The Borg first appeared “Q Who,” the 16th episode of the second season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Clearly inspired by the artwork of H.R. Giger, the Borg were an indifferent race of cyborgs whose only imperative was to gather technology and biological organisms to absorb into its collective. They all shared a single […]
Continue readingActor Paul Sorvino passed away at the age of 83 on July 25, 2022. His outsize personality and “tough guy” features saw him playing many characters with nicknames in quotation marks: “Hips” in “The Gambler,” “Big Joe” in “Angel and Big Joe,” “Chubby” De Coco in “Bloodbrothers,” “Jazz” Maffie in “The Brinks Job,” “Lips” Manliss […]
Continue readingFollowing the release of “Star Trek: Nemesis” in 2002, it appeared that “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was effectively at an end, and “Star Trek” in general was on a cultural wane. “Nemesis” notoriously didn’t gross well, opening to a paltry 18 million, on a 60 million budget, eventually only earning about 67 million worldwide. […]
Continue readingWhen “Star Trek” first launched in 1966, nobody could have expected the worldwide phenomenon it created. But credit where credit is due: it appears that “
Continue readingLet’s set the scene: A classically trained Shakespearean actor comes to Hollywood to star in a science-fiction TV show. Surely he recall that experience dismissively, as a money job and nothing else. Not if the actor you’re thinking of is Patrick Stewart. On the contrary, Stewart looks back very fondly on his time as Captain […]
Continue readingPatrick Stewart has told an amusing anecdote about a moment during the first season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” when he, trying to be as serious as possible, expressed concern about the flip, silly behavior of his costars. Stewart recalled gathering the cast together to, essentially, admonish them, telling “CBS This Morning”:”I lectured my […]
Continue readingWith its wildly imaginative stories and characters, the landmark sci-fi franchise “Star Trek” features quite a collection of iconic outfits. From the original series to “Discovery,” it’s nearly impossible for fans to choose which installment has the most fashionable content. Yet, with its ’80s vibes and inventive aesthetic, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” could easily […]
Continue readingThe first season of “Star Trek: Picard,” perhaps infamously, was replete with violence and murder. Not an episode passed without one of the show’s major characters killing someone. Even the mild-mannered Dr. Jurati (Alison Pill) poisoned an old lover. “Picard” even featured a sword-wielding Romulan samurai in the form of Elnor (Evan Evagora) who could […]
Continue readingIt is hard to imagine anyone but Patrick Stewart playing the role of Jean-Luc Picard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Through the entire run of the series, he was the clear-thinking, soothing head of the starship Enterprise crew, and the absolute moral center of the entire franchise. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” could have […]
Continue readingOver the weekend, I revisited the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “The Measure of a Man” from 1988. In it, Data (Brent Spiner), an android, was put on trial to determine his sentience. Was Data alive and conscious, or was he merely running elaborate programs to emulate human behavior? Is he autonomous, or the […]
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