Remember, Remember the Fifth of November...

 

Star Trek - Lower Decks

 

    It's been some time, but as the specter of a season 2 of Picard and a season 4 of Discovery looms, forebodingly in the near future, I thought I would take another look at what turned out to be a pleasant surprise last year... Star Trek Lower Decks.

    To be completely transparent, I was not very optimistic when I first heard about this show. I just didn't see how a animated comedy could be good Star Trek. But as a fan, I was willing to watch the first few episodes and see how it went. The fact that I live in Canada and if you have CTV Sci-Fi as part of you general cable package, means it's free. So at least there is that. 

    So after the first episode I still wasn't sold. The episode was alright, but to be fair, I found the character of  Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) was just a little bit manic and annoying. But otherwise not terrible. All the rest of the main characters: Ensign Brad Boimler (played by Jack Quaid), Ensign Tendi (Noël Wells) and Ensign Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero).

    Each of them had their charm. Boimler was trying to be the perfect Starfleet officer. Rutherford just enjoyed everything about being an engineer and Tendi was the newcomer on the ship, wide eyed and eternally optimistic. The rest of the cast playing the senior officers seamed to be well thought out. The only one I wasn't really clicking with was Beckett. She was so over the top, going out of her way to push the boundaries and get away with something...seemed like there would be no way someone like that would end up in Starfleet, and even if they did they would be court marshaled. Semi-spoiler alert...there is a reason as to why she isn't...turns out her dad is an Admiral and her mom is the ships Captain.

USS Cerritos

Star Trek Lower Decks Senior Staff

      But after a few episodes it all started to grow on me. the design of the ship, which at first was kind of meh, I started to like as I understood the type of ship it was supposed to be. An older engineering starship. A workhorse not meant to be pretty, but tough and reliable. The ships registry is even facing the rear of the ship (according to the show runner, Mike McMahan) because as an engineering/recovery ship she is often towing other starships with her tractor beams. I'm cool with that. And over the course of the series we get to see a few more starships. The USS Vancouver was a really cool design for instance. 

USS Vancouver and USS Cerritos in orbit.

    Right of the starters block there were a lot of cool references. Not just cool, but deep cut nerd cool. from obscure Andorian weapons to a classic Romulan Bird of Prey to "Spock's helmet", you could tell that the people making this show were fans with a deep love of Star Trek. Even Mariner started to grow on me as you got to know her character arc and her history. 

    And the cameos and references continue, Ferengi, Edosian, call backs to Chief O'Brian, and the original Star Trek episode "The Return of the Archons", and episodes poking fun at the movies (especially the more recent JJ ones) It just kept getting better. But the cherry on top was the final episode. After years, because according to CBS the show is canon, the USS Titan is shown. Commanded by Captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes) with Commander Troi (Marina Sirtis). 

Riker and Troi

USS Titan

    So when it was all said and done, I ended up really enjoying this series. It has a few flaws. It is after all still produced by "he who shall not be named" (Kurtzman). Although is seems clear he has little to do with it...as it's actually good. I look forward to a second season due out this August. 

Crew of the Cerritos

USS Cerritos MSD

Mariner figuring out a mystery. Suliban to Salt Monster to Humpbacks

Watch out for that Ferengi...although he seems nice and helpful.

Don't listen to Landru!

Happy Canada Day

 Hope everyone had a happy and safe Canada Day this year.

Despite everything going on over the last few weeks, I still feel proud to be Canadian. A little less proud with all the discovery's at former residential school sites. 

There is a lot of  anger out there, and deservedly so. I think I would be more proud of my country if they would just own up and finish the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation report. It always takes more strength to say you were wrong and ask for forgiveness. 

St. Jean Baptiste Church. Morinville, AB. Morning of June 30 

Hello there....

 

It's been awhile.

Happy Canada Day!!!

Wishing everyone a very happy Canada Day!

I noticed my last post was for a optimistic 2020....well...it has gone more like this...

Death of Guardian, "Alpha Flight" #12

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 2019 is done, and it seemed to be a rough one. Although for myself there were some high points as well. Can't wait to see what this new year and new decade has to offer!

Canada Day 2019

Happy Canada Day!

RIP Gord Downie

Gord Downie  1964-2017

Gone too soon. The front-man to Canada's band. So many iconic songs about what it is to be Canadian, but one of my favorites below. You will be missed.

First Contact Day

Happy "First Contact Day" to all!

Live long and prosper. 

Godspeed Apollo, Richard Hatch : 1945 - 2017

Well so far 2017 isn't shaping up to be much better than 2016 was. And this one hits really close to home. Actor Richard Hatch passed away today at the age of 71 after battling pancreatic cancer.

Some of my best memories from being a kid was waiting for a new episode of Battlestar Galactica to come on. Looking back at my youth it's hard to believe it only lasted sadly that one season.

It was that magical era before VHS was common and affordable. The great wave that was "Star Wars Fever" was still awash the land. The one fix for a sci-Fi loving kid was Battlestar. And as much as every kid wanted to be Starbuck, we all knew that really, deep down we were more like Apollo.

Even years later he worked endlessly to keep the franchise alive, and when the Scifi channel did a re-boot/update of the beloved series in 2003/2004, he ended up joining that series as a new character.

He even had branched out into the  Star Trek universe, playing Klingon General Kharn in the short fan web- film "Prelude to Axanar".

I personally never had the opportunity to meet him, but everything you hear about him was that he was nothing but kind, patient and gracious with his fans. He will be missed.

"Transferring launch control to Vipers...Launch when ready Blue Leader."

2017 - Happy New Year!

Congratulations! Hears to another successful trip around the sun. That was a bumpy one, like riding in old buggy down a precarious logging road off a mountain kind of bumpy. Lots of good, both in the world and personally for myself and my family. Lots of bad. Lots of weird...lots and lots of weird. And sadly, lots of loss.

I was listening to the radio a couple of weeks ago. the discussion was, as is common this time of year, the year that was and all the upheaval of 2016. They were talking to some expert (historian I believe) about his thoughts on the last year and he had an interesting thought. He said we are entering a new renaissance, and that just like in the fourteenth century, there was lots of public, political and social upheaval. Lots of push back by many to retain the old ways. I guess they wanted to make middle ages 'Great Again'.

So as 2017 begins I like to think of it all in that way, we are in a transitional time, moving from what we were to what we will become.

Farewell Princess : Carrie Fisher, 1956 - 2016

Just when you think you have made it through this train wreck of a year, 2016 decides to kick you one last time while your not looking. And it's a tough one.

The first crush of almost any fanboy that grew up with Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

As much as i loved her as Leia, my favorite was as "Joliet" Jake Blues ex girlfriend/fiancee, doing her best to kill him (and his brother) for standing her up at the asile in the "Blues Brothers".

She will be missed more than words can say.