Day: January 12, 1966

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Batman Season 1

Hi Diddle Riddle

BatmanAn exploding cake delivered to the Republic of Moldavia’s pavilion at the Gotham City World’s Fair signals the return of the Riddler, and the Gotham authorities call Batman into action. The Riddler leaves enough clues for the Dynamic Duo to find him at a prestigious art gallery, and when Batman and Robin arrive, they think they see the Riddler holding the gallery’s proprietor up at gunpoint. But it’s all a setup, and the Riddler sues Batman for assault and slander – but he’s not after the million dollars named in the lawsuit. The Riddler wants to force Batman to reveal his true identity to all. And just in case that part of his plan doesn’t work, the Riddler manages to drug Batman and kidnap Robin…

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
directed by Robert Butler
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Jill St. John (Molly), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Allen Jaffe (Harry), Michael Fox (Inspector Basch), Damian O’Flynn (Gideon Peale), Ben Astar (The Moldavian Prime Minister), Jack Barry (Newscaster)

Notes: Though ’60s TV Batman tended not to dwell on the details of what happened to Bruce Wayne’s parents (as established in the comics), this episode makes a rare reference to Bruce’s parents being murdered, and states that this is his motivation to fight crime. Robert Butler had, over a year prior to Batman’s premiere on ABC, directed the rejected pilot episode of a series which would return to challenge Batman’s popularity in the fall of 1966.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Original Series Season 01 Star Trek

The Squire of Gothos

Star Trek ClassicStardate 2124.5: The Enterprise crew discovers that the ship cannot escape orbit of a planet that doesn’t even exist on the star charts. Kirk and a landing party beam down to the surface of the mysterious planet and their captor is revealed to be the immature but powerful Trelane, who initially seems to be a student of ancient Earth history (as demonstrated by his 17th century mansion, clothes and furnishings). Kirk, discovering that Trelane’s hold on the Enterprise comes from a power far beyond 23rd century technology, must try to beat Trelane at his own game, but Trelane rewrites the rules constantly to make sure he’s winning.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Paul Schneider
directed by Don McDougall
music by Alexander Courage

Cast: William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard McCoy), James Doohan (Mr. Scott), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), William Campbell (Trelane), Richard Carlyle (Jaeger), Michael Barrier (DeSalle), Venita Wolf (Teresa)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Original Series Season 02 Star Trek

A Piece Of The Action

Star Trek ClassicStardate 4598.0: The Enterprise encounters a planet recently visited by another starship and discovers that a book on the Chicago mobs of the 1920s accidentally left behind by a crew member of the previous ship has become the basis of the planet’s society structure over 200 years of the planet’s time (the starship having had warp drive). The intelligent but imitative inhabitants show a keen interest in replacing telephones with communicators and replacing tommy guns with phasers when Kirk, Spock and McCoy – along with their standard Starfleet landing party equipment – are captured.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxteleplay by David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon
story by David P. Harmon
music not credited

Cast: William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard McCoy), James Doohan (Mr. Scott), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Anthony Caruso (Bela), Victor Tayback (Krako), Lee Delano (Kalo), John Harmon (Tepo), Sheldon Collins (Tough Kid), Dyanne Thorne (First Girl), Sharyn Hillyer (Second Girl), Buddy Garion (Hood), Steve Marlo (Zabo)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Original Series (Animated) Season 01 Star Trek

Jihad

Star Trek ClassicStardate 5683.1: A number of races’ ships have gathered around an asteroid inhabited by the Vedala, believed to be the oldest spacefaring species in existence. The Vedala have summoned numerous creatures for their intellect and physical strength, claiming that the galaxy’s future is imperiled unless those gathered can help the Vedala find a lost relic whose disappearance could spark a holy war among their own immensely powerful people – a war which would also quickly engulf the other races. But en route to the object of the motley group’s quest, Kirk believes that one of them is hoping to use the relic to hasten the war rather than prevent it.

Order the DVDswritten by Stephen Kandel
directed by Hal Sutherland
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael

Cast: William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), James Doohan (Mr. Scott / Lt. Arrex / Tchar / Sord), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura / Lara), Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel / Lt. M’ress)

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Classic Season 11 Doctor Who

Invasion of the Dinosaurs

Doctor WhoThe Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith return from their medieval adventure, but when they arrive in modern-day London, the streets are bare, the people are nowhere to be seen, and dinosaurs stalk the streets. Like everyone else, the Brigadier and UNIT have gone underground, hiding from the enormous reptiles while they try to figure out what suddenly brought them to the present day. The Doctor and Sarah soon discover that it’s the product of an illegal time experiment designed to restore Earth to simpler, less polluted, less corrupt times – and it has come about thanks to a startling betrayal by one of the Brigadier’s most trusted officers.

written by Malcolm Hulke
directed by Paddy Russell
music by Dudley Simpson

Guest Cast: Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), John Levene (Sergeant Benton), Richard Franklin (Captain Yates), Noel Johnson (Charles Grover), Peter Miles (Professor Whitaker), Martin Jarvis (Butler), Pat Gorman (UNIT Corporal), James Marcus (Peasant), Ben Aris (Shears), John Caesar (Soldier), Gordon Reid (Phillips), George Bryson (Ogden), Terry Walsh (Looter), John Bennett (General Finch), Martin Taylor (Corporal Norton), Dave Carter (Duffy), Terence Wilton (Mark), Brian Badcoe (Adam), Carmen Silvera (Ruth), Colin Bell (Bryson), Timothy Craven (Robinson), Trevor Lawrence (Lodge)

Broadcast from January 12 through February 16, 1974

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Season 1 Star Blazers

Desperate Escape: The Galaxy’s Different Dimension

Star BlazersD minus 280 days: The Argo is caught in the gravitational vortex of a collapsing star. As if this isn’t a bad enough position, an enormous Gamilon fleet commanded by General Lysis closes in from the rear. As the vortex sucks the Argo’s energy reserves dry, the survival prospects for the Star Force look bleak.

Order the DVDswritten by Keisuke Fujikawa & Eiichi Yamamoto
directed by Leiji Matsumoto
music by Hiroshi Miyagawa

Season 1 Voice Cast: Kenneth Meseroll (Derek Wildstar), Tom Tweedy (Mark Venture), Amy Howard (Nova), Eddie Allen (Leader Desslok), Lydia Leeds (Starsha), other actors unknown

Note: The introductory shot of Volgar is an rare example where the Japanese characters for his name have not been covered by an English subtitle. Also, General Lysis’ log entry gives the date as January 7 – though why the Gamilons would be using the Julian calendar is unknown!

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Classic Season 17 Doctor Who

The Horns Of Nimon – Part 4

Doctor WhoRomana emerges from the transmat pod on the planet Crinoth, and is immediately surrounded by more Nimon…until she finds that she’s not the only one on Crinoth who isn’t a Nimon. Sezom, Soldeed’s predecessor, has been trapped here, and has spent years evading the Nimon on their home planet – a ruined husk of a world that they now seek to escape by invading another world. Sezom helps her get back to the pod and return to Skonnos. Soldeed has now learned that the Nimon lied when it claimed to be the last of its race, but in the course of trying to do the Nimon’s bidding, accidentally sets the Nimon’s power systems to overload. The Doctor and friends must now rely on K-9 to help them find their way out of the maze before the Nimon complex destroys itself.

Order this story on DVDDownload this episodewritten by Anthony Read
directed by Kenny McBain
music by Dudley Simpson

Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), David Brierly (voice of K9), Simon Gipps-Kent (Seth), Janet Ellis (Teka), Graham Crowden (Soldeed), Michael Osborne (Sorak), Malcolm Terris (Co-pilot), Bob Hornery (Pilot), Clifford Norgate (Nimon voices), John Bailey (Sezom), Robin Sherringham, Bob Appleby, Trevor St. John Hacker (Nimon)

Notes: The Nimon return to do battle with the Doctor in the Big Finish audio story Seasons Of Fear. The eleventh Doctor would encounter a species related to the Nimon in The God Complex (2011). Though intended to be followed by the six-part story Shada, The Horns Of Nimon was the final season 17 episode to be broadcast, and therefore marks the end of producer Graham Williams’ tenure, as well as being the final use in the original series of Delia Derbyshire’s arrangement of the theme music, which had been opening each episode of Doctor Who since 1963, sometimes in edited and lightly remixed forms. (It would next be heard at the beginning of The Day Of The Doctor (2013). This is also composer Dudley Simpson’s final musical contribution to the series for which he had been creating music since 1964’s Planet Of Giants.

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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1981 TV Series Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Episode 2

Hitchhiker's Guide To The GalaxyUnable to escape the Vogon guards, Ford and Arthur are similarly unable to escape a mind-wrenching reading of the Vogon captain’s poetry. Despite Arthur’s attempt to bluff his way past the Vogons by telling their captain that he liked their poetry, the two survivors are sentenced to be thrown out of an airlock. Again, Ford and Arthur and unable to escape the Vogon guard assigned to haul them down to the airlock, and their recurring inability to escape reaches its apex as the airlock is opened and they’re sucked out into the void. Within half a minute, they’re rescued by the Heart Of Gold, a prototype spacecraft powered by the infinite improbability drive. But Arthur and Ford aren’t quite safe yet: the Heart Of Gold has been stolen by none other than Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ford’s two-headed, three-armed, former-galactic-president cousin, and another survivor from Earth, a woman named Trillian.

Order now!written by Douglas Adams
directed by Alan J.W. Bell
music by Paddy Kingsland

Cast: Peter Jones (The Voice of the Book), Simon Jones (Arthur Dent), David Dixon (Ford Prefect), Sandra Dickinson (Trillian), Mark Wing-Davey (Zaphod Beeblebrox), Martin Benson (Vogon Captain), Michael Cule (Vogon Guard), Rayner Bourton (Newscaster), Gil Morris (Gag Halfrunt), David Learner (Marvin), Stephen Moore (voice of Marvin), David Tate (voice of Eddie)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Earth: Final Conflict Season 1

The Scarecrow Returns

Earth: Final ConflictScientists working with the resistance try to learn more about the alien probe captured in Paradise, but the trapped device lashes out and kills one of the scientists, assuming her form in the process. Eventually, it is discovered the that the alien probe is sending information to a location distant from the Taelon homeworld – and its transmissions allow Da’an and Sandoval to trace its location straight to the resistance headquarters. Boone must figure out how to hand the deadly device over to Da’an – who seems to be not only concerned with its whereabouts, but also experienced in containing it.

written by Paul Gertz
directed by David Warry-Smith
music by Micky Erbe & Maribeth Solomon

Guest Cast: Damon D’Oliveira (Sahjit Jinnah), Sonia Dhillon (Rayna Armitraj)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 3 Xena: Warrior Princess

Warrior…Priestess…Tramp

Xena: Warrior PrincessWhen Gabrielle arrives in the village where she was to meet Xena, she’s surprised to see that her friend is about to let a group of warriors burn her at the stake. Thinking fast, the bard manages to extinguish the fire and frees Xena. They flee the village square and hide in an alley. It’s then that Gabrielle realizes that’s not the warrior who is with her. The look-alike identifies herself as Leah, a Hestian Virgin Priestess. The two women finally meet up with the real Xena. The warrior realizes that someone may be intentionally putting the priestess in danger. The trio head to the temple to find out what is going on.

Order the DVDswritten by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster
directed by Robert Ginty
music by Joseph LoDuca

Guest Cast: Lucy Lawless (Leah/Meg), MacGregor Cameron (Balius), Ted Raimi (Joxer), Matty J. Ruys (Dexon), Ted Clar (Thoracles), Jodie Dorday (Bordello Girl #2)

LogBook entry by Mary Terrell

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Season 06 Star Trek Voyager

Fair Haven

Star Trek: VoyagerStardate not given: Having met only limited interest with such holoprograms as Chez Sandrine’s and The Adventures of Captain Proton, Tom creates a holographic replica of Fair Haven, Ireland. The uncomplicated – at least by 24th century standards – and pastoral setting meets with the crew’s approval, and Captain Janeway finds herself fascinated by barkeep Michael Sullivan. When she discovers that Sullivan isn’t as educated or outspoken as she would like, the captain simply changes his parameters (and deletes the character of his wife as well). After falling in love with Sullivan, Janeway is overcome with remorse and withdraws from the holodeck altogether. The rest of the crew is then left to deal with a man – albeit a holographic one – with a broken heart.

Order the DVDswritten by Robin Burger
directed by Allan Kroeker
music by David Bell

Guest Cast: Finton McKeown (Michael Sullivan), Richard Riehle (Saemus), Jan Claire (Frannie), Henriette Ivanans (Maggie), Duffie McIntire (Grace), Majel Barrett (Computer voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Farscape Season 2

Liars, Guns and Money Part 2: With Friends Like These

  • By Dave
  • January 12, 2001

FarscapeWhen Moya arrives at the slave auction, D’Argo discovers to his horror that Scorpius has gotten there first and purchased the slaves – which he is perfectly willing to exchange for Crichton. Crichton’s alternate plan is to use the money which would have purchased Jothee to hire some of the less savory characters they’ve encountered in the Uncharted Territories for a breakout. But when most of the crew heads out on a recruitment drive, Zhaan and Chiana discover that they are victims of a double cross. Natira, head of the Shadow Depository, had replaced the actual ingots with creatures that had begun to eat Moya. Only intense heat – enough to injure Moya – will eliminate the parasites. When the others return to a damaged Moya to discover they no longer have the wealth to finance the operation, Crichton decides it might be time to put himself out of his misery for everyone’s benefit.

Order the DVDswritten by Naren Shankar
directed by Catherine Millar
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Paul Goddard (Stark), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Claudia Karvan (Natira), Nicholas Hope (Akkor), Matt Newton (Jothee), David Franklin (Lt. Braca), John Adam (Bekhesh), Jeremy Sims (Rorf), Jo Kerrigan (Rorg), David Wheeler (Durka), Lionel Haft (Zelkin), David Bowers (Kurz), Thomas Holesgrove (Teurac)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Jeremiah Season 2

Interregnum

JeremiahEven as Daniel’s troops close in on Thunder Mountain, Smith insists on taking Jeremiah and Kurdy to a children’s home that neither of them has ever seen before. There, a few adult survivors of the Big Death have banded together to shepherd the next generation of the human race toward their own adulthood. And they’ve made a discovery: the new generation of children is smarter than previous generations, and at a much younger age, though no one knows if this is evolution at work, or a side effect of the virus. Smith hopes that the home can be protected, but Marcus can’t guarantee this when an attack closes his supply lines right on the doorstep of Thunder Mountain. Worse yet, evidence is uncovered of sabotage taking place within the complex – Sims’ people are already inside. And on the eve of battle, when Jeremiah discovers how and why Libby really died, it seems there’s little chance that he’ll forgive either Sims or Smith.

Order the DVDswritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Mike Vejar
music by Tim Truman

Guest Cast: Peter Stebbings (Marcus), Ingrid Kavelaars (Erin), Byron Lawson (Lee Chen), Michael Teigen (Frank), Donna White (Hannah), Enid-Raye Adams (Gina), John Pyper-Ferguson (Sims), Rik Kiviaho (Sim’s Lieutenant), David Richmond-Peck (Tad), Sam MacMillan (Pilot), Justin Stillwell (Thunder Mountain Recruit), Jillian Fargey (Teacher), Chris Lovick (Fifth Column Recruit), Michael Smith (Matt), Samuel Patrick Chu (Blackboard Kid), Jessica Amlee (Rose), Clint Carleton (Thunder Mountain Driver), Demord Dann (Thunder Mountain Passenger)

Appearing in footage from Crossing Jordan: Joanne Kelly (Libby)

LogBook entry by Earl Green