Start Trek: Season 1 - Episode 7: 'What Are Little Girls Made Of' (1966) - TV Episode Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

Star Trek... Well so far so good, considering the cheesy as hell nature of this series, I am going to have to say that it still rocks, and maybe still near the top of the heap when it comes to the remake series and the various spin-offs that have come out since then,.. And I think that the main reason for this is the fact, that where as it is true that this series is cheesy as hell, the cast and crew made it fun by giving it an edge of reality/possibility, by not making the actual characters in the show say cheesy lines, and making them for the most part fairly believable, and fun!

And Episode 8: 'What Are Little Girls Made Of' (1966) is no different!

Written by: Robert Bloch (Psycho) & Directed by: James Goldstone (The Bride In Black), Starring: William Shatner (The Devil's Rain), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Majel Barrett (The Man In The Santa Clause Suit) & Michael Strong (Point Blank).

Captain Kirk will share a meal with his Android double in this episode!

You see, in this episode Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) had lost her fiancee a long time ago, and is pretty excited when he is found on a mostly frozen planet, but when the, 'Enterprise' and her crew get down there, they come to discover that not only is her fiancee there, but a small group of Androids are there with him as well! But Nurse Chapel's fiancee is not what he used to be, and if Nurse Chapel, and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise want to get out of their before it is to late, they are going to have to find out what happened to the good Nurses, 'fiancee' and what the cavern they are living in actually is, before it is to late, and they are replaced!

Kirk & crew are going to have to figure out what is going on in this frozen wasteland before it is to late and he is replaced!

 The best thing I think about this episode is the fact that it has to do with being forcibly replaced by Android doubles... This type of concept in Sci-fi horror movies (like the, 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers' series,) rocks, and this episode is really not much different!

In the end, it is a fun & very worthy episode, check it out, you might like it!

Five Awesome Star Trek Crossover Episodes

One thing that I discovered had started to become something of a thing in the Star Trek Universe is the fact that at one time or another every series in and of itself that was on TV had at one time or another had a crossover episode with another... Believe it or, including, 'The Original Series' as well!

And with that in mind guys, I thought that you guys would enjoy: Five Awesome Star Trek Crossover Episodes!

At number 5: Star Trek Voyager: 'Death Wish' (1996).

This episode is not a major cross over, but it does have Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D, and originally of, 'Star Trek: The Next Genration' fame!

At number 4: Star Trek Deep Space Nine: 'Defiant' (1994).

Is that Commander Riker with Major Kira? Or is it Lieutenant Riker with the good Major, as he steals, 'The Defiant'!

 Ok this isn't exactly a crossover... But it sort of is, you see, Thomas Riker (Jonathan Frakes), is a character that was created on, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'... The problem is, is it is not the lead character, 'Commander William T. Riker', that Jonathan Frakes made popular in Star Trek: TNG... But never the less, Jonathan Frakes plays, 'Thomas RIker', who is impersonating his twin, 'William Riker', in an effort to steal, 'The Defiant' from DS9!

At number 3: Star Trek Voyager: 'Caretaker' (1995).

The U.S.S. Voyager's new, 'Ops Officer', 'Ensign Harry Kim' talking to Deep Space Nine's resident Bartender, 'Quark' in the pilot episode for Star Trek Voyager!

This is the pilot episode for, 'Star Trek Voyager', and prominently shows the newly christened crew of the, 'U.S.S. Voyager' as they take some time off on their way to their first mission... The place they stop off is none other than, 'Deep Space 9', and a sizable portion of that episode takes place on the sets for the Startrek spinoff, 'Star Trek Deep Space 9'!

At number 2: Star Trek Deep Space 9: 'Emissary' (1993).

Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) & Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as they meet in the conference room on board the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in the pilot episode for, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'!

This is another great pilot episode that brings together both, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and the newly minted cast of, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine', when the Enterprise is sent to ferry Sisko and the new Star Fleet crew to Deep Space Nine!

At number 1: Star Trek Deep Space Nine: 'Trials And Tribble-ations' (1996).

Captain Benjamin Sisko goes undercover along with his senior staff on board the original, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' to stop a plot to kill legendary Captain James T. Kirk, in one of the most technologically amazing episodes of any Star Trek episode ever!

Now I know a lot of these crossovers have had to do with Deep Space Nine... The truth is, is probably the majority of the best of them did... And I know that this isn't the only episode to crossover between the original series and TNG, 'There have been a couple', I just thought that I would mention this one for it's unique nature...

You see, through a feet of technological wonder, this episode is actually crossed over to the original, 'Trouble With Tribbles' episode, and they actually inserted the cast in to that episode! (You got to understand that the original series, 'Trouble With Tribbles' episode aired nearly 40 years before the DS9 episode!

Anyway, there are many other such crossovers, but I would say that these are some of the best!

Star Trek: Season 1 - Episode 6: 'Mudd's Women' (1966) - TV EpisodeReview

Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils 

Star Trek... I mean this show, even by todays standards is one of the best shows that has ever been created for Science Fiction in general, and all of it's subsequent spinoffs are frankly just as good!

The reason for this I believe is the air of possibility that it could actually happen based on the era in which the current form of Star Trek is being made... A great example of this is, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'... This show had everything, the horrors of war, love, loss and tragedy, humor and joy, and everything else surrounding a community of people that are living on a space station!

Now admittedly, the original series took on a strong 'camp' feel to it... But I mean that was the sign of the times in Science Fiction at that time... It still had that aura of potential realism, in a time when mankind is exploring space!

Now you might be wondering why I mention this... Well honestly, the reason that I mention this, is because the latest episode of, 'Star Trek' has to do with one of man's oldest conundrums!

This episode, which stars: William Shatner (The Babysitter), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), DeForest Kelley (The Night Of The Lepus), James Doohan (The Duke), George Takei (Heroes), Nichelle Nichols (Drones, Clones & Pheromones), Roger C. Carmel (Transformers: The Movie), Karen Steele (Marty), Maggie Thrett (The Devil's Brigade) & Susan Denberg (Frankenstein Created Women).

Captain Kirk trying to deal with mankind's oldest problems!

Now what I meant by this is that the Enterprise ends up picking up a man and his three traveling companions... Now at first everything seems fine with them... The guy is just escorting Eva McHouron (Karen Steele), Ruth (Maggie Thrett) & Magda (Susan Denberg) to a colony to marry men that are there...

Well there is something more sinister to this group, and as more and more of the men on board the Enterprise becomes hopelessly infatuated with the female guests, it will be up to the Enterprise crew to find out what is going on before they end up on the hook, and ole Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel), can take them for all they are worth!

Mudd's women may be a problem for Kirk's men, if they can't find a resolution!

Ultimately this episode is one that won't make much of a difference in the grand scheme of the series... But the truth is, is that it is pretty funny, and it does introduce a character, that even though he would never make it out of the original series, would still go on to be 1 of the top 10 star trek characters of all time, (I am talking about the shyster, 'Harry Mudd'!)

In the end, check it out, it might not be pivotal to the series, but you might have a few good laughs, and some times that is all it takes, eh?

Five Classic Songs From Five Classic Sci-fi TV Shows

Space 1999, A classic Sci-fi show with an interesting theme song!

I got to thinking about it recently, one of the things that TV stations and productions really do quite nicely is that they have made some truly amazing soundtracks... Primarily there theme songs! So I thought it might be a little bit of a fun reminder to you guys of some of those awesome songs!

At number 5: The X-Files:

At number 4: Star Trek: Deep Space 9:

At number 3: Harsh Realm:

At number 2: Battlestar Galactica:

At number 1: The Twilight Zone:

There are certainly more out there, but these I have found to be rather fun... And I hope you do to!

Star Trek: Season 1 - Episode 5: 'The Enemy Within' (1966) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

One of the things that Star Trek really brought to the world of Science Fiction is the fact that Star Trek brought to the world, the, 'Mirror Universe'! For those of you who don't know what the mirror universe is, it is a universe that is the polar opposite of our dimension, in that some one in our universe who is a happy go lucky type, may end up being a depressed homicidal lunatic, and an Adolph Hitler type in the mirror universe, might be some one who exclusively loves life!

The reason that I mention this, is that before the first, 'Mirror Universe' episode, we got a sneak peak of it with, 'The Enemy Within' (1966)!

Written by: Richard Matheson (The Twilight Zone: The Movie) & Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek: Voyager) & Directed by: Leo Penn (Judgement In Berlin). Starring: William Shatner (Kingdom Of The Spiders), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Snatchers), DeForest Kelley (Night Of The Lepus), Grace Lee Whitney (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), George Takei (Archer), James Doohan (Birth Of A Timeless Legacy) & Nichelle Nichols (The Cabonauts).

This episode tells the story of how during the investigation of a planet, Captain Kirk (William Shatner), transports back up to the ship....

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Kirk and Sulu before Kirk transports back to the ship![/caption]

After he transports up, there is an incident that occurs in which, Captain Kirk is split in to 2 different personalities, the first one being everything that is good and right in the world, and the second one being everything that is the absolute definition of pure evil!

And as Kirk is becoming more and more different, the crew of  the Enterprise is going to have to figure out how to fix Kirk before the crew that they had to leave on a planet that is getting colder and colder as the minutes go by, freezes to death!

In the end, this episode is pretty freaking awesome, it will keep you on the edge of your seat, and if you get a chance to see it, then I do recommend it!

http://youtu.be/_AYsdW1RbWw

5 Great Crews Of 5 Great Starships On The Small Screen

[caption id="attachment_2885" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The bridge crew for the U.S.S. Enterprise (the rebooted version.)[/caption]

I have noticed to some extent a trend in the sci-fi world of TV shows being brought to the big screen... Most of the time after the show has gone off the aire and their fans have complained about it so much that it was brought to the big screen after awhile.

A great example of this is the show 'Firefly' (2002)... Now Firefly was a show that had been created by Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and told the story of the crew of a small vessel and the adventures that they would have...

Well this show, which aired in 2002, was taken off the air way to early, and with enough pressure from fans ended up getting it's own movie, in the form of, Serenity (2005)!

[caption id="attachment_2886" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Nathan Fillion (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Gina Torres (Angel) & Alan Tudyk (I, Robot) in a scene from, 'Serenity' (2005)[/caption]

With the crew of the Firefly getting their chances on the big screen, I thought that I would mention 5 other bridge crews that went on to greatness.
At number 5: The crew of the original, 'Battlestar Galactica':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] 'Boxey' (Noah Hathaway) as he comes to talk to 'Adama' (Lorne Greene) who is hard at work on the bridge of the, 'Battlestar Galactica'![/caption]

At number 4: The crew of the, 'Prometheus' from Stargate SG1:

[caption id="attachment_2887" align="aligncenter" width="320"] The bridge crew of the, 'Prometheus' the earth ship from, 'Stargate SG1'![/caption]

At number 3: The crew of the, 'Tardis' from, 'Doctor Who':

[caption id="attachment_2888" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Not quite a bridge... Or a crew... but the same concepts apply![/caption]

At number 2: The crew from the remake, 'Battlestar Galactica':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="330"] The bridge of the, 'Battlestar Galactica' hard at work in the 2004 Syfy channel remake![/caption]

At number 1: The crew from the first, 'U.S.S. Enterprise; from Star Trek:

[caption id="attachment_2889" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The bridge crew for the original U.S.S. Enterprise from the original series![/caption]

Star Trek: Season 1 - Episode 4: 'The Naked Time' (1966) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

One of the signs of a truly great show is when that show entertains audiences generation-ally... A show that you could honestly say that certain episodes that you liked, your parents liked, and hell maybe even Grand Parents liked...

Star Trek is certainly one of these shows!

And you know what? There is one episode in particular that I would say, rather you are a trek fan or not, is an episode that is universally considered to be pretty damn good!

That episode of course being: 'The Naked Time'!

[caption id="attachment_2851" align="aligncenter" width="450"] An infected Hikaru Sulu living out his dream of being a, 'swashbuckler' in the Star Trek: TOS episode, 'The Naked Time'![/caption]

Why is this episode so great you ask? Well, if you can pull it off (and trust me when I say that not all shows can pull this off,) but if you are a serious show that can pull off an episode that makes fun of itself, and still draw in a major crowd and keep them entertained... Then more power to you!
And, 'The Naked Time', is both 2 parts serious, and 2 parts making fun of itself!

You see, this episode, which was written by: John D.F. Black (Shaft) & Directed by: Marc Daniels (I Love Lucy). Starring: William Shatner (Kingdom Of The Spiders), Leonard Nimoy (Fringe), Stewart Moss (Raise The Titanic), Majel Barrett (Star Trek: The Next Generation), DeForest Kelley (Night Of The Lepus), Grace Lee Whitney (Irma La Douce), George Takei (Heroes), James Doohan (Birth Of A Timeless Legacy), Bruce Hyde (That Girl) & Nichelle Nichols (Escape From Heaven).

This episode tells the story of how the Enterprise is sent in to investigate a Science Outpost that had been initially set up to research the collapse of a planet!

[caption id="attachment_2853" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Spock and his team investigating the dead science outpost.[/caption]

Well when Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and his assistant arrive there, the whole base is pretty much dead... With everyone frozen, but having died in strange ways... What I mean is that for example, one person seemed to have frozen to death while in the shower and with all of their clothes on...
After Spock's assistant gets infected, (He takes off his mask to itch his nose and decides not to put it back on)... The Enterprise crew is about to get a new form of drunk... One where they don't have to drink!

The problem is, is that this new type of drunk is killing them, and if they don't figure out how to resolve this, and resolve this quick, well... At least they'll die happy!

The last thing that I thought that I would mention here is that there are two hilarious scene's in this episode that you should look out for involving, 'Sulu' (Takei) in one scene and, 'Kevin Riley' (Bruce Hyde) in a separate one!

Check this one out... You might really enjoy it... I did!

http://youtu.be/-3OsxVGOtdM

The Importance Of The Fans For Horror And Sci-fi Movies

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="502"] Some classic moments in horror movie history![/caption]

One of the things that I have noticed not just as a fan of Science Fiction and Horror TV shows, but of shows specifically like, 'Star Trek' or, 'Star Wars' is the fact that these generally tend to have an extremely strong (and if necessary,) aggressive and important fan base!

A great example of what I mean is what happened with, 'Star Trek'... (Well if you are a Star Trek fan, then you probably already know this, and could probably skip over this, but if you are not, or are relatively new to Star Trek, then you might find this to be rather fascinating.)

Initially Star Trek was a series that lasted from 1966 - 1969... Died off from poor ratings... And the truth is, is that even though some of the biggest Science Fiction actors of all time really got their career propelled by Star Trek... No one was going anywhere, and the show died a painful death... (Like a lot of great shows), when some one arbitrarily decided that the show had low ratings, and decided to cancel it!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="533"] They tried to kill a phenomena like, 'Star Trek' with, 'LOW RATINGS'... I mean are you serious?[/caption]

A strange thing, because for those of you who don't know, Star Trek is one of those rare phenomena, that generation-ally has helped propel dozens upon dozens of careers in to the stratosphere, has gained legions of fans all over the world on a generational level, and for the most part is considered to be a cultural landmark!

So how did the little show that had, 'low ratings' come back?

Well it was the fans! Through fan support, not only was Star Trek brought back to life, but it produced 4 spin off series, about a dozen movies, helped really create careers for some of Hollywood's biggest talent on a generational level, and has entertained audiences all over the world, on a generational level... As well as helped introduce children to the importance of, 'Science', (myself included.)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] From left: William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew & Scott Bakula... Each one of these people starred in a different generation, 'Star Trek' series, and will live on forever if anything through that![/caption]

And now I will admit that I have seen a lot of petitions and what not for a lot of great shows and movies crash and burn... But as fans, it is our duty to keep the entertainment that we have loved so dearly for so long alive, and not let it be perverted or destroyed by people who don't like, or understand what they are trying to create!

You might be wondering why I am mentioning this!

Well if you are a fan of a lot of the classic horror movie series, that have been being butchered and almost completely destroyed, then you are outraged to see these classic series go the way of the devil... Well I am here to say that, 'enough, is enough!'

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560"] This death scene featuring A Nightmare On Elm Street's, 'Freddy Krueger' is representative of the fact that the studios are pulling these legendary series apart, and it needs to stop![/caption]

I say that if the fans could bring Star Trek back to life, which ultimately salvaged the show and brought it to a historically important level... Then why don't we as horror fan do the same... I mean wouldn't it be great to see some of the classics come back to life for one more epic battle?

http://youtu.be/JMl6t3UYvu8

http://youtu.be/Vs3981DoINw

http://youtu.be/h7aHJR5lzE8

http://youtu.be/jdb_HSvf2Zk

http://youtu.be/p3zPevsovDE

Star Trek 2: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="307"] Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Let me ask you guys a question... Which series do you like better? The original Star Trek series or the rebooted series? For me it is a hard question, because the original series was absolutely truly amazing, and the first rebooted movie was truly awesome as well... But the rebooted part 2... meh...

But the original Star Trek 2 is a freaking awesome movie! It had a great cast of original series actors that include the likes of, William Shatner (Kingdom Of The Spiders), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), DeForest Kelley (Night Of The Lepus), James Doohan (The Duke), Walter Koenig (Babylon 5), George Takei (Futurama), Nichelle Nichols (Heroes).

This movie brought in a lot of other great actors as well, including: Merrit Butrick (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Paul Winfield (The Terminator), Kirstie Alley (Cheers) & Richardo Montalban (Battleground).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The smiling face of the man who wanted everything... And ended up with nothing![/caption]

You see this movie is actually a continuation of an original series TV episode, when after Captain Kirk (William Shatner) & the crew of the, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' maroon a crew of extremely dangerous super men on a planet in the hopes that they can become their own society... They end up breaking free and taking over the Federation Starship, 'U.S.S. Reliant'...

With revenge in his heart, it will be up to Kirk and crew to come together one more time to stop Khan (Ricardo Montalban) from taking out his revenge on not just Kirk and his crew, but also to the rest of the human race that tried to dump him and his group!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="618"] Kirk and crew, when Khan and his followers strand them in an underground paradise.[/caption]

In the end, this movie is one of my personal favorite of this series, and if you get a chance, I do recommend checking it out, it is well worth it!

http://youtu.be/UJTi7KJPx_E

Star Trek: Season 1 - Episode 3: 'Charlie X' (1966) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_390" align="alignright" width="178"] Official Score = 1 Devil[/caption]

You know I have to admit that I am a huge fan of Star Trek... I mean I am not some one who goes around dressed as a, 'Klingon' to the conventions or anything... Nor do I live my normal days wearing a Star Fleet Uniform or anything, but I freaking love all of the series...

So when I find an episode of one of the series, or one of the movies not to be good... Well I have to admit that it kind of sucks... But there is always another episode that will take up the slack from the damage that wascaused from that crummy episode before hand... And I hate to say it, but: Star Trek, Season 1 - Episode 3: 'Charlie X' (1966) is just one of those unfortunate rare episodes that I just don't like...

Written by: D.C. Fontana (Star Trek: Legacy) & Directed by: Lawrence Dobkin (Patton). Starring: William Shatner (Kingdom Of The Spiders), Leonard Nimoy (Fringe), Robert Walker Jr. (Easy Rider), DeForest Kelley (The Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars), Grace Lee Whitney (Star Trek: Of Gods And Men) & Nichelle Nichols (The White Orchid).

The truth is, is a lot of people seem to truly like this episode, I mean it is one of the more recognized episodes of the original series, but the truth is, is I just don't get why people liked this episode...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Even ole Charlie X himself looks like he is trying not to barf at seeing how bad this episode is![/caption]

You see, this episode tells the story of, Charlie Evans (Robert Walker Jr.)... Now this kid is 17, but he had been surviving on a planet that is supposed to be almost entirely barren since he was 3 years old... Until he was rescued at age 17 that is...

Well regardless, he is being transported to a colony to be with relatives... The only problem is that weird and dangerous situations keep occurring as he is making his way to his biological family.

Charlie's next stop is the, 'Enterprise'... And you know what? Everyone seems to like him (despite how immature, and unsure he is.)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Charlie getting help from his new friend, 'Captain Kirk'...[/caption]

Well after he gets attracted to Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney), things start going out of control!

It will be up to Captain Kirk (William Shatner) & Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to stop this out of control boy with to much power, before Charlie destroys his ship, and afterward, the Federation!

In the end, the truth is, is this episode just didn't appeal to me... I mean everything about this episode (I guess maybe with the exception of the story) was well done, but the story and the episode itself was just plain dull as hell!

Well you can't win them all... Stick with the series, I think you might like it... I know I did!

http://youtu.be/GCwq5XMafwE

Star Trek: Season 1 - Episode: 1, 'The Man Trap' (1966) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

One of the most important contributions that I really believe that Hollywood has every made, and probably will ever make is creating for the world, 'Star Trek'... Hey I know that sounds cheesy as hell, but it is true! I mean if you really think about it, it is nice to help a city/state/country that just got hit by something massive (I genuinely applaud Hollywood and the rest of the world for their contributions toward helping reconstruct a disaster zone)... But I still think that Hollywood's biggest contribution to the world is, 'Star Trek'!

You see Star Trek in a lot of respects represents humanity at a time where it has expanded beyond it's petty nonsense, and has finally unified in a way that I think at this point in the world that most people just don't believe could happen... And well they do all this while entertaining the world with the adventures of an intrepid, 'Starship', and the problems they have to resolve...

Well the truth is, is I know that I have probably just oversold the whole episode, but despite this episode's mundane trappings... (and I will be honest and say that this episode is amusing, compared to the larger scope though, of a lot of the future episodes, this particular episode kind of suffers from being so mundane... But we will get to that in a moment...)

Written by: George Clayton Johnson (Logan's Run), Gene Roddenberry (Earth: Final Conflict) & Directed by: Marc Daniels (I Love Lucy). Starring: William Shatner (Kingdom Of The Spiders), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Alfred Ryder (True Grit), Jeanne Bal (Company Of Killers), DeForest Kelley (Night Of The Lepus), Grace Lee Whitney (Ironside), George Takei (8) & Nichelle Nichols (Heroes).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) better beware, there is more to this girl then meets the eye![/caption]

The truth is, is that 40 or 50 years ago this episode would I believe have been a little bit more fun, the problem is, is that this episode is almost like a futuristic episode of a, 'Soap Opera' that is set another planet!

You see, this episode tells the story of how the crew of the Starship Enterprise are sent on a mission to give the annual physicals to Professor Robert Crater (Alfred Ryder) and his wife, 'Nancy' (Jeanne Bal), the only problem is that Nancy Crater happens to be a former love interest of Dr. McCoys!

So at first, with the exception of the fact that Dr. McCoy is a little to nervous to see Nancy, and Professor Crater not really wanting the Enterprise crew there, also ordering an obscene amount of salt, everything seems to be fine... That is until the first crewman dies... And then more and more...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="594"] Kirk (WIlliam Shatner) and Spock, (Leonard Nimoy) as they find another dead crewman on the planet.[/caption]

And as the Enterprise crew is dying off one by one, the crew is going to have to find out what the Craters are hiding before what they are hiding ends up killing them!

In the end though,  this episode may not be the best, but if you keep with the show, I think you might find that it gets better and better!

http://youtu.be/vqfx3wuqjBI

Star Trek Season 1 - Episode 3 - Pilot 2: 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Since I was a kid I have always strongly gravitated to the Science Fiction genre... Rather it be with the, 'Alien' movie series, or even, 'Futurama' on TV... Science Fiction often times gives the viewer an awesome opportunity to glimpse in the many different awesome or scary futures... And none does both better, and really gives a potential look at mankind in a few hundred years than it does in, 'Star Trek'!

Rather it be the original crew of the, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' as they boldly go where no man has gone before, or on, 'Deep Space Nine' as humanity tries to help out many races on many war torn planets to finally resolve the issue facing them and get their worlds so that they can become sustainable again, all of these shows truly give a great example of what mankind could be doing in a few hundred years from now, but in a way that most of the time is pretty fun an entertaining sort of way!

I just wish Star Trek Season 1, Episode 3 (rather known as the second pilot), 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' still held that kind of sway... But we will get in to that in a moment!

Written by: Samuel A. Peeples (A Real American Hero), Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek: The Next Generation) & Directed by: James Goldstone (Earth Star Voyage). Starring: William Shatner (Disaster On The Coastliner), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Gary Lockwood (2001: A Space Odyssey), Sally Kellerman (MASH), George Takei (Heroes), James Doohan (Through Dead Eyes), Paul Carr (Raise The Titanic) & Paul Fix (El Dorado)

In this latest episode, the Star Ship Enterprise is attempting to go outside the Galaxy, and also while doing so, end up coming to discover an ancient human distress beacon from a human ship by the name of, 'Intrepid'...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="665"] The crew of the, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' as they are about to head out of the Galaxy![/caption]

Well when they bring it on, obviously their is a lot of damage to it, but it is weird, you see this recorder talks about how after the, 'Intrepid' was sucked out of the galaxy and managed to make it back in, and how after that, everything fell apart and eventually the Captain of that ship had to blow it up...

Well the Enterprise is about to find out the truth about the Intrepid... You see, they did end up going outside of the Galaxy, and while there, a strange energy entered the ship almost everybody it attacked, with the exceptions of: Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) and Doctor Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman)... But it is changing them slowly!

You see, it turns out that both Dehner and Mitchell have high esper ratings, and the energy that went after them seems to be giving them powers... Well as Mitchell seems to be getting more and more powerful, and more and more crazy with the power he is getting, and with Captain Kirk and Gary Mitchell being friends, it looks like Kirk may end up having to sacrifice his friend to save his ship!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="594"] Kirk as he is trying to destroy the far to powerful, 'Gary Mitchell'![/caption]

In the end, I know that a lot of people like this episode, and to be fair I did when I first watched it as well... But the truth is, is that this episode still has it's moments, but at this point at least for me, I have found that this episode is stale, dull and old and out of date... frankly boring!

Besides that though, if you are just getting started with the series, stick with it, if you like what you have seen so far, then trust me when I say it is definitely worth continuing on!

http://youtu.be/kdrQmE7KhdM

Pike Vs. Pike Who Is Better?

Most people probably don't know this, but I suspect that in the process of making Star Trek (2009), that J.J. Abrams (Lost) probably checked out the failed Star Trek pilot, the reason that I mention this is the fact that before William Shatner and the cast that we have come to know as the legitimate first Star Trek cast. Gene Rodenberry (Andromeda) created a Star Trek script that did end up getting filmed, but when NBC checked it out, they had Rodenberry re-work it because there was, 'not enough action in it!' And thus we have the original Star Trek as we know it!

Now with that in mind, the unused episode was cut up and used for a special 2 parter of the original series called, 'The Menagerie'... And would later be re-constituted and shown in it's entirety as an episode in 1986!

With that in mind though, in 2009, when J.j. Abrams re-booted the series, he re-booted it bringing Captain Pike back to the big screen and has since been in both the first and second Star Trek reboot movies... So I ask the question... Which Pike is better?

Now in all fairness the amount of screen time that Jeffery Hunter's 'Pike' (Jeffery Hunter was the first person to play the character), had significantly less screen time then Bruce Greenwood's (I,Robot) Pike, but in all truth, I have to admit that I really liked Greenwood's Pike over Jeffery Hunter's Pike!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Bruce Greenwood definitely did the best job of playing the role of, 'Captain Christopher Pike'![/caption]

Now the reason for that is manly the fact that Greenwood's, 'Pike' was pitted in a feasible world, where you can easily see Greenwood's Pike in an environment that you could believe as really happening...

The truth is, is that Jeffery Hunter's Star Trek really was a little to campy, and in all fairness, if they had never actually brought Pike back in a more real world styled setting, then I would have to say that Jeffery Hunter's Pike would probably be better then Greenwood's! The reason that I say this is the fact that Jeffery Hunter did a great job in portraying a young Captain, but still a seasoned veteran. Greenwood on the other hand seemed like he should have actually been an Admiral at Star Fleet Command!

Well in the end it was a tough call, but I have to say that Bruce Greenwood did a great job at portraying Pike, and I am going to have to say that he actually ended up doing the best job with this role!

Never the less please enjoy this scene from the Star Trek episode: The Cage, feautring:  Jeffrey Hunter!

http://youtu.be/6F5pAFhByU8

And the trailer for Star Trek (2009):

http://youtu.be/SyJszxnJydA

Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1 - House Of Cards (1997) Peter David - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"] Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

When I was still in High School I have to admit that I was a little bit of a nerd... You might also say a, 'Star Trek' nerd with strong reject tendencies (because despite the fact that I was a computer geek who liked Star Trek, I was a goth in High School and a huge fan of all the darker forms of entertainment that came with that (everything except drugs, booze and makeup!)

Anyway one series of books that I believe my mother at the time got for me for one of the gift giving holidays was a series of Star Trek books that although could be considered cannon, never actually saw the light of day as either a movie or TV series (although I am pretty certain that if, 'Enterprise' hadn't have done so poorly, that Paramount would have some how convinced Peter Davd (The Author) in to turning his fledgling novel series in to a full on TV series!)

With that in mind though, the first book titled, 'House Of Cards' was an awesome book (you could almost say novella because it is pretty small, it just ain't that small,) was a pretty awesome and engaging story that essentially told a lot of the back story of how the main crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur came to be working together on the same ship as well as how the, 'Thallonian Empire'... (An ancient Empire that has ruled over many worlds) has collapsed, and how Starfleet sends in a ship, the, 'U.S.S. Excalibur'... And an eclectic group of Starfleet Officers to kind of keep the peace in an area that is unstable and has the potential to cause problems through out the rest of the Federation!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="330"] The U.S.S. Excalibur.[/caption]

The truth is, is that Peter David's technique is uniquely different then most of what you would see on any of the TV series, Movies, or even a lot of the books! The best example is that in the cannon TV series Kirk and his Starship Enterprise were considered to be cowboys utilizing that sort of mentality when it came to the battles they engaged in as well as the diplomacy that they would deal with while doing their 5 year missions... (The truth is, considering that the 24th century 400 - 500 years after the days of cowboys, I suspect that the authors of the episode where this is mentioned had the characters having a distinctly more sterilized view of the, 'Cowboy era',) regardless, there is definitely an element of that with the crew of the Excalibur, but there is also an element of the polished like the rest of the post original series TV shows... And I think that, that element in this series (and especially with this book makes it a lot of fun!)

I also like the fact that this show brought back  some awesome characters from, Star Trek: The Next Generation, including: Dr. Selar (Played by: Suzie Plakson in the TV series) and Elizabeth Sheby (Played by Elizabeth Dennehy in the TV series), as well as, 'Robin Lefler' (played by: Ashley Judd in the TV series)!

[caption id="attachment_751" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Commander Elizabeth Shelby (played by: Elizabeth Dennehy), Ensign Robin Lefler (Played by: Ashley Judd) & Dr. Selar (Played by Suzie Plakson).  These characters as seen in their original TV roles on, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' would go on to play prominent roles in the novel series, 'Star Trek: New Frontier'![/caption]

In the end, if you are looking for a truly unique take on Star Trek, then I would recommend checking out this novel series, 'House Of Cards' to start off with, it is certainly a fun one!

Star Trek Episode: The Cage (1988) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="300"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

Lets be honest here, Star Trek maybe one of the greatest entertainment franchises of all time! And all of this started off with a little campy TV series that aired from 1966 - 1969 with the crew of the Enterprise that most people would recognize from the original series, the original movies as well as the re-boot movie series, but did you know that Captain Kirk (WIlliam Shatner in the original series, and Chris Pine in the re-boot movie series) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise that everyone has grown to love was not actually the first crew of the Starship Enterprise?

That's right folks! As a matter of fact out of the first crew, the only person that would go on to be in the original series for the entire series, is Leonard Nimoy (as Spock), but even he was a different kind of Vulcan! No in this the first Captain was Captain Christopher Pike (Played by: Jeffrey Hunter in the original series first pilot and Bruce Greenwood in the reboot series.)

Now before Pike was brought back in the remake series, Jeffrey Hunter was brought in to play, 'Captain Christopher Pike' of the U.S.S. Enterprise for a pilot that ultimately was denied by NBC due to it not having enough action... Although ultimately this episode would be cut up and utilized as a special 2 part episode for the original series called, 'The Menagerie'!

Written by: Gene Roddenberry (Planet Earth) and Directed by: Robert Butler (Turbulence). Starring: Jeffery Hunter (King Of Kings), Susan Oliver (The Disorderly Orderly), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Majel Barrett (Spectre), John Hoyt (Spartacus), Laurel Goodwin (Stage To Thunder Rock), Bob Johnson (Mission Impossible), Serena Sande (Ghost Town), Georgia Schmidt (House Of The Damned).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Captain Pike & his crew on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise[/caption]

The Cage told the story of how while heading for some much needed R & R, the Starship Enterprise ended up diverting to the Talos star group when an Earth Ship distress signal is found, and when they get there they find what at first they think are a group of survivors that are just excited to finally be going home!

The only problem is that with in a few moments of being down on the planets surface, all but the one of the survivors end up disappearing and 3 Talosians end up appearing  and kidnapping Captain Pike and housing both the survivor and Captain Pike in their underground zoo!

Now these Talosians have an especially adept talent at making illusions, but not just illusions but illusions that appear to be totally real! So during his incarceration Captain Pike ends up going through various illusions in an effort for the Talosians to try  and persuade Pike to stay with them!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Number One (Majel Barrett), Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffery Hunter), Yeoman J.M. Colt (Laurel Goodwin)[/caption]

During this time, the Enterprise will do what ever it takes to try and get their Captain back!

It turns out that in 1988, this episode did finally appear in it's entirety, and you know what? I have to admit that I did prefer this episode over the first episode that had William Shatner as Captain Kirk, but the truth is, is that this episode compared to the rest of the series was not as good, but if you are a trekkie and haven't seen this episode yet, then I highly recommend it, it is a decent one!

http://youtu.be/6F5pAFhByU8