Games

-: Bioshock 01
-: Mass Effect 02
-: Star Wars Complete 03
-: Rock Band 04

0: Guitar Hero Aerosmith 05
0: Soul Calibur IV 06
0: Space CHimps 07
0: Lost Odyssey 08
0: Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium 09
0: Battlefield Bad COmpany 10
0: Bully 11
0: Bourne Conspiracy 12
0: Kung Fu Panda 13
0: Civilization Revolution 14
0: Ninja Gaiden 2 15
0: Grand Theft Auto IV 16

3: Too Human 17

4: Mercanaries 2 18
4: Infinite Undiscovery 19

5: TNA Impact 20

6: Star Wars The Force Unleashed 21
6: Rise of the Argonauts 22

7: Brothers in Arms 23

8: Prototype 24
8: Just Cause 2 25
8: Silent Hill Homecoming 26

9: Fallout 3 27
9: Lego Batman 28

11: Fable II 29
11: Far Cry 2 30

12: Guitar Hero World Tour 31
12: Dead Space 32
12: EndWar 33
12: Spider-Man Web of Shadows 34
12: Fracture 35

13: Saints Row 2 36
13: Gears of War 2 37
13: WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 38

15: Tomb Raider Underworld 39

16: Velvet Assassin 40

17: Mirror's Edge 41
17: Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe 42
17: Left 4 Dead 43
17: Prince of Persia 44

WEEK 1: AUG 15-22: Lego Star Wars
WEEK 2: AUG 22-29: ""
WEEK 3: AUG 29-05: BioShock
WEEK 4: SEP 05-12: Rock Band

WEEK 6: SEP 12-19: [holiday]
WEEK 7: SEP 19-26: [holiday]
WEEK 8: SEP 26-03: Mass Effect
WEEK 9: OCT 03-10: ""

WEEK 10:OCT 10-17: Rental
WEEK 11:OCT 17-24:
WEEK 12:OCT 24-31:
WEEK 13:NOV 01-06:

WEEK 14:NOV 06-13:
WEEK 15:NOV 13-20:
WEEK 16:NOV 20-27:
WEEK 17:NOV 27-04:

WEEK 18:DEC 04-11:
WEEK 19:DEC 11-18:
WEEK 20:DEC 18-25:
WEEK 21:DEC 25-31:

Star Trek: 0020: "Court Martial"

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0020

The Original Series (1967)
Season 1: Episode 20: “Court Martial"

Stardate: 2947.3 (2265/12/01 - 18:20:55)

Story by: Don M. Mankiewicz
Teleplay by: Don M. Mankiewicz, Stephen W. Carabatsos
Directed by: Marc Daniels

---

PLOT INTRODUCTION

Arriving at Starbase 11, Kirk faces court-martial for negligence in the death of a colleague. Accused by the victim's family and persecuted by a former lover, Kirk's career seems doomed.

---

REVIEW

"In the name of humanity, fading in the shadow of the machine"

Now here’s an underappreciated episode if ever there was one. ‘Court Martial’ plays out like any other well conceived court room drama except with excellent sci-fi twists and with characters who we have had many hours now to get to know. It has to be said, for a science fiction show that rarely ever left its genre; Star Trek did well here, never seeming amateur or silly. It also greatly expands on the rather simple judicial system seen during ‘The Menagerie’ and uses guest and recurring characters well throughout, creating a very memorable episode.

The premise of the show (Kirk being accused responsible for the death of a crew member) finally gives the show a little bit of grounding at least when it comes to all those red-shirt deaths. Many people have remarked that it is strange that this one case is investigated when in fact many people have died at Kirk’s command before. I however don’t find this a problem: The problem with this crew member’s death is that Kirk essentially shot the man between the eyes by jettisoning him out into space without any real reason. Other deaths on the show haven’t been as directly linked with the Captain and have usually been at the hands of another force. The very beginning of the episode in which Kirk and Commodore Stone are conversing establishes that these people know each other and that they have been through this before (with the other deaths). The big shock this time though is that Kirk is seemingly to blame, and so he goes on trial. I apologise for that long winded explanation but I feel that it is something that needed to be cleared up (there will be another one later too I’m afraid). The devil’s in the details, someone said.

The initial questioning of Kirk from the Commodore is a brilliantly performed scene from both Shatner and Rodriguez, eventually escalating into a whirlwind exchange of angry and passionate words. The back-story told by Kirk never bores and has a definite interesting nature to it. It also sets up the rest of the episode and establishes a more emotional motive to be found under the events that have transpired. It also helps to have a former lover of Kirk on the prosecution side, acting against Kirk. Just a simple small detail such as this really goes a long way in furthering the conflict during the court room scenes.

Perhaps my favourite set of scenes during ‘Court Martial’ involves the testimonies of Spock and McCoy. Spock at first testifies that he believes his Captain to be even more reliable than a computer and that he has no reservations about trusting his word over that of a machine. McCoy in a much similar vein goes on to say that he believes Kirk to be far more reliable and unlikely to break-under-pressure than any other man might; Two statements that may not scratch any of the trio’s personal relationship’s surface, but it certainly does show how these two have grown to admire Kirk, in a professional sense.

Essentially, ‘Court Martial’ isn’t an episode about character development, it’s about character establishment. It fills in the little cracks of knowledge that we don’t know and it reaffirms certain qualities that we may have already known. Kirk in particular is shown in definite Captain-mode, stern, confident and always in command. It’s a side that Kirk will often tone down when on general duty, but in situations such as this, it’s good to see him take charge; realise what the problem is and do what has to be done. What the episode does best however is that it shows us the strings that bind Kirk, Spock & McCoy together. It shows their closeness and absolute trust in each other, never stopping in trying to prove Kirk’s innocence.

Eventually the team’s combined effort pays off, refuting the otherwise very shocking and convincing evidence of Kirk jettisoning Finney whilst on yellow alert (Daniels does a brilliant job directing very tense scenes as usual, and this was particularly well-done). This paves way for an unexpected twist in the plot that utilises a strange but completely believable sci-fi plot device: The scene where there is only one heartbeat left beating for the bridge to hear is extremely effective and a brilliant way to certify the episode’s eventual outcome.

So in the end we learn that Kirk is innocent; it was all an elaborate sabotage, masterminded by the supposed victim himself. Finney is now painted in a tragic light, shown to be a man driven crazy by lost ambition, refusing to accept responsibility and blaming others for his mistakes. Here is a man that is so tormented by his failure that he decides he cannot rest until both Kirk and the Enterprise go down with him; until Kirk’s glorious name is shunned and he becomes a mere shadow of his former glory. Perhaps this is what I loved most about ‘Court Martial’; it is rich in back-story but is never over-indulgent; It knows what is essential to conflict, suspense and drama and it uses it wisely, eventually climaxing with a fantastic battle between the two men in conflict. When I talk of the battle I’m not referring to the mediocre fist fight with obvious stunt doubles, I’m talking about the battle of words that occurs between them. It reminded me somewhat of ‘Where No Man Has Gone Before’ and comes to a close just as well.

My one problem with the ‘Court Martial’ is that it is undoubtedly dry. There is next to no humour or internal or personal conflict until the last ten minutes. Plus, I didn’t quite appreciate the Absolute Final Ending, but nevertheless I tend to enjoy this one a lot more than others. With some great performances, a solid script, intense direction and a focus on human conflict rather than extraterrestrial, ‘Court Martial’ is definitely a well-made hour of TV, and an original one for Star Trek at that.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 10/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0019: "Tomorrow is Yesterday"

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0019

The Original Series (1967)
Season 1: Episode 19: “Tomorrow is Yesterday"

Stardate: 3113.2 (2266/02/10 - 07:37:53)

Written by: D.C. Fontana
Directed by: Michael O'Herlihy

---

PLOT INTRODUCTION

Transported back in time to 20th century Earth, Kirk rescues the pilot of a destroyed fighter plane, and contemplates the problem of how to return the man without altering Earth's future.

---

REVIEW

"Computed and recorded, dear."

This is history in the making folks: Star Trek’s first of many, many, time-travel episodes where they always seem to go back to the 20th century. Now I’m a sucker for time-travel, I love the entire concept and I buy into it every time, but it sure does make my head hurt. Aside from this however, ‘Tomorrow is Yesterday’ serves as a well intended and executed story that implements good sci-fi with plenty of farce.

Regarding time travel in Star Trek in particular, I always enjoy it when humans from our time period, meet and interact with the crew and Enterprise, fully aware of what it is going on. What I love about this is that it allows me as a viewer, to really connect with someone on board this wonderfully futuristic spaceship. Usually we have characters that treat everything that’s going on aboard the Enterprise, as everyday business- nothing to be shocked or amazed about. With these episodes however, we have a direct link to someone who is just like us when we watch this show: amazed. In ‘Tomorrow is Yesterday’, many characters interact with the ship and its crew for the fist time, and in a way, so do we as viewers.

Although working on pixie dust rather than real science, the episode does at least acknowledge some grounding rules for time travel. Early on, Spock affirms and details to Kirk that their unintentional visitor, Captain John Christopher (Roger Perry) cannot simply be returned to Earth without the future as we know it, being changed. It’s a shame that this logic also works against the episode on many occasions, but I’m glad that it was taken seriously and actually used as the main source of drama for the episode.

The eventual solution to the problem of contaminating history is a logically dumb one and without any real scientific reasoning, but it nevertheless works for TV. And let me stress that for ‘Tomorrow is Yesterday’, an episode which doesn’t work as good TV for the first twenty minutes, really needed something redeeming at this point. Thankfully it works and leads to some brilliant action and comedic scenes that are brilliant to watch, working a whole lot better on screen than the very talky first half of the episode. Perhaps one of the most amusing moments occurs when Kirk is being interrogated by security. The script is superbly written, featuring delightful dialogue that suits all characters very well. Shatner gives a great performance, conveying Kirk’s ever-so gradual decline into acceptance of the completely absurd situation caused by his undeniable bad luck. Indeed Fontana is a well known writer involved with Trek and if there was one key strength that she had whilst writing for TOS, it was her knowledge of the characters. How she uses them in ‘Tomorrow is Yesterday’ is mostly for comedic effect, brining out the lighter sides of their personality. Scenes of particular notice aside from the one mentioned above are Kirk’s ‘faulty’ computer moments and the ever amusing banter between Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock.

Fontana also knows how to build tension well, and she layers incident upon incident here to create a very rich story that grows as it goes on. My one problem with this is that the first twenty minutes move along at a very slow pace with very few interesting moments. So it eventually pays off by the time you reach the final key scenes, but there is no doubting that the episode is clearly uneven, saving a lot of the action for last.

As contrived and logically insane as the final Deus Ex Machina is, for the most part, it works well for exciting science fiction TV. If you can turn off the logical side of the brain and simply watch for the artistic nature of it, it pays off well thanks to some dramatic lighting and a great sense of movement aboard the bridge (I just wish they didn’t cut to those terribly boring Enterprise shots).

In conclusion, ‘Tomorrow is Yesterday’ is definitely an ambitious episode for Star Trek and an important one too, but it is in no way perfect. Perhaps with a little more balance and refinement to the script, I could have enjoyed it more- but for what it is, it makes for an original break in narrative for the show and has a good deal of great comedy, action and characterisation that make it good fun to watch.

Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 10/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0018: "Arena"

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0018

The Original Series (1967)
Season 1: Episode 18: “Arena"

Stardate: 3045.6 (2266/01/16 - 15:27:24

Story by: Fredric Brown
Teleplay by: Gene L. Coon
Directed by: Joseph Pevney

---

PLOT INTRODUCTION

With both their ships held captive by powerful beings, Kirk and the captain of the alien vessel are placed on an asteroid to fight for their lives and the lives of their crews.

---

REVIEW

"You are still half savage, but there is hope"

Definitely an action-packed Trek episode if there ever was one, ‘Arena’ has some of the best effects, sets and action of the Original Series, but fails to deliver anything substantially satisfying.

Before we even get to all the drama and fighting however, ‘Arena’ opens up with some brilliant dialogue between the Trio that I absolutely loved. Actually, for such a small moment it is actually one my favourite scenes of the episode and uses the character’s personalities well. Particularly amusing was the following: Spock-“Doctor, you are a sensualist.”; McCoy-"you bet your pointed ears I am!". Ah, as scarily racist as old man McCoy can be, you can’t doubt his southern charm.

Following this, we’re taken down onto a federation planet which has been attacked by unknown aliens. And boy does this planet look good! It’s not often that you get such an elaborate set such as this on Trek, and it really has an impact on the episode’s tone… and those explosions! Real fire and explosions! I know, I know, I’m getting excited over some silly effects that really aren’t that special. For 60’s Trek however, these are special. In fact I loved this entire setup of the landing party being down on the surface and being targeted by missiles. There is always an imminent sense of threat and danger present and it is well created through the effects, sound and set design. What we end up with essentially is one of the most exciting ten minutes of the entire Original Series. Oh there’s also the joy of watching Shatner run around like a chicken; would it ever get old? And please note I am referring to his commando run, and not his ‘running’ that he does for the majority of the latter parts of ‘Arena’… snore.

The next ten minutes maybe aren’t quite as suspenseful as the previous but nonetheless I enjoyed the use of the warp drive as a build up of tension. Very little do we know of the engines that power the Enterprise, but enough is done here to create a sense of danger along with the thrill of the chase.

Eventually we end up down on an asteroid where Kirk has to do battle with a giant lizard-like creature named the ‘Gorn’. Now a lot of people have problems with the Gorn costume, but I’m on the other side of the fence. I don’t have that much of a problem with the suit. It’s the person inside the suit, or more accurately, the director who told the guy in the suit to move like he was underwater, that I have a problem with. I can understand that it needed to be established that the Gorn were far less agile than Kirk, but the movement used just never comes off as natural or anywhere near convincing.

Perhaps one of the most interesting themes that I picked up on was of humanity becoming out of touch with our primal instincts and intuition; becoming too reliant on our advanced forms of weaponry. Kirk, stranded on this barren planet certainly wants to kill the Gorn but he does not posses the knowledge -or at least cannot remember how- to do so without technology. Bare in mind that he cannot do the obvious (strangulation or physical force) because the Gorn would simply tear him to shreds if he got close enough. Well, that’s at least what we’re set up to believe. The reptile never really comes across as being that powerful, but hey, Kirk says so, so that’s all that matters right? No, afraid not, major flaw number one.

My second problem comes from the episode’s stalling nature after the first 25 minutes, right up until the last few scenes. What we have is essentially twenty minutes or so of Kirk running around, annoyingly ignorant to the materials around him. I accepted it the first time he stopped near diamonds and announced that he could find ‘no weapon that the Metrons talked of’, but after so many repeated scenes such as these, I got tired, and quite bored. Kirk’s interspersed ‘diary’ recordings did offer some relief at times, but not much. This is really a shame because the action of the first twenty minutes is top-notch and the finale to the episode is a great morally focused ending; great bookends, terrible books.

And as if the pace couldn’t be killed any more, we get a series of sequences where the crew aboard the Enterprise are forced to watch Kirk down on the planet. Frankly, I didn’t see the point in this. It simply doesn’t work as well as it could have and doesn’t have as much character reaction to make it worth while. If anything it dims the drama and brings down the tension even more.

What I did enjoy was the analysis of Kirk and his sudden disregard for alien life. This is well contrasted with Spock’s opinion that the Enterprise should not seek vengeance, and not destroy the enemy’s ship. Of course, Kirk doesn’t take heed to his first officer’s advice and goes forward anyway, with a smile on his face that only a wild predator tasting the blood of his enemy could possess. Fast forward to the end of the episode, after battling with the Gorn (and almost losing) on a level playing field, Kirk, at the very edge of satisfying his thirst for revenge, puts down his weapon and refuses to kill. It may come off as a little sudden and contrived but it sets up the final conclusion to the episode well.

A Metron finally appears to Kirk and congratulates him on his success. However the success is not from having the knife at his opponent’s throat, but for taking the knife away. The Metron then goes on to speak a statement that I believe just about sums up the main jist of Trek’s moral ideology: "You are still half savage, but there is hope". Hope, that’s exactly it. If ever there was a key theme underlying every single Star Trek production, it is exactly that: Hope. We acknowledge our past, we resent our misgivings and our savagery, but we also seek to rid ourselves of such traits. Star Trek is such a vision of this future humanity, and ‘Arena’ although definitely flawed as a piece of television, is a good example of the Trek ideas.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 09/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0017: "The Squire of Gothos"

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0017

The Original Series (1967)
Season 1: Episode 17: “The Squire of Gothos"

Stardate: 2124.5 (2265/02/14 - 10:37:12)

Written by: Paul Schneider
Directed by: Don McDougall

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

Encountering an uncharted planet in an empty region of space, Kirk and his crew are encountered by Trelane, a playful being who lacks the self-control to wield his great psionic powers with discipline.

---

REVIEW

"We're living beings, not playthings for your amusement!"

Although lacking in any form of an intelligible or substantial plot, ‘The Squire of Gothos’ is nevertheless one of the better ‘Alien of the Week’ episodes in that it creates a character that is brilliant to watch, and even more brilliant to hate.

William Campbell makes his Trek debut here, playing the ever memorably annoying yet entertaining Trelane: a seemingly obsessive collector and researcher of Humanity. And so even though the villain here is written as an incredibly pompous power-freak, it is these qualities that make him at least a nice break in a source of conflict for the series. Perhaps the best thing that comes out of Trelane is his words, which more often than not create wonderful lines of dialogue that are both thought–provoking and of a humanistic style that is refreshing to hear every now and again. One of my favourite lines is the rather simple: “Did you know that humanity is one of the few predatory species who preys even on itself?”: Interesting and very hard-hitting.

Essentially what I found was that this was an early prototype for the much more developed character of ‘Q’ who will appear in The Next Generation, twenty years later. Similarities include the rather proper tone of voice, the condescending nature of their words, and the topics on which they are built upon. Both also share a strange amount of knowledge on Humans. But where Q was seemingly of knowledge because of his power, Trelane just seems to be interested in us; Where Q was repelled by Humanity’s barbarity, it seems Trelane revels in it, enjoying playing with the phasers and picking fights. Nevertheless, I do enjoy how this character is written, and I especially enjoy watching Campbell bring him to life in all his animated glory.

Another of the episodes themes is that of power, and how it can corrupt those who do not know how to use it. Indeed this is a recurring theme in many Star Trek shows, and one that has been better developed before and after ‘The Squire of Gothos’. Actually, by the time the final twist of the episode is pulled on you, you may actually begin to see massive parallels between this episode and the very early ‘Charlie X’ in which both Charlie and Trelane are simply not mature enough to be given such a responsibility. I doubt there are much people out there who haven’t heard “With great power, comes great responsibility” but there you have it, in a nutshell.

Even though much of ‘Squire of Gothos’ decides to focus on the conflict between Kirk and Trelane, I found that the sparse moments of tension involving Spock were far more interesting. Both scenes which made me sit up and take notice were when Trelane boards the Enterprise and mocks Spock -“but I don’t like him!”- And when -back in Trelane’s mansion- an argument of sorts ensues. In the end, Spock as calm as ever, routinely assures him on both accounts that he is not impressed nor is he amused: something that obviously gets to Trelane- The Great Showman. Spock simply states in what I believe to be one of the series’ best lines-

“I object to you; I object to intellect without discipline; I object to power without constructive purpose.”

Nicely said Mr. Spock, stick it to him. Kirk on the other hand, takes another route, eventually slapping him with a glove before challenging him to a duel: Probably not as civilised, but still just as, if not more, effective when dealing with Trelane (and a whole lot more hilarious).

My major problem with this episode is the distinct lack of plot and/or threat. In the beginning what we have is a kind of heightened version of someone who doesn’t want you to leave their house. Sure, it’s annoying and inconvenient to your other plans, but it doesn’t really make very engaging drama.

Things admittedly do pick up however towards the last act where we are led to believe that the crew is safe until danger rears its head again, this time proposing some real threat of danger to the ship. Kirk eventually goes on trial for being a savage human who spoiled Trelane’s plans. This leads to a well performed and written scene where Kirk manages to change his imminent death sentence to eventually getting into a sword fight, breaking his opponent’s weapon and then slapping him before telling him he’s stupid.

There are also a lot of historical inaccuracies present in ‘The Squire of Gothos’ that only serve to distract. Most annoying was the establishment that the Enterprise had to be at least 900 light years away from Earth. Furthermore, if you can ignore these minor faults in the script, the story itself as mentioned earlier is pretty thin: Nothing much really happens. The crew are held against their will; Kirk tries to out think the villain and wins. That’s about it.

If there is one thing I love about the plot, it’s the final twist at the end. Not only does it fit the tone of the preceding moments well but it gives the episode a very strong and imaginative wrap-up. Sure it’s something that’ll be done to death in science fiction for years to come, but it’s handled well here and I fully appreciate it every time I watch. So in the end, while not a perfect episode, ‘Squire of Gothos’ is still a good one, with a very memorable performance from William Campbell.

Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 09/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0016: "The Galileo Seven"

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0016

The Original Series (1967)
Season 1: Episode 16: “The Galileo Seven"

Stardate: 2821.5 (2265/10/26 - 20:20:24

Story by: Oliver Crawford
Teleplay by: Oliver Crawford, S. Bar-David
Directed by: Robert Gist

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

Crash-landing on a planet populated by hostile giants, the 7-man crew of the Shuttlecraft Galileo find themselves unable to communicate with the Enterprise or to escape the planet's atmosphere.

---

REVIEW

"I for one do not believe in angels"

Out of all the episodes of original Trek, this is one that has stuck in my mind the most, and even though a lot of the plot is mediocre, what I remember and admire about this outing is its wonderful analysis of Spock. This is also one of the few episodes where I feel the tacky low-budget nature of the effects and props really do hinder the story.

When you can ignore the silly monsters and terrible space shots of the Galileo however, what you have is a very introspective look at our first officer, contrasted against our own psyche: It’s probably Spock’s worst nightmare to be enclosed in an extremely small space with six humans, but as a viewer, you don’t get much better intelligent character analysis. Full of characteristic dialogue and tense drama, ‘The Galileo Seven’ is a highly important meditation on conflict between the heart and the brain; emotion and logic. What’s tragic about it though is that all this wonderful writing is stuffed inside some uninspired ‘trapped on a monster planet’ story. So even though there is plenty of tension and conflict both aboard the Enterprise and the Galileo, the episodes plot fails to deliver any such suspense at least until the last ten minutes.

So where does all this character conflict occur? Well a small portion is created between Kirk and the ever-so-timely commissioner Ferris. The rest -and majority- comes from the Galileo six, against Spock. Upon closer inspection, both conflicts share common ground. Both Spock and the commissioner are the machines, who follow the rules and set about the problems logically. Then we have Kirk, and the Galileo six who argue against this approach, pleading for some emotional balance. What ‘The Galileo Seven’ goes on to explore is that neither is inherently correct, and that both need other. This is wonderfully brought to full climax during the episode’s final scenes where both stories eventually clash together in terms of both plot and of character decisions: Kirk is forced to abide by logic and as a result Spock is forced to take an emotional approach to fix the problem.

The majority of the episode however is spent analysing Spock himself, with very little of Kirk, and it’s about time too. Crawford and Bar-David skilfully exploit the situation that Spock has found himself in: trapped on a planet, in command of six other officers. As has been the case in other situations where Spock has been in temporary command, his personality traits are heightened and his logic becomes ruling. Most poignantly expressing this shift in character is the scene where Boma asks Spock to lead a burial service for a deceased crew member; obviously Spock sees no logic in halting work in order to commit to an irrational ceremony. The rest of the crew witness this and become upset at Spock’s obvious disregard for loss of life.

There are many more scenes where these conflicts are developed, and as the episode goes on, I for one actually found myself being sympathetic towards Spock and resenting the irrational and over-emotional behaviour of some of the humans. Indeed even though Spock is continuously accused of being cold-hearted, distant and too focused on logic, there are many cases when the exact opposite becomes apparent: when the other members gang up on Spock, mocking his leadership and disregarding his advice; and when Spock argues that they must scare the creatures away rather than kill them. Both these examples show that even we humans can be cold, through our obsession with emotion.

In the end, ‘The Galileo Seven’ eventually shows us one thing regarding our Vulcan in command. Spock’s command style makes him a very good choice for command, but ultimately it is his lack of heart and emotion that stops him for being a good leader, at least of humans. This essentially paints him in tragic shade, developing his character into one that does all he can in the ways he knows best, but one who also cannot find the right balance between his heart and mind to reach where pure logic cannot take him. This is partly why I believe the Kirk and Spock dynamic to be so interesting. These two characters work well with each other because like Good and Evil Kirk in ‘The Enemy Within’, both need each other in order to succeed and survive as they are. Again, the episode’s final few scenes where both characters make decisions against their nature goes to show that not only do they rely on each other, but they have also learned from the other. The focus of the story however is on Spock, and in the end, he shows more of what he has learned from his Captain than he ever had before.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 08/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0015: "Shore Leave"

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0015

The Original Series (1966)
Season 1: Episode 15: “Shore Leave"

Stardate: 3025.3 (2266/01/09 - 05:37:42)

Written by: Theodore Sturgeon
Directed by: Robert Sparr

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

When McCoy sees the White Rabbit from 'Alice in Wonderland', the crew begin to realise that the planet they are visiting seems to have the dangerous power to turn any thought into reality.

---

REVIEW

"The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play"

In my opinion, this is exactly the kind of the episode that the series needed at this point. After six rather mentally engaging episodes, it’s good to finally be able to kick back and enjoy a bit of fantasy with the characters we have –by now- grown to love.

Penned by the great Theodore Sturgeon, ‘Shore Leave’ is Trek’s first story with a comedic edge since the brilliant ‘The Naked Time’. Perhaps not as interesting or as involving as the previous episode, but nevertheless makes up for any lack of serious themes with a good dose of light-hearted comedy. This episode also has a great deal of characterisation told similar to that of ‘The Naked Time’, using both recurring characters and guest stars and living out their ‘fantasies’ or even desires. Not only does this build our cast and help flesh out those guest characters to be more than death bait, but it creates a very interesting and fantastic story that allows pretty much anything to happen. In this way, it holds the attention very well and has an irregularly fast pace for an original Trek episode. All of which, work in the show’s favour.

As mentioned above, this style not only works for the story, but for developing our main characters too. We get to see Kirk being reunited with a long lost love, getting into an elaborate fist fight with an old nemesis (more on that later!), McCoy becoming a bit of ladies man and chasing a six foot rabbit, and Sulu firing off a 6-shooter and running away from a samurai. The one problem I had was that Spock was pretty much left alone to smirk at the rest of the crew. Aside from that though, as you can see, there’s plenty of character construction going on here, even if much of it is based upon pre-established ideas. It’s still good see development of those characteristics and Sturgeon does a good job of doing so.

For anyone who is reading this and thinking that it all sounds like a bunch of baloney, then fair enough, it is baloney, but I enjoyed it. Thankfully if you’re still looking for nice character writing however; it’s all there, even in the scenes that don’t involve knights and WWII fighter planes. In fact, I probably enjoyed such scenes more than the wacky surreal ones. The simple banter between Kirk and McCoy down on the planet before things turn really weird, and Spock tricking Kirk into taking leave, amid others all work magnificently and indeed rather hilariously on screen.

And how about that Finnegan guy! Bruce Mars does an absolutely brilliant job of bringing the animated bully from Kirk’s academy years to life. I loved every scene he was in (as inherently annoying as he was written to be) and found the interaction between him and Kirk to be both informative about Kirk’s past, and just plain fun. Not only this but it also makes way for one of the best and most memorable fight scenes to be used in the series. This is because there’s decent conflict between these characters (this isn’t just some guard or obstacle in Kirk’s way) that’s developed before we meet him: though hearing Kirk’s tales with McCoy, and at the beginning of the episode where Kirk is feeling the strain of getting old (although not admitting to it).

Speaking of memorable scenes, I realise that it was very unlikely to be permanent but nevertheless I still found the ‘death’ of McCoy to be well performed, written and directed. Perhaps not as touching as say, Star Trek II, but still quite a bit of heavy character work early on the series. It’s also quite ambitious in that it relies on you being connected to these people, and of course it does work because we do care thanks to episodes like these.

The final conclusion and “ah-ha!" explanation given in the last five minutes wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating. In fact, I couldn’t really find that much of a problem with it. It does provide good food for thought and for anyone with an imagination, it’s quite an attractive premise; A planet where your dreams come true? I wouldn’t say no.

In addition to all this (I’ve really went on and on with this one), we also have a fantastic episode for the eyes and ears. The planet itself on which the crew find themselves taking their break is full of wonderful colours and natural beauty that is so seldom seen aboard the Enterprise and indeed, any of the constructed planet sets made in the studio. This outing also has a very original score that I’m not sure is used later on in the series. This offers a nice break, and helps the viewer connect with the story, taking a vacation you could say, from watching the rather tired sets of the ship. Sure, we’ll be glad to see it back in the next episode, but it is good to give it a rest every now and again. Especially as we haven’t gone elsewhere in around six episodes!

So with all this you’d think I’d be giving the episode a perfect score, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. As entertaining as it can be, ‘Shore Leave’ is nevertheless just that; a vacation. It’s a nice break and a fun episode, but lacks any real substance. There are also a few low points in the story here and there that don’t really work. However, as I say, at mid-point in the season, the episode was sorely needed, and it does its job well, without sacrificing the show’s integrity by never really taking itself too seriously. All in all, a great light-hearted and well developed episode for character and plot.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 08/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0014: "Balance of Terror"

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0014

The Original Series (1966)
Season 1: Episode 14: “Balance of Terror"

Stardate: 1709.2 (2264/09/15 - 13:36:46)

Written by: Paul Schneider
Directed by: Vincent McEveety

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

Despite the earlier Romulan War, the Romulans have never been seen in person. The Enterprise, in pursuit of a Romulan aggressor, makes a discovery that causes suspicion about a senior crewmember.

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REVIEW

“In a different reality, I could have called you 'friend'”

What is often heralded as a Star Trek classic and a fine piece of writing, doesn’t really hold up all that well with me. Although one cannot deny the importance of such an episode, one also cannot deny the script’s obvious lack of any real substance or moral fibre that gives most classic Trek episodes their appeal. So while I appreciate this is indeed a great episode, I also propose that it is still nowhere near the standard of the finest episodes that the series crafted.

So why is the episode important? Well it establishes many pieces of Trek history that go on to exist and be used in many future Trek productions, mostly involving the –previously unknown- Romulans. Before we delve right into that however, it must be noted that marriage is also something that is cemented right here in ‘Balance of Terror’. Not only is marriage still a custom, but we see that it is actually accepted between crew members working together on a Starship. It’s an interesting idea, but nonetheless underdeveloped.

Anyway, back to those pesky Romulans. Indeed, the very unveiling of the aliens themselves is expertly built up in preceding scenes, setting up the history between them and the humans, helping establish some sort of threat before we even see them. Then the curtain is raised and we see what appears to be –at least to those unfamiliar- as Vulcans. This very similarity is what creates possibly the most interesting and only real sense of direction that the episode has: Spock undoubtedly is now seen as a suspicious member of the crew by certain other less trusting and bigoted officers. This helps show that a) these people who serve on Enterprise aren’t as clean as they look b) even though it may exist, the blatant form racism is not accepted by Kirk and c) it gives Spock a very rare moment of vulnerability. That is not to say that he begins acting on the other’s suspicions, and he certainly doesn’t cower away and hide. But you can certainly tell that there is a certain discomfort, a distinct amount of tension each time there is interaction or mention of Spock.

The Romulans themselves are given plenty of characterisation that even the regular Kingons of the original series didn’t get in their numerous episodes. Specifically, the commander of the ship is given more character development than even half of the recurring crew had received in the previous thirteen episodes. Lenard fulfils his role fantastically here, giving a performance that is both highly memorable and completely authentic. Particularly what I loved most about the various cuts to the Romulan ship was seeing the gradual decline of the commander, despite the continuing and unforgiving nature of his crew. Simply put, it serves as a brilliant study of character and gives an insightful view into the Romulan psyche: something that will prove important in future encounters.

The direction of ‘Balance of Terror’ is more less one of warfare. It seeks to show what battle could be like in space, and it more often than not does a good job. The problem with science fiction warfare however is that it usually doesn’t make good TV. Thankfully, we’ve had a lot of episodes to get to know these characters, and so that helps with the rather dry drama. Essentially, this is ‘The Corbomite Manoeuvre’ with less character, more scope and a better battle scene. Both share the same crutches, suffering from a terribly slow pace and too much focus on techno-tactic-talk and action scenes that often gets in the way of engaging the viewer with what the characters are going through.

Thankfully, there is a brief five minutes or so near the closing stages of the show that take a little time to ask Kirk how he feels. This results in a rather touching and introspective look at the captain and gives a good sense of what’s a stake here. Along the same lines is the final scene with the Romulan commander, conversing with Kirk over their differences and similarities. Now where were moments like this when we were in the meeting room discussing molecules and torpedoes? A lot of people agree, the original Star Trek was about its crew, about its characters. Who remembers Trek for its meetings on whether or not to engage in war? That’s the problem with ‘Balance of Terror’, there’s too much focus on outer conflict, that isn’t balanced enough with the crew’s inner conflict. In my opinion, the best Star Trek episodes are the ones that get this balance close to 50/50. Unfortunately, this outing falls a little short and doesn’t quite make the cut for me.

If you watch Star Trek for the battle scenes, establishment of lore, special effects and submarine tactics in space, then you will more than likely love ‘Balance of Terror’. If however you need just a little more than that, if you need in-depth characterisation, relevant dialogue and engaging drama, you’ll probably still enjoy this episode, but not as much as others.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 07/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0013: "The Conscience of the King"

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0013

The Original Series (1966)
Season 1: Episode 13: “The Conscience of the King"

Stardate: 2817.6 (2265/10/25 - 10:10:34)

Written by: Barry Trivers
Directed by: Gerd Oswald

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

Contracted by one of the other two witnesses to the crimes of mass-murderer "Kodos the Executioner", Kirk is persuaded that the criminal may be disguising himself as an actor in a traveling theatrical troupe.

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REVIEW

“You are like your ship: powerful and inhuman; there is no mercy in you”

As surreal as it may be for a show like Star Trek, ‘The conscience of the king’ is nevertheless a very good tribute to classic stage plays, subtly implementing the many characteristics of the art form to achieve its ultimate and very memorable closing scenes.

Perhaps what is most memorable or at least original about this episode is its distinct mix of subtle and dramatic tone. Not only is this achieved through the inclusion of the stage actors and their plays, but the actual sets of the ‘real’ Trek universe are more elaborate and striking than usual. My favourite of these sets has to be the observation deck. Even though not as visually stunning as say, BSG or future Trek series, this simple little room achieves an atmosphere that suits the development of Kirk and his woman of fancy well, creating a sense of romanticism associated with star gazing and indeed, theatre. Furthermore, this outing for the show features a couple of original music pieces that I enjoyed thoroughly simply because it offers a much needed break from the same old recycled stuff that’s used episode after episode.

It’s not just the classical sets that form a link between the themes of episode either. Indeed, the entire form and structure of the show nonetheless plays like any good piece of classic Shakespeare: passionate acting; near-perfect pacing and structure; intelligent, engaging dialogue; themes of love, betrayal, mystery and murder. Although not quite as perfected as Macbeth or Hamlet, ‘The conscience of the king’ still does a fine job of implementing these elements into its story to offer plenty for the characters to engage with.

What was probably most effective for me was the analysis of Kirk as a man free of his duties as captain. Even though this never happens in the course of the episode, as Lenore states early on, when in the company of his desire Kirk appears free and a little less burdened. Admittedly, Shatner is his typical worst when acting out any sort of love scene, but it’s the script that I felt strongly for here and admired its willingness to try and show Kirk as he might be free of his duty. Don’t get me wrong though, I wasn’t convinced a lot of the time and found many of the romance scenes to be in awfully bad taste, reeking of melodrama. It does provide however, some food for thought and all important characterisation for the captain.

The character development I enjoyed the most was that of Anton. Unfortunately, I felt Arnold Moss didn’t receive as much screen time as he deserved to bring his character to life. There is a specific scene though where Kirk confronts the actor and accuses him of the being the executioner. Instead of outwardly denying it or admitting it, Anton is shown as being a man who has not forgotten about his past but nor is he proud of it. In fact, he is tormented by his past and wants nothing to do with it as much as he can’t help but remember. He also presents justification for his acts of murder and even though death is death, what he says doesn’t quite make him as black and white as most ‘villains’ are usually developed to be.

Aside from the characters, ‘The conscience of the king’ also manages to build tension very well, resulting in two suspenseful scenes. The first being where Kirk and Spock discover the sound of an overloading phaser in Kirk’s headquarters creating an exciting ‘race against the clock’ scenario that works well and pays off just as effectively. Secondly is the second to last sequence in which the final confrontation between Kirk, Anton and Lenore takes place before the truth spills out into a wonderfully performed and poignant scene that wraps it all up powerfully.

My one major problem though is the plot hole involving the fact that eye-witnesses of the executioner are being murdered one by one. Not only do I think it’s unlikely that only 9 people would still be alive to testify, but there’s the super amazingly obvious fact that Kirk was able to find a photo of him the Enterprise’s records. If nobody knows what he looked like, why does Starfleet have his photo on file? Essentially it’s just a really clumsy mistake that just about defies the whole episode’s plot. But still, its one little scene that can perhaps be overlooked in favour for the other aspects that makes the episode a joy to watch.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 07/11/2007.

Star Trek: 0012: "The Menagerie Part II"

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0012

The Original Series (1966)
Season 1: Episode 12: “The Menagerie Part II"

Stardate: 3013.1 (2266/01/04 - 18:45:24)

Written by: Gene Roddenberry
Directed by: Robert Butler

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PLOT INTRODUCTION

Spock's court-martial reveals the actions of Captain Pike on his previous visit to Talos IV, where the powerful Talosians tried to persuade Pike to breed with women provided for the purpose.

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REVIEW

“I see no reason to insult me, sir”

What a shame, I now remember why I didn’t favour this part as much as the first. You see, where part 1 managed to balance the plot of Spock and Pike with the footage from the Cage to a interesting and thought-provoking level, part 2 just seems to be ‘The Cage’ with about 10 minutes of unimportant filler. In fact, if it wasn’t for The Cage’s well told story, ‘The Menagerie’ would have surely fallen flat on its face.

On the other hand however, part 2 does have its significant moments, even if most of them occur inside the pilot episode. Possibly most striking is the establishment of the death penalty, which I genuinely thought Roddenberry would have envisioned as out-ruled in his utopian future. However, it is clearly stated here that Spock is indeed in line for such a penalty, and I have to say I was quite disappointed in this rather strange exception to an otherwise functional society. I mean could a utopia really develop in a world that still clinically kills for revenge and justice? Didn’t we see in a couple of episodes back, ‘hospitals’ for criminals? It should be interesting to see where this goes in subsequent series.

In other less important but nonetheless culturally significant establishments for Trek is the introduction of the famous Green Orion Slave Girl and the ever intriguing themes on illusion. I particularly enjoyed (and it will probably always stick with me) the scenes where Pike discovers that he had indeed blasted a hole in his cage after threatening a Talosian with the same phaser. I also found the final twist involving the commodore being an illusion to be quite surprising and suitably executed to tie in with the 40 minutes of Cage footage. At least they got something right.

However, this episode has major plotting problems that I just can’t overlook. As I mentioned above, the vast majority of the show is spent observing Pike on the view screen in court. The problem with this is that as a viewer, my attention is slowly brought around fully to the adventures of Pike, rather than caring for what happens with Spock. So, by the time we reach the conclusion of the court case, I have very little interest in what was going on, since it was last developed over an hour ago (or if I had watched it back in the 60’s, a week ago!). The one benefit it has is that the footage that we see from ‘The Cage’ obviously becomes more relevant and engaging to watch, which wasn’t the case with part 1. Thankfully it also helps that the story in ‘The Cage’ that we’re forced to watch unfold is actually well written and so at least redeems the episode in some respects. In the end what you essentially end up with is two episodes that separately could have worked fantastically (why didn’t they just show ‘The Cage’ and have Spock introduce it as a kind of memory?) but unfortunately cancel each other out due to terrible pacing and awkward editing that brings both down.

You may also note that I was hoping for more development of Kirk and his personal feelings on the court case- on his moral indecisiveness and sense of duty. Alas, there’s virtually none of it to be seen here and instead we get treated to a shallow, loose tie-up that simply does not work: An unfortunate ending to an otherwise promising premise. Well, that’s TV budgeting for you.



Written by Jamie Robert Ward, 06/11/2007.