Tag: Series Premiere

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Star Trek Star Trek Fan Films Starship Farragut

The Captaincy

Starship Farragut

This is an episode of a fan-made series whose storyline may be invalidated by later official studio productions.

Stardate 4625.1: Captain John Carter assumes command of the Constitution Class starship U.S.S. Farragut after a tragic incident forces her previous captain into retirement. His hand-picked choices for his chief engineer and first officer are also aboard, though he’s a little bit put off by the by-the-books demeanor of the security chief he’s inherited. The Farragut is ordered to investigate the disappearance of another Federation vessel and a survey team headed by the headstrong Commodore Broughton – and what Captain Carter and his crew find waiting for them is a party of Klingons, led by Commander Kruge and guarding a secret weapon. Focusing the energy of an entire planet on its targets, the Klingons’ new weapon could threaten any world in the Federation on a planetary scale. With the Farragut searching for survivors from the destroyed ship elsewhere, it’s up to Carter and his crew to put the Klingons out of commission.

Watch Itwritten by John Broughton & Paul Sieber
directed by Paul Sieber
music by John Seguin / additional music by Patrick Phillips

Cast: John Broughton (Captain John T. Carter), Michael Bednar (Commander Robert Tacket), Holly Bednar (Lt. Commander Michelle Smithfield), Paul R. Sieber (Lt. Prescott / Klingon voice), Tonya Bacon (Lt. Alissa Moretti), David Sepan (Baker), Amy Sepan (Dr. Holley), John Broughton Sr. (Commodore Broughton), Mark Hildebrand (Kruge), Chris Carothers (Karek), Trey Thomas (Kray), Larry Manzare (Admiral Wainwright), Amanda Root (Bell), Bob McDonough (Galway), Cherise Rosemond (Shuttlecraft Pilot), Daniel Awkward (Nash / Klingon voice), Ralph Miller (Computer voice), Michael Struck (Jennings / Strickland), James Cawley (Captain Kirk), Jeff Quinn (Mr. Spock), John Kelly (Dr. McCoy), Sally Arkulari, Daniel Awkward, Ken Brison, Nancy Ellis, Brad Graper, Steve Kaserman, Dan Manherz, John Miller, Roger Miller, Michael Oetting, Tracy Phelps, Laird Sheep, Eric Van Arsale, John Winsley (Klingon Warriors), Patrick Bell, Bruce Dennis, David Dufrane, Denis Durand, Ron Gates, Natalie Montgomery, Ian Peters, Trey Thomas, Rob Turner, Jessica Young (Farragut Crew)

Review: The premiere of a new fan series set in the classic Trek era, Starship Farragut has a roughly equal number of things going for it and things that need improvement. But it’s a very impressive first effort, and the people who put it together can hold their heads high with this latest addition to the Trek universe. Though it seems as though the ranks of Kirk-era fan films are swelling, each series is unique enough to provide a different experience, and Farragut is no exception.

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Star Trek Star Trek Fan Films Star Trek: Intrepid

Heavy Lies The Crown

Star Trek: Intrepid

This is an episode of a fan-made series whose storyline may be invalidated by later official studio productions.

Stardate 59422.9: Assigned to a routine colony patrol in the Charybdis Sector, the U.S.S. Intrepid’s chain of command is disrupted when Captain Talath, making a shuttle supply run to carry power equipment to the surface of Chiron IV, encounters inexplicable interference on her final approach. Faced with a choice between killing his own captain when transporters and tractor beams can’t lock onto the shuttle, or letting it crash near a Federation colony and cause widespread destruction, Intrepid’s first officer, Commander Hunter, orders the destruction of the shuttle – and his captain. Though Starfleet praises him for quick and selfless action, Hunter is riddled by guilt and reluctant to accept a promotion to captain of the Intrepid. An unknown enemy strikes, leaving several ships near the colony without power – and without power for life support, over a thousand aboard those ships will die. Hunter gambles that since Chiron IV is the site of these disruptions, the source must be on its surface, and takes several of his senior officers on an away mission to find the cause before time runs out. But once he beams down, Hunter finds that the colonists are so terrified by the attacks that they’re ready to lash out against anyone they don’t know – including an unfamiliar Starfleet crew.

Watch Itwritten by Nick Cook
directed by Steve Hammond
music by David Beukes / Intrepid theme by Dylan Feeney

Cast: Nick Cook (Commander Hunter), Risha Denney (Captain Shelby), Mike Cugley (Rick Garran, PhD), Steven Pasqua (Lt. Cole), Lorraine Kelly (Watch Officer), Lucie Cook (Lt. Caed), Jen Graham (Ensign Stiles), Ferdos Ahmed (Ms. Raman), Shire Smith (Captain Talath), Alan Score (Commodore Prentice), Lyn McGarity (Governor Finney), Steve Hammond (Captain Merik), Lee Andrews (P.O. Kreiger), Gordon Dickson (Lt. Commander Garran), David Reid (Lt. S’Ceris), Alan Christison (Lt. Commander Navar), Jeff Hayes (Admiral T’Yla), Brandy Seymour (Computer Voice), Roy MacPhail (Chief Gaines), David Beukes (P.O. Zondag), Martin Lejeune (Ensign Faldor), Kara Dennison (Captain Dalonna), Elie Hirschman (Tom Backus), Eric Busby (Bishop), Judah Friese (Judah), Sean Koury (Freman)

Review: The flagship production of a group of dedicated fans based in Scotland, Intrepid is the first Star Trek fan film I’ve watched to skip past the Kirk era and go beyond the end of Voyager and Star Trek: Nemesis. Depending on who you ask, that’s the direction in which future Star Trek tales should be headed, rather than revisiting the past. I’m not sure I entirely agree with that school of thought, but there’s something about returning to the 24th century that’s just reassuring – it takes me back to fond memories of my teens and twenties.

Categories
Audio Dramas Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Episode 1

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective AgencyIn a distant galaxy, an electronic monk begins to malfunction. On Earth, businessman Gordon Way, rambling on and on to his sister Susan’s answering machine, hears a noise in the trunk of his car. When he goes back to check, he is shot dead. Computer programmer Richard MacDuff, who works for Gordon and is dating Susan, thinks he sees Gordon as he is heading home following his attendance at a gathering at his old college. After being stopped by a policeman, he realizes that he has promised Susan in a phone message to take her somewhere, but can’t possibly do it because of all the work he needs to finish for Gordon. He decides to break into Susan’s apartment to delete his message and his entry is observed by private detective Dirk Gently, hired by Gordon to watch Richard’s movements. Once inside, Richard is unable to delete the message before Susan returns because he recieves a call from Gently, who points out his many housebreaking mistakes and offers to help Richard. When Susan does show up, in the company of magazine publisher Michael Wenton-Weakes, they have words, but Micahel soon leaves. Richard recounts his very odd evening with his old tutor, Professor Chronotis, who talked of odd things, such as George III’s obsession with with the passage of time, and had a horse in his bathtub. The next day, Richard is the primary suspect for Gordon’s murder, a fact he learns when he goes to visit Gently in Dirk’s office. Dirk suggests that Richard’s one course of action is hypnotism…

Order this story on CDwritten by Douglas Adams
adapted by Dirk Maggs and John Langdon from the novel “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”
directed by Dirk Maggs
music by Philip Pope

Cast: Olivia Colman (Janice Pierce), Harry Enfield (Dirk Gently), Robert Duncan (Gordon Way), Felicity Montagu (Susan Way), Toby Longworth (The Electric Monk), Billy Boyd (Richard MacDuff), Michael Fenton Stevens (Michael Wenton-Weakes), Andrew Sachs (Professor Chronotis), Jim Carter (Gilks), Jeffrey Holland (George III), Wayne Forester (Courtier), Jon Glover (Professor Cawley), Philip Pope (Garage Attendant), Neil Sleet (Newsreader), John Marsh (Announcer)

Notes: Many of Adams’ ideas put forth in “Dirk Gently” can be traced back to his work on television’s Doctor Who, including aspects of the plot to City Of Death and, more significantly, the character of Professor Chronotis, who was originally created for the uncompleted serial, Shada. Adams was quite put out when the BBC completed Shada for video release in 1993, as he felt that “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” had supplanted and superceded it. While fans have tried to tie Dirk Gently and the related characters into Adams’ more popular Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, connections are tenuous, at best.

This series was produced by Above the Title, utilizing many of the same crew who had brought the last three “Hitchhiker’s” novels to the radio in the form of the “Tertiary”, “Quandary” and “Quintessential” phases.

Andrew Sachs faced off against the Doctor Who version of Professor Chronotis (played by James Fox) when he appeared as the villain Skagra in the 2002 BBCi animated production of Shada.

Jon Glover appeared in the television version of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and had worked previously with Harry Enfield in Harry Enfield’s Television Programme.

Composer and actor Philip Pope performed several voices on Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker”-related computer game Starship Titanic.

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey

Categories
Remake Series 1 Survivors

Episode 1

Survivors (1970s series)A routine day in Abby Grant’s cozy world starts to unravel slowly. Her son is away with friends as news of an unprecedented virulent flu outbreak grips the UK. As news – and evidence – of the spreading flu worsens, some people grow panicked while others sink into their own oblivion. Abby falls ill and her husband desperately tries to nurse her back to health while the medical and emergency services are overwhelmed. Convicted killer Tom Price sees the spreading sickness as an opportunity to shorten his 20+ year sentence, while millionaire playboy Al Sadiq ignores the news as best he can…until he wakes up in his penthouse, his latest conquest having died of the virus overnight. The virus isn’t limited to England, and soon modern conveniences are a thing of the past. Power stations and other critical services are disrupted because the people manning them have died. Overnight, the human race is reduced to foraging for its survival.

It’s into this world that Abby awakens three days after she falls ill. Her husband has died in that time, as has everyone in her neighborhood. With phone service gone, she has no way to check on her son, and so she sets out to find him. Along the way, she runs into Greg Preston, who seems to have very clear ideas on what he’ll have to do to survive, and has stocked up on fuel, food and other necessities. They soon encounter more survivors, including a disheartened doctor named Anya Raczynski, and the unlikely pair of Al Sadiq and an 11-year-old orphan, Najid. Tom Price, having murdered his last surviving jailer to escape, is also a survivor – though no one yet knows what he is capable of.

written by Adrian Hodges
based on the novel by Terry Nation
directed by John Alexander
music by Edmund Butt

Cast: Julie Graham (Abby Grant), Shaun Dingwall (David Grant), Joanne Rowden (Linda Pope), Matt Lanigan (Joe Pope), Freema Agyeman (Jenny Walsh), Amber Herod (Tina Styles), Guy Hargreaves (Mr. Styles), Christine Anderson (Marion Sturges), Max Beesley (Tom Price), Tim Dantay (Gary Wilson), Joe Jacobs (Tony Coyne), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Samantha Willis), Jamie Belman (Mark Carter), Flo Wilson (Helen Crawley), Trevor Dwyer-Lynch (Driver at petrol station), Phillip Rhys (Aalim “Al” Sadiq), Sophia Di Martino (Simone), Bryony Afferson (Patricia Kelly), Zoe Tapper (Anya Raczynski), Hazel Cadman (Hospital Receptionist), Ian Champion (Journalist 1), Sagar Arya (Journalist 2), Tom Lloyd-Roberts (Sir Brian Tilston), Geoffrey Kirkness (General Mike Stone), Rohit Gokani (Najid’s Father), Chahak Patel (Najid Harif), Francis Magee (Callum Brown), Robert Boulter (Neil), Sophie McShera (Cathy), Paterson Joseph (Greg Preston), Jimmy Allen (Man at petrol station), Nicholas Gleaves (Whitaker), Ronny Jhutti (Sami Masood)

Notes: Though it’s the equivalent of The Fourth Horseman, the first episode of the original Survivors series, this untitled pilot of the new series subtracts and adds numerous characters and changes many of the details in the name of modernizing the story. Oddly, the writers’ credit for the pilot only credits Survivors creator Terry Nation for his novel, which was in fact a novelization of the original series; as such, writer and executive producer Adrian Hodges is credited as the show’s creator. Both Shaun Dingwall and Freema Agyeman had recently appeared in Doctor Who, and much was made of their appearances in Survivors, though neither of their characters survive this episode; Paterson Joseph – who had appeared in the first season finale of the new Doctor Who – was also a hot topic as Survivors premiered, as many considered him a likely contender for the role of the Doctor, which David Tennant had recently announced he would be vacating. Another Doctor Who universe veteran prominent in the first season is Nikki Amuka-Bird, who also appeared in the second season of Torchwood.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Caprica

Caprica (Pilot)

CapricaZoe Graystone is a typical teenager, excelling in the art of making her parents’ lives hell – and in keeping secrets from them. Her father is Daniel Graystone, a multi-billionaire technology magnate whose big breakthrough, holo-bands, have put him on top of the world; Zoe has also inherited her father’s genius, creating and programming essentially a perfect copy of herself in a virtual world, another Zoe with the personality, likes, dislikes and foibles of herself. But she’s managed to keep this from her father, as well as her involvement with a movement toward monotheism…and her plans to run away from home. During her flight from Caprica, Zoe discovers – too late – that one of her fellow believers in a single, all-powerful god is a suicide bomber.

In the wake of the tragedy, Daniel Graystone has a chance meeting with a lawyer named William Adams. A native of the planet Tauron, Adams isn’t that happy with his lot in life; despite being a moderately successful lawyer, he too often finds himself running “errands” for the Guatrau, a Tauron crime lord and power broker, including bailing the Guatrau’s more “hands-on” errand boys out of legal trouble. Adams lost his wife and daughter to the suicide bombing, and left to raise his son William alone. This gives Adams and Graystone some unlikely common ground, and they become fast friends, though Adams is hardly a power attorney and wonders what his unimaginably rich new friend really has in mind.

Graystone discovers Zoe’s friend Lacy – who, at the last minute, elected not to try to run away with Zoe and never boarded the transport – interacting with the virtual Zoe, and is surprised as the complexity and accuracy of the simulation of his daughter. Having hit a dead-end in his own artificial intelligence work for a major defense contract, Graystone decides to base a new AI on Zoe’s simulation. But there’s one further snag: he’ll need the central processor developed by a competing company on Tauron to pull it off.

And this is where Graystone’s new friend comes in. With the technology of Caprica virtually under his thumb, it’s no problem for Graystone to find out about Adams’ tenuous underworld connections. He asks Adams to use his contacts to arrange for the theft of the needed processor; in return, the Guatrau asks Adams for a “favor” that could have serious repercussions for all involved. At the end of the day, Graystone and the Guatrau get what they want. When Graystone tries to thank Adams by introducing him to a simulation of Adams’ late daughter, their cameraderie comes to a very swift end. The simulation of Adams’ daughter is a traumatized, tortured soul who seems to know that she isn’t real. Adams decides that power over mortality is meant for no one but the gods, and bids Graystone farewell. Adams promises his son William that they will make a new start, beginning with a return to their family’s original Tauron name: Adama.

Graystone shrugs off Adams’ departure and downloads Zoe’s artificial consciousness into a cybernetic body. The download doesn’t work, and in his hubris, Graystone failed to back up the artificial Zoe. He’s left with nothing, and has no choice but to reprogram the stolen processor and use it as the core of a cyborg for a Ministry of Defense demonstration. That test run goes spectacularly well – the same cybernetic body into which Graystone attempted to download Zoe proves to be a powerful mechanical warrior, securing Graystone’s contract and his future…and setting his world on a course for its destruction.

Download this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Remi Aubuchon & Ronald D. Moore
directed by Jeffrey Reiner
music by Bear McCreary

Cast: Eric Stoltz (Daniel Graystone), Esai Morales (Joseph Adama), Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Alessandra Toreson (Zoe Graystone), Magda Apanowicz (Lacy Rand), Avan Jogia (Ben Stark), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Sasha Roiz (Sam Adama), Brian Markinson (Jordan Duram), William B. Davis (Minister Chambers), Sina Najafi (William Adama), Jorge Montesi (The Guatrau), Hiro Kanagawa (Cyrus Xander), Genevieve Buechner (Tamara Adams), Anna Galvin (Shannon Adams), Katie Keating (Prefect Caston), Veena Sood (Secretary of Defense Joan Leyte), Karen Austin (Ruth), Nancy Kerr (Prosecutor), Terence Kelly (Mayor), Angela Moore (Judge), Josh Byer (Defendant), Vicky Lambert (Hecate), Jim Thomson (voice of Serge), Jared Keeso (Rod Jenkins), Kathryn Schellenberg (Dancer), Maiko Miyauchi (Dancer), Daina Ashbee (Dancer), Adrienne Chan (Dancer), Salma Allam (Dancers), Kirsten Wicklund (Dancer), Shawn Stewart (Dancer), Donald Sales (Dancer), Paul Becker (Dancer), Cara Long (V Club patron), Jay Devery (V Club patron), Keita Parker (V Club patron), Chelsea Darden (V Club patron), Megan Sehn (V Club patron), Chantal Ayre (V Club patron), Michelle Andrew (V Club patron), Eva Hartkoff (V Club patron)

Notes: Caprica takes place 58 years before the fall of Capirca as depicted in the Battlestar Galactica miniseries. Young William Adams would grow up to be Galactica’s Admiral William Adama, and his father Joseph wrote the legal texts that Lee Adama studied when he decided to change careers from career military to attorney. As with the re-imagined Galactica, Caprica assumes that the earliest Cylons resembled the “chrome suit” Cylons from the original 1970s incarnation of Battlestar Galactica. “Cylon” is revealed to be an acronym for “Cybernetic Lifeform Node”. Guest star William B. Davis is best-known in SF TV circles for his long-running recurring role as the X-Files’ sinister Cigarette Smoking Man. Esai Morales appeared alongside Edward James Olmos, who starred in Battlestar Galactica as the adult William Adama, in the acclaimed TV series American Family, as well as the 1995 film My Family. The premiere date assigned to this synopsis is that of the Caprica pilot movie’s 2009 DVD release date, several months prior to its broadcast premiere in 2010.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
2000s Series Season 1 V

Pilot

V (2000s series)Life on Earth is brought to a standstill as enormous alien ships appear over most of the world’s major cities. Each ship reconfigures itself into a gigantic screen projecting an image of a seemingly human woman who introduces herself as Anna, the leader of these alien visitors. She promises peace and an exchange of technology with humanity – and all the visitors ask is access to Earth’s abundant water and a commonly occurring mineral. The visitors are welcomed with open arms, and they begin bringing the benefits of their advanced technology to Earth almost immediately, opening “healing centers” capable of repairing almost any damage or disease.

And yet there is suspicion about the motives of Anna’s people. A priest named Father Landry shocks his congregation by suggesting that the visitors need to earn humanity’s trust. Erica Evans, a counter-terrorism expert, is suspicious when the visitors take to the internet immediately with their own propaganda effort, though her son is less suspicious, finding the visitors’ women very attractive. Reporter Chad Peters earns Anna’s trust by asking the press corps to show her respect at a peace conference – enough trust that Anna personally selects him to conduct her first major prime time interview, though she makes it clear before the cameras roll that the interview will be conducted on her terms, with no questions permitted that would paint the visitors in a negative light.

A member of Father Landry’s congregation appears in the church, bleeding to death, and he hands Landry a package of photos and instructions to take them to a specific address at a specific time. Erica also winds up at that address, following a lead on an open terrorist investigation. Where they find themselves is at a meeting of an underground resistance, taking up arms to fight the visitors…and before Erica or Father Landry can ask why the visitors need to be fought, the visitors themselves appear and, to the few survivors of the resulting massacre, all becomes clear: the visitors have been among humanity for years already, and they do not come in peace.

Season 1 Regular Cast: Elizabeth Mitchell (Erica Evans), Morris Chestnut (Ryan Nichols), Joel Gretsch (Father Jack Landry), Logan Huffman (Tyler Evans), Lourdes Benedicto (Valerie Stevens), Laura Vandervoort (Lisa), Morena Baccarin (Anna), Scott Wolf (Chad Decker)

written by Scott Peters
story by Kenneth Johnson and Scott Peters, based on the miniseries by Kenneth Johnson
directed by Yves Simoneau
music by Normand Corbeil

Guest Cast: Christopher Shyer (Marcus), David Richmond-Peck (Georgie), Britt Irvin (Haley Stark), Scott Hylands (Father Travis)

Notes: Originally created by Kenneth Johnson as a non-sci-fi modern-day (well, 1980s) retelling of the rise of the Nazi Party, the original V miniseries resulted from NBC’s request for a sci-fi epic, retaining its cautionary tone but now with more futuristic action. In some ways, ABC’s revival of V steers things slightly closer to Johnson’s original intent. But Johnson himself was almost stripped of anything more than a “based upon” credit for the new series; the Writers’ Guild of America decided, in arbitration, that despite a wholesame revamp of the show’s cast of characters, Johnson should still be credited for creating the series, and should receive a story credit for the pilot (which seems to cover much of the original five-hour miniseries’ ground in the space of a single hour). The writers of the new series do not have to seek any further approval from Johnson for any storyline developments, however Johnson does retain the feature film rights to V. The location of the ill-fated resistance meeting, 4400 Pier Avenue, is a nod the cancelled cult SF series The 4400, whose cast and crew included actor Joel Gretsch, writer/producer Scott Peters and director Yves Simoneau.

Categories
New Series Prisoner, The

Arrival

The Prisoner (2009 remake)A man wakes up in the desert, with only vague, fleeting memories of his previous life in New York City. He goes into hiding when he spots a hunting party in pursuit of an elderly man; he manages to reach the old man and help him to safety, but the old man is babbling something about 554 and the Village. When his younger rescuer reveals that doesn’t understand this, the old man says it’s a miracle… and dies.

The younger man, still unable to remember much of anything about his life before these events, wanders until he finds signs of civilizations: a grouping of mostly-identical homes. He has found the Village, but he quickly learns that no one who lives in the Village seems to acknowledge even the possibility that there are places beyond the Village. And he can find no escape himself – the Village seems to be surrounded on all sides by vast expanses of desert. Everyone living there has a number for a name, and this quickly leads the man to go looking for 554, who turns out to be a waitress at a diner. She knew the old man as 93, and he constantly talked of escaping the Village. Pursued by the hunting party from the desert, the man tries to make his escape, but is cornered and then wakes up in a hospital. Everyone there knows him as 6, but thanks to his scrambled memories, he can’t correct them with a real name. He only knows that he must escape the Village… and he quickly learns that the Village’s leader, a man known simply as 2, will do nearly anything to stop him.

written by Bill Gallagher
directed by Nick Hurran
music by Rupert Gregson-Williams

Cast: Ian McKellen (2), Jim Caviezel (6), Hayley Atwell (Lucy), Ruth Wilson (313), Lennie James (147), John Whitely (93), Rachael Blake (M2), Jamie Campbell Bower (11-12), Jessica Haines (554)

Notes: With the classic-series-style furniture and jacket, lava lamp and the drawing of Big Ben, 93 is strongly implied to be Number Six from the original series. (Nine minus three also equals six.) In an NPR interview, series star Jim Caviezel says that the intention was to have Patrick McGoohan play the role, but McGoohan, who died in January 2009 several months ahead of the new series’ premiere, was too ill to take part. Over the years, numerous revivals of the series had been mooted, including a big-screen revival starring Mel Gibson, and indeed even this revival of The Prisoner had been dead in the water at one point, with the original UK production partner balking at the expense involved. The original Prisoner has also inspired several shows directly, most notably Nowhere Man (1995-96) and Lost (2004-10), whose creators both admitted to being heavily influenced by McGoohan’s original series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency First TV Series

Pilot

HyperdriveDirk Gently, a “holistic detective” who deduces the solutions to his cases through his unwavering belief in the interconnectedness of all things, has just accepted a case to find a missing cat, when he notices his old college friend, Richard Macduff, seeming to rob a house. But it turns out that the house is Macduff’s own, and he has a reason to make it look as though the house has been burgled, though it’s not a terribly good reason: he suspects his girlfriend is involved with technology millionaire Gordon Way. With Macduff in tow, Dirk decides to poke around in a seemingly abandoned nearby warehouse, only to discover that it’s rigged to explode. The two barely escape before the warehouse blows up, and the news media report that Way perished in that blast…even though neither Dirk nor Macduff saw him there. Dirk begins investigating the strange disappearance of Gordon Way, and finds the interconnectedness he advocates so often – Way’s disappearance is directly related to Macduff, to Dirk’s own past, and even to the missing cat.

written by Howard Overman
based on “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” by Douglas Adams
directed by Damon Thomas
music by Daniel Pemberton

Dirk GentlyCast: Stephen Mangan (Dirk Gently), Helen Baxendale (Susan Harrison), Darren Boyd (Richard Macduff), Doreen Mantle (Ruth Jordan), Jason Watkins (DI Gilks), Lisa Jackson (Janice Pearce), Anthony Howell (Gordon Way), Miles Richardson (Doctor Gerstenberger), Billy Boyle (Harry Jordan), Elliot Sutherland (Tom), Gary Pillai (Doctor), Alisha Bailey (Reporter), Joe Hall (Newsagent), Leona Walker (Receptionist), Alex Parry (Barman)

Dirk GentlyNotes: The second of the BBC’s attempts to dramatize Douglas Adams’ lesser known books, this is the first attempt on television, and adapts the first of those novels, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, for an hour-long TV format. The results were popular enough to result in a short season of three further episodes the following year.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Black Mirror Season 1

The National Anthem

Black MirrorA member of the Royal Family is kidnapped, and a YouTube video demands that the Prime Minister perform a degrading act on live television to secure her release…or the next video will likely be that of her death. With mere hours before the deadline, the Prime Minister and his staff try to explore numerous avenues of at least appearing to comply with the demand, including backup plans that backfire when word gets out from a bystander on social media. Time is running out, and throughout 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Michael Callow and his aides concentrate on the issue most important to them during this crisis: the poll numbers.

Get the DVDswritten by Charlie Brooker
directed by Otto Bathurst
music by Martin Phipps

Black MirrorCast: Rory Kinnear (Michael Callow), Lindsay Duncan (Alex Cairns), Donald Sumpter (Julian Hereford), Tom Goodman-Hill (Tom Bilce), Anna Wilson-Jones (Jane Callow), Patrick Kennedy (Section Chief Walker), Alastair Mackenzie (Martin), Chetna Pandya (Malaika), Alex MacQueen (Special Agent Callett), Jay Simpson (Rod Senseless), Helen Fospero (Lucinda Towne), Lydia Wilson (Princess Susannah), Sophie Kennedy Clark (Lauren), Andrew Knott (Brian), Allen Leech (Pike), Johann Myers (Noel), Sophie Wu (Jamie), Rakie Ayola (Shelly), Amit Shah (Jack), Nick Hendrix (Andrew), Justin Edwards (Jon), Jeany Spark (Camilla), Aymen Hamdouchi (Kieran), Julian Rivett (Damon Brown), Jonathan Forbes Black Mirror(Browne), Madeliene Bowyer (Sonia), Jeffry Wickham (Sir Harold Mount), Shazad Latif (Mehdi Raboud), Eleanor Wyld (Young Actress), Wolf Wasserman (Spark), Mickell David (Son), Dominic Le Mougnan (Prince)

Note: Shazad Latif would, several years later, take on the role of Ash Tyler in Star Trek: Discovery. (The plot details of this episode have been significantly watered down in the above synopsis; suffice to say, Black Mirror isn’t for kids.)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
StarHyke

Disordered

StarHykeIn the year 3034, humanity has eliminated emotions and irrationality, and has set out to rid the universe of other species who refuse to similarly quash their emotions. The human fleet, led by Captain Belinda Blowhard of the Dreadnaught Nemesis, fights a pitched battle against the Reptids that doesn’t go well. A new tactic is devised: the Nemesis will warp back in time to eliminate the Reptid threat before it spreads. A Reptid saboteur breaks into the Nemesis during the time warp and unleashes a secret weapon, restoring the crew’s surgically-removed emotions and depositing the Nemesis in Earth orbit in the early 21st century.

As members of the Nemesis crew visit Earth’s surface, trying to remain incognito as they look for signs of Reptid interference in Earth’s past, the ship’s doctor finds that the Nemesis crew’s emotions are being restored and amplified by a viral weapon unleashed by the Reptid. Unless an antidote is found, the crew will revert to a primitive lack of any control over their own urges.

Order this series on DVDwritten by Andrew Dymond, Jonathan G. Brown and Ian Winter
directed by Andrew Dymond
music by Anthony Brisco and Alan Deacon

Cast: Claudia Christian (Captain Belinda Blowhard), Suanne Braun (Dotty), Brad Gorton (Commander Cropper), Rachel Grant (Wu Oof), Stephanie Jory (Sally Popyatopov), Wayne Pilbeam (Bull Ox), Gene Foad (SERCH), Sue Witheridge (Daphne), Simon Lewis (Reg), Fiona Reynard (Vilma), Jason Bailey (Christian), Simon Gilvear (Reptid), Rebecca Nichols (Nurse Beach), Jeremy Bulloch (Dr. Striker), Danny John-Jules (Admiral Lenovo), Anneli Bird (Human), Chris Howard (Human), Keiran McGreevy (Ensign Hole), Kate Naughton (Human)

StarhykeNotes: The episode is dedicated to the memory of actor Michael Sheard. All six episodes of Starhyke were released direct-to-DVD in 2009, but finally appeared on the UK satellite channel Showcase TV in 2011. The entire series was produced “on spec” without a specific broadcaster lined up to show it – an expensive gamble in television terms, especially for a show with the production requirements of a science fiction series. Claudia Christian starred as Commander Susan Ivanova in the first four seasons of Babylon 5, while Jeremy Bulloch is best known for his appearances as Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. Danny John-Jules, who starred as Cat in Red Dwarf, makes a one-off cameo here. Suanne Braun appeared in numerous episodes of Stargate SG-1 as Hathor.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Star Trek Star Trek Fan Films Star Trek: Secret Voyage

Whose Birth These Triumphs Are

Star Trek: Secret VoyageHer five-year mission completed, the U.S.S. Enterprise sits in spacedock awaiting a complete refit, with the crew on extended shore leave or reassigned. But the recent discovery of a rare, powerful variant of dilithium crystals has the Federation racing to open diplomatic channels to acquire it for themselves from a reclusive, xenophobic race called the Gimtao. Captain Mercer is quietly put in command of the Enterprise with a mere six months – the ship’s pre-rebuild overhaul period – to establish diplomatic relations with the Gimtao. But Mercer’s mission is anything but simple: some of his crew is hand-picked, and some have been assigned from above, and some simply aren’t happy to be there. Some members of Mercer’s crew may even have their own agendas. Worse yet, this chaotic crew finds itself in the crossfire: another species is already at war with the Gimtao.

Watch itwritten by Craig Sheeler & John Mess
directed by Craig Sheeler
music by Michael Klubertanz

Star Trek: Secret VoyageCast: Tyrone Loukas (Captain Calvin L. Mercer), Mo Stones (Ms. T’Vas), Annie Thalrose (Dr. Miranda Krenaire), Nicole Chauvet (Commander Unara Ivos), Stormie Daye (Ensign Akamu Albright), Devin Kolovich (Ensign Jack Dubois), Robert Shivley (Lt. Commander Ben Jones), Sean Collet (Dr. Thomas Cage), Chris Rodriguez (Admiral Hernandez), Christopher Sheeler (Lt. Robert Banks), Bryan Sheeler (Ensign McCall), Shane Zellow (Ensign Thopson), Trevor Cartwright (Dr. William Brenniese), Daniel Trujillo (Lt. Combs), Shawn Dinsmore (Red Shirt), Nicole Collet (Red Shirt), Alex Lingle (Gimtao Council), Al Kermode (Gimtao Council), Jason McGuinness (Gimtao Council), Travis Loukas (Gimtao Council), Black Yelavich (Gongdea Warriors), Nathan Ferrier (Gongdea Warriors), Rose Hill (23rd Century Reporter)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Metal Hurlant Chronicles Season 1

King’s Crown

Metal Hurlant ChroniclesThe aging, bloated ruler of a kingdom floating in the clouds nears death, and contenders for the throne line up to do battle. In the time-honored tradition, they state their qualifications to rule, and fight to the death until only one man is left standing. One man, Guillam, promises reform: he will put technology to work for the people instead of making the people slaves to technology. But to put his agenda into play, he must still kill. Does he have what it takes to avoid becoming just a cog in a very literal political machine?

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonteleplay by Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot
based on a story written by Jim Alexander and illustrated by Richard Corben
directed by Guillaume Lubrano
music by Jesper Kyd

<Metal Hurlant ChroniclesemCast: Scott Adkins (Guillam), Michael Jai White (Teague), Matt Mullins (Julian), Darren Shahlavi (Adam), Marinela Botis (Spectator), Puiu Mitea (Spectator), Ion Bechet (Spectator), Tatar Anca (Spectator), Gabriel Velicu (Spectator), Idan Roxin (Spectator), Stan Niculae (Spectator)

Notes: The comic story of the same title as the episode appeared in Metal Hurlant #142, published in December 2003.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 1 Wizards vs. Aliens

Dawn Of The Nekross – Part 1

Wizards vs. AliensA pair of wizards cast an incantation in a stone circle, apparently drawing the attention of an alien spacecraft. The Nekross have arrived on Earth to begin harvesting the power of magic, upon which their king and their entire species feeds. Since practitioners of magic on Earth tend to live in seclusion, keeping their powers secret, they’ll make easy prey.

When his class gets a welcome break from school to take a field trip to the stone circle, young wizard Tom Clarke – the latest in a long line of wizards, whose dad cautions him against misusing his powers – finds a magical artifact. His science geek classmate Benny is quick to dismiss the possibility that the item has magical properties, until he sees it glowing in Tom’s hand. The Nekross, aboard a spaceship hidden behind the far side of the moon, detect the surge of energy from the item (dropped by their last victims) and begin a search for Tom so they can drain him of his magic. Tom’s grandmother, Ursula, arrives to protect her grandson by using her own powers, but the two of them make an even more tempting treat for the aliens.

Order the serieswritten by Phil Ford
directed by Daniel O’Hara
music by Sam Watts

Wizards vs. AliensCast: Scott Haran (Tom Clarke), Percelle Ascott (Benny Sherwood), Gwendoline Christie (Lexi), Jefferson Hall (Varg), Brian Blessed (voice of the Nekross King), Annette Badland (Ursula Crowe), Michael Higgs (Michael Clarke), Tim Rose (Nekross King puppeteer), Manpreet Bambra (Katie Lord), Connor Scarlett (Quinn Christopher), Paul Hunter (Robert France), Harry Lawtey (young Mark), Brian Miller (old Mark), Sara Stewart (Miss Webster)

Notes: Created by Russell T. Davies to fill the time slot and resources previously allocated to The Sarah Jane Adventures (whose run ended abruptly upon the death of its star, Elisabeth Sladen, in 2011), Wizards vs. Aliens is not a Doctor Who spinoff. Most of the behind-the-scenes personnel from SJA continue to work on this show, and a few familiar faces can be found in front of the camera as well. Annette Badland portrayed Blon Slitheen in the first season of Davies’ Doctor Who revival, while actor Brian Miller is the widower of Elisabeth Sladen and appeared in Doctor Who and SJA numerous times. Brian Blessed also appeared in Doctor Who (in one of the series’ most controversial segments, parts 5-8 of The Trial Of A Time Lord), but is thankfully better known for appearances in Blackadder, Flash Gordon, and as the voice of Boss Nass, the Gungan leader in Star Wars Episode I.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Audio Series Survivors

Revelation

SurvivorsAn unusually potent winter flu has swept across the British population, leaving classrooms mostly empty and businesses struggling to operate. American attorney Maddie Price finds that she can no longer simply hop on a plane back to Chicago, while reporter Daniel Connor confers with his co-worker and acting editor, Helen, about how best to cover the growing crisis. A low-level government official, Redgrave, confides to Maddie that the spread of the illness is worse – becoming fatal for some – and flights to America (or, for that matter, anywhere else) won’t be resuming anytime soon). Jaded Professor Gillison finds himself giving pre-Christmas-break refresher lectures in sociology to a classroom nearly empty of students. When Helen becomes increasingly sick, Daniel tries to take her home, only to find that her husband and children are dead. Daniel finds every excuse he can to avoid telling her and decides to try to get her to a hospital, but London traffic has come to a standstill; Helen herself dies before Daniel can get her help. Maddie and Redgrave make their way to the airport control tower, now abandoned, to try to get a message out to any other survivors of the plague who may be listening. Similarly, Gillison commandeers the campus radio transmitter to attempt reaching out to others. Daniel, alone, powers up his tape recorder and begins recording events as they unfold.

None of them know if they’ll ever hear another human voice again.

Order this CDwritten by Matt Fitton
directed by Ken Bentley
music by Nicholas Briggs

Cast: John Banks (Daniel Connor), Louise Jameson (Jackie Burchall), Sinead Keenan (Susie Edwards), Caroline Langrishe (Helen Wiseman), Adrian Lukis (James Gillison), Chase Masterson (Maddie Price), Terry Molloy (John Redgrave), Camilla Power (Fiona Bell), Phil Mulryne (Pnil Bailey), San Shella (Sayed)

Notes: Based on Terry Nation’s cult classic mid-1970s series about a plague sweeping through the human population and leaving few survivors, Big Finish’s audio series populates its cast with original characters who bump into the original TV characters as their stories unfold. The technology referenced in dialogue still dates the story to the 1970s. This first installment features none of the original TV characters.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Rebels Season 1 Star Wars

Spark Of Rebellion

Star Wars: RebelsOn the outer rim world of Lothal, Ezra Bridger ekes out a life of causing mischief for the local Imperial garrison, getting what he can for himself, and escaping to do it all again another day. He also has an ability to stay one step ahead of the local Imperial forces, making quick getaways and startling leaps to safety. Ezra notices unusual activity surrounding a shipment of Imperial cargo crates, but what’s unusual is the motley group of people who try to steal that cargo. Since it’s obviously of value, Ezra decides to steal some of it for himself, which endears him to neither the Imperial stormtroopers or his rival band of thieves, led by Kanan Jarrus. Impressed by Ezra’s abilities, Kanan rescues the boy (and the crate of cargo he’s stolen) and makes a quick getaway about his cargo ship, the Ghost. Ezra finds he’s made an enemy of Kanan’s strong man, Zeb, and has simply annoyed explosives expert Sabine and the Ghost‘s pilot, Hera (and her C-10-P astromech droid, Chopper). But Ezra slowly begins to realize that he’s taken his first step into a larger world: Kanan Jarrus and the Ghost’s crew are fighting the Empire on principle, not for profit…and Kanan is not simply a sharp shot with a blaster, but one of the last remaining wielders of a Jedi lightsaber. Kanan believes that, like himself, Ezra has the ability to connect with the Force. Ezra’s life has just become a lot more dangerous.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonwritten by Simon Kinberg
directed by Steward Lee & Steven G. Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Alton Kastle / Stormtrooper 3 / Stormtrooper 6), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), Keith Szarabajka (Vizago / Transport Captain / Imperial Officer / Old Man), David Shaughnessy (Aresko / Myles Grint / Refugee 1), Greg Weisman (Commander Stormtrooper), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Greg Ellis (Stormtrooper 5), Liam O’Brien (Yogar Lyste / Morad Sumar / Vendor), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor)

RebelsNotes: Star Wars: Rebels takes place five years before the original Star Wars, and 14 years after Revenge Of The Sith. Few Jedi escaped the Order 66 massacre in the latter movie, but Kanan Jarrus was a young Jedi at the time and has escaped detection by putting his Force abilities to use as a privateer. The Jedi Holocrons were first seen on TV in Rebels’ predecessor series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, but mentions of them in print media preceded their appearance in filmed media. Many of the show’s designs were based on unused or early Ralph McQuarrie designs for the original trilogy.

LogBook entry by Earl Green