Star Trek: Coda

Episode: "Coda"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 15

Original Air Date: January 29, 1997

via Memory Alpha

On the way back to the ship from an away mission, Janeway and Chakotay get caught in a time loop.  Or is Janeway dying?  Or both?  Eventually, an ethereal entity disguised as her own deceased father strives to lure our captain into the afterlife and away from her Voyager crew.

Honestly, the story for "Coda" is kind of all over the place.  The time loop idea is ultimately meaningless, part of a near-death hallucination.  In fact, did any of what Janeway experienced "really happen"?

And yet there is something meaningful weaved in through it all.  Star Trek has never been shy about exploring death, and not simply the obvious loss aspect either.  Is there an afterlife?  The franchise has, in fact, offered several different answers to that question.  "Coda" suggests the involvement of a higher intelligence.  What is "god" if not a higher intelligence?  Again, this is all well-tread territory for Trek and it won't be the last time for such questions.

"Coda" manages to offer an interesting angle: how does the person dying cope with the fact that she will no longer be a part of other people's lives?  In effect, how does she mourn herself?  For nearly three seasons worth of television, Janeway's primary drive has been getting her crew back to the Alpha Quadrant.  If she dies, she can't help them any more.  She can watch in a ghost state but she can't impact.  She will play no role in their successes or their failures.  Ever-growing loneliness is inevitable.  The only alternative is acceptance and she's not ready for that.

As is so often the case with Voyager, the basic premise is good while elements of the execution fall flat.  First, an obvious narrative oversight: Janeway never catches on to the fact that the one time Kes was able to sense her presence was when Kes physically passed through the Janeway ghost.  Why didn't the captain think to try that again?  The movie Ghost had come out in 1990.  In Ghost, that trick worked - with Whoopi Goldberg's character, no less!  A narrative question has a narrative answer: that wasn't the point of this story.  Whatever.  The inconsistency distracted me.  

Then the funeral speeches from the crew - so moving and so... staged.  It's sweet.  None of it feels organic.  It feels like a school play.  "Okay, it's your turn to emote now..."  DS9 is always effortless.  Voyager rarely is.  I know I just need to move past the differences but it's hard when the gap is evident.  Better actors + better writing = superior narrative flow.  Every time.

But the death stuff is interesting.

Acting Notes

The guest star cannot be blamed for "weak acting."  They brought in a heavyweight for "Coda."

via Blue Bloods Wiki

Len Cariou ("ghost" of Vice Admiral Janeway) was born in Saint Boniface, Manitoba, September 30, 1939.  He started both acting and directing while he was still in high school.  He graduated from St. Paul's College in Winnipeg.  

After several years at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, Cariou made his Broadway debut in 1968.  He received Tony nominations for his lead performances in Applause opposite Lauren Bacall and A Little Night Music opposite Elizabeth Taylor.  The Tony win finally came in 1979 when he debuted the title role in Sweeney Todd, opposite Angela Lansbury.  Films include The Four Seasons, Prisoners and the Best Picture Oscar winner Spotlight.  He's done well on television, too.  He was in the principal cast of Blue Bloods for 14 seasons.  He has had recurring roles in Murder, She Wrote, Brotherhood and Damages.  

On the Road: The Botanic Garden of Smith College

Star Trek: The Begotten

Episode: "The Begotten"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 12

Original Air Date: January 27, 1997

via Wikipedia

Quark sells a young changeling - little more than a jar of goo at this stage - to Odo, effectively making our dear constable a parent.  Odo sets about trying to teach his young charge to shapeshift, a bit tricky given that he can't do it himself anymore.  At Captain Sisko's urging, Odo enlists the help of his own Bajoran mentor/father, Dr. Mora.  Meanwhile, Kira gives birth to the O'Briens' baby.

"Begotten" can be challenging to watch at times as it treads on tricky territory. As previously explored in "The Alternate," Odo is highly resentful of Mora.  Before realizing Odo was a sentient life form, the scientist poked and prodded, generally making Odo miserable.  From Odo's perspective, it was an abusive relationship and his anger is understandable.  Mora, on the other hand, is fully convinced that he was doing what he thought was best.  There was no handbook for raising a Changeling so he had to make it up as he went along.  From the Odo-Mora viewpoint, "Begotten" is a story of forgiveness.

But the more interesting and gratifying tale is the relationship between Odo and his child.  Odo takes a gentler approach than Mora had and with gratifying results.  The young Changeling rising up to form Odo's face in a clear sign of affection is one of DS9's most moving moments.  

The episode ends bittersweetly on multiple fronts.  Saddest, the young Changeling dies.  However, in so doing, it dissolves into Odo, restoring the latter's shapeshifting abilities.  Odo's parting with Mora is surprisingly emotional.  They even hug.  Finally, Kira expresses regret over no longer being with the new baby - probably a very real emotional rollercoaster for many surrogate mothers.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Peggy Roeder played the role of Y'Pora, Kira's Bajoran midwife.  "Begotten" is Roeder's only Trek appearance.  Other television guest roles include Wings, ER and Law & Order.  Her most memorable movie role may be the piano teacher in Groundhog Day.  Other films include Eagle Eye, Road to Perdition and The Lake House.

On the Road: Noho in Two Photos

A moose head over the bar - standard New England choice

An alligator head just a few feet away - decidedly less so

Both can be found at Packard's in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Star Trek: Alter Ego

Episode: "Alter Ego"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 14

Original Air Date: January 15, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Ensign Harry Kim is in love with Marayna, a holodeck character in Neelix's luau program.  He's got it bad.  It's interfering with his work.  He goes to Tuvok for guidance on emotional control.  The Lieutenant goes to the holodeck to check out Marayna.  She ends up falling for Tuvok instead.  Perhaps there is more to Marayna than originally suspected.

"Alter Ego" is a great Tuvok episode.  I'm finding there are a lot of those.  Tuvok provides more in-depth exploration of Vulcan culture and philosophy than Spock ever did.  Kim's questions and especially Marayna's challenges reveal much of Tuvok's own thinking, even bringing new and unexpected self-awareness.   "Alter Ego" also introduces kal-toh, a complicated and beautiful Vulcan strategy game.  

via Memory Alpha

Solution via Memory Alpha

The story is a meaningful continuation of a couple TNG holodeck threads.  Falling in love with a holodeck character hearkens back to "11001001," NextGen's best Season 1 offering.  Such a character taking over the ship is an expansion of Moriarty's efforts in "Ship in a Bottle."

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Sandra Nelson (Maryana) was born in Madison, Wisconsin, December 29, 1964.  "Alter Ego" is her first of two Trek appearances.  She played Phyllis Summers for two years on The Young and the Restless.  Films include Life as a House, De-Lovely and The Wolf of Wall Street.  Other television guest roles include ER, Monk and NCIS.  

Squid Eats: Burlington Beer Company

As discussed previously, Vermont is beer heaven with the most breweries per capita of any US state.  Quality is high and the local competition fierce.  We, the consumers, only benefit.  Burlington Beer Company was established in 2014.  They run their taproom in a reclaimed industrial warehouse, not an unusual business model in itself in our area.  In addition to their restaurant, they also own a performance venue in back.  My wife and I went to a VSO Jukebox concert there this past weekend and combining with dinner seemed a natural choice.

The beer is good.  Around here, it had better be.  I favor ales and the Little Wizard IPA has long been my go-to at BBCO.  Now, however, that particular product is more widely available in retail stores so I'm more inclined to try something else when I'm on site.  I went with the Elaborate Metaphor, a pale ale, this time.  It was good but I still prefer the Wizard.  The EM is more melon-y while the LW is more citrus-y.  I will say, though, I still prefer the Wizard on tap to a can.  Some products make that transition better.

Right, food.  I chose the Crispy Chicken Sandwich.  Full disclosure, I'm often hesitant with chicken sandwiches.  Not infrequently, I find them disappointing.  They look better on the menu than they taste.  Even knowing this, I still take the risk from time to time.  And this one was a little bland.  I asked for hot sauce and that helped a lot.  There is a "Make it Hot!" option on the menu and I might try that next time.  Because there will definitely be a next time.  One disappointing chicken sandwich isn't enough to scare me away.  I know the risks going in.

The concert space was lovely - quite resonant.  And the VSO String Quartet is always good value.  I'd vote for better folding chairs but overall, it was a satisfying evening.

Star Trek: Fair Trade

Episode: "Fair Trade"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 13

Original Air Date: January 8, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Voyager arrives at the edge of the mysterious Nekrit Expanse.  Our friends head to a nearby space station to trade for supplies and hopefully gather helpful information for navigating this difficult region of space.  Meanwhile, Neelix is facing an existential crisis.  Do Janeway and company even need him any more now that they've reached a part of the Delta Quadrant he doesn't know?  His anxiety leads to trouble when he runs into Wixiban, an old friend and a connection to Neelix's shady past.

At this stage of the series, the search for Neelix's raison d'être extended to both sides of the camera.  By mid-Season 3, both NextGen and DS9 were well-oiled machines.  Voyager is still an awkward fledgling and unsettled characters are a major issue.  Adding Worf to the DS9's cast was a matter of building on strengths.  Similar bold changes await Voyager in its fourth season.  With historical hindsight, we know what's coming.  But I think even a viewer in January 1997 might have sensed that addition by subtraction was looming.  Neelix has been mostly annoying to this point and I can't imagine that cutting him loose wasn't considered.  If they were going to keep him, they'd better help him find a foothold fast.

Fortunately, "Fair Trade" is a pretty good episode - certainly the strongest Neelix story so far.  Connecting back to his previous life is meaningful.  Voyager is a well-established reform project for several characters: Tom, B'Elanna, Lon Suder, etc.  Why not Neelix, too?  And the way he manages to wiggle out of trouble is genuinely clever.  The crisis point with the Captain in the final scene cuts to the chase: no, Neelsix, casting you off would be too easy.  You need to live with the guilt and rebuild trust.  And I, the viewer, will acknowledge, that's not just an episodic television convenience.  It is genuinely the more interesting narrative choice.

Neelix is a nervous but loyal dog.  He's eager to please, to impress, to love and be loved.  He sees love as something he must earn, then guard jealously.  He whines when threatened or neglected.  He understands the shame he deserves.  He is grateful for forgiveness.

21st Century Notes

We need to talk about the cancellation of Starfleet Academy.  I'll put my cards on the table.  It is the best Star Trek series of the streaming era - indeed, the finest Trek since Deep Space Nine ended.  The stories are rich.  The characters are amazing and refreshingly unpredictable.  The concept is long overdue and the narrative possibilities enticing.  Two separate Season 1 episodes brought me to tears.  A four-season run was already mapped out.

And now, the trolls have killed it.  Paramount will say it was the ratings and to be fair, plenty of amazing shows have met similar fates for crass commercial reasons.  Firefly and Freaks and Geeks come to mind.  Television producers want an adequate return on their considerable investments.  Artistic quality doesn't always sell.  

But good luck convincing me it doesn't run deeper with Starfleet Academy.  The Internet trolls set their sights on the series from Day 1.  And yes, it's well-documented that right-wing interest groups actually pay people to go on social media and be assholes.  The objections are mainly two: a gay Klingon and unconventional women in positions of authority.  

I'm not going to linger too long on the basics of representation because anyone who's actually paid attention knows it's been the whole point of Star Trek since 1966  If you have a problem with extending tolerance to LGBTQIA+ characters, you are not a Trekkie.  You're also on the wrong blog.  If anyone is going to spew any of that shit here, understand that I will not treat your "opinion" as valid.  Your squeamishness harms people.  Period.  Grow up.

via Memory Alpha

And heaven forbid the franchise should finally bring some dimension to Klingon society.  Jay-Den is a pacifist in what has long been projected as a monolithic warrior civilization.  He would rather heal others and watch birds than kill anyone.  That alone would probably have been tough to swallow for the idiots but likely not enough to kill the show.  The much greater sins: he's gay and he occasionally wears gender-nonconforming clothing.  Even worse, no one in-story, his own Klingon family included, gives a shit.  Where is the public shaming?  We all know queer characters must be made to suffer, right?  Hell, if the writers aren't going to do it, the MAGA fuckers sure better do it for them.

The women?  Two of the faculty members, Jett Reno and Lura Thok, are open gay lovers.  Lura Thok is also bi-racial (Spock, anyone?): Klingon and Jem'Hadar.  "Is that even biologically possible for the Jem'Hadar?" the trolls whine.  It's all fiction, dipshit, of course it's possible.  But this sort of deviance is only to be expected in the horrible halls of academia, right?  The trolls' most vehement objections are directed at the Academy Captain and Chancellor, Nahla Ake.  Her crimes?

She walks around barefoot and won't sit properly in the Captain's chair.

No, seriously, that's it.

via Wikipedia

You see, the idiots don't mind a female leader as long as she still adheres to masculine expectations.  Act like a man as much as possible while still looking pretty.  Even a lesbian is borderline acceptable because, well, she wants to sleep with women and that's dude stuff, right?  Now, to be fair, these standards extend deeply into the real world and across all fictional platforms.  Ake is a challenge to the norms and that is exactly what Star Trek is supposed to be, folks.  The entire mission from the beginning has been to push us all just that little bit further out of our comfort zones until it starts to feel normal.  Then push us a little bit further again.  Repeat.  For 60 years.  

Have there been missteps along the way?  Of course.  Have there been obvious opportunities for them to push harder that they didn't take?  You're damn right there have.  But the mission has always been there and it's exactly why so many of us care so deeply.

The fact that a woman who won't sit up straight is enough to kill an otherwise wonderful show says quite a lot about where we are as a society.  It's not exactly an encouraging revelation.

I won't put all of this on the political/religious right just as I can't in the real world.  Morally ambitious though it has been, Star Trek has always reflected the current anxieties of white liberalism.  The color blindness we were taught in the '80s and '90s is mirrored by the attitudes toward "alien races" in the NextGen-era series.  Indeed, the fact that they're still referred to as aliens is revealing.

21st century wokeness has its limits and gender - even more than sexuality at the moment - is a major test of those limits.  Plenty of white "liberals" feel we have gone too far in advocating for transgender people, not because they don't think it's right to do so but because they worry it has made the Democratic Party vulnerable in elections.  This is not my imagination.  I've heard people say it.  This anxiety is cowardly and it is 100% real.  

The trolls know they can push on certain buttons and sow the seeds of doubt in white liberals.  They know they can scare them away from a show like Starfleet Academy with suggestions that it might be going too far on gender.  The ratings are what they are.  But the trolls put a heavy thumb on the scale and it worked.  And the current leadership at Paramount have made clear they're not inclined to stick their necks out in the present political climate.

Season 2 is already in the can so we will get a little more.  There have been fan petitions to save Starfleet Academy but the set pieces have already been sold off.  In the eyes of those with control of the funding, it's all over.  Unfortunately, that's all that matters in the end.

I hope Star Trek survives this setback.  Yes, I know there will eventually be more material.  I mean that I hope the mission itself survives.  

Acting Notes

via Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki

James Nardini (Wixiban) was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.  His films include Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man and voice dubbing in the English-language version of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.  Television work includes Night Court, Cheers and Criminal Minds.   

Squid Eats: Stone's Throw

Stone's Throw makes the best pizza in our immediate area: a beautiful crust and fresh ingredients.  To be honest, the crust is thinner than I would usually want but the flavor more than makes up for it.  Our closest location is pick-up only but the Richmond branch has table service, making it a perfect choice on a recent evening.

Our typical order is the Hunter: red sauce, pork belly, peppers, onions and rosemary.  I am not a rosemary fan so we swap it out for basil.  This visit, we decided we'd each get our own small pie.  My wife picked the Casablanca (top shelf in the photo): white sauce, chicken, lemon, harissa sauce, feta and parsley.  I got a sausage and onion (bottom shelf).  I did not try my wife's but she assured me I'd like it.  I don't know.  Lemon and feta on pizza?  Not sure that's for me.

Regardless, quality is top notch.  Still the best pizza in town, by a comfortable margin.

Star Trek: The Darkness and the Light

Episode: "The Darkness and the Light"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 11

Original Air Date: January 6, 1997

via Memory Alpha

An unknown assassin is hunting Kira's former Bajoran Resistance comrades and taunting her with each successive kill.  Kira is a pregnant woman and therefore should let Bajoran and Starfleet authorities (one of the attacks happened on DS9), pursue the killer rather than taking matters into her own hands.  Right?  We know better, don't we?

There's been a lot of meaningful Kira development recently, particularly in regards to her history with the Resistance.  In "Things Past," knowledge of Odo's unfortunate role in a Terok Nor assassination investigation soured Kira's relationship with the Constable.  In last week's "Rapture," she had a memorable exchange with Kai Winn, a conversation I didn't even cover in my reflection.  The Kai, generally cast as the antagonist in DS9, shames our dear major, sharing her own heretofore undisclosed suffering under the Cardassian Occupation.  In this week's story, Kira is confronted by one of the civilian victims of her own cell's attacks.

The clear message: war is ugly and it's not easy sorting out the good guys.  Kira never asks forgiveness for her role in the struggle.  From her perspective, she was doing a job that needed doing.  But stories like this reveal that her moral standing is not as cut-and-dry as would normally be the case for a Star Trek principal.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Randy Oglesby played the role of the assassin, Silarin Prin.  Oglesby has played seven different Trek characters over four different series, the role of Degra on Enterprise probably the highlight of his career.  Oglesby was born in Memphis, Tennessee, August 31, 1948.  Other television guest appearances include The X-Files, General Hospital and Mad Men.  Films include Independence Day, Pearl Harbor and Argo.  

Squid Mixes: Yellow Submarine

Ever since I first tasted chartreuse, I've thought of the remarkable liqueur as psychedelia in liquid form.  So when considering a cocktail devoted to my favorite band, it seemed sensible to use it as one of the building blocks.  While there are a lot of yellow submarine cocktail recipes to be found online, there is no universal agreement as to ingredients.  So, I figured I could do as I pleased with my own interpretation.

The Yellow Submarine 

1 oz. white tequila

.75 oz. yellow chartreuse

.75 oz. honey amaretto

.25 oz. lime juice

I deliberately chose four ingredients to go with the Fab Four but until the kid (age 21+) asked, I hadn't given any thought to which corresponded to which band member.  I think I've got it now.

The chartreuse is Paul McCartney, the dazzler.

The amaretto is George Harrison, the mellow soul.

The lime juice is Ringo Starr who always adds a kick, especially when paired with an almond flavor.

The tequila is John Lennon.  In my first attempt, I used vodka.  My wife suggested a salty note so I swapped in the tequila.  Salty note: definitely John.

The end result is very tasty and very yellow.

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.

Off My Duff: The Big Thaw

We got a real winter in Vermont this year, by which I mean it snowed a lot, got cold and remained snowy and cold for over three months.  That's how it should be.  Other years, we get locked in what feels like an endless freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle that wreaks havoc upon our dirt road.  Mind you, the road suffers in March regardless but at least we got a few months of normal (if often slippery) first.

We are entering what is colloquially known as mud season.  It can be a depressing time.  Often cloudy and wet - plenty of moisture on the ground even if it isn't currently falling from the sky.  Mud is messy.  

On the other hand... 

The days are longer now.  It's suddenly darker in the morning because of the time change but it's lighter later which is almost a fair trade.  And now we have more colors.  Granted, it's shades of brown and grey but that's more than we've been seeing for several months.  We still have a couple more months before green takes over.  I saw a lot of happy walkers and even happier dogs on my most recent neighborhood walk.  

We're not out of the woods yet on snow.  Nearly every year brings a big March snowstorm.  Our first "winter" here, we got 20 inches of snow in a single April day.  But spring is definitely on its way.

That is a wonderful thing.

Squid Flicks: Star Trek VIII: First Contact

Title: Star Trek: First Contact

Director: Jonathan Frakes

Original Air Date: November 22, 1996

My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

via Memory Alpha

The Borg are back to take another run at conquering the Federation.  This time, they resort to time travel, going three hundred years into the past to interfere with Zefram Cochrane's momentous launching of Earth's first warp-capable engine.  Obviously, Captain Picard and his Enterprise crew can't let that happen so they make the time trek, too.  Our friends must approach 21st century Earthlings with caution, though, as they have not yet had contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence.

Once again, Star Trek films follow their strange, well-established pattern.  The even-numbered films are typically much better than the odd-numbered ones.  Is there another film franchise like this?  Most wouldn't survive a first awful movie.  Trek makes mistakes in one, then fixes them for the next.  The saving grace: thanks to the rabid fan base, even the terrible movies make money.  Final Frontier is widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made, yet it exceeded budget at the box office by nearly 100%.  

Whatever the explanation for this unique phenomenon, First Contact is a huge improvement over Generations.  For starters, sticking with the NextGen-era characters works a lot better than trying to mix and match with the originals.  More importantly, the narrative hits more cleanly on the emotional targets.  I doubt any Trek movie moment will ever be more moving than the death of Spock in Khan but Cochrane's first handshake with the Vulcan captain runs a respectable distant second.  

I hadn't seen First Contact since watching it in the theater nearly 30 years ago.  I didn't know Trek nearly as well at the time.  My high school friends and I would frequently watch NextGen together followed by The X-Files.  But honestly, I didn't usually pay such close attention to either show.  They were on in the background while I was doing other things - chatting, playing board games, etc.  I knew the characters but would have missed the subtleties.  I certainly didn't know the spinoffs so I wouldn't have understood why Worf was on the Defiant rather than the Enterprise nor would I have appreciated the cameos for either Ethan Phillips (Voyager's Neelix as a nightclub maitre d') or Robert Picardo (as the Enterprise's Emergency Medical Hologram).

This, along with some of the reviews I've seen for the new LEGO Enterprise, makes me wonder how much of the public knows Star Trek from the movies rather than the TV shows and how much of the material goes over their heads as a result.

Adding First Contact to my rankings...

1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
2. Star Trek VIII: First Contact
3. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
4. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
5. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
6. Star Trek VII: Generations
7. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
8. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

I will admit upfront that I am biased towards NextGen stories.  The characters are stronger and, as a result, the stories are stronger.  However, I still feel Khan, because of the death of Spock, holds a special place in the broader legacy.