This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Worst Case Scenario” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars.
“Scorpion” Parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
A non-political two-parter, but a good one. I give it four stars out five.
“The Gift” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but it does require some notes.
First, we say goodbye to Kes, who was one of my least favorite VOY main characters. We also see the begginning of Seven’s transformation from being a Borg towards being a human.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Day of Honor” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Nemesis” See this for a plot summary.
First, I kind of like and kind of hate the dialect of english used by the aliens.
Setting aside the liklihood that what Chakotay witnesses in the simulation exaggerates things, it’s a good illustration of genocidal oppression. The fact that the Vori use such indoctrination techniques for recruits to their military (including any alien they get their hands on) makes me think their cause is not so just; on the other hand, the way Chakotay is greeted when he visits the village for real indicates that the Vori soldiers have popular support.
As far as both sides being equally bad, that’s often the case. That was more or less the case with WWI and probably the vast majority of wars.
I give this episode four stars out of five.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
My last songs?
This probably WILL be my second to last lyrics post. I have two songs that I'm reluctant to post for various reasons. But here are three new ones. They're all "Those Lyrics," see this for more of an explanation.
The rest of the songs/poems can be found by clicking on the "lyrics" label (there are at least two pages worth of posts, so click on the "older posts" at the bottom of the first page).
“Republican Flame” based on “The Flame that Never Dies” by No Remorse, original lyrics are here.
1. Considering the original, I should say that Irish pride is very different from white pride (most of the time). (I just heard something making me think that it's probably a small minority of northern nationalists that would talk about "Irish pride"; I still feel odd completely re-writing that line, so I'm going to keep it)
2. The south Armagh IRA made life very dificult for the British security forces, more so than the IRA in other areas.
3. In recent years, the 99% nationalist part of Derry on the west bank of the river foyle has been renamed the “West Bank” in solidarity with the Palestinians.
4. In nationalist areas curbstones are often painted green and orange as 2/3 of the colors of the Irish flag.
5. A lot of people exaggerate how religious the motivation for republicans and nationalists is- it’s close to zero.
**6. 36% of this version is me, 64% is the original.
7. I give this song/poem four stars out of five.
8. This song is not meant as an endorsement of armed struggle since 1997.
9. Awesome as it was, the IRA campaign in S. Armagh probably wasn't known world-wide (I've done one post and two poems indicating it wasn't) but it was possibly more well-known than most of the other IRA units.
10. No remorse are British and did support the unionist/loyalist cause in N. Ireland, therefore this poem is twisting the original.
11. In the west belfast verse, imminent victories is fairly unreaslistic, but an optimistic statement is okay.
12. Republicans do a lot of anti-racism work (see this).
13. Part of this is about the IRA, but much of it could be associated with un-armed republicans and some of it with nationalists in general.
UPDATE 2/10/20 14. in the second to last line of the poem I changed "people" to "women and men."
In every Irish heart, there burns immortal flames,
A pride that never wavers, a valor yet untamed,
The occupiers of the North won't cease to wonder why,
They can never beat - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
In the south Armagh countryside, There's something in the air,
A pride filled sense, of resistance, of battle un-compared,
A drive for freedom, a rural offensive known world-wide,
And none can ever dampen - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
On the streets of the West bank, the feeling's all around,
The spirit of resistance, against the British crown
The people look forward to when the British say good-bye
The Brits can try, but they can't stop- THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
On the streets of west Belfast, The flag is always seen,
A sign of imminent victories, curbs painted orange and green
To be united with the South, many heroes died,
No enemy could ever smash - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
Across the North, a revolutionary spirit that does not come from Rome
There's justice in Irish unity, ensuring safer homes,
Diversity and culture, The Irish people's pride,
Together we will stand and fuel - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
They can kill the Irish people, and try to keep us down,
They can jail us with non-jury courts, repression all around,
But as Irish women and men, we will not bend, our tri-colors we'll fly,
Again they've tried and failed to kill - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
******
“Four Provinces” based on “Mother Europe” by Skrewdriver. Original lyrics are here.
1. This song about that part of the nationalist community who, the early 1970s, supported both the civil rights movement, and the use of armed struggle.
2. There are four ancient provinces of Ireland.
3. The Foyle is a river which divides Derry. In recent years (not, to be honest, in the early 1970s) nationalists have referred to the 99% Nationalist part of Derry as the West Bank in solidarity with the Palestinians. The West Bank is where the Bloody Sunday march took place, and 14 civil rights marchers were killed by the British Army.
4. To a very large degree, until the late 1960s, mass struggle was not part of the struggles of the nationalist community and republicans largely ignored the option of mass struggle and felt that the IRA would deliver freedom. The adoption of mass struggle in the late sixties, with a civil rights theme, was largely inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr.
**5. 62% of this version is me, 38% is the original.
6. I give this song/poem four stars out of five.
7. UPDATE 12/12/10 In the last verse I replaced solely with mostly.
8. Skrewdriver was supportive of the Unionist and British causes in N. Ireland.
9. UPDATE 2/2/4/20 I added "most of" to the third line of the first verse.
10. UPDDATE 2/25/20 I screwed up a tiny bit with this, and I guess I need to say that it refers to the brief period immediately after Bloody Sunday, when A) there bad been a surge in support for the Provisonal IRA and B) there was a flurry of marches before the Civil Rights Movement practically died.
Many of our people, Ireland’s daughters and sons
faced so many tragedies at the barrel of British guns
We are most of the Nationalist working-class, marching side by side
As long as Ireland is divided, we’ll be there with flags held up high
Chorus:
Four Provinces, stand for unity
and standing with the Nationalist community
So many martyrs, whose blood has drenched the soil.
Including those who marched on the West Bank of the Foyle
So many warriors, whose bones are laid to rest
fighting for Irish unity, has been our noble quest
Chorus
For far too long we relied mostly on the IRA
but then we learned how to march, inspired by MLK
For freedom and justice are within our reach
we must continue the struggle for the victory that we seek
*****
“Carnival of Reaction” based on “White Kids Gonna Fight” by Bully Boys, original lyrics are here.
1. The lyrics only partly reflects the title. It would be better if I had been able to say something about the dominance of center and center-right politics in the South. Anyway, James Connolly, Ireland’s greatest socialist and greatest republican said, before he was killed in 1916, that dividing Ireland would result in a “carnival of reaction.”
2. There are 32 counties in Ireland.
3. Orange is the color of anti-Catholic bigotry in the Irish-British context.
4. At an point early in the process of partitioning Ireland, many local government units in what became N. Ireland pledged their allegiance to the Parliament (Dail) in Dublin. The new government in Belfast had those bodies abolished and replaced with appointed (unionist) commissions until N. Ireland was completely established.
5. I’m not sure about how many IRA members were killed during the period in the North that I’m referring to. But some of them were killed. (Volunteers are republican paramilitaries).
6. Valhalla is part of Norse mythology, it's a place where warriors go after they die, although there seems to be some debate about exactly who gets in- only people who die in combat? Anyway, the fascists love it and have sort of taken over the concept, but a friend told me that he likes the idea of the left claiming it and specifically said that if such a place exists, Che and others like him are probably there. (Do I believe in Valhalla? You could say I’m sort of an agnostic on that question and am sort of solidly a Christian. The way I see it, this is pretty flexible, don't take it too seriously, and one way to think about it is that if you believe in Heaven and would rather these people went there instead of Valhalla, maybe they can do both, spend some time in Valhalla and some time in Heaven; but my friend and I do like the idea of reclaiming it from the fash)
8. The civil war in the South took place in the middle of the period that saw the establishment of N. Ireland.
9. My favorite song, “Your daughters and your sons” is, according to one source, about how the dream of freedom was passed from generation to generation between the founding of N. Ireland and the late sixties. The song refers to sowing the seeds of freedom in their daughters and their sons.
10. Michael Collins had a British officer in charge of security for the North killed in response to what Catholics in the North were going through.
11. The Orange card is used to divide workers and mobilize support for unionism by fanning the flames of sectarianism.
12. republicans and nationalists were much less likely to engage in anti-Protestant violence than Unionists were to engage in anti-Catholic violence (well, that's certainly true in the last seven decades- in the early 1920s, they might have been sort of close to being just as bad, I haven't read about that period for a while now (UPDATE 12/14/11 It's been a few months now, but I did read that stuff, and I would say that, yes they were a bit closer to treating each other the same during that period, but there was still a huge gap between the frequency of anti-Catholic incidents and the frequency of anti-Protestant incidents)).
13. This version isn’t as twisted as I had hoped- that’s because the original is American (see this). I couldn’t think of anything anti-bigot (other than sectarianism) or anti-fascist etc. to twist it. But it’s sort of twisted based on the following:
A: The title is from a quote by James Connolly, a socialist.
B: The Bully Boys are officially connected to the Hammerskins (a Nazi skinhead group), who have chapters world-wide and at one point that included unionists in N. Ireland, so they’re probably not favorable to republicanism.
**14. 77% of this version is me, 23% is the original.
15. I give this song/poem five out of five stars.
16. The blame would be with the British who had encouraged sectarianism to oppress the Irish and divide the poor (workers).
17. It's kind of about the IRA and unarmed republicans but much of it could be embraced by nationalists, especially since I think there was more support for the IRA during that 1-2 years period than was the case in the more recent Troubles.
18. UPDATE 2/24/20 I changed "knocked" to "keep" in the second to last line. And I added "some day" to the last line.
This island used to be 32-counties as one
Now divided by the unionists and London
The Dail has the allegiance of our counties and towns
Now Belfast is shutting them down
In the South the British were beat
In Belfast loyalists are burning down Catholic streets
A Volunteer got shot at Clonard and Falls
Now he's feasting in Valhalla's Hall
chorus:
Burned out streets and smashed dreams
Our country is pulling itself apart at the seams
But we won't give up without a fight
We'll keep the republican flame burning bright
The seeds of freedom are now all we've got
And of course Collins had Wilson shot
Sectarian bunting in the shipyards
the unionists are playing the orange card
I think I know just who's to blame
but we won't play their sectarian game
the Brits will not keep us down
Some day we're going to fight this town by town
One last note: Even with the songs that are only about 10% me (and at the upper end, one is 75% me), I have a request, although I don't have strong feelings or expectations about this. First, I want credit for these songs. Second, I'd appreciate it if the notes follow the lyrics around the internet. If you modify the lyrics further, please either make some notes for the changes if you leave some of my changes, or just provide a link to this URL so people can see my version. Although I'm not sure how many people will like what I'm doing with the lyrics, to one degree or another (depending on how much I changed them) I'm proud of these songs- and at the risk of getting a little personal, if people like the songs, I could really use the extra boost of getting credit for them right now (or if you don't like them, they were all written by Sarah Palin- that fascist, what kind of sick person enjoys altering racist lyrics?).
The rest of the songs/poems can be found by clicking on the "lyrics" label (there are at least two pages worth of posts, so click on the "older posts" at the bottom of the first page).
“Republican Flame” based on “The Flame that Never Dies” by No Remorse, original lyrics are here.
1. Considering the original, I should say that Irish pride is very different from white pride (most of the time). (I just heard something making me think that it's probably a small minority of northern nationalists that would talk about "Irish pride"; I still feel odd completely re-writing that line, so I'm going to keep it)
2. The south Armagh IRA made life very dificult for the British security forces, more so than the IRA in other areas.
3. In recent years, the 99% nationalist part of Derry on the west bank of the river foyle has been renamed the “West Bank” in solidarity with the Palestinians.
4. In nationalist areas curbstones are often painted green and orange as 2/3 of the colors of the Irish flag.
5. A lot of people exaggerate how religious the motivation for republicans and nationalists is- it’s close to zero.
**6. 36% of this version is me, 64% is the original.
7. I give this song/poem four stars out of five.
8. This song is not meant as an endorsement of armed struggle since 1997.
9. Awesome as it was, the IRA campaign in S. Armagh probably wasn't known world-wide (I've done one post and two poems indicating it wasn't) but it was possibly more well-known than most of the other IRA units.
10. No remorse are British and did support the unionist/loyalist cause in N. Ireland, therefore this poem is twisting the original.
11. In the west belfast verse, imminent victories is fairly unreaslistic, but an optimistic statement is okay.
12. Republicans do a lot of anti-racism work (see this).
13. Part of this is about the IRA, but much of it could be associated with un-armed republicans and some of it with nationalists in general.
UPDATE 2/10/20 14. in the second to last line of the poem I changed "people" to "women and men."
In every Irish heart, there burns immortal flames,
A pride that never wavers, a valor yet untamed,
The occupiers of the North won't cease to wonder why,
They can never beat - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
In the south Armagh countryside, There's something in the air,
A pride filled sense, of resistance, of battle un-compared,
A drive for freedom, a rural offensive known world-wide,
And none can ever dampen - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
On the streets of the West bank, the feeling's all around,
The spirit of resistance, against the British crown
The people look forward to when the British say good-bye
The Brits can try, but they can't stop- THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
On the streets of west Belfast, The flag is always seen,
A sign of imminent victories, curbs painted orange and green
To be united with the South, many heroes died,
No enemy could ever smash - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
Across the North, a revolutionary spirit that does not come from Rome
There's justice in Irish unity, ensuring safer homes,
Diversity and culture, The Irish people's pride,
Together we will stand and fuel - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
They can kill the Irish people, and try to keep us down,
They can jail us with non-jury courts, repression all around,
But as Irish women and men, we will not bend, our tri-colors we'll fly,
Again they've tried and failed to kill - THE FLAME THAT NEVER DIES
******
“Four Provinces” based on “Mother Europe” by Skrewdriver. Original lyrics are here.
1. This song about that part of the nationalist community who, the early 1970s, supported both the civil rights movement, and the use of armed struggle.
2. There are four ancient provinces of Ireland.
3. The Foyle is a river which divides Derry. In recent years (not, to be honest, in the early 1970s) nationalists have referred to the 99% Nationalist part of Derry as the West Bank in solidarity with the Palestinians. The West Bank is where the Bloody Sunday march took place, and 14 civil rights marchers were killed by the British Army.
4. To a very large degree, until the late 1960s, mass struggle was not part of the struggles of the nationalist community and republicans largely ignored the option of mass struggle and felt that the IRA would deliver freedom. The adoption of mass struggle in the late sixties, with a civil rights theme, was largely inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr.
**5. 62% of this version is me, 38% is the original.
6. I give this song/poem four stars out of five.
7. UPDATE 12/12/10 In the last verse I replaced solely with mostly.
8. Skrewdriver was supportive of the Unionist and British causes in N. Ireland.
9. UPDATE 2/2/4/20 I added "most of" to the third line of the first verse.
10. UPDDATE 2/25/20 I screwed up a tiny bit with this, and I guess I need to say that it refers to the brief period immediately after Bloody Sunday, when A) there bad been a surge in support for the Provisonal IRA and B) there was a flurry of marches before the Civil Rights Movement practically died.
Many of our people, Ireland’s daughters and sons
faced so many tragedies at the barrel of British guns
We are most of the Nationalist working-class, marching side by side
As long as Ireland is divided, we’ll be there with flags held up high
Chorus:
Four Provinces, stand for unity
and standing with the Nationalist community
So many martyrs, whose blood has drenched the soil.
Including those who marched on the West Bank of the Foyle
So many warriors, whose bones are laid to rest
fighting for Irish unity, has been our noble quest
Chorus
For far too long we relied mostly on the IRA
but then we learned how to march, inspired by MLK
For freedom and justice are within our reach
we must continue the struggle for the victory that we seek
*****
“Carnival of Reaction” based on “White Kids Gonna Fight” by Bully Boys, original lyrics are here.
1. The lyrics only partly reflects the title. It would be better if I had been able to say something about the dominance of center and center-right politics in the South. Anyway, James Connolly, Ireland’s greatest socialist and greatest republican said, before he was killed in 1916, that dividing Ireland would result in a “carnival of reaction.”
2. There are 32 counties in Ireland.
3. Orange is the color of anti-Catholic bigotry in the Irish-British context.
4. At an point early in the process of partitioning Ireland, many local government units in what became N. Ireland pledged their allegiance to the Parliament (Dail) in Dublin. The new government in Belfast had those bodies abolished and replaced with appointed (unionist) commissions until N. Ireland was completely established.
5. I’m not sure about how many IRA members were killed during the period in the North that I’m referring to. But some of them were killed. (Volunteers are republican paramilitaries).
6. Valhalla is part of Norse mythology, it's a place where warriors go after they die, although there seems to be some debate about exactly who gets in- only people who die in combat? Anyway, the fascists love it and have sort of taken over the concept, but a friend told me that he likes the idea of the left claiming it and specifically said that if such a place exists, Che and others like him are probably there. (Do I believe in Valhalla? You could say I’m sort of an agnostic on that question and am sort of solidly a Christian. The way I see it, this is pretty flexible, don't take it too seriously, and one way to think about it is that if you believe in Heaven and would rather these people went there instead of Valhalla, maybe they can do both, spend some time in Valhalla and some time in Heaven; but my friend and I do like the idea of reclaiming it from the fash)
8. The civil war in the South took place in the middle of the period that saw the establishment of N. Ireland.
9. My favorite song, “Your daughters and your sons” is, according to one source, about how the dream of freedom was passed from generation to generation between the founding of N. Ireland and the late sixties. The song refers to sowing the seeds of freedom in their daughters and their sons.
10. Michael Collins had a British officer in charge of security for the North killed in response to what Catholics in the North were going through.
11. The Orange card is used to divide workers and mobilize support for unionism by fanning the flames of sectarianism.
12. republicans and nationalists were much less likely to engage in anti-Protestant violence than Unionists were to engage in anti-Catholic violence (well, that's certainly true in the last seven decades- in the early 1920s, they might have been sort of close to being just as bad, I haven't read about that period for a while now (UPDATE 12/14/11 It's been a few months now, but I did read that stuff, and I would say that, yes they were a bit closer to treating each other the same during that period, but there was still a huge gap between the frequency of anti-Catholic incidents and the frequency of anti-Protestant incidents)).
13. This version isn’t as twisted as I had hoped- that’s because the original is American (see this). I couldn’t think of anything anti-bigot (other than sectarianism) or anti-fascist etc. to twist it. But it’s sort of twisted based on the following:
A: The title is from a quote by James Connolly, a socialist.
B: The Bully Boys are officially connected to the Hammerskins (a Nazi skinhead group), who have chapters world-wide and at one point that included unionists in N. Ireland, so they’re probably not favorable to republicanism.
**14. 77% of this version is me, 23% is the original.
15. I give this song/poem five out of five stars.
16. The blame would be with the British who had encouraged sectarianism to oppress the Irish and divide the poor (workers).
17. It's kind of about the IRA and unarmed republicans but much of it could be embraced by nationalists, especially since I think there was more support for the IRA during that 1-2 years period than was the case in the more recent Troubles.
18. UPDATE 2/24/20 I changed "knocked" to "keep" in the second to last line. And I added "some day" to the last line.
This island used to be 32-counties as one
Now divided by the unionists and London
The Dail has the allegiance of our counties and towns
Now Belfast is shutting them down
In the South the British were beat
In Belfast loyalists are burning down Catholic streets
A Volunteer got shot at Clonard and Falls
Now he's feasting in Valhalla's Hall
chorus:
Burned out streets and smashed dreams
Our country is pulling itself apart at the seams
But we won't give up without a fight
We'll keep the republican flame burning bright
The seeds of freedom are now all we've got
And of course Collins had Wilson shot
Sectarian bunting in the shipyards
the unionists are playing the orange card
I think I know just who's to blame
but we won't play their sectarian game
the Brits will not keep us down
Some day we're going to fight this town by town
One last note: Even with the songs that are only about 10% me (and at the upper end, one is 75% me), I have a request, although I don't have strong feelings or expectations about this. First, I want credit for these songs. Second, I'd appreciate it if the notes follow the lyrics around the internet. If you modify the lyrics further, please either make some notes for the changes if you leave some of my changes, or just provide a link to this URL so people can see my version. Although I'm not sure how many people will like what I'm doing with the lyrics, to one degree or another (depending on how much I changed them) I'm proud of these songs- and at the risk of getting a little personal, if people like the songs, I could really use the extra boost of getting credit for them right now (or if you don't like them, they were all written by Sarah Palin- that fascist, what kind of sick person enjoys altering racist lyrics?).
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews O
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Before and After” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a very good one. I give it four stars out of five.
“Real Life” See this for a plot summary.
A very emotionally powerful epsiode, but non-political. I give it three stars out of five.
“Distant Origin” See this for a plot summary.
There are basically two political themes in this episode.
First are the similarities between what happens in the episode and the history of resistance to scientific concepts such as the Earth revolving around the Sun, evolution, etc.
Second are the similarities with anti-immigrant politics and more broadly white supremacy. My thoughts about immigrants are here, while discussing the episode “Sanctuary.”
“Displaced” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews N
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Unity” See this for a plot summary.
In general a non-political episode, although it does touch on collectivity as a way to avoid racial conflict. On one hand, anything undemocratic is a bad idea, but in general I believe that socialism can contribute a lot to ending racial conflict. What I’m talking about is significantly different from what the episode talks about, but it did remind me of socialism as a part of ending racial conflict. It primarily helps with ending economic insecurity which, at least indirectly, fuels racism. Socialism also encourages people to identify more in class terms instead of racial terms. I might write more on that soon.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Darkling” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Rise” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Favorite Son” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Unity” See this for a plot summary.
In general a non-political episode, although it does touch on collectivity as a way to avoid racial conflict. On one hand, anything undemocratic is a bad idea, but in general I believe that socialism can contribute a lot to ending racial conflict. What I’m talking about is significantly different from what the episode talks about, but it did remind me of socialism as a part of ending racial conflict. It primarily helps with ending economic insecurity which, at least indirectly, fuels racism. Socialism also encourages people to identify more in class terms instead of racial terms. I might write more on that soon.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Darkling” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Rise” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Favorite Son” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews M
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Fair Trade” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Alter Ego” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Coda” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Blood Fever” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Fair Trade” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Alter Ego” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Coda” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Blood Fever” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews L
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“False Profits” See this for a plot summary.
A sort of political episode about Ferengi capitalism. The attitude of Ferengi, and many capitalists in the real world, is illustrated by the exchange between a Ferengi and a local:
Local: I am a sandle-maker from the poorest quarter of the city.
Ferengi: The laziest you mean.
There’s some other things that illustrate capitalism among Ferengi (and some of today’s capitalists
“Remember” See this for a plot summary.
This episode is about genocide. The group being targeted is resisting technological progress that society is making. First, the existence of Amish people shows that such people can co-exist with a modern technological society. In any case, exterminating people because they reject technology obviously is bullshit.
The story is well done- the genocide and the cover-up well illustrated. Although I wouldn’t mind a more positive ending, I kind of like how they leave things sort of up in the air about whether or not the truth of the genocide will be confronted by the Enaran people.
I’ll take this opportunity to briefly describe one of my very favorite books. It’s called “Fatherland” by Robert Harris. It’s an alternative history novel where Nazi Germany wins the war and there is a cold war between them and the US. A Berlin police detective who’s almost a dissident, stumbles onto evidence of the Holocaust. The Final Solution was completed but there’s no official records and no one talks about it, although some people more or less understand what happened. The detective investigates and discovers the truth.
If you’re not much of a reader, there’s movie that’s been made based on the novel.
Anyway, this episode get four out of four stars.
“Sacred Ground” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Future’s End” Parts 1 and 2. See this and this for a plot summary.
Although non-political, a very good two-parter. I say that partly because I generally always like time travel ST episodes. Also, I generally like Sara Silverman, who guest stars.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Warlord” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but tiny thing that could be considered anti-homophobic. While a male consciousness in inhabiting Kes, she kissed Tuvock, a male. On the other hand, like most of the other same sex kisses in ST, it’s noteworthy that Kes is inhabited by a villain.
Anyway, I give it three stars of five.
“the Q and The Grey” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, although as a sort of Civil War buff I kind of liked that aspect of it. I give it three stars out five.
“Macrocosm” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews K
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Resolutions” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Basics” Parts 1 and 2. See this, and this for a plot summary.
In general a non-political two-parter, but there are three things I’d like to comment on:
1. At one point, after the ship is taken over by Kazon, the Doctor says “what am I supposed to do? ... conjure up holograms of ... Che Guevera?”
2. It’s pretty neat that Suder, confined to his quarters for murder, plays a very important role in Starfleet re-taking the ship, sort of redeeming himself.
3. It’s also neat that the Telaxians play a role in retaking the ship, it would have been nice if there had been some scenes of them fighting the Kazon on the ship.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Flashback” See this for a plot summary.
Although non-political, a very noteworthy episode. It was part of a celebration marking 30 years of ST, and they recreated scenes from one of the Original Series movies, using the same cast they had used back then, with Tuvock and Janeway and some other changes.
I give it four stars out of five.
“The Chute” See this for a plot summary.
Generally a non-political episode, but the Akritirian government seems authoritarian- at the very least their “justice” system is pretty messed up. They convict people based on lies and send them to a ridicuously darwinian prison with no chance of being released.
I give it two stars out of five.
“The Swarm” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Resolutions” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Basics” Parts 1 and 2. See this, and this for a plot summary.
In general a non-political two-parter, but there are three things I’d like to comment on:
1. At one point, after the ship is taken over by Kazon, the Doctor says “what am I supposed to do? ... conjure up holograms of ... Che Guevera?”
2. It’s pretty neat that Suder, confined to his quarters for murder, plays a very important role in Starfleet re-taking the ship, sort of redeeming himself.
3. It’s also neat that the Telaxians play a role in retaking the ship, it would have been nice if there had been some scenes of them fighting the Kazon on the ship.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Flashback” See this for a plot summary.
Although non-political, a very noteworthy episode. It was part of a celebration marking 30 years of ST, and they recreated scenes from one of the Original Series movies, using the same cast they had used back then, with Tuvock and Janeway and some other changes.
I give it four stars out of five.
“The Chute” See this for a plot summary.
Generally a non-political episode, but the Akritirian government seems authoritarian- at the very least their “justice” system is pretty messed up. They convict people based on lies and send them to a ridicuously darwinian prison with no chance of being released.
I give it two stars out of five.
“The Swarm” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews J
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Deadlock” See this for a plot summary.
A 99% non-political episode, but one of my favorites, I give it four, almost five stars out of five. The idea of two ships, two crews, etc. is just a really good story. I especially like the interaction between the two Janeways.
The tiny bit of politics is the birth of a half human, half Ktarian baby, which goes a bit further than the pervasive multi-culturalism of ST usually does.
The idea of a long voyage to get home is basically why I like this series more than The Next Generation. At one point, after one of the Janeways announces she is going to destroy her ship to save the other ship, she says to the other Janeway, “just make me a promise, Kathryn- get your crew home.” Almost as powerful as the other time someone says that to Janeway, later in the series.
“innocence” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode that I don’t like very much- I give it one star out five.
“The Thaw” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but there is one tiny bit of progressive politics. FDR is quoted as saying “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
I give it three stars out five.
“Tuvix” See this for a plot summary.
Although Neelix is my second least favorite character on VOY, I like the idea of him being combined with Tuvock- the Tuvix character is pretty neat. I give this episode three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Deadlock” See this for a plot summary.
A 99% non-political episode, but one of my favorites, I give it four, almost five stars out of five. The idea of two ships, two crews, etc. is just a really good story. I especially like the interaction between the two Janeways.
The tiny bit of politics is the birth of a half human, half Ktarian baby, which goes a bit further than the pervasive multi-culturalism of ST usually does.
The idea of a long voyage to get home is basically why I like this series more than The Next Generation. At one point, after one of the Janeways announces she is going to destroy her ship to save the other ship, she says to the other Janeway, “just make me a promise, Kathryn- get your crew home.” Almost as powerful as the other time someone says that to Janeway, later in the series.
“innocence” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode that I don’t like very much- I give it one star out five.
“The Thaw” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but there is one tiny bit of progressive politics. FDR is quoted as saying “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
I give it three stars out five.
“Tuvix” See this for a plot summary.
Although Neelix is my second least favorite character on VOY, I like the idea of him being combined with Tuvock- the Tuvix character is pretty neat. I give this episode three stars out of five.
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews I
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Dreadnought” See this for a plot summary.
Mostly a non-political episode. One bit of politics is at the beginning. Although multi-culturalism is a pervasive theme in the series and thus I almost never comment on it unless there is something special. It’s probably worth mentioning that a human crew member is pregnant and her husband is non-human.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Death Wish” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode about the Q (I’m not a big fan of Q episodes). I give it two stars out of five.
“Lifesigns” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Investigations” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Dreadnought” See this for a plot summary.
Mostly a non-political episode. One bit of politics is at the beginning. Although multi-culturalism is a pervasive theme in the series and thus I almost never comment on it unless there is something special. It’s probably worth mentioning that a human crew member is pregnant and her husband is non-human.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Death Wish” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode about the Q (I’m not a big fan of Q episodes). I give it two stars out of five.
“Lifesigns” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Investigations” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews H
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Prototype” See this for a plot summary
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out five.
“Alliances” See this for a plot summary.
We learn that the Kazon had been treated formally as second-class citizens decades before. They then threw off their oppressors, the Trabe. It’s a good, brief description of second-class citizenship- segregated housing, poverty, persecution by the police, “treated like animals.”
“Threshold” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it one star out of five.
“Meld” See this for a plot summary.
This episode raises the fact that the Federation does not use the death penalty, although Tuvock disagrees with Janeway about this (Janeway opposes the death penalty)
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Prototype” See this for a plot summary
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out five.
“Alliances” See this for a plot summary.
We learn that the Kazon had been treated formally as second-class citizens decades before. They then threw off their oppressors, the Trabe. It’s a good, brief description of second-class citizenship- segregated housing, poverty, persecution by the police, “treated like animals.”
“Threshold” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it one star out of five.
“Meld” See this for a plot summary.
This episode raises the fact that the Federation does not use the death penalty, although Tuvock disagrees with Janeway about this (Janeway opposes the death penalty)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews G
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Tattoo” See this for a plot summary.
The idea of aliens influencing the development of the indigenous people of the western hemisphere is something about which I’m not sure what to say. But the episode has a lot of good, important things to say about those indigenous people and how Europeans treated them.
I give it three stars out five.
“Cold Fire” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, and not one I like much. I give it one star.
“Maneuvers” See this for a plot summary.
Although there were signs of this before, we learn that the Kazon society is sexist.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Resistance” See this for a plot summary.
A fairly good story about an authoritarian occupation of one race’s city by another race. The indigenous race are treated as a sub-class. There’s also some good stuff about the resistance to the occupation. For some reason it’s less inspiring than episodes of DS9 that involved democracy movements on Cardassia. On the other hand, the personal tragedy of the alien man who has lost his wife and his daughter to the state is fairly moving. It’s also made clear that the crew of Voyager are sympathetic to the resistance.
I give it three stars out five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Tattoo” See this for a plot summary.
The idea of aliens influencing the development of the indigenous people of the western hemisphere is something about which I’m not sure what to say. But the episode has a lot of good, important things to say about those indigenous people and how Europeans treated them.
I give it three stars out five.
“Cold Fire” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, and not one I like much. I give it one star.
“Maneuvers” See this for a plot summary.
Although there were signs of this before, we learn that the Kazon society is sexist.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Resistance” See this for a plot summary.
A fairly good story about an authoritarian occupation of one race’s city by another race. The indigenous race are treated as a sub-class. There’s also some good stuff about the resistance to the occupation. For some reason it’s less inspiring than episodes of DS9 that involved democracy movements on Cardassia. On the other hand, the personal tragedy of the alien man who has lost his wife and his daughter to the state is fairly moving. It’s also made clear that the crew of Voyager are sympathetic to the resistance.
I give it three stars out five.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews F
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Non-Sequitur” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but one aspect is part of a recurring theme that I want to note. Historically, and probably still today, there’s been a problem with Asian-American men being portrayed in film as not very sexual. In one of the interviews on one of the VOY DVDs, Garrett Wang, who plays Harry Kim, talks about how VOY was different and he had lots of scenes where women desired him.
“Twisted” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Parturition” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“Persistence of Vision” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Non-Sequitur” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but one aspect is part of a recurring theme that I want to note. Historically, and probably still today, there’s been a problem with Asian-American men being portrayed in film as not very sexual. In one of the interviews on one of the VOY DVDs, Garrett Wang, who plays Harry Kim, talks about how VOY was different and he had lots of scenes where women desired him.
“Twisted” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Parturition” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“Persistence of Vision” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews E
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The 37s” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Initiations” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“Projections” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Elogium” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it one star out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The 37s” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Initiations” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“Projections” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Elogium” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it one star out of five.
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews D
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Cathexis” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars.
“Faces” See this for a plot summary.
There is some talk about how Torres dealt with being half-klingon, half-human on a human planet at a time when relations between the Federation and the Klingons were poor. As a child she would try to hide the physical signs of her Klingon half. After her human father left, she convinced herself that he left because she looked like a Klingon. This seems similar to what some bi-racial children experience- (probably not from their parents, but from others).
“Jetrel” See this for a plot summary.
This is about war crimes and seems to be inspired by the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan at the end of the second World War. Trading the liklihood of a large number of civilian casualties for the CERTAINTY of a large number of civilian casualties (220,000 total including a minority who were military) in order to avoid US military casualties is not how war should be conducted.
“Learning Curve” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Cathexis” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars.
“Faces” See this for a plot summary.
There is some talk about how Torres dealt with being half-klingon, half-human on a human planet at a time when relations between the Federation and the Klingons were poor. As a child she would try to hide the physical signs of her Klingon half. After her human father left, she convinced herself that he left because she looked like a Klingon. This seems similar to what some bi-racial children experience- (probably not from their parents, but from others).
“Jetrel” See this for a plot summary.
This is about war crimes and seems to be inspired by the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan at the end of the second World War. Trading the liklihood of a large number of civilian casualties for the CERTAINTY of a large number of civilian casualties (220,000 total including a minority who were military) in order to avoid US military casualties is not how war should be conducted.
“Learning Curve” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out five.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews C
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Emanations” See this for a plot summary.
There is one sort of political aspect, when Chakotay and Janeway agree that the dead bodies shouldn’t be interfered with in any way, as it might violate the alien culture’s traditions about dying.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Prime Factors” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out five.
”State of Flux” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out five.
“Heroes and Demons” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Emanations” See this for a plot summary.
There is one sort of political aspect, when Chakotay and Janeway agree that the dead bodies shouldn’t be interfered with in any way, as it might violate the alien culture’s traditions about dying.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Prime Factors” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out five.
”State of Flux” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out five.
“Heroes and Demons” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out five.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews B
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Phage” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“The Cloud” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“Eye Of The Needle” See this for a plot summary.
Although not a political episode, it’s one of my favorites. I love theme throughout the series of them trying to get in touch with Starfleet and/or get home faster, and when they finally do get in touch with Starfleet, it’s pretty cool. The attempt at doing that in this episode is also pretty cool.
“Ex-Post Facto” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but a good one. I give it three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Phage” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“The Cloud” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“Eye Of The Needle” See this for a plot summary.
Although not a political episode, it’s one of my favorites. I love theme throughout the series of them trying to get in touch with Starfleet and/or get home faster, and when they finally do get in touch with Starfleet, it’s pretty cool. The attempt at doing that in this episode is also pretty cool.
“Ex-Post Facto” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but a good one. I give it three stars out of five.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews A
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Caretaker,” Parts I and II- See this and this for a plot summary.
Aside from it getting a great series started, this two-parter is not my favorite. In general I don’t like the Ocampa, I don’t like the Kazan, and I don’t like Neelix. I’m not crazy about the Caretaker either.
What I do like is Janeway and Chakotay working together (see this, where I explain my feelings about the Maquis while discussing the two-parter “The Maquis”).
I give it three stars out of five.
“Parallax” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out five.
“Time And Again” See this for a plot summary.
This episode is basically about nuclear energy and the dangers of using it (in the episode it’s polaric, not nuclear energy). Although it turns out that the Starfleet characters caused the accident that destroyed the planet, it’s made pretty clear that using polaric energy is very dangerous.
I give it four stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Caretaker,” Parts I and II- See this and this for a plot summary.
Aside from it getting a great series started, this two-parter is not my favorite. In general I don’t like the Ocampa, I don’t like the Kazan, and I don’t like Neelix. I’m not crazy about the Caretaker either.
What I do like is Janeway and Chakotay working together (see this, where I explain my feelings about the Maquis while discussing the two-parter “The Maquis”).
I give it three stars out of five.
“Parallax” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out five.
“Time And Again” See this for a plot summary.
This episode is basically about nuclear energy and the dangers of using it (in the episode it’s polaric, not nuclear energy). Although it turns out that the Starfleet characters caused the accident that destroyed the planet, it’s made pretty clear that using polaric energy is very dangerous.
I give it four stars out of five.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Reviews MM
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“When It Rains...” See this for a plot summary.
This episode is partly about Section 31’s effort to spread an fatal infection throughout the Founders, something Bashir correctly identifies as genocide. Bashir and O’Brien are determined to find a cure, since Odo is infected as well.
There’s also more about the Cardassian resistance to the Dominion. Although it seems that many of the Cardassians involved are not democrats, it’s still sort of inspiring that they are fighting the Dominion. At the very least, it improves the odds of the Dominion being defeated. I also like how Kira is sent to help them, since she’s familiar with the sort of hit and run tactics they need to use. It reminds me of something I wrote in an earlier post here. I suggested that the IRA, instead of doing business with the Nazis, should have supported the Allied effort, and that could have included sending members to Nazi-occupied areas to train and advise resistance groups. It probably would have been very helpful and might have resulted in an earlier defeat for the Nazis. (I realize that if the IRA had done this it probably would have involved the British learning the identities of some IRA members, but if the IRA had done that (which would have been the right thing to do) after the war the IRA’s cause would have been a lot more popular)
“Tacking Into The Wind” See this for a plot summary.
Towards the end, Damar says something which probably means that he does believe in a democratic Cardassia. In response to another rebel Cardassian officer talking about restoring Cardassia to what it once was (an empire) Damar first kills him and then says “his Cardassia is dead and it won’t be coming back.”
“Extreme Measures” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“The Dogs Of War” See this for a plot summary.
There are three political aspects to this episode:
1) First, Ferengi society and the Ferengi economy are dramatically transformed into something just to the right of social democracy.
2) When Odo confronts Sisko about how Section 31 tried to wipe out all/almost all changelings Sisko tells him that the Federation considered giving the cure to the Founders but chose not to because it would strengthen their hand while millions of men and women are still fighting against the Dominion. But wiping out the Changelings or at least about half of them, WOULD be genocide.
3) Damar’s rebellion on Cardassia takes on more of a popular, mass character, which is good. In that kind of situation armed attacks by small groups are helpful, but mass action is at least as important. As I explained here Irish republicans could have done a better job of mobilizing mass struggle during most of the conflict.
“What You Leave Behind, Parts One and Two” See this and this for a plot summary.
One bit of politics is that the rebellion on Cardassia takes on even more of a mass character as a work stoppage is planned.
It ends with Sisko as some kind of super-natural being, or at least an alien VERY different from a human (and apparently existing on a different plane of existance). I’m not crazy about that. Starfleet Captains should not be like that.
Overall a good end to the series, I give it three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“When It Rains...” See this for a plot summary.
This episode is partly about Section 31’s effort to spread an fatal infection throughout the Founders, something Bashir correctly identifies as genocide. Bashir and O’Brien are determined to find a cure, since Odo is infected as well.
There’s also more about the Cardassian resistance to the Dominion. Although it seems that many of the Cardassians involved are not democrats, it’s still sort of inspiring that they are fighting the Dominion. At the very least, it improves the odds of the Dominion being defeated. I also like how Kira is sent to help them, since she’s familiar with the sort of hit and run tactics they need to use. It reminds me of something I wrote in an earlier post here. I suggested that the IRA, instead of doing business with the Nazis, should have supported the Allied effort, and that could have included sending members to Nazi-occupied areas to train and advise resistance groups. It probably would have been very helpful and might have resulted in an earlier defeat for the Nazis. (I realize that if the IRA had done this it probably would have involved the British learning the identities of some IRA members, but if the IRA had done that (which would have been the right thing to do) after the war the IRA’s cause would have been a lot more popular)
“Tacking Into The Wind” See this for a plot summary.
Towards the end, Damar says something which probably means that he does believe in a democratic Cardassia. In response to another rebel Cardassian officer talking about restoring Cardassia to what it once was (an empire) Damar first kills him and then says “his Cardassia is dead and it won’t be coming back.”
“Extreme Measures” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“The Dogs Of War” See this for a plot summary.
There are three political aspects to this episode:
1) First, Ferengi society and the Ferengi economy are dramatically transformed into something just to the right of social democracy.
2) When Odo confronts Sisko about how Section 31 tried to wipe out all/almost all changelings Sisko tells him that the Federation considered giving the cure to the Founders but chose not to because it would strengthen their hand while millions of men and women are still fighting against the Dominion. But wiping out the Changelings or at least about half of them, WOULD be genocide.
3) Damar’s rebellion on Cardassia takes on more of a popular, mass character, which is good. In that kind of situation armed attacks by small groups are helpful, but mass action is at least as important. As I explained here Irish republicans could have done a better job of mobilizing mass struggle during most of the conflict.
“What You Leave Behind, Parts One and Two” See this and this for a plot summary.
One bit of politics is that the rebellion on Cardassia takes on even more of a mass character as a work stoppage is planned.
It ends with Sisko as some kind of super-natural being, or at least an alien VERY different from a human (and apparently existing on a different plane of existance). I’m not crazy about that. Starfleet Captains should not be like that.
Overall a good end to the series, I give it three stars out of five.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Reviews LL
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Penumbra” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“’Til Death Do Us Part” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Strange Bedfellows” See this for a plot summary.
Since I have earlier explained that i don’t like Kai Winn (almost the entire series, she’s a conservative religious fundamentalist), I should say that although I’m not a big fan of the Pah-Wraith aspect of the last couple seasons, I do kind of like the idea of Winn following them. She’s so bad it’s easy to believe that she would go down that path.
Another aspect of politics for this episode is Damar turning against the Dominion. It kind of reminds me a bit of how the most threatening resistance to Hitler came from the military. I read somewhere that some of the officers involved did have good democratic politics and weren’t just rebelling because Hitler was losing the war and Germany was bound for destruction. The odds are that many of the Cardassians who join the rebellion have backgrounds in the movements for democracy on Cardassia. On the other hand, based on statements in the next episode, Damar seems unconcerned about democracy but upset about not being treated as a full-partner by the Founders, Vorta, Jem’Hadar and Breen.
Overall, though, a non-political episode. But a good one, I give it three stars out five.
“The Changing Face Of Evil” See this for a plot summary.
One thing I kept forgetting to bring up earlier is the holo-suite program Bashir and O’Brien use about the Alamo. At the very best it wasn’t a good choice by the creative staff. Although I can’t remember many details, and so far cannot find a VERY good source on the internet, the Texas Revolution was more or less part of the Westward expansion by white American settlers. ST should have gone with something else.
Besides that and further development of the Cardassian rebellion, a non-political episode. But a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Penumbra” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“’Til Death Do Us Part” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Strange Bedfellows” See this for a plot summary.
Since I have earlier explained that i don’t like Kai Winn (almost the entire series, she’s a conservative religious fundamentalist), I should say that although I’m not a big fan of the Pah-Wraith aspect of the last couple seasons, I do kind of like the idea of Winn following them. She’s so bad it’s easy to believe that she would go down that path.
Another aspect of politics for this episode is Damar turning against the Dominion. It kind of reminds me a bit of how the most threatening resistance to Hitler came from the military. I read somewhere that some of the officers involved did have good democratic politics and weren’t just rebelling because Hitler was losing the war and Germany was bound for destruction. The odds are that many of the Cardassians who join the rebellion have backgrounds in the movements for democracy on Cardassia. On the other hand, based on statements in the next episode, Damar seems unconcerned about democracy but upset about not being treated as a full-partner by the Founders, Vorta, Jem’Hadar and Breen.
Overall, though, a non-political episode. But a good one, I give it three stars out five.
“The Changing Face Of Evil” See this for a plot summary.
One thing I kept forgetting to bring up earlier is the holo-suite program Bashir and O’Brien use about the Alamo. At the very best it wasn’t a good choice by the creative staff. Although I can’t remember many details, and so far cannot find a VERY good source on the internet, the Texas Revolution was more or less part of the Westward expansion by white American settlers. ST should have gone with something else.
Besides that and further development of the Cardassian rebellion, a non-political episode. But a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Reviews KK
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Field of Fire” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Chimera” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“Badda-Bing Badda-Bang” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a fairly special one, I give it three stars out of five.
Sisko makes a good statement about racism in America in the 1960s, but Kassidy Yates makes a better statement.
Sisko: Las Vegas, 1962, that’s my problem. In 1962 black people weren’t very welcome there. Oh sure they could be performers or janitors, but customers, never.
Yates: Maybe that’s how it was in the real Vegas but that is not the way it is at Vic’s. I have never felt uncomfortable there and neither has Jake.
Sisko: But don’t you see, that’s the lie. in 1962 the civil rights movement was still in it’s infancy. It wasn’t an easy time for our people, and I’m not going to pretend that it was.
Yates: Baby, I know that Vic’s is not a totally accurate representation of the way things were. But it isn’t meant to be. It shows us the way things could have been, the way they should have been.
Sisko: We cannot ignore the truth about the past.
Yates: Going to Vic’s isn’t going to make us forget who we are or where we came from. What it does is remind us that we are no longer bound by any limitations. Except the ones we impose on ourselves
Sisko eventually joins the others to help Vic.
“Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” See this for a plot summary.
A sort of non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
The political part is the problems with Section 31's existence, which I briefly discuss here while discussing the episode "Inquisition."
Friday, September 4, 2009
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Reviews JJ
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Covenant” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it one star out of five (I’m not a fan of what ST does with the Dukat character since Deep Space Nine was re-taken by the Federation).
“It’s Only A Paper Moon” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Prodigal Daughter” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“The Emperor’s New Cloak” See this for a plot summary.
A fairly non-political episode. One bit of politics is that two characters are bi-sexual. However, one is a villain and the other is pretty close to a villain, although at the end she becomes more or less a good guy (it’s possible the mirror universe Leeta is also non-heterosexual, but she appears only VERY briefly).
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Covenant” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it one star out of five (I’m not a fan of what ST does with the Dukat character since Deep Space Nine was re-taken by the Federation).
“It’s Only A Paper Moon” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Prodigal Daughter” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“The Emperor’s New Cloak” See this for a plot summary.
A fairly non-political episode. One bit of politics is that two characters are bi-sexual. However, one is a villain and the other is pretty close to a villain, although at the end she becomes more or less a good guy (it’s possible the mirror universe Leeta is also non-heterosexual, but she appears only VERY briefly).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Reviews II
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Chrysalis” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. I give it two stars out of five.
“Treachery, Faith, and the Great River” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. I give it two stars out of five.
“Once More Unto The Breach” See this for a plot summary.
We hear some about the class nature of klingon society, how people who aren’t from the “right” families have limited opportunities.
A good episode, I give it three stars out five.
“The Siege Of AR-558” See this for a plot summary.
This is an episode that highlights how ugly war is. I like such episodes because, although sometimes it is justified, and/or helpful, and/or necessary, war is (I assume) horrible. There’s some good dialogue and the lighting (or lack of it) really high-lights how desperate the situation is.
There’s one scene where Dax brings up the ethics of using mines. Considering how they are often still buried after a conflict ends and they then often kill or seriously wound civilians, I think mines should be considered unacceptable as a weapon.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Chrysalis” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. I give it two stars out of five.
“Treachery, Faith, and the Great River” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. I give it two stars out of five.
“Once More Unto The Breach” See this for a plot summary.
We hear some about the class nature of klingon society, how people who aren’t from the “right” families have limited opportunities.
A good episode, I give it three stars out five.
“The Siege Of AR-558” See this for a plot summary.
This is an episode that highlights how ugly war is. I like such episodes because, although sometimes it is justified, and/or helpful, and/or necessary, war is (I assume) horrible. There’s some good dialogue and the lighting (or lack of it) really high-lights how desperate the situation is.
There’s one scene where Dax brings up the ethics of using mines. Considering how they are often still buried after a conflict ends and they then often kill or seriously wound civilians, I think mines should be considered unacceptable as a weapon.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Reviews HH
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The Sound Of Her Voice” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“Tears Of The Prophets” See this for a plot summary.
Although I really liked the Jadzia Dax character, I’m pretty much okay with her dying. It’s realistic if once in a while a main character is killed. Also, the character that replaced her is roughly as good.
“Image In The Sand” See this for a plot summary.
A pretty non-political episode, but we do meet Ezri Dax for the first time, and she makes the loss of Jadzia Dax easier for me.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Shadows And Symbols” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Afterimage” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Take Me Out To The Holo-Suite” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. Baseball is one of two sports I still kind of enjoy watching and is the last sport I tried to play. So I like this episode. I give it three stars out of five.
I’m not very familiar with The Original Series and there might be some small amount of material there that would affect what I say about Star Trek (i.e. how often religion is mentioned)
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“The Sound Of Her Voice” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it two stars out of five.
“Tears Of The Prophets” See this for a plot summary.
Although I really liked the Jadzia Dax character, I’m pretty much okay with her dying. It’s realistic if once in a while a main character is killed. Also, the character that replaced her is roughly as good.
“Image In The Sand” See this for a plot summary.
A pretty non-political episode, but we do meet Ezri Dax for the first time, and she makes the loss of Jadzia Dax easier for me.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Shadows And Symbols” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Afterimage” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one, I give it three stars out of five.
“Take Me Out To The Holo-Suite” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. Baseball is one of two sports I still kind of enjoy watching and is the last sport I tried to play. So I like this episode. I give it three stars out of five.
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