Day: March 29, 1968

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Original Series Season 02 Star Trek

Assignment: Earth

Star Trek ClassicStardate not given: After warping back in time to the late 20th century for a glimpse of Earth’s past, the Enterprise intercepts a mysterious man who simply calls himself Gary Seven. Although Gary and his ever-present black cat Isis appear like inhabitants of the 20th century, Gary knows what kind of ship he is on and recognizes Spock as a Vulcan, and ascertains that the Enterprise is from the 23rd century. Gary Seven evades security officers and resumes his journey to Earth. Kirk and Spock assume 20th century disguises and pursue him, finding that Gary is a time traveler from the future who is here to influence Earth’s history – but whether or not his influence will be benign is another question altogether.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxteleplay by Art Wallace
story by Gene Roddenberry and Art Wallace
directed by Marc Daniels
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), Robert Lansing (Gary Seven), Teri Garr (Roberta Lincoln), Don Keefer (Cromwell), Lincoln Demyan (Sergeant), Morgan Jones (Col. Nesvig), Bruce Mars (First Policeman), Ted Gehring (Second Policeman), Paul Baxley (Security Chief)

Notes: At the time Assignment: Earth was written, Gene Roddenberry was uncertain that Star Trek would make it to a third season. Indeed, there was every indication that it wouldn’t, though a major fan letter-writing campaign to NBC helped save the show. In any case, Roddenberry was hedging his bets for future employment by trying to create a series based on Gary Seven, Isis and Ms. Lincoln – making this the first attempt at a Star Trek spinoff.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 1 Six Million Dollar Man

Dr. Wells Is Missing

The Six Million Dollar ManDr. Rudy Wells hasn’t even checked into his hotel room in Austria and he’s already getting a phone call from Oscar Goldman. Nothing has happened to Steve – Oscar’s just paranoid about Wells (and his knowledge of the bionic replacement surgery) being out of the country with no bodyguard. Steve offers to travel to Austria himself to keep an eye on Dr. Wells at a discrete distance, just to assuage Oscar’s fears…which turn out to be well-founded. Wells has been abducted by the Tucelli brothers, crime kingpins who have heard rumors of Wells performing bionic replacement surgery and want him to do the same for them. Wells denies all knowledge, trying to stall just long enough for them to see a real bionic man in action.

written by Elroy Schwartz and Krishna Shah & William Keenan
directed by Virgil W. Vogel
music by Oliver Nelson

The Six Million Dollar ManCast: Lee Majors (Steve Austin), Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman), John van Dreelen (Alfredo Tucelli), Alan Oppenheimer (Rudy Wells), Than Wyenn (Desk Clerk), Jim Shane (Yamo), Michael Dante (Julio Tucelli), Curt Lowens (Anton Brandt), Norbert Schiller (Porter), Cynthia Lynn (Fraulein Krueger), Ynes Van Holt (Switchboard Operator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Series

Episode 4 (Fit The Fourth)

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: Primary PhaseSlartibartfast takes Arthur into the hyperspatial construction grounds of Magrathea, where the planet-building engineers are hard at work on a special commission – the new Earth, a replacement for the old one which, as it turns out, was demolished five minutes too soon. The Earth was actually bankrolled by the beings humans know as mice, which are actually incredibly advanced pan-dimensional beings who built the Earth as an organic computer. The Earth’s program was to calculate the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. (The answer, already known, is simply 42.) But with the Vogons having destroyed millions of years’ work, the mice now hope to extract the question directly from Arthur’s brain. Meanwhile, intergalactic police arrive, hoping to extract Zaphod and the Heart of Gold from Magrathea. And now all the travelers want is to extract themselves in one piece.

Order this CDwritten by Douglas Adams
directed by Alick Hale-Munro
music by Paddy Kingsland

Cast: Peter Jones (The Voice of the Book), Richard Vernon (Slartibartfast), Simon Jones (Arthur Dent), Geoffrey McGivern (Ford Prefect / Deep Thought), Mark Wing-Davey (Zaphod Beeblebrox), Susan Sheridan (Trillian), Jonathan Adams (Majikthise / Cheerleader), Ray Hassett (First computer programmer / Bang Bang / PA voice), Jeremy Browne (Second computer programmer), James Broadbent (Vroomfondel / Shooty), Peter Hawkins (Frankie mouse), David Tate (Benjy mouse)

Categories
National Public Radio Radio & Audio Dramas Star Wars

Points Of Origin

Star WarsThe Tantive IV, a diplomatic ship from Alderaan, is forced to land on Ralltiir by an Imperial blockade. Princess Leia Organa is outraged, but bluffs her way past the Imperials, even using a keen knowledge of Imperial regulations to set Lord Tion, an Imperial officer, against Darth Vader, who has just arrived to crush a rebel uprising. Leia returns to Alderaan, where her father, Bail Organa, sympathizes with the rebellion but doesn’t wish to take up arms. Unfortunately, Lord Tion follows Leia to Alderaan, taken enough with her to propose marriage (with a side offer of Imperial protection for Alderaan), but the meeting turns sour when Tion learns that Leia and her father have not only sympathized with the rebels, but have aided them. In an ensuing struggle, Tion takes a fatal tumble from a balcony in the royal palace, and Bail realizes that Alderaan can no longer escape involvement in intergalactic affairs. He sends Leia, once again in the Tantive IV, to the planet Toprawa to steal the plans for a top-secret Imperial superweapon mentioned by Tion before his death.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
based on the screenplay Star Wars by George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Categories
Season 06 Star Trek The Next Generation

Starship Mine

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 46682.4: The Enterprise stops at the Remler Array for a routine decontamination sweep. The sweep, however, requires the evacuation of the ship, since it will be conducted with a beam that is deadly to living tissue. At a nearby starbase, most of the crew tries to avoid Commander Hutchinson, an interminably boring officer hosting a reception. At the mention of horses on the planet, Picard decides to return to the Enterprise briefly to get his saddle, but while there, he notices that unauthorized modifications have been made by a team posing as starbase technicians. As the sweep begins with the aft end of the ship and moves slowly forward, Picard prepares to beam back to the starbase to warn security, but ship’s power is cut off due to the sweep, leaving Picard trapped on the ship with an unknown group of hostiles. Meanwhile, on the starbase, the rest of the Enterprise’s officers are taken hostage, and it becomes obvious that there is a well co-ordinated plan underway which involves the Enterprise.

Order the DVDswritten by Morgan Gendel
directed by Cliff Bole
music by Jay Chattaway

Cast: Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), David Spielberg (Commander Hutchinson), Marie Marshall (Kelsey), Tim Russ (Pel Orton), Glenn Morshower (Satler), Tom Nibley (Neil), Tim deZarn (Devor), Patricia Tallman (Kiros), Arlee Reed (Pomit), Alan Altshuld (Arkaria Base Guard), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 1 Sliders

Fever

SlidersQuinn and his friends visit a plague-stricken world which has been denied the benefits of modern medicine as they know it. They also discover that the disease sweeping the world may have been deliberately engineered – and that this world’s Quinn is accused of creating it. Now the trick is to evade capture long enough for the next slide…without contracting the disease themselves.

Order the DVDswritten by Ann Powell & Rose Schacht
directed by Mario Azzopardi
music by Mark Mothersbaugh

Guest Cast: Ken Pogue (Doctor Morgan), Allison Hossack (Doctor Stanley), Yee Jee Tso (Wing), William Sasso (Gomez Calhoun)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Jeremiah Season 1

To Sail Among The Stars

JeremiahJeremiah and Kurdy follow up on another of Simon’s leads, traveling to an impoverished village to learn about a group of people called the Burners. On the way, they stop for the night, and Jeremiah finds a young woman siphoning their truck’s gas tank. When he goes to stop her, she gets away after fending him off. The next day, their contact, a man named Eddie who runs a pool hall, isn’t eager to talk about that topic during business hours, but invites Jeremiah to come back later. Eddie reveals that the Burners are using what was once known as hot zone biohazard gear – airtight suits and flamethrowers – as a terrifying means of enforcing their will on others. Worse yet, despite the extinction of telephones, the internet, and radio, the Burners are somehow coordinating their attacks when their cells are in completely different cities. After giving this information to Jeremiah, Eddie is murdered later that night. Jeremiah also runs into the lady gas thief once more, and discovers that she’s keeping an awful lot of a very flammable liquid around rather than selling it…

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Neill Fearnley
music by Tim Truman

Guest Cast: Melissa Creider (Claire), G. Michael Gray (Eddie), Jason Gaffney (William), Meghan Black (Pregnant girl), Dalias Blake (First Guy), Mike Nyuis (Second guy), Shawn Stewart (Squatter), Gerry South (Hustler), Donny Lucas (Preacher), Martin Budny (Man), Ashley Whillans (12 year old Claire), Ben Odberg (Claire’s Dad)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Clone Wars Star Wars Tartakovsky Series, Vol. 1

Chapter 12

  • By Dave
  • March 29, 2004

Star Wars: Clone WarsMace Windu leads a contingent of clone troopers into battle against Separatist super battle droids on Dantooine. The Separatists unveil a new weapon, a seismic tank capable of punching huge craters into the ground. With a single strike, the tank flattens the Jedi’s troops – and separates him from his lightsaber.

Order the DVDsstory by Bryan Andrew, Darrick Bachman, Paul Rudish and Genndy Tartakovsky
directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
original music by John Williams
new music by James L. Venable and Paul Dinletir

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Lost Season 2

Lockdown

  • By Dave
  • March 29, 2006

LostFlashback: Locke is preparing to propose to Helen when she finds his father’s obituary. The two attend his funeral in an effort to find closure. But instead, Locke discovers that his father, Cooper, is alive, having faked his own death to hide from rather angry men that he swindled. Cooper needs Locke’s help to recover the ill-gotten gains and make his getaway. But helping his father puts Locke in the sights of Cooper’s victims . . . to say nothing of the questions he must dodge from Helen.

The Island: Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie find the balloon and the grave, exactly as Henry described it. Sawyer goads Jack into joining an informal game of Texas hold ‘em. But when Jack cleans up, he goads Sawyer into putting up real stakes – the medical supplies that were in the armory.

Inside the hatch, Locke is puzzled by a strange sound coming from the speakers. He realizes that it’s a countdown just before blast doors seal him and Henry inside. Locke is able to wedge a crowbar underneath one of the doors, but he can’t lift the door alone. Henry agrees to help him – if Locke promises to protect him against the others. Locke agrees, and they raise the door slightly. But when Locke tries to slide underneath, the door descends again, pinning his leg. Locke sends Henry to enter the code and push the button. Before things return to normal, Locke sees a set of symbols projected on the hatch ceiling. He is further relieved when Henry returns to assist him.

As Jack is returning to the hatch, Kate follows him, asking to use the shower. Jack puts her off, but offers to walk back to the beach with her. Before they do, however, they spot a flashing beacon – which signals the location of Dharma supplies that have been air-dropped onto the island. They are soon joined by the balloon hunters, who have done some digging of their own.

Order the DVDswritten by Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof
directed by Stephen Williams
music by Michael Giacchino

Guest Cast:Kevin Tighe (Cooper), Katey Sagal (Helen), Michael Emerson (Henry Gale), Andrea Gabriel (Nadia), Geoffrey Rivas (Father Chuck), Theo Coumbis (Jimmy Bane)

Notes: The beginning of Locke and Helen’s relationship was shown in this season’s Orientation.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
8th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

Brave New Town

Doctor Who: Brave NEw TownSeptember, 1991: the TARDIS brings the Doctor and Lucie to a town which seems to be frozen in time. With no electricity, nothing here has been cleaned for years, and the friendly locals have no problem with the idea that yesterday’s date was the same as today’s – just like tomorrow’s will be. Surrounding the town is a bleak desert, though everyone living there swears that the tide is out. One thing disrupts the calm here: armored vehicles routinely patrol the area, crossing the desert that shouldn’t be there, and all the locals have to do to avoid detection is stand still. Lucie is captured by one of the patrols, and discovers that their occupants seem fairly certain that it’s 2008. The Doctor, trying to track down a missing local girl, discovers that the town – and the desert – are actually deep inside the borders of Uzbekistan, and that the locals are anything but. They’re Autons who, without control from the Nestene Consciousness, have blended in to the point that they think they’re human. But somewhere in the desert, a Nestene control unit is trying to re-establish contact with its Auton army, and the innocuous townsfolk may justify the armed presence patrolling their home.

Order this CDwritten by Jonathan Clements
directed by Jason Haigh-Ellery
music by ERS

Cast: Paul McGann (The Doctor), Sheridan Smith (Lucie Miller), Derek Griffiths (Jason Taylor), Adrian Dunbar (McCarthy), Lorna Want (Sally Taylor), Nick Wilton (PC Sharp / Karimov), Katarina Olsson (Margaret / Vitas)

Notes: This marks the Autons’ first appearance in a Big Finish audio production; they had already appeared as both the first villain and the first classic villain in 2005’s Rose, the first episode of the new TV series. The Autons also inspired a trilogy of fan-made video productions in the 1990s, though the interpretation of them seen there is very different from either Rose or Brave New Town.

Timeline: after Max Warp and before The Skull Of Sobek

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green