Movie Review: Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)

Star Trek: Section 31 (2025) directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi

Emperor Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is running an out-of-the-way nightclub where some more or less illegal activity happens. She is happy to accommodate such customers, so naturally she is suspicious when a group from Section 31, a black-ops group in the United Federation of Planets, shows up. They are there to intercept a weapon deal between some customers. The weapon in question is from Phillipa's alternate universe where she was a ruthless dictator bent on preserving her own station and power. She knows how awful the weapon is and reluctantly teams up with Section 31 to stop the deal from happening. The situation spins out of control, requiring a lot of improvising and compromising as they work to keep the weapon out of the wrong hands. 

This stand-alone movie suffers from a lot of problems. The cast has a lot of underdeveloped characters who are subsequently unconvincing in their behavior. Georgiou is supposed to be tortured by her history but that does not come off convincingly. As a star vehicle for Yeoh, she does not get a lot of dynamic acting to do and her fight scenes are pretty tame by Michelle Yeoh standards. The plot is not very convincing either, with the introduction of a mole in the team. This development should be interesting but comes of more like they were padding out the run time of the movie (which is an hour and thirty-five minutes, so not long). I struggled to care about the characters and about what was going on. Also, the tone and look are not very Star Trek--it is much darker and pessimistic, which I understand is the new fashion for the shows going now. I just have no interest in this grittier, "more realistic" Star Trek storytelling.

Not recommended.

Movie Review: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996) directed by Jonathan Frakes

The United Federation of Planets is under attack by the Borg again. The Enterprise, under the command of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), is ordered to stay on Neutral Zone patrol. The UFP higher ups are concerned about Picard, who was once assimilated by the Borg, changing sides during the battle. The captain and his crew decide to disobey orders and fly off to Earth where a gigantic Borg cube is attacking. With Picard's insider knowledge of Borg tech and design, they are able to take out the mega-cube. In a last ditch effort at victory, the cube fires a sphere at Earth that slips through a time hole to Earth's past. The Enterprise is in pursuit and sees the Earth turn into a Borg planet after the sphere vanishes. The Enterprise races into the time hole before it collapses, taking them to Earth in the mid-21st century.

They destroy the Borg sphere but not before (1) the Borg fire on an Earth settlement and (2) the Enterprise is boarded by some of the Borg. The Borg start assimilating crew members and refitting many decks to suit their needs. Picard naturally does not want to give up his ship to the menace, so he works with Data (Brent Spiner) and Worf (Michael Dorn) to fight the enemy. Data is captured and taken to the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), who tries to seduce him into unlocking the ship's computer so they can take control. Part of her seduction is giving Data flesh, an unfamiliar experience that he has a hard time dealing with.

Meanwhile, on the planet, Riker (Jonathan Frakes), LaForge (LeVar Burton), and Troi (Marina Sirtis) are helping the encampment. They are by a missile silo where Zefram Cochran (James Cromwell) has built a ship that will be able to travel faster than light, thereby gaining the attention of nearby aliens and making first contact, bringing Earth into its interstellar age. The ship needs repairs. The Enterprise crew has a hard time helping Cochran and not geeking out, telling him about all the statues and schools named after him. Cochran is a hard-drinking guy who is doing this project for money, not fame or to help mankind step out into the greater universe. Cochran has a hard time dealing with the new-found pressure.

The story does a great job balancing adventure, drama, and comedy. Picard has a crisis about getting revenge for what the Borg did to him, giving him a more interesting story arc and some moments of very physical action and self-doubt. Data also has a crisis about how human he could really become with the Borg's assistance, questioning whether he should change alliances. Cochran's crisis about fame leads more to comedy but also some interesting character moments. The human drama is blended in nicely to the storyline, making a very satisfy film.

Recommended, highly for Star Trek fans. This is easily the best of the Next Generation movies.

This movie is also reviewed on A Good Story is Hard to Find Episode #357. Check it out!

Book Review: Star Trek: Defiant Vol. 1 by C. Cantwell et al.

Star Trek: Defiant Volume 1 written by Christopher Cantwell, art by Angel Unzueta, and colors by Marissa Louise

Worf and Spock reluctantly team up to hunt down Kahless II, a renegade Klingon who wants to reunite the empire. Kahless is killing god-like beings and somehow taking their powers, thus providing an ultimate weapon for conquest. The Federation is not on board with this grand conspiracy, so Worf and Spock (who are on board) steal the USS Defiant to complete their self-assigned mission. A few other familiar faces join their crew as their adventures go on.

While the story is interesting, it does have a lot of parallels with Picard Season 3, maybe too many. The dramatics feel a bit like reruns from other stories and make the overall narrative less interesting than it should be. Also, this is part of some other concurrent stories (as referenced by footnotes) so it has the MCU problem of keeping up with a large variety of narrative threads. If you are a die-hard Trekkie, you'll get everything (though, you have to have read other contemporary comics). Otherwise, some surprise twists and character revelations are not so surprising. A reader can't say, "Wow, that person came back!" when they don't know who that person is and how they connect to the others.

Mildly recommended. I wasn't impressed enough or hooked by the story to keep reading.

Book Review: Star Trek: The New Voyages Ed. by S. Marshak and M. Culbreath

Star Trek: The New Voyages edited by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath with a foreward by Gene Roddenberry

Published in 1976, this book of short stories came from a lot of fan fiction that was published "off the books" by authors who loved the TV show even as the legal rights for new Star Trek stories were tangled up. After the problems were worked out, the editors had a hard time choosing from the many fanzines and other story sources. This happened nearly fifty years ago (long before internet research was available to even the nerdiest nerds). Charmingly, they request more stories, even giving a publishing house address to send manuscripts in.

The collection is a fun group with short, heartfelt introductions to each story by one of the cast members. The stories are not focused on each individual character, however. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy get the most attention, with Spock leading the way. The best of the stories is "The Enchanted Pool" where Spock has to deal with an elf-like woman on a planet where he is trapped. Two Kirk-centric tales are also worth mentioning--"The Face on the Barroom Floor" where he winds up in jail during shore leave and "The Mind Sifter" where he winds up in the twentieth century with no memory of who he is. This collection also has a fun nonsense story where the three main characters are whisked back to the 1960s on the set of the television show Star Trek.

Recommended for Trek fans--these are some golden oldies.

TV Review: Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 created by Kirsten Beyer, Michael Chabon, and Akiva Goldsman based on Star Trek: The Next Generation created by Gene Roddenberry

A retired Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is preparing to give a great speech at Frontier Day (the celebration of the beginning of Star Fleet) when he gets a distress call on an old comm link. A friend he hasn't seen in over twenty years is in a dire situation and needs help. That friend is Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). She's just outside of Federation space and insists that Starfleet not be involved in helping her. Picard turns to another old friend, William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who is willing to help in the spirit of an old-buddy, road-trip vibe. They make an excuse to get on the USS Titan, one of Riker's old commands, which now has Seven (Jeri Ryan) on board as second-in-command. The trio does some typical shenanigans to get to Crusher. Crusher and her son Jack (Ed Speleers) have run afoul of a ship called the Shrike, led by Vadic (Amanda Plummer) a somewhat over-the-top villain who want Jack for mysterious reasons. Meanwhile, a terrorist plot is afoot with Raffi (Michelle Herd) investigating on a less than charming world. Her investigation eventually ties into the Crusher situation, leading into a larger conspiracy bringing back some old enemies and forcing the recruitment of a lot of old friends.

I had heard the first season of Picard was terrible and had avoided it, since there's plenty of other stuff to watch that's less terrible or at least would be less disappointing. Then some friends recommended season three as more entertaining and generally better. I gave it a try and was not disappointed. The show is built around Picard but shovels in every possible reference, cameo, and plot line it can from previous Star Trek shows, especially Next Generation. By the end, the whole crew is back together working to save the galaxy from the baddies (this statement is not a spoiler, just look at the cover art above). Some characters have aged more gracefully than others, so there's a mixed bag of character development and performances. I was surprised at some of the gore and language (there's at least 2 f-bombs) but I guess they got away with it since the show was direct to streaming. The Federation ships are much darker and grimmer than back in the day, like the optimism of the past became a thing of the past. They get away from such pessimism by the end, making it a fun nostalgia ride for Star Trek: The Next Generation fans.

Mildly recommended, much more so for fans.

TV Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season One (2022)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season One (2022) created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry

In this prequel to the original Star Trek series, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) has had a troubling vision of his future, specifically of his own death. He's reluctant to take command of the Enterprise but is convinced by some friends. His biggest motivation is that his favorite first officer has gone missing while making contact with a new civilization. Throughout the season, they go off on a bunch of unrelated but interesting adventures, encountering a variety of strange and wonderful aliens.

The crew is a mixture of familiar and new characters. Number One (Rebecca Romijn) is second in command and has her own secret that could get her into big trouble. Spock (Ethan Peck) is the science officer and is dealing with his engagement to T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) who does not approve of Star Fleet and has some concerns about Spock's human half. Ensign Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) is a brilliant poly-linguist but is unsure if she really wants to be part of Star Fleet. Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) is romantically adventurous but not seriously involved with anyone; she serves as a good friend to the other characters. Then there's the new characters. Hemmer (Bruce Horak) is an Aenar native who is blind and a bit grumpy, an interesting choice for Chief of Engineering. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) is a helmsmen who likes to crack jokes. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is a descendant of Kahn Noonien-Singh so she has a troubled history with genetic enhancement, which is illegal in the Federation. Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) is ship's doctor and also has his own problem that he's hiding from the rest of the crew, at least at the beginning of the show.

The show does a good job following the model of the original series, with episodic stories that focus on the relationships in the crew and the creatively-conceived, exotic new places the Enterprise visits. While Pike and Spock get the most character time, all of the other characters get a lot of attention and backstory (more than in the original series, a plus). The actors playing Spock and Uhura are exceptional. The characterization of Nurse Chapel seems off at first glance, but she had very little character in the original show so they make her a bigger personality. The characters and the writing share a good sense of humor. They use intelligence more often than force to resolve problems. The series has an optimistic tone even as they deal with some difficult situations. Fear of death is a pervasive theme (not just for Pike) that is dealt with in interesting ways. The writing is sharp and enjoyable.

The show is unlike the original series in the amazing special effects and the high-tech Enterprise. Modern audiences would have a hard time if the show was on sets that looked like the 1960s Enterprise. The bridge is a bit darker than the original but the rest of the ship is the usual gleaming, brightly-lit flagship of the Federation. The alien world and creatures are much better looking thanks to sixty years of advancements in make-up and visual effects. The show looks great.

Ongoing plot lines are threaded throughout the episodes, like Pike's worry over his future or Dr. M'Benga's secret. Some get resolved, some are left for future resolution. The season ends with a cliffhanger, encouraging people to watch the next season, which starts soon as I write this in June 2023.

Highly recommended--this is a nice return to the roots of the franchise.

Movie Review: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) co-written and directed by Nicholas Meyer

A massive explosion on a Klingon moon destroys the moon and poisons the Klingon homeworld's atmosphere. The official response from Klingon High Command is that there was an incident and they need no help. Two months later, secret negotiations with the United Federation of Planets are advancing thanks to Spock (Leonard Nimoy). The UFP invites Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) to Earth to work on a peace treaty, which would mean disbanding the military assets along the Klingon-Federation border. Kirk (William Shatner) is opposed to any peace treaty but Spock has nominated Kirk and the Enterprise as the escort through Federation space for Gorkon's ship. When the two ships meet up, Kirk invites Gorkon and his staff to a diplomatic dinner. The dinner is extremely awkward (leading to lots of funny moments--funny for the viewers, not either crew) and no tension is relieved. After the Klingons return to their vessel, two photon torpedoes are shot at them, disabling their gravity. Two Federation crewmen beam aboard and kill Gorkon. The Klingons automatically accuse Kirk, who surrenders his vessel and beams aboard with McCoy. They are arrested and sent to a penal colony while Spock leads an investigation to find out what really happened.

The movie was the "final mission" for the original Enterprise crew and it is a great send off. The plot centers on an interesting mystery that flows from the tense political situation. Both sides have their warmongering zealots. Kirk starts off in that camp and slowly (and sometimes painfully) moves over to the side of peace. The story is a thinly-veiled metaphor of the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The tone does not get too dark--they throw in plenty of jokes and have a running gag about Klingons quoting Shakespeare in the "original Klingon." Christopher Plummer plays the bad Klingon and, even though his character isn't that deep, he delivers his lines with gusto, in English or in Klingon. The story does get slow at a few points and the characters make a few too many references to literature, like the too-many-Easter-eggs in the recent Star Wars films. The flaws are fairly minor and easily outweighed by the good. The idea that all rational beings should count as human is both a timely and an eternal truth.

Recommended, especially to fans of the original Star Trek crew.

Book Review: Star Trek: Debt of Honor by C. Claremont et al.

Star Trek: Debt of Honor written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Adam Hughes and Karl Story

Captain Kirk is off on a holiday with Gillian (the cetacean biologist from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home). He's a bit preoccupied with sad and angry memories from the fallout of the Genesis Project. His memories go farther back, to previous encounters with a Romulan commander, T'Cel, a past both romantic and full of peril. Kirk and T'Cel are teaming up with a Klingon (also from Kirk's past, but no romance there) to fight a threat that has endangered every species that's gone near it. 

This classic graphic novel from 1992 is chock full of references from the history of the original crew of the Enterprise. Claremont knows his Trek history and uses it well throughout the story. The easter egg extravaganza is just a side highlight, though, because the plot is well-paced and full of fun moments. Claremont's penchant for lots of dialogue (just look at any X-men book he has written) relegates action to the background. The most dramatic fights are verbal, not fisticuffs.

Claremont also knows the Trek ethos, where villains have often turned into allies and heroes. Star Trek looks to a brighter future where people have a better understanding of each other and work together. A fan of the original show will have a lot of fun reading this.

Recommended.

Book Review: Star Trek: Best of Klingons by S. Tipton et al.

Star Trek: Best of Klingons written by Mike W. Barr, Scott Tipton, and David Tipton, art by Tom Sutton, Richard Villagran, and David Messina

This collection has two Klingon stories of unequal strengths.

The first is from DC Comics in the early 1980s. The story is set right after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. A conflict on a border threatens to turn into war between the Federation and the Klingons. The Klingons have a secret base from which they are attacking Federation colonies and ships by the Neutral Zone. The Enterprise, with Kirk but no Spock, goes to investigate. They are caught up in events that bring both sides to the edge of war. More is going on than meets the eye as events unfold. The story is a fairly typical Star Trek story--it's fun and plays to the strengths of the characters. The art was sub-par and obviously the story does not fit with the film continuity.

The second story is Klingons: Blood Will Tell, a story of Klingon High Council official Kahnrah, who is debating about a significant vote he has to cast. Praxis (the Klingon moon) has exploded, condemning their home world to annihilation in thirty or forty years. The Council is deadlock on whether to ask the Federation for help or not. Kahnrah reflects on various historical encounters between humans and the Klingons, though most involve Captain Kirk. Kahnrah has to decide if the humans are trustworthy and, more importantly, if the Klingons can retain their identity by making such a decision. Seeing events like the Tribbles story from a Klingon perspective is very interesting and well-told by the authors. Even though the decision is a foregone conclusion for Star Trek fans, the narrative makes an interesting exploration of Klingon attitudes and general character. The art is good and the story does fit in with the film continuity, so those are pluses too.

Recommended, though the second story is much stronger and more interesting than the first.

Other Vegas Stuff

Here's some random bits from Vegas that didn't make their own post...

I laughed out loud at the airport when I saw this sign:

Coming to an airport near you

I guess the local government wants to cash in on the "let's go to Vegas and get married" crowd! Why should the wedding chapels get all the revenue?

My brother and I did an escape room. It was at the Escapology in Vegas (the chain to which I have gone before). Since I was there, we did the Vegas Hangover room. We were locked in an apartment after a rough night. In the story recap, we found out that we lost the wedding rings for our best friend. The night before we had gambled them away to a woman who never loses. Being a good sport (of sorts), she let us have an hour to get through several puzzles to find the rings hidden in the apartment. We didn't succeed but we made it pretty far through the puzzles. One particularly difficult puzzle involved clocks and cards with some more challenging mathematical variables than we were ready for. We had a good time even so.

After the fact

The Westgate Casino has some random interesting things, including a statue of Elvis, a display of dry-aging beef for one of their restaurants, and the last remnant of Star Trek: The Experience.

Elvis has not left the building!

Only thing more boring than watching paint dry

They never replaced this Star Trek doorway

The strip has all sorts of fun architecture and displays along it. Treasure Island used to have a pirate show out front with full-size ships from which the pirates performed.

Pirate ship by Treasure Island

Venice is represented by the Venetian with a canal bridge and the clock tower from Saint Mark's Square.

Putting the Venice in the Venetian

Caesars Palace has a lot of Italian and specifically Roman remakes. Here's the Trevi Fountain. I guess if you toss a coin in here, you'll come back to Vegas.

Trevi Fountain, now an entrance to the Forum

Circus Circus has a fun if old-school look to it. It must have a million light bulbs for its various signs.

Circus Circus

This attempt to hide a cell tower is creative.

Which are real palm trees?

One night we went to the Rio to see a show at the Comedy Cellar. Afterward, we had a steak up on the fifty-first floor. The restaurant has an outdoor bar with a view of the city that's impressive.

South end of the Strip

Casinos-a-million

The Rio also has mini-golf. But not just any mini-golf. The course was Kiss-themed. Black-light was the only light and the eighteenth hole was what you would expect.

Rockin' mini-golf

The course

Eighteenth hole

Grandpa gave me four lucky quarters to play in a quarter slot machine. We couldn't find any machines that would take quarters, so I put a dollar in this machine and played four times. My dollar wasn't lucky like the quarters.

No payout here

I bet Grandpa would have liked this one

We took in a show while we were there. Discount tickets are available at Fashion Show (that's the mall with a flying saucer overhead) for day-of or next-few-days performances. In tribute to the blog, we went to see Zombie Burlesque, which was cheesy but fun.

A theater with a lot of shows

Elevator to the show

We had a good Mexican meal at a restaurant not far from the Strip. The Original Lindo Michoacan has the typical decor and fabulous frozen margaritas. I had the carne a la coca-cola which was very tasty, along with a coconut margarita. Yum!

Other Lindo Michoacans are available, but why bother?

The Sequel Was Better? Star Trek I and II

The Sequel Was Better? is a series of reviews looking at famous movies with sequels that are considered, rightly or wrongly, to be better than the original movies. Typically, sequels are a step down in quality, acting, and/or production value. But not always. See other reviews here.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) directed by Robert Wise

A massive energy cloud travels through Klingon space. Three Klingon battle cruisers confront the cloud, only to be completely obliterated by an energy torpedo. On the planet Vulcan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) undergoes a ritual that will remove all emotion from his life. Just as he is about to finish, he feels a strange seemingly mystic call from space. Meanwhile, a Federation outpost (with the first English-speaking characters in the film) spies on the Klingon encounter with the cloud. They plot the course of the cloud and it's heading directly to Earth! At Starfleet Command on Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) pulls some strings to get reassigned from his desk job to the captain's chair aboard the Enterprise. The Enterprise has just undergone an overhaul and is the only starship that can intercept the cloud, which is two days away. The current captain, Decker (Stephen Collins), is mad at the demotion and takes on the job of science officer reluctantly.

The crew tries to go to warp speed to get to the cloud but the engines aren't quite ready for the strain and they generate a worm hole that almost destroys the ship. Decker's quick thinking (and familiarity with the refitted Enterprise) saves the day, though he has to go against Kirk's orders. Kirk is at first upset but realizes Decker was right and that he (Kirk) needs the additional input. A Federation craft approaches the Enterprise. Once it's docked, Spock comes aboard and helps fix the engines. He also takes the science officer job, which Decker happily relinquishes since he knows how brilliant Spock is. Spock tells Kirk and McCoy (DeForrest Kelley) that he's heard something from the cloud. His motivation may be his own curiosity rather than the safety of Earth, which could be a problem. Kirk takes him back anyway.

They proceed to the cloud which they can enter once Spock figures out how to communicate with the intelligence occupying it. The center of the cloud has some large ship. As they approach, the cloud sends an energy probe to the bridge that first scan the equipment. Then it scans some crew members and obliterates the helmsman Ilia (Persis Khambatta). Decker is very concerned because he had a past with her on her homeworld, Delta.

It's not long before Ilia is back, or a projection of Ilia generated by the alien and using Ilia's memories. The new Ilia says the alien intelligence is called V'Ger. Ilia is back on the ship to gather information about the Enterprise and the "carbon forms" that infest it. She refers to Kirk as "Kirk-Unit." Her impersonal style occasionally slips and the crew realize they need to tap into the emotional and personal memories of Ilia to save themselves. Decker is all too willing to help Ilia (and the ship) recover her personality.

Meanwhile, Spock sneaks off the ship to find out more about the alien intelligence that has been communicating with him. He discovers a lot of information--there's some sort of robotic life form gathering information about the whole universe. On the ship, Ilia reveals that V'Ger is returning to its maker on Earth, though she does not identify the maker. Spock comes back and they convince V'Ger, through Ilia, to let them onto the ship at the center of the cloud.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Decker, and Ilia travel to V'Ger's location and discover it is an old Earth Voyager probe given sentience on a far distant robotic world. Since Voyager was programed to gather information and return that information to Earth, it's merely following its programing. Some of the probe's wiring is broken so it's not functioning properly, i.e. not recognizing humans as its creator. By this point, the crew realizes Ilia is gone for good. Decker volunteers to fix the wiring and become one with the probe (reuniting creator and created). He and Ilia embrace as they are absorbed by an electrical storm. The Enterprise crew heads back to Earth, musing about the new life form they have discovered and possibly created. Cue end credits.

This story is pretty average Star Trek fare. The crew encounters an unknown alien and struggles to understand it enough to counter the jeopardy it is causing. Unfortunately the movie is hampered by the very slow pace and lack of character development. Many shots of the Enterprise and of traveling through the wormhole and the cloud go on and on, lingering on the details and often cutting back to looks of amazement on Kirk's and other crew members faces. The movie could easily have been forty minutes shorter. Also, though the story hints at possible developments with Spock (who may be unhealthily obsessed with the alien intelligence) and Kirk (who clearly wants to go back to his glory days of space exploration), nothing really changes for anyone aside from Decker.

The visual effects range from good to bad. The ships look good even forty years later. A lot of the travel through space is less impressive, as are the ubiquitous lightening effects (the cloud's attacks on ships, a computer panel that fries Chekov, the energy probe that scans the bridge, etc.). The trips through the wormhole and the cloud take longer than they should and look a little dated by today's standards. Kirk and Scotty ride in a shuttle around the Enterprise and the view of them through the window looks bad.

Jerry Goldsmith's score for the movie is great and has been reused by and reformulated for the other films and is almost verbatim copied in the opening credits of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) directed by Nicholas Meyer

The movie opens with a new captain helming the Enterprise--a Vulcan woman named Saavik. They receive a distress signal from a civilian ship, the Kobayashi Maru, in the Neutral Zone between Federation and Klingon space. Going to help the ship violates a treaty but that ship is on the verge of dying. She decides to rescue the ship. Three Klingon ships show up and make short work of the Enterprise, crippling it and killing most of the bridge crew, including Spock, McCoy, and Uhura. As Saavik orders the rest of the crew to abandon ship, the main screen splits and James Kirk walks in. The whole thing was a training simulation. The "dead" crew pop up and head off to other duties. Kirk chats with Spock about the training mission they are about to go on and Kirk's birthday. Spock gives Kirk an antique copy of A Tale of Two Cities.

Back at Kirk's apartment, McCoy shows up with two presents. One is Romulan Ale, which is illegal. McCoy says it's only for "medicinal purposes." The other gift is a pair of reading glasses since Kirk is allergic to the medicine that corrects aging eyeballs. McCoy tells Kirk to get a starship command back because he's going to turn into an old man if he doesn't. Kirk struggles with what to do and is reluctant to make a change.

Meanwhile, Chekov is on the USS Reliant, a ship that is surveying lifeless planets for use in the Genesis Project. They think they've found a winner in Ceta Alpha Six, a wasteland of a planet that appears to have no life. But the scanners pick up something, so he and his commanding officer Terrell (Paul Winfield) beam down. They discover some ship wreckage and soon discover the crew. It's the SS Botany Bay, a ship that was forced down on Ceta Alpha Five with Khan Singh (Ricardo Montalban), a genetically-engineered human who almost took over the Enterprise with his group of seventy or so other genetically-enhanced people from the 1990s. This all happened in the TV episode Space Seed, so this movie is a sequel to the first movie and to a TV episode! Khan tells Chekov and Terrell that Ceta Alpha Six blew up six months after Kirk marooned them, shifting the orbit of Ceta Alpha Five and turning it into a wasteland. Khan uses some nasty creatures to render Chekov and Terrell compliant and then finds out why they were there and how he can find Kirk (to get revenge, of course). Khan has Chekov call the scientific outpost orbiting Regula One to inform them that the Reliant is coming to take all their Genesis materials.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise starts its training cruise with Spock as captain and Kirk as an observer. Kirk receives a call from Doctor Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch), the lead scientist on the Genesis Project and one of Kirk's old flames. She asks why they are taking Genesis away from her. Kirk gets the idea that there's trouble but the transmission is quickly jammed. After reporting it to Starfleet, the top brass order the Enterprise (the only starship in range of Regula One) to investigate. Spock relinquishes command, deferring to Kirk's experience.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy watch a promotional video for the Genesis Project. The project is a scientific endeavor to create life from lifeless matter. A first experiment was made in a lab; a second was scheduled for underground. The video promises a third stage where a device would be set off on a dead planet or moon that would be turned into a habitable planet. McCoy is shocked that such a thing would be created because it could obviously be used on a live planet to wipe out the local inhabitants and create a new matrix of life. The scientists at Regula One were clearly aware of that possibility which is why they protested the project being taken by Starfleet.

As the Enterprise approaches Regula One, the USS Reliant shows up. In a tense confrontation, Khan's ship cripples the Enterprise and only through a trick can Kirk turn the fight into a draw (he hacks into the Reliant's command console and drops their shields!). Khan withdraws and the Enterprise goes to the orbiting science station. Kirk beams over with McCoy and Saavik. They don't find any of the Genesis materials or live crew (some of the crew members were clearly tortured). They do find Chekov and Terrell, who seem to have recovered. The crew keeps exploring the station, getting to the transporter room. The transporter is still on and set with coordinates deep within Regula, a planet that is a giant space rock. After communicating with the Enterprise, which doesn't have enough power to beam them back, Kirk tells them to make what repairs they can and head to a starbase to get help. Kirk and crew decide to beam down to where ever the coordinates are.

They beam into a tunnel where they are attacked by Doctor David Marcus, Carol's son. And also Kirk's son! David thinks they are Khan's group trying to steal Genesis. Kirk sets him straight but then Terrell and Chekov admit they are still controlled by Khan, who has been listening in. Khan orders Terrell to kill Kirk but Terrell resists, shooting himself rather than Kirk. Chekov screams and falls to the ground, where the nasty creature comes back out of his ear and Kirk phasers it. Khan beams away the Genesis materials and tells Kirk he will be left marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, buried alive. Kirk gives his famous "KHAAAAANNNNN!" shout, which is clearly delightful to Khan.

Carol and Kirk have a parental discussion about David. They were clearly going to live two different lives when she got pregnant. Carol didn't want David galavanting about in space with Kirk so she raised him on her own. Kirk is shocked into a malaise and really does feel old with a madman from fifteen years ago trying to kill him and a son whom he has just met for the first time and who has no interest in him. Carol takes pity on Kirk and leads him further down the tunnel to the area where they conducted their experiment and created an expansive biological garden.

Kirk and Saavik discuss the Kobayashi Maru test. Kirk says it's a no-win scenario that tests character rather than ability. And yet Kirk was able to beat the test and save the ship. When pressed for how he did it, Kirk admitted that he reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to save the Kobayashi Maru. Then he calls the Enterprise which is ready to beam them up. Kirk and Spock had a coded conversation, so the Enterprise never went to the starbase and it is mostly ready to confront the Reliant again.

In order to even up the odds, the Enterprise flies into a nebula where the gas will render shields inoperable as well as forcing weapons into manual aiming. At first, Khan's crew doesn't want to go in but Kirk taunts Khan. Another tense battle sequence happens with Kirk crippling the Reliant. Khan decides to activate the Genesis device which will blow up in four minutes. The Enterprise still doesn't have the warp drive on line, so they won't be able to escape in time. Spock heads to Engineering where he goes into a radiation-filled chamber to repair the warp drive--just in time to escape the device's explosion!

When Kirk calls down to Engineering to congratulate Scotty on a job well done, he realizes Spock is missing. McCoy tells Kirk to hurry down. Once there, Kirk and Spock talk through the radiation shielding. Spock has a dramatic death scene where he says that he's found a solution to the no-win scenario. They have a touching funeral for Spock and send his body to the newly-formed planet created by the Genesis device.

David comes to Kirk's quarters to console him for the loss and reconnect with him as a father. Kirk goes to the bridge where he muses on the possibility of new life on the Genesis planet and maybe a new life for Spock. McCoy asks Kirk how he feels. Kirk replies with a winsome smile, "I feel young." Cue end credits.


So is the sequel better? Let's look at some points of comparison.

• SCRIPT--While both movies start off from ideas reminiscent of the television show, the sequel manages to go somewhere the show hadn't before. The crew is clearly getting older and the story deals with that issue head-on. Kirk has a mid-life crisis and is forced out of his malaise thanks to both his friends and his enemy. He actually has a character arc that comes to a very satisfying conclusion. Khan is a much better villain than V'Ger thanks to a smart script that gives him motivation while acknowledging that he's crazy. The second movie uses literary references (primarily A Tale of Two Cities and Moby Dick) effectively to underscore thematic elements of searching for purpose and obsessing over revenge. Advantage Wrath of Khan
• ACTING--Star Trek has never been known for its great acting. William Shatner has a reputation for overacting which can be seen in both movies, though he is vastly better in the second film. Wrath of Khan is probably his best performance as Kirk. Ricardo Montalban chews up the scenery with his performance but it works pretty well with his character's madness. The other actors also do better in the second film thanks to the stronger script that gives them more to do than mugging for the camera after yet another "amazing" journey through visual-effects-laden space. Advantage Wrath of Khan
• ADVANCES THE STORY/MYTHOLOGY--Even though the crew has "ongoing missions" they really never have had an ongoing story arc. Mythological development only happen by necessity. Sure the Klingons look a lot rougher and tougher in the first film than they did in the TV show, but they have just a cameo at the beginning. The first movie is basically an extended episode of the original series. Wrath of Khan is a sequel to one specific episode and borrows themes from that episode and from the first movie. Rather than being a rehash of old ideas, the film makers build up a better story with action and character dramatics--a definite improvement. Advantage Wrath of Khan
• SPECIAL EFFECTS--This category may be the closest for the two movies. Other than the cheesy lightening effects and the long, drawn-out space sequences, the first film holds up as well as its sequel holds up. They both used miniatures for the spacecraft so the effects don't look like dated CGI. Slight advantage Wrath of Khan.
• VISUAL STYLE--Well, let me just say the Starfleet uniforms in the first film were horrible...HORRIBLE! They looked like pajamas with a weird belt that seemed like it should do something techy, like have their communicator or phaser or some gadget. The uniforms in the sequel actually look like actual military uniforms. On the other hand, Khan's crew of genetically-altered supermen look like their costumes were leftovers from a Mad Max movie. They look like an impoverished biker gang. I can understand they were roughing it on Ceti Alpha Five for fifteen years, but surely they could have updated their wardrobe when they took over the Reliant. The 1970s hair in the first movie gave way to even bigger early 1980s hair in the sequel (even though both films were set in the twenty-third century). Which hair style is more palatable is up to the viewer. Advantage Wrath of Khan

FINAL THOUGHTS

This particular set of films is the paradigmatic example of a sequel being better than its predecessor. Star Trek: The Motion Picture almost tanked the franchise. In order to justify a sequel, film studio Paramount gave the makers one-quarter of the budget and relegated Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek's creator) to a "creative consultant" role. Leonard Nimoy was only convinced to play Spock again because they guaranteed him that Spock would have a great death scene. Sequel director Nicholas Meyer injected a lot of creativity and new ideas into the movie and delivered what is arguably the best Star Trek movie ever made. Indeed, Wrath of Khan is a good movie all on its own, apart from the Star Trek milieu. It's well worth watching or revisiting if you haven't seen it for a long time.

Movie Review: Star Trek III (1984)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock directed by Leonard Nimoy.

This summer has lots of sequels and remakes coming out, so I'm reviewing the earlier works and seeing if they will inspire me to see the new films! 

The story of this movie follows directly from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, so if you haven't seen that (which you really should) be warned that spoilers are ahead. I'll blather on about why I chose this to provide a little buffer between this spoiler warning and the actual spoiler.

After reviewing Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan and Ghostbusters, both from 1984, I had to decide which Star Trek movie to watch. Seeing Stark Trek III was made in 1984, making it sync up both with two other 1984 movies and with this week's number three Star Trek reboot movie, I could not resist revisiting this film I haven't seen probably since the 1980s.

Admiral James T. Kirk and crew are headed back to Earth after their harrowing encounter with Khan. All are still grieving the loss of Spock, who sacrificed himself to fix the warp drive, letting the Enterprise escape the blast radius of the Genesis Device. The Device was designed to be used on a lifeless planet to make it habitable. The explosion has indeed created an Earth-like planet. Spock's coffin, a torpedo tube fired from the Enterprise, was caught in the planet's gravity and landed on the planet. A science vessel with Kirk's son David and the Vulcan Saavik investigate the planet. They discover life form reading right by Spock's coffin! David and Saavik beam down to investigate.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Enterprise are informed the Genesis Device is is a political hot-potato--they shouldn't discuss it with anybody and travel there is restricted. The only problem is McCoy. He has been acting very Spock-like. After talking with Spock's father, Kirk realizes that Spock has transferred is katra or soul to McCoy and that should be brought to Vulcan along with Spock's body. If not, Spock will truly be gone. Realizing how desperate the situation is, Kirk and his main crew members steal the Enterprise and head off to the Genesis planet, where more complication ensue, because the Klingons have shown up and want their own doomsday device.

So the plot is rather busy and does look contrived at points (stealing the Enterprise by jury-rigging an automation system to run the whole ship from the bridge has so many problems with it). The Klingons are one dimensional but still fun (the Klingon commander is played by Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc Brown in Back to the Future!). The story serves to get Spock back from the dead and sets up the light-hearted Star Trek IV. So it's a good transition film but not a great film by any means. Watching it once or twice is plenty.

As for Star Trek Beyond, it looks action-packed and exciting...



This movie looks like it shares the Enterprise in peril and dealing with death elements from The Search for Spock. On the other hand, this movie looks to have tons of action (which I guess is natural considering the director is from the Fast and Furious franchise), which should be fun in a summer blockbuster way. I'm a little worried that it will lack depth (which I guess is natural considering the director is from the Fast and Furious franchise). Star Trek Beyond probably will be a more entertaining film, maybe even a better film that Star Trek III. If I set my expectations to low, maybe I'll have a stunning experience.

Gen Con 2015 Entertainment

Wandering the many halls of the Indianapolis Convention Center during Gen Con, I saw many different roving and stationary performers. I seemed to run into one group on a regular basis--Il Troubadore. They bill themselves as Indiana's "16th Century Rock Band" because they originally performed Italian Bel Canto, operatic arias, and folk music from Ireland and Scotland. They have greatly expanded their repertoire and their costumes. The first day I saw them (Friday of the convention), their outfits were mostly Star Trek. The lady was dressed like Princess Leia for some reason.

At first a trio...

...another Klingon made a quartet

The next day they had steam punk outfits.

She's more like a flapper than a steam-punker, but the goggles are quite definitively steam punk

The bassist shows up late again

I'm not sure why the bassist never stood too close to the rest of the band. I didn't smell anything weird, even when he was dressed as a Klingon. On Sunday, I saw them again with full-on Star Wars apparel. The lady wasn't there, so maybe she got her Leia on earlier in the con.

Last outfits

Plenty of other groups were providing entertainment as well-- Canyon Spells, Different Drummers Belly Dancers (who gave lessons as well as performances). Apryl Knight, Dan the Bard, Water Street Bridge, Marc Gunn, Marooned, and Damsels of Dorkington (who had improv shows which I did not see).

The entertainers made the atmosphere of the convention more fun and were a welcom break from running around like crazy. Sadly, the crowd sound drown out the singing on the videos I took with my camera! Better luck next year.

The other big musical event I attended was the Beach Party Saturday night in the Grand Ball Room of Union Station. It was your standard pop music of the past decade event, of which I know very little. I didn't recognize any songs and didn't do any dancing but did have a nice rum and coke.

Grand Ball Room, Union Station

View from half-way up the staircase

View from the top of the staircase

There's plenty of musical and comedy entertainment for attendees at Gen Con!

UK Games Expo 2014--Overview

A small interruption in the Normandy postings for a couple of posts on the board game expo I and the family attended in May/June 2014.

This year, the rest of the family came with me to the UK Games Expo in Birmingham. The turnout was much larger than last year, resulting in crowded exhibition halls and lines for food and the buy and trade room.

One of the exhibition halls on Saturday

We drove down on Friday and I went to the first day on my own. I dropped some games in the Buy and Trade room which took a little while. The in-processing line was long. After offering my games for sale, I wandered through the table to see if there were any bargains. I picked up Maori for £8 and Lord of the Fries for £15. Most of our old games went on to new homes. I picked up cash on Sunday for the games that sold (one or two were of no interest to others, either).

I played enough games during the expo that they will get their own post later. I did see some amazing play areas for miniatures games including one set in an alternate 1930s England where Edward VIII did not abdicate when he married a divorced woman, sparking a civil war. Another had a British village about to be attacked by Vikings!

A Very British Civil War set

Viking raid game

Futuristic dystopia?

Some miniatures were definitely oversized, like this Star Trek Attack Wing game in one of the exhibit halls.

Star Trek Attack Wing, not the table-top version

The Expo featured lots of competitions. I watched a bit of the Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures tournament, which didn't look as flashy as the Star Trek set up.

X-Wing competitors

I did see some people selling Viking goods. I would have put them in the Cosplay post (which will come soon), but they weren't wandering around like the other "dressed up" people.

Viking merchants

Across from the Vikings was a display of science fiction and fantasy props, including a Tribble from Star Trek. J and L loved petting the little fur ball, which responded by vibrating soothingly.

Tribble with J and L

The funniest thing I saw at a booth was a label on the game Caverna, which is about dwarves farming and mining their homestead. The game includes little wooden sheep, horses, dogs, cows, wheat, pumpkins, ore, stone, etc. etc. Naturally one retailer wanted to warn his customers:

Two labels on the box to say...

Caveat emptor!

More on the expo in tomorrow's post!