Stargate SG-1 (1998) – Message in a Bottle, and Family

SG-1 investigates a planet that requires them to wear spacesuits, so it’s cool to know Stargate Command has access to that kind of thing. I mean after the shuttle rescue at the beginning of season two, i guess they have all kinds of access. But that’s only the precursor to Message in a Bottle. Written…

Dark Skies (1997) – Shades of Gray, and Burn, Baby, Burn

Juliet (Jeri Ryan) gets a bit more of a backstory in Shades of Gray. Written by Brad Markowitz this episode first aired on 8 February, 1997. As things get filled in, including a horrifying encounter during her childhood in Russia, we are invited to an even darker journey John Loengard (Eric Close) and Kim Sayers…

Dark Skies (1996) – Moving Targets, and Mercury Rising

So after the Kennedy assassination and their options off the table, what do Loengard (Eric Close) and Kim (Megan Ward) do in the first episode following the pilot movie? They become Moving Targets. Written by the series creators, Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, this episode was first broadcast on 28 September, 1996. Loengard and Kim…

The Expanse (2019) – Oppressor, and Displacement

I’m not sure I can take the tension of The Expanse continuing to ratchet itself higher and higher. Oppressor, written by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (collectively known as James S.A. Corey, the author of The Expanse novel series), this episode like the rest of the season dropped on Amazon Prime on 13 December, 2019….

Eversion (2022) – Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds takes the reader on an epic journey across time. Tinging his new tale, Eversion, with hints of Verne, Lovecraftian cosmic horror, O’Brien, and 50s sci-fi Reynolds introduces us to Silas Coade, ship’s doctor, We slide through time, across a variety of vehicles, sailing ships, airships, and spacecraft, but it is always the same…

The X-Files (1999) – Field Trip, and Biogenesis

Frank Spotnitz created the story which Vince Gilligan and John Shiban wrote the teleplay for the sixth season’s penultimate episode, Field Trip, which first aired on 9 May, 1999. Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) head to Brown Mountain, home of the Brown Mountain Lights, which Mulder believes may be UFO related, to investigate…

Star Trek: Voyager (1999) – The Fight, and Think Tank

Captain’s log: stardate unknown Joe Menosky penned this Chakotay (Robert Beltran) episode from a story by Micheal Taylor. It first aired on 24 March, 1999. As the Voyager travels through a region of ‘chaotic space’ wherein the usual laws of physics don’t always apply, Chakotay begins to have visions, which may be an attempt by…

Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx (1999) – Max McCoy

1934. The final Indiana Jones adventure set before the first trio of films is on the book shelf this week. It is also the shortest adventure in the series, not even breaking 200 pages, and the macguffin this time around is one created by the author, the Omega Book, though bases on things hinted at…