Categories
Jason Of Star Command Season 1

Planet Of The Lost

Jason Of Star CommandAllegra finds crystals on the surface of the asteroid where she, Jason and Nicole have taken refuge, but the two officers from Star Command are unimpressed with her find, as well as her insistence on being treated as royalty. When a giant insectoid monster attacks out of nowhere, Jason leads it away from his friends and drives it away by triggering an avalanche. Dragos’ space fighters accost Wiki in deep space, preventing the tiny robot from reaching Space Academy; fortunately, Wiki is close enough to its goal that the Academy helps him break free. Professor Parsafoot recovers the stranded space heroes, but Dragos intercepts them yet again. Jason has no choice but to send Allegra home via the Starfire’s escape pod, while the crew of Star Command find yet another planetoid on which to elude Dragos.

Order this series on DVDwritten by Samuel A. Peeples
directed by Arthur H. Nadel
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael and Horta-Mahana

Cast: Craig Littler (Jason), Sid Haig (Dragos), Susan O’Hanlon (Capt. Nicole Davidoff), Charlie Dell (Prof. E.J. Parsafoot), James Doohan (Commander Canarvin), Roseanne Katon (Allegra)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 2 Star Blazers

2201: Yamato Returns!

Star Blazers2201 A.D.: In the year it has taken Earth to recover from the Gamilon holocaust, more distant reaches of space – twice as far from Earth as Iscandar – have been falling to the might of the Comet Empire, under the command of Prince Zordar. Worse still, Zordar has his sights set on Earth – and Leader Desslok, having barely escaped his last encounter with the Star Force, has joined the Comet Empire as a military advisor. Desslok’s goal is not the greater glory of the Comet Empire, but his own vengeance against the crew of the Argo. The Argo is now commanded by Deputy Captain Derek Wildstar, and many of her crew members have been reassigned to other duties. Nova, Sandor, Dr. Sane and IQ-9 have been stationed on Earth, while Wildstar and Homer are among the few original crew members on the Argo for the ship’s security patrol of the outer solar system.

The Comet Empire’s first attack in Earth space is unsuccessful, and the Argo barely escapes – but Wildstar suspects that his unknown attackers are only beginning to make their presence known.

Order the DVDswritten by Keisuke Fujikawa & Eiichi Yamamoto
directed by Leiji Matsumoto
music by Hiroshi Miyagawa

Season 2 Voice Cast: Kenneth Meseroll (Derek Wildstar), Tom Tweedy (Mark Venture), Amy Howard (Nova), Eddie Allen (Leader Desslok), Chris Latta (Sgt. Knox), Lydia Leeds (Trelaina), Chris Latta (General Dire), Chris Latta (Captain Gideon), other actors unknown

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
TV Movies

Countdown To Looking Glass

Countdown To Looking GlassFollowing the collapse of major American banks sparked by the default of several South American nations indebted to the United States, the American embassy in Saudi Arabia is bombed, and the U.S. ambassador and several others are killed. Oman, its economy weakened by the American bank collapse, is “stabilized” by a Soviet military force; in response, Saudi Arabia invites the U.S. to deploy its own military force on Saudi soil. Oman blockades the Strait of Hormuz, demanding a hefty toll for every oil tanker seeking passage. A large U.S. Navy battle group is ordered to the Strait of Hormuz to keep the shipping lanes open, and the Soviets send nuclear submarines there to enforce the blockade. Both sides are prepared for a potential nuclear conflict. Reporters for CVN news cover the story extensively, including a reporter embedded aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz, while their sources among White House staff warn that the President himself is preparing to evacuate…

written by Albert Ruben
directed by Fred Barzyk
music not credited

Cast: Scott Glenn (Michael Boyle), Michael Murphy (Bob Calhoun), Helen Shaver (Dorian Waldorf), Patrick Watson (Dan Tobin), Nancy Dickerson (herself), Eric Sevareid (himself), Matsu Anderson (Matsu Yamada), Barbara Barnes-Hopkins (Mrs. Langhorn), Michael Beattie (Youth #1), Lincoln Bloomfield (himself), Murray Chruchley (James Otis), Richard Comar (Pentagon Spokesman), Faye Dance (Ann Gailmore), Don Dickinson (Unger), Michael Donaghue (Technician), Robert Ellsworth (himself), Don Francks (Don Geller), Newt Gingrich (himself), Rex Hagon (Barry McKay), Seymour Horowitz (Washington Demonstrator), Jerry Hyman (Col. H. Alexander), Ray Landry (Young Announcer), Gene R. La Rocque (himself), Robert Lesko (John J. Bingham), David Lucas (Marty Schindler), David Main (Gordon Scott), Eugene McCarthy (himself), Vincent Murray (Youth #2), David Nichols (Frank Hollander), Maida Rogerson (Barbara Levin), John Thomson III (Commander Pritchard), Murray Westgate (The President)

Notes: Professor Lincoln Bloomfield was also one of the advisors who constructed the fictional geopolitical scenario that plays out over the course of the movie.

LogBook entry and review by Earl Green

Categories
Season 05 Star Trek The Next Generation

Silicon Avatar

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 45122.3: Riker, Crusher and Data visit a new colony site when the Crystalline Entity that wiped out all life on Data’s home world appears unexpectedly and attacks, forcing the colonists and visitors underground. The Enterprise returns and finds that the planet has been left barren. The colonists are rescued, and the crew, joined by Dr. Marr, investigates the damage. Marr, whose son was killed by the Entity long ago, believes that Data, like his “brother,” is aiding the Entity. During the investigation, Marr is convinced that Data is not responsible for the attack and finds that his memories of his home include memories of the colonists who died there. She asks him to recite some of her son’s diary and decides she must avenge her son, but Picard wishes to try communicating with the Entity.

Order the DVDsteleplay by Jeri Taylor
story by Lawrence V. Conley
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), Ellen Geer (Dr. Marr), Susan Diol (Carmen)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Red Dwarf Season 06

Legion

Red DwarfStarbug’s supply situation is getting desperate, leaving Lister to dine on grilled space weevil (though he doesn’t know what incredibly unthinkable morsel Kryten has prepared for him), when Cat sounds a swirly thing alert based upon his nasal instincts. Rimmer orders this alert replaced by the only slightly more formal blue alert, and the intruding object Cat sensed finally appears – a heat-seeking device which envelops Starbug in an energy field and drags it into a huge, amazingly advanced space station which Kryten discovers is a top-secret research facility. A strange being – half organic, half mechanical – greets them by name, bestowing numerous gifts: hospitality, a feast, an impromptu appendectomy for Lister, and a hard light system for Rimmer, allowing him to touch objects. Legion does, however, set one condition upon his guests: they can never leave his station, for Legion depends on them for his own existence.

Order the DVDswritten by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor
directed by Andy De Emmony
music by Howard Goodall

Guest Cast: Nigel Williams (Legion)

Original Title: Call Me Legion

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Babylon 5 / Crusade Season 3

And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place

Babylon 5All attempts at discerning a tactical pattern in the Shadows’ attacks come up with a blank, and Sheridan’s not happy about it. Delenn tries to comfort him, but his inability to recognize the Shadows’ strategy frustrates Sheridan to the exclusion of all else. Lord Refa arrives from the Centauri homeworld along with a functionary of the Royal Court, investigating Refa’s complaint that Londo is impeding Centauri progress in the war. Londo sends Vir to tell G’Kar that his former aide, Na’Toth, is still alive and well on Narn. Then Londo confronts the Emperor’s messenger with his story that Refa is actually the obstacle to Centauri ascendency. Meanwhile, Vir is captured and forcibly probed by a telepath working for Refa. Powerless to resist, Vir cannot withhold the news that G’Kar is returning to the Narn homeworld. Sheridan holds a meeting with Brother Theo and two religious leaders from Earth, who have risked a great deal to smuggle out word that a resistance has formed against President Clark’s totalitarian regime. Reverend Dexter expresses in private his concern that Sheridan is shouldering too much of the war’s burden himself, and suggests that Delenn is Sheridan’s obvious partner in tactical matters – and more. Refa arrives on Narn and traps G’Kar, only to discover that the trap has been sprung already – by Londo. Londo has paid off Refa’s guards to leave him defenseless at the hands of the Narn, and has promised G’Kar the release of thousands of enslaved Narns in exchange for a small favor…Refa’s death. Sheridan begins to detect a possible pattern to the Shadows’ attacks, but upon his suggestion that he must think like the enemy in order to outwit them, Delenn becomes alarmed and literally drags him to Reverend Dexter’s worship service. Later, she reveals that things may not be as hopeless as they seem, unveiling an entire fleet of White Stars that could turn the tide in the war.

Order now!Download this episodewritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by David J. Eagle
music by
Christopher Franke

Cast: Bruce Boxleitner (Captain John Sheridan), Claudia Christian (Commander Susan Ivanova), Jerry Doyle (Security Chief Michael Garibaldi), Mira Furlan (Delenn), Richard Biggs (Dr. Stephen Franklin), Bill Mumy (Lennier), Jason Carter (Marcus Cole), Stephen Furst (Vir), Jeff Conaway (Zack Allan), Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari), Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar), Erick Avari (Rabbi Leo Meyers), William Forward (Lord Refa), Louis Turene (Brother Theo), Mel Winkler (Reverend Will Dexter), Francois Giroday (Virini), Paul Keith (Drigo), Wayne Alexander (G’Dan), Marva Hicks (Singer)

Original UK airdate: September 8, 1996

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Deep Space Nine Season 05 Star Trek

Looking For Par’Mach In All The Wrong Places

Star Trek: Deep Space NineStardate not given: Grilka, Quark’s Klingon ex-wife, returns to the station seeking Quark’s help with getting her troubled house back on its feet. When Worf sees her, he is instantly smitten with a case of par’mach – the Klingon word for love, with more aggressive overtones. However, he finds himself coaching Quark in Klingon courting rituals, language, and fighting, with the help of Dax…who has a few designs of her own. Meanwhile, Kira and O’Brien become uncomfortably aware of their proximity.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonwritten by Ronald D. Moore
directed by Andrew J. Robinson
music by David Bell

Guest Cast: Rosalind Chao (Keiko), Mary Kay Adams (Grilka), Joseph Ruskin (Tumek), Phil Morris (Fol’pach)

LogBook entry by Tracy Hemenover

Categories
Season 2 Xena: Warrior Princess

Giant Killer

Xena: Warrior PrincessWhile Xena meets with her old friend, the giant Goliath, Gabrielle encounters some Philistine soldiers who have taken several Israelite prisoners. Xena is upset when she learns that Goliath is working for the Philistines. As Xena talks with Goliath about why he is helping the Philistines, Dagon decides to execute a prisoner, David. Gabrielle tries to stop this, but is unsuccessful. Xena arrives and soon she has freed the Israelites. Once they have reached safety, Xena tells them that she knows how to take care of Goliath. The two warriors will meet in battle the next day. But Goliath is prepared for her and the Philistines use the opportunity to ambush the Isrillites. During the attack, David’s brother Jonathan is seriously injured and dies. Xena realizes that with him gone, the Israelites will need a new leader. David offers to take on the giant.

Order the DVDswritten by Terence Winter
directed by Gary Jones
music by Joseph LoDuca

Guest Cast: Todd Rippon (Goliath), Antony Starr (David), Calvin Tuteao (Dagon), Emma Brunette (Sarah), Dale Corlett (Jonathan), Dennis Hally (King Saul), Brad Homan (Head Archer), John Leonard (Soldier)

LogBook entry by Mary Terrell

Categories
Dark Forces Star Wars

Jedi Knight – Part I

Star Wars: Dark ForcesLord Jerec, the Dark Jedi following Morgan Katarn’s map to find the lost Valley of the Jedi, sends an Imperial probe droid to the planet where the Valley is located – and it is promptly destroyed by one of the Rebels who was evacuated from Sulon by Morgan. Jerec dispatches his Dark Jedi to survey the nearest settlement to the probe droid’s final location – and then to lead an attack to flatten it. But Rebel help is already on the way, in the form of an Alliance capital ship, the Millennium Falcon, and eventually Luke’s X-wing and Kyle Katarn’s ship, the Moldy Crow. After a pitched battle in orbit, Kyle and Jan Ors go to the planet so Kyle can continue his own search for the Valley – and an inevitable meeting with the man who killed his father. But first, Kyle encounters his father’s fellow settlers, whose allegiances lie firmly with the Rebel Alliance – and the last time any of them saw Kyle, he was on the fast track through the Imperial Academy.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Christopher Bloch (Lt. Aagon / Bouncer), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Mark Benninghofen (Luke Skywalker), James Gaulke (Han Solo), Susanne Egli (Princess Leia), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Patrick Coyle (Speeder Pilot / Imperial Co-Pilot), James Cada (Screamer / Imperial Pilot), Nancy Crocker (Sariss), Stephen D’Ambrose (Boc / Weapons Officer), Louise Enyeart (Lasko / Peeno), Gary Groomes (Major Vig), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Emil Herrera (Obata), Jay Hornbacher (Grif), Tom Keith (Sergeant / Imperial Pilot), Timothy Kuhlmann (Yun), Peter Moore (Officer / Floater), Martin Ruben (Battle Droid / Maw), Sue Scott (Carole), Michael Tezla (Rahn), Jack Walsh (Mayor Devo / Pardy), John Wehrmann (Captain Trico), Stephen Yoakam (Dinko / Executive / Captain Tola), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Dark Forces Star Wars

Jedi Knight – Part II

Star Wars: Dark ForcesKyle has to talk fast to convince the Rebels on the planet to trust him, but by the time he has gained their trust and continued his mission to the Valley of the Jedi, Lord Jerec has already taken control. But the Dark Jedi’s occupation of the Valley isn’t without cost – he hopes to tap into the residual power from the spirits of many Jedi who died in an epic battle there, but the spirit of a Jedi who befriended Kyle’s father is defying death long enough to help him – and to show one of Jerec’s proteges the power of the light side of the Force. Kyle’s unseen mentor warns him against using his hatred and joining the dark side, but when Jerec takes Jan Ors prisoner and calls on the Valley’s power to battle the fledgling Jedi Knight, can Kyle resist the lure of vengeance?

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Christopher Bloch (Lt. Aagon / Bouncer), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Mark Benninghofen (Luke Skywalker), James Gaulke (Han Solo), Susanne Egli (Princess Leia), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Patrick Coyle (Speeder Pilot / Imperial Co-Pilot), James Cada (Screamer / Imperial Pilot), Nancy Crocker (Sariss), Stephen D’Ambrose (Boc / Weapons Officer), Louise Enyeart (Lasko / Peeno), Gary Groomes (Major Vig), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Emil Herrera (Obata), Jay Hornbacher (Grif), Tom Keith (Sergeant / Imperial Pilot), Timothy Kuhlmann (Yun), Peter Moore (Officer / Floater), Martin Ruben (Battle Droid / Maw), Sue Scott (Carole), Michael Tezla (Rahn), Jack Walsh (Mayor Devo / Pardy), John Wehrmann (Captain Trico), Stephen Yoakam (Dinko / Executive / Captain Tola), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 05 Star Trek Voyager

Night

Star Trek: VoyagerStardate 52081.2: The crew is facing a shipwide case of cabin fever as the ship plunges into a vast, empty, starless expanse, a shortcut that could take two years to complete. Captain Janeway has retreated into seclusion, and tempers are flaring. But the crew’s craving for excitement is more than quenched when a sudden total loss of power is followed by the arrival of seemingly hostile intruders in the darkened corridors of the ship. Another unfamiliar alien vessel arrives to fend off Voyager’s attackers, and it seems that the crew has a new ally…until Janeway is asked to help the Malon captain commit genocide in exchange for an quicker trip home.

Season 5 Regular Cast: Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway), Robert Beltran (Chakotay), Roxann Biggs-Dawson (B’Elanna Torres), Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris), Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Robert Picardo (The Doctor), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Tim Russ (Tuvok), Garrett Wang (Ensign Harry Kim)

Order the DVDswritten by Brannon Braga & Joe Menosky
directed by David Livingston
music by Jay Chattaway

Guest Cast: Ken Magee (Emek), Steven Dennis (Alien), Martin Rayner (Dr. Chaotica)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Firefly Season 1

The Message

FireflySerenity stops at a space station to pick up their mail and get a little R&R. Simon tries to whisper sweet nothings in Kaylee’s ear, but manages to put his foot in his mouth instead. The mail turns out to be a bit of a surprise when a package addressed to Mal and Zoe turns out to be coffin carrying the body of Tracey, a private they fought alongside during the war. He carries a message tape asking Mal to bring his body home to his family, a request Mal tries to fulfill. When Alliance officers pursue Serenity, however, he wonders what’s so valuable about Tracey and asks Simon to perform an autopsy. The second Simon’s knife hits, Tracey wakes up screaming. Tracey had been faking his death, trying to get away from people he doublecrossed during a job smuggling artificial body parts. Tracey begins to befriend Kaylee while Mal looks for a way out of their jam. Book may have an idea . . . but Tracey fears betrayal just enough to do something stupid.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Joss Whedon & Tim Minear
directed by Tim Minear
music by Greg Edmonson

Guest Cast: Jonathan M. Woodward (Tracey), Richard Burgi (Lt. Womack)

Notes: This episode was not broadcast by Fox and first aired on Sci Fi in 2005. It was also the last episode produced.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Rebels Season 2 Star Wars

The Lost Commanders

Star Wars: RebelsStinging from the losses incurred by Darth Vader’s attack at Lothal, the Rebel cell including the Ghost and the remnants of Phoenix Squadron limps into hiding, hoping to find a base. Ahsoka sends Kanan, Ezra and the Ghost crew to the outer rim desert planet Seelos to track down a “great military commander” she once knew, who may be able to help the Rebellion. What Kanan and Ezra find there is a leftover AT-TE “walking tank” from the Clone Wars, manned by aged Clone Troopers who want nothing to do with either the Empire or the Rebellion. Kanan, reminded of the horrors of Order 66, doesn’t trust them anyway, but Ezra tries to find middle ground between the two groups. But one of the Clones still feels loyalty toward the Empire, and has sent word that the Rebels are there.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonwritten by Matt Michnovetz
directed by Dave Filoni and Sergio Paez
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

RebelsCast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Imperial Officer / Tactical Droid Head), Dee Bradley Baker (CC-3636 / CC-5576-39 / CT-7567 / Kassius Konstantine) David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano), Keone Young (Commander Sato)

RebelsNotes: Commander Rex was a mainstay of the Clone Wars animated series, appearing in a great many episodes throughout the show’s run as the Clone Trooper Commander assigned to Anakin Skywalker. (Dee Bradley Baker provided the Clone Troopers’ voices in that series too.) Rex says that he and his surviving comrades discovered and removed their control chips before Order 66 was issued, and did not turn against their Jedi compatriots. But this also made them likely targets of the newly formed Empire, hence the Clones’ dropping out of sight on Seelos. The Clone Wars ended 15 years prior to this episode, and Kanan says that Ezra wasn’t born yet, so Ezra was probably 12 or 13 years old when he joined the Ghost‘s crew. The Lost Commanders is part one of a two-part story further tying Rebels in to the Clone Wars animated series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Resistance Season 1 Star Wars

The Triple Dark

Star Wars: ResistanceIn order to earn something resembling a living while waiting for any news of the First Order, Kaz has to work in Jarek Yeager’s repair shop, fixing speeders and spacecraft, but two things get in the way – he’s more excited by the prospect of spying, and knows next to nothing about repairing a ship. When Kaz thinks he overhears something worth spying on, he discovers that it’s not the First Order, but the station’s criminal underworld – and he quickly makes himself their next target.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Kevin Burke & Chris “Doc” Wyatt
directed by Sergio Paez
music by Michael Tavera
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Star Wars: ResistanceCast: Christopher Sean (Kazuda Xiono), Josh Brener (Neeku Vozo), Scott Lawrence (Jarek Yeager), Suzie McGrath (Tam Ryvora), Bobby Moynihan (Orka), Dee Bradley Baker (Egdir / Glem / Grevel / Skreek), Fred Tatasciore (Bolza Grool / Narb / Random Pirate), Gary Anthony Williams (Kragan Gorr), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Jim Rash (Flix), Jonathan Lipow (Hallion / Nod / PA Voice / Tooms), Lex Lang (Major Vonreg), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Freya Fenris), Myrna Velasco (Torra Doza), Nanzeen Contractor (Synara San)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Doctor Who New Series Season 11

The Ghost Monument

Doctor WhoThe Doctor’s attempt to teleport to the last location of the TARDIS goes wrong…badly. Not only does the process deposit the Doctor in the airless void of space, but it also leaves Graham, Yaz and Ryan there as well. Ryan and Graham awaken on a spacecraft whose captain accuses them of slowing her down. The Doctor and Yaz have been rescued by a ship whose captain makes the same accusation, and whose ship is falling apart. The Doctor manages to help that pilot, Epzo, pull off a survivable crash landing by ditching the aft section of his ship. The planet where the time travelers are reunited, known only as the Desolation, is the site of the Rally of the Twelve Galaxies – a race to survive to the finish line where the winner takes all and the loser loses it all, though the contestants are forbidden from killing one another. The Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz are unable to claim the prize, but are likely to be killed by the planet’s harsh desert environment before anyone reaches the goal – a blue, box-shaped apparition known to the contestants as the Ghost Monument. But the Doctor knows this box as the TARDIS, and so the deadly race holds very high stakes indeed for the time travelers.

Order the DVDwritten by Chris Chibnall
directed by Mark Tonderai
music by Segun Akinola

Cast: Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor), Bradley Walsh (Graham O’Brien), Doctor WhoTosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair), Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan), Susan Lynch (Angstrom), Shaun Dooley (Epzo), Art Malik (Ilin), Ian Gelder (voice of the Remnants)

Notes: The thirteenth Doctor’s title sequence (and a new arrangement of the theme tune by Segun Akinola) makes its debut at the beginning of this episode. The Desolation is revealed to have been desolated by the Stenza, the species from which the previous episode’s alien enemy hails.

LogBook entry by Earl Green