:: Star Trek 1964 - Today ::

:: Saturday, July 12, 2003 ::

Scorpion Part 1: Production 168

Star Date: 50984.3

This episodes starts with the intrepid crew of Voyager finding out they are now in Borg Space, and it is a vast volume of the Delta Quadrant, to vast for Janeway to expect Voyage to get thru undetected by the Federations arch ememy. Kes experiences some telepathic precognition about destoyed Borg and the end of Voyager, saying that she had experience these before, but not so detailed. Scanning the available horizon, an area od subspace apears to be available as a express lane past the threataning Borg. They set course for this area and whilst travelling they detect a huge armarder of Borg Cubes, tavelling at high warp. These huge ships pass Voyager with out slowing, voyager apears to be evading collision, or is it the wake of these huge vessals at high warp. The last ship stops and scans Voyager, determines no threat and moves to join it's companions.

Later, in fact not long after recovering from that encounter, Voyager detects the destruction of those cubes, all 15 of them. Yes, you gest it, Voyager turned around to find out what could have happened to what was an awesome armarder. The approach is tentative, the devistation is immense, never have the Federation seen such destruction of the Borg, and by whom? Thourogh scanning finds two life signatures, one Borg, the other unknown.

The scanning then reveals a ship never before seen, a biological vessel, a living ship, attached to one of the cubes. Kess is expeincing some telepathic contact with the alien now. The Voager sends over an "away" team to find out more. The inside of the Borg cube is devastated and at the point where the alien bio-ship is connected to the cube, a borg drone is trying to assimilate it, unsuccessfully. One should give them 10 points for trying!! Ensign Kim gets sprayed by the creature in a very short encounter, fortunately the crew are transported out quickly, and Kim taken to sickbay, we can't loose Ensign Kim now!!

Then the bio-ship powers up a delivers a blow to Voyager, which Janeway realises is a lost battle and goes to warp with haste, the bio-ship does not follow. Thus begins our introduction to the malevolent Species 8472, like the Borg before them, they have no readyming qualities, but unlike the Borg, they seek the total cleansing of this universe of the infections we call Life. Kes is relieved to be away from her mind numbing dealings with the telepathic 8472.

Scorpion: Part II: Production 169

Star Date: 51003.7

This is where we meet Seven of Nine aka Jeri Ryan (or more correctly Unit Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix One) for the first time, and we come across species 8472 for the second time, the Borg having been struggling with this strange creature. The Voyager had to get across Borg Space and the Borg needed to defeat Species 8472. The Borg losses included significant realestate and Cubes with millions of individuals destroyed, so they were desperate for a solution which the holographic doctor (Robert Picardo) designs, nanobots.

Now this technology shows a lot of promise and the writers of Science Fiction as an example here in this episode are presenting a cure all miracle for it which todate has not been established.

With Seven of Nine assigned to represent the collective, on the insistance of Janeway, they start negotiations on how to deliver the nanobots to destroy species 8472 and preserve human individuality against the ever present threat of assimilation from the Borg. Whilst this is going on onboard the Borg Cube a Species 8472 attack occurs, with an effort by them to destroy the Voyager. The Borg Cube during the battle manoevres between the Voyager and the Species 8472 Ship, effectively sacrificing the Cube in an effort to preserve Voyager. That's how important Voyager and her crew were to the Collective at that time.

After the destruction of the Cube and the Species 8472 ship we find Voyager with a small contingent of Borg in their cargo bay. From here further work continues but the Borg, Seven of Nine is ordered by the collective to enter the Domain of Species 8472 to destroy them, independant of Janeway and her Crew. Needless to say, the preperations are discovered, Janeway orders it stopped, Seven of Nine refuses (one can't disobey the collective now, can one!), Janeway vents the cargobay to space, leaving only Seven of Nine who has been busy in a Jeffries Tube effecting the modifications required to jump into another dimension. Next thing you know a singularity is forming in front of them ( a hole in space is what our creative geniuses at paramount came up with) and woosh, we're in fluidic space, the domain of species 8472.

Th every entry of voyager alerted the enemy of their presence so it didn't take long for the Voyage to use it's nanobot bombs via it's quantum torpedoes and it appears the enemy is destroyed, but as Tuvok noted, "not immediately". Voyage departs Fuidic Space for the Delta Quadrant when a squadron of enemy ships follows. A Nuclear weapon is used against this lot as that was alll they had and it worked, species 8472 was gone, including the ones attacking the Borg Hive and Planets. They ran for home with their tail between their legs.

Now left with one Borg in the shape of Jeri Ryan, she is captured a sedated and the Doctor is tasked with removing those ugly Borg appendages and implants. One thing I didn't mention was Kes's (Jennifer Lien) experience with Species 8472. You see the strange creature is telepathic and finds Kes as the only recipient it can communicate through. They don't use conventional radio or subspace or lasers. Kes finds them positively determined to wipe out the infestations they find in this space in order to preserve their geneological integrity. That's right, destsroy all sentient life in the known Universe. Nice lot, eh!!

any comments to star.trek@dubery.com

:: Clifford 10:47 pm [+] ::
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Star Trek: The Next Generation:

Encounter at Far Point Station, Part 1 and 2

This is the intoductory episode for what at the time was a gamble by Paramount to reserect Star Trek after the success of the movie adaptations of the original series (TOS).

We find ourselves on the Galaxy Class Star Ship USS Enterprise heading for an appointment with the Bandi who have built a Star Base for the Federation, and are seeking approval from them so as to enter the Federation and benefit from the Trade and Cultural associations that will result. So we have Captain Picard and Consillor Troy, Data and others as they make their way to this planet when they are (as we will find, always) interrrupted by that omnipotant annoyance Q. Q decides to accuse Picard and the Enterprise crew with all the crimes of mankind to date. With the theatrics that only Q finds amusing the judgement begins with, yes Q, the prosecutor as Judge and Jury.

That is one of the things I like about Star Trek It is a good mixture of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Human Drama and Mystery, to keep me watching after these many, many years. Q is a completely fantastic character, whereas Data is plausible, at least to those of us that are fans of Isaac Asimov. This android has a positronic brain and the appearance of a man (fully functioning in a later episode), but at the same time has the superior strength andcomputing power that only a machine could possess.

Deanna Troy is a new type of character, half betazoid, half human who retains the betazoid empathic capabilities and certain mind reading skills of her betazoid mother and that heritage that allow her to more than surpass her duties as Ships Councillor, indeed, on a real vessel, such a position would certainly not be on the Bridge. She becomes very useful in deternining the nature of the problem at Far Point Station and the Bandi.

The Captain has negotiated an agreement with Q and they arrive at Far Point Station for the pick-up of more crew and officers and the assesment of the suitablity of Far Point for Federation use. Lt. Commander William Riker and Dr. Beverly Crusher are introduced to us and Captain Picard. Riker has an exemplary career, but Crusher has a history with Picard that is developed during the first season.

The concept of the creature used so rudely by the Bandi for Far Point Station must have come from a brain storming session of the writers at paramount, the idea of a living creature that can do what the transporters and food replicators et al can do is interesting, and their image as a jelly fish in an ocean is fascinating.

Enjoy both of these episides

Live long and prosper

:: Clifford 1:34 pm [+] ::
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