not giving advice. Kes contributes practically no vital service to Voyager, and while she is the least experienced of anyone on the ship, she constantly gives advice about life, a subject about which she knows nothing, to members of the crew. It is this aspect of Kes; the sheer level of naiveté she displays in every episode she appears in, that makes her the most annoying character in Star Trek.

Annoying Characters in Voyager

Captain Janeway is another example of an arrogant smart ass in Star Trek. Although this particular trait was diminished toward the end of the series, in the first three or four seasons of Voyager her arrogance is evident. She seemed almost pompous, and even self righteous in a way. Commander Chacotay is another incredibly, boring one-dimensional character. Although there were many episodes of Voyager in which he played a large role, his character is used mostly as a conduit that is used in order to tell a story, usually about the ship in general. Tom Paris – an uncultured, undisciplined, obsessive, egotistical idiot. You’d think that after seven years on Voyager he would have some manners, but, no, he continued to act mostly like his ill-mannered, uncultured self thought the seven-year run of the series, I simply find his overall cavalier attitude toward life annoying. Although these aspects of his character were supposed to make him interesting, they ceased to do so after about the fifth episode. Harry Kim: he went from being an inexperienced, insecure young officer, to just being a boring character. For some reason every episode in which Kim did something besides sit at the ops console ended up being incredibly stupid.

Annoying characters in DS9

Jake Sisko – what was the point of even having this character on the show, he rarely did anything useful. His presence on the show was completely superfluous. His character did not fit in the basic “structure “of the show, and it shows through in the episodes he plays more than a minor role in. Ezri Dax - in the earlier episodes of the seventh season it is not surprising that most of the other main characters have the same reaction to her: “you’re a therapist?” Ezri literally did not know who she was. It seemed as if the entire point of her character was to whine at length about this problem. I was glad she was only on the show for one season.

Annoying characters in TNG

Deanna Troi, was basically useless. Usually all she did was sit on the bridge and offer completely annoying useless comments, such as “Captain, I’m sensing hostility!” right after phaser blasts rock the ship. Other than this she never did much; in fact her mother was more useful on that ship than she was! Wesley Crusher – did practly nothing besides fly the ship and make smart ass, know-it-all, comments, complaints and assertions on just about everything. On the rare occasions he did something else, he always ended up getting the ship into trouble. Doctor Crusher: I never could stand her. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but I always thought she was incredibly annoying. Maybe it was the whole motherly aspect of her, or how this character interacted with the rest of the crew; she did whine a lot. I don’t know why but I never could stand her.

Kill Enterprise

Although this organization’s goal was accomplished approximately 10 months ago, I still believe that it is worthwhile to mention how despicable I find the very concept of their organization. When normal people don’t like a television show they pick up their remote and change the channel, but to the people behind Kill Enterprise merely changing the channel on their TV did not seem to be enough; they had to actively try and get new episodes of Enterprise removed from all television sets, internationally! I find this incredibly selfish, narrow minded and impulsive. In my opinion, it’s absolute bullshit to get the show taken off the air because “Enterprise is not worthy of the title ‘Star Trek.’” I detest the revolting people who campaigned to get Enterprise taken off the air because they personally didn’t like it. If one of you people ever gets the urge to do something like this again, be normal and just change the damn channel!

ENT - Two Days and Two Nights

This is the most pointless episode of enterprise’s first and second seasons. It is merely about the crew of Enterprise going on shore leave to Risa and getting into various kinds of minor mischief. There is no conflict in this episode, the entire storyline about Trip and Reed is really annoying, and incredibly stupid. Thoughout the entire episode Archer chats with a crazy Tandaran woman who knocks him out at the end of the episode. Almost putting the viewer to sleep at the same time, the only thing in the episode that does not threaten to bore one to death is the antics of Phlox, in a drugged state as he attempts to treat Mayweather. The rest of the episode is simply pointless and boring.

Trek United

Since Star Trek Enterprise was cancelled, the Star Trek activist group Trek United has attempted to get a fifth season of Enterprise put on the air. Shortly after Enterprise was cancelled this seemed to be a feasible goal. However, it has been almost a year since Paramount announced the cancellation of Enterprise and Trek United is still trying to get new episodes of Enterprise produced. While I would very much like to see this goal realized, it is honestly an exercise in futility. However, saying so on Trek United’s web site would almost be heresy. Most of the actors and people who produced the show have been released from contracts, and all of the sets have been torn down. It would cost as much or more money to get Enterprise “up and running” as it would to put a completely new, and possibly better, Star Trek series on the air. Sadly, Trek United does not seem to realize this. They continue to pursue an outdated, outmoded agenda, and which will frankly only succeed in wasting their time. Instead of narrow-mindedly continuing to attempt to get only Enterprise back on the air, they should change their mission directive to include Star Trek as a whole. In other words, they should attempt to get Enterprise or a new Star Trek series on the air. This would have a much better chance of succeeding because it would appeal to a larger portion of the fan base, creating greater pressure on Paramount to create a new series. Trek United is well intentioned however they have failed to realize that Enterprise had been decommissioned, and that in order to have any chance of success they must change with the circumstances.

TOS - I Mudd

I Mudd is one of the more underappreciated episodes of Star Trek, it has to be the most hilarious episodes of Star Trek ever made. There is a lot of over acting in these episodes, but instead of detracting form the story, it enhances it. Banter between Kirk and Harry Mudd is as funny as it is, due to the fact that both actors were overacting their parts. In the mist of all the comedy going on in this episode, an interesting perspective on human nature is given, that “our logic is to be illogical.” Although this at first seems to be nonsensical, it actually proves an interesting point about humanity, that much of human behavior is very illogical but, is accepted with out question by the human race. Kirk this aspect of humanity to successfully overload the androids brains with paradoxes. Because of the torrential flood of human illogic, effective sarcasm, and unmitigated irony, used as a satire on human nature. This episode emerged as what is probly the best ‘comedy episode’ of ‘trek’ in the history of the franchise.

What Went Wrong With Enterprise, Part IV

Four Star Trek series were made before enterprise; each of these had its own fan base within the Star Trek fan base in general. By the time Enterprise was on the air, the other four Star Trek series were also on the air in syndication, thus Star Trek was literally competing with itself. When Enterprise first came on the air, its flaws were evident.
It failed to capture the Trekkies and they quickly left Enterprise to view their favorite trek series on one of many cable channels. The fans partial to Enterprise were the only ones left regularly watching it. While Enterprise did improve dramatically over its four year run, by the time it found its stride in the fourth season, the number of television viewers left watching Enterprise was simply inadequate to keep it on the air. It took 3 years, but Enterprise did overcome most of its problems, I am, of course, very unhappy that the show was cancelled, I believe that, if enterprise was given another season it could have regained its fan base, and had a normal run.

TNG - Skin of Evil

Skin of Evil was one of the best episodes of TNG’s first season. The episode made interesting comments on the nature of evil and the human sprit. This episode also marked the first time that a regular on a Star Trek series would be killed off permanently. Yar's death in this episode allowed Worf to become chief tactical officer, allowing Worf’s character to develop rapidly thought the rest of the series. Yar’s death also paved the way for Denise Crosby to return to Star Trek, as a more interesting character(s), in some of TNG’s best episodes, like Yesterday’s Enterprise, and Redemption.

What Went Wrong With Enterprise, Part III

Star Trek’s writing staff must have started to run out of ideas when writing for Enterprise. Many of the plot lines are weak, boring, or recycled. Through the first and second season many of the episodes seemed boring because they all followed the same pattern; the crew of Enterprise makes first contact with an alien race, and then gets into trouble, and then tries to talk their way out of it, before resorting to more drastic measures. In the third season the story lines became more interesting and diverse, but were sadly lacking in allegorical themes. The only theme in any episodes during the third season was “kicking xindi ass.” Also during the middle of the third season the episodes became quite boring. Some plots were blatantly recycled such as Doctors Orders, which was a bad remake of Star Trek Voyager’s One. Season four of enterprise showed improvement. The episodes during that season were much more interesting. During that season Enterprise finally found its stride, just in time to be canceled.