SecretAsianMan Posted January 23, 2014 Just watched The Search. Hot fluid on fluid action. And a side note: the actress who plays the Romulan, Martha Hackett, also plays a recurring character on Voyager, Seska. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigJKO Posted January 24, 2014 The Defiant was what I wanted and more! It's still a bit dull all around, but the characters are all slowly getting more likeable. I'm even sort of into Dr. Bashir, even though he's doing quite a bit of bad acting, but his clueless persona is kind of fun. Dax is still just.. nothing. And Kira I just can't get behind, for some reason. She overacts every single line to comedic proportions. She's DS9's Lieutenant Yar.. only she's basically the Protagonist of every episode I've watched.. Reveal hidden contents Thomas Riker pulling off his sideburns as a reveal. Classic! And I don't know, the reveal of warring factions within Cardassia went a long way of making the Kardashians a bit more interesting. What was the weird grudge he had with O'Brien? Was it just to get him off the ship, so he wouldn't reveal his true identity? Seemed weird and what eventually tipped O'Brien off to his identity anyway, so not much good as a throwoff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 24, 2014 On 1/24/2014 at 11:40 AM, BigJKO said: The Defiant was what I wanted and more! Reveal hidden contents Thomas Riker pulling off his sideburns as a reveal. Classic! And I don't know, the reveal of warring factions within Cardassia went a long way of making the Kardashians a bit more interesting. What was the weird grudge he had with O'Brien? Was it just to get him off the ship, so he wouldn't reveal his true identity? Seemed weird and what eventually tipped O'Brien off to his identity anyway, so not much good as a throwoff. I figured you'd get a kick out of The Defiant. But don't expect any more followup on it, you were lucky to get this episode. The closest you're going to get is a tiny little nod in the TNG movie First Contact where Riker (the real one) calls the Defiant a "tough little ship" (he says this to Worf, who was in command of the ship. Worf's response is "Little?!"). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigJKO Posted January 24, 2014 Yeah, wasn't expecting to ever see Tom again at all, so this was the best. Interestingly, Jonathan Frakes directed the two episodes I'm watching currently, Past Tense pt. 1 and 2. Had to look his name up just to make sure I was remembering correctly. He's still a charmer in his old age. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 26, 2014 Anyone started Voyager yet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brannigan Posted January 26, 2014 I've considered it, but i'm also terrible at keeping interested in watching things, haven't watched ds9 in like a week either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikemariano Posted January 26, 2014 Threadjack: I just finished a Farscape rewatch and had more fun than I ever had watching DS9, Voyager, Enterprise. I'm trying to get excited about all these episodes you're mentioning, but can't. As someone whose favorite film is Star Trek: The Motion Picture and whose least favorite film is Star Trek, I'm probably the wrong kind of Star Trek fan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 26, 2014 I like Farscape too (John Crichton is one of my favorite characters of all time) but I enjoy it in a different way than I do Star Trek. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gormongous Posted January 26, 2014 On 1/26/2014 at 11:04 PM, mikemariano said: Threadjack: I just finished a Farscape rewatch and had more fun than I ever had watching DS9, Voyager, Enterprise. I'm trying to get excited about all these episodes you're mentioning, but can't. As someone whose favorite film is Star Trek: The Motion Picture and whose least favorite film is Star Trek, I'm probably the wrong kind of Star Trek fan. I like that there exist in the world people who like and are willing to stand up for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I also love Farscape, but like SAM said, it's a different kind of love. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted January 27, 2014 I would say Farscape is more wildly entertaining than Star Trek, which has a more ponderous tone. More soapy, also, but deliciously so. I'm still slugging through The Original Series, but at a glacial pace. I can't take more than a few doses of 'there's a murderer on a planet and it's actually Jack the Ripper!' before needing a break. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 27, 2014 I like Star Trek The Motion Picture and the Star Trek reboot (first one only). I watched the Voyager pilot, and thought it was okay. Can't believe they also went back to the well of "trapped in an olde times recreation by a god-type being" for their opening episode, after TNG did Q and DS9 did the wormhole entities (albeit with memories), though! I've always been tempted to get back into Farscape - I think I watched the first few and found it a bit, well, Muppety. I was pleased with myself for spotting the Wizard Of Oz parallels. Didn't other spaceship show Reveal hidden contents Babylon 5 have a Jack the Ripper-based character? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted January 27, 2014 Yes, I believe they did. B5 is a different thing altogether though, massively ambitious and with insane plot arcs spanning multiple seasons. In the 90s, that was basically unheard of. Farscape takes a while to get going. Frankly, the whole first season will be an ordeal for some people, with plenty of light stories about goofy space vampires and what-have-you. Then the second season starts and it's suddenly the best sci-fi crack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brannigan Posted January 27, 2014 Farscape is definitely worth another go, probably my favorite scifi series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 27, 2014 I liked the puppetry in Farscape. I appreciate that there are physical things instead of cheesy effects. I also like the crazy, goofy episodes in that series more than the crazy, goofy episodes in most other sci-fi shows. Enough of that, back to Star Trek. On 1/27/2014 at 1:06 PM, Ben X said: I watched the Voyager pilot, and thought it was okay. Can't believe they also went back to the well of "trapped in an olde times recreation by a god-type being" for their opening episode, after TNG did Q and DS9 did the wormhole entities (albeit with memories), though! Star Trek does not have the best pilots and Voyager is no exception. I like the premise of a ship being stuck so far from home but I never liked the reason that's presented Voyager. The studio was also afraid it was kind of weak and they built themselves an escape route: the Caretaker's mate. The intention was that if the show proved unpopular, they could use the Caretaker's mate as an excuse to change the show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 27, 2014 Ha ha, yeah, I noticed that. I figured it was for if they cancelled the show and needed an instant ending. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dewar Posted January 27, 2014 On 1/27/2014 at 1:06 PM, Ben X said: I like Star Trek The Motion Picture and the Star Trek reboot (first one only). I watched the Voyager pilot, and thought it was okay. Can't believe they also went back to the well of "trapped in an olde times recreation by a god-type being" for their opening episode, after TNG did Q and DS9 did the wormhole entities (albeit with memories), though! I've always been tempted to get back into Farscape - I think I watched the first few and found it a bit, well, Muppety. I was pleased with myself for spotting the Wizard Of Oz parallels. Didn't other spaceship show Reveal hidden contents Babylon 5 have a Jack the Ripper-based character? There was a one-episode character who actually was Jack the Ripper, yes. A well acted character too, even if the story on that episode was a bit meh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 28, 2014 I watched Crossfire last night. I really like Odo. He had some really great interactions with some of the other characters in this episode (giving Worf advice on how to maintain order in his life, Quark being an actual friend to him while still being a Ferengi, and his scenes alone with Kira). One thing that's generally bothering me about most DS9 episodes is that I feel like they end a scene too early. I keep expecting the episode to wrap up, but then the credits roll and I guess it was over? Maybe it's just a leftover from TNG and Voyager but those shows gave me more closure at the end of an episode and I feel that DS9 isn't doing that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dibs Posted January 28, 2014 I used to watch Farscape until the blue lady left it. It's on netflix, I think i'll add it to my list. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dewar Posted January 28, 2014 That's when it got good Dibs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigJKO Posted January 30, 2014 I gotta say, I'm starting on S2 going from SAS's list and I'm loving Voyager! It's good almost from the start. Of course, I'm only watching the good episodes, but they're far better than the good ones on DS9. The characters are much better and the actors aren't doing bad either. Tuvok is a great Vulcan (the first Vulcan regular since TOS?), Janeway is really good and their holographic doctor is a great concept and the best doctor of the Star Trek doctor's I've seen. And the adventures have been consistently good and never too goofy in SAS's episode list. Much tighter than DS9 and less.. choppily edited than TNG was at times. Always straight to the point with the edits, and mostly so with the dialogue as well. Neelix is goofy, but still fun as the guide to this strange new universe. Also, with this new quadrant to be explored we're free of all the decades of history with Cardassians, Romulans, Bajorans(snoooooooooore...) etc.. Of course, there's new history but they don't make too big a deal of it. Chakotay and Kim are pretty blank and boring, still. And Paris is a bit of a dick, albeit sometimes fun enough, I guess. Torres is the most composed Klingon ever (half-Klingon? Is that maybe why?) and a bit of a drag sometimes, but I like her confidence in her engineering abilities. The Kazon are a dull enemy, though. A boring mix of Klingons and Cardassians? Did I say I love that damn doctor. A lot of this may be due to Voyager being the show I actually watched a bit when I was younger. Nostalgia aside, though, I still think this is excellent. Up to S2E14 spoilers, if you're not there yet Ben: Reveal hidden contents Ex Posto Facto - This is how you do a space murder mystery, not that bullshit Sherlock Holmes stuff Data was up to.. State of Flux - Was okay, fun but a bit predictable. Seska being a Cardassian was an excellent reveal, though. Jetrel - Good use of Neelix and an nice A-Bomb allegory. James Sloyan was good, as he also was as the Romulan defector in TNG. Projections - Loved it! I was truly a bit confused at the start and at one point was contemplating if maybe this would end up actually being about the real doctor as a sort of outlier episode to see things from the Federation's perspective. But then they tried to convince me 'It was all a dream', which obviously wasn't going to happen. Maneuvers, Alliances - Still watching the second one, but a) I like that Seska comes back as the sort of Big Bad (so far) and I'm happy they're not going to just keep ignoring the Kazon and are at least trying to do some diplomacy there (although that's probably doomed to be undone by the end of the episode.) Also, Chakotay now has a baby?! And dat intro! I like it. Quite beautiful, methinks. EDIT: I forgot Kes. Quite the non-character there, so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 30, 2014 I like Kim merely on the basis that he's an Asian character, which is a lame reason but I also see a bit of myself in him besides the fact that we're both Asian. Chakotay is one of the least developed characters in the series. You get some of his background but he never really becomes anything beyond the spiritual First Officer. I mentioned this before, but One Small Step seems like it's going to be about him, except he gets injured early in the episode and all the character development goes to someone else. The Doctor is by far the best Star Trek doctor. He has some of the best episodes, both serious and comedic. I never really cared for Torres or Paris. One side note about Paris: he was originally going to be the character Nicholas Locarno from the TNG episode The First Duty, which was about Wesley Crusher getting into an incident at Starfleet Academy. Locarno was the squad leader during the incident and gets expelled at the end of the episode. Paris' background is based on Locarno and the same actor played both characters. There's even a scene in Voyager where Paris' father has a picture of Tom as a cadet, which was taken from the TNG episode. Another character side note no one but me will find interesting: Kira Nerys on DS9 was originally going to be Ro Laren from TNG. The actress who plays Ro declined the role so they created Kira. On my own viewing front, I'm wrapping up season 4 of DS9. At this point I'm basically watching all the episodes now that the Dominion is becoming more serious. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 30, 2014 On 1/30/2014 at 2:17 PM, SecretAsianMan said: One side note about Paris: he was originally going to be the character Nicholas Locarno from the TNG episode The First Duty, which was about Wesley Crusher getting into an incident at Starfleet Academy. Locarno was the squad leader during the incident and gets expelled at the end of the episode. Paris' background is based on Locarno and the same actor played both characters. There's even a scene in Voyager where Paris' father has a picture of Tom as a cadet, which was taken from the TNG episode. That's so weird. Is it known why they didn't keep him as Locarno? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 30, 2014 There was never a straight answer. I think the most commonly accepted reason is that they would have had to pay royalties to the writers of The First Duty for using the character. It was easier to make a new character that was similar rather than pay for the continued use a character that was only seen once. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 30, 2014 I'm surprised the writers didn't sue! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted January 30, 2014 Also RE the Kazon: I think they're a dumb enemy too. They're introduced in the series as a desert tribe that's desperately seeking water, but then it's revealed they have an armada of spaceships. What the heck? Voyager never really gets a single large enemy the way DS9 does with the Dominion. The closest is probably the Borg, although there are a few other recurring enemies as well (the Vidiians, the Malon, and the Hirogen). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
