Day: September 15, 1965

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Lost In Space Season 1

The Reluctant Stowaway

Lost In SpaceOctober 16, 1997: with Earth suffering from extreme depletion of resources, the race is on to colonize planets in nearby star systems, starting with a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. The Jupiter 2 is prepared for launch, to be crewed by the Robinson family – Dr. John Robinson, Dr. Maureen Robinson, and their children, Judy, Penny, and Will – and the pilot, Major Don West. With the stakes so high, sabotage is almost expected, and indeed a saboteur has snuck aboard the Jupiter 2, one Dr. Zachary Smith, who has programmed the robot to destroy the Jupiter 2 with all hands aboard at eight hours into the mission. But Smith is as inept as he is evil, and is stuck aboard the ship when it lifts off. While trying (and failing) to convincingly explain his presence to the Robinsons when the Jupiter 2 goes off course, Smith now has to undo his own act of sabotage…or become a victim of his own plot.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by S. Bar-David
directed by Tony Leader
music by Johnny Williams

Lost In SpaceCast: Guy Williams (Dr. John Robinson), June Lockhart (Maureen Robinson), Mark Goddard (Don West), Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson), Billy Mumy (Will Robinson), Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson), Jonathan Harris (Dr. Zachary Smith), Hoke Howell (Security Guard), Tom Allen (Inspector), Fred Crane (Alpha Control Technician), Don Forbes (TV Commentator), Bob May (Robot), Brett Parker (Security Guard), Ford Rainey (President), Hal Torey (General), Dick Tufeld (Robot voice / Narrator), Paul Zastupnevich (Bearded Foreign Correspondent)

Lost In SpaceNotes: None of the guest stars, except for Jonathan Harris (who is credited in every episode of the series as a “special guest star”), are credited on screen. Don’t let “received wisdom” convince you that Lost In Space is a giant ball of interstellar cheese; the show is actually quite forward-looking in some areas, including John Robinson’s use of a multi-directional jet gun during his spacewalk, very much like the one recently used by U.S. astronaut Ed White during the first NASA spacewalk earlier in 1965.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 2

The Cat And The Fiddle

BatmanWhile Batman and Robin set their sights on escaping the Catwoman’s trap, while Catwoman herself sets her sights on the target of her next heist: the Gotham State Bank. Batman isn’t far behind her, but this time Catwoman has more than one escape plan up her sleeve…but will she put herself in danger mortal just to get away from the Dynamic Duo with the loot?

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Stanley Ralph Ross
directed by Don Weis
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), Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Jack Kelly (Jack O’Shea), George Barrows (Charles), Charles Horvath (Thomas), George N. Neise (Douglas Cramer), James Brolin (Driver), David Fresco (Zubin Zucchini)

BatmanNotes: Yes, it’s that James Brolin, in the first of three guest shots on Batman. He later appeared in Westworld, Capricorn One, Marcus Welby M.D., The Amityville Horror, and Hotel, among many other TV and film appearances.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Original Series Season 01 Star Trek

Charlie X

Star Trek ClassicStardate 1533.6: Charlie, a young boy who reportedly grew up alone with only computer banks for company and teachers, is picked up by the crew of a starship and is transferred to the Enterprise for a trip to a starbase. During the trip, Charlie begins to learn more about human relationships and becomes infatuated with Yeoman Rand. When she tells him that he is too young for her, Charlie is enraged and begins to do away with members of the crew who he feels have been condescending to him – including Captain Kirk.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxteleplay by D.C. Fontana
story by Gene Roddenberry
directed by Lawrence Dobkin
music by Fred Steiner

Star TrekCast: William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), Robert Walker Jr. (Charlie Evans), DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard McCoy), Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), Charles J. Stewart (Captain Ramart), Dallas Mitchell (Nellis), Don Eitner (Navigator), Patricia McNulty (Tina Lawton), John Bellah (Crewman I), Garland Thompson (Crewman II), Abraham Sofaer (The Thasian)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Original Series Season 02 Star Trek

Amok Time

Star Trek ClassicStardate 3372.7: Spock begins acting strange – even violent – as, unknown to the rest of the crew, he enters the Vulcan mating phase that strikes adult male Vulcans every seven years. Kirk must divert the Enterprise from a tight schedule to return Spock to Vulcan so his mating ritual may be carried out. But on arriving, it is discovered that Spock must compete with a gladiator of his prospective mate’s choice – and that turns out, on the spur of the moment, to be Kirk.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Theodore Sturgeon
directed by Joseph Pevney
music by Gerald Fried

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), Celia Lovsky (T’Pau), Arlene Martel (T’Pring), Lawrence Montaigne (Stonn), Majel Barrett (Christine Chapel), Byron Morrow (Admiral Komack)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Night Gallery Season 2

The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes and other stories

Night GalleryThe Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes: TV executive Wellman is annoyed when one of his producers auditions a ten-year-old boy who supposedly has a spotless track record of predicting the future. When the child’s predictions start to come true, however, Wellman changes his mind, signing the boy (and his grandfather, who accompanies him) to a contract. One of his predictions is a big one – war and hunger will come to an end – but maybe that’s because people will also come to an end.

teleplay by Rod Serling
based upon the short story by Margaret St. Clair
directed by John Badham
music by Oliver Nelson / series theme by Gil Melle

Night GalleryCast:
Michael Constantine (Mr. Wellman), Clint Howard (Herbie), Bernie Kopell (Reed), Ellen Weston (Dr. Peterson), William Hansen (Godwin), Gene Tyburn (Floor Director), Rance Howard (Cameraman), Rosary Nix (Secretary), John Donald (Grip)

Miss Lovecraft Sent Me: A babysitter arrives for her first night of looking after her new charge in a castle-like mansion. She’s put off by the eccentricity of the child’s father, who apparently works nights. Now she wonders if she should stick around long enough to meet his child…

teleplay by Jack Laird
directed by Gene Kearney
music by Oliver Nelson

Cast: Joseph Campanella (Father), Sue Lyon (Betsy)

The Hand Of Borgus Weems: A man believes that one of his hands is under the control of some malevolent force, and is trying to commit murder. He demands that his doctor amputate the offending hand immediately…but his doctor’s hands may not be any more reliable than his own.

Night Galleryteleplay by Alvin Sapinsley
based upon the short story by George LAngelaan
directed by John Meredyth Lucas
music by Oliver Nelson

Cast: George Maharis (Peter Lacland), Ray Milland (Dr. Archibald Ravadon), Joan Huntington (Susan Douglas), Patricia Donahue (Dr. Innokenti), Peter Mamakos (Nico Kazanzakis), Robert Hoy (Everett Winterreich), William Mims (Brock Ramsey)

Phantom Of What Opera?: We all know the old story – the apparently dashing Phantom of the Opera is horribly disfigured beneath his mask. But what happens if the object of his affection and obsession isn’t much better off in the looks department?

Night Gallerywritten by Gene Kearney
directed by Gene Kearney
music by Oliver Nelson

Cast: Leslie Nielsen (Phantom), Mary Ann Beck (Beautiful Prisoner)

Notes: The cameraman in The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes is called “Rance” on screen – the real name of the actor playing him, Rance Howard, whose sons happen to be Clint and Ron Howard. Rance Howard would make a handful of appearances in the ’90s space opera Babylon 5 as the father of Captain John Sheridan.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Ghost Story / Circle Of Fear

The Dead We Leave Behind

Ghost StoryCountry life suits forest ranger Elliott Brent just fine, but his wife Joanna is another story. The dull routine on which he thrives is boring to her, and she’s begun finding distractions – male ones, almost every time she goes into town. Elliott has bought her a television set to try to curb those tendencies, but she’s made up her mind to leave him. Angered, he lashes out, killing her; after he buries her, he tries to resume his normal life while also covering up what he’s done.

Order the complete serieswritten by Robert Specht
directed by Paul Stanley
music by Billy Goldenberg

Ghost StoryCast: Sebastian Cabot (Winston Essex), Jason Robards (Elliott Brent), Stella Stevens (Joanna Brent), Jack Kelly (Motorist), John McLiam (Titus Paul), Skip Ward (Tommy Harper), Burr Smidt (Jud)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Original Series (Animated) Season 01 Star Trek

Yesteryear

Star Trek ClassicStardate 5373.4: A visit to the Guardian of Forever goes wrong somehow, erasing Spock from history. Though the Vulcan returns to the 23rd century along with Kirk, no one recognizes Spock, and an Andorian named Thalen is serving as the Enterprise’s first officer. Spock uses the Guardian to travel 30 years into his own past, at the point when the new timeline’s history says Spock died as a boy on Vulcan. Passing himself off as his own cousin, Spock watches as his younger self sneaks away in the night, scared to undergo a grueling rite of passage. The younger Spock is followed by I’Chiya, his aging pet sehlat, who sacrifices its life to save Spock from a predatory creature. Having saved his own life, the elder Spock now worries that the unexpected death of I’Chiya may change his future yet again.

Order the DVDswritten by D.C. Fontana
directed by Hal Sutherland
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael

Star TrekCast: William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), James Doohan (Mr. Scott / Commander Thalen / Officer #1 / Officer #2 / Alien Historian / Vulcan Healer / Guardian of Forever), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), James Doohan (Lt. Arrex), Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel / Amanda Grayson / Historian), Mark Lenard (Sarek)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Invisible Man

The Fine Art Of Diplomacy

The Invisible ManWhen priceless pieces of art go missing, replaced by forgeries, the Klae Resource is called into action. Daniel is happy to help try to solve the mystery, but he’s less thrilled with the plan that calls for his wife to distract the suspected art thief, a foreign ambassador, by any means necessary. Unfortunately for both of them, the ambassador has quite lethal ideas on protecting his stash of priceless paintings, and evil Daniel’s invisibility may not see things through.

written by James D. Parriott
directed by Sigmund Neufeld Jr.
music by Henry Mancini

The Invisible ManCast: David McCallum (Dr. Daniel Westin), Melinda Fee (Dr. Kate Westin), Craig Stevens (Walter Carlson), Ross Martin (Ambassador Diego Devega), Michael Pataki (Tandi), Paul Stewart (Mr. Wood), Vincent Beck (Gregario), Pepe Callahan (Manuel), Gwil Richards (Capitol Guard), Nicholas Lewis (1st Embassy Guard), Raymond O’Keefe (2nd Embassy Guard)

Invisible ManNotes: This is one of the earliest professional writing credits for James D. Parriott, who returned to pen several more Invisible Man scripts. He also wrote episodes of The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk, and The Six Million Dollar Man before embarking on a stellar career of creating and running his own shows, from Voyagers! to Misfits Of Science to Forever Knight to Defying Gravity.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Star Maidens

Nightmare Cannon

Star MaidensFulvia and Octavia reluctantly cooperate with the police manhunt for Adam and Shem, leaving the Nemesis, their space vehicle, completely unguarded. Earth scientists Liz and Rudi sneak aboard to document the spacecraft, certain that they’ll never have another chance to do so. While taking pictures in the ship, Rudi uses a flashbulb; the ship’s automatic defense system responds in kind, blinding him permanently. When she learns that Earth medicine can’t repair or replace a destroyed optic nerve, Fulvia offers the help of Medusan medicine. Upon learning that Adam and Shem have taken a hostage and holed up in an ancient Earth castle, Octavia’s patience with the police negotiations wears thin and she resorts to other means of driving the Medusan men out into the open. Rudi and Liz then learn that they’ve become hostages to be held in exchange for Adam and Shem’s return.

written by Eric Paice
directed by James Gatward and Wolfgang Storch
music by Berry Lipmann

Star MaidensCast: Judy Geeson (Fulvia), Lisa Harrow (Liz), Gareth Thomas (Shem), Pierre Brice (Adam), Christian Quadflieg (Rudi), Christiane Kruger (Octavia), Derek Farr (Evans), Alfie Bass (Gatekeeper), Graham Crowden (Minister), Ronald Hines (Stanley), Norman Warwick (Desk Sergeant)

Notes: As Octavia’s Nemesis ship lifts off, the Doctor Who sound effect associated with the Chumblies (Galaxy Four) can be heard.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Jason Of Star Command Season 2

Mission To The Stars

Jason Of Star CommandJason picks an inopportune time to kick the tires and light the fire on Professor Parsafoot’s new and improved Starfire: a new commander is arriving to take over Star Command, and he’s rumored to be strictly by-the-book. Commander Stone is less than impressed with Jason’s “antics”. A derelict spaceship with no life signs drifts into Star Command’s vicinity, but a robot probe sent to inspect it is blown out of the sky. Jason goes to investigate and finds a woman named Samantha frozen in suspended animation. She claims to be one of the last survivors of an invasion of her planet by Dragos. And while Jason is away, a distress call lures Star Command into a trap set by Dragos.

Order this series on DVDwritten by Ted Pedersen
directed by Arthur H. Nadel
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael

Jason Of Star CommandCast: Craig Littler (Jason), Charlie Dell (Professor E.J. Parsafoot), John Russell (The Commander), Sid Haig (Dragos), Tamara Dobson (Samantha)

Notes: Drago has built a new Dragonship since his escape in season 1’s finale. Commander Stone is from a planet in the “Alpha Centauri cluster”. W1K1 now has a voice. In one of the first (and only) onscreen acknowledgement’s of season one’s voiceover description of Jason as a “soldier of fortune”, Jason points out that he is “not under the direct jurisdiction of Star Command”. Jason’s exact relationship to Star Command and/or Space Academy is left unclear.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Farscape Season 2

A Clockwork Nebari

  • By Dave
  • September 15, 2000

FarscapeAeryn and Rygel return to Moya from a trading trip, accompanied by two Nebari warriors. Varla and Merak are after Chiana, but perform a temporary battlefield mind-cleansing on everyone on board and use a restraining collar to prevent Moya from Starbursting. The Scorpius neural clone guards its territory jealousy, however, and decides that only it will be messing around with Crichton’s cranium, thank you very much. Crichton feigns going along with the Nebaris’ plan while he tries to get Chiana to tell him what’s going on. She’s not very sure; the Nebari keep referring to her brother Nerri, but as far as she knows, he’s dead. She does know that the Nebari used her and her brother to spread a virus among other races that would make them more susceptible to Nebari reprogramming; that was when she and Nerri split up and he left to join the resistance. The point will become moot if the Nebari can get Moya to one of their outposts for permanent reprogramming, but an unexpected ally within the resistance may be able to save everyone’s skin.

Order the DVDswritten by Lily Taylor
directed by Rowan Woods
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Lani John Tupu (Crais), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Malcolm Kennard (Melak), Skye Wansey (Varla), Simon Bossell (Nerri)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

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Season 10 SG-1 Stargate

Company of Thieves

  • By Dave
  • September 15, 2006

Stargate SG-1 Col. Carter accompanies the Odyssey to follow up intelligence on the location of another Ori supergate. Instead of a gate, however, the ship encounters a neutron star that weakens its shields and disrupts its systems. Goa’uld motherships attack the Odyssey, drive it into a minefield, and capture it. Anateo, a second in the Lucian Alliance, orders Carter to deactivate the ship’s transponder. When she refuses, Anateo kills Col. Emerson.

Vala is able to scrounge up a cargo ship in less-than-optimal condition, and goes with Mitchell, Daniel and Teal’c to try to find the ship. Unfortunately, her contact has already been approached by Anateo’s men, and she and Daniel are captured. Mitchell proposes that he impersonate Keflinn, one of Netal’s most trusted seconds, in order to infiltrate the Alliance and find the ship. No one but Netal knows what Kefflin looks like, and Mitchell can use the Reole chemical to convince Netal. The plan works, and Mitchell learns that Netal ordered the attack on the Odyssey . . . but he doesn’t know where it is. Anateo has clearly gone rogue, and now Netal wants him stopped. Carter, Vala and Daniel provide some assistance on that score by taking the Odyssey back from Anateo, but the damage is severe – the ship is a sitting duck. And as a final complication, the cloaking device on Teal’c’s ships fails. When Teal’c is captured, Mitchell must maintain his cover, find the Odyssey, and prevent Netal from claiming it for his own.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Alan McCullough
directed by Will Waring
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Eric Steinberg (Netan), Rudolf Martin (Anateo), Matthew Glave (Colonel Emerson), Hawthorne James (Lucian Second), Martin Christopher (Major Marks)

Notes: The main title sequence was edited to include Vala running into the gate room to join Mitchell, Carter, Daniel and Teal’c going through the gate. This episode is the 203rd episode produced, breaking The X-Files’ record for longest-running American science fiction series. (The 2007 Guinness Book of Records credits the series as the world’s “longest consecutively-running science fiction series.” Figures a Time Lord would fall through a loophole.) Mitchell met the alien bounty hunter in season 9’s The Ties That Bind. Daniel used the memory-altering chemical in season 5’s Summit.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Season 3 Stargate Stargate Atlantis

Phantoms

Stargate AtlantisWhen an SG team from Atlantis fails to check in for six hours, another team led by Sheppard goes looking for them. But when Sheppard’s team finds on the other side of the stargate is horrifying – several deal bodies, in Genii uniform, have all been killed in violent ways – gunshots, stab wounds, broken necks and even suicide. There’s no sign of the missing Atlantis team, but there is an unusual energy reading which is eventually traced to a cavern containing a device of Wraith origin. As Rodney begins investigating the machine, Sheppard finds most of the missing Atlantis team, again killed violently – and their commanding officer is still out there, though he thinks that his Atlantis crewmates are the enemy. But Ronon and Sheppard begin to experience paranoid hallucinations that make them just as dangerous as the man they’re trying to bring home safely, and soon Sheppard poses more of a threat to his own team.

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

Guest Cast: David Nykl (Dr. Zelekna), Dexter Bell (Lt. Barroso), Nels Lennarson (Captain), Colby Johannson (Lt. Kagan), Gidon Karmel (Major Leonard), Anna Williams (Female Tech), Patrick Sabongui (Taliban Guard), Bam Bam (Wraith), Dan Payne (Super Soldier)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
7th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

Kingdom Of Silver / Keepsake

Doctor Who: Kingdom Of Silver / KeepsakeThe Doctor arrives on the planet Tasak, a pre-nuclear industrial civilization struggling to recover from years of civil war. The nation of Argentia helped to bring the fighting to an end by sharing medical and technological advances based on alien technology discovered on a remote island. Having arrived just before a grand summit meeting of all of Tasak’s nations, the Doctor is scrutinized, especially since he’s providing cover for the first person he met on Tasak, an android agent named Temeter. Scouting reports of Cyberman technology that have survived the Orion War, Temeter thinks he knows where the Argentia are getting their unusually advanced technology…and he doesn’t entrust the Doctor with this fact until it’s too late to escape the truth: the island is the site of a Cyberman tomb, and the technology used and distributed by Argentia is helping to prime the entire planet for a Cyberman takeover.

Order this CDwritten by James Swallow
directed by Ken Bentley and Nicholas Briggs
music by David Darlington

Kingdom Of Silver Cast: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Neil Roberts (Temeter), Kate Terence (Sara), Terry Molloy (Magus Riga), James George (Merel), Bunny Reed (Ardith), Holly King (Etin), Nicholas Briggs (Cybermen)

Keepsake Cast: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Neil Roberts (Temeter), Kate Terence (Sara), Terry Molloy (Examiner 2), James George (Corvus), Nicholas Briggs (Examiner 1)

Timeline: between The Death Collectors and…

Notes: The audio Cybermen have suddenly developed a clanking mechanical march – obviously inspired by the sound of the new TV series Cybermen, whose voices are also provided by Big Finish producer Nicholas Briggs.

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
Doctor Who New Series Season 07

A Town Called Mercy

Doctor WhoThe TARDIS brings the Doctor, Amy and Rory to the old west, where they find an entire town that seems to have walled itself in. The locals are more suspicious of the three strangers than the time travelers expect; they’re warned that stepping outside the barrier at the edge of Mercy leaves one open to the mysterious Gunslinger. Only the sheriff, Isaac, prevents the townsfolk from throwing the Doctor across the barrier and leaving him to his fate. The Doctor learns that the Gunslinger wants the locals to hand over a stranded Kahler named Jex, who has helped the people of Mercy install electricity decades ahead of time, powered by his crashed ship. But Jex doesn’t dare stray outside of Mercy, and a visit to his ship shows the Doctor why: Jex was a military surgeon performing augmentations on Kahler soldiers, and the Gunslinger was among his patients – and is one of the few who lived. The saviour of Mercy is a war criminal, and the Doctor feels an obligation to see that justice is done. Isaac dies protecting Kahler Jex from the Gunslinger’s next attack, and leaves the Doctor with the sheriff’s badge, a tough decision to make, and a slowly growing lynch mob to face.

Order the DVDDownload this episodewritten by Toby Whithouse
directed by Saul Metzstein
music by Murray Gold

Cast: Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams), Andrew Brooke (The Gunslinger), Adrian Scarborough (Kahler-Jex), Dominic Kemp (Kahler-Mab), Joanne McQuinn (Sadie), Byrd Wilkins (The Preacher), Garrick Doctor WhoHagon (Abraham), Ben Browder (Isaac), Sean Benedict (Dockery), Rob Cavazos (Walter)

Notes: American actor Ben Browder is best known for his starring role in another popular science fiction series, Farscape, and for taking on the thankless job of succeeding Richard Dean Anderson as the star of Stargate SG-1 in its final two seasons. Garrick Hagon has previously appeared in classic Doctor Who (1972’s The Mutants), a few years before being cast as Biggs Darklighter in Star Wars, and more recently in the Big Finish audio Doctor Who story Axis Of Insanity.

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green