Dark Reality

I'm not into TOS and have only seen a few episodes, but I do have an answer...

 

My father got me into Star Trek, but TNG, not TOS. I watched it with him when it was on, and later on my own, and of course reruns. In my father's movie collection, he had an episode of TOS on videotape (purchased, not taped). No others, and no TNG episodes. I asked him about it and he said it was the one TOS episode worth owning. I watched it, and it was pretty good... Easily as good as some of the movies and any TNG/DS9/VOY episode. "The City on the Edge of Forever" is the name of it. I'm pretty sure it's a double.

 

Since then, I've seen part of "The Tholian Web" on TV, and I just watched "Mirror, Mirror" because I heard that a bunch of DS9 episodes reference it.

 

One day I'll watch TOS straight through.

Oh yes it does... in the episode "Invasive Procedures", a crazy Trill forces Bashir at gunpoint to remove the Dax symbiont and give it to him... And it totally changes him. Jadzia says in the episode "Playing God" that if you have a weak mind, it will completely take over. The way I understand that aspect of it is Dax has its own personality, and Curzon and Jadzia had theirs before being joined, and when they joined, the personality of "Curzon Dax" was a little different from Curzon before Dax, same with Jadzia. And then of course the symbiont carries the memories. The symbiont and host share brain functions and memory functions, but if the link is severed, the symbiont keeps the memories, but the host does not (back to "Invasive Procedures", when Jadzia gets Dax back, the other Trill remembers nothing). So I can agree that she is herself and her own person, but Dax did introduce a change. But I wouldn't say the symbiont controls the host, either, it's just an influence. I believe this came up in "Playing God" as well. Yes! Jadzia explains how she was so shy before Dax and now she has all this confidence. It's changed her. B)

 

And... I forgot from my last post, but whoever said "The Maquis" was a good episode was right on! Damn, that was a good ep. Most doubles are going to be good, but I was just completely impressed with this one.

Data was a pretty tough act to follow, but I liked Seven a lot as well. I liked Hugh from TNG and was glad they carried the Borg liberation/individuality point out farther with Seven's character. As for Tuvok, what can I say? Vulcans are awesome.

 

I sort of agree about Kes. I liked her, but she started wearing out her welcome in the third season. If she had left in the second, maybe killed by the Kazon when they were all abandoned on the planet or something, it would have been a good end. (Yes, killed... the episode where she comes back as a goddess wasn't all that believable... though it was neat, the time travel aspect.) And Neelix always annoyed me (to an extent) until he started taking care of Naomi, and he started reminding me of me with my younger cousins.

 

I really like Jadzia. I didn't know it was Curzon. I hadn't seen it written, and was visualizing "Kurzon". But I think I understand the Curzon-Dax-Jadzia triangle. Ben and Curzon were friends who served together, but Curzon was under the influence of the Dax symbiont (sp?) as Jadzia is, so Curzon is part of Jadzia through Dax. So it puts a spin on Ben's relationship with Jadzia; on one hand she knows him better than anyone, including his wife when he was alive. And she still likes him, probably more than anyone else, it seems. They woudl make an... interesting... pair. And I can see her hooking up with Worf now. She really likes Klingons, from the large one at the Klingon restaurant to the three who she took a blood oath with as Curzon.

 

I'm really starting to like Gul Dukat. The Bajoran occupation aside, the past aside, the Cardassians we meet are for the most part cool.

 

I just finished the two-parter "The Maquis". First time I ever watched 5 Trek episodes in one day. I've done four several times, including a couple nights ago, a week or two ago... several times with Voyager. But never five. I'm not ready to say DS9 is my favorite, because TNG and Voyager are tied for that right now, but by season 7 I'll probably end up favoring DS9 for a few months and then end up where you are in your third paragraph, liking them all for different reasons. I suppose at that point I should watch TOS and ENT all the way through as well... I've only seen a few TOS episodes and the first part of the first ENT episode... Honestly I couldn't finish it.

I have some Final Fantasy wallpapers. B) (7 and 9 specifically... no that's not meant as a reference to Seven of Nine, though I just thought of that...). I might have one Evanescence wallpaper, but I doubt it... Like I said, I don't like wallpapers with people in them. I have about 3.5GB of wallpapers... at one point I downloaded a 2.8GB archive of thousands of wallpapers. But none of it was "copyrighted" stuff, e.g. Star Trek wallpapers. All photography or digital art.

 

Evanescence, huh? I hope you know they have more than two albums out. Heh heh heh... Wow, that's a gold mine if I've ever seen one! They have a previous album, 4 or 5 EPs, demos, songs not from an album or from a compilation.... Tons of stuff. They even have the esteemed notoriety of a rumor of a forbidden song. It's full of hot air -- just try researching it on Google -- but it's funny to think you have something you're not supposed to. In reality it's just a demo, just Amy Lee and the piano. There are three such songs, one being the "original" My Immortal.

 

Total thread hijack, but it's my thread and I like just the idea of introducing someone to a good band's unreleased stuff. I remember how excited I was when I first listened to all of it...

 

Further thread hijacking, I have a couple hundred homemade music videos, a lot with Final Fantasy, some with Evanescence, and some with both. The Final Fantasy X-2/demo of Whisper video ROCKS. (Except for the Japanese speaking at the end, and that it shows the end of the game.)

@SusanD, re:Paradise: No no no... here's what they should have done. Normal ending, but they also beam up the "box". Then Sisko forces her into it, locks it... then has O'Brien seal it and put life support on it... Then they beam it into space, put a tractor beam on it, and set a course for the nearest star, full impulse, dropping the tractor beam and pulling away at the last minute. B) For kicks, tape it and send it down to the planet. How's that for an "example"? Torture is barbaric and those who practice it deserve a taste of their own medicine.

 

//edit: Whoops, didn't see there was a page 2. I do that a lot on boards. Anyway...

 

I remember complaining (unfoundedly, now that I've seen it all) that Voyager didn't feature enough extras, since in reality the whole 150+ crew would be like family, not just the senior staff, and someone pointed out that Voyager used extras more than any other Trek. So it's possible he was stationed there, and would have never been seen or used. If he was never used as a character, I highly doubt you could point him out as an extra walking by... they would have just slipped him in there. Though I guess it could make sense that he was just passing through DS9 or took Naomi there to board Voyager, but really was stationed elsewhere. I suppose the specifics don't matter since this character is mentioned, never actually used and not "seen" in any episode. But I'm sure he would have "met" his daughter... in the episode when Neelix was handing out 3-minute comm rations for calling home, I can't think of anyone else Naomi would talk to... if she was in fact old enough to merit a ration. (Unless she gave hers away, a few characters did. Seven gave hers to Harry IIRC.)

 

...If I watch Voyager all the way through again and come up with more solid proof that Naomi's dad was stationed on DS9, I'm writing down the episode number/name and transcribing the conversation. Then I'm coming back to this thread...

 

Ahh, that's what I love about Star Trek, all this interconnecting stuff. Like how TNG passes the torch to DS9 with Picard and the Enterprise-D in the first DS9 episode and O'Brien and Worf as regulars, and then Voyager starts from DS9, and both DS9 and Voyager have plenty of references to TNG (some to DS9 in VOY).

 

Another "issue" I had with DS9 was that I really didn't "like" any of the characters, before I started watching it. Now... I like Sisko but still prefer Picard and Janeway. Picard's a given with me, and Janeway's just a matter of opinion. Ditto with Kira vs. Riker and Chakotay. Riker is the ultimate first officer, and Chakotay's almost as good, a little softer. Bashir clearly has more character than Crusher or The Doctor, but Doc's well... cool in his own way. I have to admit I like Quark more than Neelix (that's not hard). After that, it's hard to draw comparisons. Odo is alright, but I'd like to see him be sneaky more. I love when you think something's out of place, and it melts into Odo. O'Brien's cool... they do a lot more with his character here than they did on TNG. Did he have (much of) a character on TNG? But the character on DS9 I really, really like is Jadzia Dax. Not only is she good looking, I like her calm and collected demeanor. She has the wisdom of the 7-8 lives Dax has lived, but the energy of the 28-year-old Jadzia. Really interesting, almost inspiring character, and probably my favorite female Star Trek character. Though that's not hard... there are so few solid, good female characters versus the number of males. Dax, Seven, Torres, Kira.... toss most of the rest. I don't know Uhura (from TOS) or the ENT females, but Crusher and Troi weren't all that impressive (though Troi was hot...). So, I'm turning that opinion around as well. I like Dax and O'Brien, a little of Quark, Odo, and Bashir, Sisko and Kira are alright (no complaints really)...

 

I can say this about DS9... they don't really have a nerd. TNG had Data, Voyager had Tuvok and Doc, and TOS had Spock. Vulcans and artificial life-forms with no sense of humor and a more logical than human perspective. It's good to have this balance. Odo almost fits the bill... Actually so does Dax in a way, but not because she's Vulcan or an AI, but just because she's lived so many lives, both male and female. It's not so much a complaint, but I miss that character trait in the mix.

 

Oh, and my favorite Trek relationship so far is Tuvok and Neelix. That was a lot of fun...

 

Plus, having just watched Voyager, towards the end I really felt like they were recycling plots. Seeing DS9 and all the new (to me) plots... So far I haven't seen anything that jumped out at me and said "hey, they did that (or, will do that) in Voyager!" So the newness is welcome.

By a good wallpaper, I tend to require at least a resolution of 1280x1024. This isn't 1996, and 640x480 and 800x600 aren't desktop sizes, they're digital photo sizes. No one should have a desktop smaller than 1024x768 on a laptop or 1280x1024 on a 17"+ monitor. For that matter, the image should be fairly sharp. Not grainy or otherwise crap.

 

I'm really looking for DS9 wallpapers because that is what I'm watching. But I'll take any TNG and Voyager wallpapers I can get. ENT if they look cool. TOS if they look cool, too, but I expect TOS wallpapers to be grainy by default. Rendered 1701s and 1701-As would be cool, though.

 

I'd prefer promo pix if I can get them. Wallpapers made from episodes suck. I've got a few I took screen captures from. Too grainy.

 

I also don't like wallpapers with people on them. Though I do have two Jeri Ryan/Voyager wallpapers... I just have them to have them, I would never put them on my desktop. And "crew" ones are out, too. If they have text, that's cool... only if it's easy to remove. Firstly, I like to use the negative/null space for icons and Konfabulator widgets, and second, I have the Windows XP version info in the lower right and wouldn't want text messing that up.

No, Paradise was the episode where Ben Sisko and Miles O'Brien transport to the planet where that crazy sadistic woman has set up an EM field to shut down all technology, and she tortures and kills people in the name of "getting down to the roots of the human condition". Ugh. I tell ya... Were I Sisko, I would have shot her as soon as phasers were working! Or put her in that box and transport it to a Y-class planet (see the Voyager episode "Demon").

 

//edit: Just got home, DS9 is on Spike. Only Bashir, Garak, and Quark are on the station, everything's out but life support and turbolifts, Bashir's hair is going grey, and Garak suggests the Dominion. I left once I realized it was really far ahead. Though it was nice to get a taste of things to come. B) And good to see it's on TV as reruns. B)

Are you sure about Naomi's dad? I was pretty sure they said he was stationed on DS9, in one of the Voyager episodes. Not just because Voyager left DS9, but I believe DS9 was expressly named later. Though I will admit I am or was confused on the point of her father, as I thought he was on board Voyager, until I asked in another thread.

 

Just watched 2x15 "Paradise" and the ending kinda let me down, though the whole episode was good. It made me hope that the Federation has worthy punishments for torture and other such crimes against humanity. If I were Sisko, upon returning to the Runabout, I would have relieved Kira of duty, beamed that woman into space, flew down, transported up the women and children, and then blasted that whole camp with phasers. But that's just me... too much "turn the other cheek" in too many Starfleet officers for my liking.

 

In one of the last couple episodes I watched, probably "Armageddon Game"... yeah, that was it, he was telling O'Brien about the girl he almost fell in love with. He said he was in Paris. He's European for sure. I'd believe England, but my instincts are leaning towards France.

 

I can see DS9 as an Old Western town. At least the Promenade. Quark's the barkeep and Odo is the sherrif. Wasn't the original Star Trek, TOS, supposed to be a cross between sci-fi and westerns? I read somewhere, someone making this point, saying Kirk was like the cowboy hero and Spock was his Indian companion. I can't say one way or the other, I'm not a big fan of westerns... or TOS.

 

You're right about 4x01. He's got a bit of a goatee growing in 3x26, but his hair is remarkably shorter. In 4x01 he has the "new" look. Seems like 3x22 is the first "goatee" episode; he's clean shaven in 3x21. I really hate to skip ahead, but it's a very minor point. I saw some Cardassians, a Romulan (or Vulcan, sometimes I can't tell), what looked to be the start of a space battle involving a Romulan or Klingon ship... a green ship, not a Bird of Prey, but with the rounded wings that connect at two points... Pretty sure that's Romulan anyway. But then, when I read I'm always skipping ahead. Shame on me... B)

 

Can't wait for things to improve between Bashir and O'Brien... it's the one thing about O'Brien I can't get past at the moment. And Garak... So far I think he's only been in 2-3 episodes. I remember seeing him a couple times when DS9 was on TV (when it was new), does he become more prevelant later?

Do you never sleep? Heh... I guess it's early morning where you're at. I'm moving to Chocowinity, which is between Greenville and Washington, Beaufort County if I remember correctly. So yes, I'll be in the neighborhood. Oh, and the first time I visited NC, I visited friends in Suffolk, VA, and they took us to Virginia Beach. Here we are, there:

 

 

Yes, Rivals did start the friendship between Bashir and O'Brien, if it could be called that at this stage. There's a poll somewhere here about which friendship is "better" between "Bashir and Garak" and "Bashir and O'Brien". I'm really not liking O'Brien when he deals with Bashir... yes Bashir does talk a lot (he is French...) but he's a good guy, and at this point O'Brien's just a little rude to him. Bashir aside, O'Brien's an alright guy.

 

I did like Whispers. I knew I would from the beginning. Good reversal there.

 

I thought the holosuites would be used for non-sexual encounters, but earlier on in the series, a few characters made a point to point out that that's what Quark was brokering them for. I'm sure a Holodeck is a Holodeck, but we know what programs Quark is writing (or acquiring) for them. And since Federation officers so often shy away from relationships (Bashir gives a few reasons in "Armageddon Game"), you'd think they'd use the holosuites more for that itch that always needs scratching. Sometimes I think the Federation is a bit too idealistic. Seems most people I know, Trekkie or not, say if THEY had a holodeck, the things they'd do in one. It makes for a great subject of discussion in certain crowds. B)

 

A few timeline questions I have... When does Sisko change his hair? I know at some point he shaves his head and grows a goatee, but where I am he still has his hair. And when does Voyager leave DS9? I remember from 1x01-02 "Caretaker" that Voyager starts out docked at DS9. Does that happen after DS9's seventh season, or somewhere in the middle? Also, do we ever meet Naomi Wildman's father? He's supposed to be on DS9, but I haven't seen a guy with four small horns on his head. That would have made a great passoff to Voyager if this guy was senior staff, to create a point of appeal in Voyager for DS9 fans.

 

The next episode of DS9 calls to me... I have the night off and nothing else to do. B)

I don't know if anyone here likes Disturbed, but they were my favorite band a few years ago, I've been to two of their concerts, and met them at one. For MTV-variety metal they're about as good as they come, IMO. For those who are down...

 

Disturbed's new album Ten Thousand Fists comes out on Sept. 20 this year, but it's been on the Net for about a month. Naturally, there's a bit of hooplah on the official site, those who have heard it versus those who are waiting, and the requisite few who feel that everyone should wait. I'm of the first group, having downloaded it the day it was available. The sound quality is far from perfect, but it's bearable, and I will definitely be buying it when it comes out. At first I said I would get it for my girlfriend, who likes them more than I do, but as I've been listening to it, I like it more and more.

 

I don't feel it's as good as their previous two albums, Believe from 2002 and The Sickness from 2000. But where Believe had the whole religious unity message and The Sickness was just straight anger and hate (talking about killing one's own mother is pretty rough), I think that Ten Thousand Fists is more the band doing what they love, playing what they know, no one theme prevelant over the others. There are a couple political songs, but that's a given, for anyone who's ever seen them live. David Draiman (vocals) always has to stop the show partway through and bring up some point, but I think he goes about it in a good way. He's no fan of President Bush, but he's not Michael Moore, either.

 

The title track, 10,000 Fists (albeit with different spelling, intentionally), is amazing, and kicks the album off nicely. It's about the raw energy a band experiences playing a live show. "People can no longer cover their eyes, if this disturbs you then walk away. You will remember the night you were struck by the sound of... Ten thousand fists in the air!" Well, you'll certainly feel some of that excitement listening to the song. Just Stop could probably be interpreted a few different ways, but I believe it's about the website and message board. The band used to participate a lot more than they do, and I know David feels he's been judged by so many people, things he says are just blown out of proportion. (Not that he hasn't asked for some of it, but I won't get into that here.) And it's worth noting that they cover the Genesis song Land of Confusion. It's not quite as good as their cover of the Tears for Fears song Shout from their first album, but it's a good effort. David Draiman may not be Phil Collins, but he's a good singer for what he does.

 

The artwork for the album is amazing, and was just published online yesterday in two forms: First the full piece, and then the cover version with the title. The full image is about twice as wide, so it will probably be the front cover and booklet, or the front cover and the back. The image is drawn by Todd McFarlane (of SPAWN fame), and it looks great. The idea is people from all walks of life coming together in unity. Oh, the big guy with the demonic face is the band's new mascot, named simply "The Guy". His face alone was the band's trademark on the first album, when it was called the "Mean Smiley-Face". Then with Believe they crossed the symbols of four major religions; David even had a necklace made. (I want one.) Now "MSF" has a body, and I must say, he looks pretty cool.

 

But the coolness of the cover doesn't stop there. Oh no, there are cameos! Look at the gothic girl to The Guy's right... look to your right of her fist. Apparently that's Zakk Wylde, of Black Label Society; he also played guitar for Ozzy Osbourne and I guess is a friend of the band. There's a guy in the background to the right with a red mohawk, apparently that's a member of Mudvayne, a heavier metal band similar to Slipknot. Someone on the official site was saying Amy Lee of Evanescence is portrayed as well. I suppose they mean the girl in the red? Though I think she could be anyone. Look also for a skeleton, and Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Granted, these could all be coincidences, but you'd think a cover like that, there would have to be some references.

 

The original image, and the cover:

 

 

Disturbed page on SPAWN.com (also you can enter to win a guitar signed by the band)

 

The tracklist:

 

01. 10,000 Fists

02. Just Stop

03. Guarded*

04. Deify

05. Stricken**

06. I'm Alive

07. Son of a Plunder

08. Overburdened

09. Decadence

10. Forgiven

11. Land of Confusion (orginally recorded by GENESIS)

12. Sacred Life

13. Pain Redefined

14. Avarice

Do the Federation officers use the Holosuites? I imagine they do for platonic stuff, but as straight-and-narrow as the Federation officers are, they wouldn't be using them for sex. No Vulcans, no Pon-Farr (this came up twice in Voyager, not sure about TOS).

 

But good point... And if Quark did pay for all those things (which is logcial) the Bajorans could delegate that money to an "allowance" for the socialist Federation to be able to shop in the captialist-run businesses, to an extent. Either way, it works out.

 

I watched four episodes last night -- Second Sight, Sanctuary, The Rivals, and The Alternate. I didn't think they were that good at all. But I just watched Armageddon Game (these all being from Season 2, 9-13) and it was great. Next up is 2x14 "Whispers" which I've read early on in this thread was a good one. Well, I'm going to go get something to eat, then I'll watch that with my meal. B)

 

Thanks for the replies BTW. Maybe I'll turn this thread into a "DS9 Blog" if that's alright... I posted in the episode guide forum on a few Voyager episodes near the end, but in that format I felt more compelled to write a formal review, as opposed to here I can comment on the ones I like as I watch it and ask questions as I go or whatever.

 

That said, I'm leaving California in 19 days to move across the country... by car. By then I think I'll be about halfway into Season 3. Once I'm in North Carolina (moving in with my girlfriend, long-distance relationship) I'll be watching them a lot less... but I'll have someone to watch them with, and that's always nice. Not sure how much she digs Trek, but by the end of DS9 she probably will. B)

Who knows, it's probably a plot hole. Though I bet VBG and a couple of the others may have a better idea. The episode where Bashir and the handicapped ensign eat at the Klingon restaurant (2x06 "Melora") shows them argue with the Klingon proprietor, but they take their food without paying. So maybe the Federation folks get their food/drink free as part of some agreement. After all, if the Federation weren't there, some characters think (or thought in the beginning of Season 2) that the Cardassians would move back in and re-occupy Bajor. That said, maybe Bajor is paying the Federation officers something, to explain any money they might have.

 

There might be ways to detect replicated latinum with a tricorder, but not everyone Quark deals with is all that bright, or has access to a tricorder. I doubt there would be any visible differences. Presumably latinum is just a mineral. Should be as easy as anything to replicate.

@ddillard: Other shows...? :P Just playin... that makes perfect sense then. Especially if you've hacked your TiVo and dropped a much larger hard drive in it. Or two as I've heard some can support. Two 500GB Hitachi Deskstars, you'll have 1TB of storage in your TiVo.

 

I don't use TiVo myself. I have them on my computer, or burned to DVD-Rs. It would be nice to have the DVDs of TNG, DS9, and Voyager, but they're really expensive, and even if I did buy them, it would be mostly for looks... it would still be more convenient to watch them on the computer, and the quality is almost as good as DVD. And I'd say watching them on the computer is easier than DVD or TiVo.

 

Someday I'll have the computer ran through a TV, and a wireless keyboard and mouse... that'll be the ultimate ease of watching them. Though I'm sure I'll be done with DS9 by then.

 

The Ferengi are alright, though I still think they can be annoying. I don't completely understand their greed. Are the replicators specifically prohibited from replicating that gold-pressed latinum that Quark craves? With all the security override chips Quark keeps on hand, you'd think he could get around any such restriction. In the socialist future of Star Trek, the capitalist Ferengi fall short of making too much sense.

 

The Dominion got mentioned again in one of the last episodes I watched, I think it was 2x11 "Rivals". Yeah... that gambling sphere came from the Dominion. And when it was said everyone got a worried look, as if they had a reason to be afraid at that point, when they'd only heard the name mentioned once before. Odd.

I don't get it ddillard. You have them on DVD but you also record them on TiVo? Easier access? I just watch em on the computer. It's OK, bceause I have a 19" monitor and sit a couple feet away from it... makes for good viewing. One day I'll have a wide HDTV hooked up (don't need plasma, don't need flat, just a regular one) and that'll be really nice. :P

 

Wow, 2x07 "Rules of Acquisition". First female Ferengi (DS9 anyway), and first mention of the Dominion. So the Dominion is Quark's and Nagus's fault, eh? Fancy that...

 

I guess you could say there are a few minor arcs in Voyager. I thought how the relationship between Naomi and Seven happened was pretty good, especially what Naomi had to say about Seven and the Borg... "I don't wanna be part of her Collective", and later (imitating a drone) "We are the Borg". So that was neat that they became pals, and it kept coming up in later episodes. Or Kes, the terms of her leaving and then her return. Or the guy from the 29th century who they encounter a few times. ...like that?

Most of the people I know who don't like Star Trek tell me it's too far removed from real life. I argue that if you strip away the sci-fi, you still have an amazing series with wonderful characters and stories. Trek doesn't depend on sci-fi, as I imagine some shows do, that's just the setting.

 

Others just say it's just another show.

I kinda got to thinking of Voyager as a soap-opera having watched it all the way through. And the scene with Neelix watching soaps as they were monitoring the planet's news for sightings of the crew showed that the producers, or as is commonly said around here, TPTB, thought so too. They're all soap-operas and dramas IMHO, just with a science-fiction theme.

 

DS9 and Voyager did both go for an even seven years, but so did TNG. TOS didn't because it was only a five-year mission, and ENT didn't because it was cancelled. I think if ENT weren't cancelled, it would only run for seven seasons. Personally I think Voyager could have gone on longer; the ending was just too abrupt. If they could have kept coming up with original plots, they could have run Voyager into its next generation, killing off the original crew or most of it of old age, and having Naomi Wildman and the hypothetical child of Seven and Chakotay running the ship as late-teens or adults. I haven't seen all of DS9 (yet) so I can't comment on whether it could have gone on longer.

 

@Susan D. -- I agree about DS9, that's why I'm lovin it. The whole thing about the Bajoran religion, the conflict between the Bajorans and the Cardassians (was either race used before DS9?), and what I know is coming up: Worf, and the Dominion War. Oh, and about Seven... she probably just wore a size or two too small. That's what they do for that effect, or so I'm told. :P

I had to go with IX/Insurrection. Though I think the TOS movies were better than the TNG movies (except for TMP, which I didn't like), the TNG movies did start out better. The assassination of the Romulan senate was probably the coolest, but the Romulans have always been, to me anyway, an insignificant race. Not that the Ba'ku aren't (being used far less, in only that movie IIRC) but damn, that was just a great opening.

 

The Borg flashbacks in VIII/First Contact were cool, but that introduction was a bit short.

 

And the opening of VII/Generations was great, start out a TNG movie with a TOS mini-mission. (Two cameos in that scene that I spotted... the captain was the annoying tourist in Speed and one of the women (communications officer IIRC) was John Connor's foster mother in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.)

Also it should be noted that, even if we can assume that Vulcans can have the physical intercourse that humans have, they have other means of mating. Recall the Voyager episode when the Vulcan engineer... I forget his name, not Tuvok, the other one... basically does a mind-meld type gesture on Torres, and Tuvok tells him that he initiated a form of mental or telepathic Vulcan sex on her. So as far as pleasure and enjoyment, maybe Vulcans use the physical intercourse for procreation, but get their real enjoyment from the mental connection. And, they can initiate it with non-Vulcans as stated above.

 

Funny that sex (love) is considered more obscene than violence (hate). Really makes one think... Virtually all Star Trek episodes have a degree of violence, but the sexual aspect is brushed under a rug. But I don't mean to pick on Star Trek at all... video games are a better example, but that's straying too far from topic.

I didn't realize Mr. Spock was only half Vulcan. But then, I've only seen a couple TOS episodes.

 

I agree, Seven doesn't really count, though the Borg are a pretty grey area. I wouldn't count Naomi either; first she was just an extra, and second her father's race, Kitarian or whatever, wasn't distinguished. All we know is they have horns on their head. There's no real conflict or anything.

 

I vote Torres...

Dude, there are big six-part arcs coming up ... you have no idea!

 

Isn't Frank Langella an excellent bad guy?  And what do you think of old Vedek Winn?

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Who? Is that the actor's name? And Winn? Interesting villain (?) so far.

 

The DS9 episode "For The Uniform" is on right now on SkyOneMix.

 

Awesome frickin episode.

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Sisko is the Mack-Daddy

 

Here's another example of DS9's successful use of the multi-episode arc ... For the Cause, For the Uniform and Blaze of Glory were nowhere near each other in a chronological viewing, but if you ran them back to back to back they are a three-part episode!

 

God dawg, this show rocked the house!

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First one's in season 4, the other two are in season 5. So they're not chronological but they somehow go together? How's that work?

 

I've heard the term 'arc' tossed around but didn't really 'get' what it means.

Oh, this is at least a three-parter. "To Be Continued..." at the end of 2x02 "The Circle" as well.

 

Voyager never had any 3+ part episodes, and to my recollection TNG didn't either. Another point for DS9.

OK, WTF?

 

I just watched 2x01 "The Homecoming" and at the end it said "To be continued..." but the next episode is not a "Part II". Is this something DS9 did exclusively, two-or-more-part episodes with different titles rather than part numbers?

 

Interesting...

And I noticed Kate Mulgrew (Capt. Janeway, Voyager) on an episode of Murder, She Wrote. Lame show IMO, but my mother was watching it, and I wouldn't have stopped to watch once I saw what it was, but the main character was confronting someone very familiar, and I quickly realized it was Janeway... in a fur coat. That was interesting.

Wow... first off good to hear you're both alright. I had no idea what the topic title meant until I looked at it a dozen or so times... damn ASCII art. But I agree, the 2005 Mustangs are some of the best-looking cars to come out of Detroit in the past 35-40 years. I'm not too fond of that green color, though. It's like the dull green scheme in Windows XP, that olive green color. On computers, I want something brighter... not necessarily #00FF00 (lime green) but like the scales of green on my forum. On a car, though, I want dark metallic green, like a forest green. Not so dark it looks black after 5pm, but a good solid green color.

"Dark Chest of Wonders" by Nightwish. Not very popular here in the states... classical/opera music done with heavy metal instruments... Imagine Enya singing for Iron Maiden, with a symphony behind them... absolutely brilliant sound.