Captain’s log: stardate 43917.4 Airing on 14 May, 1990, Star Trek: The Next Generation began formal relations with the Original Series when it debuted the episode Sarek. Written by Peter S. Beagle based on an unpublished story by Marc Cushman and Jake Jacobs. Sarek (Mark Lenard returning to the role) at the age of 202,…
Tag: control
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990) – Hollow Pursuits, and The Most Toys
Captain’s log: stardate 43801.4 First airing on 30 April, 1990, this episode, written by Sally Caves introduced fan favourite Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) to the Trek Universe. Barclay is smart, but shy, suffers from some anxieties, and releases them through escapes to the holodeck. In fact, he slips away every chance he gets, as, within…
Authority (2014) – Jeff VanderMeer
The second book in the Southern Reach Trilogy finds its way to the Book Shelf this week as I dive further into the strange realm of Area X first introduced in the book Annihilation, which also serves as the title of the upcoming film adaptation. This sequel, released within months of the first book takes…
Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – The Impossible Astronaut, and Day of the Moon
Astronauts, the Silence, the Doctor’s (Smith) death, and some tons of temporal shenanigans launch the sixth series of Doctor Who with The Impossible Astronaut. The episode was written by Steven Moffat and first aired on 23 April, 2011. The Doctor after showing off in history to attract the attention of The Ponds, invites Amy (Karen…
The Twilight Zone (1963) – Valley of the Shadow, and He’s Alive
It’s time to venture further into The Twilight Zone, as I delve deeper into season 4 of The Complete Series on blu-ray now available from Paramount Pictures. First up this week is Valley of the Shadow. Written by Charles Beaumont, this story sees reporter, Philip Redfield (Ed Nelson) finding himself stuck in a strange small…
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) – Martin Ritt
Richard Burton turns in a solid, and believable performance in this adaptation of John le Carre’s classic thriller novel. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Dr. Strangelove. Burton is Alec Leamas, a spy in charge…
The Twilight Zone (1960) – The After Hours, The Mighty Casey and A World of His Own
It’s back to the Twilight Zone with Paramount’s Complete Series on blu-ray. The first season of this iconic and seminal show ends this week with this trio of episodes. First up is The After Hours, penned by Rod Serling, this story originally aired on 10 June, 1960. Anne Francis stars as Marsha White, who is…
Doctor Who (Christoper Eccleston) – The Unquiet Dead and Aliens of London
The Doctor (Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) travel back to Cardiff (an in-joke because that is where the series shoots), 1869. There they quickly find themselves embroiled in alien mystery, and chatting with Charles Dickens (Simon Callow) in The Unquiet Dead. Written by Mark Gatiss, with an original airdate of 9 April, 2005, this episode…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) -The Doomsday Machine and Catspaw
Captain’s log: stardate unknow The Doomsday Machine sent me on many adventures when I was a child. Written by Norman Spinrad, this episode had an original airdate of 20 October, 1967. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the stalwart crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise encounter terror in space. They arrive in a destroyed planetary system, and discover…
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) – Bryan Spicer
I never quite got into the Power Rangers, nor understood the appeal, but they are my next stop in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. I never really saw much of the television show, and anything I did see, seemed fairly low-end, but the film tries to embrace a big budget theatrical look with a Point Break…
The Mind Reels 