Star Trek: Distant Origin

Episode: "Distant Origin"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 23

Original Air Date: April 30, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Forra Gegen, a Voth paleontologist, discovers his species traces its origins all the way back to Earth.  He and his research assistant set out to observe Voyager's crew incognito.  Unfortunately, they're rather clumsy about it and our friends discover their presence on the ship quickly.  In a panic, Gegen kidnaps Chakotay in order to take him back as proof of the genetic link to the leaders of his world.  

"Distant Origin" is a send up of Galileo's trial over his revelation of a non-geocentric universe.  People cling hard to their mythology and let's be honest, we don't have to go back centuries to find examples in human experience.  Nor do we have to travel to distant worlds.  It's all playing out in the United States of America, 2026.  Those who adhere to a nationalist Christian view of human origin, human law and the white protagonist role in American history hold greater political power in our nation than they have in generations.  Truth is negotiable.  Might makes right.

It's an excellent episode - indeed, one of Voyager's best.  Using the holodeck to extrapolate how dinosaurs could have evolved into an intelligent, humanoid life form is the coolest application of the technology to date (and deeply AI in hindsight).  "Distant Origin" is also a wonderful Chakotay story.  Our First Officer is going to have to fight for narrative relevance in the series moving forward (true for most of the cast) but he's the right choice as Gegen's sideman at the trial.  Chakotay is willing to sublimate his ego a lot more quickly than would have been possible for any of the other principals.  

Acting Notes

via King of Queens Wiki

Concetta Tomei played the role of Odala, leading minister of the Voth's Ministry of Elders.  Tomei was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, December 30, 1945.  She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an education degree then, after teaching for four years, studied theatre at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Tomei's stage resume is stellar.  She appeared in Richard III with Kevin Kline, The Elephant Man with David Bowie and Cyrano de Bergerac with Kline and Jennifer Garner.  On television, she's had principal roles on China Beach, Providence and Madman of the People.  She's had recurring roles on L.A. Law, Falcon Crest and Wings and guest roles on 7th Heaven, Touched by an Angel and The King of Queens.  Her best-known film role is Mrs. Crandell in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.  

Step by Step: A New School Year

The school year has begun and so far so good for keeping up with fitness goals: 9,000 steps/day plus a more vigorous workout.  I was 7 for 7 on the week.  I have recess duty rather than lunch duty to start the year which definitely helps.  Given the strong start, I'm thinking about increasing goals soon but as discussed last week, I'm reluctant to push too hard too early.  Ultimately, I want to be able maintain the good habits through the winter.  

Beyond photography, I find it meaningful to pay attention to the gradual seasonal changes in my surroundings from week to week.  In late summer, it can be harder to notice because it requires awareness of what's shutting down for the fall.  Our brains are programmed to see what is there that wasn't before rather than what has disappeared.  It's definitely starting to get cooler.  5 out of the 7 days had a lower high temperature than the same day the week before.  Once school starts, I'm eager for things to cool off.  I'm not a big fan of summer heat anyway.  Vermont is wonderfully mild compared to most of the country which is a major selling point for me.  

Star Trek: Soldiers of the Empire

Episode: "Soldiers of the Empire"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 21

Original Air Date: April 29, 1997

via Memory Alpha

General Martok is asked to command a Klingon Bird-of-Prey and he enlists Worf to join him as first officer.  Dax invites herself along, too.  Sisko obligingly advances the narrative by approving the leave time.  Morale is low aboard the Rotarran and in their efforts to help, tensions rise between Martok and Worf as well.

In my NextGen wrap up post, I advocated for a Klingon-centered Star Trek series.  "Soldiers of the Empire" is precisely the sort of episode that demonstrates the possibilities.  Each of the Klingon characters on board has a distinct personality and interactions are meaningful.  In other words, the Klingons are nuanced for a change, even if they are all still "warriors."  The Martok story in general offered considerable spin-off potential, but then that's true of a lot of DS9 threads.

Acting Notes

via The West Wing Wiki

David Graf played the role of Leskit, helmsman on the Rotarran.  Graf was born in Lancaster, Ohio, April 16, 1950.  He graduated from Otterbein College.  "Soldiers of the Empire" was his second of two Trek appearances.

Graf was best known for the role of Sgt. Tackleberry in the Police Academy movies, appearing in all six films.  Television guest appearances included M*A*S*H, Voyagers and The West Wing.  Graf passed away in 2001 from a sudden, massive heart attack.

Step by Step: Setting Goals

For me, the beginning of the blogging year coincides with the beginning of the school year, a good time to set fitness goals.  I have learned over time, reasonable expectations are important.  During the summer, I have near-complete control over my schedule plus there's plenty of daylight.  So knocking out goals is easy.  Once school starts, it's harder.  A step count isn't much of an issue.  Teaching literally keeps me on my feet.  But finding time, energy and, most crucially, motivation for anything beyond that is challenging.

My step goal at the moment is 9,000, 1,000 above the factory setting for my fitness tracker, AmazFit Band 7.  Last year, I ended up reducing the goal back to 8,000 over the winter months and I hope to avoid the same this time.  Additionally, I would like to include a more intensive workout each day.  During the school year, it will likely need to happen during the evening and that's not always easy.  The workout is definitely the bigger ask.  Over the summer, I did alright with it.  Let's see if I can keep it up.

This past week, I met both of those goals every day.

A walk in our hilly neighborhood is my default exercise choice.  Vermont is dependably beautiful so photography is one of my best motivators.  I have five spots which I approach with a Monet-esque philosophy.  It's meaningful to capture them at different times of year.  

8/16/26

8/18/26

8/22/26

8/22/26

8/22/26

With wildlife, it's get what you can when you can.  Don't waste time trying to get closer or waiting for better light or whatever.  Reptiles and amphibians are unusually cooperative because their default defense is lying still in hopes of evading detection.  With birds and mammals, you'd better be quick.  And lucky.

Red-Spotted Newt

Common Garter Snake

State of the Blog 2026

Blogging Year 18, here we go!  

From the beginning, The Armchair Squid has been about storytelling.  Even in the initial sports blog stage, the vision was "every game is a story."  So's every season, every player, every team, every tournament and so on.  My fascination with Star Trek is anchored in my amazement with how Gene Roddenberry's genuinely simple concept has generated fertile narrative grounds for nearly six decades.  No matter how much I shift from one topic to another, that same yearning for good stories remains.  

I'll have the same basic posting schedule this year:

Tuesdays: Family Adventures

Fridays: Star Trek

For Star Trek, it's onward with both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.  At this point, I expect I will stick with both series through to the end.  After that, we'll see.  At my current rate of one post per week, I have over 2.5 years to think about it so no rush.  This year should get me deeply into DS9 Season 6 and Voyager Season 4.  

It's time for a new direction with my Family Adventures posts.  The blog has played a meaningful role in my life over the years.  Perhaps most significantly, it's great for keeping me going with other hobbies.  As I grow older, one of my most important "hobbies" is regular exercise.  It is my aim this year to do a weekly post on my fitness adventures.  My preferred "workout" is a walk in my neighborhood.  That might not seem much but as I live in a hilly area of a mountainous state, such walks are a lot more strenuous than they would be for most people.  You can expect a lot of photographs of the Vermont woodlands, too.

I am eternally grateful to those of you who stop by to read and engage.  As always, if any of you enjoys reading The Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing fine.  

Squiddies 2026

The Armchair Squid turns seventeen years old today.  It's time to hand out some hardware.  The Squiddy goes to...

Biggest Surprise: Our Kid, the Sports Fan

It was the winter of 2006, twenty years ago.  I had Olympic hockey on TV, our child's first exposure to the game.  They ran to their room and grabbed the nearest hockey stick-like object - probably a wrapping paper tube - and returned to the living room yelling "My turn! My turn!"  I was sure we had a future player on our hands. 

That didn't exactly pan out.  They grew into a performing arts kid instead.  I can't complain.  I was one, too.  

Just in the past few years, they've found an unexpected interest in spectator sports.  It started with professional wrestling, of all things.  The two of us went to see Pro Wrestling GRIND in late February which would have been plenty enough of a surprise for me in itself even though it was technically my suggestion.

The real magic came with this year's Olympics when they fell in love with women's hockey.  Wouldn't you know it, there's a relatively new professional league with a team in nearby Montreal!  We went to a game during their spring break, then followed the rest of the season together on YouTube.  When a new women's baseball league launched this summer, they were the ones who pushed for watching the inaugural game together.

This development has already had a major impact on my own sports-viewing habits and I expect it will continue to do so for a while.

Biggest Disappointment: The Little Squirt's Passing

Our cat - my all-time favorite cat - got cancer.  We tried some of the lower cost treatment options but eventually made the tough choice and had her put down.  I know it was the merciful, responsible decision.  She was in pain.  Still, I miss her.  I expect I may always miss her.

RIP, little one.  I love you.

Best Read: Human Diastrophism by Gilbert Hernandez

via Amazon

Over the past year-plus, I've gone on a deep dive with the Hernandez brothers' Love and Rockets comics.  Human Diastrophism was the second collection of Palomar stories I read.  Palomar is a fictional Central American town where we get to know the residents over several generations.  Cute little kids grow up to be young adults with complicated sex lives with the turn of a page.  Terrible things happen to the community in this volume: a serial killer's rampage, an earthquake.  Because of the intimacy of the narrative, I as the reader ache for my dear friends.  Hernandez's masterful storytelling is best exhibited in a story about Pipo, a young woman who has moved from Palomar to Los Angeles.  The tales told in the images and the text are entirely independent of one another.

Best Comics Find: Human Diastrophism by Gilbert Hernandez

See above.

Athlete of the Year: Laura Stacey

via Wikipedia

Right wing Laura Stacey was the first star of the Montreal Victoire game we went to with two goals and an assist.  Over the rest of the season, she became my favorite, the sort of player who, in addition to scoring plenty, is seemingly always diving across the ice after a loose puck.  She plays with joy and competitive fire.  Seriously, what more can you ask of a professional athlete?

The Victoire went on to win the Walter Cup, the Professional Women's Hockey League championship trophy.  Stacey isn't even the team's best player.  That would be her wife, Marie-Philip Poulin, considered by many to be women's hockey's GOAT.  Poulin is captain of both the Victoire and the Canadian national team.  Together, Stacey and Poulin form two thirds of Montreal's "Wife Line" along with left wing Abby Roque.  They are almost certainly the best first line in the league and even with expansion, they're all coming back next season.

And, of course, Canada won silver in women's hockey at the Olympics: Stacey's third medal for her career (including one gold) and Poulin's fifth (three golds).

Up for some highlights?  Here's every goal Stacey scored in the league this year: 7 in the regular season, 3 in the playoffs.

Best Family Adventure: Northampton, Massachusetts

Northampton has played a marvelous role in our lives over the past four years.  Home to Smith College, it is also one of the great hippie enclaves of New England, by census data the gayest city in the United States and more female-forward than just about any place I've ever been.  Smith, a women's college since its founding in 1871, is a big part of that, of course.  But the female energy runs a lot deeper.  No joke, I fell in love with the place and I already miss having an excuse to visit regularly.  The kid's future plans are still forming and it is absolutely possible they could end up living in that part of the world again.  But for now, I'll settle for wonderfully pleasant memories.

Star Trek: Real Life

Episode: "Real Life"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 22

Original Air Date: April 23, 1997

via Memory Alpha

In his ongoing effort to broaden his own experiences, the Doctor creates a holodeck family for himself: a wife and two children.  Predictably, they are all nauseatingly perfect.  Torres makes a few tweaks to the program in order to provide the EMH - Kenneth to his family - with a more realistic experience.  Shocker, his wife and kids are now quite a lot more resistant to his efforts to control them.  What starts as chaos quickly turns to heartbreak when his daughter Bella suffers a terrible accident.

This is all part of the Doctor's wish to better understand his patients and it's an admirable goal.  The real barrier isn't so much lack of experience as lack of emotional range.  Last episode, I mentioned Kes's exceptional empathy.  Her strength is the Doctor's deficit.  Brilliant as he's constantly reminding everyone he is, he doesn't get people.  Unfortunately, that's a real world problem for too many in the medical profession. 

How does a computer program improve in this area?  As this story demonstrates, confronting pain and loss is important.  Perhaps most important of all for this particular character, admitting his own limits and vulnerability is essential.

The episode is good, but not nearly as good as the Starfleet Academy episode "The Life of the Stars" which referenced it 29 years later.

Acting Notes

via American Dad Wikia

Wendy Schaal played the role of Charlene, the Doctor's holodeck wife.  She was born in Chicago, July 2, 1954.  Her father Richard Schall was also a television actor who later married Valerie Harper, a fact which certainly helped Wendy's own acting career.  Wendy studied at Los Angeles City College.

Films have included Innerspace, The 'Burbs and Small Soldiers.  On television, she's had regular roles on Fantasy Island, Good Grief and It's a Living.  Early in her career, she made guest appearances on such classic shows as Little House on the Prairie, Rhoda and Welcome Back, Kotter among others.  She's had a successful voice acting career, including playing Francine Smith on American Dad! for the past 22 seasons and counting.  

Squid Mixes: Chanticleer

A Chanticleer combines gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg whites.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.  The word chanticleer means rooster, often referring specifically to the rooster character in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.  The drink was invented at New York's Waldorf-Astoria to celebrate the 1910 opening of Edmond Rostand's play Chantecler.  

I have a new toy in my mixing arsenal: Fee Foam.  It's essentially a synthetic egg white substitute, handy since the real thing has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.  Plus, Fee Foam avoids allergic reactions, not to mention the current salmonella outbreak.  I learned about the stuff from our niece, of all people, who works in a restaurant.  Basically, you add 4-6 drops in lieu of an egg white before shaking.  From what I've seen so far, the foam is not as impressive as what you get with the real thing.  But the advantages are undeniable so I'm happy to play around with it.

Wife and child (over 21) agreed that the result tasted like melted sorbet - a bit on the sweet side but good.

My main association with the word chanticleer is the men's vocal group - the best in the world.  Enjoy:

Star Trek: Ferengi Love Songs

Episode: "Ferengi Love Songs"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 20

Original Air Date: April 21, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Quark is depressed.  His bar is closed due to a space vole infestation.  His enterprises are limited due to the revocation of his Ferengi business license.  Plus, his annoying brother Rom is getting married!  What's a guy to do?  At Rom's suggestion, he goes home to Mom on Ferenginar.  He really should have called ahead to let her know.  He stumbles upon his mother's own love affair... with the Grand Negus!

While it's ostensibly an episode about the two brothers, "Ferengi Love Songs" ultimately centers around the role of women in Ferengi society.  As established in "Family Business," the boys' mother Ishka is a financial genius.  Unfortunately, this fact has become a liability as Ferengi females are forbidden to be involved in business, one of many restrictions on their lives.  There's another problem now, though.  The Negus's memory is failing with age and Ishka's behind-the-scenes advice has become essential.

Meanwhile, in Rom's case, he wants Leeta to sign a pre-nup.  Understandably, she objects and it would seem the wedding is off.  Rom is relatively progressive as Ferengi males go but he has trust issues lingering from his first marriage.  He has to decide if he's willing to compromise in order to be with the woman he loves.

The story certainly has icky moments but to their credit, the writers lean into the discomfort rather than dancing around it.  These are important areas of growth for several essential characters.  

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Cecily Adams played the role of Ishka.  She is the second actor to play the part and this is her first of five appearances.  Adams was born in New York City, February 6, 1958.  She graduated from UC-Irvine.

Other television credits include Just Shoot Me!, Murphy Brown and Party of Five.  Adams was also a successful casting director, primarily for television.  Her highest profile job in that capacity was for That '70s Show.  

Adams passed away in 2004.  A non-smoker, she died of lung cancer.

On the Road: DC, August 2026

I visited my parents again in DC this past week - the second time this summer.

My parents have lived in the city since the late '90s.  It's their home.  It has never quite felt like my home.  I grew up in the Maryland suburbs.  It really isn't so far and yet I haven't actually traveled out that way so much over the years.  But one day last week, I went all in: 25,000 steps for the day.  I walked around my old high school, my childhood home and beyond.

It occurred to me that part of the intimacy I feel for the places of my youth is a direct result of having spent so many years exploring it on foot.  My body knows exactly how steep a particular hill is, for instance.  The muscle memory is set firmly in my quads.  While I had driven through our old neighborhood a few times over the years, this was my first time in ages engaging with it as a pedestrian.  It felt right.

The biggest change is the newly constructed Metro line that goes right under my old street:

I did plenty of wandering in northwest DC on other days, taking in the National Cathedral,

Malcolm X Park (also know as Meridian Hill Park depending whom you ask), where I saw two different people blasting gospel music

and the unique atmosphere of Adams Morgan, well encapsulated by this store front:

Star Trek: Ties of Blood and Water

Episode: "Ties of Blood and Water"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 19

Original Air Date: April 14, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Major Kira invites Tekeny Ghamor to the station in order to provide intel on the Cardassians.  Back in Season 3's "Second Skin," Kira learned that a Cardassian operative, Iliana, who looked an awful lot like her had been sent undercover to infiltrate the Bajoran resistance.  Ghamor was Iliana's father.  In the midst of confusion and heartbreak, Kira and Ghamor formed a genuine, loving bond.  Ghamor is no fan of the current Cardassian regime and is happy to help bring them down.  To complicate matters for all involved, he's dying.  Meanwhile, Dukat is demanding that Ghamor be extradited.  

Without question, "Second Skin" is one of the very best DS9 episodes and well-deserving of a sequel.  In all honesty, I would have preferred a continuation of the Iliana story but what we got instead is plenty interesting in its own right.  Ghamor's death dredges up Kira's regrets about her own father's passing.  The two tales are linked by the fear of dying alone and, of course, the accompanying remorse of the survivors.  Confronting death and aging has been an important recurring theme with Trek from the beginning - clearly important topics for creator Gene Roddenberry.  

"Ties of Blood and Water" adds rich complexity to the character of Kira Nerys who already had plenty.  She must find forgiveness in her heart for Ghamor regarding his role in the occupation while also coming to terms with the grief she feels in losing him.  Powerful stuff.

Acting Notes

via West Wing Wiki

William Lucking played the role of Furel, one of Kira's comrades during the Resistance.  Furel passed away in his first appearance, "The Darkness and the Light."  In "Ties of Blood and Water," he appears in the flashback to Kira's father's death.  This is the actor's second of three Trek appearances.  

Lucking was born in Vicksburg, Michigan, June 17, 1941.  He graduated from UCLA and the Pasadena Playhouse.  He co-founded the Santa Paula Theater Center in 1986 and served as its artistic director for five years.

Films include The Magnificent Seven Ride!, The Rundown and Erin Brockovich.  On television, Lucking had starring roles on Outlaws and Sons of Anarchy and a recurring role on The A-Team.  Guest credits include M*A*S*H, The Greatest American Hero and The West Wing.

Lucking passed away in 2021.

On the Road: Pennsylvania 2026

As I have mentioned many times before (most recently here), my family has a cabin in the woods in central Pennsylvania.  It is part of a summer community that has enriched all of our lives for over 40 years.  This year's trip was unusual for many reasons, starting with the fact that I was on my own in the cabin.  For various reasons, neither my parents, my wife nor my child could make the trip this time.  So, it was just me.

A tornado hit the community for the first time just a few days before I arrived.  Didn't know Pennsylvania was prone to tornadoes, did you?  Well, they are unusual but not unprecedented.  Even so, the 2026 total so far is already twice the annual average.  Climate change is real, folks.  Fortunately, no one in our community was hurt and only one cabin took serious damage.  The impact on the forest, though, was dramatic.  Many trees were topped, felled and entirely uprooted.  The woods will recover, of course.  The human trauma might have more long-term impact.  Our safe haven suddenly feels considerably less so.

Our place was fine - at least regarding storm damage.  However, after 40 years without serious mouse problems, the little fuckers got in this winter and made quite a mess.  So, unfortunately, I had to devote way too much of time to cleaning it all up.

Even with all of that, it was still nice to be there, and quite enjoyable on my own.  I'm an introvert in the extreme so quality time to myself is always welcome.  Even in the midst of cleaning out all the mouse poop, I was reminded of why the place is still so important to me.  For a variety of reasons, mostly geographical, I did not grow up feeling close to my extended family.  I like them but I haven't really spent much time with them.  Rather than hauling off to Ohio, Nebraska, Texas or wherever the clan resides, we spent our summers in the Pennsylvania woods.  My spiritual cousins are there.  That's what makes the 9+ hour drive worth it.

Star Trek: Before and After

Episode: "Before and After"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 21

Original Air Date: April 9, 1997

via Memory Alpha

The story begins six years in Voyager's future.  Kes is on her death bed.  From there, she experiences a series of flashbacks, living her life in reverse.  We get to know the family she had with Tom Paris and the tragic ends met by some of her shipmates.  Eventually, all is made right.  We - and Kes - return to the "correct" timeline.  And the eternally wise Tuvok reminds everyone that the future Kes experienced is only one possible outcome.

"Before and After" is a popular choice for best of lists for the series.  Because of my bias against time travel narratives - not to mention Voyager's tendency to go to that well far too often - I'm not putting it there.  However, there's no denying it's a lovely character story for Kes and we're running out of those fast.  

In my favorite scene, Kes assures her daughter Linnis that Linnis herself will be a good mother because Kes knows the child will turn out fine.  Because of the way the timeline is messing with her, Kes has actually only known Linnis for a few minutes but she still knows the right thing to say.  Star Trek treats such effortless empathy like a superpower and maybe it is.  Wherever the gift comes from, the moment shows Kes at her best - indeed, the Deanna Troi legacy at its best.  Seven of Nine is about to bring tremendous breadth and depth to the narrative but when Kes leaves, Voyager will lose a lot of heart.

Acting Notes

via Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Wikia

Jessica Collins (Linnis) was born Jessica Lynn Capogna in Schenectady, New York, April 1, 1971.  She was the runner-up in the Miss Teen USA pageant in 1988.  She studied acting at the Royal National Theatre Studio in London and the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Los Angeles.

Collins is best known for her television work.  She has had starring roles on Loving, The Young and the Restless and Tru Calling.  She won a Daytime Emmy for Y&R.  Guest appearances include Beverly Hills 90210, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Grey's Anatomy.  Films include Beautiful, Catch Me If You Can and Live!

Squid Eats: Palmer Lane Maple

Creemee is Vermont's term for soft serve ice cream.  Our state's twist (pun intended) on the concept is higher butterfat content and, of course, the most famous flavor is maple.  Palmer Lane Maple in Jericho is our local shop.

The Palmers started out as a retail store, with a wide assortment of products from the family's own maple operation: maple candy, maple sugar and, of course, loads of maple syrup, all grades.  Business really took off, though, when they started selling creemees during the warmer months.  They've won Seven Days's Daysie award for Best Creemee in Chittenden County the past four years in a row.  

Star Trek: Business As Usual

Episode: "Business As Usual"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 18

Original Air Date: April 5, 1997

via Memory Alpha

The eternally enterprising Quark is buried in debt.  A cousin offers to bring him into the lucrative arms trade, a big no-no on the station.  Quark and his new associates devise an angle to make it work - with Bajoran blessings, even.  But when talk turns to weapons of mass destruction, our greedy friend discovers his own limits.

The most interesting Quark episodes are the ones where we see his capitalistic bounds tested.  It's part of why I think the much-maligned "Move Along Home" isn't really so terrible and why I appreciate Mirror Quark more than most of the other characters in that story line.  Like all of the other principals, Quark is on a journey through the course of the series.  Over the long run, his is not even the most remarkable growth within his own family.  He may not even rank second.  But his development is absolutely essential to the whole.

"Business As Usual" includes homages to several classic films: The Third Man, Scarface and Dr. Strangelove.

Acting Notes

via Beverly Hills Cop Wiki

Steven Berkoff played the role of Hagath, king pin of Quark's new trade syndicate.  Berkoff was born Leslie Steven Berks in London, August 3, 1937.

I've featured many stage greats in this space.  Berkoff plays in a different league from all of them.  He has written at least 33 plays and his directorial style is widely known as "Berkovian Theatre."  I found this description by critic Aleks Sierz:

The language is usually filthy, characters talk about unmentionable subjects, take their clothes off, have sex, humiliate each other, experience unpleasant emotions, become suddenly violent. At its best, this kind of theatre is so powerful, so visceral, that it forces audiences to react: either they feel like fleeing the building or they are suddenly convinced that it is the best thing they have ever seen and want all their friends to see it too. It is the kind of theatre that inspires us to use superlatives, whether in praise or condemnation.

On screen, he has built his reputation in villain roles: General Orlov in Octopussy, Victor Maitland in Beverly Hills Cop and Lt. Col. Podovsky in Rambo: First Blood Part II.  Television appearances include BBC classics such as The Avengers, The Saint and Doctor Who.

Squid Mixes: Joaquin Simó's Sidecar

After making the raspberry limeade involved in last week's cocktail, my wife had a bit of left over simple syrup.  I have been charged with finding cocktail recipes to make use of it.  First up is Joaquin Simó's Sidecar from Robert Simonson's 3-Ingredient Cocktails.  Simó's variation combines cognac, dry curaçao, lemon juice and the crucial simple syrup.  

It's probable that my resulting drink didn't turn out quite like Simó's as he lists a specific cognac and a specific curaçao.  No doubt both are higher quality than I'm willing to shell out for.  But mine was still a nice sidecar, if perhaps not noticeably better than my own home recipe.  

We still have plenty of syrup left so stay tuned.

Star Trek: A Simple Investigation

Episode: "A Simple Investigation"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 17

Original Air Date: March 31, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Odo falls in love - with someone other than Kira!  In the course of a murder investigation, he meets Arissa.  It quickly becomes apparent that she's in danger of becoming the next victim.  He takes her under his protection, even inviting her to stay in his quarters.  His intentions are not romantic, yet it happens anyway.

It's a DS9 film noir story.  I love these and honestly, there aren't enough of them.  I would be 100% down with a series consisting entirely of Odo-led mystery stories.  Is "A Simple Investigation" the best one?  No.  But the romance is a great vehicle for Odo character exploration.  He's a Changeling once more but still straddling the in-between space, not quite belonging to one world or the other.  Given his lack of experience with intimacy, either physical or emotional, he's still an insecure adolescent in many ways.  And yet, his vulnerability makes him an appealing partner.  By the end, even after she reverts to her true identity (spoiler), Arissa's affection is genuine.

With 29 years of hindsight, we know there's development with Kira still to come.  A story like "A Simple Investigation" gives Odo space to explore what a romantic relationship is before he finds "the one."  I can say from personal experience, that's important.

*****

Acting Notes

via The Delerious Movie Wikia

John Durbin played the role of Traidy, one of the Finnean assassins.  "A Simple Investigation" is his fourth of five Trek appearances, the most significant being that of Gul Lemec in the "Chain of Command" episodes.  Durbin was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Films include Return of the Living Dead, The Blue Iguana and Number One with a Bullet.  Beyond Trek, he has made guest appearances on The A-Team, Melrose Place and Moonlighting.

Squid Mixes: Raspberry Limeade Cocktail

I will admit upfront, my wife did the hard part for this one.  She made the raspberry limeade, following the Vanessa's Raz recipe in olive + gourmando: The Cookbook by Dyan Solomon, owner of olive + gourmando, one of our favorite Montreal restaurants.  My job was to find the best liquor pairing.

I chose gin over vodka or rum, the other suggestions I saw online.  In my experience, gin draws flavors together while vodka pushes them apart. And rum just adds more sweetness, undesirable in this case as the tartness of the two fruits needs to shine.

The drink was our picnic cocktail for the Vermont Symphony's America 250 performance in Shelburne, held at Shelburne Museum, facing west - ideal for a glorious sunset.

If you squint for this one, you might recognize Bernie Sanders, our Senior Senator and a leading light for progressive politics in the United States for a decade-plus.  Bernie was the narrator for "Vermont Is a State I Love," a speech by Calvin Coolidge, backed by Edward Elgar's Chanson de Matin.

Star Trek: Favorite Son

Episode: "Favorite Son"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 20

Original Air Date: March 19, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Harry Kim is inexplicably drawn to the planet Taresia where the natives tell him he is one of their own.  An agent of their world traveled to Earth long ago and injected Taresian DNA into Harry's mother.  Now that he's finally "come home," the Taresians are eager for him to stay, marry three wives and have loads of children.  The Doctor's scans confirm that Harry does, indeed, carry Taresian DNA but something's fishy...

"Favorite Son" is the last of a three-episode run often referred to by fans as the "trilogy of terror."  In other words, they're notoriously bad.  I don't really think any of them are so terrible.  A little Harry development is always nice and it's only fitting that an Odyssey-like series should have a Sirens episode.  "Favorite Son" is definitely sexist so if that's the complaint, I will concede the point.  But otherwise, the story's okay - certainly far from terrible.  We've seen worse from Voyager!

 

In the end, it is revealed that the Taresian DNA was implanted in Harry long after his birth.  However, in the original script, there is no such plot twist.  Harry is a Taresian and would have been for the rest of the series.  That could have been interesting.  Instead, the writers let themselves off the hook for trying to figure out how to incorporate the revelation in future stories.

Acting Notes

via Criminal Minds Wiki

Cari Shayne played the role of Eliann, one of the Taresian women eager to marry Harry.  She was born in Sellersville, Tennessee, September 8, 1972.  Career highlights including recurring roles on General Hospital, Party of Five and The Bay.  She's also made guest appearances on Murder, She Wrote, Criminal Minds and This Is Us.  Films include Exposé, Jack the Dog and Good Fortune.

On the Road: DC, Summer 2026

I recently visited my parents in Washington, my first summertime trip in many years.  DC's heat and humidity can be brutal and as such, it's not always the most inviting city this time of year.  But parent needs are on the increase and downsizing is likely soon.  I'm probably going to need to spend more time down there in the coming years.  

Sightseeing was not a high priority this time.  I went through all of my stuff in storage and hauled four big boxes of books to the public library.  I also touched base with old friends, including a couple I'd not seen in decades.  Overall, it was a meaningfully grounding trip.  And also very hot.

I did make it to the Smithsonian one day.  Inspired by our recent Montreal trip, I targeted the Museum of the American Indian (MAI) this time - my third visit, I think.  It's a funky spot and not especially popular, certainly not by Washington standards.  Compared with the city's other big museums about marginalized populations - the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Museum of African American History and Culture - the MAI is not built around a single, unifying narrative and I expect it may feel inaccessible to people as a result.  

To a point, this reflects a deliberate choice made during the museum's creation.  Indigenous America is not a monolith.  There were and still are literally thousands of different cultures across two vast continents.  They speak different languages and follow different customs.  Even their post-European contact experiences have varied (though there are certainly common themes).  So, one story to represent everyone would be impossible.  

There were two exhibits I particularly enjoyed this time.  Return to a Native Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake documents the experience of indigenous tribes of the Chesapeake region which, of course, includes both DC and the Maryland of my childhood.  

The Americans exhibits the roles and representations of indigenous peoples in contemporary American society, including a full documentation of the Trail of Tears, a tragic historical event only partially understood if at all by the vast majority of white Americans.  

One part of the museum has gotten rave reviews from the beginning: the Mitistam Native Foods Cafe, one of the Smithsonian's best restaurants.  I got a fried bread taco with chicken.  No, I did not manage to eat the entire thing. 

In many ways, I feel I have reached a crossroads in life.  Family needs are changing.  Professionally, I certainly have a lot more years behind me than in front of me - or at least, I'd damn well better!  One question I ask myself these days: "What do I still want to learn?"  Honestly, it's a long list but the last couple weeks have helped to bring focus.  I want to learn more about the non-white perspective on the history of the United States.  Obviously, a lot of the truth is uncomfortable, especially from my own white perspective.  But it's a healthy discomfort and frankly, the truth is genuinely fascinating and often even inspiring.  And the traditional white perspective is delusional.  It's well past time for all of us to pull back the veil.

Even during the height of World Cup mania, I find myself intrigued by lacrosse.  The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois, are the only indigenous nation represented in international sport and lacrosse is their game.  The Iroquois invented lacrosse, you see, and they are a genuine power on the global scene.  In 2028, lacrosse will be an Olympic medal sport for the first time since 1908.  The Haudenosaunee are campaigning to compete independently.  In fact, many top players have said they will only compete for an indigenous team. 

Both Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau supported the movement but with Trump and his band of racist dickheads currently in charge, US follow through on that support seems unlikely.

(You didn't really think I'd miss a chance to take a dig at the Orange One, did you?)