Seska?
Just fixed that! Thanks.
Took over the Kazon-Nistrim, united them with the rest of the Kazon, stole replication technology, and built a mighty Kazon Empire. Seska was venerated as the mother of the Kazon equivalent of Surak or Kahless.
"Flashback"
In 1992, shortly after TUC was released in theaters, there were fans who wanted to see the further adventures of Captain Sulu. I wasn't one of the people who was excited about the possibility, that's too strong of a word, but I was curious about what it would be like. Four years later, I got a little taste of it. I thought "Flashback" was okay, except this wasn't exactly what I was a looking for.
Tuvok on the Excelsior was fine. Getting to see Rand do more in this episode than in all the TOS Movies she appeared in combined was great. But as much as I appreciated some added touches to TUC, like Tuvok being the one who brought Sulu the tea, I would've preferred a new story with Sulu and the Excelsior. That's what I was looking forward to the most with this episode back in 1996, and we didn't get it.
Even though it's not the story I wanted, I still loved seeing the Excelsior and its crew. But this episode took forever to get to the Excelsior. 15 minutes! That's a third of the episode. I understand that they had to set up the technobabble explanation to get Tuvok and Janeway there, mentally there anyway, but I think they could've done it in half the time. Both in 1996 and now, I was thinking, "I don't give a shit about this! Let's get to the Excelsior! That's what we're here for!" You don't have "Guest-Starring George Takei as Captain Sulu" and then take 15 minutes to show him. Come on!
But once Tuvok and Janeway are on the Excelsior in Tuvok's mind, they throw us right into it with what's going on with the Excelsior. Rand gets to shine as First Officer. Sulu is all pro-Kirk and "let the regulations be damned!" Definitely fits the TOS Movie Era. I think Tuvok belonged in Starfleet, it's just that the 23rd Century Starfleet was the wrong Starfleet for him.
A lot of people take issue with the way Janeway and Kim talking about how it was a different time during TUC, how much less advanced the 23rd Century was, and how Kirk and company would've been booted out of TNG Era Starfleet. I don't take issue with it, because it's no different than people today comparing things to 80 years ago. People do it, it happens.
One thing I do take issue with is with what's going on when Tuvok's in his bunk. For one thing: why are they sleeping in their uniforms? For another: I understand that Tuvok's an Ensign so he doesn't get his own quarters. We saw that for the junior officers even in TUC. But Valtane's a Commander. Why would he be bunking with Tuvok? I think it would've made sense to just introduce a new character for Tuvok to interact with instead of Valtane. And then they would've been free to kill off this new character without it contradicting anything in the movie. I mention this because Valtane is seen at the end of TUC still alive.
Some Highlights:
That's all I have to say that's coming to mind. It took too long to get going. Still nice to see the Excelsior. I don't have an issue with the main thing other people have an issue with. But, after this, my curiosity about how what a Sulu Series might be like was satisfied. I didn't feel a burning urge to see any more. I don't like to do half-ratings unless there's no way around it but, overall, I give it a 6.5.
The extra .5 is for all the TOS Movie stuff. I'm going to blame any discrepancies between TUC and "Flashback" on Tuvok's faulty memory.
COMING SOON: As promised as an added bonus, my review of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
In 1992, shortly after TUC was released in theaters, there were fans who wanted to see the further adventures of Captain Sulu. I wasn't one of the people who was excited about the possibility, that's too strong of a word, but I was curious about what it would be like. Four years later, I got a little taste of it. I thought "Flashback" was okay, except this wasn't exactly what I was a looking for.
Tuvok on the Excelsior was fine. Getting to see Rand do more in this episode than in all the TOS Movies she appeared in combined was great. But as much as I appreciated some added touches to TUC, like Tuvok being the one who brought Sulu the tea, I would've preferred a new story with Sulu and the Excelsior. That's what I was looking forward to the most with this episode back in 1996, and we didn't get it.
Even though it's not the story I wanted, I still loved seeing the Excelsior and its crew. But this episode took forever to get to the Excelsior. 15 minutes! That's a third of the episode. I understand that they had to set up the technobabble explanation to get Tuvok and Janeway there, mentally there anyway, but I think they could've done it in half the time. Both in 1996 and now, I was thinking, "I don't give a shit about this! Let's get to the Excelsior! That's what we're here for!" You don't have "Guest-Starring George Takei as Captain Sulu" and then take 15 minutes to show him. Come on!
But once Tuvok and Janeway are on the Excelsior in Tuvok's mind, they throw us right into it with what's going on with the Excelsior. Rand gets to shine as First Officer. Sulu is all pro-Kirk and "let the regulations be damned!" Definitely fits the TOS Movie Era. I think Tuvok belonged in Starfleet, it's just that the 23rd Century Starfleet was the wrong Starfleet for him.
A lot of people take issue with the way Janeway and Kim talking about how it was a different time during TUC, how much less advanced the 23rd Century was, and how Kirk and company would've been booted out of TNG Era Starfleet. I don't take issue with it, because it's no different than people today comparing things to 80 years ago. People do it, it happens.
One thing I do take issue with is with what's going on when Tuvok's in his bunk. For one thing: why are they sleeping in their uniforms? For another: I understand that Tuvok's an Ensign so he doesn't get his own quarters. We saw that for the junior officers even in TUC. But Valtane's a Commander. Why would he be bunking with Tuvok? I think it would've made sense to just introduce a new character for Tuvok to interact with instead of Valtane. And then they would've been free to kill off this new character without it contradicting anything in the movie. I mention this because Valtane is seen at the end of TUC still alive.
Some Highlights:
- I got a kick out of seeing Janeway in a Monster Maroon.
- Tuvok standing up to Sulu as he violates orders. It shows that Tuvok is by-the-book no matter what everyone else thinks. Definitely consistent with his character.
- Having Kang show up was a little much, but it was the 30th Anniversary, so why not?
That's all I have to say that's coming to mind. It took too long to get going. Still nice to see the Excelsior. I don't have an issue with the main thing other people have an issue with. But, after this, my curiosity about how what a Sulu Series might be like was satisfied. I didn't feel a burning urge to see any more. I don't like to do half-ratings unless there's no way around it but, overall, I give it a 6.5.
The extra .5 is for all the TOS Movie stuff. I'm going to blame any discrepancies between TUC and "Flashback" on Tuvok's faulty memory.
COMING SOON: As promised as an added bonus, my review of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
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cousin to The Executioner
Life's thrown me a loop, but Star Trek VI is coming on Wednesday. After that, the next two Voyager episodes I'm doing are "False Profits" (not looking forward to this one) and "Sacred Ground". I want to get the rest of the Season 2 episodes that were held over for Season 3 out of the way.
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Eeeeeessh... "FALSE PROFITS". VOY had a number of episodes that would qualify as worst of the series, and this one not only qualifies as such for VOY, but among the worst in the franchise.
If you want to find episodes that are among the worst in the franchise, Voyager season 3 is a good place to look. In fact there are two other stories I'd rank lower than False Profits, and for me Sacred Ground also comes close.
The only advantage I have now over back in the '90s is that at least now I know what's coming and can brace myself for it. In the '90s, I never knew when a bad episode was coming or what type of bad it would be. And they'd always come right when I was feeling really good about the show. That's the Voyager Experience right there.
Once I knew which episodes to skip, it made it way easier for me to watch VOY later on. But I'm not doing that this time. So, it's kind of like how it was for me in the '90s, but not.
"False Profits", "Darkling", and "Rise" are my least favorites of the aired third season. I think "Favorite Son" is bad too, but it's a "Spock's Brain" type of bad, so fun to watch despite of how stupid it is.
I remember thinking of "Sacred Ground" as being only mediocre.
Once I knew which episodes to skip, it made it way easier for me to watch VOY later on. But I'm not doing that this time. So, it's kind of like how it was for me in the '90s, but not.
"False Profits", "Darkling", and "Rise" are my least favorites of the aired third season. I think "Favorite Son" is bad too, but it's a "Spock's Brain" type of bad, so fun to watch despite of how stupid it is.
I remember thinking of "Sacred Ground" as being only mediocre.
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I think what bugs me the most about "False Profits", the idiocy of Our Heroes at the end of the episode notwithstanding, is that revisiting the Ferengi from "The Price", while potentially a Ferengi Episode(tm), could have had some merit to it. DS9 clearly established that it's possible to do good Ferengi stories. But "False Profits" is just...not it, at all.
"FALSE PROFITS" and "INSIDE MAN", the only two Ferengi episodes of VOY, were atrocious. A vast majority of the TNG Ferengi ones were not good, either.
If anything, it proves that DS9 seemed to be the only series capable of doing justice to the Ferengi.
Latinum in a bottle. 
I was going to bring up "The Battle" as a counter-example, but the problem is I like it despite the Ferengi, not because of them. I was also going to bring up "Suspicions", but it had an extremely atypical Ferengi, so it doesn't actually count.
Which means your point stands!
"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991)
The music right from the first frame seems so ominous. Cliff Eidelman is an incredible composter. It's criminal that he was never brought back. It gives a sense of the real gravity of this outing, rather than having the usual type of Star Trek score. It adds to Star Trek VI really feeling like An Event.
Then the film literally begins with a bang. The explosion of Praxis. It's one of those things where you have to be caught up in the moment. If Praxis was in orbit of Qo'noS, then the explosion of Praxis should've wiped out all life on Qo'noS instantly. End of movie. But ignoring that, ILM's special effects were first rate. Thinking about what the explosion would really do is only something I normally think of after the fact. The shaking of Sulu's cup of tea and then shattering was a nice touch as the energy wave from the explosion of Praxis approaches the Excelsior. I take the shattering of the cup to symbolic of the shattering of the times as the Federation and Klingons knew them.
Shout out to Hiro Narita as the Cinematographer. All of his shots look great. Interior, exterior, on-location, it doesn't matter. He's another person I wish they could've brought back later. If Nick Meyer wanted a dramatic or intense shot, Hiro Narita always delivered.
Having Nick Meyer back as Director was a treat. In several scenes, his directing made it feel like like I was on a ride, like with the Excelsior being caught up in an energy wave at the beginning of the movie with all the chaos it ensued, or the final showdown between the Enterprise and the Bird-of-Prey at the end. Throw in some sequences in the middle as well: 1) from Qo'noS One losing gravity to the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon, 2) Kirk and McCoy were trying to escape Rura Penthe with Martia, including the prison break, their journey on the harsh frozen planet's surface, and the fight between Kirk and Martia-as-Kirk and 3) The search on the Enterprise for the gravity boots the assassins wore. All of those scenes are extremely visceral and never get old, no matter how many times I watch them.
Other times, his directing looked like it was trying to set the mood and frame up the drama. There are two specific examples that come to mind. First, the dining scene with Klngons onboard, where Gorkon and Spock want it to go one way, as both want a better future, and then Chang wants it to go another way as he constantly tries to needle Kirk to get him to say the wrong thing. Chang vs. Kirk at the dinner table reminds me of Khan vs. Kirk at the dinner table in "Space Seed" where Khan says social gatherings are nothing more than warfare concealed. In this movie, Chang says all warriors are cold warriors. The second scene, which is as much about mood and atmosphere as it is about the drama is Chang prosecuting Kirk in the Klingon Courtroom Scene. The darkness, the set design, Chang's intensity, catching Kirk in the least flattering ways possible, and the sense of doom as the ominous Judge partially hidden in dark shadows pronounces Kirk and McCoy's sentence to Rura Penthe for the rest of their natural lives. When the Klingons keep chanting, "Kirk! Kirk! Kirk! Kirk!" that says it all. They don't want justice. They want blood. They've wanted it since Star Trek IV and now was their chance. To quote one of the Starfleet Admirals, "It's a damned show trial." Once again, these scenes never get old.
Kirk's story arc, and the less than flattering way he's presented, is the emotional core of the film. He's bitter and hardened after the death of his son in Star Trek III. It went from the Klingons just being adversaries to something a lot more personal. You don't really see it too much in IV and V, but you REALLY see it here. I view it as Kirk's grief comes and goes in waves. There are high tides and there are low tides. Star Trek VI was a high tide. He'll go through with the diplomatic mission, but he hates it. Some will say, "Kirk wouldn't have been like this in TOS!" And they're right. He wouldn't have been. But his son hadn't been killed yet. And he hadn't had 25 more years of experiences with the Klingons added yet either. This Kirk isn't in the same place mentally as he was in during TOS. At all. Unlike in the series, where the episodic nature of '60s TV demanded he stay the same from week-to-week, in the movies he was allowed to change. So, I take no issue with Kirk feeling so bitter and having to learn how to come to grips with changing times. Unlike a lot of other people, I think Kirk's arc where he has to overcome his prejudice against Klingons comes from a natural starting ground.
It took Chancellor Gorkon's death for Kirk to realize how prejudice he was. As he was dying, and the chances of peace looked their bleakest, Gorkon last words to Kirk were, "Don't let it end this way, Captain." Gorkon's appearance resembled Abraham Lincoln's and he had the same role of Gorbachev, who was the President of the USSR at the time this movie was released. David Warner brings a real nobility to Gorkon. When the dinner between the Enterprise crew and the Klingons doesn't go as well as hoped for, Gorkon says, "I see we still have a long way to go," and afterwards tells Kirk, "If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it." Both of these lines hint towards the more peaceful relations between the Federation and Klingons seen in TNG. Even after Gorkon is assassinated and Azetbur is elevated to Chancellor in his place, she still wants peace, even if she wants Kirk to pay for her father's death.
Spock also goes through some changes. On multiple fronts. He's continuing on the journey that started in the first Star Trek movie where he began The Motion Picture by seeing logic as the end-all/be-all and then ended it by realizing there could be more. In this movie, he tells Valeris that logic is the beginning of wisdom instead of the end. He's also leaving the Enterprise, and I assume pursuing a path that leads to him becoming an Ambassador by TNG. This is something else that fits his character arc. In TOS, he said that he didn't want to be Captain. He also always had difficulty in the role or faced resistance whenever something happened to Kirk. That left Spock stuck in First Officer mode, making Starfleet a dead end with nowhere up to go after the Enterprise. So, choosing a different career path makes sense for him and reaching out to Gorkon was a good place to start for that.
Sulu's role as Captain of the Excelsior was nothing but new material for him. Being in command, charging to the rescue as the cavalry, and being willing to assist the Enterprise crew however he can. McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov are their usual selves, so not much to say there. They also all get their scenes to shine in the film.
I know that Valeris was originally supposed to be Saavik, but I appreciate that she was a new character rather than Nick Meyer casting a Third Saavik. While it's true that it makes her the most likely suspect to the audience when trying to figure out who the conspirator on the Enterprise is, it adds to another scene in a way that I've never seen mentioned before. Spock says that he was prejudiced by Valeris' accomplishments as a Vulcan, meaning that he just assumed she'd be great, all well and good... but I also think, on a more personal level, that Spock thought Valeris would be just like Saavik. And she wasn't. Spock is truly hurt when he realizes this. You see that he's enraged at Valeris and smacks the phaser out of her hand when they find out she's the conspirator. And you see it before, during, and after when he mind-melds with Valeris while trying to find out more information. Spock goes too far with the mind-meld, I think, because of how disturbed he was at her.
The idea that members of the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans would conspire to remain enemies was something that confused me when I was a kid. They were already working together, so how could they be against peace? But as an adult, I understand that it's because they're benefitting off the war machine. Just like in Real Life. I was told that in all of the United States' history, it's only been at peace for 17 of its 250 years. That means war is big business. War is responsible for people's careers. They don't want a world without war. Which makes them enemies to the very concept of Star Trek, making them fitting adversaries, on a meta level, for the last Star Trek movie with the original cast.
That brings us to Chang: the true face of the conspiracy to assassinate Chancellor Gorkon, attempt to assassinate the Federation President, and prevent peace in the Alpha Quadrant. I didn't know until later that William Shatner worked with Christopher Plummer in Shakespearian Theater. They had to be thrilled to be working together in this movie. Christopher Plummer brings a real flare and sophistication to his role, and it makes him one of the most memorable Star Trek Villains. Some people might say Chang's constantly quoting Shakespear is a little bit too much, but I'm not one of those people. For most of the film, he has the upper hand on Kirk, and it makes him a formidable opponent. The entire fight between the Enterprise and Chang's Bird-of-Prey was intense. The most intense moment was when that Klingon torpedo literally pierced right through the hull of the Enterprise's saucer and the music that went along with it. It gets my heart pounding every time. I don't care how elaborate they make CGI battles now, nothing will ever beat that. Then, as the music tenses up, and Spock and McCoy have their torpedo ready, Kirk says "Fire!" and it has me completely captivated as the torpedo says "To be or not to be!" and his ship is finally destroyed with an explosion shot so nice, they use it in Generations too!
It feels appropriately frantic after that as the Enterprise crew beams down to the Khitomer Peace Conference to stop the assassination of the Federation President, including Kirk's literal leap to rescue the President and Scotty taking down the would-be assassin. At the end, after Kirk gives his speech, Azetbur says he's restored her father's faith and Kirk says she's restored his son's. I think Kirk and Azetbur were on a parallel journey in this movie. Kirk had to set aside his feelings about what happened to his son to move toward a new future and Azetbur had to set aside her feelings about what happend to her father to move forward to a new future as well. As everyone claps, it feels truly earned.
I know the allegorical theme of the end of the Cold War dates the movie, but I don't think it affects the quality of it. There are other things I can nitpick as well, but those are all things after the fact. Whenever I watch it, I still enjoy it, despite any flaws. It's my fourth favorite Star Trek movie behind The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and First Contact.
The music right from the first frame seems so ominous. Cliff Eidelman is an incredible composter. It's criminal that he was never brought back. It gives a sense of the real gravity of this outing, rather than having the usual type of Star Trek score. It adds to Star Trek VI really feeling like An Event.
Then the film literally begins with a bang. The explosion of Praxis. It's one of those things where you have to be caught up in the moment. If Praxis was in orbit of Qo'noS, then the explosion of Praxis should've wiped out all life on Qo'noS instantly. End of movie. But ignoring that, ILM's special effects were first rate. Thinking about what the explosion would really do is only something I normally think of after the fact. The shaking of Sulu's cup of tea and then shattering was a nice touch as the energy wave from the explosion of Praxis approaches the Excelsior. I take the shattering of the cup to symbolic of the shattering of the times as the Federation and Klingons knew them.
Shout out to Hiro Narita as the Cinematographer. All of his shots look great. Interior, exterior, on-location, it doesn't matter. He's another person I wish they could've brought back later. If Nick Meyer wanted a dramatic or intense shot, Hiro Narita always delivered.
Having Nick Meyer back as Director was a treat. In several scenes, his directing made it feel like like I was on a ride, like with the Excelsior being caught up in an energy wave at the beginning of the movie with all the chaos it ensued, or the final showdown between the Enterprise and the Bird-of-Prey at the end. Throw in some sequences in the middle as well: 1) from Qo'noS One losing gravity to the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon, 2) Kirk and McCoy were trying to escape Rura Penthe with Martia, including the prison break, their journey on the harsh frozen planet's surface, and the fight between Kirk and Martia-as-Kirk and 3) The search on the Enterprise for the gravity boots the assassins wore. All of those scenes are extremely visceral and never get old, no matter how many times I watch them.
Other times, his directing looked like it was trying to set the mood and frame up the drama. There are two specific examples that come to mind. First, the dining scene with Klngons onboard, where Gorkon and Spock want it to go one way, as both want a better future, and then Chang wants it to go another way as he constantly tries to needle Kirk to get him to say the wrong thing. Chang vs. Kirk at the dinner table reminds me of Khan vs. Kirk at the dinner table in "Space Seed" where Khan says social gatherings are nothing more than warfare concealed. In this movie, Chang says all warriors are cold warriors. The second scene, which is as much about mood and atmosphere as it is about the drama is Chang prosecuting Kirk in the Klingon Courtroom Scene. The darkness, the set design, Chang's intensity, catching Kirk in the least flattering ways possible, and the sense of doom as the ominous Judge partially hidden in dark shadows pronounces Kirk and McCoy's sentence to Rura Penthe for the rest of their natural lives. When the Klingons keep chanting, "Kirk! Kirk! Kirk! Kirk!" that says it all. They don't want justice. They want blood. They've wanted it since Star Trek IV and now was their chance. To quote one of the Starfleet Admirals, "It's a damned show trial." Once again, these scenes never get old.
Kirk's story arc, and the less than flattering way he's presented, is the emotional core of the film. He's bitter and hardened after the death of his son in Star Trek III. It went from the Klingons just being adversaries to something a lot more personal. You don't really see it too much in IV and V, but you REALLY see it here. I view it as Kirk's grief comes and goes in waves. There are high tides and there are low tides. Star Trek VI was a high tide. He'll go through with the diplomatic mission, but he hates it. Some will say, "Kirk wouldn't have been like this in TOS!" And they're right. He wouldn't have been. But his son hadn't been killed yet. And he hadn't had 25 more years of experiences with the Klingons added yet either. This Kirk isn't in the same place mentally as he was in during TOS. At all. Unlike in the series, where the episodic nature of '60s TV demanded he stay the same from week-to-week, in the movies he was allowed to change. So, I take no issue with Kirk feeling so bitter and having to learn how to come to grips with changing times. Unlike a lot of other people, I think Kirk's arc where he has to overcome his prejudice against Klingons comes from a natural starting ground.
It took Chancellor Gorkon's death for Kirk to realize how prejudice he was. As he was dying, and the chances of peace looked their bleakest, Gorkon last words to Kirk were, "Don't let it end this way, Captain." Gorkon's appearance resembled Abraham Lincoln's and he had the same role of Gorbachev, who was the President of the USSR at the time this movie was released. David Warner brings a real nobility to Gorkon. When the dinner between the Enterprise crew and the Klingons doesn't go as well as hoped for, Gorkon says, "I see we still have a long way to go," and afterwards tells Kirk, "If there is to be a brave new world, our generation is going to have the hardest time living in it." Both of these lines hint towards the more peaceful relations between the Federation and Klingons seen in TNG. Even after Gorkon is assassinated and Azetbur is elevated to Chancellor in his place, she still wants peace, even if she wants Kirk to pay for her father's death.
Spock also goes through some changes. On multiple fronts. He's continuing on the journey that started in the first Star Trek movie where he began The Motion Picture by seeing logic as the end-all/be-all and then ended it by realizing there could be more. In this movie, he tells Valeris that logic is the beginning of wisdom instead of the end. He's also leaving the Enterprise, and I assume pursuing a path that leads to him becoming an Ambassador by TNG. This is something else that fits his character arc. In TOS, he said that he didn't want to be Captain. He also always had difficulty in the role or faced resistance whenever something happened to Kirk. That left Spock stuck in First Officer mode, making Starfleet a dead end with nowhere up to go after the Enterprise. So, choosing a different career path makes sense for him and reaching out to Gorkon was a good place to start for that.
Sulu's role as Captain of the Excelsior was nothing but new material for him. Being in command, charging to the rescue as the cavalry, and being willing to assist the Enterprise crew however he can. McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov are their usual selves, so not much to say there. They also all get their scenes to shine in the film.
I know that Valeris was originally supposed to be Saavik, but I appreciate that she was a new character rather than Nick Meyer casting a Third Saavik. While it's true that it makes her the most likely suspect to the audience when trying to figure out who the conspirator on the Enterprise is, it adds to another scene in a way that I've never seen mentioned before. Spock says that he was prejudiced by Valeris' accomplishments as a Vulcan, meaning that he just assumed she'd be great, all well and good... but I also think, on a more personal level, that Spock thought Valeris would be just like Saavik. And she wasn't. Spock is truly hurt when he realizes this. You see that he's enraged at Valeris and smacks the phaser out of her hand when they find out she's the conspirator. And you see it before, during, and after when he mind-melds with Valeris while trying to find out more information. Spock goes too far with the mind-meld, I think, because of how disturbed he was at her.
The idea that members of the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans would conspire to remain enemies was something that confused me when I was a kid. They were already working together, so how could they be against peace? But as an adult, I understand that it's because they're benefitting off the war machine. Just like in Real Life. I was told that in all of the United States' history, it's only been at peace for 17 of its 250 years. That means war is big business. War is responsible for people's careers. They don't want a world without war. Which makes them enemies to the very concept of Star Trek, making them fitting adversaries, on a meta level, for the last Star Trek movie with the original cast.
That brings us to Chang: the true face of the conspiracy to assassinate Chancellor Gorkon, attempt to assassinate the Federation President, and prevent peace in the Alpha Quadrant. I didn't know until later that William Shatner worked with Christopher Plummer in Shakespearian Theater. They had to be thrilled to be working together in this movie. Christopher Plummer brings a real flare and sophistication to his role, and it makes him one of the most memorable Star Trek Villains. Some people might say Chang's constantly quoting Shakespear is a little bit too much, but I'm not one of those people. For most of the film, he has the upper hand on Kirk, and it makes him a formidable opponent. The entire fight between the Enterprise and Chang's Bird-of-Prey was intense. The most intense moment was when that Klingon torpedo literally pierced right through the hull of the Enterprise's saucer and the music that went along with it. It gets my heart pounding every time. I don't care how elaborate they make CGI battles now, nothing will ever beat that. Then, as the music tenses up, and Spock and McCoy have their torpedo ready, Kirk says "Fire!" and it has me completely captivated as the torpedo says "To be or not to be!" and his ship is finally destroyed with an explosion shot so nice, they use it in Generations too!
It feels appropriately frantic after that as the Enterprise crew beams down to the Khitomer Peace Conference to stop the assassination of the Federation President, including Kirk's literal leap to rescue the President and Scotty taking down the would-be assassin. At the end, after Kirk gives his speech, Azetbur says he's restored her father's faith and Kirk says she's restored his son's. I think Kirk and Azetbur were on a parallel journey in this movie. Kirk had to set aside his feelings about what happened to his son to move toward a new future and Azetbur had to set aside her feelings about what happend to her father to move forward to a new future as well. As everyone claps, it feels truly earned.
I know the allegorical theme of the end of the Cold War dates the movie, but I don't think it affects the quality of it. There are other things I can nitpick as well, but those are all things after the fact. Whenever I watch it, I still enjoy it, despite any flaws. It's my fourth favorite Star Trek movie behind The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, and First Contact.
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The story is so high-concept in scope, and played utterly straight with no in-jokes or silly campy overtones (especially when the story would otherwise BE a candidate for it), I just can't hate it.
Now, I know it's not the most-loved story of all in o' ye Trekdom, but - let's face it - as much as the Treknobabble is laid on as thick as it was glibly (even by VOY's standards), this episode is still much easier to sit through than, say, "Angel One", "The Outrageous Okona", and others... honestly, for a show that became TNG-Lite, I'd put this above a lot of TNG season 5-7 stories as it is trying to go where no one has gone before, instead of what could debatably be called navel-gazing.
The story wisely saves its biggest plot reveals and explanations to the end. Meanwhile, seeing all the body horror in Trek's version of "The Fly" (just without Jeff Goldblum
) and metamorphosis is suitably creepy and, indeed, worthy of some of the horror shtick the 1980s would celebrate in issues of "Fangoria", et al. The makeup really was well-done.I'm there for the ride and the experience of Tom falling part (metaphorically and literally, of course) for the ultimate reason:
SALAMANDER REPRODUCTION, WOOHOOOOOO!!!
Dang, that ispoiler tag really isn't all that it's cracked up to be... oh well!
I'd give it a 6 or 7, mostly because of the relative inanity of the treknobabble that feels too generic and/or rubberstampy at times, but this story is by no means the true nadir of 90s-Trek or any other Trek.
First off, loving your reviews - thanks for some great reading material and I've got to keep looking back at the other entries. Only just started rewatching VOY and popped in season 2 at random earlier today...
It's surprisingly by-the-numbers and yet it packs a punch, with a couple of good twists (Including the other robot species, which is gold. What's that old song about keeping old friends but making new ones, one is silver and the other is gold?).
Add in Battlestar Galactica 1978 and now we see where Orville's Isaac came from.
As always by this time in Trek, haul it down next to the warp core and plug it in - nothing will explode or go wrong, like what Janeway was hounding Torres over throughout the entire story and Janeway was right. They didn't know enough about the robots and Torres wasn't asking much in the way of questions either... that, and how the Builders issue felt rushed and sidelined to ensure the story ended at the 43-minute mark, there's still a ton that works in its favor.
Oh yeah, the treknobabble - I was expecting Torres to say something about building in an array or range of known signature ranges based on existing robots and adjust. This would effectively make the power packs universal as well. The episode makes the existing dialogue work well indeed, and even some foreshadowing sprinkled therein - the line from Torres of "Your builders should have programmed you with a little more patience" is the biggie. The robots too were written quite well...
Plus that direction and some clever camera angles, including the intriguing pre-credits sequence. Even the opening is a neat reminder that not all species see in the same 16,777,216 different colors (or more) as these are fitted with grayscale (but have some decent sensor arrays elsewhere.)
It's a great prime directive episode. The PD is a staple of Trekdom and it's handled well in this one.
And, yup, it made me remember "Scorpion" and Janeway's deal with zee devil later on as well. Character growth? Desperation after another two years in the middle of nowhere? Obsession with getting home? Characterization inconsistency? Eventually the thoughts are brought up.
Nice catch. They looked art nouveau and suitably creepy (even if they weren't menacing creepy as such, just doing their programming.)
The cool thing is, thoughts of the Bynars didn't cross my mind and they too thought along the same lines.
Janeway, after the commercial break, is quick to assume that Torres was being blackmailed. Correctly so as we the audience knew the gig, but circumstantial evidence would allow Janeway to come to the conclusion even though it'd also be tempting for Janeway to wonder if Torres was the one willingly wanting to tinker as there's evidence on that side too.
That was a robust scene, well timed. Subtle dialogue afterward also shows the robots' intelligence ("140 hours" or so to repair, if I recall the number stated by the lead robot, which indeed is just under 6 days.)
3947 appearing in that camera shot was wonderfully spooky.
Ditto. Maybe more as a callout than foreshadowing, proven the moment we see the other robot faction and details told that these two robot factions are too busy trying to blow them up. Sadly, anything Terminator-esque, about the Builders being exterminated, is brushed off way too quickly (and reminds yet again why Janeway was right.) The story feels it's got more than an episode's worth of content but at the same time also feels like it's not got enough to be a full 2-parter either.
Both ship hue and other robot faction... as the episode was starting to rush things, this is yet another area where one could think into a lot of things. The idea of two robot races, so similar under the hood, could have gone somewhere... hmmm, add a subplot about Neelix making new planetname coffee to Janeway between scenes and then another between him and Odd Couple in Space pal Tuvok and that could have allowed enough time to really expand more on these robots' backgrounds.
When "The Builders" was first uttered, my mind went instantly albeit briefly to "What Little Girls Are Made Of" where Ruk was an android and mentioned his builders. Obviously this story goes in a much more complex direction and the robots aren't related at all, it's just a trope, but a very logical one.
Nice reference on the Transformers as well.
I'd rate it a 7. There's potential for more and it feels too rushed at times, despite an oddly slow start. But while we know Janeway would be proven right, the layers behind Janeway's POV keep feeling more and more dystopian as the episode rolls on and that's big in its favor. Plus, Torres - for technical and ethical reasons - was wanting to do the right things, making this story elevated that much more.
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