Captain’s log: stardate unknown. Originally written as its own pilot, Assignment: Earth was later rewritten to work it into a Star Trek story. The script was by Art Wallace, and came from a story developed by him and Gene Roddenberry. The episode first aired on 29 March, 1968. 1968. The very year the Enterprise travels…
Tag: pilot
The Twilight Zone (1960) – King Nine Will Not Return, The Man in the Bottle and Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
It’s time to continue my exploration of the dark corners of The Twilight Zone as I begin Season 2 in The Complete Series blu-ray set from Paramount Pictures. Trips to The Zone resumed on 30 September, 1960 with King Nine Will Not Return written by series creator, Rod Serling. The story follows the pilot of…
Quantum Leap (1992) – Ghost Ship and Roberto!
Sam (Scott Bakula) finds himself in the pilot seat in Ghost Ship, the first episode for review this week. Written by Donald P. Bellisario and Paris Qualles, it first aired on 4 March, 1992 and takes place on 13 August, 1956. En route to Bermuda, Sam is Eddie Brackett, an inexperienced co-pilot, and finds all…
The Twilight Zone (1960) – The Hitch-Hiker, The Fever and The Last Flight
Paramount Pictures takes me deeper into The Twilight Zone this week as I continue my exploration of The Complete Series on Blu-Ray. First up this week is the ominously named, The Hitch-Hiker. This episode had an original airdate of 22 January, 1960, and was written by Rod Serling, based on a radio play by Lucille…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) – Tomorrow is Yesterday and Court Martial
Captain’s log: stardate 3113.2 Tomorrow is Yesterday is the series first full-on time travel story, penned by D.C. Fontana this great, and often funny, episode had an original airdate of 26 January, 1967. After a slingshot around a star throws the Enterprise back in time (this sounds important and may be used again in future)…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) – The Menagerie Part 1 & 2
Captain’s Log: Stardate 3012.4 How do you get value for your dollar if you shot a pilot that was never aired? Use it as the crux of a story and incorporate the footage! This was the first Trek two-parter, and I know I saw it a child, but I don’t remember having to wait a…
The Dam Busters (1955) – Michael Anderson
As I return to the war genre I plunge into the events of World War II and the creation of a ‘bouncing bomb’ that would help the Allies against the Nazis. The film is based on two books, one by Paul Brickhill about the creation of the weapon, and the other by Guy Gibson about…
Quantum Leap (1989) – Genesis Parts I & 2
Quantum Leap. Scott Bakula. Dean Stockwell. I love a lot of science fiction television (and movies) and as much as I love my Star Trek, Quantum Leap has been my favorite show since my introduction to it. I came to it towards the end of Season 2 originally, in fact, I still recall the…
Vinyl – Season 1
Vinyl, Season 1, recently got its home video release from HBO, and I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to take a look at it. Partly created by Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese, who also directed the two-hour pilot, the series is set in New York during the early 70s and follows…
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) – Rupert Wyatt
Ten years after the last film, Fox reinvigorated the Planet of the Apes series as I continue my exploration of it with the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. Featuring a stunning performance by mo-cap superstar, Andy Serkis, and emotional performances from both James Franco, and John Lithgow, the film gets the series back on track after…
The Mind Reels 