Day: July 14, 1997

Categories
Radio & Audio Dramas Star Wars

Dark Lords Of The Sith

Star Wars: Dark Lords Of The SithDark side novices Satal and Aleema, fresh from discovering secrets of the dark side in the tomb of Sith Lord Freedon Nadd on Onderon, return to their home world, where they depose their father as ruler and hold the populace in the thrall of their evil powers. Word of the takeover reaches the Jedi, who dispatch Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider to lead a Republic battle fleet to restore freedom. Meanwhile, another Jedi arrives on Onderon to investigate Lord Nadd’s tomb, a young Jedi named Exar Kun who has become a little too fixated on learning the secrets of the dark side. Defying his Jedi mentor’s wishes and lying about his credentials, Exar Kun learns that the spirit of Freedon Nadd is very much intact – and capable of teaching him everything he wants to know about the dark side of the Force.

The Republic fleet trying to remove Aleema and Satal from power is routed and regroups before another attempt. In addition to the rising tide of the dark side, the actions of Exar Kun are of great concern to the Jedi. But an attack on the Jedi meeting place results in the death of Jedi Master Arca. Ulic, who is already proposing that he go undercover as a fellow dark side acolyte to recover Kun, is griefstricken. Now even more certain that he’ll need to pose as a fallen Jedi to bring Exar Kun either back to the light or to justice, Ulic is willing to do things that the Jedi order would never allow to accomplish his mission and avenge Arca’s death – but that path may lead him to fall to the dark side himself.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the comic by Kevin J. Anderson and Tom Veitch
directed by Arthur G. Insana
music by John Williams

Cast: John Cygan (Ulic Qel-Droma), Glynnis Talken (Nomi Sunrider), Jim Ward (Master Arca), Peter Reneday (Exar Kun), Jack Noseworthy (Cay Qel-Droma), Jocelyn Blue (Aleema), Philip Clarke (Freedon Nadd)

Notes: There are roughly twice as many speaking parts in this audio play than there are names in the cast list, including critical characters such as Satal and Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas; as several voices are distorted by somewhat obvious electronic means, these other characters may simply be the credited cast members doubling or tripling up on roles. Also, Master Arca’s body vanishes after his death, which is said to be the Jedi way, though this is invalidated by the prequel films (which were produced after both the original Dark Horse comics and these audio adaptations), which make it explicitly clear that this way of “becoming one with the Force” was discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn and later learned by Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Babylon 5 / Crusade Spinoff: Crusade

Ruling From The Tomb

CrusadeThe Earth Alliance convenes a conference on Mars to organize and focus the efforts to defeat the plague. When one of Trace’s former colleagues, a last-minute invitee to the conference, is murdered by a doomsday cult, it renews a crisis of faith for the pilot. Lochley and Gideon clash with each other and with local authorities over control of the investigation, and try to get to know each other better – despite their belief that each already knows the other far too well. Max attempts to escort Dureena through the streets of his hometown, but ends up needing protection himself. A subsequent murder and an attack on Trace set the stage for the cult’s final act – the destruction of Earth’s best minds, and with them, all hope for a cure.

Order the DVDswritten by Peter David
directed by John Copeland
music by Evan H. Chen

Cast: Gary Cole (Captain Matthew Gideon), Tracy Scoggins (Captain Elizabeth Lochley), Daniel Dae Kim (Lt. Matheson), Carrie Dobro (Dureena Nafeel), David Allen Brooks (Max Eilerson), Marjean Holden (Dr. Sarah Chambers), Peter Woodward (Galen), Alex Mendoza (Trace Miller), Juanita Jennings (Lieutenant Carr), John Novak (Doctor Alain LeBeque), Fred Estrada (Cultist #1), Mario Roberts (Passerby), Jason Rodriguez (Rivera), Harley Zumbrum (Spuser)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Season 04 SG-1 Stargate

Upgrades

Stargate SG-1Two representatives from the Tok’ra arrive, bearing gifts – relics of an extinct race that, according to the Tok’ra’s best minds, should give their wearers superhuman strength. However, due to the Tok’ra’s symbiotes, the irony is that they’re incapable of using the devices. O’Neill, Carter and Daniel are chosen to be the guinea pigs for this experiment, and as the Tok’ra promise, the alien armbands give all three of them superhuman strength and speed and mental agility – but there’s also a price, such as a superhuman appetite and what Dr. Fraiser warns is an unsafely high body temperature. On Fraiser’s advice, General Hammond orders the use of the alien gear discontinued, only to find that O’Neill and the other test subjects are physically unable to remove them. Dr. Fraiser suspects that the Tok’ra knew this would happen, and her suspicions are confirmed – and the Tok’ra now admit that they would like to “borrow” the new and improved SG-1 for a mission to take out Apophis’ powerful new warship, a feat that the Tok’ra have thus far failed to accomplish for themselves.

Order the DVDswritten by David Rich
directed by Martin Wood
music by Joel Goldsmith, Richard Band and Kevin Kiner

Guest Cast: Vanessa Angel (Anise), Teryl Rothery (Dr. Fraiser), Dan Shea (Sgt. Siler), Kristina Copeland (Waitress), Frank Topol (Big Guy), Bill Nikolai (Technician #1), Laara Sadiq (Technician #2), Daniel Melles (SF#1), Tracy Westerholm (SF#2), Fraser Aitcheson (Jaffa Commander), Shawn Reis (Jaffa)

Notes: Guest star Vanessa Angel is best known for starring as Lisa on the TV series based on the movie Weird Science; she was later cast as a warrior princess named Xena in a three-episode stretch of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but fell ill before the filming dates and was replaced by a New Zealand actress named Lucy Lawless. Daniel deciphers the inscriptions on the alien devices to mean “with great power comes great responsibility” – apparently this alien culture once read The Amazing Spider-Man.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Farscape Season 2

My Three Crichtons

  • By Dave
  • July 14, 2000

FarscapeAn energy penetrates Moya and envelops Crichton. When Aeryn fires on it, the sphere embeds itself into the ship and spits Crichton out. Then it spits out another Crichton, or at least a primitive Neanderthalesque version thereof . . . and then yet another, this time a cranially enhanced, “highly evolved” edition. While Chiana attends to the past Crichton, the present and future versions figure out the sphere’s purpose – it collects and tests specimens of life forms from this dimension, and it wants to collect data on humans. The only problem is that the trip back to the sphere’s home dimension is likely fatal – and if one of the Crichtons doesn’t volunteer, the sphere will just bring Moya and all its crew. To save everyone, one Crichton must sacrifice himself . . . but who’s willing to volunteer, and will the rest of the crew agree with his decision?

Order the DVDsstory by Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr.
teleplay by Grant McAloon
directed by Catherine Millar
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: none

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Farscape Season 3

Meltdown

  • By Dave
  • July 14, 2001

FarscapeTalyn flies dangerously close to a nearby sun and resists Crais’ commands to pull back. Crais reports that some kind of signal from the sun is compelling Talyn to fly directly into the star, but the ship’s hybrid nature allows Talyn to resist just enough to settle into orbit. The crew begins looking for ways to further filter the signals, but the stress has caused Talyn to overproduce a stimulant called drexin, which begins to leak into the ship’s corridors and influence each one’s behavior. Rygel begins to compulsively overeat, Crais becomes even more aggressive and paranoid than usual, and Crichton and Aeryn find their libidos in overdrive. Stark watches a strange woman materialize in a recently-grown section of Talyn, a woman who is overjoyed to finally encounter someone who can see her. Named Sierjna, she has been trapped in the star for cycles, watching Leviathan after Leviathan plunge to its death in the siren star. Another being appears to Crais, Crichton and Aeryn on the bridge, claiming the siren star is a natural phenomenon and warning the crew to evacuate while they can. The crew don’t believe him, however, and continue to search for the source of the signals while trying to overcome the drexin. Sierjna’s joy is short-lived when Stark tells her that she is trapped between realms, and that the only help he can give her is to help her pass into the next world. Stark soon realizes that the new chamber is a vestigial Pilot’s Den; eager to help Sierjna and the ship, he joins himself with Talyn. But when he loses contact with Sierjna, he begins a search that brings Talyn ever closer to a fiery death.

Order the DVDswritten by Matt Ford
directed by Ian Barry
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Susan Lyons (Sierjna), Mark Mitchell (Mu-Quillus), Linda Cropper (Xhalax Sun)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Season 10 SG-1 Stargate

Flesh and Blood

  • By Dave
  • July 14, 2006

Stargate SG-1Vala gives birth aboard the Ori cruiser, but before she can hold the baby, the child is whisked away at a Prior’s orders. A few hours later, Tomin tells her that she will be allowed to see the girl, who has already aged the equivalent of years. In order not to provoke a direct confrontation with the Ancients, the Ori have put as much of their knowledge as the human body can hold into the child, who will lead the Ori forces in our galaxy. The child knows that Vala does not believe in the Ori, but hopes to convince her otherwise. She accepts the name that Vala gives her, Adria, and tells Vala that the Ancients are lying. The Ori do ascend their followers, and the Ancients are the ones who sap the energies of humans in order to destroy the Ori.

The Ori ships have left the wreckage of the battle behind, and the survivors struggle to regroup. Carter is still stranded in her EVA suit. Mitchell wakes up aboard a fighter he managed to launch right before the Korolev was destroyed. The Odyssey is limping along, but the Asgard beaming technology is out of commission. Teal’c makes contact with the Odyssey, right before the Lucian representatives on his ship capture him and demand that the Odyssey surrender. Since the Lucian mothership also lacks weapons, it’s not much of a threat for now. Mitchell pilots the Odyssey through a manual pickup of Carter. A scan of the black box from the Korolev confirms that someone used the rings to transport before the ship exploded, giving them hope that Daniel survived.

That hope turns out to be justified, as Daniel contacts Vala aboard the Ori ship. They hatch a plan to try and take Adria off the ship and turn her against the Ori, but Vala’s husband has other plans. Gen. Landry discusses the situation with Woolsey, who says the IOA is considering bringing the Atlantis ZPM to Earth to power the Antarctica defenses. Landry thinks this may be a too-little-too-late solution, and asks Bra’tac to send ships to the battle site to assess the situation. Bra’tac arrives in time to counter a pair of Lucian reinforcements. Carter and Kvasir get the beaming technology working in time to grab Teal’c before the Lucians destroy their own wounded ship. Bra’tac announces that he is heading for Chulak, where the Ori fleet is launching a ground invasion. The rest of SG-1 goes with him to look for Daniel and to try and find a weakness in the Ori ships. In the face of almost hopeless odds, Mitchell plans for a tactical retreat in order to regroup, but Bra’tac seems intent on a noble death.

Season 10 Regular Cast: Ben Browder (Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell), Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samantha Carter), Christopher Judge (Teal’c), Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran), Beau Bridges (Gen. Hank Landry), Michael Shanks (Dr. Daniel Jackson)

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Robert C. Cooper
directed by Will Waring
music by Joel Goldsmith
main title theme adapted from music by David Arnold

Guest Cast: Tony Amendola (Bra’tac), Matt Glave (Col. Emerson), Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey), Eric Steinberg (Netan), Martin Christopher (Maj. Marks), Garry Chalk (Chekov), Tim Guinee (Tomin), Emma Cooper (Adria – 4 Years Old), Jodelle Ferland (Adria – 7 Years Old), Brenna O’Brien (Adria – 12 Years Old), Bruno Verdoni (Lucian Alliance Officer), Gwenda Lorenzetti (Nursemaid), Apollonia Vanova (Russian Weapons Officer), Doug Abrahams (Prior), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Season 3 Stargate Stargate Atlantis

No Man’s Land

Stargate AtlantisThe Daedalus launches its fighters to slow the Wraith hive ships down before they begin their trip to Earth’s galaxy, but fighters are lost – including Sheppard’s – and Daedalus herself takes a severe pounding and limps back to Atlantis as the Wraith go into hyperspace. The Wraith won’t be able to jump from the Pegasus Galaxy to Earth in one shot, though – they’ll have to stop at a point just outside the Pegasus Galaxy to recharge before pressing on the attack. With only a narrow window in which to launch another attack, Dr. Weir orders Colonel Caldwell to take the Daedalus back into action, knowing full well that the ship and her crew stand little chance of surviving. She also orders Orion, the commandeered Ancient ship (whose systems still haven’t been thoroughly studied), to join the battle. But then Weir finds herself under attack from another front – the International Advisory Oversight summons her back to Earth. At the SGC, they accuse her of having created the problem, and of endangering Earth to try to cover her backside; with the Ori problem taking up all of Earth’s resources, no more help can be offered. When Atlantis contacts the SGC to confirm final orders from Weir, she puts her career – and Earth’s survival – on the line to order Caldwell to commence his attack as planned while the Wraith are within reach. While McKay and Ronon Dex struggle to break free from their cocoons aboard a Wraith ship, Michael finds that his own kind no longer trust him. When Michael discovers that Sheppard has tagged along by attacking his 302 fighter to the hull of a hive ship, he offers to give the humans an advantage – but trust in Michael is at an all-time low on Sheppard’s end of things too.

Season 3 Regular Cast: Joe Flanigan (Major John Sheppard), Torri Higginson (Dr. Elizabeth Weir), Rachel Luttrell (Teyla), Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett), David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay), Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex)

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Martin Gero
directed by Martin Wood
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Connor Trinneer (Michael), Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey), Kavan Smith (Major Lorne), Tamlyn Tomita (Shen), David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman), Brahm Taylor (Wraith Guard), Scott Heindl (Wraith), Christopher Heyerdahl (Halling), Andy Maton (Chapman), Mitch Pileggi (Colonel Caldwell), Beau Bridges (General Landry), Andee Frizzell (Hive Queen), Kirby Morrow (Daedalus Tech), Angelique Naude (Young female scientist)

LogBook entry by Earl Green