About Author: Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

Website: http://www.theviewscreen.com
Description: EUGENE MYERS has published short fiction in a variety of print and online zines as E.C. Myers. He is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and a member of the writing group Altered Fluid. When he isn’t watching Star Trek, he reads and writes young fiction. His first novel, Fair Coin, is forthcoming from Pyr. TORIE ATKINSON is a NYC-based law student (with a focus on civil rights and economic justice), proofreader, sometime lighting designer, and former Tor.com blog editor/moderator. She watches too many movies and plays too many games but never, ever reads enough books.

Posts by Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: Season 2 Wrap-Up

– December 6, 2012 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

With the promise of better days ahead, we present our summarized ratings for season 2 and question the direction our lives have taken us. And let us never speak of this again.

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Tags: ratings, second season, summary, wrap-up post

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: Season 1 Wrap-Up

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– May 31, 2012 12:00 pmPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

With the worst behind us, we present our summarized ratings for season 1 and ponder what we ever did to deserve this.

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Tags: first season, ratings, summary, wrap-up post

Re-Watching Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– October 20, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Movies

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Written by: Harve Bennett
Produced by: Harve Bennett
Directed by: Leonard Nimoy

Release date: June 1, 1984
Stardate: 8210.3

Mission Summary

Enterprise returns to Earth to be decommissioned, with Kirk and the crew still mourning Spock. A visit from the Vulcan’s father, Sarek, offers some hope that their friend is only mostly dead–just before Spock gave his life to save the ship, he mind-melded with Dr. McCoy to implant his living spirit, or katra, in the doctor’s head. Kirk decides to go to the Genesis Planet to retrieve Spock’s body and take him to Vulcan, but there are two problems: Starfleet has classified Genesis as off-limits, and they don’t have a ship to get them there.

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Tags: death, fully clothed man-wrestling, Genesis, handwaving mumblemumble, klingons, loyalty, mind meld, sabotage, starship jacking, transwarp drive, Vulcan magic, Vulcan sex

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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Thank you

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– October 8, 2011 7:28 pmPosted in: Uncategorized

One year ago today, Torie and I posted our first Star Trek Re-Watch post on this site, “Spock’s Brain.” (Sorry about that.) When we launched The Viewscreen, we weren’t sure if we would even have an audience over here, but we were surprised and pleased that so many readers followed us and faithfully participated in weekly discussions of one of our favorite television series.

We are thrilled that this site has developed such a terrific community of amazing, intelligent people from all over the world and widely different backgrounds, united only by an interest in Star Trek–even if we don’t always agree. (Especially if we don’t always agree.) We appreciate every one of you. As we conclude “season one” of The Viewscreen, Torie and I thank you for your support, for making this site what it is today, and for giving it a future that we can hopefully all explore together.

Live long and prosper.

Tags: anniversary, let's see what's out there, thanks

Re-Watching Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– October 6, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Movies

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Screenplay by: Harold Livingston
Story by: Alan Dean Foster
Produced by: Gene Roddenberry
Directed by: Robert Wise

Release date: December 7, 1979
Stardate: 7410.2

Mission Summary

A giant space cloud, impervious to conventional weapons but massively destructive, is headed straight for Earth. Naturally the Enterprise, fresh from a renovation, is the only ship in interception range. Admiral Kirk temporarily takes control of the ship from its captain, Captain Decker, and reassembles his old crew–including Spock, who just failed to complete the Kolinahr–to confront the cloud.

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Tags: alien probes, best music ever, breeding, computers, distinct lack of half-naked man-wrestling, godlike powers, kirk is a jerk, klingons, moby dick, Nomad, sexy ladies, transporter malfunction, wormhole, yawn

Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “The Counter-Clock Incident”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– August 9, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Animated Series Re-Watch

“The Counter-Clock Incident”
Written by John Culver
Directed by Bill Reed

Season 2, Episode 6
Production episode: 22023
Original air date: October 12, 1974
Star date: 6770.3

Mission summary

Enterprise is heading back to the planet of the diplomats, Babel, with another very special guest: her first captain, Commodore Robert April.

APRIL: No matter where I’ve traveled in the galaxy, Jim, this bridge is more like home than anywhere else.
KIRK: Yes, Commodore, I know the feeling.
APRIL: To me she was always like my child. I was there in the San Francisco Navy Yards when her unit components were built.

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Tags: backwards speak, death, ending on a good note, finale, flowers, handwaving mumblemumble, metaphor, negativity, parallel universes, rebirth, reverse aging, supernova, transporters solve everything

Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “Albatross”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– August 2, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Animated Series Re-Watch

“Albatross”
Written by Dario Finelli
Directed by Bill Reed

Season 2, Episode 4
Production episode: 22019
Original air date: September 28, 1974
Star date: 5275.6

Mission summary

After Enterprise delivers medical supplies to Dramia, the grateful Dramians reward them by arresting Dr. McCoy, claiming that 19 years before he caused a plague that killed hundreds of people on Dramia II.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice… Kirk is incensed at these accusations and distrusts the Dramian legal system. But McCoy starts to doubt himself.

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Tags: bad medicine, diplomacy, fully clothed man-wrestling, malpractice suits, miracle cures, plague, ROYGBIV, space rainbow what does it mean?, trials

Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “Bem”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– July 26, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Animated Series Re-Watch

“Bem”
Written by David Gerrold
Directed by Bill Reed

Season 2, Episode 2
Production episode: 22018
Original air date: September 14, 1974
Star date: 7403.6

Mission summary

Enterprise is hosting a very special guest: Ari bn Bem, a representative for the Federation’s new friends, the Pandronians. He’s there to observe the crew, but he seems fairly disinterested in their mission of exploration until they arrive at Delta Theta III to investigate reports of aboriginal life.

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Tags: colony creatures, failed escape attempts, first contact, godlike powers, jokers, lizard people, look but don't touch, prime directive, psychological experiments, space douches, test

Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “The Jihad”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– July 19, 2011 8:00 amPosted in: Animated Series Re-Watch

“The Jihad”
Written by Stephen Kandel
Directed by Hal Sutherland

Season 1, Episode 16
Production episode: 22014
Original air date: January 12, 1974
Star date: 5683.1

Mission summary

Kirk and Spock are summoned by the Vedala, the oldest space-faring race known to the Federation, to help prevent an imminent danger to the galaxy. At the Vedala asteroid, they meet a motley crew: their Vedala host, a feline alien; Tchar, a birdman from Skorr; Sord, a reptilian humanoid; M3 Green, a cowardly bug who is also a locksmith and thief; and Lara, a human hunter with an uncanny sense of direction. What, are they planning a heist?

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Tags: amnesia, breeding, bugs, cat aliens, dragons, maguffin, sexual harassment, war, weird planets