logic Archive

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Remember Me”

– June 19, 2014 8:00 amPosted in: Featured, TNG Re-Watch

“Remember Me”
Written by Lee Sheldon
Directed by Cliff Bole

Season 3, Episode 5
Original air date: October 22, 1990
Star date: 44161.2

Mission summary

Dr. Dalen Quaice, an old friend and mentor of Dr. Crusher’s, arrives on Enterprise. Still mourning the recent death of his wife, the elderly man mulls over the worst part of growing old — losing the people you love. This cheery conversation drives Dr. Crusher to visit her son, Wesley, at work in Engineering. The young ensign is messing around with Dr. Kosinsky’s warp field equations. His attempt to create a new field fails, with an unexpected flash of light. On the upside, it seems like his mom didn’t stick around to watch, and all systems are back to normal.

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Tags: computers, dr. crusher has a crush, energy vortex, fun with warp bubbles, handwaving mumblemumble, illusions, logic, loneliness, mysteries, parallel universes, the traveler, warp drive, Wesley is a smartypants, wesley saves the day

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Sarek”

Eugene Myers

– August 8, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Sarek”
Written by Peter S. Beagle
Story by Mark Cushman and Jake Jacobs
Directed by Les Landau

Season 3, Episode 23
Original air date: May 14, 1990
Star date: 43917.4

Mission summary

Picard and Riker are giddy to be hosting a very special guest: Ambassador Sarek from Vulcan, who will be presiding over the first meeting and negotiations between the Federation and a race called the Legarans. Word is, the 202-year-old Vulcan will be retiring soon after, leaving this as the crowning achievement to an illustrious career.

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Tags: bar brawl, data plays violin, diplomacy, emotion, getting old sucks, logic, loyalty, mind meld, patrick stewart is awesome, sarek, wesley has a crush

Re-Watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– October 13, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Movies

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Screenplay by: Jack B. Sowards
Story by: Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards
Produced by: Robert Sallin
Directed by: Nicholas Meyer

Release date: June 4, 1982
Stardate: 8130.3

Mission Summary

The U.S.S. Reliant makes an unexpected discovery on a scientific mission to the Ceti Alpha system: the genetically-engineered superman Khan Noonien Singh and the surviving crew of the S.S. Botany Bay, who has been cooling his heels on the inhospitable fifth planet for the last fifteen years. Khan’s somewhat pissed that his old friend James Kirk never called or wrote since marooning them there, so he takes over Reliant and begins plotting his revenge, which mostly revolves around a) inserting gross, brain-controlling slugs into Captain Terrell and Commander Chekov’s ears, b) stealing the Genesis Device, an experimental probe that can terraform a dead planet within days (what could possibly go wrong?), and b) killing Kirk. A person has to dream big, and galactic overachiever Khan is reaching for the stars.

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Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “The Infinite Vulcan”

Torie Atkinson & Eugene Myers

– June 14, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Animated Series Re-Watch

“The Infinite Vulcan”
Written by Walter Koenig
Directed by Hal Sutherland

Season 1, Episode 7
Production episode: 22002
Original air date: October 20, 1973
Star date: 5554.4

Mission summary

The Enterprise has come across an unknown planet on the galaxy’s periphery, so they’ve beamed down to investigate. The planet is a vaguely nauseating shade of puke green, and life signs are “confused.” Sulu discovers a little koosh ball in the grass but when he picks it up it pricks him. Dick. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy discover a nearby building emanating energy readings, but before they can investigate they hear a bass scream: it’s Sulu. He’s been poisoned, and only MacGuyver can save him now because he’s got one minute to live.

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Tags: augments, big heads, clones, distinct lack of half-naked man-wrestling, eugenics wars, evil doubles, evil spock, giants, handwaving mumblemumble, hentai, logic, mind meld, plants, sentient vegetables, weedwhackers

Star Trek Re-Watch: “All Our Yesterdays”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– March 10, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“All Our Yesterdays”
Written by Jean Lisette Aroeste
Directed by Marvin Chomsky

Season 3, Episode 23
Production episode: 3×23
Original air date: March 14, 1969
Star date: 5943.7

Mission summary

Enterprise arrives at Sarpeidon three-and-a-half hours before its star, Beta Niobe, goes supernova, only to discover that the planet has already been evacuated. Where everyone has gone is anyone’s guess, since Sarpeidon hadn’t yet discovered space travel. A strong power reading on the surface leads Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy to some sort of archive, where they are greeted by an old librarian, Mr. Atoz. The poor guy is so happy to have patrons to serve, he doesn’t even notice they’re out-of-towners or bother to check their library cards. Kirk asks him where everyone went, but Atoz is too senile or focused on helping them to give him a straight answer.

ATOZ: It depended on the individual, of course. If you wish to trace a specific person, I’m sorry, but that information is confidential.
MCCOY: No, no particular person, just people in general. Where did they go?
ATOZ: Ah, you find it difficult to choose, is that it? Yes, a wide range of alternatives is a mixed blessing, but perhaps I can help. Would you step this way, please?

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Tags: androids, call PETA, computers, emotional Spock, fully clothed man-wrestling, glacial age, it's almost over, libraries are cool, logic, loneliness, old men, sexy ladies, shakespeare, supernova, time travel, Vulcan sex, witches, yesterday

Star Trek Re-Watch: “The Enterprise Incident”

Torie Atkinson & Eugene Myers

– October 14, 2010 8:00 amPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“The Enterprise Incident”
Written by D.C. Fontana
Directed by John Meredyth Lucas

Season 3, Episode 2
Production episode: 3×04
Original air date: September 27, 1968
Star date: 5431.4

Mission Summary:

On the bridge of Enterprise, Captain Kirk snaps at Chekov and Spock for no apparent reason. But it’s not just a case of the Mondays–Doctor McCoy explains that Kirk’s been short-tempered and (in scientific terms) acting like a total jackass to just about everyone onboard for days now. There’s no getting around it: Captain Kirk has come down with a severe case of douchebaggery.

Kirk turns to Sulu and orders him to change course.

KIRK: Come about to one eight five, mark three.
SULU: But Sir, that’ll lead us directly into the Romulan Neutral Zone.

Sulu, Chekov, Spock, and Uhura all look around at each other nervously. Mr. Scott and Uhura discuss very loudly that no order has come through from command to take this measure, and Kirk sharply instructs them to shut their pieholes.

But it’s too late. In the Neutral Zone, two–no, three–Klingon-designed Romulan ships appear from the ether, surrounding Enterprise.

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Tags: comfortable clothing, emotional Spock, emotional women, espionage, insanity, is it Halloween yet?, Kirk playing dress up, logic, loyalty, oh wow he called that a disguise, penis-waving around the Neutral Zone, romulans, spying, stop using sex as a weapon, teaching alien women how to love, vulcan death grip, Vulcan sex, women nearly being awesome, you call that a disguise?!

Star Trek Re-Watch: “The Ultimate Computer”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– July 1, 2010 5:57 pmPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“The Ultimate Computer”
Written by D.C. Fontana
Story by Laurence N. Wolfe
Directed by John Meredyth Lucas

Season 2, Episode 24
Production episode: 2×24
Original air date: March 8, 1968
Star date: 4729.4

Mission summary
Enterprise receives puzzling instructions from Starfleet to report to a space station and offload all but a skeletal crew. When they arrive, Commodore Robert Wesley beams aboard and explains that the ship will be participating in war game exercises to test a new multitronic computer, the M-5, which was designed to assume control of all a starship’s systems. Kirk wonders what his role will be during this automated test, and Wesley replies, “You’ve got a great job, Jim. All you have to do is sit back and let the machine do the work.”

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Tags: computers, crazy scientists, logic, poetry, Starfleet is stupid, talking to death, the singularity, war games, What does a starship need with God?

Star Trek Re-Watch: “Journey to Babel”

Torie Atkinson & Eugene Myers

– March 4, 2010 11:30 pmPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“Journey to Babel”
Written by D.C. Fontana
Directed by Joseph Pevney

Season 2, Episode 10
Production episode: 2×15
Original air date: November 17, 1967
Star date: 3842.3

Mission Summary:
Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy are putting the finishing touches on their dress uniforms as the U.S.S. Enterprise arrives at Vulcan to pick up a delegation of ambassadors. These delegates from across the Federation are headed for a neutral planet code-named “Babel.” The planet Coridan, a small, poorly defended world rich in dilithium, has petitioned the Federation for admission, and a conference is being held to discuss their application. Tensions are already startlingly high when the Vulcan party comes aboard, lead by Ambassador Sarek, the Vulcan ambassador to Earth, joined by his human wife Amanda. Spock, in a charming moment, tries to teach Dr. McCoy how to do the proper salute but McCoy’s attempts are utter failures.

Sarek greets Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy warmly (for a Vulcan…), but turns a cold shoulder to Spock. The captain is a little perplexed but shrugs it off and offers to have Mr. Spock take him for a tour of the ship. The ambassador immediately declines the offer. Awkwardly, Kirk invites Mr. Spock to visit his parents while they are in orbit around Vulcan.

SPOCK: Captain, Ambassador Sarek and his wife are my parents.

Ouch, awkward! Too bad Kirk didn’t actually read Mr. Spock’s personnel file.

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Tags: assassination plots, emotional women, logic, sarek, spock, the long-awaited return of man-wrestling, unemotional, vulcans

Star Trek Re-Watch: “The Changeling”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– September 11, 2009 8:41 pmPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“The Changeling”
Written by John Meredyth Lucas
Directed by Marc Daniels

Season 2, Episode 3
Production episode: 2×04
Original air date: September 29, 1967
Star date: 3451.9

Mission summary
The Enterprise responds to a distress signal in the Malurian system, but when they arrive it’s already too late—the entire race, some four billion people, have mysteriously disappeared. The cause of their total destruction is less mysterious when an unknown enemy attacks the ship with energy bolts traveling at warp 15, each with the strength of ninety photon torpedoes. Shields hold up under three such attacks while they pinpoint the source and fire a photon torpedo at it, but it’s easily absorbed by their assailant. The fourth energy blast destroys their shields and they finally decide to attempt contact. Spock also determines that the enemy vessel is tiny: “Weight, five hundred kilograms. Shape, roughly cylindrical. Length, a fraction over one meter.”

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Tags: alien probes, changelings, Kirk talks a computer to death, logic, memory loss, mind meld, Nomad, taking over the ship from Engineering

Star Trek Re-Watch: “The Galileo Seven”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– May 28, 2009 5:22 pmPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“The Galileo Seven”
Written by Oliver Crawford and S. Bar-David
(story by Oliver Crawford)
Directed by Robert Gist

Season 1, Episode 16
Production episode: 1×13
Original air date: January 5, 1967
Star date: 2821.5

Mission summary

The Enterprise is enroute to the New Paris colony on Makus III to deliver medical supplies to victims of an ongoing plague, when Captain Kirk gets distracted by a shiny quasar, Murasaki 321. Galactic High Commissioner Ferris, a grumpy officer in fancy duds, objects to stopping to investigate, but Kirk insists his mission includes scientific study of cosmic phenomenon. They dispatch shuttlecraft 7, the Galileo, to take a closer look with seven crew members on board: Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Mr. Scott, Lieutenant Boma, Mr. Gaetano, Mr. Latimer, and Yeoman Mears. It shouldn’t take long to get some readings and return to the ship and resume their journey to Makus III.

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Tags: emotion, Galileo, giant props, logic, monkeymen, rocks, Scotty works a miracle, shuttle