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2022-2023 Specials Doctor Who New Series Season 13 (Flux)

The Power Of The Doctor

Doctor WhoThe Doctor, Yaz, and Dan intercept a Cybermaster attack force as it launches an assault on a hyperspace train. The Cybermasters are targeting a container holding a Gallifreyan girl. During the battle, Dan barely survives a breach of his spacesuit helmet, and decides to leave the TARDIS and resume a life that, while it may be less exciting, is also far less dangerous. On Earth, former time travelers Ace and Tegan now work for UNIT, each of them chasing down different unusual events: Tegan is trying to retrace the steps of seismologists who have gone missing, while Ace is investigating a series of paintings that have been abruptly removed from public display. The Doctor receives a warning from a Dalek of an imminent attack on Earth, and, surprisingly, an offer of information to prevent that attack. But the message ends before any useful information can be conveyed, and the Doctor’s attention returns to tracking down the Gallifreyan child… and the fact that there’s suddenly an extra planet near Earth’s orbit in the year 1916 – the same year in which the Master is posing as Rasputin in Russia.

The Doctor and Yaz visit the extraneous planet, finding that the Gallifreyan child is simply a disguise employed by a Qurunx, a powerful sentient energy being chained to a Cyber-conversion planet by the Master and the Cybermen. But before the Doctor can unravel that mystery, the TARDIS is summoned to UNIT HQ in 2022, where Kate Lethbridge-Stewart needs the Doctor’s expertise on the parallel mysteries of the missing paintings and missing seismologists, which seem like a distraction from the events in 1916…until the Master’s hand is detected in the disappearances as well. The Doctor is briefly, awkwardly reunited with Ace and Tegan, but soon resumes the chase, tracking down the Master in Naples, and discovering he is responsible for killing the missing seismologists. UNIT takes the Master into custody, but this is exactly what he wants, as this allows him to bring an entire Cyber invasion force directly into UNIT HQ. The Doctor and Yaz, however, have already left again, once again following a lead from the Dalek’s message, leaving Ace and Tegan to try to help fend off the Cyberman attack. As Yaz anticipates, the Dalek message proves to be a trap. The Doctor is taken back to 1916 Russia, where the Master instigates a forced regeneration during which his consciousness is forced into the Doctor’s body, as Yaz is helpless to watch.

But the Doctor’s friends and allies, past and present, are legion. Yaz, with help from Vinder, Ace, and Graham, and with some helpful advice from a hologram of the Doctor, reverses the forced regeneration and thwarts the Daleks’ plan, and arrive just in time to see Tegan and Kate Stewart end the attempted Cyberman invasion. Even the Qurunx is freed. As the Doctor’s former companions return to their normal lives, Yaz prepares to return to hers, as the Doctor’s body, as a result of the trauma caused by the forced regeneration, is once more wearing a bit thin.

Order the DVDwritten by Chris Chibnall
directed by Jamie Magnus Stone
music by Segun Akinola

Doctor Who: The Power Of The DoctorCast: Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor), Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan), John Bishop (Dan Lewis), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), David Bradley (The Doctor), Colin Baker (The Doctor), Peter Davison (The Doctor), Paul McGann (The Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Jo Martin (The Doctor), David Tennant (The Doctor), Sacha Dhawan (The Master), Jemma Redgrave (Kate Stewart), Jacob Anderson (Vinder), Bradley Walsh (Graham O’Brien), Patrick O’Kane (Ashad), Joe Sims (Deputy Marshal Arnhost), Sanchia McCormack (Train Marshal Halaz), Danielle Bjelic (Curator), Anna Andresen (Alexandra), Richard Dempsey (Nicholas), Jos Slovick (Messenger), Nicholas Briggs (Dalek voices / Cybermen voices), Barnaby Edwards (Dalek), Nicholas Pegg (Dalek), Simon Carew (Cyberman), Jon Davey (Cyberman), Chester Durrant (Cyberman), Mickey Lewis (Cyberman), Felix Young (Cyberman), Richard Price (Cyberman), Andrew Cross (Cyberman), Matt Doman (Cyberman), Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush), Katy Manning (Jo Jones), William Russell (Ian Chesterton)

Doctor Who: The Power Of The DoctorNotes: This marks the first televised appearance of Tegan and Ace since their final TV appearances, in Resurrection Of The Daleks (1984) and Survival (1989), respectively. Dialogue for both characters seems to contradict adventures chronicled in other media. Ace says the last time she saw the Master, he was “half cat” (which would seem to indicate she hasn’t seen him since Survival, contradicting the New Adventures novel First Frontier); Tegan hasn’t seen the Doctor in 38 years, contradicting the Big Finish audio story The Gathering, which reunited an older Tegan with the fifth Doctor in 2006. However, the Master’s description of Ace’s eventual falling-out with the seventh Doctor lines up well with both the 1992 New Adventures novel Love And War and the later Big Finish audio adaptation of that novel, so perhaps this is something to blame on the wibbly-wobbliness of time. Tegan and Ace aren’t the only companions making their first appearances in a very long time; Melanie was last seen in Dragonfire (1987), and Ian Chesterton was last seen in The Chase (1966), winning William Russell the official Guinness World Record for the longest time between television appearances as the same character (56 years). Jo Jones (formerly Jo Grant), on the other hand, had made a relatively recent appearance in The Sarah Jane Adventures (The Death Of The Doctor, 2011). All of these actors, however, have been reprising their roles for Big Finish audio productions for many years. The Doctor says the Master couldn’t “corral Daleks and Cybermen” (see also: Frontier In Space and The Five Doctors, respectively). The Master also tried to forcibly steal the Doctor’s body in the 1996 TV movie, though in that instance the process was interrupted. Other than being the finale for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and Chris Chibnall as showrunner, The Power Of The Doctor was also intended to celebrate 100 years of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Picard Season 3 Star Trek

The Next Generation

Star Trek: Picard2401: Her private medical ship boarded by pirates, Dr. Beverly Crusher puts up a fierce fight to repel the boarders, but is injured in the exchange of fire. Fortunately, her son Jack is on hand to put her in stasis and escape before more hostiles can arrive. Prior to going into stasis, however, Crusher sends a cryptic warning to retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, requesting his help but urging him not to bring Starfleet in on the matter.

Picard promptly meets with Riker to formulate a plan, though “plan” may be putting it charitably; it involves a surprise inspection of the U.S.S. Titan-A, whose captain they attempt to convince to visit the area of space near the last known coordinates of Crusher’s ship. Captain Shaw, however, isn’t up for a joyride. His first officer, on the other hand, is more sympathetic to Picard’s obvious need for a ship. Now serving as the first officer of the Titan-A after an accelerated Starfleet Academy program netted her the rank of commander, Seven of Nine allows Picard and Riker to borrow one of the ship’s shuttles, though “borrow” may, again, be putting it charitably.

In the seedy District Six of the planet M’Talas Prime, Raffi is deep undercover, trying to gather intelligence on a nebulous threat to the upcoming celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Federation’s founding. The only information she is able to gather is extremely cryptic, but then she witnesses a portal open beneath a building, swallowing it whole, and then another opening in the sky nearby, depositing the wreckage of that building on top of an unsuspecting civilian population. There is a threat, and she’s too late to stop it.

Just outside Federation space near the Ryton system, Picard and Riker board Crusher’s ship. They find her in a stasis chamber, awaiting medical treatment. They also meet her son, who seems to be in a hurry to get away. The large, vicious-looking ship that emerges from a nearby nebula seems to be a very good reason for Jack Crusher to want to get away.

Order DVDswritten by Terry Matalas
directed by Doug Aarniokoski
music by Stephen Barton / additional music by Max McGuire

Star Trek: PicardCast: Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Michelle Hurd (Raffi Musiker), Ed Speleers (Jack Crusher), Jonathan Frakes (Captain William Riker), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), Orla Brady (Laris), Todd Stashwick (Captain Liam Shaw), Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut (Ensign Sidney La Forge), Anthony Azizi (Orion Drug Dealer), Stephanie Czajkowski (Lt. T’Veen), Joseph Lee (Lt. Mura), Chad Lindberg (Ensign Foster), Jin Maley (Ensign Esmar), Jani Wang (Bartender), Christian Crandall (Dark Haired Man), Amy Earheart (Eleos Computer), Grace Lee (Picard Chateau / La Sirena Computer), Ric Sarabia (Human Patron)

Star Trek: PicardNotes: The episode is dedicated to Annie Wersching (1977-2023), who died of cancer months after appearing as the Borg Queen in the second season of Star Trek: Picard (she also made her first TV appearance in an episode of Enterprise). Two of the guest stars in this episode also appeared in Enterprise: Todd Stashwick appeared as a Romulan in Kir’Shara (2004), while Ric Sarabia appeared in Vanishing Point (2002). The music score has many references to Jerry Goldsmith (including the use of his theme from Star Trek: First Contact over the end credits) and some stylistic references to James Horner; the opening legend “In the 25th century…” hearkens back to the opening of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Picard Season 3 Star Trek

Disengage

Star Trek: Picard2401: It quickly becomes apparent to Picard and Riker that Jack is the target of the attacking ship. Their only escape route, the shuttle “borrowed” from the Titan, is destroyed, and the Crushers’ ship is in no condition to put up a fight – or even to resist capture. After Seven cajoles him into it, Captain Shaw puts the Titan between the smaller ship and harm’s way, becaming Picard, Riker and the Crushers to safety. The safety, however, is relative and fleeting, as the Titan is now the hostile ship’s sole target. Vadic, the captain of the other ship, hails the Titan, demanding that Jack Crusher be handed over immediately, and despite a scan which reveals just how outgunned the Titan is, Captain Shaw refuses. Vadic gives him a one-hour deadline – and then, just to make sure Shaw knows she means business, uses a tractor beam to hurl Crusher’s ship directly at the Titan, doing serious damage. Outside of Federation jurisdiction and concerned for the lives of his crew, Shaw decides there’s no choice but to hand Jack over to Vadic.

Raffi reaches out to her Starfleet Intelligence handler for guidance on following leads into the recent attack against the Federation, only to be told that the investigation has been ordered closed. She returns to M’Talas Prime to continue investigating on her own, and has to arrange a meeting with a notorious Ferengi criminal through her ex-husband. But her attempt to bribe the information of of that Ferengi nearly proves fatal. Fortunately, someone has Raffi’s back – someone very handy with a Klingon sword. As time runs out for the Titan, Jack Crusher seems more than willing to turn himself over to Vadic to avoid any further bloodshed, and Picard is unable to convince Shaw to not surrender his prisoner. Riker brings Beverly Crusher to the bridge, where a single look confirms some Riker already suspected and Picard seemed unwilling to confront: Jack Crusher is Picard’s son. Picard pulls rank and assumes command, plunging the Titan and her crew into a fight they’re extremely unlikely to win.

Order DVDswritten by Christopher Monfette & Sean Tretta
directed by Doug Aarniokoski
music by Stephen Barton / additional music by Max McGuire

Star Trek: PicardCast: Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Michelle Hurd (Raffi Musiker), Ed Speleers (Jack Crusher), Michael Dorn (Worf), Jonathan Frakes (Captain William Riker), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), Todd Stashwick (Captain Liam Shaw), Amanda Plummer (Vadic), Aaron Stanford (Sneed), Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut (Ensign Sidney La Forge), Randy J. Goodwin (Jae Hwang), Robert G. Morgan (Fenris Ranger), Stephanie Czajkowski (Lt. T’Veen), Joseph Lee (Lt. Mura), Chad Lindberg (Ensign Foster), Jin Maley (Ensign Esmar), Tiffany Shepid (Dr. Ohk), Amy Earheart (Eleos/Titan Computer), Adam Hunter (Security Officer), Naymon Frank (Guard), Grace Lee (La Sirena Computer)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Mandalorian, The Season 3

Chapter 17: The Apostate

Star Wars: The MandalorianWhen a Mandalorian initiation rite is interrupted by an enormous, omnivorous creature, even an entire legion of armed Mandalorians is unable to bring it down. The arrival of another one of their number – and a well-timed shot from his ship – ends the danger. Afterward, the Mandalorian informs the Armorer of his plan to redeem himself in the waters of the mines of Mandalore, though she exhibits little optimism that he can actually achieve this. A visit to the revitalized planet Nevarro reunites the Mandalorian with Greef Karga, but when they try to revive IG-11, they discover it has reverted to its original bounty hunter programming and poses a danger to Grogu. The Mandalorian next tries to enlist the help of Bo-Katan, but she rules an empty palace, her followers having abandoned her cause when she did not return with the darksaber. She does, at least, offer a clue as to where the Mandalorian can achieve his goal… with a warning that Mandalore itself has been poisoned.

The Mandalorianwritten by Jon Favreau
directed by Rick Famuyiwa
music by Joseph Shirley

Cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Carl Weathers (High Magistrate Greef Karga), Brendan Wayne (Mandalorian Warrior), Lateef Crowder (Mandalorian Warrior), Tait Fletcher (Paz Vizsla), Wesley Kimmel (Ragnar), Parvesh Cheena (Nevarro Copper Droid voice), Taiki Waititi (IG-11 voice), Marti Matulis (Vane), Shirley Henderson (Anzellan Crew voices), Nonso Anozie (Gorian Shard), Mat Fraser (Pirate Coxswain), Chris Bartlett (Nevarro Copper Droid performance artist), Carey Jones (Gorian Shard performance artist), Misty Rosas (Pirate Coxswain performance artist), Ian Goodwin (Warthog Pirate performance artist), Barry Lowin (Klatoonian Pirate Pilot performance artist), David St. Pierre (Trandoshan Pirate Pilot performance artist), Kelly Cruz (Mandalorian Drummer), Joey Gandolfo (Mandalorian Drummer), Andrew Lederman (Mandalorian Drummer), Joe Martone (Mandalorian Drummer), Daniel Mills (Mandalorian Drummer), Robert Murray (Mandalorian Drummer), Lyndon Rochelle (Mandalorian Drummer), Gregory Sadler (Mandalorian Drummer), Ian Wurfl (Mandalorian Drummer)

The MandalorianNotes: It’s a really good idea to have watched The Book Of Boba Fett prior to this season of The Mandalorian, specifically episodes 5 through 7, as this is where the reunion between the Mandalorian and Grogu takes place (as well as the Mandalorian’s admission to the Armorer that he has removed his helmet, her suggestion of how he might redeem himself, and the acquisition of a new ship to replace the Razor Crest). We’ve met Anzellan droidsmith Babu Frik already in The Rise Of Skywalker (2019), although that movie happens many years later than The Mandalorian.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Mandalorian, The Season 3

Chapter 18: The Mines Of Mandalore

Star Wars: The MandalorianThe Mandalorian visits Peli Motto on Tatooine to try to buy the parts needed to repair IG-11; instead she sells him R5-D4 at a reduced rate, over the droid’s objections. He needs a droid to sample atmospheric toxicity on Mandalore, scouting ahead to see if it’s safe to seek the living waters in the subsurface mines. But Mandalore is neither toxic nor uninhabited; R5 is sent back to wait with the ship while the Mandalorian and Grogu explore the former capitol city. A bio-robotic hunter captures the Mandalorian, and it’s up to Grogu to make his way back to the ship alone, get R5 to pilot the ship to Bo-Katan’s sacntuary, and seek her help. She returns with R5 and Grogu, freeing the Mandalorian with his own darksaber and leading him to the mines. Even bathing in the water in the mines is a treacherous thing to do, and Bo-Katan has to rescue him again, but beneath the water, she catches a glimpse of something alive – possibly the mythosaur at the heart of Mandalorian folklore.

The Mandalorianwritten by Jon Favreau
directed by Rachel Morrison
music by Joseph Shirley

Cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Amy Sedaris (Peli Motto), Brendan Wayne (Mandalorian Warrior), Lateef Crowder (Mandalorian Warrior), Dawn Dininger (Rodian Customer), Leilani Shiu (Jawa), Ariel Shiu (Jawa)

The MandalorianNotes: Peli claims that R5-D4 served the Rebellion during the galactic civil war and was then sold to her, possibly by Jawas. Despite R5’s nervous demeanor suggesting that he’s not made of the same tyranny-fighting stuff as R2-D2, this story of R5’s post-Tatooine exploits is given some confirmation a few episodes later. The Mandalorian’s visit to Tatooine falls on Boonta Eve, a major holiday on that planet (which also coincided with the podrace that young Anakin Skywalker won in Star Wars Episode I).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Mandalorian, The Season 3

Chapter 19: The Convert

Star Wars: The MandalorianAs they leave Mandalore in Bo-Katan’s ship, Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian are attacked by a squadron of TIE interceptors. Once the Mandalorian uses his jetpack to bail out of the ship and retrieve his starfighter, he’s able to offer backup, but another waves of fighters arrives, bombs Bo-Katan’s sanctuary, leaving the two Mandalorians without a home base. There’s only one place to which they can run: to rejoin the Mandalorian covert.

On Coruscant, former Imperial geneticist Dr. Pershing has become the very model of a reformed Imperial citizen of the New Republic. After an evening of being in the public spotlight as a promising specimen of the amnesty program, he returns to the amnesty housing building, where rehibilitated former Imperials are retrained for life in the Republic. He’s surprised to see a familiar face from Moff Gideon’s ship – Elia Kane, Gideon’s former communications officer – and over time, she drops hints that Pershing could continue his cloning research in private, even if the Republic forbids him from doing so as his full-time occupation. All he has to do is follow her lead and break some rules, with a very real risk of being caught and forced back into rehabilitation. Kane seems to be very comfortable breaking the New Republic’s rules, but Pershing is still arrested. But will he be punished for defying the rules of the New Republic, or those of the Empire?

The Mandalorianwritten by Noah Kloor & Jon Favreau
directed by Lee Isaac Chung
music by Joseph Shirley

Cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Omid Abtahi (Dr. Pershing), Katy M. O’Brian (Elia Kane), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Brendan Wayne (Mandalorian Warrior), Lateef Crowder (Mandalorian Warrior), Valarie Pettiford (Aristocrat 1), Stephen Keearin (Aristocrat 2), Norwood Cheek (Aristocrat 3), Veanne Cox (Aristocrat 4), Dylan Firshein (Taxi Droid), Matthew Bellows (Amnesty Office M40), James Chen (Amnesty Officer G27), Max Fowler (Amnesty Officer M34), Danny Jabobs (Lab Tech), Regina Hermosillo (Parole Droid), John Ott (Technician), Sunkrish Bala (Amnesty Affairs Commissioner), Tait Fletcher (Paz Vizsla), Arden Briar Voyles (Rodian Child performance artist)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Mandalorian, The Season 3

Chapter 20: The Foundling

Star Wars: The MandalorianThe training of foundlings and adult warriors alike continues in the Mandalorian covert, and this includes Grogu, who bests Paz Vizsla’s son Ragnar in dart training. Ragnar wanders off from the others in embarrassment, only to find a large flying creature bearing down on him. It picks him up and carries him away, followed by Vizsla and other with their jetpacks; they exhaust their fuel trying to chase the creature and rescue the boy. Bo-Katan has a different idea, following the creature in her ship and mapping the way back to its nest. She, Vizsla, the Mandalorian and others mount an attempt to rescue the boy before he becomes the creature’s next meal. Grogu is left in the care of the Armorer, and suddenly remembers how he escaped the Jedi purge: a Jedi named Kelleran Beq saved him and, in a ship from Naboo, got Grogu away from Coruscant.

The Mandalorianwritten by Jon Favreau & Dave Filoni
directed by Carl Weathers
music by Joseph Shirley

Cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Ahmed Best (Kelleran Beq), Brendan Wayne (Mandalorian Warrior), Lateef Crowder (Mandalorian Warrior), Wesley Kimmel (Ragnar), Jason Chu (Mandalorian Judge), Tait Fletcher (Paz Vizsla), Temuera Morrison (Clone Troopers), Juan Javier Cardenas (Senate Guard Captain)

The MandalorianNotes: Kelleran Beq was introduced in the short-lived Star Wars-themed game show Star Wars: Jedi Challenge, which premiered on YouTube in 2020. In that respect, Beq bearing resposibility for the safety of younglings does match up with what had been seen in that show, though whether this makes the game show canonical is left open. As in Jedi Challenge, the role of Kelleran Beq is played by actor Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

The Broken Circle

Star Trek: ProdigyStardate 2369.2: Captain Pike takes personal time to attend to the pressing matter of finding an attorney to represent Number One in her upcoming court martial. Spock is left in command of the Enterprise as she undergoes inspections by Commander Pelia and her team in spacedock. During this layover, Uhura picks up a carefully-masked signal from La’an, from the mining planet Cajitar at the edge of Klingon space, warning of a major threat to the Federation. Spock decides to fake an emergency that will drive the inspectors off the ship so the remaining crew can effectively steal the Enterprise to rescue La’an. Pelia, sensing that something doesn’t add up, remains aboard the ship, not to stop Spock, but to assist him in the role of chief engineer. La’an is holding her own on Cajitar, but summoned her friends when she discovered that a coalition of human and Klingon profiteers are planning to somehow reignite the Klingon war with the Federation to drive up dilithium prices. When it is discovered that they are medics, M’Benga and Chapel are taken hostage by Klingons to treat victims of a recent radiation incident in an underground chamber. That chamber contains a Federation starship, and M’Benga quickly decudes the plan: with “custody” of Cajitar jointly held by the Federation and the Klingon Empire for alternating six-month periods, an attack by a “Federation ship” during a period of Klingon occupation would provide the necessary provocation for war to be declared. With no way to call for backup or get off the ship before it launches, M’Benga and Chapel must relive their own experiences in the war with a substance that provides a burst of berserker rage and and strength, making them a match for the Klingons aboard, something both of them used during the war. A coded warning to the Enterprise makes it clear that the ship is to be destroyed, but Spock knows that doing so may mean the death of two of his closest crewmates.

Order DVDswritten by Henry Alonso Myers & Akiva Goldsman
directed by Chris Fisher
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Adrian Holmes (Admiral Robert April), Carol Kane (Commander Pelia), Izad Etemadi (Burly Inspector), Rong Fu (Jenna Mitchell), Emma Ho (Oriana), Andrew Jackson (Captain D’Chok), Alex Kapp (U.S.S. Enterprise Computer), Kyle Kass (Kr’Dogh), Noah Lamanna (Chief Jay), Chiang Ma (Livian), Tiffany Martin (Senior Chief), Jamillah Ross (Lukata), Samer Salem (Inspector Gilan), Hannah Spear (Jen), Alex Spencer (Greynax), Nicolas Van Buren (Klingon Extremist), Abbas Wahab (Ror’Queg), Laura Wilson (Stell), Russell Yuen (Commodore Tafune)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: Mitchell eyeballs the ersatz Federation ship as a Crossfield class, with some uncertainty; it doesn’t resemble the previous Crossfield class ships (Discovery and Glenn from Star Trek: Discovery), but those ships, since they were testing spore drive technology, may have been experimental refits of the more traditional 23rd century ship profile seen here, or may simply be a “kitbash” of available parts. The fact that some of the earliest instances of Klingon/human cooperation happened among warmongers is an ongoing problem (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, 1991). Captain Pike’s whereabouts during these events are revealed in the following episode. Marc Okrand, author of the Klingon Dictionary first published in the 1980s after he invented the Klingon language for Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, is once again credited as the Klingon language consultant. The episode carries an on-screen dedication to Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022), who originiated the character of Uhura in the original Star Trek series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

Ad Astra Per Aspera

Star Trek: ProdigyStardate 2393.8: Venturing into Illyrian space on his own time, Captain Pike demands to see civil rights attorney Neera Ketoul, an Illyrian herself and a childhood friend of Number One. He pushes for her to take his first officer’s case, not just for her, but for all Illyrians trying to overcome Federation prejudice. Neera’s defense begins somewhat inauspiciously by grilling Admiral April on the witness stand, but over time she reminds the judges that at one point, many prejudices now thought of as archaic were, in fact, enshrined in the law. But one troubling question weighs on both Neera and on La’an, who can’t seem to find the answer: who turned Number One in to Starfleet, revealing that she was an Illyrian and not human?

Order DVDswritten by Dana Horgan
directed by Valerie Weiss
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Yetide Badaki (Neera Ketoul), Adrian Holmes (Admiral Robert April), Melanie Scrofano (Captain Batel), Jim Annan (Una’s Father), Anna Claire Beitel (young Una), Catherine Black (Una’s Mother), Eugene Clark (Vulcan Judge), Nicky Guadagni (Admiral Javas), Beth Hornby (Guard), Alex Kapp (U.S.S. Enterprise Computer), Graeme Somerville (Vice Admiral Pasalk), Iain Stewart (JAG Defender), David Benjamin Tomlinson (Tellarite Judge), Kimberly-Ann Truong (Illyrian Assistant)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: Many visual conventions of classic Star Trek courtroom episodes (The Menagerie Part I and II, Court-Martial) are maintained here, from Starfleet dress uniforms to the hand sensor (presumably some means of detecting truthful or non-truthful answers). Una’s fondness for Gilbert & Sullivan – and Spock’s discovery of this – was revealed in the Short Treks episode Q&A (2019). Pike’s visit to the Vaultera Nebula is concurrent with the events of the previous episode, The Broken Circle.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow

Star Trek: ProdigyStardate 1581.2: La’an’s day goes from bad to worse when an unknown intruder suffering from a bullet wound suddenly materializes aboard the Enterprise. He hands her a device and warns her to get to the bridge. A sudden surge of energy seems to put the red alert, and when La’an arrives on the bridge, she finds that the Enterprise is under the command of Captain James T. Kirk of the United Earth Fleet. In private, she explains the sudden shift in reality to him, but when he tries to take the device to inspect it, they both find themselves in 21st cebtury Toronto with no idea why they’ve been brought there.

No sooner have La’an and Kirk sorted out basic matters of inconspicuous clothing, money, food, and lodging than a newly-constructed bridge is brought down by some kind of deliberate sabotage. A quick glimpse of the debris reveals technology that shouldn’t exist on Earth in this time period. A fortuitous meeting with a local enthusiast of conspiracy theories yields surprisingly significant information in the search for those responsible for destroying the bridge. But the woman La’an and Kirk have met is not there by coincidence. As the two travelers from Earth’s future are trying to repair history, their new acquaintance is there to undo it in a way that will have very direct consequences for La’an.

Order DVDswritten by David Reed
directed by Amanda Row
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Paul Wesley (Captain James T. Kirk), Adelaide Kane (Sera), Carol Kane (Pelia), Dennis Barham (Chess Player #1), Noah Lamanna (Chief Jay), Caden Lawrence (Security Ensign), David Leyshon (Chess Player #3), Luke Marty (Police Officer), Sean Meldrum (Denobulan Cadet), Brian Quintero (Store Security Guard), Robin Schisler (Woman in store), Randy Singh (Institute Guard #1), Desmond Sivan (Young Khan), Mish Tam (Chess Player #2), Allisan Wilson-Forbes (Agent Ymalay), Christopher Wyllie (Grey-Suited Man)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: Pelia was the proprietor of an antigue store in Vermont in the 21st century, but was not yet an engineer; in the 23rd century, Pelia does not appear to remember encountering La’an and Kirk in the past (or at least isn’t saying anything about it if she does, which may be a wiser course of action). The Denobulan involved in the argument in the transporter room is the first live-action Denobulan seen since Dr. Phlox was last glimpsed in the closing scenes of Star Trek: Enterprise (though animated Denobulans have been seen in both Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy). The events in this episode would appear to take place not long after the “Project Khan” folder was glimpsed in Adam Soong’s lab at the end of season two of Star Trek: Picard, so Soong’s aughments either grow at an accelerated rate, or “Project Khan” was already further along than previously implied. The Department of Temporal Investigations – last seen following up on the events of the Deep Space Nine episode Trials And Tribble-ations – seems to have its own time-travel gear and a more directly interventionist stance than implied in that previous appearance; clearly this is the Department from a later period in history, possibly the 27th century in which Starfleet has time travel (Voyager: Relativity). Though it’s less ornate, the Department’s hand-held time travel device shares some distinct functional similarities with the Omni from the 1980s time travel series Voyagers! – namely, that history is still affected, and thus the user is forbidden to leave that time period, as long as the light is red. The fact that the Romulan agent in the 21st century is aware that “entire temporal wars have been fought” indicates she may be a participant in, or an occupant of a time after, Star Trek: Enterprise’s Temporal Cold War. She also mentions that these events were meant to happen in 1992, leaving her trapped on Earth for 30 years trying to prevent them, Star Trek: Strange New Worldsan acknowledgement of Khan’s history having been shifted in the Star Trek timeline from the 1990s (Star Trek: Space Seed) to the 21st century (Deep Space Nine: Doctor Bashir, I Presume). Desmond Sivan becomes only the third actor to portray, in live action, a famed Star Trek character previously played by Ricardo Montalban and Benedict Cumberbatch.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

Among The Lotus Eaters

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsStardate 1630.1: A joint mission involving the Enterprise and the Cayuga gives Captains Pike and Batel fleeting opportunities for alone time, but the fallout from the recent trial of Pike’s first officer may have permanently damaged their relationship. The Enterprise is called away to Rigel VII, a planet visited by Pike and a landing party five years ago, resulting the deaths of three members of his crew. Recent imagery from an uncrewed probe’s flyby indicates that there may have been some cultural contamination of the warlike local culture, and to put it succinctly, Pike is ordered to clean up his own mess. He hand-picks a small team – La’an and M’Benga – for their ability to handle themselves in close combat without energy weapons, which seems like a good way to blend in until they’re accosted by locals with energy weapons. Pike, La’an and M’Benga are taken to the warriors’ palace, where they find that Pike’s former yeoman – presumed killed in action during that fateful previous mission – is not only alive, but has turned himself into the local warlord. He orders the landing party to be held captive while the planet’s radiation takes effect, robbing them of their inhibitions and eventually their memory.

The same effect is gradually being felt aboard the Enterprise as well, and before long a third of the crew is out of commission, including Uhura and Number One. Spock directs Ortegas to raise the Enterprise‘s orbit to avoid the radiation causing the rampant neurological degradation, unaware that this will only put the ship and crew further into harm’s way. On Rigel VII, a jailbreak leaves La’an critically injured, and while M’Benga can perform basic first aid without thinking, his memory of how to stabilize La’an has left him. With help from one of the locals, Pike sets out to retrieve everyone’s memories at any cost.

Order DVDswritten by Kirsten Beyer & Davy Perez
directed by Eduardo Sanchez
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Reed Birney (Luq), David Huynk (Zac Nguyen), Melanie Scrofano (Captain Batel), Trevor Coll (Afraid Crewmember), Tarek Gader (Shirtless Crewmember), Alex Kapp (USS Enterprise Computer), Noah Lamanna (Chief Jay), Emeka Menakaya (Tiko), Simon Northwood (Rak)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: The events on Rigel VII took place shortly before The Cage (1964), and were the cause of a crisis of self-confidence on Captain Pike’s part in that story, leading him to have thoughts of resigning from Starfleet; previously unrevealed until this episode was that Spock was also critically wounded during that mission. The bronze-age outfits and weaponry (other than the phaser rifles accidentally left behind by the previous Enterprise landing party) all tally with the warrior Pike faced during a Talosian-incuded illusion in The Cage.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

Those Old Scientists

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsStardate 58460.1: The Cerritos visits the planet Krulmuth-B, site of an ancient portal of unknown function. Boimler, Tendi, and Rutherford are elated to be assigned to scan the ancient technology; Mariner is less than thrilled with the assignment. After he and Tendi spar over whether the portal was discovered by Captain Pike’s Enterprise crew or an Orion science vessel whose crew included an ancestor of Tendi’s, Boimler poses for a picture in the portal. But Rutherford’s camera seems to activate the device, and Boimler is sucked in.

Stardate 2291.6: The Enterprise visits the planet Krulmuth-B, finding an ancient portal of unknown function. As Number One, Spock, and La’An do routine scans, someone emerges from the portal – one Ensign Brad Boimler, a junior Starfleet officer from 120 years in their future. After Boimler seems to be reflexively startled by Number One, Pike leaves the ensign in the care of La’An, who reviews standard Starfleet time travel protocols, and adds advice of her own from recent experience. An attempt to return Boimler through the portal is thwarted by the appearance of an Orion vessel. Pike and his crew assume they are pirates, but Boimler realizes this could be the ship on which Tendi’s ancestor is serving and speaks up, annoying Pike by potentially altering history. After parlaying with the Orions for access to the portal, Pike and his crew are alarmed when, just as Boimler is about to walk through the portal, one of his crewmates from the future, Ensign Beckett Mariner, jumps through, thinking she’s rescuing her friend. The portal’s energy exhausted, Boimler and Mariner are both stranded in the 23rd century, unless they can find a solution that somehow doesn’t alter history.

Order DVDswritten by Kathryn Lyn & Bill Wolkoff
directed by Jonathan Frakes
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Tawny Newsome (Ensign Beckett Mariner), Jack Quaid (Ensign Brad Boimler), Noel Wells (Ensign Tendi), Eugene Cordero (Ensign Rutherford), Jerry O’Connell (Commander Jack Ransom), Greg Bryk (Captain Caras), Carol Kane (Commander Pelia)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: A full-blown crossover with the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, Those Old Scientists emerged from discussions between the showrunners of both shows and featured roles for many of Lower Decks’ regulars, though only Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid got to play their characters in live action. The episode was released almost a full week early, as it was also being shown at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con. The main titles are animated in a style that splits the difference between Lower Decks’ animation style and the usual Strange New Worlds opening titles, and includes such Lower Decks staples as the unidentified creature feeding on one of the Enterprise’s warp engines and a cosmic koala sighting. There are also many references to characters and the ship from Star Trek: Enterprise. Lt. Ortegas has visited Starbase Earhart (and run into dom-jot-obsessed Nausicaans there), the same place where one Ensign Jean-Luc Picard will have a life-altering experience decades from now (TNG: Tapestry, 1993).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

Subspace Rhapsody

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsStardate 2398.3: Investigating a subspace fold with unusual properties, the Enterprise is once again visited by Lt. Commander James Kirk of the Farragut, whose presence has La’An noticeably on edge. Hypothesizing that the subspace fold could be used to speed up long-range communications, Spock and Uhura have been trying to send signals through it to no avail. Commander Pelia suggests transmitting music into the fold, and the effect is immediate and unpredictable, causing members of the crew to burst into song in moments of extreme emotion. Even Spock is not immune, particularly after learning that Nurse Chapel has successfully applied for a three-month fellowship to study under Dr. Roger Korby. Worse still, the effect is spreading throughout existing subspace communications networks, affecting others across the galaxy in the same way. The Klingons, despite being accustomed to singing songs of their deeds in battle, are less than amused, and a major diplomatic breakdown looms unless Captain Pike and his crew come up with a show-stopping grand finale.

Order DVDswritten by Dana Horgan & Bill Wolkoff
directed by Dermott Downs / choreography by Roberto Campanella
original songs by Tom Polce and Kay Hanley / additional lyrics by Dana Horgan & Bill Wolkoff
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’An Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Paul Wesley (Kirk), Melanie Scrofano (Captain Batel), Dan Jeannotte (Lt. Sam Kirk), Bruce Horak (General Garkog), Carol Kane (Commander Pelia), Rong Fu (Jenna Mitchell)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: With a history that stretches from dancing, singing Murf, to Kira singing “Fever” while Odo plays piano, to musically inclined space hippies, to Uhura serenading Charlie Evans in one of the original series’ earliest episodes, there’s never been a shortage of musical moments in Star Trek, but Subspace Rhapsody marks the first attempt to elevate that concept to a full-fledged stage-style musical sustaining across a full episode. It helps that almost the entire cast is musically inclined as well, and a soundtrack release followed almost immediately. Kirk’s mention to La’An that he has a steady – and pregnant – girlfriend is almost certainly a reference to Carol Marcus (Star Trek II, 1982). Bruce Horak – who starred in season one as Hemmer – makes his second comeback of the season, this time in Klingon guise.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

Hegemony

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsStardate 2344.2: As the U.S.S. Cayuga checks in on Parnassus Beta, a human colony outside of Federation space, Captain Batel continues her long-distance relationship with Captain Pike via subspace communication, which is suddenly cut off with the arrival of a crash-landing Starfleet shuttlecraft, followed closely by an enormous Gorn ship. By the time Enterprise responds to the Cayuga‘s distress signal, the Cayuga has been reduced to a field of debris orbiting Parnassus Beta. Worse still, the Gorn claim that the colony is in their territory, and any attempt to rescue either colonists or any survivors from the Cayuga will be seen as an act of war. Even with Admiral April’s explicit orders to avoid initiating hostilities, Pike and a small, hand-picked team go to the surface, hiding their shuttlecraft from detection by drifting through the Cayuga‘s debris. They find the Gorn present in great numbers, but also a contingent of surviving colonists and Cayuga crew members, including Captain Batel. Among the survivors is Lt. Montgomery Scott, the sole survivor of the last Starfleet ship attacked by the Gorn before attacking Parnassus Beta. His ingenuity provides what could be some tactical advantages, assuming he and the others survive long enough to eliminate the Gorn’s transporter scattering field and return to the Enterprise alive. Aboard the Enterprise, Pelia and Uhura devise a plan to dismantle the Gorn’s scattering field and rescue the humans on the surface, but when it happens, it will leave no doubt that Starfleet has taken a more aggressive posture and possibly start a war. The plan is a success, though the Gorn beam the colonists – including several of the Enterprise landing party – to their ship instead, attacking the Enterprise immediately afterward. As the crew awaits Pike’s orders, Captain Batel is put into stasis in sick bay, having been implanted with fast-hatching Gorn eggs in the Gorn’s attack on the planet.

Order DVDswritten by Henry Alonso Myers
directed by Maja Vrvilo
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Martin Quinn (Lt. Scott), Adrian Holmes (Admiral Robert April), Melanie Scrofano (Captain Batel), Dan Jeannotte (Lt. Sam Kirk), Carol Kane (Commander Pelia), Rong Fu (Jenna Mitchell), Matt Jensen (Ensign Appel), Alex Kapp (USS Enterprise/Cayuga Computer), strongNoah Lamanna (Chief Jay), Emeka Menakaya (Tiko), Simon Northwood (Rak)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: Still a mere lieutenant in a room full of lieutenants, this is Scotty’s first appearance, chronologically speaking, in the prime Star Trek timeline; he’s also a former student of Pelia’s (though maybe it’s a good idea to look past his transcript). This is the first time an actual Scottish actor has played the role of Scotty. Since this season-ending cliffhanger premiered in the midst of a combined strike of the Writers’ Guild of America and the Screen Actors’ Guild, the ensuing wait for part two of the story would prove to be lengthy.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Babylon 5 / Crusade

The Road Home

Babylon 5Having departed Babylon 5 to take up residence at the Interstellar Alliance’s new headquarters on Minbar, Sheridan is amused when one of his first official presidential duties amounts to cutting the ribbon on a new Minbari power facility. But when reality begins distorting around him, Sheridan is told that the power source used is tachyons – and due to his previous time travel experiences during the mission to save Babylon 4, he is once again susceptible to becoming unstuck in time. But he’s also unstuck in reality as well, as his multiple seemingly random slides across the multiverse lead him to experience alternate realities, many of them involving losing to the Shadows in the Shadow War. A visit to the Great Machine beneath Epsilon 3 reveals two disturbing truths: first, that there are many, many more where Zathras came from, and second, Sheridan’s visits to other realities threaten every timeline. And inexplicably, something – or someone – is pursuing him through time and space with what he assumes is hostile intent. His jumps do eventually bring him back to a Babylon 5 that isn’t at war or under imminent threat of destruction, and that’s where his pursuer finally catches up with him.

Order now!Download this episodewritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Matt Peters
music by Michael McCustion, Kristopher Carter and Lolita Ritmanis

Babylon 5Cast: Bruce Boxleitner (President John Sheridan), Claudia Christian (Commander Susan Ivanova), Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari), Bill Mumy (Lennier), Tracy Scoggins (Captain Elizabeth Lochley), Patricia Tallman (Lyta Alexander), Paul Guyet (Zathras / Commander Jeffrey Sinclair), Anthony Hansen (Michael Garibaldi), Mara Junot (Reporter / Computer Voice), Phil LaMarr (Dr. Stephen Franklin), Piotr Michael (David Sheridan / Trudan / Marcus Cole), Andrew Morgado (G’Kar / Starfury Pilot), Rebecca Riedy (Delenn / young Sheridan)

Babylon 5Notes: First teased in late April 2023 with a steady stream of further announcements and information following over the next couple of months, The Road Home is the first Babylon 5 project since The Lost Tales (2007), featuring a largely new cast to replace the many members of the original live-action cast who have died since the end of the series’ original run. J. Michael Straczynski told social media followers that all of the surviving original cast members were asked if they had any objections to the recasting necessary to tell the story, and that if any of them had objected, the project would have been halted.

Babylon 5Though the opening scenes match up fairly well with Sheridan’s departure as depicted in Objects At Rest (1998), we then fast-forward to a time after Sheridan and Delenn’s arrival on Minbar, with no hint or mention of that episode’s shocking developments involving Lennier (it may also be significant that we do not see Lennier again in the original series timeline); perhaps Sheridan’s socklessness is what triggered Lennier. Sheridan’s earlier exposure to tachyons occurred when his damaged time stabilizer left him exposed in War Without End Part 1 (1996); Though scenes in the alternate timeline in which Babylon 5 is directly attacked by the Shadows recall an alternate-timeline Ivanova’s distress call in that episode, it’s not the same timeline (particularly since Sinclair is still in command).

LogBook entry by Earl Green