family Archive

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

– January 30, 2014 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Brothers”
Written by Rick Berman
Directed by Robert Bowman

Season 4, Episode 3
Original air date: October 8, 1990
Star date: 44085.7

Mission summary

Young Jake Potts’ practical joke on his younger brother, Willie, ends in tears when Willie ends up infected with dangerous parasites. That’s it, vacation’s over! We’re turning this ship around. Enterprise has to head to a nearby starbase for emergency medical treatment, or Willie Potts might die; meanwhile, he remains in quarantine in Sickbay, utterly inconsolable. In the midst of comforting Jake, Data abruptly loses interest in the B-plot of the episode and tunes out, running through the next few scenes literally on autopilot.

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Tags: androids, asimov, belonging, brothers, daddy issues, emotions, evil doubles, family, horrible horrible children, long-lost relatives, often wrong soong, parents, robotics, someone takes over the ship, this will be important later

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Sins of the Father”

Eugene Myers

– June 13, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

sinsofthefather113 “Sins of the Father”
Written by Ronald D. Moore & W. Reed Moran (story by Drew Deighan)
Directed by Les Landau

Season 3, Episode 17
Original air date: March 19, 1990
Star date: 43685.2

Mission summary

The Enterprise crew welcomes a new Klingon officer, Commander Kurn, who will be filling in for Commander Riker temporarily as part of the Federation-Klingon Exchange Program. Kern has no sooner beamed aboard than he requests to begin his duties, and he ingratiates himself to the Bridge crew by demanding that they actually perform their jobs with efficiency and professionalism. The crew is stunned to have such a competent disciplinarian serving as first officer.

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Tags: angry klingons, brothers, civil war, different cultures have different food, diplomacy, family, forgotten relatives, khitomer, klingons, not everyone loves riker, romulans, the duras family sucks, traitors

Star Trek Re-Watch: “Amok Time”

Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

– September 1, 2009 1:34 pmPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“Amok Time”
Written by Theodore Sturgeon
Directed by Joseph Pevney

Season 2, Episode 1
Production episode: 2×05
Original air date: September 15, 1967
Star date: 3372.7

Mission summary
Something’s wrong with Spock! At least that’s what Dr. McCoy thinks, since Spock hasn’t eaten in three days and he’s a little edgy. Captain Kirk assumes his first officer is just being moody again, even after Spock throws a bowl of plomeek soup at Nurse Chapel. But then the Vulcan requests a leave of absence to visit his home planet, which definitely demands explanation.

Spock claims Chapel deserved mistreatment for being nice enough to bring him homemade soup that he didn’t ask for, but Kirk couldn’t care less about his misogynistic opinions, he’s more interested in the request for shore leave: “In all the years that I’ve known you, you’ve never asked for a leave of any sort. In fact, you’ve refused them.” Spock won’t share his reasons, but it seems pretty important and he obviously needs a vacation. The usually controlled Vulcan can’t even keep his hands steady. Kirk finally agrees to divert the Enterprise from its mission to Altair 6.

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Tags: bad weddings, family, funny weapons, Leonard Nimoy, plaktow, plomeek soup, pon-farr, theodore sturgeon, Vulcan sex

Star Trek Re-Watch: “Operation: Annihilate!”

Torie Atkinson & Eugene Myers

– July 14, 2009 7:49 pmPosted in: TOS Re-Watch

“Operation—Annihilate!”
Written by Steven W. Carabatsos
Directed by Herschel Daugherty

Season 1, Episode 29
Production episode: 1x 29
Original air date: April 13, 1967
Star date: 3287.2

Mission summary
Disaster seems to have visited another Earth colony just ahead of the Enterprise, this time on the planet Deneva, which lies on a path of “mass insanity” that has destroyed three other civilizations in the system in the past two hundred years. While they try to contact Deneva, sensors pick up one of its vessels intentionally heading straight for the sun. The Enterprise pursues it and opens a hailing frequency, urging the pilot, who may or may not be named Icarus, to turn back. As with the planet itself, there’s no response until they receive a transmission shortly before the smaller vessel burns up: “I did it. It’s finally gone. I’m free! I’m—” The Enterprise sets course for Deneva, Kirk more anxious than ever to make contact. Dr. McCoy, demonstrating his blunt bedside manner, comments: “Jim, your brother Sam and his family, aren’t they stationed on this planet?”

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