Day: March 10, 1966

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Batman Season 1

Holy Rat Race

BatmanWith Chief O’Hara in his clutches and the Caped Crusaders tied to the tracks in the path of an oncoming train, it seems that False Face has engineered the downfall of the Dynamic Duo. But a betrayal within the ranks of his hangers-on results in an about-face for Batman’s fortunes. Can someone as utterly scrupulous as Batman beat False Face at his own game of planting traps within traps?

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Stephen Kandel
directed by William Graham
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), Malachi Throne (False Face), Myrna Fahey (Blaze), Billy Curtis (Midget), Joe Brooks (Fat Man), Chuck Fox (Thin Man), Gary Owens (TV Announcer), Mike Ragan (Cowboy)

Notes: Yes, that is the true face of famed radio and television announcer Gary BatmanOwens (1934-2016). Guest star Mike Ragan (1916-1995) began appearing in westerns about as soon as Hollywood started making them, with his first such credit in 1947’s Buffalo Bill Rides Again; his enormous list of TV credits includes The Adventures Of Wild Bill Hickok, The Roy Rogers Show, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp, Rawhide, and a dozen separate appearances on Bonanza. It is not until the end credits of this episode that Malachi Throne is credited with playing False Face.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 2 Star Blazers

Yamato, Resist To The Last!

Star BlazersIts cometary disguise blasted away by a massive attack from the Earth fleet, the Comet Empire remains impervious to Earth attack. Captain Gideon discovers the secret to attacking the Empire’s base, but only at the cost of his life and the Andromeda itself. When the smoke clears, the badly-damaged Argo is all that’s left of the Earth Defense Force. The Argo falls back to Jupiter to make repairs. Wildstar, injured during the attack, also needs a little bit of time to recover. On Earth, the President has announced the defeat of the entire Earth fleet at Saturn, and panic escalates to rioting. Prince Zordar sends a messenger to Earth, demanding an immediate surrender – or Earth will be destroyed. When the President asks to negotiate a truce, Zordar destroys the moon and everyone living there to make his point, and the human race is brought to its knees.

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

Season 2 Voice Cast: Kenneth Meseroll (Derek Wildstar), Tom Tweedy (Mark Venture), Amy Howard (Nova), Eddie Allen (Leader Desslok), Chris Latta (Sgt. Knox), Lydia Leeds (Trelaina), Chris Latta (General Dire), Chris Latta (Captain Gideon), other actors unknown

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Blake's 7 Season 3

Ultraworld

Blake's 7The Liberator is captured by an artificial planet whose inhabitants wish to use the ship as the centerpiece of a sort of galactic museum. The crew is studied too, though they discover that after Ultraworld’s organic central brain digests all the information about them that it can, it intends to digest them physically as well to keep itself alive.

written by Trevor Hoyle
directed by Vere Lorrimer
music by Dudley Simpson

Cast: Paul Darrow (Avon), Jan Chappell (Cally), Michael Keating (Vila), Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Josette Simon (Dayna), Peter Tuddenham (Zen, Orac), Peter Richards (Ultra), Stephen Jenn (Ultra), Ian Barritt (Ultra), Ronald Govey (Relf)

Notes: Trevor Hoyle also authored several novelizations of the series, which combined and condensed the plots of several episodes in each book, aimed primarily at a younger audience.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Space: Above And Beyond

Dear Earth

Space: Above And BeyondIn the midst of a mail call, Hawkes and McQueen resign themselves to being left out of the festivities – there are no families to write letters from home to in vitros. But the two then face an even worse dilemma. In an effort to bring order to the ranks, the top brass have decided to make a motivational film about the efforts of in vitros fighting alongside natural born humans in the war against the Chigs. Hawkes buys into the idea of becoming a role model for his people, but McQueen wants nothing to do with the documentary.

Order the DVDwritten by Richard Whitley
directed by Winrich Kolbe
music by Shirley Walker

Guest Cast: Steve Hytner (Reporter), Robert Crow (Crow), Charles Carpenter (Cameraman), Gibson Frazier (Ed), Loren Chase (Mrs. West), Darren Gray Ward (Lt. John Hill), Kate McCalley (Doctor), Bob Clendenin (Mank), Scott Heath Dorel (Sailor #1), John Battle (Supply sergeant), Jermaine Mentell (Sailor #2), Jennifer Burns (Ann), Michael Wachtel (Marine #1), Rock Reiser (Armed guard), Ted Mann (Slow Talker), Carl Gilliard (Ophthalmologist)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 03 SG-1 Stargate

Nemesis

Stargate SG-1An appendectomy puts Daniel out of action, and sidelines the rest of SG-1 temporarily. As he sets about completely failing to interest his teammates in a fishing trip, O’Neill suddenly finds himself transported aboard an Asgard ship orbiting Earth. But instead of finding himself among the Asgard themselves, O’Neill is surrounded by large mechanical insects. When he finally finds Thor, the Asgard is on the brink of death, and directs O’Neill to watch a recorded message explaining that the mechanical creatures, discovered by the Asgard in another galaxy and known as replicators, infested the ship, learned of Earth from its navigational charts, and have come to take over the planet for themselves. The Asgard consider the replicators to be a far greater threat than the Goa’uld. Thor is too weak to help, however, and it’s up to O’Neill and SG-1 to figure out if the replicators can be destroyed before they reach Earth.

Order the DVDswritten by Robert C. Cooper
directed by Martin Wood
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Colin Cunningham (Major Davis), Gary Jones (Sgt. Walter Harriman), Guyle Lee-Fraizer (Technician #2)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Game Over

Meet The Smashenburns

Game OverThe Smashenburns are a typical suburban family…if those suburbs happen to be in the realm of video games. Rip Smashenburn is a race car driver who repeatedly makes narrow escapes from disastrous crashes, while his wife Raquel raids tombs full-time, and their kids Alice and Billy long for some kind of normalcy. Rip feels this could be solved with the addition of a family pet, but when the family adopts a raucous dog-like creature named Turbo, he quickly proves to be too much trouble to keep – and too much trouble to get rid of.

Season 1 Regular Cast: Patrick Warburton (Rip Smashenburn), Lucy Liu (Raquel Smashenburn), Rachel Dratch (Alice Smashenburn), E.G. Daily (Billy Smashenburn), Artie Lange (Turbo)

Order the DVDwritten by David Sacks, Jason Venokur, Ross Venokur & David Goetsch
music by Christopher Tyng

Guest Cast: Marie Martiko (Dark Princess), James Sie (Sam Chang), Bill Farmer (Announcer), Danica McKellar (Elsa), Jeffrey Tambor (Dr. Zod)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 09 SG-1 Stargate

Camelot

  • By Dave
  • March 10, 2006

Stargate SG-1SG-1 travels to Camelot, looking for the anti-Ori weapon that Merlin hid there. They find a medieval society, awaiting the return of Arthur from his quest for the Grail. Merlin’s library is forbidden territory, believed to be cursed. Daniel convinces the town historian to allow them to investigate, and they discover a lower level with Ancient technology. They also trigger the room’s safeguard, a holographic black knight similar to the one Mitchell fought on Earth – but this knight delivers lethal blows, and kills the elder. The townspeople are angry at SG-1, but the Odyssey beams them away before the people can do them any harm. The Odyssey is on its way to rendezvous with the Jaffa, the Tok’ra, and the Asgard at the Ori supergate. Carter accompanies the Odyssey, hoping to dial out with the supergate before the Ori can dial in. Teal’c takes a ship to enlist the Lucian Alliance in the battle. Mitchell and Daniel return to Camelot to look for the anti-Ori device. When Daniel again triggers the black knight, Mitchell tries to fight him off. Even with help from a sword pulled from a stone by a village girl, Mitchell comes out on the losing end. Daniel shoots the Ancient technology controlling the knight before it can kill Mitchell. He eventually figures out that the anti-Ori device is a red crystal pendant, but it is not in the library. The village governor explains that the pendant was the object of Arthur’s quest. The Korolev, the new Russian ship, beams Mitchell and Jackson aboard on its way to the supergate. There, things do not go well. The Ori dial in before Carter can modify the gate, and in the ensuing battle, the Ori’s technological superiority is clear. Not even the Asgard can get in a shot on the ships. The only remaining question is whether or not the Ori intend to leave survivors.

Order the DVDswritten by Paul Mullie & Joseph Mallozzi
directed by Martin Wood
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Matt Glave (Col. Emerson), David Thomson (Antonius), Garry Chalk (Chekov), Katharine Isabelle (Valencia), Noah Danby (Cha’ra), John Noble (Meurik), Eric Steinberg (Netan), Matthew Walker (Merlin), Martin Christopher (Maj. Marks), Morris Chapdelaine, Geoff Redknapp, Paul Hooson, Jeny Cassady (Kvasir Puppeteers), Bruno Verdoni (Netan’s Lieutenant), Oleg Palme Feoktistov (Korolev Pilot)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

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Season 2 Stargate Stargate Atlantis

Allies

Stargate AtlantisAtlantis cloaks before the arrival of the hive ship, which is still en route, unaccompanied by any other Wraith ships. Daedalus and the newly-christened Ancient ship Orion lay in wait just beyond the Wraith’s sensor range. Despite the measures taken to hide Atlantis, the Wraith ship hails the city anyway, asking for Dr. Weir by name and proposing an alliance. It seems that the revival of Atlantis awakened too many Wraith, too early – and even in Atlantis there aren’t enough humans to sustain the entire species. The proposal is simple: in return for continuing to conceal Atlantis’ continued existence, Michael’s Wraith faction wants the retrovirus created by Dr. Beckett to revert Wraiths into humans – humans which the Wraith who possess the virus will then feed upon, leaving Dr. Weir and her crew alone. Weir and Beckett wrestle with the ethical implications of creating a new races of humans in the Pegasus Galaxy, only to sacrifice them to the Wraith, but as the uneasy alliance progresses, it seems that the Wraith do indeed have a larger source of food in mind…but not in Atlantis’ galaxy.

Order the DVDswritten by Martin Gero
directed by Andy Mikita
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Brent Stait (Wraith Michael), Connor Trinneer (Michael), David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka), Mitch Pileggi (Colonel Caldwell), James Lafaznos (Male Wraith), Andee Frizzell (Hive Queen), Sherry Noel (Lab Assistant), Chuck Campbell (Technician), Kirby Morrow (Daedalus Technician), Trevor Devall (voice of Hermiod)

Notes: Despite receiving a guest starring credit, Connor Trinneer only appeared in “flashback” footage from Michael; Trinneer was unavailable to reprise his role for this episode. Taking over for him was Brent Stait, who played Rev Bem during the early seasons of Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Battlestar Galactica (New Series) Season 2

Lay Down Your Burdens – Part 2

Battlestar GalacticaAfter holding out during an intense attack, Starbuck and her Raptor crews, along with Anders’ resistance cell members, are stunned when the Cylons withdraw completely. All of the surviving Raptors return, with the surviving members of the Caprica resistance and an extra passenger, a priest named Brother Cavel. When these passengers arrive at Galactica, however, Chief Tyrol sounds the alarm – there’s already a Brother Cavel on Galactica, so they must both be Cylons. Cavel delivers a message to Admiral Adama and President Roslin: the Cylons have had a change of heart and abandoned their occupation of Caprica, and will pursue the fleet no more. Roslin is still skeptical, but this revelation adds more fuel to the election-day fire that Baltar has ignited with the suggestion that the colonists settle on the recently-discovered planet. As the votes are tallied, some of Roslin’s allies try to ensure that the vote will swing toward her – but the manipulation is discovered, the votes are recounted, and Baltar is declared the winner. It’s a victory that, after mere months on “New Caprica,” the survivors of the Twelve Colonies may live to regret.

written by Anne Cofell Saunders and Mark Verheiden
directed by Michael Rymer
music by Bear McCreary

Guest Cast: Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh), Aaron Douglas (CPO Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Nicki Clyne (Cally), Allessandro Juliani (Lt. Gaeta), Kandyse McClure (Dualla), Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek), Michael Trucco (Anders), Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben Conoy), Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh), Donnelly Rhodes (Dr. Cottle), Matthew Bennett (Doral), Rekha Sharma (Tory Foster), Dean Stockwell (Brother Cavel), Alisen Down (Jean Barclay), Erica Cerra (Maya), Winston Rekert (Priest), David Kaye (James McManus)

Notes: Portions of Tyrol’s speech as he incited the workers of New Caprica to strike were excerpted from a real speech delivered in 1964 by American political activist Mario Savio (1942-1996) at the University of California, Berkeley. A longer excerpt of the speech in its original context can be found here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Primeval Season 1

Episode 5

PrimevalSightings, and a grisly death, at a golf course confirm that a new prehistoric predator is on the loose. After tranquilizing a large pteradon and finding that it has eaten no human meat recently, Cutter and Stephen find the culprit soon enough: a flock of small pterodactyl-like creatures that feasts on victims en masse, following the scent of blood if any is spilled. Unfortunately, Cutter’s government liaison (and Lester’s reluctant underling), Claudia Brown, has been injured, making her the new meal of choice for the creatures. Just when Claudia believes she’s about to die, she is helped by the last person she expected to see.

PrimevalOrder the Serieswritten by Chris Lang
directed by Jamie Payne
music by Dominik Scherrer

Download this episodeCast: Juliet Aubrey (Helen Cutter), Douglas Henshall (Nick Cutter), James Murray (Stephen Hart), Andrew-Lee Potts (Connor Temple), Hannah Spearritt (Abby Maitland), Ben Miller (Sir James Lester), Ike Hamilton (Andy), Mat Curtis (Jeff), Mark Wakeling (Captain Tom Ryan), Adam G. Goodwin (Medic)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Powers Season 1

Pilot

PowersSuperpowers are real. Those who have them – known simply as Powers – operate on a different level of morality than “mere mortals”, though they themselves are perfectly mortal. Major metropolitan areas suffer serious damage from battles between real superheroes and supervillains, and subterranean prisons exist to house captured villains. Powers have celebrity status; young people with latern powers must choose how to use their abilities, often with little in the way of guidance.

Superpowers no longer exist for Detective Christian Walker. Now the head of the NYPD’s Powers Division, Walker was once a Power himself – a famous superhero known as Diamond. He lost his abilities in a battle with “Big Bad” Wolfe, who now languishes in a federal Powers containment facility. One of Walker’s superhero allies from his days as Diamond, Olympia, turns up dead, a victim of a designer drug that somehow modifies Power DNA. The drug was given to him by a girl named Calista, a “wannabe” who claims she has latent powers. Walker and his new partner, Deena Pilgrim, question the girl, but she vanishes from her interrogation room. Walker suspects one of his old enemies, Johnny Royale, is still on the move, though everyone else thinks Royale is dead. Walker tries to find Calista to learn more about the drug and to find out if Royale is involved, but he finds her on the brink of suicide, and in trying to stop her, he makes the fatal mistake of forgetting he himself is no longer a Power…

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonteleplay by Charlie Huston
based on the graphic novel by Michael Avon Oeming & Brian Michael Bendis
directed by David Slade
music by Jeff Rona

Cast: Sharlto Copley (Christian Walker), Susan Heyward (Detective Deena Pilgrim), Noah Taylor (Johnny Royale), Olesya Rulin (Calista), Adam Godley (Captain Cross), Max Fowler (Krispin Stockley), Michelle Forbes (Retro Girl), Eddie Izzard (Wolfe), Logan Browning (Zora), Claire Bronson (Candace Stockley), Aaron Farb (Simons), Justice Leak (Detective Kutter), David Ury (Dr. Death), Mario Lopez (himself), Phillip Devona (Zabriski), Daniel Thomas May (Bug), Adam Boyer (Olympia), Mickey Cole (Levitation Boy), Pete Burris (Adlard), Brian LaFontaine (Brian Stockley), Johnny Giacalone (Cancilarra), Brett Gentile (Argento), Leander Suleiman (Mack), Jeryl Prescott Sales (Golden), Linds Edwards (Zerotron X), Michael Beasley (Chaykin), Victor Turner (Supression Specialist), B.J. Winfrey (Shaft Guard), Dave Pileggi (Med Tech #1), Troy Brenna (Iron Impact), Sara Pagliocca (Porn Star)

PowersNotes: Based on a series of comics first published in 2000 whose film/TV rights were optioned within a year of the publication of the first collected graphic novel edition, Powers took a long road to the screen. In 2011, filming began on a pilot with an earlier edition of the script (written by Brian Michael Bendis, writer of the comics) and a completely different cast, only to be turned down by cable network FX. A new cast (led by District 9 star Sharlto Copley) began shooting new scripts in 2014, with Bendis and fellow creator Michael Avon Oeming serving as executive producers. Rather than a traditional broadcast or cable outlet, Powers found a home as the first original series on the Playstation Network. Despite mixed reviews, viewership numbers were promising enough for Sony to greenlight a second season, to debut in 2016. You can read reviews of the original Powers graphic novels in our Book Reviews section, and you can also check out a lengthy multi-part interview with Brian Michael Bendis at Dave Thomer’s This Is Not News (part 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Powers Season 1

Like A Power

PowersGravity is real. Instinctively jumping from the top of a building in an attempt to save Calista, Christian Walker forgets that he can no longer fly; fortunately, his old flame, jaded superhero Retro Girl, catches them both before they hit the ground. Retro Girl treats Walker to a rough landing on top of the building, but tries to take Calista under her wing to find out what’s going on. Walker’s new partner, Detective Deena Pilgrim, gets a rather electrifying taste of what it’s like to try to take down someone with superpowers. His existence – or at least his survival – outed, supervillain Johnny Royale goes public, registers with police as someone with superpowers, and makes sure that the inevitable confrontration with Walker caught on video…but Royale has worse things in mind for Walker than a mere lawsuit.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonteleplay by Charlie Huston
based on the graphic novel by Michael Avon Oeming & Brian Michael Bendis
directed by David Slade
music by Jeff Rona

PowersCast: Sharlto Copley (Christian Walker), Susan Heyward (Detective Deena Pilgrim), Noah Taylor (Johnny Royale), Olesya Rulin (Calista), Adam Godley (Captain Cross), Max Fowler (Krispin Stockley), Michelle Forbes (Retro Girl), Eddie Izzard (Wolfe), Logan Browning (Zora), Bianca Amato (Delia Alexander), Claire Bronson (Candace Stockley), Aaron Farb (Simons), Justice Leak (Detective Kutter), David Ury (Dr. Death), Linds Edwards (Zerotron X), Tom Thon (Security Guard Albert), Pete Burris (Adlard), Leander Suleiman (Mack), Phillip Devona (Zabriski), Elizabeth Fendrick (Lenore Santos-Wagner), Mickey Cole (Levitation Boy), Eva Hamdam (Nicky Buggs), Shelby Steel (Chaotic Chick), Brett Gentile (Argento), Michael Beasley (Chaykin), Cynthia Barrett (Rev. Canon Gregg), Johnny Giacalone (Cancilarra), Jeryl Prescot Sales (Golden), Daniel Thomas May (Bug)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Picard Season 2 Star Trek

Penance

Star Trek: PicardWhisked into an alternate timeline by Q in the midst of a crisis involving the Borg, Picard is understandably annoyed at his old nemesis’ presence. Q’s cryptic answers do little to tell Picard why he is now in a timeline where Earth is the center of a Confederation that values human life above all others. The polluted Earth is kept habitable only by a system of solar shields, and Picard’s chateau is now a museum of trophies of a life spent conquering and destroying other species. Q will leave Picard in this reality to atone for some unspecified sin, plunging Picard in the deep end since “General” Picard is soon to make a public appearance on Eradication Day, a holiday celebrating the Confederation’s conquests. Picard is not alone in this timeline, however: Seven awakens in ornate surroundings, free of Borg implants since she was never assimilated. As the President of the Confederation, she too is expected to speak on Eradication Day. She contacts Rios, who is very surprised to find himself commanding an all-out assault on Vulcan space. Raffi and Elnor find themselves in the middle of an uprising, one where Raffi has to take Elnor “prisoner” to keep up appearances (and keep him alive), and Agnes is a cyberneticist in a facility that is keeping one of the Confederation’s worst enemies – the Borg Queen herself, who seems very aware of the changes to the timeline – alive in containment until her public execution. Everyone converges on Earth for Eradication Day, which is to be capped off by a public execution of the Borg Queen. Before the ceremony, the Queen calculates that a single change made in 2024, in Los Angeles, changed the timeline, and that a Watcher at that point in history could help restore history. She also agrees to help them travel back in time, but first, everyone involved has to participate in the ceremony, in reality buying time for Raffi and Elnor to lower the security countermeasures enough for all of them to beam up to La Sirena. But snatching the President of the Confederation, her top General, and public enemy #1 away in front of a huge crowd can’t be accomplished easily…and won’t be accomplished without a high price.

Order DVDsteleplay by Akiva Goldsman & Terry Matalas and Christopher Monfette
story by Michael Chabon and Akiva Goldsman & Terry Matalas and Christopher Monfette
directed by Doug Aarniokoski
music by Jeff Russo
additional music by Sam Lucas

Star Trek: PicardCast: Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Alison Pill (Dr. Agnes Jurati), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Michelle Hurd (Commander Raffi Musiker), Evan Evagora (Cadet Elnor), Isa Briones (Dr. Soji Asha), Santiago Cabrera (Captain Cristobal Rios), John de Lancie (Q), Annie Wersching (Borg Queen), Jon Jon Briones (First Magistrate), Patton Oswalt (Spot-73), Toni Belafonte (Zilah), Alex Diehl (Harvey), Paula Andrea Placido (Palace Guard), Hanna-Lee Sakakibara (Romulan Rebel)

Star Trek: PicardNotes: Kirk time-traveling via a slingshot around the sun in a purloined Klingon ship (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, 1986) is identified as a “crude” means of time travel, but likely the only one available. Since the divergence in time is as “early” in Star Trek’s future history as 2024, which son of Sarek’s witnessed his execution is left nebulous, though the hostility between Earth and Vulcan in the altered timeline makes Spock’s very birth unlikely, so it was probably Sybok. Tuvok is mentioned as a leader in the Vulcan war effort on a display screen, but not in dialogue. Annie Wersching’s (1977-2023) first television role was in an early episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, Oasis (2002). Aside from a couple of final appearances in her recurring role on The Rookie, her appearance as the Borg Queen during this season of Star Trek: Picard was her final acting role before she died of cancer in January 2023. Actor Jon Jon Briones is the father of series regular Isa Briones.

LogBook entry by Earl Green