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.