Robert Malcolm Young and Ken Pettus pen the teleplay for The Amnesiac from a story developed by Young. It first aired on 28 December, 1969, and features a few return guest stars, including Steve Inhat in his third and final M:I appearance, and Anthony Zerbe in his third of five appearances! Phelps (Peter Graves) IMF…
Star Trek: Discovery – The Enterprise War (2019) – John Jackson Miller
Where was the U.S.S. Enterprise during the Klingon war (2256-2257) as depicted in Season One of Star Trek: Discovery? Miller’s novel, The Enterprise War, available now from Simon & Schuster through their Gallery Books imprint, answers that question. Tying itself in with the events of the television series, as well as the previously released novels,…
The X-Files (2001) – 4-D, and The Lord of the Flies
Steven Maeda pens 4-D which makes Reyes (Annabeth Gish) put the idea of parallel universe to the test. First airing on 9 December, 2001, the episode opens with a bit of a shocker when Reyes has her throat slit and dies in the pursuit of a serial killer, Lukesh (Dylan Haggerty), and Doggett (Robert Patrick)…
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) – Ishiro Honda
Godzilla is back! But he almost takes a backseat to the rest of the story, which sees an expansion of the Godzilla universe by bringing in aliens, flying saucers, and seeing the return of Rodan and King Ghidorah. When a new planet, Planet X, is discovered in orbit around Jupiter, a joint Japanese/American mission is…
That Thing You Do! (1996) – Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks wrote and directed this joyful, song-filled film that took us inside the lives of the band members of a one hit wonder. It’s 1964, and popular music is the thing, and for a young band calling themselves the Oneders (the Wonders – like 1 ders) they are about to find that fame isn’t…
M*A*S*H (1979) – Inga, The Price, and The Young and the Restless
Alan Alda writes and directs this episode, Inga, which first aired on 8 January, 1979, and definitely sees a bit of a course adjustment for Hawkeye’s (also Alda) sexist attitudes towards women. When Hawkeye hears about a Swedish female doctor coming to camp for a brief tour, he gets ready to turn on the charm,…
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) – Howard Deutch
While arguably a riff on his own Pretty In Pink, John Hughes delivers another fantastic teen dramedy, overseen by director Howard Deutch that plays role reversal with its Molly Ringwald alter-ego film. This time the main character is Keith Nelson (Eric Stoltz), a high schooler who wants to be an artist, but his family’s blue…
The X-Files (2001) – Nothing Important Happened Today II, and Daemonicus
Scully (Gillan Anderson) gets pulled deeper into the super-soldier investigation by Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Reyes (Annabeth Gish) when Shannon McMahon (Lucy Lawless) reveals more about the program in Nothing Important Happened Today II. Written by series creator Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, this episode first debuted on 18 November, 2001. And as the opening…
Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Brothers, and Time Bomb
Leigh Vance pens The Brothers, from a story by Robert C. Dennis, that saw the IMF heading to an oil rich country to overthrow the tyrannical leader of the nation, Selim (Lloyd Batista), and replace him with his twin brother, who is being held captive. Phelps (Peter Graves), recruits his usual team, Paris (Leonard Nimoy),…
Star Trek: Discovery – The Way to the Stars (2019) – Una McCormack
When I read her Picard novel, Last Best Hope, I was completely taken in by McCormack’s writing, with her Discovery novel, The Way to the Stars, she has cemented herself as my favorite Trek author working today. Available through the Gallery Books imprint of Simon & Schuster, Star Trek doles out literary adventures, with both…
