Star Trekking: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 4 -“Orders of Magnitude”

 

Welcome back to Star Trekking, my regular blog berth for my Star Trek fandom.

This week brings us to the 8th episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' 4th season. 

"Orders of Magnitude" gives us another step in the development of James T. Kirk into the leader he is destined to become.

For a guy who is not assigned to the Enterprise yet, boy, he does show up a lot.  But seriously, this is a good outing for a our future captain.

This episode gives us that standard Star Trek staple, the "Bad Admiral".   

The trope of the "Bad Admiral" got a lot of play on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

"Too Short a Season"

"Ensign Ro"

"The Drumhead"

"The Pegasus"

Just to name a few.  And the trope continued into the movies with Star Trek: Insurrection.

The "Bad Admiral" is usually a high ranking person in Starfleet with an absolute 100% certainty of the rightness of their cause even if that cause stands in defiance of the ideals of Starfleet and the Federation. 

Sometimes the "Bad Admiral" is just plain nuts.

Which brings us to this week's episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Capt. Pike, Commander Chin Riley along with Uhura, Chapel and Vulcan cadet Asha are on a side quest off the Enterprise.

(I'm not clear why the Captain AND the first officer had to BOTH be off the ship but hey, the original series did it all the freakin' time!) 

This team is checking into an SOS on a distant and mostly barren world.  Only to find themselves in a trap laid by some rogue Andorian pirates engaged in some decidedly illegal arms sales.  

But that's the B plot.

Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, an admiral has arrived that has the crew squeeing with fangoodber glee.  When he was Captain of the starship Constitution, Admiral Simon Reeger was a hero of the Klingon war, fighting off an assault by 4 Klingon warships all by his damn self.  

Reeger has arrived to commandeer the Enterprise for an urgent mission.  He's tracking a cloaked ship that staged an attack on a Federation outpost that killed 5 million people. The ion trail will soon dissipate so:

• Reeger is taking command of the Enterprise NOW!
• The Enterprise is leaving to track the enemy vessel NOW!
• And something other 3rd thing right NOW! 

Reeger assigns the visiting Jim Kirk as his first officer. Jim's dad, George, was Reeger's first officer on the Constitution and the admiral seems to take some perverse pleasure by shitting all over the senior Kirk's reputation.  

There is a lot about Reeger that sets me on edge from jump. His drastic swings between gregarious familiarity and ball busting brusqueness, his frequent goddam passive aggressive manipulation of the bridge crew. 

Jim Kirk knows something is not right with this bastard.  And those doubts are crystalized when Reeger makes a very drastic decision.

The cloaked ship has entered a planet's atmosphere and can no longer be tracked.  To ensure the enemy vessel does not leave the planet. Reeger invokes General Order 24.

General Order 24 is the destruction of an entire planet.  

Jim has to play beat the clock and convince the crew that Reeger is fucking nuts and needs to be removed from command.  And NOT blow up a damn planet.  

Which is quite frankly harder than it should be because Reeger is so frickin' obvious koo-koo for cocoa puffs. 

What follows is Kirk using all his skills, courage and more than a little bit of guile to stop Reeger's myopic quest to stop an alien invader even at the cost of innocent lives.

Meanwhile, back with the the B-plot, the Andorian pirates seem to have the upper hand.  They have injured Asha, the Vulcan cadet; she will die if they can't get her to the medical help she needs soon. Asha's mentor, Uhura, is feeling particularly guilty for bringing Asha on the away mission and despite Pike's orders not to do so, Uhura agrees to help the Andorians in their schemes.

Don't worry: Uhura has a plan! And she and the plan kick all sorts of ass! 

For her efforts, Uhura is awarded a promotion to lieutenant junior-grade after being an ensign for little more than 2 years.

To quote Wrenn Simms, wife of Keith R.A. DeCandido, "SUCK IT, HARRY KIM!"

(Harry Kim spent seven years on Star Trek: Voyager stuck at the rank of Ensign.)   

"Orders of Magnitude" is a great spotlight for legacy characters Uhura and Kirk. 

The mystery of the cloaked invader is not resolved within the episode but the evidence  suggests we're dealing with an advance foray by the Romulans before their next incursion in the original series "Balance of Terror".  

There was another question in my mind that was not resolved.  Reeger was accompanied by a female assistant who was always lurking in the background, never saying anything. 

There she is lurking behind Kirk and Ortegas.  

I kept waiting for some shoe to drop that she was up to something. Like she was some kind of mind controlling shape shifter alien who was making Reeger act crazy or some shit like that. 

But no. She was just...  there. Always there. Always watching.

Keith R.A. DeCandido didn't mention her in his blog post. Nor did anyone bring her up anywhere else I looked.

So my questions about her were just mine, I suppose.

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As part of the 60th Anniversay celebration of Star Trek, The Price Is Right presented a Star Trek themed episode with Drew Carey and the TPIR gang clad in Trekkian regalia, Trek themed games and prizes and an appearance by Rebecca Romijin and Ethan Peck.

It was kind of dumb fun with Ethan and Rebecca having a blast introducing the showcase prizes. Drew and the announcer engaged in a lot of groan worthy Trek based puns.

I sucked at guessing prices because man, shit costs too much now! One woman won a pair of sunglasses with a retail price of $1,900! Nearly TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS for sunglasses?!?!

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On the subject of StarTrek's 60th, click here for a very well written post by Kevin Church about his discovery of and passion for Star Trek.   

That is that for this week's Star Trekking.

Until next week, remember to live long and prosper, y'all!  

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Later today, we take a brief break with Doctor Who!

And tomorrow: BLOG POST#5000! 

What will that be all about? Your guess is as good as mine.

My writing staff is working on it now.

"OH SHIT! THAT'S DUE TOMORROW!?!?!"

StarTrekking: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 4 - “Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass"

 

And we're back with more Star Trekking as we Trek through season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We're up to episode 7 of season 4 ,  “Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass".

Captain Pike wakes up to find out life on the Enterprise is a soap opera.

Literally a soap opera.

What the hell? Another damn gimmick episode? Really?

Well, yeah. But bear with it. The story has some compelling places to go and the gimmick helps to get us there.

So here's the deal, Sparky.

The cosmic entity who may or may not be a Q (It's a Q) who may or may not be Trelane (it's Trelane) who bedevilled the Enterprise in season 3 ("Wedding Bell Blues") is back, played by Rhys Darby.

This being who we will call "Trelane" is on board the Enterprise to finish a school assignment.

Who is what to do how why now?

Trelane is in what we will call "Q School" and his homework assignment is to present a paper on "Humans: Just What Is Their Deal Anyway".  

To facilitate that assignment, Trelane has altered reality to play out like a soap opera. 

Everyone is acting weird. Except for Pike who for reasons of plot is the only one not caught up in this hyper reality filled with such nonsense as super amnesia, space madness, secret children (Uhura is Pike's daughter) and evil twins (Ethan Peck has double duty as Spock and Sybok).  Everyone is being melodramatic.

Basically, Pike is like Deadpool, aware his reality is fictional.

Pike questions why everyone keeps pausing for dramatic effect before finishing a sentence. 

He also hears the music stings when anyone says something particularly dramatic.  

For everyone on the Enterprise, this is just... life.  Except for Pike who sees the soap opera absurdity of it all.  

Trelane is puzzled as well.  Everyone is playing their parts in this melodrama but Pike insists on going off script. And his story arc keeps going to places Trelane does not anticipate.

Like when Pike's daughter Juliet shows up.

Who is what to do how why now?

Trelane is all "Wait! Since when did Pike have a daughter?" 

To answer that, we have to go back to the season 3 finale, "New Life and New Civilizations".  Before Marie Batel, Pike's girlfriend, evolved into some kind of energy thingy to be locked into an eternal battle against evil to save the universe or something, Marie took Pike through a future where the two of them got to live their lives.  They built a home together and had a daughter named Juilet and got to live out their lives into old age.  

After living that whole lifetime together, Marie did her thing and went off to fight evil for eternity. Or something. It was sad.

Pike had made peace with the loss of Marie.  However he has not made peace with the loss of that alternative lifetime.  He has not made peace with the loss of his daughter Juliet.

Through the cliches and conventions of TV soap opera, Pike, La'An, M'Benga, Ortegas and Uhura are forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about themselves and their unresolved traumas.   

Before we get to the serious culmination of the episode, we do have a lot a fun with playing with soap opera tropes: pensive pauses, dramatic music stings, tight zoom in shots, preposterous plot twists and more.

If the soap opera comparisons were not obvious enough, the role of the ship's counselor is played by Deidre Hall who is most famous for her iconic role of Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives.

Her second most famous role was as the star of Electra Woman and Dyna Girl.   

ELECTRA WOW!! 

Bellows is a post credits scene featuring the characters of "Days Of Our Enterprise". 

That's is that for today.

Live long and prosper, y'all and keep on trekkin'!  And enjoy your "Shakey Box"! 

StarTrekking: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 4 - “Off-Hour"

So we're halfway throught season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds so let's take stock of the first 5 episodes.

#5 - "Human Best Friend"

This is the first true mis-fire of the season so far. Other than furthering the relationship of Ortegas & Scotty, the episode offers little of value and the broad comedy of having the entire cast be intoxicated falls flat.

#4 - "The Griffin Incident"

I feel a little bad for ranking this so low as it a well made horror tale, something that is atypical for Star Trek. But I have to admit that this sort of thing is not in my wheelhouse.  

#3 - "Level-Five Transporter Accident"

I know, I know, the infamous puppet episode. Whatever the question of whether this should have even happened or how it happened, the thing is I like the Muppets and Jim Henson's Creature Shop does an amazing job with the puppets on this episode and what can I say? Muppets are in my wheelhouse.

#2 - "Valles Marineris"

I'm a little surprised I'm ranking this at #2. I mean, it had spacey-wacey, timey-wimey and a classic Star Trekkina moral dilemma at it's core. 

#1 - "A Case of Chiaroscuro"

What can I say? My love of classic black & white film noir and anything that puts the spotlight on Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley has my attention.  Yeah, doing the episode in B&W is a gimmick but damn, it's a gimmick done very well in terms of story and style. 

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That's all in the past.  This week was episode 6 as we move into the back half of season 4.

"Off-Hour" presents a tense and frantic episode as the Enterprise runs into some unexpected cosmic hooziwhatzit that cripples the ship and puts everyone in danger.

The Enterprise is not dead in the water but caught in a sort of warp slipstream in an ever increasing acceleration towards the warp threshold. When the Enterprise hits that threshold, the whole ship will fly apart.

(Or the crew will be turned into salamanders. Click here for more about that.)  

The obvious call back for Trekkers is to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Disaster" where the Enterprise runs into some unexpected cosmic hooziwhatzit that cripples the ship and puts everyone in danger. Which I wrote about here. 

The biggest medical emergency in "Disaster" is Worf has to serve as midwife when Keiko O'Brien goes into labor.

In "Off Hour".  Nurse Christine Chapel, faced with diminishing resources and time, has to scramble for solutions when Dr. Joseph M'Benga gets cut in half!  

OK, that's some serious shit! 

It's a very powerful moment for Chapel who has not gotten a lot to do this season.  

This episode hurts a lot of people besides M'Benga: 

• Pike gets electrocuted.
• Una's leg is shattered.
• Spock and La'An get zapped with lots of radiation.

Of particular interest in this episode is Scotty's development. Far from the "miracle worker" of the original series, Scotty is overwhelmed by the rapidity of the Enterprise's collapse. For every one thing he fixes, 3 other things break.  

The older Scotty we know has an abiding love for the Enterprise.

Young Scotty is pissed that this bucket of bolts is actively trying to kill him. 

Pelia guides Scotty towards thinking that starships are capable of miracles.

There's a line from Scotty's appearance in the TNG episode "Relics" where he tells Capt. Picard, "I could tell you the speed that we were traveling by the feel of the deckplates."

In "Off-Hour", with the Enterprise rapidly approaching it's breaking point, Scotty reaches out and silently places his hand on a deck plate, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he reports to Capt. Pike, "The Enterprise will hold. She'll keep us alive."

It's a powerful moment towards this Scotty becoming the Scotty we will come to know, the miracle worker engineer. 

I know this fan boy got a shiver up his spine at that moment.  

For everyone bugged by puppets, horror, comedy and black & white, "Off Hour" is a return to form: the crew of the Enterprise being smart and brave, sciencing the shit out of an intractable problem.

That is that for this week's Star Trekking.

Until next time, live long and prosper, y'all! 

StarTrekking: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 4 - “Level Five Transporter Accident"

When I first heard about a year ago that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would have a puppet episode, I FELT some concern about that.

WARNING: This post will employ several labored puns involving the word "felt". Because puppets are, you know, made of... felt. Get it?  

While SNW is known for taking some big swings (crossover with Lower Decks, musical episode, low budget 1960's sci-fi, etc), it FELT like doing an episode with puppets might be going too far.

Well, with “Level Five Transporter Accident", the moment was here to finally deal with the puppets whether I FELT like it or not. So let's take a leap of faith and throw ourselves into this episode.

It's time for The Great Star Trek Puppet Caper! 

An experiment by Scotty and Spock to expand the range of the transporters FELT like a good idea at the time.  Using a childhood puppet called "Little Ricky", Scotty aims to test the transporter to beam the puppet over a distance of 30,000 kilometers.

Spock is off the Enterprise in a shuttle, monitoring a relay bouy used in the experiment.  Something goes awry and everyone on the Enterprise finds themselves being beamed away and returned as puppets.

Scotty explains: “Something about the puppet’s quantum particulates caused the energy in the transporter to expand outward across the ship.”

Ah, you just gotta love Star Trek technobabble.  

Spock is the only one still in humanoid form and has to do all the work of running the starship as puppets... can't.

Lacking skeletons and muscles, puppets can't handle even the most mundane tasks like pushing buttons without difficulty.

You may ask, "Hey, if they lack skeletons and muscles, how do they move about or sit upright?"  And I will reply "You ask too many questions!" 

OK, I suppose I could come up with a less snarky response if I FELT like it.  But I don't.  

Pike is able to get a communication to Admiral April who is trying to wrap his head around this situation.

APRIL:  "So you're a puppet?"

PIKE: "Yes!"

APRIL: "So who's controlling you?"

PIKE: "I'M CONTROLLING ME!"

I can understand why the Admiral FELT confused.

(No, I will not stop the "felt" puns!)  

April says a ship is on the way to help but it's a couple of days out from Enterprise.  

So if everyone can just keep their heads down and stay out of trouble until...

Oh SHIT! It's an Orion pirate ship!

SIDEBAR:  These Orions! I KNOW this guys! (Yes, I FELT like I recognized them somehow!)  It's driving me crazier than I already am! Who are these guys?!?!

The Orion captain is played by Rachael Harris! OMG, guys! It's Dr. Linda Martin from Lucifer. Man, I hadn't thought about Lucifer in ages and it was such an integral part of our TV viewing around here. I miss that show! 

The Orion captain's second in commond is portrayed by Joe Lo Truglio!  Yep, that's Det. Charles Boyle on Brooklyn Nine-Nine! Man, it's old school week here on the Tuesday TV Touchbase!

Let me say that even as a puppet, Commander Una Chin-Riley still has beautiful hair.  

Am I having lustful thoughts about a puppet? I'm not sure why I FELT I should share that information.

The Orion pirates board the ship to steal it since their sensors only register one single life form on the Enterprise, Spock.

So the puppets, in addition to lacking bones and muscles, also lack circulatory, respiratory and nerve systems that would be recognized by sensors as biological life forms.  But they are able to think, talk and move and... and... and...  HOW DO THEY DO THAT?!?!

So... many... questions.

The Orions capture Spock and take over the ship as the puppets are well...   you know... puppets. 

Just pick 'em up and toss 'em.

Capt. Pike has the epiphany that his crew is failing to stop the Orions because they are are trying to fight back like humans and the key to success is to embrace their puppetness.  

Long story made short: the puppets rescue Spock, defeat the Orions, take back the ship, Spock wakes up and....

And...

Spock. Wakes. Up? 

NO! Do not tell me! Do NOT tell that it was....

IT WAS ALL A DREAM?  REALLY?!?!?

Yes, Scotty's transporter experiment did get all bolloxed up but only Spock was caught up in it and has been in a coma and....

IT WAS ALL A DREAM?!?! Oh HELL NO! We can't be going there. 

I should've realized.  I FELT like the writers might go in that direction.  

I suppose the "it was all a dream" ending does effectively address all the questions about puppets being alive AND not alive at the same time.  

And essentially this is Spock's story as he evolves from the "human curious" Spock of SNW to the  "dedicated Vulcan" Spock of TOS.  His subconscious creating a scenario of puppets and what not serve as an effective metaphor for his changing yadda yadda yadda .... IT WAS ALL A DREAM?

At the end of “Level Five Transporter Accident", I wasn't sure how I FELT about that "it was all a dream" resolution. On one hand, it such an overused cliche. On the other hand, I can't deny it does tie a pretty effective bow on all the came before.

All in all, putting aside any qualms about the ending, I think The Great Star Trek Puppet Caper is a win. 

Next week, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds enters the 2nd half of it's 4th season. 

Until next time, live long and prosper.

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Why are the puppets still here?   

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...

...

I FELT like that was a pretty good blog post.  

Star Trekking In Black & White

 

Much like the mythology of Spider-Man did with Spider-Noir, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ventures forth into a black and white world of light and shadow in "A Case of Chiaoscuro".

I gotta say that Rebecca Romijn certainly brings that film noir femme fatale smolder in classic film black and white.

By the time this posts, I expect I will have actually seen "A Case of Chiaoscuro" to find out what the heck is going on, why is everything in black and white?

Is film noir Pike's hair even taller in black and white?

As I am writing this, I have not seen the episode. Sorry but I'm still in recovery mode from the circumstances that caused this blog to go on a week long hiatus. (I'll cover that ground in a few days.) 

More film noir goodness with Una Chin-Riley, Uhura and M'Benga.

For a splash of color, here is the poster for a film called Femme Fatale (2202) which starred Rebecca Romijn and was by all accounts not very good. 

OK, so sorry for cheating out on the weekly Star Trek post again. 

I hope to get back to regular writing on this fershlugginer blog.

Live long and prosper, y'all!  

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Oh, one more thing. I snapped this photo in a local Wal-Mart parking lot recently,  

An NCC 1701 registery and a Starfleet command sticker? I may be wrong but I think this jeep might belong to a Star Trek fan.

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UPDATE: I have in fact now seen "A Case of Chiaoscuro" and I enjoyed it quite a lot.  

So did Keith DeCandido and you can read about it here.  

Bananas For Star Trek

 Normally when you see this...

...you know it's time for my Star Trekking post.

But when you see this....

...you know it's a me a begging off a doing a post.

So here's the deal, Sparky! 

Yes, I did watch "Human Best Friend", the 3rd episode of season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

But if you wanna read about it, I'm gonna let Keith R.A. DeCandido do the heavy lifting on this and have you click here.

SPOILER: he didn't like it.  To be honest,I'm not sure I did either.

Tomorrow is normally the weekly political post about whatever goddam thing Donald Trump did this week that pissed me off to write a blog post about it.

I'm going to turn that job over to Dave Columbo. Click on the link to his You Tube page to look for his most recent edition of "The Week In Trump".  

Gee! How long is this banana break?

I'm eyeballing the Tuesday TV Touchbase as I really want to write about the return of The Librarians: The Next Chapter.

Just in case I don't, go to here for a link to a Season 2 trailer.

I have enjoyed what I've seen so far.  

What pray tell is going on here with the blog?

As I write this, I'm feeling a bit tired and unfocused while dealing with some distractions here at the Fortress of Ineptitude. 

So I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You is going to be in a bit of a holding pattern for a day or two or.... I'm not sure.

I am sure it'll all be fine and I'll be back to blathering about nonsense and shenanigans in short order.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.  

StarTrekking: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 4 - “The Griffin Incident”

We're up to the 2nd episode of the 4th season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  

The innocuous, mundane title of "The Griffin Incident" belies the intensity, the horror that awaits.

Seriously...

What the hell was that?

On a shuttle trip from a Starfleet conference, La'an, Spock and Jim Kirk happen across the USS Griffin.  The Griffin is a bit of a legend in Starfleet, having vanished years prior under mysterious circumstances.

La'an, Spock and Kirk beam over to find out what's what.

Then shit gets weird.

The trio are haunted by various "ghosts" who torment and torture them based on their respective fears.

Kirk is haunted by the persistent crying of a baby which Kirk thinks is his infant son David.  Jim is estranged from Carol Marcus and has been feeling bad for missing out on time with his son.

Spock is bedeviled by T'Pring who is threatening to cut out his pesky Vulcan bits.  Like lobbing off the tips of his pointy ears.

And there's La'an who has uncovered logs made by Harper, the Griffin’s security chief.  Harper was all stressed out that the ship's crew is descending into madness and hurting each other and there's fuck all she can do about.  The Griffin's descent into madness feeds Harper's own madness.

And Harper's obsessions become La'an's. To the point La'an brutally stabs Kirk, miraculously not killing him.   

After last week's episode where La'an punched a dinosaur, she's becoming concerned her augmented DNA is beginning to assert itself.  She is a Noonien-Singh, a line known for it's world conquering tendencies.  

Long story made short, the Enterprise is able to rescue the trio and while Kirk and Spock have made it past their respective encounters with their demons of fear and guilt, La'an remains haunted by Harper.   

After last week's full on sci-fi geek out with space stuff AND time travel, "The Griffin Incident" is a full tilt journey into horror, a genre that Star Trek has attempted before with varying degrees of unsuccess.  This episode of SNW rates, IMHO, as a success.

I for one was horrifed.

SIDE NOTE: the episode was written by Robbie Thompson who knows a thing or two about horror as a writer for Supernatural.

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Since this is the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, that means it's the 30th anniverary of the 30th anniversary. 

30 years ago, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine celebrated the 30th anniversary with "Trial and Tribblelations" which saw the DS9 crew integrated into the TOS episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".

Star Trek: Voyager joined the 30th birthday festivities with "Flashback" which interacted with events from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country with Tuvok serving on the Excelsior with Captain Sulu.

Below is a short video that looks back on these two episodes. 

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Next week's SNW episode is "Human Best Friend".  After the moral quandries of episode 1 and the horrors of episode 2, I hope we're in for something a bit more fun.

Until next time, live long and prosper.

StarTrekking: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 4 - “Valles Marineris”

Welcome to this week's edition of Star Trekking, my blog space dedicated to my Star Trek fandom.

After several weeks of indulging in nostalgia with look backs at Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation, this time out we get some ALL NEW Trek.

The return of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.   

There is more than a little bit of burden on SNW as it begins it's 4th season. After two strong seasons, the 3rd season was not as solid and left a lot to be desired.

“Valles Marineris”, the season 4 premiere, gives some strong indication that the good ship Enterprise is back on track. 

• Captain Pike rides a horse! 
• Pelia drops another Doctor Who reference!!  
• There's cool space shit!! (An interstellar squall!!) 
• There's wibbly wobbly time travel!!! 
• Number One, Ortegas, and La’an fight a goddam dinosaur!!!
• La’an punches a raptor!!!!
• We get a new building block in the Star Trek mythos!!! 
• The Enterprise crew faces a terrible moral and ethical dliemna!!
• A whole planet blows up real good!!! 
• I must repeat: Pike rides a horse and La’an punches a raptor!

People, are you not frickin' entertained?!?!  

Kick Ass Action Girls of Star Trek 

The mission statement for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was to get back to the "planet of the week" structure of the original series. SNW sort of strayed from that plan in season 3 but  “Valles Marineris” marks a return to form for season 4.

Even if one of the strange new worlds turns out to be Earth, 65 millions years in the past.   

And the other strange new world is Mars.  

And instead of an asteroid belt, there is a third M-class planet between Mars and Jupiter, Dol’Drm. 

And Dol’Drm and Mars are at war.    

The Martians steal anti-matter from the Enterprise to use against the Dol’Drm homeworld.  

Well, that some serious temporal prime directive fuckery right there.  The Enterprise needs to stop Mars from using future tech to destroy the Dol’Drm.

Until Pike realizes something very crucial and orders the Enterprise to stand down.

The asteroid belt came from somewhere.

And thus we get the moral and ethical quandry facing Pike and the crew.

Yeah, this episode is filled with cool sci-fi stuff and great action sequences. (I cannot stress this enough: La’an stops a raptor by punching it!)  

But it's the gordian time travel knot at the center of the narrative and the resulting hard choices thrust upon Pike and his crew is what makes for the best Star Trek drama.  

This kind of though provoking philosophical problem is where Star Trek shines.

Next week, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns with episode 2 of season 4,  "The Griffin Incident".

I have NO idea what we're in for.

We'll find out together in next week's Star Trekking.

Star Trekking With Doctor Who

It's another edition of Star Trekking, my regular blog post devoted to my Star Trek fandom.

As you can see from the additional graphic below, my other fandom is visiting today, Doctor Who.

Today's topic is Star Trek crossing over with Doctor Who?

Can it happen?

According to Akiva Goldsman, showrunner for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, he was certainly trying to make it happen.  

In ST: SNW season 3's "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail", there is a blink and you'll miss it image of the TARDIS caught with the Enterprise by a scavenger ship.

Also the Enterprise's engineer Commander Pelia (Carol Kane) obliquely referenced accompanying a "time travelling doctor".

While discussing the Doctor's Easter Egg appearance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Goldsman said he had been actively working with Russell T. Davies on pulling together a crossover.  

Goldsman said, “We were trying with Russell to do a crossover. We were for years. Again, these are the near misses, but we got not unclose, and we had some really cool conversations about it. And so, certainly in our view, I mean, Pelia traveled in the TARDIS. Why not?"

Russell T Davies has expressed his desire to make a crossover happen: "We would love to announce a crossover between Star Trek and Doctor Who!"   

"If anyone can make that happen... it’s fans that can make that happen! Two great big broadcasters, two great big empires – and their lawyers! – would have to come together, but we can do that, can’t we?"

Well, no! 

Does the BBC and Paramount not want our money? 

With both Star Trek AND Doctor Who not in active production, the chance of any kind of in canon crossover is very remote at this time.  

Where TV shows may not enter, comic books will not fear to tread.  

And where comics book dare to tred, some questionable fan fiction can certainly muck about.  

In the Doctor Who episode "Space Babies", in which the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) declares to companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) that they should visit the Enterprise sometime.

Ruby knows them as characters in a TV show.  The Doctor knows them to be real. 

That was in 2024.  

But 11 years before that, this was sort of the premise of a little something-something I wrote and posted back on Sunday, May 26,2013.  

The Doctor Meets Captain Kirk

The Doctor Meets Captain Kirk

______________________________________________

Scene opens: the TARDIS console room as the 10th Doctor 

makes adjustments and Rose scrolls through data on a monitor.

Doctor: So, Rose, has the TARDIS database provided any inspiration where...or when...we should go next?

Rose: It's so overwhelming, all these choices. Still, after that

 mess with the Ood and the Beast, I think I can narrow down our search towards a...little...rest and relaxation.

Doctor: (leans against the console with a blissful smile) Ah, 

rest and relaxation. (Then he makes a face) Nyah! C'mon, Rose! Find some place exciting.

Rose: How about this place? Dahlforius Six seems interesting.

Doctor: Oh! Oh! Yes, Rose, I haven't been to Dahlforius Six in...in...centuries! Lots of fun stuff to do!

Rose: "Fun stuff", Doctor?

Doctor (pulls back a bit on his excitement): I can do fun stuff if I want to.

Rose (looking back at the read out): What are Vapor Jet Falls?

Doctor: Oh, what a rush, Rose! It is the most amazing ride! 

(pauses a second) Well, you just have to watch out for the odd mountain.

Rose: Odd mountain?

Doctor: There's this mountain that's quite...odd. Has some 

kind of personality disorder.

Rose: Doctor, how can a mountain..?

Suddenly the TARDIS lurches sideways as the time rotor slows down.

Rose and the Doctor (standing wobbily before falling to the 

floor): Whooaaaa!

Rose (slowly picking herself up off the floor): What was that, Doctor?

Doctor (springing to his feet and lunging towards the TARDIS console): Not sure. Finding out. It's OK, everything's going to be just fine.

Rose: I'm fine, Doctor. Don't worry about (she stops when she realizes the Doctor was talking to the TARDIS as he strokes the console) ...okay.

Doctor (still talking to the TARDIS): C'mon, old girl, what's got 

you in such a tizzy? Oh, there's the trouble.

Rose: What is it?

Doctor: Appears we're in the wake of a passing spaceship 

travelling at warp speed. Oh, warp speed? How quaint. Unfortunately, the TARDIS's temporal phase harmonics were 

out of sync with the bisecting warp field differential resulting in a spatial temporal incursion...

Rose: Doctor, can you put all that in English, please?

The Doctor turns to Rose as if to speak, then pauses for a 

moment's thought.

Doctor: Ah, no. No, I can't. Sorry. Anyway, it won't take long to 

get the TARDIS in proper working order but we will need to 

land for a few minutes. I can coax a short hop out of her.

Rose: Where're we going to land?

Doctor: Oh, I was thinking about...borrowing a lift from that 

passing spaceship. Well, they...whoever they are...caused all this trouble. It seems only fair.

Rose: We could be heading for more trouble.

Doctor (grinning broadly): Rose, we're always heading for more trouble. Still, a few minutes rest and we'll be on our way. I'll make sure to materialize somewhere inconspicuous.

As the TARDIS dematerializes where it was floating in space, the scene shifts ahead to catch up with the spaceship.

The ship...is the Starship Enterprise, model 1701, flagship of 

the Federation. And our point of view passes through the top 

of the ship and on to the bridge. Captain Kirk is signing off on a computer pad as Scotty enters the bridge.

Scotty: Aye, Captain, that strange disruption in the warp field 

has gone away.

Kirk: Thank you, Mister Scott. Mister Spock! Analysis!

Spock: There is very little to give, Captain. The sensors 

detected a faint pulse of energy that I did not recognize. 

Whatever it was, it has vanished completely from our sensors.

Kirk: So maybe we just a hit a pebble in the road.

Spock: A pebble in the...

Kirk: Never mind, Spock. Mr. Sulu, steady as she goes, 

warp factor 2.

Sulu: Yes, Captain, warp factor two.

Kirk: Uhura, send a message to...Starfleet Command that the Enterprise is.....

Spock: Captain! The sensors are reading that unknown energy again. It's a stronger reading this time. And (Spock looks up from his station) it is heading for the Enterprise!

Kirk: Mister Sulu, screen on.

Sulu: Screen on, sir.

Kirk: Spock, can we...lock in coordinates, get a visual on this energy?

Spock: Captain, I surmise that...

Uhura: Captain, what is that strange noise?

Kirk: That...noise! Coming from everywhere...and nowhere. I've...never heard anything like it.

Spock: Captain, it seems the source of the energy..

Uhura: Captain Kirk! Look!

By the ship's flight console, the bridge crew sees a shimmering of color and light, feel a wind that is not entirely made of air and the growing sound that defies their ability to describe it. The shimmering becomes a shape and the noise suddenly ends with a 

loud "thunk".

Spock: The source of the energy has come here.

On the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, there now stood a quaintly designed blue box.

Sulu: "Police Box"? What's that?

Kirk (turning towards Spock): Analysis?

Spock (arching an eyebrow): Your guess is, as they say on 

Earth, as good as mine.

And inside the blue box, the TARDIS, the Doctor runs both 

his hands through his unruly hair while looking at the 

monitor showing the Enterprise bridge crew as Rose smirks, 

her back to the monitor.

Rose: Somewhere...inconspicuous, you said.

Doctor: Yeah, well, you know.

Rose: So, this is the part where I say, "What now, Doctor?"

Doctor: Well, the TARDIS still needs a little more time to 

finish recalibrating. And since I'm not familiar with this 

culture and I have no idea what their weaponry is...

Rose: You're going to talk to them.

Doctor (throwing on his long coat over his suit): I'm going to 

talk to them. The TARDIS only needs a few minutes more 

but there's no telling what kind of trouble they might cause out 

there in that time unless someone comes out and says 

"Hello". Rose, stay here. (The Doctor exits.)

Rose: Yeah, like that'll happen. Let me grab my jacket and...

(Rose looks at the monitor and sees the bridge crew for the first time.) They look familiar. Wait a minute! (Rose eyes go wide.) 

No way!

Meanwhile outside the TARDIS, the Doctor slips through the 

front door and is immediately greeted by Starfleet officers 

aiming phasers at him.

Doctor (grinning widely): Oh, hello!

Kirk: Who are...

Doctor (immediately starts roaming around the bridge): Wow! 

What a spaceship you've got here! Lots of lights and colors! Gleaming metal!

Kirk: Will you...

Doctor: Very sleek! Now this is a proper spaceship! Oh, some 

of the relics I've been on lately...

Kirk (very forcefully): WHO are you and WHAT are you doing on MY starship?
 
Doctor (stops, drops the grin): Oooh, sorry. I tend to gab a bit. 

I'm the Doctor.

Kirk: Doctor who?

Doctor (grinning again): Just the Doctor. (Pulls out psychic 

paper) You will see my credentials are in order.

Sulu: Captain, he's with the Senior Admiral's office!

Spock: No, Mr. Sulu, he is not.

Uhura: But we can see his identification...

Spock: Our visitor is holding a piece of paper with psychic 

attributes somehow imbedded in...

Rose (comes out of the TARDIS, excited, looks wide eyed at Spock): It IS you!

Kirk: And who...is this?

Doctor: Er, Rose. Rose Tyler. Sorry. Rose, I said to stay...

Rose (pointing at Spock): But that's Spock!

Doctor (puzzled): What? Who?

Rose: Yes, that's Spock and that's Uhura and Scotty and Sulu. 

And the Captain of the Startship Enterprise, James T Kirk.

Kirk: How do you know who...we are?

Doctor (equally incredulous): Yes, that's what I like to know. 

We just got here.

Rose (exasperated with the Doctor): They're from the TV 

show, Star Trek. Mickey and I used to watch it all the time 

when we were kids.

Scotty: TV show? What pray tell are you talking about, lassie!

Sulu: Could this be a Romulan plot?

Spock: Not very likely, Mr. Sulu.

Doctor: This is NOT a television program, Rose.

Rose (rolling her eyes): Of course not, Doctor. No cameras, no studio lights. But still...

Kirk: Doctor, I want some straight answers and...I want 

them now.

Doctor: A most sensible suggestion, Captain...?

Rose: Kirk.

Doctor: Yes, Kirk! Well, Captain Kirk, we're just travelers and 

our vessel, my TARDIS, was damaged when....wait! 

(looks back at Rose) Did I just say Captain Kirk?

Rose: Yeah!

Doctor: Wow! Rose, you were right! They are...

Kirk: Doctor?!

Doctor: Yes, right, straight answers. Well...Captain Kirk...

we're just travelers and.... (The Doctor suddenly moves 

forward and shakes Kirk's hand) Oh, I must say what a thrill 

and an honor to meet-

Suddenly the TARDIS makes a quick VWORP noise and 

the light on top starts to flash.

Rose: Um, Doctor?

Doctor: Oh good! The TARDIS has finished recalibrating! 

Sorry for barging in like this. We'll just run along and 

I'll have this off your carpeting...ooh, a starship with carpeting...

Rose (smiling brightly and waving): Bye. It was fantastic meeting you for real. Oh, Mr. Spock?

Spock: Yes?

Rose (gives the Vulcan salute): Live long and prosper!

Spock gives the salute back, with a nod. Rose smiles and winks, then goes inside the TARDIS, leaving Spock arching a bemused eyebrow.

Doctor: Yeah, what she said. Alon-zy! (And he ducks inside the TARDIS which begins to dematerialize, then vanishes.)

Kirk: What...what is...going on here, Spock?

Spock: Inconclusive. But I estimate the probability at 92% 

that the Doctor and Rose were in fact who they said they were: merely a pair of travelers who were temporarily sidetracked 

to our ship. And quite probably, they were also...

Scotty: Bonkers?

Uhura: Mad?

Sulu: Off their rockers?

Spock: I believe the human idiom that comes closest to fairly 

and accurately describing their mental state would be..koo-koo.

Kirk: Koo-koo, Mister Spock?

Spock: It is the most logical assessment I can make

Uhura: Do you wish me to send word to Starfleet Command 

about-

Kirk: No, I...don't think so.

Spock: Captain, I am fascinated by their assertion that the 

Doctor and Rose recognized us from a fictional entertainment program.

Kirk: I...would not worry about that, Spock. As you say...koo-koo. In fact, I think...it might be best if we ...don't...mention this again.

Whole bridge crew murmurs their ascent.

Spock: A pebble in the road, Captain?

Kirk: Yes, Mr. Spock. Just a pebble in the road. Full ahead, Mr. Sulu; warp factor three.

Inside the TARDIS.

Rose: Doctor, how can there really be a Captain Kirk and an Enterprise and a Mister Spock in real life when they're just 

fictional characters on a TV show?

Doctor: Well, quantum variations in temporal mechanics 

in parallel to...

Rose: Just say you don't know.

Doctor (lowers voice as if embarrassed): I don't know.

Rose: Doctor, I was wondering: is it possible that somewhere 

our lives are just a TV show?

Doctor: What? A TV show about a daft old man in a box 

travelling randomly through time and space with a young 

female companion while always getting into trouble? 

(The Doctor pauses a moment. Then...) Nyah! Who would 

want to watch that?

Voice over: Annnnd..cut!

Scene shifts to a man with a head set standing next to a camera surrounded by more cameras, other TV equipment and various workers.

Director: And that's a wrap on another episode of Doctor Who. David and Billie, great job as always.

Billie: Thank you!

David (Scottish accent): Always a pleasure.

Director: Heads up, though. Russell's all frantic. Julie just 

told him we're over-budget on the last episode so Russell's 

doing a last minute re-write on the next one.

David: Uh oh! This won't be pretty!

Billie: Ooh boy! Russell and re-writes..brrrr! David, we 

best make ourselves scarce.

David: Right! Yeah, we can't stick around. I've got this...thing...

Billie: Yeah, me too. I've got a...thing too...

David & Billie: 'Bye!

David & Billie rush off in different directions as our view 

moves over to a cluster of equipment where, obscured from everyone else's view, is the Doctor and Rose.

Doctor (not happy): Well, that's rubbish! That...that doesn't even look like me!

Rose (also not happy): My butt is not that big.

Doctor: Well, you know what they say, Rose?

Rose: What's that, Doctor?

Doctor: That's show biz!

The Doctor aims his sonic screwdriver at the screen, then the screen goes black.

---fade out---

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For Doctor Who stuff, I've got a post forthcoming of Doctor Who Is CLASSIC! 

Jon Pertwee is the Doctor for one last epic adventure! 

It's "Planet of the Spiders!"

For Star Trek stuff, the 4th season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will premiere this week. 

The first episode “Valles Marineris” drops July 23rd.