Day: May 7, 1973

Categories
Classic Season 1 Tomorrow People

Slaves Of Jedikiah – Part 2

Tomorrow PeopleJedikiah and his thugs interrogate Stephen, trying to gauge his emerging powers while learning more about their rivals, the Tomorrow People. Using the telekinetic ability of Jimmy, the youngest Tomorrow Person, Carol and John, the team’s leader, home in on where Stephen is being held, and rescue him from Jedikiah and an entity known only as Cyclops. The return to their top-secret base, built into an abandoned section of the London Underground, introducing Stephen to TIM, the sentient computer whose information helps to guide their efforts. There’s just one problem: Stephen isn’t entirely in control of his actions.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Brian Finch and Roger Price
directed by Paul Bernard
music by Dudley Simpson

Tomorrow PeopleCast: Sammie Winmill (Carol), Nicholas Young (John), Peter Vaughan-Clarke (Stephen), Stephen Salmon (Kenny), Francis de Wolff (Jedikiah), Michael Standing (Ginge), Derek Crewe (Lefty), Philip Gilbert (TIM), Robert Bridges (Cyclops), Patricia Denys (Mrs. Jameson), Peter Weston (Policeman)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Original Series 1 Survivors

Corn Dolly

Survivors (1970s series)On the run after Wormley’s men discovered their shelter, Abby, Greg and Jenny encounter another small group of survivors, decidedly more friendly than any of Wormley’s thugs. Their leader, Charles, is open and seems to share Abby’s desire to restart society in simpler, more peaceful terms. Not only does Charles seem to have the same goals as Abby, but joining up with his group would save her the responsibility of personally leading what remains of humanity. Charles’ group seems to have abundant resources, and they’ve already begun planting crops. But when Abby and her friends return to Charles’ commune with him, they find that many of his followers are deathly ill. Abby soon discovers that her definition of mercy, and her ideas for ensuring humanity’s survival, may not be the same things Charles has in mind after all.

written by Jack Ronder
directed by Pennant Roberts
music by Anthony Isaac

Cast: Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston), Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards), Denis Lill (Charles), Yvonne Bonnamy (Isla), Annie Hayes (Loraine), Keith Jayne (Mick), June Bolton (Tessa), Maureen Nelson (Woman)

Notes: This episode is the source of much information about the state of post-plague England; the estimated population of the entire island is down to 10,000, and no more than one person from any given immediate family seems to have survived. The domestic cat has also mysteriously vanished in the wake of the disease. It is, however, possible that Charles invented these statistics to make the idea of joining his commune more appealing and urgent.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Man From Atlantis Movies

Man From Atlantis II: The Death Scouts

Man From AtlantisThe disappearance of scuba divers and sightings of strange coloration and other phenomena at sea attracts the attention of the Institute for Oceanic Research, where “Mark Harris” is still being studied by Dr. Elizabeth Merrill. One of the divers turns up dead, while the other two resurface, now with physical similarities to Mark, including a dependence on being underwater, webbed hands, and other powers. They quickly prove to be dangerous, even to Mark himself. He finds their base – a submerged spacecraft from another planet – containing evidence that they are from the same place as him. Once captured, they admit this as well, and claim to be among the last survivors of Mark’s home planet, adrift and looking for a new home to colonize. Torn between the promise of learning more about his origins, or maintaining the trust of his new human allies, Mark faces an agonizing choice.

written by Robert Lewin
directed by Marc Daniels
music by Fred Karlin

Man From AtlantisCast: Patrick Duffy (Mark Harris), Belinda J. Montgomery (Dr. Elizabeth Merrill), Kenneth Tigar (Dr. Miller Simon), Alan Fudge (C.W. Crawford), Tiffany Bolling (Lioa), Burr DeBenning (Xos), Stanley Clay (Boy), Alan Mandell (Grant Stockwood), Annette Cardona (Ginny Mendoza), Hank Stohl (Sub Captain Wes), Russell L. Arms (Medical Examiner), Arch Archambault (Second Officer), Michael J. London (Air Lock Man), Vincent Deadrick (Herb Wayland), Maurice Hill (Lou), Joel Lawrence (Hot Tub Manager), Maralyn Thoma (Myrtle), Dick Winslow (Fish Store Clerk)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Quark

Quark (Pilot)

QuarkA United Galaxy Sanitation Patrol vessel commanded by Adam Quark makes its garbage-collection rounds in deep space, seldom – if ever – encountering anything that remotely resembles adventure or danger. Quark’s crew includes Gene/Jean, who has a full set of male and female chromosomes and abruptly lurches between extremes of masculinity and femininity, the voluptuous clones Betty and Betty, a cowardly robot named Andy, and crankly science officer O.B. Mudd, who’s itching for a transfer off of Quark’s ship. On space station Perma One, the hub of the space fleet that protects the United Galaxy, a catastrophic space explosion is detected, hurling a gigantic cloud of living protein into space, consuming everything in its path… including any and all life. Perma One’s chief bureaucrat, Otto Palindrome, consults with the enigmatic Head of the United Galaxy, and reaches only one conclusion: Adam Quark and his crew are the perfect people to undertake a mission to stop the cloud before it can consume all life in the universe. The one drawback to which Quark might object is that it’s a suicide mission. But Palindrome and the Head have that angle covered too: they’ll just neglect to mention that minor detail to Quark.

written by Buck Henry
directed by Peter H. Hunt
music by Perry Botkin, Jr.

Cast: Richard Benjamin (Adam Quark), Timothy Thomerson (Gene/Jean), Douglas V. Fowley (O.B. Mudd), Tricia Barnett (Betty), Cibbie Barnett (Betty), Conrad Janis (Otto Palindrome), Alan Caillou (The Head), Misty Rowe (Interface), Bobby Porter (Andy)

QuarkNotes: Buck Henry, the creator and head writer of Get Smart, devised Quark as a satirical answer to Star Trek and other recent SF shows, and to drive the point home the series frequently used the well-known sound effects from the original Star Trek. Tim Thomerson, as Gene/Jean, would become a well-known fixture in movies and TV from the ’70s onward, racking up a mind-boggling list of mainstream credits; among his genre gigs were two episodes as has-been warrior Meleager on Xena: Warrior Princess, the short-lived Richard Dean Anderson/John de Lancie UPN steampunk series Legend, Sliders, Lois & Clark, and the first episode of Babylon 5 spinoff Crusade. The first episode of Quark ran to a half-hour with commercials, and aired as a one-off comedy on NBC; response was favorable enough for a series to be green-lighted, though it wouldn’t premiere until nine months later, by which time another science fiction saga that debuted mere days after Quark’s broadcast premiere would provide the show’s writers with a whole new target for satire.

Categories
1980s Miniseries V

V: The Final Battle – Part II

VThe resistance gets an unexpected, and unwanted, offer of help from a pair of hard-nosed mercenaries named Ham Tyler and Chris Farber. Donovan and Tyler go way back – Donovan knows Tyler as a soldier of fortune who’ll fight any war he’s paid to. But Tyler brings a token of goodwill – a new kind of ammo that’s highly efffective against the Visitors’ new armor – and a warning that an alien offensive againt the resistance’s headquarters is mere moments away. Tyler and Farber cover the resistance fighters as they make their escape, destroying their old headquarters – and many of the alien attackers – in the process. The resistance finds a new headquarters, but Tyler insists that it should find new management too: a worldwide movement to drive the Visitors off of Earth has formed, and while Donovan’s cell is getting highly visible results, it’s not coordinating with the resistance movement worldwide, with potentially disastrous results. On the Visitors’ mothership, Diana tries to condition Julie, but she won’t break until Diana uses the most extreme measures available to her, which could kill Julie before they succeed in brainwashing her. But Diana has other obstacles to her power as well, in the form of another mothership which arrives under the command of Pamela, her superior.

Martin and the fifth column within the Visitors’ ranks stage an incident to convince Diana and Pamela that Julie and the other prisoners would be more secure on Earth, where Tyler helps to mount a daring raid to rescue her. Even after the raid – which costs Ruby’s life – Tyler is firmly convinced that Julie has been turned to the Visitors’ side. Donovan still believes in her enough to take Julie along on the next resistance raid, this time on a water pumping facility that could leave California a desert within a month. After the pumping station is destroyed, however, Diana plays her trump card – she offers to exchange Donovan’s son for Donovan himself. Aboard the mothership, Diana injects Donovan with a truth drug and forces him to reveal his fifth column contact. When Martin is exposed, he helps Donovan escape. And in the new resistance headquarters, Robin Maxwell is giving birth…and the baby isn’t quite human.

Order the DVDteleplay by Brian Taggert and Diane Frolov
story by Lillian Weezer & Faustus Buck & Diane Frolov & Peggy Goldman
directed by Richard T. Heffron
music by Dennis McCarthy
additional music by Barry de Vorzon & Joseph Conlan

Cast: Marc Singer (Mike Donovan), Faye Grant (Dr. Julie Parrish), Jane Badler (Diana), Michael Durrell (Robert Maxwell), Michael Wright (Elias Taylor), Blair Tefkin (Robin Maxwell), Neva Patterson (Eleanor Dupres), David Packer (Daniel Bernstein), Robert Englund (Willie), Richard Herd (John), Thomas Hill (Father Doyle), Michael Ironside (Ham Tyler), Peter Nelson (Brian), Andrew Prine (Steven), Sandy Simpson (Mark), Denise Galik (Maggie), Jason Bernard (Caleb Taylor), Rafael Campos (Sancho Gomez), Sarah Douglas (Pamela), Hansford Rowe (Arthur Dupres), Frank Ashmore (Martin), Diane Civita (Harmony Moore), Viveka Davis (Polly Maxwell), Mickey Jones (Chris Farber), Marin May (Katie Maxwell), Camila Ashlend (Ruby Engels), Greta Blackburn (Lorraine), Eric Johnston (Sean Donovan), Dick Miller (Dan Pascal), Stack Pierce (Visitor Captain), Don Starr (Dr. Walker)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
KTMA Season Mystery Science Theater 3000

Experiment K18: The Million Eyes Of Sumuru

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The KTMA SeasonMST3K Story: A “previously on Mystery Science Theater 3000” segment is presented where we see flashbacks to Joel floating naked in space while the Bots discuss the ramifications. The Mads are finally able to get Joel back and take the opportunity to mock him. When movie sign comes, Joel says he “can’t wait” to get his hands on the Bots. Ultimately, Joel fits the Bots with “Idio-probes” as punishment. They still don’t seem very remorseful. They do, however, fess up that Gypsy got caught in the “spiral-on-down” and they left her there. Joel frees her with a “Robo-Purge” button. Almost an hour into the movie, Servo mentions that he has to “make brownies for the pine wood derby” and won’t be able to watch the rest of the movie (although he can come out of the kitchen for the host segments). Joel tries to do a Courtroom sketch, but the Bots cause it to degenerate quickly into a wacky stream-of-consciousness piece. Later, the Bots question Joel on how he could survive in Space for the five weeks since they had left him there. Joel responds with an acoustic rendition of the section of the MST3K theme about reminding oneself “it’s just a show.” After the movie, Joel has to move Servo’s mouth for him, since it’s broken. Joel also mentions that there are nine hundred members of the fan club so far and again gives information on joining before sending it back to Earth.

The Million Eyes Of Sumuru Story: The death of a secretary to an Eastern dignitary indicates danger for President Boong, leader of an Eastern nation. CIA Agent Nick West is contacted to look into the death. Along for the ride is West’s buddy, millionaire Tommy Carter. Initial investigations lead the two to Sumuru’s villa, where Carter learns that Sumuru is placing her operatives all over the world by having them marry or become the girlfriends of prominent men. When they are discovered, Carter and West find themselves framed for murder and on their way to the Orient to continue the chase. As soon as they arrive, West is kidnapped by Sumuru and blackmailed into joining her in a scheme to get close to President Boong by impersonating a new member of Boong’s staff and arranging for the President’s assassination. While Sumuru “distracts” West for a while, the first attempt is made, but it is foiled by the use of a double, who is killed in the President’s place. West is taken to Sumuru’s headquarters while Carter, with the help of defecting Sumuru Agent Helga, puts together a rescue. Carter and the authorities storm Sumuru’s headquarters, rescue West and blast the place to the ground, leaving Sumuru defeated and apparently dead.

MST3K segments written by Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Josh Weinstein, Jim Mallon & Kevin Murphy;
additional writing by Brian Funk
MST3K segments directed by Todd Ziegler
The Million Eyes Of Sumuru written by Kevin Kavanagh
from a story by Harry Alan Towers
based on the stories by Sax Rohmer
The Million Eyes Of Sumuru directed by Lindsay Shonteff
The Million Eyes Of Sumuru music by John Scott

MST3K Guest Cast: none

The Million Eyes Of Sumuru Cast: Frankie Avalon (Tommy Carter), George Nader (Nick West), Shirley Eaton (Sumuru), Wilfrid Hyde-White (Colonel Baisbrook), Klaus Kinski (President Boong), Patti Chandler (Louise), Salli Sachse (Mikki), Ursula Rank (Erno), Krista Nell (Zoe), Maria Rohm (Helga), Paul Chang (Inspector Koo), Essie Huang (Kitty), Jon Fong (Colonel Medika)

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey

Categories
Season 03 Star Trek The Next Generation

The Most Toys

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 43872.2: Data is kidnapped by a greedy collector of one-of-a-kind items and species who considers the android a prize for his collection and fools the crew of the Enterprise into thinking that Data has been killed in a freak shuttle accident. Data then squares off in a grueling psychological battle with his captor and almost tastes vengeance for the first time as the only person willing to help him escape is killed in cold blood by the unscrupulous hoarder.

Order the DVDswritten by Shari Goodhartz
directed by Timothy Bond
music by Dennis McCarthy

Guest Cast: Saul Rubinek (Kivas Fajo), Nehemiah Persoff (Toff), Jane Daly (Varria), Colm Meaney (Chief O’Brien)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 03 Star Trek Voyager

Displaced

Star Trek: VoyagerStardate 50912.4: As Nyrians begin appearing on the Voyager at 9:20 intervals, crewmembers begin to disappear at the same rate. Although the visitors seem peaceful, Janeway suspects an organized takeover. Her suspicions are confirmed as the crew find themselves in a holographically generated environment where they are held prisoner. The startling appearance of a fellow prisoner from an adjoining “cell” makes them realize how to move between areas of what turns out to be a giant ship filled with different environments and a command center with an extremely long-range transporter.

Order the DVDswritten by Lisa Klink
directed by Allan Kroeker
music by Jay Chattaway

Guest Cast: Deborah Levin (Lang), Mark L. Taylor (Jarlath), James Noah (Rislan), Kenneth Tigar (Dammar), Nancy Youngblut (Taleen), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

LogBook entry by Paul Campbell

Categories
Farscape Season 1

I, E.T.

  • By Dave
  • May 7, 1999

FarscapeThe crew discovers a homing beacon installed inside Moya, broadcasting their location to the Peacekeepers. To muffle the signal, Moya buries itself in a bog, and Crichton, Aeryn and D’Argo disembark to gather an element needed to anesthetize Moya during the beacon’s removal. Crichton is quickly separated and finds himself in the hands of the natives, who have yet to journey into space or encounter visitors from other worlds. Because of the delay, Rygel begins the surgery to remove the crystal with only Zhaan’s empathic ability to draw away Moya’s pain.

Order the DVDswritten by Sally Lapiduss
directed by Pino Amenta
music by Subvision

Guest Cast: Mary Mara (Lyneea), Cayde Tasker (Fostro), Boris Brkic (Ryymax)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Season 6 Xena: Warrior Princess

When Fates Collide

Xena: Warrior PrincessJulius Caesar has escaped from the underworld and chained the Fates. Thinking it unfair that he ended up in Tartarus and Xena continues to live on with Gabrielle, he has decided to change a past mistake he made with the warrior. The Fates try to talk him out of it, but he’s determined and cuts her life thread just where he wants it and reinserts it back into the loom.

In this new reality, Caesar is Emperor of Rome and discussing matters with an aide when Brutus appears. He tells Caesar that Lao Ma has sent emissaries with a treaty. As they turn to enter the palace to greet the emissaries, a lone warrior on horseback arrives at the gate. The warrior easily disables the guard and shoots arrows toward Caesar and Brutus – and reveals herself to be Xena.

Order the DVDswritten by Kathrine Fugate
directed by John Fawcett
music by Joseph LoDuca

Guest Cast: Karl Urban (Julius Caesar), David Franklin (Brutus), Claire Stansfield (Alti), Ted Raimi (Joxer), Elizabeth Pendegrast (Atropos), Leah Mizrahi (Clotho), Chloe Jordan (Lachesis), Adrian Kwan (Emissary #1), David Tomison Passmore (Male Actor), Debbie Newby (Female Actor)

LogBook entry by Mary Terrell

Categories
Enterprise Season 02 Star Trek

Regeneration

Star Trek: EnterpriseAn expedition to investigate debris detected in the Arctic Circle disappears without any communication. Not long afterward, their ship is detected leaving Earth on a heading for deep space, and Captain Archer is ordered to intercept the ship. The Enterprise arrives just in time to see the expedition’s ship – now heavily modified – attacking a Tarkalean vessel. The expedition ship – whose specs rate it as slower and unarmed – easily fights off the Enterprise and escapes. Archer brings two Tarkalean survivors aboard, where Phlox finds that they have already fallen victim to a nanotech “infection” that spreads throughout the body, slowly replacing organs and limbs with cybernetic implants. One of them attacks Phlox, injecting him with the same nanotech devices, and they escape and begin modifying the Enterprise’s systems. When Reed and a security team try to stop the Tarkaleans, the intruders have adapted to the crew’s phase pistols with their own personal shields. An message is soon sent to the Enterprise – resistance is futile…and Archer’s crew will be assimilated.

Order DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Mike Sussman & Phyllis Strong
directed by David Livingston
music by Brian Tyler

Guest Cast: Chris Wynne (Dr. Moninger), Bonita Friedericy (Rooney), John Short (Drake), Adam Harrington (Researcher), Vaughn Armstrong (Admiral Forrest), Jim Fitzpatrick (Commander Williams), Mark Chadwick (Male Tarkalean), Nicole Randal (Female Tarkalean), Paul Scott (Foster)

Notes: Dr. Phlox references the Binars (from the first season Next Generation episode 11001001). The Borg sphere found on Earth is the wreckage of the ship shot down by the Enterprise-E in Star Trek: First Contact, and apparently after the events of that movie, Zephram Cochrane revealed the presence of both the Borg and Captain Picard’s crew, but his story was discounted and he later recanted it. Guest star Bonita Friedericy is the wife of series regular John “Dr. Phlox” Billingsley.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Doctor Who New Series Season 01

The Long Game

Doctor WhoThe Doctor, Rose and Adam, a brilliant young computer whiz rescued from Van Statten’s underground stronghold, arrive in the year 200,000 aboard Earth-orbiting Satellite 5. But from the moment they step out of the TARDIS, the Doctor begins to suspect that something is wrong: human technology hasn’t advanced to the level he would have expected, and he begins to suspect that someone’s interfering in human history. The technology is more than enough to impress Adam, though, but his fascination takes a self-serving turn as he decides to take advantage of the opportunity to take knowledge of future history home – and cash in. The Doctor and Rose investigate the unusual buildup of heat within Satellite 5, following the trail to Floor 500, a closely-guarded secret rumored to be the headquarters of Satellite 5’s best and brightest. In reality, it’s the lair of an alien intelligence that has humanity in its thrall. It wants the secrets of time travel from the Doctor – and if the Doctor won’t surrender those secrets, perhaps Adam will…

Order the DVDDownload this episodewritten by Russell T. Davies
directed by Brian Grant
music by Murray Gold

Guest Cast: Bruno Langley (Adam), Colin Prockter (Head Chef), Christine Adams (Cathica), Anna Maxwell-Martin (Suki), Simon Pegg (The Editor), Tamsin Greig (Nurse), Judy Holt (Adam’s Mum)

Reviews by Philip R. Frey & Earl Green
LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Doctor Who New Series Season 06

The Curse Of The Black Spot

Doctor WhoCaptain Henry Avery and his pirate ship crew have fallen upon hard times, haunted by a deadly curse: any man among them who sheds so much as a single drop of blood sees a black spot appear on his hand, and the next time the seafaring Siren appears on the ship, that man will be destroyed by her. Worse yet, a large blue box is found in the hold, containing three stowaways who, despite their insistence that they’re here to help, must be trying to take Avery’s loot after waiting for the Siren to pick off the rest of his crew. Another stowaway is revealed: Avery’s young son, convinced that his father is a fine, upstanding Naval officer and unprepared for the truth. When Rory’s hand is cut and the black spot appears on his hand, the Doctor and Amy are fighting not just to keep the Siren from devouring Avery’s crew, but one of their own as well.

Order the DVDDownload this episodewritten by Steve Thompson
directed by Jeremy Webb
music by Murray Gold

Cast: Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (Rory), Hugh Bonneville (Captain Henry Avery), Oscar Lloyd (Toby Avery), Lee Ross (The Boatswain), Michael Begley (Mulligan), Tony Lucken (De Florres), Chris Jarman (Dancer), Carl McCrystal (McGrath), Lily Cole (The Siren)

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green