Star Trek: By Inferno's Light

Episode: "By Inferno's Light"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 15

Original Air Date: February 17, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Garak episode!

The basics: picking up where the last episode left off, Worf, Garak, Bashir and Martok all manage to escape from the Dominion Internment Camp while the gang back at the station fend off a Dominion invasion with some help from both the Klingons and the Romulans.  There's so much more going on in this extraordinary episode.  Where do you even start?

• The Cardassians, under Gul Dukat's leadership, have cut a deal to become part of the Dominion.
• The prison escape is probably the best narrative in the episode and it is two-pronged.  Garak must contend with his own claustrophobia in rigging the camp's shields to allow the prisoners to transfer back to the runabout, which the Jem'Hadar rather carelessly left in orbit nearby.  Evidently, Andrew Robinson is genuinely a bit phobic and was also sick with the flu so much of his on-screen anxiety was real.  Even so, his is a Patrick Stewart-level man-on-the-edge-of-madness performance.
• Worf is "forced" into fighting each of the guards in turn, satisfying his own lust for battle as well as creating a distraction so Garak can do his thing.  He defeats them all, of course - well, nearly all of them.
• Finally, Worf takes on Ikat'Ika, the First at the camp.  By this point, Worf has earned deep respect from the guards and we also get a glimpse of the guards' disdain for their Vorta superiors.  This ultimate match ends with a memorable line from Ikat'Ika.  He is clearly in the superior position, though Worf refuses to concede: "I yield!  I cannot defeat this Klingon.  All I can do is kill him and that no longer holds my interest."  Wow.
• Garak's story is based on the 1963 film, The Great Escape.
• Meanwhile, back at the station, the impostor Bashir is discovered but almost too late.  He gets away in a runabout and nearly detonates a bomb in the Bajoran sun.  But he is destroyed first.
• Evidently, the rest of the Dominion invasion wasn't real.
• Upon returning to the station, Garak gets a girlfriend!

Seriously, there's a lot going on here.  I'm always amazed by Seinfeld's ability to cram so much material into a 22-minute episode.  Granted, DS9 had twice the time to work with here but even so, it's impressive.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Ray Buktenica played the role of Deyos, the Vorta Commander of the Internment Camp.  Buktenica was born in New York City, August 6, 1943.  Most of his work has been on television, including a recurring role on Rhoda, one of three spin-offs of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the most neglected contender in the GOAT sitcom debates.  He also had a principal role on House Calls and a recurring role on Life Goes On.  The big screen resume is relatively modest in length but he's been in some high-profile films, including My Girl, Heat and Shopgirl.

Squid Mixes: Cosmonaut

A Cosmonaut, invented by Sasha Petraske, combines gin, lemon juice and raspberry preserves.  I got my recipe from 3-Ingredient Cocktails by Robert Simonson.  It was intended as a spoof on the Cosmopolitan.  As you can see, it's deeply pink so maybe also a nod to the Soviet communists?  Or is it a pun?  Cosmo-not?  Both?

The first flavor hit for me was jelly doughnut, undoubtedly from the raspberry jam.  Once my taste buds adjusted, though, the sweetness was less potent.  The lemon brings out the natural tartness of the berries.  

Star Trek: Unity

Episode: "Unity"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 17

Original Air Date: February 12, 1997

via Memory Alpha

During a shuttle mission, Chakotay and his pilot, Ensign Kaplan, respond to a distress call - and doesn't that always lead to trouble?  When they land on the planet of the signal's origin, they are almost immediately attacked.  Chakotay is knocked unconscious.  When he comes to, the woman attending him is human, and a former Starfleet officer at that.  Soon, it becomes apparent that she and the rest of her community are dis-assimilated Borg drones.  They help Chakotay - indeed, they save his life.  But they also need help from him, and the particular assistance required is a tough sell for Captain Janeway.

"Unity" provides an early glimpse of Voyager's most important story - I mean, apart from the obviously overarching long journey home.  With the Hugh arc, NextGen raised important questions regarding the Borg: is it possible to separate a drone from the collective and what would be the consequences of doing so?  Apart from the series premier, DS9 has mostly ignored the Borg in favor of other fruitful narrative paths.  But soon, Voyager will explore these questions in depth via the character Seven of Nine.

It's difficult for me to look past my own eager anticipation of stories to come and judge "Unity" on its own merits.  That said, I think the episode is genuinely important for revealing to Chakotay the power and the seductiveness of the collective.  As part of his healing, he is joined with them and the experience of total connection is overwhelming.  And beautiful.  Yes, they manipulate him for selfish gain.  But then they leave him alone and it's obvious he regrets that a little.

I also think it relates thematically with Captain Sisko's experience in "Rapture."  The stories are separate, of course, and quite different from each other.  But the power of connection is common to both.  I think of where we are as a society nearly 30 years later.  Many have theorized that Trumpism is a result of too many young men, in particular, feeling disconnected from... everything.  Feeling a part of something larger than oneself: is it a universal human need?  Generations of psychologists and sociologists have asserted that it is.  Both "Unity" and "Rapture" support the thinking.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Lori Hallier played the role of Dr. Riley Frazier, the former Starfleet officer turned Borg drone turned separated drone.  Hallier was born in Victoria, British Columbia, July 8, 1959.  She studied theatre at the University of Victoria, ultimately graduating from the National Theatre School in Montreal.

Hallier's films include My Bloody Valentine, Warning Sign and My Name Is Tanino.  On television, she had recurring roles on Days of Our Lives and Santa Barbara and guest roles on The Dukes of Hazzard, Jake and the Fatman and Matlock.  

Squid Flicks: History Is Made at Night

Title: History Is Made at Night

Director: Frank Borzage

Original Release Date: March 27, 1937

My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Irene Vail (Jean Arthur) is desperate to leave her jealous and manipulative husband, the millionaire Bruce Vail (Colin Clive).  Bruce concocts a sordid scheme to frame his, to this point, faithful wife as an adulterer in order to prevent her from divorcing him.  All goes wrong when Paul Dumond (Charles Boyer), head waiter at the Chateau Bleu, rescues Irene and, naturally, the two of them fall in love.  It's quite a convoluted setup for a story that leads across the Atlantic and back again, reaching its climax when the ocean liner Irene and Paul are on hits an iceberg.  The ship is the Princess Irene, owned by Bruce Vail and named for his wife.

You take a step back and it's an absolutely ridiculous story.  Best not to think about it too hard.  Just enjoy the romp.

And it is fun.  Arthur and Boyer are both charming and Clive is great as the slimy villain.  Leo Carillo is delightful as Paul's sidekick, the chef Cesare.

From a filmmaking perspective, the most interesting part is the ship crashing into the iceberg.  I imagine the collision itself was accomplished with miniatures.  The most realistic element was the huge blocks of ice falling onto the deck - impressive by 1937 standards.

The basic romance - a terrible man usurped by a handsome charmer - is not entirely unlike the one in 1997's Titanic.  I have found no reference to a direct link between the two ship-meets-iceberg films but the similarity is intriguing, nonetheless.

Star Trek: In Purgatory's Shadow

Episode: "In Purgatory's Shadow"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 14

Original Air Date: February 10, 1997

via Memory Alpha

Garak episode!

Garak receives an encoded message from Enabran Tain, his old spymaster - surprising since Tain was presumed dead.  Garak and Worf head off in a runabout to the Gamma Quadrant to investigate.  They are captured and placed in a seemingly inescapable interment camp, conveniently the same one as Tain.  And the real General Martok.  And - what's this? - Julian Bashir.

There are many important reveals in this episode, the first of a two-part story.  Most importantly, we learn that the being on Deep Space 9 we had all believed to be Dr. Julian Bashir is, in fact, a Changeling imposter.  Nearly as shocking, if not quite as impactful on the broader narrative, we learn that Tain is not just Garak's mentor.  He's his father.

This week's story ends with a massive Dominion fleet passing through the wormhole.  It would seem the long-anticipated war is about to become a reality.

No one told Alexander Siddig that his character had been taken over by a shapeshifter until the beginning of filming for "In Purgatory's Shadow."  It was a sensible creative decision in order to preserve the deception.  Those who put more thought into these things than I do theorize that the Changeling must have replaced Bashir sometime before "Rapture," four episodes ago.

Ziyal is back.  Before Garak leaves on his crazy adventure, Ziyal confesses deep affection for him, much to her father's horror.  Dukat tries to get her to leave the station, partly to avoid the war and partly to get her away from Garak.  She refuses, standing up to his overbearing attempt at control.  Go, Ziyal!

Acting Notes

via WikiSein

Melanie Smith was the third and final actor to play the part of Ziyal.  "In Purgatory's Shadow" is her first of six appearances.  Smith was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, December 16, 1962.  Before DS9, she'd had a principal role as Emily Stewart on five seasons of As the World Turns and had played Jerry's girlfriend Rachel Goldstein for three episodes of Seinfeld.  Films include Trancers III, Molly & Gina and Night Hunters.  

On the Coffee Table: The Hernandez Brothers

Title: Love and Rockets

- Human Diastrophism

- Perla la Loca

- Beyond Palomar

- Amor y Cohetes

- Penny Century

- Esperanza

- Luba and Her Family

Writers and artists: Gil, Jaime and Mario Hernandez

Since my last post about the series in August, I've gone on a deep dive with Love and Rockets, powering through seven more trades.  For the most part, each volume is devoted entirely either to Jaime Hernandez's Locas world or Gil Hernandez's Palomar, though few of those are actually set in Palomar anymore, much of the family having moved to Los Angeles.  The exception is Amor y Cohotes which includes unrelated material from each of the two main creators, plus a few stories from brother Mario.  

I won't pretend that over several hundred pages, all of the material is great.  But when Love and Rockets is good, it is astonishingly good.  The greatest strength throughout is the seemingly effortless intimacy.  A few thoughts on specific volumes:

Human Diastrophism

via Amazon

Palomar stories.  The residents suffer through a serial killer and an earthquake.  For the reader, it's rough when terrible things happen to a community you care about.  Kids grow up too fast as decades often pass in just a few pages.  The most interesting story follows Pipo - interesting because the tale told in the images is independent of the one told in the text.

Perla la Loca

via Amazon

Maggie and Hopey start out in Hoppers (LA) but ultimately wind up on separate cross-country adventures.  Loads of wrestling in this one.

Beyond Palomar

This one moves way too fast for me.  Quite a lot of time passes from one panel to the next and it's hard to keep track of it all.  This is also the book where, as the title suggest, the characters start to move away from Palomar to the US.  When they finally do make it back, it feels like coming home for me, too.

Amor y Cohetes

via Amazon

This one is a collection of shorter pieces.  My love for the series relies on absorption and I couldn't get into most of the material here.  However, AyC does include a truly excellent biography of artist Frida Kahlo with images based on her work.

Penny Century

Back to Locas.  One of the most important through stories of L&R is the on-and-off-again love affair between Maggie and Hopey.  They're rarely actually dating.  In fact, they're both usually with other people.  But they still hook up with each other seemingly every chance they get and clearly, it's not just about sex.  There is a potent love between them.

However, it's not exactly equal.  Hopey is the more attached (though also the less dependable) of the two.  At one point in this volume, she muses about the nature of the relationship, basically acknowledging that it's all pretty messed up but in the end, she'll take what she can get from Maggie.  

I've heard people say this in the real world, too.  In effect, they'll take all of the dysfunction over being alone.  Honestly, I've never understood that attitude.  But here, I kind of understand it.  Hopey knows they can never have anything normal.  But she's in love with Maggie.  She doesn't really have a choice.  If it's the mess or nothing, she'll take the mess.

It's still unhealthy.  But I kind of get it.

More wrestling.  

Esperanza

via Amazon

Still with Locas.  Esperanza is Hopey's given name.  Esperanza, of course, is the Spanish word for hope.

The truth is, it's nearly impossible not to fall in love with Maggie.  Most of the other characters do at one point or another.  I kinda did, too.  She's not perfect - far from it.  But she's believable, accessible, vulnerable, unassuming.  Her reflections on her divorce - from a marriage that never even seemed to be especially important to her - comprise my favorite story in the entire series.  

We're also reminded that she's still a kickass mechanic.

And still more wrestling.

Luba and Her Family

via Amazon

Much of this collection is told from the viewpoint of the precocious Venus, Luba's niece, as she writes letters to her cousin back in Palomar.  Venus, probably about 10 years old, is hilarious and her insights into her family are keen.  However, her perspective is far from omniscient.  There's quite a lot of sex going on among the adults, including her own mother's extra-marital affairs.

In my previous post, I proclaimed Palomar to be the superior of the two main worlds.  I've since changed my mind.  Those stories are still good but for me, they lose something after the family moves to the States.  Meanwhile, Maggie and Hopey always draw me back.

I've still got two more trades on my shelves and there are two more beyond that in this series.  At this point, I see no reason not to read all of them.

Squid Mixes: Empress Aviation

I last posted about the Aviation cocktail about five years ago (see here).  I first posted about Empress Gin, dyed indigo with butterfly pea flower, about three years ago (see here).  When my wife recently requested an Aviation (a drink she's been ordering a lot at restaurants lately), I thought to put them together in order to enhance the purple color.  While Empress Gin has a recipe of their own on the company website, I chose to stick with the recipe in David Lebovitz's Drinking French in order to maintain flavor balance (and not cut out the creme de violette altogether).  

As I hope you can see in the photos, my latest attempt is definitely more purple than my 2021 effort.

2026

2021

However, they're still not as dark as the ones The Playwright made for us back in 2016.

2016

Sadly, he's not around anymore to ask but my guess is that he swapped the 2:1 proportion between the maraschino liqueur and the creme de violette in favor of the latter.  I may try that next time.  My wife has also suggested that his were more bitter which could bring greater flavor balance.