Tag: Main cast member leaves

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Classic Season 21 Doctor Who

The Caves of Androzani

Doctor WhoThe Doctor and Peri find themselves on Androzani Major, a world embroiled in a bloody war over the drug spectrox, which prolongs the human life span. While exploring some seemingly uninhabited caves, the Doctor and Peri fall into a foreign substance which has the immediate effect of causing an unpleasant rash, and are then captured by a platoon of soldiers who accuse them of smuggling weapons. While awaiting summary execution for this crime, the Doctor and Peri are then rescued – or perhaps kidnapped – by Sharaz Jek, a disfigured madman who hoards the planet’s supply of spectrox and oversees the real weapons smugglers. The soldiers, Jek, the gun-runners and a treacherous corporate mogul with an eye on the presidency are all battling for control of the spectrox supply, and none of them will let anything stand in their way – especially not two innocent bystanders who are dying anyway.

Order the DVDDownload this episodewritten by Robert Holmes
directed by Graeme Harper
music by Roger Limb

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Christopher Gable (Sharaz Jek), John Normington (Morgus), Robert Glenister (Salateen), Maurice Roeves (Stotz), Roy Holder (Krelper), Martin Cochrane (Chellak), Barbara Kinghorn (Timmin), David Neal (President), Ian Staples (Soldier), Colin Taylor (Magma creature), Keith Harvey, Andrew Smith, Stephen Smith (Androids), Anthony Ainley (The Master), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Gerald Flood (voice of Kamelion)

Broadcast from March 8 through 16, 1984

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Classic Season 23 Doctor Who

Mindwarp (Trial Of A Time Lord, Parts 5-8)

Doctor WhoThe Valeyard presents another adventure as evidence of the Doctor’s meddlesome nature. During this escapade, the Doctor and Peri arrive on Thoros Beta, the home planet of their old enemy Sil. Kiv, the leader of Sil’s people, faces a painful death unless a way can be found to transplant Kiv’s mind into a physically larger brain. When the Doctor and Peri are captured by the guards, the Doctor is subjected to an experiment wiith the mind transplantation equipment and becomes mentally unstable. Peri escapes with the help of King Yrcanos, a warrior from neighboring Thoros Alpha, whose people are enslaved by Sil. But the Valeyard’s evidence seems to show the Doctor betraying Peri to save his own skin, despite the Doctor’s insistence that these events never occurred. But even the Doctor is stunned into silence when he finally learns why Peri is not present to defend him at his trial.

Order the DVDwritten by Philip Martin
directed by Ron Jones
music by Richard Hartley

Cast: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Bonnie Langford (Melanie), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), Lynda Bellingham (Inquisitor), Brian Blessed (King Yrcanos), Nabil Shaban (Sil), Christopher Ryan (Kiv), Patrick Reycart (Crozier), Alibe Parsons (Matrona Kani), Richard Henry (Mentor), Trevor Laird (Frax), Gordon Warnecke (Tuza), Thomas Branch (The Lukoser)

Broadcast from October 4 through 25, 1986

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Classic Season 23 Doctor Who

The Ultimate Foe (Trial Of A Time Lord, Parts 13-14)

Doctor WhoThe Doctor is still on trial for his life, facing a new charge – genocide – levelled at him by the prosecuting Valeyard. The Doctor counters that the Valeyard has tampered with the evidence through the immense Gallifreyan information storage system known as the Matrix – but a Time Lord whose job is to tend the Matrix refutes this charge. Then, mysterious things begin happening. Two friendly witnesses arrive in the form of criminal Sabalon Glitz and future companion Melanie – with whom the Doctor has yet to travel at this point in his history. And then the Master appears from within the Matrix, admitting to providing these witnesses as part of his plan to help the Doctor and topple the High Council of the Time Lords at the same time. The Master also reveals that the Valeyard is, in fact, a future incarnation of the Doctor – a future incarnation gone mad and turned to evil. With this revelation the Doctor and the Valeyard plunge into the Matrix, aided and abetted by Glitz, Mel, and the Master, ready to fight the most dangerous battle between good and evil that any Time Lord has ever fought, where his mortal adversary is himself.

Order the DVDpart 13 written by Robert Holmes
part 14 written by Pip Baker & Jane Baker
directed by Chris Clough
music by Dominic Glynn

Cast: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Bonnie Langford (Melanie), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard), Lynda Bellingham (Inquisitor), Anthony Ainley (The Master), Tony Selby (Glitz), Geoffrey Hughes (Mr. Popplewick), James Bree (Keeper of the Matrix)

Broadcast from November 29 through December 6, 1986

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Classic Season 24 Doctor Who

Dragonfire

Doctor WhoThe Doctor and Mel pay a visit to Svartos, an ice planet with an enormous habitation complex which extends far above the surface. Though it seems innocuous enough on the surface – the TARDIS materializes in a frozen goods store – a chance encounter with Sabalon Glitz, bumbling intergalactic treasure-seeker not-so-extraordinaire quickly leads the Doctor into trouble, and introduces him to Ace, a sarcastic teenager from Earth who inexplicably found herself on Svartos and now works as a waitress. Glitz has obtained a map of the caverns beneath the planet’s surface, where a dragon is rumored to lurk, guarding a priceless treasure. The Doctor agrees to accompany Glitz on his search, more curious about the dragon itself than what it may be guarding. Mel, left behind with Ace, finds herself in very deep trouble when the younger girl runs afoul of the authorities and brings herself to the attention of Kane, an alien who cannot leave the sub-freezing portions of the complex. Little do the Doctor and Glitz realize that the dragon is all that stands between the people of Svartos and Kane’s plans for a bloody reign of terror.

Order the DVDwritten by Ian Briggs
directed by Chris Clough
music by Dominic Glynn

Cast: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Bonnie Langford (Melanie), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Tony Selby (Glitz), Edward Peel (Kane), Patricia Quinn (Belazs), Tony Osoba (Kracauer), Stephanie Fayerman (McLuhan), Sean Blowers (Zed), Stuart Organ (Bazin), Nigel Miles-Thomas (Pudovkin), Shirin Taylor (Customer), Miranda Borman (Stellar), Ian Mackenzie (Anderson), Chris MacDonnell (Arnheim), Leslie Meadows (Creature), Daphne Oxenford (Archivist), Lynn Gardner (Announcer)

Broadcast from November 23 through December 7, 1987

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Season 01 Star Trek The Next Generation

Skin Of Evil

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 41601.3: The Enterprise rushes to rescue a shuttlecraft carrying Troi, and the Away Team discovers that Armus, an evil entity, is preventing them from saving Troi and the shuttle pilot. To make sure that its point is clear, Armus kills Tasha Yar and torments Troi and the rest of the crew.

Order the DVDsteleplay by Joseph Stefano and Hannah Louise Shearer
story by Joseph Stefano
directed by Joseph L. Scanlan
music by Ron Jones

Guest Cast: Mart McChesney (Armus), Ron Gans (voice of Armus), Walker Boone (Leyland T. Lynch), Brad Zerbst (Nurse), Raymond Forchion (Ben Prieto)

Notes: Denise Crosby officially leaves the regular cast with this episode – though she would appear later in the series, but not always as Tasha.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 01 Star Trek The Next Generation

The Neutral Zone

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 41986.0: Data, curious about three cryogenically frozen earth people from the 20th century found in a derelict preservation satellite, brings them back to the ship and Dr. Crusher revives them. Meanwhile, Picard and Riker must be prepared to negotiate or fight as the Romulans return to the borders of the neutral zone – and the 20th century visitors only complicate matters.

Order the DVDstelevision story and teleplay by Maurice Hurley
from a story by Deborah McIntyre and Mona Clee
directed by James L. Conway
music by Ron Jones

Guest Cast: Marc Alaimo (Subcommander Tebok), Anthony James (Subcommander Thei), Leon Rippy (L.Q. “Sonny” Clemonds), Gracie Harrison (Claire Raymond), Peter Mark Richman (Ralph Offenhouse)

Notes: Although not actually seen in this episode, the Borg are later said to have caused the destruction of the Federation and Romulan outposts.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 02 Star Trek The Next Generation

Shades Of Gray

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 42976.1: While exploring a new planet with Geordi, Riker is stung by an alien thorn whose poison creeps up his spine toward his brain. Pulaski brings him back to the ship and tries to trigger emotional responses to destroy the poison by forcing the first officer to remember his past adventures.

Order the DVDsteleplay by Maurice Hurley, Richard Manning & Hans Beimler
story by Maurice Hurley
directed by Rob Bowman
music by Ron Jones

Cast: Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher), Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski), Colm Meaney (Chief O’Brien)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 04 Star Trek The Next Generation

Final Mission

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 44307.3: Picard reveals that Wesley has been accepted into Starfleet Academy. Wes’s final assignment on the Enterprise is to accompany Picard on a trip with an independent miner, Captain Dirgo, to settle a dispute between mining colonies. En route, Dirgo’s battered shuttle breaks down, forcing them to land on a desert world – but help is nowhere near because the Enterprise is attempting to move an abandoned freighter whose highly radioactive contents threaten the Enterprise and a nearby planet.

Order the DVDsteleplay by Kacey Arnold-Ince and Jeri Taylor
story by Kacey Arnold-Ince
directed by Corey Allen
music by Ron Jones

Guest Cast: Nick Tate (Dirgo), Kim Hamilton (Songi), Mary Kohnert (Ensign Allenby)

Notes: With this episode, Wil Wheaton officially leaves the regular cast. Guest star Nick Tate is no stranger to flying shuttles; as hotshot pilot Alan Carter, he flew Space: 1999’s Eagles during the 1970s.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Highlander Season 2

The Darkness

HighlanderA militant Watcher, Pallin Wolf, traps Immortals by kidnapping their closest mortal friends – usually their lovers – and luring them to his house where he dons night-vision goggles and bests them in combat in a dark room. As Wolf beheads another victim, Duncan, Tessa and Richie are having a night on the town. Richie introduces them to a self-proclaimed psychic who reads Tessa’s palm and predicts doom. Remembering an incident in the distant past when a spurned lover cursed him never to marry, Duncan, shaken by the reading, proposes to Tessa out of the blue, and naturally she accepts. Duncan then sees that they are being watched, but fails to find the eavesdropper. The next day, a suspicious figure passes the store and Duncan takes off after him – which turns out to be just what Wolf wants, as he knocks Richie out and kidnaps Tessa. Duncan eventually tracks Wolf and Tessa down, but before that fateful night ends, Duncan’s life and Richie’s conception of death will never be the same again.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Christian Bouveron & Lawrence Shore
directed by Paolo Barzman
music by Roger Bellon

HighlanderCast: Adrian Paul (Duncan McLeod), Alexandra Vandernoort (Tessa), Stan Kirsch (Richie), Traci Lords (Greta), Andrew Jackson (Pallin Wolf), Frank C. Turner (Harry), Lisa Vultaggio (Carmen), Richard Lautsch (Roman), Kendall Cross (Michelle), Adrian Hughes (James), Travis MacDonald (Kid)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Babylon 5 / Crusade Season 1

Chrysalis

Babylon 5Negotiations between the Narn and Centauri over territorial claims to quadrant 37 are getting nowhere, and it looks like G’Kar has the upper hand on Londo. In the meantime, a strange discussion between Kosh and Delenn leads to a momentous decision, one which numbers Delenn’s days as she knows them. An informant for Garibaldi is found murdered, and Garibaldi sets out to discover who did it. Morden, an elusive being in human form who once asked Londo and G’Kar what they wanted, appears out of nowhere and offers Londo the opportunity to take credit for a solution to the quadrant 37 problem that will tip the scales in the Centauris’ favor, a solution which Morden and his unspecified associates will provide at no cost. Garibaldi follows a tenuous trail of clues to a man named Devereaux, who warns that the security chief is getting into something too big for him. As it turns out, this is true – Garibaldi discovers evidence that Devereaux may be an Earthforce special agent, and finally stumbles across a plot to assassinate the president of the Earth Alliance. He pays for this discovery dearly when one of the conspirators shoots him, almost fatally. The Shadows are cast upon quadrant 37, utterly annihilating every trace of the Narn presence there in mere seconds. Delenn goes to Sinclair to discuss at last the Battle of the Line and his capture, but his priority must be to find Garibaldi. Delenn is risking her life and Sinclair’s to reveal the mystery to him, and warns that she has little time left. Garibaldi, dying, warns of the plot to kill the president, but his warning is too late, and Earthforce One is destroyed and Vice President Clark is sworn in as president hours later. Londo is horrified at Morden’s solution to the quadrant 37 dispute. Delenn sets into motion a process which begins transforming her, and Sinclair misses his chance to learn the greatest mystery of his life. Garibaldi is given 50/50 odds on surviving his injuries. And all at once, nothing will ever be the same…

Order now!Download this episodewritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Janet Greek
music by Christopher Franke

Babylon 5Guest Cast: Julia Nickson (Catherine Sakai), Macaulay Bruton (Garibaldi’s Aide), Liz Burnette (Lurker #1), Edward Conery (Devereaux), Maggie Egan (News Anchor), Cheryl Francis Harrington (Senator), Mark Hendrickson (Narn Pilot), James Kiriyama-Lem (Med Tech), Wesley Leong (Paramedic), Gianin Loffler (Lurker #2), David Anthony Marshall (Stephen Petrov), Gary McGurk (Morgan Clark), John Riojas (Guard), Marianne Robertson (Tech), Fumi Shishino (Screaming Woman), Ed Wasser (Morden), Bergen Williams (Security Guard)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Babylon 5 / Crusade Season 2

Divided Loyalties

Babylon 5A ship drifts through the jumpgate near B5 and must be towed in since it has sustained heavy battle damage. Its one occupant turns out to be Lyta Alexander, the commercial telepath originally assigned to B5 until her contact with Ambassador Kosh left her disoriented and possibly mentally unstable. Having fled Psi Corps and joined a resistance group on Mars, Lyta has learned of a sleeper spy aboard the station – someone who, thanks to a telepathically implanted personality that can’t be detected even on a deep mind-scan, is reporting back to Psi Corps and probably to the engineers of President Santiago’s assassination as well. Sheridan initially dismisses Lyta’s warning until an unknown assailant tries to kill her, neatly corroborating her story that the implanted personality will do or say anything to protect itself. Lyta does have the key to unlock the secret of who is carrying the personality known only as “Control” – a password which, when transmitted directly by telepathy, will reveal the secondary personality at the cost of destroying the “real” one. Ivanova balks at the prospect of being scanned, reluctantly revealing to Sheridan that she is a latent telepath who has evaded detection by Psi Corps for years. The command staff agrees to Lyta’s telepathic probe, and one by one they turn up free of any Psi Corps influence. And then Lyta has the opportunity to scan Talia…

Order now!Download this episodewritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Jesus Trevino
music by Christopher Franke

Babylon 5Cast: Bruce Boxleitner (Captain John Sheridan), Claudia Christian (Lt. Commander Ivanova), Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi), Mira Furlan (Delenn), Richard Biggs (Dr. Franklin), Andrea Thompson (Talia Winters), Stephen Furst (Vir), Bill Mumy (Lennier), Robert Rusler (Warren Keffer), Mary Kay Adams (Na’Toth), Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar), Peter Jurasik (Londo), Patricia Tallman (Lyta Alexander), Jeff Conaway (Zack Allan), Douglas Bennett (First Man), Ardwight Chamberlain (Kosh), Joshua Cox (Tech #1), Danny de la Paz (Running Man), Jani Neuman (Med Tech), George Simms (Security Guard)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Classic Series TV Movie Doctor Who

Doctor Who (1996 TV Movie)

Doctor WhoBefore he is executed by the Daleks for crimes against them, the Master asks that his remains be given to the Doctor for transport to Gallifrey. En route in the Doctor’s TARDIS, the Master’s remains break free of their container, still pulsating with malevolent life. The Master sabotages the TARDIS, forcing an emergency landing in San Francisco on December 30, 1999. The moment he steps out of the TARDIS, the Doctor is caught in the middle of a gang shooting. One young survivor of the shootout, Chang Lee, calls an ambulance for the Doctor, unwittingly providing an escape for the Master as well. Cardiologist Grace Holloway ignores the X-rays which show the Doctor’s two hearts and tries to operate on him. The operation and the anasthetics end the Doctor’s seventh life. The Doctor regenerates in the morgue as the Master takes over the body of a paramedic. Grace resigns after losing her patient, but the newly reborn Doctor, suffering from amnesia, escapes the hospital and follows her home. After convincing Grace of his alien nature and regaining his memory, the Doctor discovers that his future regenerations are the Master’s targets. Aided by Chang Lee and a hypnotized Grace, the Master captures the Doctor and tries to use the TARDIS’ Eye of Harmony to transfer the Doctor’s life energy into the paramedic’s decaying body, but opening the Eye on Earth will destroy the planet at midnight on December 31. When Chang Lee rebels against the Master’s dominance, the Master kills him and releases Grace to help him. Grace escapes and sets the TARDIS into motion, freeing Earth from danger. The Master’s scheme fails, but he kills Grace after she releases the Doctor. The Master falls into the Eye of Harmony and vanishes from existence, while the TARDIS restores Grace and Chang Lee to full health. The Doctor brings his passengers back to Earth just after the dawn of the year 2000. Grace turns down the Doctor’s offer to accompany him on his travels, and the Doctor departs in the TARDIS.

written by Matthew Jacobs
directed by Geoffrey Sax
music by John Debney, John Sponsler and Louis Febre

Doctor WhoCast: Paul McGann (The Doctor), Eric Roberts (The Master), Daphne Ashbrook (Dr. Grace Halloway), Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Yee Jee Tso (Chang Lee), John Novak (Salinger), Michael David Simms (Dr. Swift), Eliza Roberts (Miranda), Gordon Tipple (The Old Master), Dave Hurtubise (Professor Wagg), Jeremy Badick (Gareth), Dolores Drake (Curtis), Catherine Lough (Wheeler), William Sasso (Pete), Joel Wirkkunen (Ted), Mi-Jung Lee (TV Anchor), Joanna Piros (TV Anchor), Bill Croft (Cop), Ron James (Motorbike Cop/Driver), Dee Jay Jackson (Security Guy), Darryl Avon (Gangster), Byron Lawson (Gangster), Paul Wu (Gangster), Johnny Mam (Gangster), Michael Ching (Chang Lee’s Friend), Dean Choe (Chang Lee’s Friend), Danny Groesclose (Driver)

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Season 04 Star Trek Voyager

The Gift

Star Trek: VoyagerStardate not given: Seven of Nine, isolated from the Borg Collective and left behind on Voyager, begins a turbulent process of recovery in sick bay. The Doctor believes that she can regain her human biology and identity, but her assimilation during early childhood will make the process difficult. Seven of Nine begins to experience seizures – the Borg’s last line of defense is to kill a drone before another species can try to gain an understanding of its Borg technology. Kes miraculously destroys the offending Borg implant through telekinesis, an ability with which she has not experimented for two years. Seven of Nine reviles the crew’s attempt to restore her humanity, even making the accusation that Janeway’s forced removal of her Borg enhancements are no better than Borg assimilation. Tuvok resumes his meditative exercises with Kes to focus her new abilities, but she begins to exhibit a terrifying command over the structure of matter itself. Between Seven of Nine attempting to regain communications with the Borg, and Kes’ increasing lack of control over her enhanced abilities, the crew may lose friends both old and new.

Order the DVDswritten by Joe Menosky
directed by Anson Williams
music by Dennis McCarthy

Guest Cast: Jennifer Lien (Kes)

Note: This is the final episode to feature Jennifer Lien as Kes as a regular; she later reappeared in season 6 in Fury.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Deep Space Nine Season 06 Star Trek

The Tears Of The Prophets

Star Trek: Deep Space NineStardate not given: Starfleet has finally decided to go on the offensive in the war against the Dominion, and Sisko is chosen to lead the task force that will be sent to attack the Chin’taka system, a “weak spot” in Cardassian space. This he does, despite a warning vision from the Prophets. Meanwhile, Dukat has returned to Cardassia with what he claims is the key to victory. He breaks an ancient Bajoran relic, and becomes possessed by the pagh wraith inside. The results will be devastating to the Federation and Dominion alike, as well as to the crew of Deep Space Nine, who will lose someone very dear to them.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonwritten by Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler
directed by Allan Kroeker
music by Jay Chattaway

Guest Cast: Andrew J. Robinson (Garak), Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun), Marc Alaimo (Dukat), David Birney (Letant), J.G. Hertzler (Martok), Aron Eisenberg (Nog), Casey Biggs (Damar), Barry Jenner (Admiral Ross), James Darren (Vic Fontaine), Michelle Horn (Saghi), Bob Kirsh (Glinn)

Notes: This was Terry Farrell’s final episode as a member of Deep Space Nine’s regular cast. As with Next Generation, Deep Space Nine’s cast was originally contracted for a six-year run with the option to renegotiate their contracts between the sixth and seventh seasons. Farrell opted not to return when she felt that the offered salary was not commensurate with her years of experience on the show, and tried to persuade the writers to reassign Dax to a new mission rather than killing the character off.

LogBook entry by Tracy Hemenover

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Lexx Season 2

Terminal

LexxWhen awakened from cryostasis with the wrong reanimation sequence, Kai unexpectedly fires his brace at Stan, mortally wounding him. In an attempt to save his life, Zev convinces Stan to surrender the key to the Lexx and then freezes him in Kai’s cryochamber. Zev sets 790 to the task of finding medical help for Stan, and his search leads them to MedSat, a hospital space station. When the medical space station’s receptionist refuses help due to a lack of insurance, Zev orders Lexx to destroy the planet that the station orbits, and immediately Stan’s case is assigned to the station’s top doctor. After he saves Stan’s life, the doctor takes Zev to dinner, where he tries to convince her to give him the key to the Lexx; when she refuses, he knocks her out and takes her to an operating room while his underlings capture Kai and 790. When Zev comes to, she is given one last chance to give up the Lexx’s key – and when she refuses, she is tortured to the point of death, initiating the transfer of the key.

Order the DVDswritten by Jeffrey Hirschfield
directed by Srinivas Krishna
music by Marty Simon

Guest Cast: Simon Licht (Dr. Kazan), Jeffrey Hirschfield (790), Tom Gallant (Lexx), Oliver Stern (Dr. Funz), Barbara Geiger (Dr. Veezra), Eva Ebner (Mrs. Deebee), Errol Shaker (Administrator), Ian T. Dickinson (Berg), Tatiana Alexander (Nurse)

Note: This is Eva Habermann’s final appearance in the role of Zev.

LogBook entry by Earl Green