******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** In light of the wildfire emergencies here in SoCal–the worst of which are about forty-odd minutes northwest of me–I’ve been reluctant to punch out another column just now, in case my electricity is suddenly cut to prevent sparking from fallen power lines. However, since I need the diversion, here goes. For this column,…
Tag: Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Tony Todd (1954-2024); the “Candyman” who trekked to the stars…
This has been a very tough week. For reasons I don’t want to get into now, I wasn’t intending to write anything at this time. In fact, I was in the middle of a much-needed break. But then I read that actor Tony Todd passed away, and it was my motive to exit my ennui…
Through “The Time Tunnel” and into “Deep Space Nine”; James Darren (1936-2024)….
One aspect of growing older I’ll never get used to is seeing so many names and faces I grew up with passing away. This morning, I’d read about the passing of actor James Darren (1936-2024), who died in his sleep last night (September 2nd), from apparent issues relating to an inoperable heart condition. He is…
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “Past Tense” Parts 1 & 2 foretells a future-present…
******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine two-parter “Past Tense” debuted 29 years ago this month (January 5th and January 12th, 1995), and it was set in the then-near future of 2024, which is now. The episode itself forecast a dark, vaguely fascistic era where homeless people are rounded up en masse and placed…
Scanning all Star Treks (1966-present)…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD!***** With the annual Star Trek Las Vegas convention (aka “the 56 Year Mission”) right around the corner, I thought this might be a good time to take an overview of the entire televised Star Trek franchise. I’d previously examined all of the Star Trek feature films, so I thought I might explore…
Star Trek returns to episodic storytelling, and repairs a nagging issue with the franchise…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS***** “As it was in the time of the beginning, so it is now…” “Star Trek” began in 1966 as an episodic TV series, and it would eventually change the pop culture landscape forever… though not at first. The show struggled with less-than-stellar ratings, and was later cancelled (despite massive letter-writing campaigns) after three…
Star Trek going forward: ‘Tomorrow isn’t Yesterday’–nor should it be…
Not Yesterday’s Enterprise. This is one of those columns I wish I didn’t have to write, but I wanted to make a one-stop column addressing much of the simmering, seething anger I see online for just about any Star Trek made beyond 2005—or beyond 1987, for some. For as long as I can remember, each…
Personal Log, Supplemental: Getting the second COVID-19 vaccination shot…
Supplemental Log: Stardate April 1st, 2021. For those readers who follow this site, I chronicled getting my first COVID-19 vaccination shot so that my fellow Star Trek/sci-fi fans (and valued readers) facing vaccination might have an idea of what to expect. Well, the first vaccination went just fine; a little ache in the injection arm,…
Personal Log: Getting my first COVID-19 vaccination shot…
Personal Log: Earth Date, March 5th, 2021. This column is going to be a little different from my usual sci-fi/fantasy/horror reviews, rantings and occasional convention coverage; this column is dedicated to a subject I am equally passionate about, and to which I’ve dedicated a portion of each new post — the current coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, which…