Day: June 17, 1981

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Into The Labyrinth Season 1

Revolution

Into The LabyrinthRothgo is in trouble. Weakened by his most recent battle with Belor, he is vulnerable to her abilities to twist his mind, and she causes him to forget his three young helpers. Phil, Terry and Helen are sent off-course in their plunge through time and the labyrinth, while Rothgo is convicted as a practitioner of forbidden magic and sentenced to execution. Phil, Helen and Terry find him, but he doesn’t recognize them. Even as he slowly regains his power and his wits, Rothgo is at a disadvantage this time.

Order the DVDswritten by Ray Jenkins
directed by Peter Graham Scott
music by Sidney Sager

Into The LabyrinthCast: Ron Moody (Rothgo), Pamela Salem (Belor), Lisa Turner (Helen), Simon Henderson (Terry), Simon Beal (Phil), Tim Bannerman (Pierre), John Abineri (Julien), Philip Manikum (Guard)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 04 Star Trek The Next Generation

Redemption

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 44995.3: The Enterprise is summoned to the Klingon homeworld so Picard may fulfill his final duty as arbiter of the succession of power there. Gowron intercepts the Enterprise before it arrives, warning Picard that Klingon civil war is brewing. Gowron, about to take control of the empire, is challenged by Lursa and B’etor, the sisters of Duras, who offer his son Toral as an alternative candidate for the throne. Picard, attempting to remain completely neutral in order to avoid accusations that the Federation is taking a hand in Klingon politics, denies Toral’s challenge. Those who would the family of Duras attack Gowron’s ship as he and Worf discuss the redemption of Worf’s family honor. Worf’s brother, Kurn, who now leads four squadrons of Klingon ships, saves Gowron from the attackers, but the victory is only temporary. With the revelation that Kurn is also a member of Worf’s family, Gowron returns Worf’s honor to him. Gowron then requests Federation assistance from Picard, who refuses, citing the recent attack as strictly internal Klingon matters to be dealt with only by the Empire, without Federation interference. Worf requests a leave of absence to stay temporarily on Gowron’s ship. When Picard denies permission to do this, Worf resigns from Starfleet and leaves anyway. After Worf departs, the Enterprise leaves the Klingon homeworld to avoid any further involvement. But on the Klingon planet, in the quarters of Lursa and B’etor, a Romulan officer in the shadows steps forth and predicts that Picard may return because “humans have a way of showing up when you least expect them.” And this is very true, for the words come from a woman who bears a very strong resemblance to Tasha Yar…in Romulan uniform.

Order the DVDswritten by Ronald D. Moore
directed by Cliff Bole
music by Dennis McCarthy

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), Robert O’Reilly (Gowron), Tony Todd (Captain Kurn), Barbara March (Lursa), Gwynyth Walsh (B’etor), Ben Slack (K’Tal), Nicholas Kepros (Movar), J.D. Cullum (Toral), Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan), Tom Ormeny (Klingon First Officer), Clifton Jones (Helmsman), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice), Denise Crosby (Sela)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Deep Space Nine Season 04 Star Trek

Broken Link

Star Trek: Deep Space NineStardate 49962.4: As Gowron agitates for the Federation to pull out of a sector claimed by the Klingon Empire, Odo begins suffering from a destabilization of his molecular structure which makes it difficult for him to maintain solid form. The only answer is for the Defiant to take Odo into Dominion space and ask for the Founders’ assistance. The Founders agree – in fact, they admit to causing Odo’s condition to force him to return and be judged for killing another Changeling. Odo accepts their judgment, pays the price…and learns a secret that will shake the Alpha Quadrant.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonteleplay by Robert Hewitt Wolfe & Ira Steven Behr
story by George A. Brozak
directed by Les Landau
music by Jay Chattaway

Guest Cast: Salome Jens (Female Changeling), Robert O’Reilly (Gowron), Jill Jacobson (Aroya), Leslie Bevis (Freighter Captain), Andrew J. Robinson (Garak), Andrew Hawkes (Amat’igan)

LogBook entry by Tracy Hemenover

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Babylon 5 / Crusade Season 5

Movements of Fire and Shadow

Babylon 5As the Alliance worlds are plunged into yet another bloody war, this time against the might and unusual strategy of the Centauri, Sheridan asks Delenn to go to Minbar and ask the Grey Council to approve construction of more ships using the technology of the White Star fleet. After an unusual experience on Centauri Prime, Londo talks his way out of his cell and begs the Regent to stop the war before any more lives on both sides are lost – but his requests are met with cryptic and terrifying answers. Lochley finds out, almost too late, that even Babylon 5 isn’t safe from the aggression of the Centauri. Franklin and Lyta find out, just too late, that perhaps the Centauri are not fighting their own war after all. But for the Centauri homeworld, and the man who will rule it at the dawn of the next day, it is too late by far.

Order now!Download this episodewritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by John C. Flinn III
music by Christopher Franke

Guest Cast: Wayne Alexander (Drakh), Josh Clark (Kulomani), Joshua Cox (Lt. Corwin), Damian London (Regent), Thomas MacGreevy (Minister), Bart McCarthy (Daro), Robin Sachs (Na’Tok), Neil Bradley (Dr. Uterana Varta)

Notes: Sheridan’s discussion about creating a destroyer-class White Star ship is later realized in the Excalibur, the ship on which the spinoff series Crusade takes place.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

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Season 2 Witchblade

Agape

WitchbladeJake McCarty is assigned to work with Dean, an undercover narcotics cop with a reputation for being a dangerously loose cannon, when two teenagers turn up dead with an unidentified drug in their systems. Pez does some digging of her own and discovers that a new drug – which relieves its users of any fear or sense of self-preservation but vastly increases their strength and adrenaline – is making the rounds. She also encounters Ian again, who pledged that he would take vengeance upon her for killing Kenneth Irons, but now Irons’ henchman has changed his tune, promising to protect Pezzini whether she likes it or not. Dean uses Jake to set up a sting operation, but when the drug dealers take Jake’s gun from him, Dean comes in shooting. The sting turns into a massacre – and most of the shots fired by the dealers will be traced back to Jake’s gun. Dean turns on the wounded Jake and tries to kill him, but Jake gets away. When the police arrive, Dean pins the blame on Jake. The rookie cop is now on the run from enemies and friends alike, and only Pezzini believes he’s innocent. But even she might have a hard time believing who’s been helping Jake stay alive.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonwritten by Larry Barber & Paul Barber
directed by Paul Holahan
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Kathryn Winslow (Vicki), Robert John Burke (Dean), Robert Procelli (?), Louis De Franco (?), Ted Kerva (?), Luciana Lada (?), Philip Eccles (?), Daniel Petrovjvic (?), Angelo Tualt (?), Sasha Ormond (?), Jordan Barker (?), Wayne Ward (?), Robert Racij (?), James Binriew (?), and Lazar

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Doctor Who New Series Season 02

Love & Monsters

Doctor WhoElton Page’s path has been crossed by the Doctor on more than one occasion, but in the past couple of years the encounters have come with more and more frequency. Trying to find out what it all means, Elton meets a blogger named Ursula, who has seen the Doctor in person. The two of them become good friends, eventually finding out that there are others who share their fascination with the Doctor and the TARDIS, but their tight-knit group – which Elton names LINDA (the London Investigation ‘N’ Detective Agency) – evolves beyond that interest, giving all of its offbeat members a place to call home. That is, until Victor Kennedy arrives on the scene. With seemingly limitless resources, and an unusually intense interest in the Doctor’s whereabouts, Kennedy begins assigning “homework” to Elton, Ursula and their friends. Some of the members of LINDA stop attending meetings without a further word, and finally Elton speaks up, refusing to do Kennedy’s bidding any more. But when Kennedy reveals his true identity – a creature who absorbs not just the minds but the physical mass of its prey – Elton realizes that it may take the Doctor to save him again. But every time the Doctor appears in Elton’s life, terrible things happen – and even this occasion will be no exception.

Download this episodewritten by Russell T. Davies
directed by Dan Zeff
music by Murray Gold

Guest Cast: Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Peter Kay (Victor Kennedy), Marc Warren (Elton Page), Shirley Henderson (Ursula Blake), Simon Greenall (Mr. Skinner), Moya Brady (Bridget), Kathryn Drysdale (Bliss), Paul Kasey (The Hoix), Bella Emberg (Mrs. Crook)

Notes: The author of this guide happens to agree with Elton that you can’t beat a bit of ELO. “Mr. Blue Sky,” excerpted repeatedly in the episode, originally appeared on the 1977 album Out Of The Blue, as does “Turn To Stone” (heard in the Tyler household), while LINDA’s song of choice is “Don’t Bring Me Down,” from Discovery (1979). The Abzorbaloff was created by William Grantham, a young Blue Peter viewer who participated in a competition during the first season to create a monster that would feature in the series itself. LINDA – not the same group, mind you, but the Liverpool Investigation ‘n’ Detective Agency – was originally invented in an episode of the children’s show Why Don’t You?, written by Russell T. Davies during his tenure as a producer on the show (1988-92).

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green