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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Friendship One” See this for a plot summary.
I’m having some trouble deciding what the political aspect of this episode is. It could be about using certain energy sources without the right controls, or using them at all (in this episode it involves anti-matter, but you could interpret this episode as being anti-nuclear power). I don’t know anything about matter and anti-matter, but it seems like in the ST universe it’s a safe enough source of energy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the problem was that the knowledge they recieved from the probe was radically ahead of where they were technologically and they skipped a few steps- steps which might have resulted in them avoiding the accident.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Natural Law” See this for a plot summary.
This episode has a lot to say about technologically advanced societies not treating indigenous people (at least those who live in a traditional way) with respect for their culture. It also illustrates how many from the advanced society will think that invading an indigenous society and radically changing it is good for the indigenous people.
For some reason I’m having trouble describing this episode better than I have, so I’ll just leave it at that. I give it three stars out of five.
“Homestead” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Renaissance Man” See this for a plot summary.
A non-politiccal episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Endgame” parts 1 and 2. See this and this for a plot summary.
A non-political two-parter, but one that deserves some comment since it’s the series finale. Looking at the series finales for each of the 1990s series, I think this one is the best of the three.
I give it five stars out of five.
Showing posts with label VOY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VOY. Show all posts
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Repentance” See this for a plot summary.
A pretty good episode about various aspects of the crimimal justice system. It’s made clear that some large majority of the Starfleet crew are against the death penalty. There’s also some stuff about how inmates are atttacked by guards and about food and drink being given to inmates inconsistently (the former I’m sure happens in US prisons, but the latter, I’ve never heard of that happening here)
Another aspect is about racism resulting in certain races being disproportionately represented in prisons and also more likely to be executed. (that’s another feature of America’s prison system)
I give it four stars out of five.
“Prophecy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Void” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Workforce” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
It’s not clear whether or not the power station they work at is public or private. In any case, what was happening was pretty messed up. Even if it is public and therefore it might seem that ST is taking a swipe at the public sector, that’s not so bad. It’s not like the public sector is above criticism or something.
Anyway, a good two-parter, I give it three stars out of five.
“Human Error” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Q2” see this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Author, Author” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Repentance” See this for a plot summary.
A pretty good episode about various aspects of the crimimal justice system. It’s made clear that some large majority of the Starfleet crew are against the death penalty. There’s also some stuff about how inmates are atttacked by guards and about food and drink being given to inmates inconsistently (the former I’m sure happens in US prisons, but the latter, I’ve never heard of that happening here)
Another aspect is about racism resulting in certain races being disproportionately represented in prisons and also more likely to be executed. (that’s another feature of America’s prison system)
I give it four stars out of five.
“Prophecy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“The Void” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Workforce” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
It’s not clear whether or not the power station they work at is public or private. In any case, what was happening was pretty messed up. Even if it is public and therefore it might seem that ST is taking a swipe at the public sector, that’s not so bad. It’s not like the public sector is above criticism or something.
Anyway, a good two-parter, I give it three stars out of five.
“Human Error” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Q2” see this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Author, Author” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Flesh and Blood” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
A non-political two-parter (as I explain above, I’m ignoring the issue of whether or not holograms are just machines or should be treated as equal to the non-photonic life forms).
I give it three stars out of five.
“Shattered” See this for a plot summary.
A non-politiccal episode, but a very good one. I give four stars out of five.
“Lineage” See this for a plot summary.
A fairly political episode which seems to be talking about Bi- or Multi-racial people and how some are made to feel unwelcome in both the communities that their parents are part of. It illustrates how B’’Elanna Torres, whose Dad is human and Mother is Klingon, had to deal with humans rejecting her.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Flesh and Blood” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
A non-political two-parter (as I explain above, I’m ignoring the issue of whether or not holograms are just machines or should be treated as equal to the non-photonic life forms).
I give it three stars out of five.
“Shattered” See this for a plot summary.
A non-politiccal episode, but a very good one. I give four stars out of five.
“Lineage” See this for a plot summary.
A fairly political episode which seems to be talking about Bi- or Multi-racial people and how some are made to feel unwelcome in both the communities that their parents are part of. It illustrates how B’’Elanna Torres, whose Dad is human and Mother is Klingon, had to deal with humans rejecting her.
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews HH
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Critical Care” See this for a plot summary.
In general a good political episode about health-care. It’s basically criticising how an elite get excellent care, even preventative care that isn’t neccessary at the moment. Something similar happens in real life today where 10s of millions don’t have insurance; many who do have insurance have limited options, have to pay a lot out of their pockets, have high premiums and deductibles and frequently their insurance company denies coverage.
What happened in this episode is similiar to what happens with health-care in America. In this episode The Doctor’s criticism of their health care system can be seen as reflecting how the Federation feels about that. I'm a supporter of the Single-payer (Canadian) model for health care.
There is one more time when a Starfleet officer and (in this case) Neelix each individually engage in questionable interrogation tactics. I wouldn’t call them torture, but they’re not far off from that. Something similar happened with the administrator of the hospital the Doctor is working at. What the Doctor does is a little questionable, but the idea of giving the administrator a chance to experience what most of the patients experience seems good.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Inside Man” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Body and Soul” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but I do like how Jeri Ryan has to play Seven of Nine as if she were the Doctor.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Nightingale” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. One thing I’d like to note is that their failure to promote Kim is ridiculous- Tuvock got TWO promotions.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Critical Care” See this for a plot summary.
In general a good political episode about health-care. It’s basically criticising how an elite get excellent care, even preventative care that isn’t neccessary at the moment. Something similar happens in real life today where 10s of millions don’t have insurance; many who do have insurance have limited options, have to pay a lot out of their pockets, have high premiums and deductibles and frequently their insurance company denies coverage.
What happened in this episode is similiar to what happens with health-care in America. In this episode The Doctor’s criticism of their health care system can be seen as reflecting how the Federation feels about that. I'm a supporter of the Single-payer (Canadian) model for health care.
There is one more time when a Starfleet officer and (in this case) Neelix each individually engage in questionable interrogation tactics. I wouldn’t call them torture, but they’re not far off from that. Something similar happened with the administrator of the hospital the Doctor is working at. What the Doctor does is a little questionable, but the idea of giving the administrator a chance to experience what most of the patients experience seems good.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Inside Man” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Body and Soul” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but I do like how Jeri Ryan has to play Seven of Nine as if she were the Doctor.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Nightingale” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. One thing I’d like to note is that their failure to promote Kim is ridiculous- Tuvock got TWO promotions.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews GG
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“The Haunting of Deck Twelve” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Unamatrix Zero” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
A very good two-parter. I think the idea of some Borg revolting is inspirational, kind of like slave revolts in the American South.
I give it five out of five stars.
“Imperfection” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Drive” See this for a plot summary.
There’s a brief reference to people who believe in racial seperatism. Besides that, a non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Repression” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“The Haunting of Deck Twelve” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Unamatrix Zero” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
A very good two-parter. I think the idea of some Borg revolting is inspirational, kind of like slave revolts in the American South.
I give it five out of five stars.
“Imperfection” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Drive” See this for a plot summary.
There’s a brief reference to people who believe in racial seperatism. Besides that, a non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Repression” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews FF
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
”Live Fast And Prosper” See this for a plot summary.
A mostly non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
There is one political aspect. Janeway does something which I’d say is in a gray area between interrogation without torture and on the other side, WITH torture. She tries to scare one of the impostors by threatening to turn her over to those she cheated, and then exaggerates how horrible their criminal justice system is (esp. the prisons). After the interrogation session she indicates that she’s pretty far from going through with the threat.
That sort of interrogation technique seems okay to me. It’s different from, for example, something I read about that happened in the early 1970s in N. Ireland. Republican detainees were blindfolded (or hooded) and put on helicopters that then took off. Shortly after reaching some high altitude, the helicopter returned to just 1-3 feet above the ground and the detainee was pushed out, thinking they were much higher in the air. That’s torture, and what Janeway did seems different.
“Muse” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Fury” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Lifeline” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
”Live Fast And Prosper” See this for a plot summary.
A mostly non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
There is one political aspect. Janeway does something which I’d say is in a gray area between interrogation without torture and on the other side, WITH torture. She tries to scare one of the impostors by threatening to turn her over to those she cheated, and then exaggerates how horrible their criminal justice system is (esp. the prisons). After the interrogation session she indicates that she’s pretty far from going through with the threat.
That sort of interrogation technique seems okay to me. It’s different from, for example, something I read about that happened in the early 1970s in N. Ireland. Republican detainees were blindfolded (or hooded) and put on helicopters that then took off. Shortly after reaching some high altitude, the helicopter returned to just 1-3 feet above the ground and the detainee was pushed out, thinking they were much higher in the air. That’s torture, and what Janeway did seems different.
“Muse” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Fury” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Lifeline” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews EE
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Spirit Folk” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Ashes to Ashes” See this for a plot summary.
A good episode. I like the idea of her searching for Voyager to rejoin the crew and get back to Earth, but I have mixed feelings about her going to back to the Kobali in the end.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Child’s Play” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Good Shephard” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Spirit Folk” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Ashes to Ashes” See this for a plot summary.
A good episode. I like the idea of her searching for Voyager to rejoin the crew and get back to Earth, but I have mixed feelings about her going to back to the Kobali in the end.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Child’s Play” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Good Shephard” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews DD
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Virtuoso” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Memorial” See this for a plot summary.
A pretty poverful episode about war crimes It’s more or less comparable to some actions by the US military in Vietnam, the Holocaust, and some others although those two seem to be the most comparable with what happens in this episode. It also illustrates the tension between the soldiers who want to cover it up and those who wanted to go public with what happened.
As far as Vietnam, I’ve heard from good sources that massacres (usually very small) of Vietnamese civilians by the US military were common. Besides things like the testimony of John Kerry, and other similar testimony, I also find reasons to criticize America’s intervention in Vietnam in two novels about that war by Nelson DeMille. One reason I consider those novels to be good for people arguing with supporters of the Vietnam war, is that DeMille saw combat in Vietnam and as far as I can tell based on reading most of his novels, he’s more of a Hawk then a Dove. It seems that would probably mean that when he writes unflattering things about the US involvement in Vietnam during that era, it’s not driven by ideology, it’s driven by what he saw and heard in Vietnam. The novels are “Word of Honor” and “Up Country.” The former is more connected to this episode than the latter is.
In general, I believe it is VERY important that such atrocities are not forgotten and that those responsible should be held accountable. Memorials at the sites of massacres will help make it less likely that such crimes will be repeated. War crimes trials would have a similar effect.
I give this episode five stars out of five.
“Tsunkatse” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars.
“Collective” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Virtuoso” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Memorial” See this for a plot summary.
A pretty poverful episode about war crimes It’s more or less comparable to some actions by the US military in Vietnam, the Holocaust, and some others although those two seem to be the most comparable with what happens in this episode. It also illustrates the tension between the soldiers who want to cover it up and those who wanted to go public with what happened.
As far as Vietnam, I’ve heard from good sources that massacres (usually very small) of Vietnamese civilians by the US military were common. Besides things like the testimony of John Kerry, and other similar testimony, I also find reasons to criticize America’s intervention in Vietnam in two novels about that war by Nelson DeMille. One reason I consider those novels to be good for people arguing with supporters of the Vietnam war, is that DeMille saw combat in Vietnam and as far as I can tell based on reading most of his novels, he’s more of a Hawk then a Dove. It seems that would probably mean that when he writes unflattering things about the US involvement in Vietnam during that era, it’s not driven by ideology, it’s driven by what he saw and heard in Vietnam. The novels are “Word of Honor” and “Up Country.” The former is more connected to this episode than the latter is.
In general, I believe it is VERY important that such atrocities are not forgotten and that those responsible should be held accountable. Memorials at the sites of massacres will help make it less likely that such crimes will be repeated. War crimes trials would have a similar effect.
I give this episode five stars out of five.
“Tsunkatse” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars.
“Collective” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews CC
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“The Voyager Conspiracy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Pathfinder” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. First, it’s centered around a minor character in the series The Next Generation. It also contains a brief appearance by the TNG character Deanna Troi.
I also love the aspect of Starfleet and Voyager trying to communicate with each other and find a quicker way home for the latter.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Fair Haven” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode.
How will I ever connect this episode to Ireland in some way? : ) (that’s what I usually try to do with posts on this blog). We do learn that Janeway is very interested in Irish history. It’s not clear exactly when it takes place. I’d say sometime around 1900. If it’s before 1925, and I’m pretty sure it is, it ignores British imperialism, and possibly the War of Independence and the Civil War (I’m assuming it’s a village in the SOUTH of ireland; if it’s supposed to be in the six counties that became N. Ireland, that’s a major problem).
I give it two stars out of five.
“Blink of an Eye” See this for a plot summary.
This is one of my top 10 ST episodes, even though it’s very non-political. I just love the concept. A political bit is that of the two astronauts who go into outer-space to meet Voyager, one is female.
I give this episode five out of five stars.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“The Voyager Conspiracy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Pathfinder” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but a good one. First, it’s centered around a minor character in the series The Next Generation. It also contains a brief appearance by the TNG character Deanna Troi.
I also love the aspect of Starfleet and Voyager trying to communicate with each other and find a quicker way home for the latter.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Fair Haven” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode.
How will I ever connect this episode to Ireland in some way? : ) (that’s what I usually try to do with posts on this blog). We do learn that Janeway is very interested in Irish history. It’s not clear exactly when it takes place. I’d say sometime around 1900. If it’s before 1925, and I’m pretty sure it is, it ignores British imperialism, and possibly the War of Independence and the Civil War (I’m assuming it’s a village in the SOUTH of ireland; if it’s supposed to be in the six counties that became N. Ireland, that’s a major problem).
I give it two stars out of five.
“Blink of an Eye” See this for a plot summary.
This is one of my top 10 ST episodes, even though it’s very non-political. I just love the concept. A political bit is that of the two astronauts who go into outer-space to meet Voyager, one is female.
I give this episode five out of five stars.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews BB
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Alice” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“Riddles” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Dragon’s Teeth” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“One Small Step” See this for a plot summary
A non-political episode, but a good one. I like stuff about what exploring space will be like in the near future, say sometime around 2025 or maybe 2050. I liked that movie “Mission To Mars.” I would like the ST series Enterprise even less than I do if it weren’t for the fact that it takes place during a time period when, for example, transporters were rarely used and so shuttles were used most of the time.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Alice” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“Riddles” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it three stars out of five.
“Dragon’s Teeth” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, I give it two stars out of five.
“One Small Step” See this for a plot summary
A non-political episode, but a good one. I like stuff about what exploring space will be like in the near future, say sometime around 2025 or maybe 2050. I liked that movie “Mission To Mars.” I would like the ST series Enterprise even less than I do if it weren’t for the fact that it takes place during a time period when, for example, transporters were rarely used and so shuttles were used most of the time.
I give it three stars out of five.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews AA
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Warhead” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Equinox” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
This is definitely one of my favorite two-part episodes of all ST. I give it five stars out of five.
There is one bit of politics. At one point Janeway engages in what is basically torture and is stopped by Chakotay. She ends up suspending him but shortly after she re-instates him, she says something which could be acknowledged as admitting that she was wrong (she says that Chaoktay might have been justified if he had taken control of Voyager in response to what the Captain was doing).
My favorite part is when Captain Ransom has changed his mind and is going to go down with his ship to save Voyager from destruction. He says to Janeway: “you’ve got a fine crew Captain, promise me you’ll get ‘em home.” It's my favorite line in the entirety of ST.
“Survival Instinct” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Barge of the Dead” See this for a plot summary.
Basically a non-political episode. But it does involve KLINGON religion. It’s portrayed in a way that is respectful of Klingons who are religious.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. The first scene with the Doctor and Tuvock is hilarious.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Warhead” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Equinox” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
This is definitely one of my favorite two-part episodes of all ST. I give it five stars out of five.
There is one bit of politics. At one point Janeway engages in what is basically torture and is stopped by Chakotay. She ends up suspending him but shortly after she re-instates him, she says something which could be acknowledged as admitting that she was wrong (she says that Chaoktay might have been justified if he had taken control of Voyager in response to what the Captain was doing).
My favorite part is when Captain Ransom has changed his mind and is going to go down with his ship to save Voyager from destruction. He says to Janeway: “you’ve got a fine crew Captain, promise me you’ll get ‘em home.” It's my favorite line in the entirety of ST.
“Survival Instinct” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Barge of the Dead” See this for a plot summary.
Basically a non-political episode. But it does involve KLINGON religion. It’s portrayed in a way that is respectful of Klingons who are religious.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. The first scene with the Doctor and Tuvock is hilarious.
I give it four stars out of five.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews Z
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people in America, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
This is the review I had to skip earlier because the DVD was not working. Fortunately with these episodes, chronology is not very important.
“Once Upon A Time” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but one of my favorites. I give it four stars out of five.
“Timeless” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but a very good one. I like the idea of two crew members getting home and years later trying to help the others. And it’s cool to see Geordi LaForge from The Next Generation..
I give it four stars out of five.
“Infinite Regress” See this for a plot summary.
A non-politcial episode. I like how Ryan has to act multiple characters.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Nothing Human” See this for a plot summary.
This episode is about a Cardassian doctor who experimented on Bajorans during the Cardassian occupation of the latter’s planet(s). Kind of like Nazi Dr. Mengele in the Concentration Camps. More specifically, it’s about whether or not medical knowledge developed from such experiments should be used. I’d say the information should be used, but the people who did the experiments should be treated like the criminals they are and sentenced to life in jail.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people in America, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
This is the review I had to skip earlier because the DVD was not working. Fortunately with these episodes, chronology is not very important.
“Once Upon A Time” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but one of my favorites. I give it four stars out of five.
“Timeless” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but a very good one. I like the idea of two crew members getting home and years later trying to help the others. And it’s cool to see Geordi LaForge from The Next Generation..
I give it four stars out of five.
“Infinite Regress” See this for a plot summary.
A non-politcial episode. I like how Ryan has to act multiple characters.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Nothing Human” See this for a plot summary.
This episode is about a Cardassian doctor who experimented on Bajorans during the Cardassian occupation of the latter’s planet(s). Kind of like Nazi Dr. Mengele in the Concentration Camps. More specifically, it’s about whether or not medical knowledge developed from such experiments should be used. I’d say the information should be used, but the people who did the experiments should be treated like the criminals they are and sentenced to life in jail.
I give it three stars out of five.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews Y
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“Juggernaut” See this for a plot summary.
Another environmental episode. There’s also an element of environmental racism.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Someone to Watch Over me” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out five.
“11:59” See this for a plot summary.
This is kind of a political episode. It touches on big capital pressuring small-business to sell so big business can build something new. If the small business(es) involved all agree to sell and the government doesn’t pressure them, that seems like most of the time it’s fine (exceptions would include historical structures (that was recently a really big deal in Dublin with a building used by republicans during the Easter Rising)).
An interesting, unique ST episode but I don’t like it much and am almost tempted to give just one star, but I’ll give it two (out of five).
“Relativity” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but one of my favorites. 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“Juggernaut” See this for a plot summary.
Another environmental episode. There’s also an element of environmental racism.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Someone to Watch Over me” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out five.
“11:59” See this for a plot summary.
This is kind of a political episode. It touches on big capital pressuring small-business to sell so big business can build something new. If the small business(es) involved all agree to sell and the government doesn’t pressure them, that seems like most of the time it’s fine (exceptions would include historical structures (that was recently a really big deal in Dublin with a building used by republicans during the Easter Rising)).
An interesting, unique ST episode but I don’t like it much and am almost tempted to give just one star, but I’ll give it two (out of five).
“Relativity” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but one of my favorites. I give it four stars out of five.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews X
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“The Disease” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five. One thing to briefly mention is that it is probably the main episode where ST (outside TOS with Sulu), via Harry Kim shatters (well, at least damages) the stereotype of Asian-American men, as Harry Kim has some intimate moments with a woman.
“Course: Oblivion” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Fight” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Think Tank” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. As a Seinfeld fan, I think I’ll note that Jason Alexander was a guest star.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“The Disease” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five. One thing to briefly mention is that it is probably the main episode where ST (outside TOS with Sulu), via Harry Kim shatters (well, at least damages) the stereotype of Asian-American men, as Harry Kim has some intimate moments with a woman.
“Course: Oblivion” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“The Fight” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Think Tank” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. As a Seinfeld fan, I think I’ll note that Jason Alexander was a guest star.
I give it three stars out of five.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews W
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“Gravity” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Bliss” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Dark Frontier” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
In general a non-political episode, but there is one thing I’d like to comment on. At one point Seven frees several people the Borg captured and were about to assimilate. It reminds me of how some people would help Jews escape or hide from the Nazis.
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“Gravity” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Bliss” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Dark Frontier” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
In general a non-political episode, but there is one thing I’d like to comment on. At one point Seven frees several people the Borg captured and were about to assimilate. It reminds me of how some people would help Jews escape or hide from the Nazis.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews V
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“Thirty Days” See this for a plot summary.
An environmentalist episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Counterpoint” See this for a plot summary.
A sort of political episode. Voyager is helping some telepaths who are persecuted by a government that doesn’t like telepaths.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Latent Image” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Bride of Chaotica!” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
Unfortunately I am skipping 4 episodes which are on a DVD that doesn’t work. Hopefully soon the video store will have it fixed or replaced soon. Fortunately, the odds of those episodes containing something that I need in order to understand episodes after those four is very low.
“Thirty Days” See this for a plot summary.
An environmentalist episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Counterpoint” See this for a plot summary.
A sort of political episode. Voyager is helping some telepaths who are persecuted by a government that doesn’t like telepaths.
I give it three stars out of five.
“Latent Image” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Bride of Chaotica!” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews U
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“One” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Hope And Fear” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Night” See this for a plot summary.
A political episode about environmentalism and specifically environmental RACISM. There are some good lines about that especially the effect of profit-seeking on the environment.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Drone” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Extreme Risk” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but there’s one thing worth mentioning. I like the part about how B’Elanna deals with the death of the Maquis.
“In the Flesh” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“One” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Hope And Fear” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Night” See this for a plot summary.
A political episode about environmentalism and specifically environmental RACISM. There are some good lines about that especially the effect of profit-seeking on the environment.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Drone” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Extreme Risk” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, but there’s one thing worth mentioning. I like the part about how B’Elanna deals with the death of the Maquis.
“In the Flesh” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews T
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“The Omega Directive” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political but pretty good episode. I give it four stars out of five.
“Unforgettable” See this for a plot summary.
I’m a little disapointed that Janeway and Chakotay were okay with Kellin taking the stowaway and erasing his memory. When it’s Kellin who’s being tracked by the Tracer, they feel that the Tracers are wrong and Chakotay feels that Kellin’s society should allow people to leave if they want to. The fact that the first person was a stowaway doesn’t seem to justify the differences in Starfleet attitudes. If people want to leave a society they should be allowed to and they certainly shouldn’t have their memories wiped.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Living Witness” See this for a plot summary.
This episode has many aspects that I want to comment on.
First, it’s entertaining to see the Voyager crew acting as they do at the beginning.
Second, the idea of the Doctor being activated again after 700 years and then a little bit later resuming a course to the Alpha Quadrant to learn if Voyager made it home takes what I like about VOY a little further.
But the bulk of this is about how the episode illustrates oppression, historical memory, and reconciliation.
Although it’s not clear, it seems like there was bigotry towards the Kyrians (and they may have been oppressed) before the war but that they started the war and were less than completely innocent. Although it’s not clear how much they were the victims before and during the war, it’s clear that they still experience some oppression 700 years after the war.
In the Doctor’s version of events the Vaskan ambassador makes derogatory comments about the Kyrians and carries out an extrajudicial execution of the Kyrian leader. 700 years later, Kyrians are still excluded from many institutions and forced to live outside the city center.
The brief description of how truth and reconciliation won in the end is inspiring, although it’d be better if there were some more details.
I give it five stars out of five.
“Demon” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“The Omega Directive” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political but pretty good episode. I give it four stars out of five.
“Unforgettable” See this for a plot summary.
I’m a little disapointed that Janeway and Chakotay were okay with Kellin taking the stowaway and erasing his memory. When it’s Kellin who’s being tracked by the Tracer, they feel that the Tracers are wrong and Chakotay feels that Kellin’s society should allow people to leave if they want to. The fact that the first person was a stowaway doesn’t seem to justify the differences in Starfleet attitudes. If people want to leave a society they should be allowed to and they certainly shouldn’t have their memories wiped.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Living Witness” See this for a plot summary.
This episode has many aspects that I want to comment on.
First, it’s entertaining to see the Voyager crew acting as they do at the beginning.
Second, the idea of the Doctor being activated again after 700 years and then a little bit later resuming a course to the Alpha Quadrant to learn if Voyager made it home takes what I like about VOY a little further.
But the bulk of this is about how the episode illustrates oppression, historical memory, and reconciliation.
Although it’s not clear, it seems like there was bigotry towards the Kyrians (and they may have been oppressed) before the war but that they started the war and were less than completely innocent. Although it’s not clear how much they were the victims before and during the war, it’s clear that they still experience some oppression 700 years after the war.
In the Doctor’s version of events the Vaskan ambassador makes derogatory comments about the Kyrians and carries out an extrajudicial execution of the Kyrian leader. 700 years later, Kyrians are still excluded from many institutions and forced to live outside the city center.
The brief description of how truth and reconciliation won in the end is inspiring, although it’d be better if there were some more details.
I give it five stars out of five.
“Demon” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews S
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Retrospect” See this for a plot summary.
One way to look at this episode is that it could almost be referred to by people accused of rape. But that probably isn’t the right way to look at it. In the episode it’s not actually rape, although the dialogue could confuse you about that. And there are many elements that undermine the idea that it illustrates a case of false rape allegations. For one thing, it DOES make sense that Seven was confusing her treatment by the Borg with what happened in the episode. And The Doctor was an amateur psychologist. In general, it doesn’t do what I suggested at the beginning, although considering that possibility is unavoidable.
I give it three stars out of five.
“The Killing Game” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
You’d think this would be my favorite two-parter- Star Trek and WWII (Europe!) combined. But, like all VOY bad guys except for the Borg and Species 8472, I’m not a big fan of the Hirogen. So I give this two-parter only four stars out of five.
“Vis a Vis” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Retrospect” See this for a plot summary.
One way to look at this episode is that it could almost be referred to by people accused of rape. But that probably isn’t the right way to look at it. In the episode it’s not actually rape, although the dialogue could confuse you about that. And there are many elements that undermine the idea that it illustrates a case of false rape allegations. For one thing, it DOES make sense that Seven was confusing her treatment by the Borg with what happened in the episode. And The Doctor was an amateur psychologist. In general, it doesn’t do what I suggested at the beginning, although considering that possibility is unavoidable.
I give it three stars out of five.
“The Killing Game” parts 1 and 2 See this and this for a plot summary.
You’d think this would be my favorite two-parter- Star Trek and WWII (Europe!) combined. But, like all VOY bad guys except for the Borg and Species 8472, I’m not a big fan of the Hirogen. So I give this two-parter only four stars out of five.
“Vis a Vis” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Star Trek: Voyager Reviews R
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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Waking Moments” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Message In A Bottle” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but a good one- Voyager finally is able to let Starfleet know that they’re in the Delta Quadrant.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Hunters” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Prey” 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).
There are several episodes in VOY that involve the question of whether or not holograms are alive, and/or feature conflict between holograms and organic beings. I’m going to ignore that part of VOY, it’s a bit too philosophical, and comparing the maltreatment of holograms to the maltreatment of, for example, Black people, seems stupid. Although I kind of make an exception for The Doctor (it’s impossible to be a fan of ST and not do that) I lean towards saying that holograms are not life forms, but I don’t feel like going into it.
“Waking Moments” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it two stars out of five.
“Message In A Bottle” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode but a good one- Voyager finally is able to let Starfleet know that they’re in the Delta Quadrant.
I give it four stars out of five.
“Hunters” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
“Prey” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it three stars out of five.
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