Star Trek: The Thaw

Episode: "The Thaw"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 23

Original Air Date: April 29, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Voyager happens upon what is initially presumed to be an abandoned planet.  Neelix identifies it as a former important trading colony and scans reveal evidence of an advanced civilization, but no life forms.  And then, they receive a hail.  Miraculously, a very small group survived 2.3 km below the surface in artificial hibernation.  The hail was an automated response (we've seen those before) as they are still asleep.  Our friends beam the hibernation pods to the ship in hopes of reviving the occupants.  Then the real fun begins.

In order to learn more, Kim and Torres enter the same hibernation state where the survivors have generated a shared dream scape to keep their minds active.  Unfortunately, the dream has turned to nightmare.  A tyrannical clown (Michael McKean) embodies all of the inhabitants' anxieties and he uses them to manipulate, terrorize and even kill.  Obviously, all must be rescued.

The set up is complicated for what evolves into a fairly straightforward hostage narrative.  Of course, it's Star Trek so the philosophical exploration behind it all makes the basic a lot more interesting.  Plus, Michael McKean is predictably outstanding.  It's difficult to imagine anyone else playing an evil clown so expertly.  With the zany characters, simple set and melange of striking colors, "The Thaw" has the look and feel of an original series installment.  Overall, it's strong, one of Season 2's best.

Acting Notes

via Disney Wiki

Michael McKean was born in New York City, October 17, 1947.  He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon and an MFA from NYU.  

McKean is one of the most recognizable television actors of his generation.  Never exactly an A-lister, he built his career as a top-notch comic character actor.  In 1976, he and his comedy partner David Lander were cast together in the Happy Days spin-off series Laverne & Shirley.  In fact, McKean and Lander had created their characters of Lenny and Squiggy while they were still in college.  Later, McKean was a company regular in several of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, including This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind (for which he won a Grammy for the song of the same name) and For Your Consideration.  Over the years, he's made numerous appearances in highly regarded shows, including Better Call Saul, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep and The Good Place.  

McKean is the last surviving member of the Laverne & Shirley original principal cast.

via Wikipedia (McKean/Lenny bottom left)

On the Coffee Table: Love and Rockets

Title: Love and Rockets

- Maggie the Mechanic

- Heartbreak Soup

- The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S.

Writers and Artists: Jaime Hernandez (for Maggie the Mechanic and The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S.) and Gilbert Hernandez (for Heartbreak Soup)

via Amazon

In 1981, the Hernandez brothers - Gilbert, Jaime and Mario - self-published the first issue of Love and Rockets (L&R).  Many consider L&R to be not merely an independent comic but the independent comic.  Even 40+ years later, the American comic book industry is still dominated by the superheroes of the Marvel and DC universes.  Stories about "real life" are the rare exception.  Throw in the fact that L&R showcased Latinx characters in a medium that has always been white-dominated and queer characters long before they were fashionable in any medium and you have the seeds for something genuinely different.  

But of course, L&R is more than merely novel.  The quality of the work and the sophistication of the storytelling are astonishing.  This was my introduction.

L&R lives in two separate story threads (sometimes more) created independently by two different brothers.  Locas is Jaime's world.  Maggie and Hopey are friends and occasionally lovers.  They're both late-teenagers (out of high school but can't drink legally yet) in LA's punk scene.  Narrative perspective shifts freely in both worlds though, at least so far, most Locas stories follow Maggie, the saner, more relatable of the two.  There are low-grade sci-fi elements.  Maggie works occasionally as a space rocket mechanic, particularly in the beginning.  A couple of female professional wrestlers play prominent roles in some of the stories.  No, seriously.

via Amazon

Gil's characters live in Palomar, a fictional village in Central America.  While Locas is very good, Palomar is the real treat.  We follow the residents as they grow up together.  They develop deep friendships, they quarrel, they get each other pregnant, they marry and divorce, they even occasionally kill each other.  It's like a soap opera but better because the characters are fully dimensional.  You fall in love with one of them, then learn about their past sins.  You come to loathe one of them, then learn about their pain.  There's always more to the story.

via Amazon

In both threads, characters age, lose and gain weight, change hairstyles, etc.  They have believable insecurities.  In short, they're allowed plenty of room to be human.  Historically, the Hernandezes have earned a lot of praise for exhibiting a wide range of (relatively) realistic body types, especially for their female characters.  I would argue their portrayal of women is not without its shortcomings but it's still far better than what you'd see from their mainstream contemporaries.  

There's loads of nudity, violence, substance abuse, sex and so on.  So, L&R is not for little kids.  Teens and up are probably best, especially if they have a trusted adult to talk to about some of the rougher material.  While there are otherworldly elements, the power comes with the realism.  I can hardly wait for more. 

Squid Eats: Café Mamajuana

Caribbean restaurants seem to be on the rise in northwest Vermont, a welcome development by my reckoning.  The newest one for us is Café Mamajuana, a Dominican fusion place in Colchester.  We visited recently with friends and were most pleased.

I ordered the chicken and waffle empanada off the specials menu.  

As a big fan of soul food in general, fried chicken and waffles is practically an obligatory order for me when I see it.  I'm not sure how the waffles themselves factored into the dish - the description said they were in the empanada.  Wherever they were, the result was delicious.  I enthusiastically tried stuff off of other people's plates, too: my wife's La Canoa, a child's Tres Leches French Toast and salami from something.  All were good.

La Canoa

Café Mamajuana is only open 10-4, Wednesday to Saturday so the emphasis is brunch and lunch.  As for the "café," multiple coffee options and baked goods are all on offer.  We left with a couple doughnuts for the next day's breakfast, involving such exotic flavor choices as mango and guava.

Overall, it was a highly positive experience.  I'm sure we'll be back.  Sometime, I'd like to try the Poutine Dominica.

Star Trek: Shattered Mirror

Episode: "Shattered Mirror"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 20

Original Air Date: April 22, 1996

via Memory Beta

Garak episode!

Mirror Universe (MU) Jennifer comes to visit Real World (RW) Benjamin in his dimension.  RW Jake meets her for the first time and is naturally eager to get to know her.  Unfortunately, Jennifer's motives are not 100% pure.  The plan is to lure Jake back to the MU so RW Ben will follow and help the Terran rebels - now in control of Terok Nor - put the finishing touches on their own Defiant.

As previously discussed (here), I'm not a huge fan of the Mirror Universe.  The original series episode is amazing but the use of the MU in DS9 feels mostly unnecessary.  That said, following up on the "what if Jennifer had lived" angle from Jake's perspective is genuinely meaningful.  

"Shattered Mirror" also brings MU Worf into the story for the first time.  He's is a Regent for the Cardassian-Klingon Alliance and he arrives on the scene determined to take back the station.  He captures MU Garak, the only Alliance official to escape the rebellion alive.  The chemistry between the two characters is wonderful, reminding me the actors hadn't had much previous opportunity to play off of one another.  MU Worf, while clearly a bad guy, is just as obviously a happier Klingon than his RW counterpart.  No conflicted identity baggage.  Just a warrior.  It suits him.

Our child and I watched together virtually.  We were most amused by MU Dax and Bashir's '80s new wave hairstyles,

via Memory Beta

via Star Trek Expanded Universe

bringing this to mind:

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Carlos Carrasco (a Klingon officer) was born in Panama City, April 5, 1948.  He attended Canal Zone Junior College where he discovered acting.  An instructor helped him get an acting scholarship to Stephens College in Missouri where he was one of eight male students at a predominantly women's college.  

Films include Crocodile Dundee II, The Return of Superfly and Speed.  Television credits include Hunter, Angel and Parks and Recreation.  "Shattered Mirror" was his second of four Trek appearances.

Squid Mixes: Southside Cocktail

A Southside Cocktail combines lemons, sugar, mint and gin.  The recipe I found in Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology calls for four lemon wedges muddled with the other ingredients before shaking.  In muddling full wedges, you get a lot of peel which certainly enhanced the sharp tartness of the resulting beverage.  I enjoyed the drink quite a lot.  It's certainly sour - and pulpy - but the sugar and mint bring enough to take the edge off.

Worth noting, other recipes I've seen use limes instead of lemons.  

The drink's origins are unclear.  Is it the South Side of Chicago or the South Side Sportsmen's Club in Great River, New York?  The most colorful theory supports the former, suggesting it may have been a favorite of gangster Al Capone's.

Star Trek: Hard Time

Episode: "Hard Time"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 19

Original Air Date: April 15, 1996

via Memory Alpha

During a mission to Argathra, Chief O'Brien is falsely accused of espionage.  Unfortunately, Argathri justice is swift.  Before Starfleet can intervene, 20 years of prison memories are imbedded in O'Brien's brain and Doctor Bashir is unable to remove them.  Obviously, returning to "real life" after such an experience is brutally challenging.  

Star Trek's fascination with criminal procedures on other planets continues.  The closest precedent is Voyager's "Ex Post Facto" in which Tom Paris is forced to continually relive his supposed victim's final moments.  However, while the previous story focuses mostly on proving Tom's innocence, all of that is beside the point in O'Brien's situation.  Guilty or innocent, for the Chief, the damage is done - just like in the real world.  The difference makes for a far more poignant and compelling tale.

Worth noting: this episode came out only a year-and-a-half after Shawshank Redemption, a film which delves much deeper into the question of what prolonged prison life does to the human psyche.

Acting Notes

via Elm Street Wiki

Craig Wasson played the role of Ee'char, O'Brien's ill-fated cellmate.  Wasson was born in Ontario, Oregon, March 15, 1954.  He graduated from the University of Oregon.  His films include Body Double, Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Four Friends, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.  Television credits include The Bob Newhart Show, M*A*S*H and Murder, She Wrote.  He's musically talented, too.  In The Boys in Company C, he wrote and performed "Here I Am (in Vietnam)" which became the movie's theme song.

On the Road: Pennsylvania and Maryland

I made my annual journey to the Tree Farm (see here) in Pennsylvania this past week.  I traveled on my own this year as both wife and child had to work.  So, it was just my parents and me in the cabin.

The Tree Farm doesn't change much from year to year but the people in the community do.  There was a new baby this year.  And, of course, there are those who have passed away since we were all last together.  The rest of us just get older.

Most of my visit was quiet and predictable but I did go on one side adventure to Camden Yards in order to see my favorite baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles.  It's a three-hour drive from the Tree Farm but still considerably closer that from home.  The Colorado Rockies were in town for a three-game series.

Those who follow Major League Baseball (MLB) already know it's been a horribly disappointing season for the O's.  With two consecutive playoff appearances and a young, talented player core, expectations were high for more of the same in 2025.  It hasn't worked out.  The injury list has defied belief and it has impacted every facet of the game.  Just one example: the O's have already used six catchers this year, tying a team record.  And we still have two months left to go.

So Sunday's tilt was a matchup between two bad teams.  As miserable as my Birds have been, the Rockies have been much worse: 30-81 as I write this on August 4th, by far the worst record in the big leagues.  Still, a game is a game.

Fortunately, the Orioles have been much improved over the past couple months and they won Sunday's game easily, 5-1.  Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano was the winning pitcher: a quality start with 8 Ks, 2 walks, 4 hits and 1 earned run over six innings.  Sugano, a highly decorated ace in Japan, has been a mixed bag in his first (and likely only) year in Baltimore but unlike nearly every other pitcher on the staff, he's stayed healthy.  So far.  It was nice to see him do well.

Sunday was a big day for Japanese baseball in general as Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York,

Watching a game between two bad teams in late July, the looming trade deadline means quite a lot of the players on the field will be in different uniforms within a few days.  Sure enough, five Orioles who played in the game I saw were gone by Thursday...

Cedric Mullins, CF, traded to the Mets

Ryan O'Hearn, 1B, Padres

Ramon Laureano, PH/RF, Padres

Andrew Kittredge, RP, Cubs

Seranthony Dominguez, RP, Blue Jays

Dominguez was also traded two days later between games of a doubleheader to the team in the opposite clubhouse.  Starting pitcher Charlie Morton was traded to the Tigers.  Utility infielder extraordinaire Ramon Urias was traded to the Astros.  

Eutaw Street

A mural devoted to pre-integration baseball

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful stadiums in MLB.  For a devoted fan such as myself, it also feels a bit like a museum with statues devoted to the Orioles' undeniable pantheon of six legends from the glory days.  You scoff?  The Orioles were the American League's dominant team from 1966-83.  Go ahead, check the numbers.  These six, each enshrined in Cooperstown and each with a retired number in Baltimore, were essential to that success:

Cal Ripken, Jr., shortstop, The Iron Man, now co-owner

Frank Robinson, outfielder, probably the single best player in franchise history.  Alas, he played more of his career with the Cincinnati Reds.  He was also the first black manager in the Majors.

Brooks Robinson, third baseman, The Human Vacuum Cleaner, 16 Gold Gloves - the most by a non-pitcher, widely considered the best fielding third baseman ever.  Worth a Google.

, 

Eddie Murray, first baseman, owner of the greatest sideburns in baseball history.  When I was old enough to start paying attention, he was the man.  "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie..."

Earl Weaver, manager

Jim Palmer, starting pitcher, Jockey underwear model, still one of the color commentators for the team

Star Trek: Rules of Engagement

Episode: "Rules of Engagement"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 18

Original Air Date: April 8, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Worf is in big trouble.  When the Defiant is attacked by Klingon Birds of Prey, Worf accidentally fires upon a civilian transport just as it decloaks, apparently killing all on board.  The Klingon wants him extradited to Qo'noS to stand trial.  The episode revolves around the extradition hearing with Sisko serving as defense counsel.

Some have been critical of plot holes but I'm always up for Worf development.  While Worf is on the witness stand, Ch'Pok torments him with the predictable "Are you truly Klingon?" taunts and just as predictably, they work in provoking our man.  The interesting, though unstated, revelation for this particular installment is that Worf, despite his outcast status within the Empire, is still symbolically important to the Klingons in power.  Obviously (to the viewer), they framed him in this particular instance.  They did so for broader strategic reasons but also because they still see Worf as a threat.

"Rules of Engagment" is a good O'Brien episode.  We learn a little bit more about his military record - 22 years of service, 235 combat encounters, decorated 15 times - and also about his regard for Worf, his longtime colleague aboard the Enterprise.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Ron Canada (Ch'Pok) was born in New York City, May 3, 1949.  He graduated from Columbia University.  His path to acting was unusual.  He started in broadcast journalism, first in Baltimore, then in Washington, DC.  He won both a local Emmy and an AP award for his work in DC.  In 1985, he moved to New York to pursue a stage career.  Films include Cinderella Man, Wedding Crashers and Lone Star.  TV credits include One on One, The Shield and The West Wing.