Star Trek: Rapture

Episode: "Rapture"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 10

Original Air Date: December 30, 1996

via Memory Alpha

On the eve of Bajor's acceptance into the Federation, Captain Sisko has a vision.  The vision leads him to the lost city of B'hala, a site which had eluded archaeologists for thousands of years.  He has more visions - rapturous visions (thus the episode title).  The Prophets are clearly trying to communicate through him as their Emissary.  His own life is at risk, yet he doesn't want to break the connection.  His earthly son Jake is left with a difficult decision.

This episode is vitally important.  Sisko's journey from denial to acceptance of his role as Emissary has been central to his character arc from the beginning.  In "Rapture," for the first time, Sisko fully embraces the reality.  He is the Emissary.  There's no question about it any more.  The implications for his relationships with his family, with Starfleet, with his friends and, of course, with the Bajorans are profound.  

And even with over 2.5 seasons left to go, this shift is another marker of the beginning of the end for this extraordinary Deep Space Nine series.  Being separated from the visioning elicits regret comparable to what Odo felt being separated from The Great Link (see here).  Once again, it is the sort of deep regret that implies a return is inevitable.  For two principals now, we can see points of finality on the horizon - points beyond which we as the viewers are unlikely to be allowed to follow.

I am reasonably certain "Rapture" won't make my Top 10 at series end.  So far, it's only #3 for Season 5 and I know there are still several memorable stories yet to come.  It's another reflection of DS9's remarkable quality.   Not many TOS or TNG episodes are this meaningful.  And it's not just Star Trek.  Very few mainstream television shows have had the courage to go so far down this road.  Like it or not, the Emissary arc is part of what makes DS9 special.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Ernest Perry, Jr. played the role of Admiral Charlie Watley, on hand for Bajor's admission ceremony.  Perry was born in Evanston, Illinois, May 30, 1947.  His films include Liar, Liar, The Color of Money and Dunston Checks In.  Other television appearances include Chicago, P.D., The Chi and Turks.  

Perry passed away in 2023.

Squid Cooks: Taco Kit

When my wife said she was thinking of a taco kit for dinner one night, I got surprisingly excited.  I grew up with taco kits, indeed one of the first dishes I learned to make myself back in my latchkey kid days.  My wife asked me if I wanted to be the one to cook it.  We both know she's the better cook so I rarely get that suggestion.  I jumped at it.

First, let me make clear, I'm actually pretty confident about making real tacos.  I've even posted about taco rice bowls before which are similar.  The only significant differences with a kit are the ready-made shells and seasoning.  And as you can see below, I don't actually believe in hard shells so I crumbled mine over the top.  Left entirely to my own choices, I'd pick soft flour tortillas.  I added onion, avocado and tomatoes for toppings.

And the end result was just fine - the taste of adolescence.  Certainly easy, too.  I'd do it again.

Star Trek: Macrocosm

Episode: "Macrocosm"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 12

Original Air Date: December 11, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Captain Janeway and Neelix return from an away mission to find the entire crew suffering from a debilitating virus.  The Doctor accidentally brought it back from his own away mission.  What had been microorganisms have grown and they're reproducing quickly.  Neelix quickly succumbs as well so it's left to the Captain and the Doctor to save the day.

How handy that Star Trek so often has one non-organic life form who is less vulnerable than everyone else, not unlike the Scarecrow and Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.  

"Macrocosm" is a fairly obvious Aliens send up, though the writers have always denied it, likely for copyright infringement reasons.  The Trek creatives were no doubt still stinging from the brush back from the James Bond lawyers regarding "Our Man Bashir."   But Janeway wandering the halls in a tank top with a big, rifle-like weapon while weird creatures are emerging from people's bodies?  Sure looks like Aliens to me.

This episode goes on the long list of episodes other people seem to like but I don't.  The reason is not complicated.  I'm not a fan of horror films.  Indeed, I've never actually watched any of the Aliens movies myself.  So the tropes tend to induce anxiety rather than thrill.  Honestly, I found "Macrocosm" difficult to watch.  But I won't say it's a bad episode - just not my jam.

Acting Notes

via Dexter Wiki

Albie Selznick plays the Tak Tak Consul, representative of a culture who incorporates intricate body movements as part of their language.  Neelix masters the language quickly.  Janeway, not so much.  Selznick Selznick was born in Los Angeles County, January 1, 1959.  "Macrocosm" is his second of three Trek appearances.

Selznick performed as a magician with a group called The Mums for 25 years.  The Mums appeared together in Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.  Most of Selznick's high-profile work has been on television, including appearances on Suddenly Susan, The Young and the Restless and NYPD Blue.

Squid Eats: Place Bell

The kid and I made a trip up to Montreal to watch the Montreal Victoire take on the Seattle Torrent in a Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) game.  It's a good thing I double-checked location before leaving the house because I totally thought the game was at the Bell Centre, home stadium to the NHL's Canadiens.  In fact, it was at the similarly named Place Bell in Laval, a large suburb to the north of the city.  After weathering the horrors of Montreal rush hour traffic and sorting out parking, we finally settled into our seats after missing most of the first period.  Fortunately, we didn't miss any goals.

If you love hockey and you don't know about the PWHL, you're missing out.  If you live in or near a city with a team - Montreal, Boston, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, St. Paul, Vancouver or Seattle - you should definitely go to a game.  Here in the States (or basically anywhere other than Canada), you can watch for free on YouTube.  Game tickets are a fraction of the cost of the NHL equivalent.  

The hockey's great and the energy is electric.  The arena was packed, even on a random Thursday.  The crowd was young, overwhelmingly female and noticeably queer-friendly.  Loads of girls' youth hockey teams came in jerseys.  They sing along with the piped in music, even after it stops.  And since women and girls are encouraged to sing in a way that men and boys are not, the singing sounds a lot better than it does at, for instance, Liverpool soccer games.  Professional DJs entertain during intermissions.  

If a new hockey league is going to succeed anywhere, it's going to thrive in Montreal, to be sure.  All of the cities in the league are undeniably hockey-crazy.  No Phoenix.  No Florida or Texas.  All northern cities with genuine passion.  Keep it that way.  I think keeping at least half of the teams in Canada would be a solid plan moving forward.

Food is standard stadium fare.  We got two hot dogs each.  I got beer - an American IPA - in a can.  It's Canada so the the servers were very friendly indeed.

Right, the game.  Montreal handled this one easily, 4-1.  The first star of the game was Laura Stacey with an assist and two goals, including an empty-netter to seal the win.  Stacey is a three-time Olympic medal winner with the Canadian national team.

Star Trek: The Q and the Grey

Episode: "The Q and the Grey"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 11

Original Air Date: November 27, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Q appears uninvited in Captain Janeway's quarters, intent on seducing her.  In time, we learn not all is right in the Q Continuum and our old friend sees having a child with our dear captain as the solution to all of the problems.  But wait, there's more.  Evidently, our Q (John de Lancie) already has a Q mate (Suzie Plakson) and she's none too happy about this plan.  Of course, neither is our captain.  To make the Continuum Civil War understandable for "Kathy." as he calls her, Q creates an American Civil War-scape illusion, thus the episode's title, a play on The Blue and the Gray, a 1981 Civil War mini-series.

As previously discussed, I don't share the same reflexive affection for Q as many fans do and his Lothario impression here does little to improve my opinion.  That said, "The Q and the Gray" is fun in its way.  And Kate Mulgrew looks in her element in period dress.

My favorite part of the episode is near the end when the Qs finally mate with each other and Janeway... doesn't exactly avert her glance, though the "show" is certainly underwhelming.  Our dear Kathy has a bit of voyeur in her - or at least a healthy curiosity about how Qs get it on.  Perhaps a bit of both?  Either way, it's funny.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Harve Presnell played the role of Colonel Q, commander of the opposing forces in the Continuum Civil War.  Presnell was born in Modesto, California, September 14, 1933.  He was a child prodigy musician, scoring his first professional opera role at age 16.  He got a bachelor's in vocal performance at USC.

After a few years working as a professional baritone, he was discovered by Meredith Wilson while the latter was working on a new musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown.  Wilson created the role of Leadville Johnny with Presnell in mind.  Presnell played the part on both stage and screen, where he won a Golden Globe.  Other films include Paint Your Wagon, Saving Private Ryan and Fargo.  On television, he had a principal role on Andy Barker, P.I.  Guest appearances include The Pretender, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Dawson's Creek.

Presnell passed away in 2009 from pancreatic cancer.

Squid Flicks: Oscar Shorts 2026

Our child is home for spring break.  This past weekend, we went to see all of the Oscar-nominated shorts at Vermont International Film Festival's screening room in Burlington.  This is something we used to do every year.  We started with the animated shorts, figuring those were likely to be the most child-friendly, then added the other categories in later years.  It was great to renew the tradition.

My favorites are shaded in red.  The ultimate winners are in bold.  

Live Action Short Films

The Singers - 4 stars out of 5

A Friend of Dorothy - 4

Butcher's Stain - 3

Two People Exchanging Saliva - 3

Jane Austen's Period Drama - 5

Without a doubt, this was the strongest of the three categories.  I could understand and even defend any of the five of them winning.  A shared victory is only fitting.

Dorothy is a wonderful story of intergenerational platonic love.  Elderly Dorothy encourages young and handsome JJ in dramatic pursuits.  It hit all of the right emotional buttons for me, even if it was a bit predictable.

via Wikipedia

Jane Austen's PD is a delight and the only one of these 15 that my wife and I had seen before.  An Austen-esque heroine must explain her menstruation to a young suitor.  It's hilarious.  Every line of dialogue is an absolute zinger.  Everyone should watch it.  Forever.  I think it's a real shame it didn't win.  The Academy nearly always favors drama over comedy which is absurd.

Best Documentary Short Film

Perfectly a Strangeness - 3

The Devil Is Busy - 4

Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud - 3

All the Empty Rooms - 4

Children No More: "Were and Are Gone" - 3

I fully expected Armed Only with a Camera to win.  Brent Renaud was a documentarian who died in the field and I figured his peers would honor one of their own.  

All the Empty Rooms is about school shootings, a topic virtually guaranteed to inspire a profound emotional reaction from me.  Interestingly, the middle three in my list above all address gun violence in America in one way or another.  

Best Animated Short Film

The Three Sisters - 3

Forevergreen - 3

The Girl Who Cried Pearls - 3

Butterfly - 3

Retirement Plan - 3

This year's batch was good, not great.  In my experience, the Oscar usually goes to the most visually-impressive film in this category rather than the best story.  I understand Pearls as the choice here, a hyper-realistic marionette play.  I found the character figures a bit creepy, otherwise it might have been my favorite, too.

via Wikipedia

Retirement Plan's artwork is dead simple but the story of a man anticipating finding deeper meaning later in life resonated with me.

Star Trek: The Ascent

Episode: "The Ascent"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 9

Original Air Date: November 25, 1996

via Memory Alpha

With sheer delight, Odo arrests Quark who has been summoned to appear before a Federation grand jury.  The constable assumes the responsibility of escorting the bartender to Inferna Prime.  All goes awry and the two of them end up stranded on an uninhabited world - no communications, no replicator and practically no rations.  Meanwhile, Nog is back from Starfleet Academy.  He and his old buddy Jake become terrible roommates.

It's The Odd Couple times two.  

The writing staff had been wanting a story to dig into the Odo-Quark relationship, partly because of the thick tension between the two characters but also because of the undeniable skill of the two actors and the chemistry between them.  The initial inspiration for "The Ascent" was Samuel Beckett's classic minimalist play Waiting for Godot but they couldn't figure out how to make it work in a DS9 context.  Who would the two of them be waiting for?  Sisko?  Sure, but why?  Honestly, I don't think Beckett quite suits the obvious antagonism between Odo and Quark.  Neil Simon, on the other hand...

One of the first complaints Quark makes about Odo during their journey is the way he smacks his lips when he eats.  It's been a while but I'm fairly certain that's straight out of the Odd Couple script.  The Felix-Oscar vibe is more pronounced between Nog and Jake.  What's funny is that before Nog went off to the Academy, one would have expected Jake to be the neat freak and Nog the slob but with maturity, they've flipped roles.

Anyway, it's good fun.  Juxtaposing the comedy with the seriousness of a survival narrative is a little odd but it works in the end.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Robin Morselli plays a Bajoran officer in "The Ascent."  She was born in Bodega Bay, California, March 21, 1955.  She graduated from Western Illinois University, then started but never finished law school.  

Morselli appeared in 69 DS9 episodes, 77 Trek episodes in total - all of them uncredited.  She also appeared in The Nanny and the Clint Eastwood film In the Line of Fire - again, always uncredited.  Never forget, folks, all of those actors in the background without any lines have names and careers, too.

Morselli met her husband on the set of DS9: Mike Reilly, a camera operator.