Star Trek: The Ensigns of Command

Episode: "The Ensigns of Command"
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 3, Episode 2
Original Air Date: October 2, 1989

via Memory Alpha

The Sheliak want humans removed from Tau Cygni V, one of the planets in their territory, per a long-standing treaty with the Federation.  Turns out, the Federation didn't realize anyone was there.  Upon arrival, they find a colony of 15,000.  Data must go alone to evacuate the community as the planet is cloaked in poisonous radiation.  As might be expected, the colonists aren't so keen to leave.

The episode is a mixed bag.  The basic premise is good and certainly well-grounded in historical precedent.  The Data development is meaningful.  But the acting among the colonists is painfully wooden.  The exception is Ard'rian (Eileen Seeley), a young woman who is fascinated by Data and takes his side.

On the other hand, it's a fantastic Picard-as-badass story.  His showdown with the ruthless, patronizing and stiflingly bureaucratic Seliak is highly satisfying.  After witnessing Picard's diplomatic genius at work:

Riker: You enjoyed that.

Picard: You're damned right!

Didn't we all, Captain?

Acting Notes

via Batman Wiki

Eileen Seeley was born December 23, 1959.  She grew up in Suffern, New York.  Other prominent television work includes guest appearances on Hunter, Quantum Leap and ER plus a stint as a regular on the short-lived Down and Out in Beverly Hills.  Her biggest film role was Martha Wayne in Batman Forever.

Bitters of the Month: Cherry

Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters definitely tastes like cherries.  My question is how well does that cherry flavor hold up in a cocktail?  The recipes I find online also include other cherry-flavored ingredients: brandy, liqueur, heering, etc.  Is there any room for the bitters to shine through on its own?  This may require some experimentation.

Marvel Immersion Project: Uncanny X-Men #112-116

Chadwick Boseman

1976-2020

via Disney Wiki

RIP

Wakanda Forever

My Recent Reads

Uncanny X-Men #112
Originally Published August 1, 1978
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: John Byrne

• The X-Men do battle with Magneto in a carnival trailer as said trailer flies to Antarctica where Magneto has a secret base under a volcano.
• Magneto wins, confining our heroes in a powerless state.

Uncanny X-Men #113
September 1, 1978 (note the switch to monthly release; the series is doing well)
Claremont/Byrne

• The X-Men manage to break free from Magneto, though only Jean and the Beast appear to have survived the ensuing melee.
• Some fun background on Storm from her days learning to pick locks as an orphaned child in Cairo.

Uncanny X-Men #114
October 1, 1978
Claremont/Byrne

• Ah, but the others have survived!  Though they have no idea where Magneto is or whether or not he even survived the destruction of his base (he did).
• Cyclops and company tunnel their way to the Savage Land, a mysterious tropical sanctuary - still in Antarctica - where prehistoric creatures run wild.  Apparently Scott knows all about it.  There, they encounter the friendly Fall People.

via Wikipedia

• Unfortunately, this is no vacation.  Storm is attacked by a seeming human who absorbs her life energy to become a pterodactyl called Sauron (quite different from the Middle Earth Sauron).
• Meanwhile, Jean and the Beast are rescued and returned to Westchester where they break the news to Charles that they believe the rest of the X-Men have perished.
• The artwork has definitely been upgraded since Byrne came on board.  We're seeing full-page and even double-page panels of a quality I haven't seen in this journey since Jack Kirby's best Fantastic Four work.  The stories have improved, too, demonstrating once again that the artist matters in this medium

Uncanny X-Men #115
November 1, 1978
Claremont/Byrne

• The X-Men battle Sauron who, once defeated, reverts back to his human form, known as Karl Lykos.

via Wikipedia

• Before Wolverine can finish off Sauron, Ka-Zar and Zabu (he's the cat) show up, claiming Lykos is their friend.  We're all buddies now.

via Wikipedia

• Lykos tells a tale of witnessing the transformation of a man into the living embodiment of the deity Garokk.  Since then, Garokk and his minions have built a city within the Savage Land which threatens the survival of all.  
• Ka-Zar and Lykos ask for the X-Men's help.  At least for the moment, our friends decline.

Uncanny X-Men #116
December 1, 1978
Claremont/Byrne

• At the end of the last issue, a snowstorm had hit the Savage Land.  Ka-Zar emphasized to the X-Men that the Savage Land could never survive the full brunt of an Antarctic winter so they agree to stick around.
• Cyclops, Colossus, Banshee and Ka-Zar are captured by Garokk's pterodactyl riders.
• Wolverine sends Zabu back to the Fall People village to get help while he, Storm and Nightcrawler head for Garokk's citadel to rescue their friends.
• Garokk is defeated and his city destroyed.  He is presumed dead, though not for lack of Storm trying to save him at the last moment.

Star Trek: Evolution

Episode: "Evolution"
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 3, Episode 1
Original Air Date: September 25, 1989

via Memory Alpha

Paul Stubbs, an eminent scientist, is aboard the Enterprise to conduct a career-making experiment.  Unfortunately, Wesley's own school project has gone awry.  A couple of nano-bots he had been working with have gotten loose, reproduced and taken over the ship. 

First the best news, Beverly Crusher is back.  Maurice Hurley, the head writer, left the show after Season 2.  It was his personal beef that resulted in Gates McFadden's firing so once he was gone, she was invited back.  Equilibrium is restored.  Before we go any further, a quick update on the Uhura chair:

Uhura = Dr. Crusher = Pulaski = Dr. Crusher

Another considerable improvement, especially from the actors' perspective: new uniforms!  William Ware Theiss, a veteran from the original series, was out as costume director.  Robert Blackman was in.  In Patrick Stewart's words, "The new uniforms don't hurt."  Enough said.  There are personnel moves in story, too.  Both Worf and Geordi got rank promotions between seasons.

"Evolution" is primarily a Wesley episode and those are rarely strong.  And as much as I like Ken Jenkins the actor, his character, Stubbs, is annoyingly arrogant.  Anyone who constantly refers to Wes as "my young friend" is already losing with me.

That said, there are a few gifts.  The nano tech story in itself is definitely interesting, presenting genuine ethical quandries.  Plus, it's a great Guinan episode.  Guinan development is always more tease than substance but I'm alright with that.  This time we learn: she's been married multiple times and was perhaps not the most faithful wife, she has multiple children and both she and they are hundreds of years old.  Good stuff.

Acting Notes

via Scrubs Wiki

Ken Jenkins was born August 28, 1940 in Dayton, Ohio.  Without a doubt, his best-known role is Dr. Bob Kelso on Scrubs and he has a respectable resume on both stage and screen.  Once again, the Trek connections to the musical Big River are strong.  For starters, Ken's son Daniel was the original Huck Finn on Broadway - Tony-nominated.  Daniel also played Mark Twain in the 2003 revival.  Ken himself appeared in the original Broadway production as the Duke, creating a rare father-son Broadway combo.  For those keeping score at home, the part of the Duke was originated by DS9's Rene Auberjonois (also Tony-nominated) and later played by Brent Spiner (Data).

Squid Mixes: Amaretto Sour

An amaretto sour combines amaretto, an almond liqueur, and lemon juice.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide. 

As discussed last week, I am developing a cocktail for my friends Mock and Nancy Mock to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.  In our previous installment, my wife had suggested more almond and less lemon in a vodka sour variation.  I decided to ditch the vodka and orgeat syrup in favor of amaretto.  Looking around online, it would appear either lemon or lime juice is acceptable for an amaretto sour so we tried both.

I made the lemon (photo above) first.  My wife's reaction was a simple "lovely."  She did think, however, that it might still be a little too sour.  The lime was even better.  I've written this before: lime and almond are an astonishing combo, definitely a whole more than the sum of its parts situation.  The flavor explodes spectacularly in your mouth.  But this time, perhaps not sour enough. 

Maybe split the difference?

Stay tuned.

Marvel Immersion Project: Uncanny X-Men #106-111

This week's run includes a major personnel change in the art department.  Before we get there...

via Wikipedia

Dave Cockrum was born November 11, 1943 in Pendleton, Oregon.  He grew up an Air Force brat, then joined the Navy himself when he graduated high school.  Before Marvel, he revamped the Legion of Super-Heroes at DC.  For the X-Men, he was the co-creator of Nightcrawler, Storm and Colossus.

Cockrum died November 26, 2006 of complications from diabetes.


My Recent Reads

Uncanny X-Men #106
Originally Published August 1, 1977
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Dave Cockrum

• New X-Men are pitted against old X-Men (haven't we already done this?) in the Danger Room, though the old ones are actually mental constructs generated by Charles Xavier's evil entity.
• Another brawl.  I'm getting tired of this, especially since it pulls us away from another story that was actually starting to get interesting.
• Then it occurred to me: this is what comic book writers do when they're struggling to meet a deadline.  They throw up some meaningless drivel with lots of action in order to buy time for the next chapter in a story arc.  This is what Steve Gerber, Howard the Duck's co-creator, could never quite manage.

Uncanny X-Men #107
October 1, 1977
Claremont/Cockrum

• The issue's title is an homage to Star Trek: "Where No X-Man Has Gone Before."
• You know what this series needs?  More characters!  How about 20 new ones all at once?
• Please forgive me, I've been a little confused about who's who in the gradually developing Starjammer/Lilandra story (see here).   Lilandra isn't a Starjammer.  She is a Shi'ar.  So are her brother, the Emperor, and Eric the Red who has been making trouble for the X-Men for several issues now.  The Starjammers, meanwhile, are space pirates, natives of various worlds (including one Earthling, as we shall learn in time).  They met one another as Shi'ar slaves.  So, to catch you (myself) up on the current story:
• Lilandra is trying to stop her brother from gaining the M'Kraan Crystal which would grant him absolute power.
• She has enlisted the help of the X-Men who have just followed her through a stargate.
• Eric the Red is on the Emperor's side.
• The Starjammers are on Lilandra's.
• Got it?  I think I do...
• When D'Ken, the Emperor, refuses to hand the captured Lilandra over to Cyclops, the X-Men do battle with the Imperial Guard, a colorful crew.  I wasn't exactly kidding about the 20 new characters.  The Imperial Guard is led by Gladiator.

Gladiator via Marvel Database

• The battle is going against our friends but the Starjammers come to their rescue.  We meet some new characters among their ranks as well:

via Wikipedia

• Hepzibah

via Marvel Database

• Raza

Uncanny X-Men #108
December 1, 1977
Claremont/John Byrne

• This is John Byrne's first X-Men issue and that is a very big deal.  Claremont and Byrne were the dream team.
• The battle over the M'Kraan Crystal continues. Everyone ends up inside the crystal.  Jane Grey bales everyone out again and gets everyone home.  Before they take off, though, she also tells Corsair she knows he's Scott's father.
• Dave Cockrum gets a very nice tribute on the last page.

Uncanny X-Men #109
February 1, 1978
Claremont/Byrne

via Marvel Database

• Weapon Alpha is introduced.  Eventually, he will be better known as Guardian and lead a Canadian-based team called Alpha Flight.
• Alpha is after Wolverine, still classified by the Canadians as a rogue agent.

Uncanny X-Men #110
April 1, 1978
Claremont/Tony DeZuniga

• The X-Men play softball!
• Another Danger Room gone berserk story.  This time, Warhawk is the troublemaker.  

Uncanny X-Men #111
June 1, 1978
Claremont/Byrne

via Marvel Database

• Mesmero has hypnotized all of the current X-Men and is keeping them as carnival performers.  The Beast, worried that he hasn't heard from them, comes to see what's going on.  He saves them.  Actually, it's Jean who saves everyone - again.
• On the last page, it is revealed that - who else? - Magneto is behind the whole operation.

State of the Blog 2020

Year 12, here we go!

I don't foresee any major changes for The Armchair Squid in the coming year, at least not to the basic structure.  The current schedule is working well for me...

Mondays: Marvel Immersion Project
Wednesdays: Family Adventures
Fridays: Star Trek

I am certainly learning a lot about the Marvel Universe in a hurry, as was my intention.  Reading a comic book more or less daily will do that!  It's possible I will change course at some point as to the exact material I feature - all of those Star Wars comic books on Marvel Unlimited beckon - but count on Monday posts continuing through the blogging year.

Family Adventures posts will continue to be food-driven.  I'm excited by where the cocktail hobby is heading for me right now.  Exploring bitters and French ingredients (with David Lebovitz as my guide) is adding new flavors to the tool box and I am simultaneously gaining confidence in my capacity to design my own recipes.  Stay tuned on that last one.  Expect developments in the next couple weeks.  I should also get back to mocktails.  I said that last year, too, and only got so far with it.  If I keep saying it, maybe it will be more likely to happen.

I'll be starting Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation this week.  In other words, we're about to dig into the good stuff.  Barring major unforeseen life changes, I anticipate seeing TNG all the way through to the end at this point.  Whether I'll eventually take on Deep Space Nine, too, remains to be seen.  Definitely not this year, though.  The overlap didn't begin until TNG Season 6.  So maybe Blogging Year 13.


As ever, I am grateful to those of you who tune in to read my drivel.  If you enjoy reading The Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing alright.

Let's have a great year, folks.  If you're a US citizen, please vote in November.  For the rest of you, please enjoy the fact that you have better public health policies than we do - probably best you don't vacation here this year.  For everyone, be safe and be well.