Star Trek: Unification II

Episode: "Unification II"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 5, Episode 8

Original Air Date: November 11, 1991

via Memory Alpha

Continued from last week...

Spock reveals why he is on Romulus: the movement to reunite Romulus and Vulcan, long a taboo subject, seems to be gaining political support and he wants to help.  Unfortunately, it's all a set up.  Sela (Denise Crosby) is back and she has plans to take advantage of Spock's presence to launch a Romunlan invasion of Vulcan.  

It's a decent episode, mostly for the meaningful one-on-one scences for Spock and Data and, later, Spock and Picard.  Seeing Sela is fun, though I would argue Crosby is a bit wooden in this appearance.  Worf sings Klingon opera for the first (and only?) time.  

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Stephen Root played the role of K'Vada, captain of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey that took Picard and Data to Romulus.  Root was born November 17, 1951 in Sarasota, Florida.  He studied acting at the University of Florida.  He made his Broadway debut in So Long on Lonely Street, then hit the big screen in 1988's Crocodile Dundee II.  

I believe Root is one of the finest character actors of his generation though in 1991, he was still a relative unknown.  He'd land the role of Jimmy James on NewsRadio in 1995.  His most memorable role came in 1999: Milton Waddams, he of the red stapler, in Office Space.  Overall, the credits are impressive.  On film: Dodgeball, Leatherheads and several Coen Brothers' films including O Brother, Where Art Thou?  On television, he made appearances on seemingly every quality show for years: Night Court, Seinfeld, Frasier, The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, Boardwalk Empire, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and on and on.  The voice over credits are considerable, too: King of the Hill, Ice Age and Finding Nemo among many others.

Squid Mixes: Cardamom Manhattan

As previously written, I've been looking to bring cardamom into my Manhattan game for a while now.  Bitters seemed an opportunity for a more subtle flavor injection than I got with ground cardamom.  Lapis in DC uses both cardamom and Angostura for their drink so I figured I could, too.  

For Trial #1, I used the two bitters in equal parts.  The result was good, though the cardamom wasn't enough.  So, for Trial #2, I went 2:1 in favor of the cardamom over the Angostura.  Bingo.  I suppose one could go all in on the cardamom but I like the interplay of the two together.

I don't feel comfortable calling my drink a Lapis Manhattan because the restaurant includes ingredients I didn't: orange peel and Scotch.  Plus, I imagine their bartenders have a clever way of infusing the cardamom flavor directly from the seeds that I haven't sorted out yet.  Maybe next time I go, I'll sit at the bar and watch them make it.

For now, mine is simply a Cardamom Manhattan.

Marvel Unlimited: Silver Surfer #36-38; Kraven's Last Hunt, Parts 1-3

The Thanos story ends and the Kraven story begins.

The Surfer triumphs over Thanos.  Sort of.  He believes so anyway.  I think I read The Thanos Quest and Rebirth of Thanos in reverse order but oh well.

As for Kraven's Last Hunt, it's great to get back to the Spidey-verse though I have yet to decide how I feel about this particular story.  For starters, the arc goes across titles, a modern comic book convention which I do not like - unnecessarily crass commercialism.  It also, at least to this point, hasn't involved Peter Parker a whole lot.  PP's world is the whole reason I care about Spidey.

Kraven the Hunter "kills" Peter Parker and takes on the Venom suit for himself, becoming in effect a more murderous Spider-Man.  Meanwhile, Vermin lurks in the sewers, kidnapping pedestrians off the city streets and eating them.  The paths of the two are on an inevitable intercept course.

Fortunately, there is some of Parker's world.  Mary Jane, Peter's new wife, is understandably worried about her missing husband.  When she encounters Spidey, she realizes instantly that it's not Peter inside the suit.

As always with Spider-Man, I am aware of how much I've missed since the last time I spent meaningful time with the character.  Might have to backtrack someday.

My Recent Reads

Silver Surfer #36

Originally published April 1990

Writer: Jim Starlin

Artist: Ron Lim

Silver Surfer #37

May 1990

Starlin/Lim

via Marvel Database

Silver Surfer #38

June 1990

Starlin/Lim

via Amazon

Web of Spider-Man #31

October 1987

J.M. DeMatteis/Mike Zeck

via Amazon

Amazing Spider-Man #293

October 1987

DeMatteis/Zeck

Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man #131

October 1987

DeMatteis/Zeck

Star Trek: Unification I

Episode: "Unification I"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 5, Episode 7

Original Air Date: November 4, 1991

via Memory Alpha

Spock!

Ambassador Spock has traveled to Romulus and no one has heard from him since.  Worried he has defected, Starfleet sends Picard and Data on a covert mission to find out.  Spock's appearance in the very last camera shot of the episode is one of the great character entrances of the franchise.

Leonard Nimoy's appearance was a cross-promotion and as such he was paid barely over scale.  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was set to release in December 1991.  Nimoy had both acting and writing credits for the film.  In a complete coincidence, the episode was only the second to air after the death of Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek's creator.  The episode is dedicated to Roddenberry.  Interestingly, Papa Gene himself was the strongest advocate for maintaining the distinctions between the original series and NextGen.  Nonetheless, it's only fitting that his send-off story should feature Spock, whose Trek tenure goes all the way back to the original pilot.

Roddenberry's passing prompts an obvious question: who was Star Trek's primary shepherd by late 1991?  The truth is, Roddenberry hadn't truly been "the boss" for a long time.  Though still officially executive producer of NextGen, he hadn't been the primary creative force of the franchise since the mess that was the process of creating the initial motion picture.  By the early '90s, the head honcho was Rick Berman.

via Memory Alpha

Berman was born December 25, 1945 in New York City.  He graduated from the University of Wisconsin as an English and film double major.  Before Trek, he was the producer for PBS's children's show The Big Blue Marble.  He joined Paramount in 1984 as director of programming, overseeing Cheers and Family Ties among many others.  

In 1987, Roddenberry picked Berman and writer Maurice Hurley to help create The Next Generation.  By the third season, he was executive producer.  He lead Trek until 2005 when Enterprise was cancelled.

Bitters of the Month: Cardamom

I've had an eye out for cardamom bitters for a while, ever since my attempt to re-create the Lapis Manhattan.  Recently, my wife spotted this beauty from The Bitter Housewife, based in Portland, Oregon:

On its own (with gin), the bitters is strong, though not as strong as ground cardamom itself so I think there's hope for successful mixing.

Marvel Unlimited: The Thanos Quest #1-2, Silver Surfer #34-35

The Silver Surfer arc Rebirth of Thanos and the graphic novel series The Thanos Quest provide the basis for the Infinity War arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Both were written by Jim Starlin and drawn by Ron Lim.  Lim's artwork is the highlight, both lush and surreal in the Ditko/Starlin tradition.

Thanos, originally an Iron Man character and especially important to the Captain Marvel story, pairs well with the Silver Surfer.  They see the same problems with the world/universe but imagine vastly different remedies.

Unfortunately, I don't especially care for the character Thanos and I believe I've figured out why.  He doesn't struggle much.  There's a Tasks of Hercules quality to his quest for the Infinity Gems but no one stands a chance in resisting him.  Even the Surfer is more annoyance than challenge.  I suppose that's what makes him a meaningful adversary for the Avengers but as protagonist to his own story, I don't find him compelling.

That's not to say the story isn't interesting.  It is, but more for the idea of Thanos than the character himself.

My Recent Reads

The Thanos Quest #1

Originally published September 1990

Writer: Jim Starlin

Artist: Ron Lim

via Marvel Database

The Thanos Quest #2

October 1990

Starlin/Lim

via Marvel Database

Silver Surfer #34

February 1990

Starlin/Lim

via Marvel Database

Silver Surfer #35

March 1990

Starlin/Lim

via Amazon

Star Trek: The Game

Episode: "The Game"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 5, Episode 6

Original Air Date: October 24, 1991

via Memory Alpha

Wesley's back, on break from the Academy.  During his brief visit, he wins the affections of Ashley Judd - well, the character Robin Lefler, the debut screen role for the future Hollywood superstar.  Wil Wheaton has claimed bragging rights for Judd's first screen kiss ever since.  But actually, this isn't the main story.

While on shore leave on Risa, Riker discovers a video game - a powerfully addictive virtual reality-ish game.  He brings it back to the ship and everyone else gets addicted to it, too - everyone, that is, except Wes, Robin and, of course, Data.  The game, it turns out, is a mind-control device created by the Ktarians to take over the Enterprise and eventually, the galaxy.

Far-fetched?  Have you seen how many people wander the Earth staring at their phones all day?  And I'm not going to pretend I'm entirely immune.  And we all know the merchants who traffic in such media are fully aware of the addictive capacity, right?  We are willing accomplices.

We are sheep.

Anyway, it's an interesting story, and even more pertinent now than it was 30 years ago.  And, of course, Judd is a treat.

Food Notes

"The Game" has a couple of great food moments.  The first and best one is Troi's description of her meticulous method for eating a hot fudge sundae.  The scene is beautifully sensuous.

The second is Worf enthusiastically proclaiming the Tarvokian pound cake he made for Wesley's surprise party.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Ashley Judd was born Ashley Tyler Ciminella on April 19, 1968 in Los Angeles.  She is the daughter of country singer Naomi Judd and half-sister of country singer Wynonna Judd.  The family moved around a lot but Ashley mostly grew up in Kentucky.  She attended the University of Kentucky (UK), majored in French and achieved Phi Beta Kappa, though she didn't graduate with her class.  These days, she is probably UK basketball's most famous fan.

After her two episodes on Trek, her acting career took off quickly.  Films have included Heat, A Time to Kill and Frida among many others.  In 2012 she was nominated for an Emmy for her lead role in the mini-series Missing.  Her star probably would have risen higher but unfortunately, she crossed paths with Harvey Weinstein.  When she spurned the sexual sociopath producer's advances, he set about trying to ruin her career by spreading lies about her.  In 2018, Judd sued Weinstein for defamation and sexual harassment.  A judge dismissed the harassment claim but Judd was allowed to carry the defamation suit forward.

Judd deserves massive credit for using the platform of fame for considerable good.  Her humanitarian work covers a broad range: gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and AIDS.  She is open and outspoken regarding her own experiences with sexual assault and rape, again leveraging her high profile to advocate for others.  

In 2011, she published a memoir, All That Is Bitter and Sweet.  She's politically active with the Democratic Party, even toying with the idea of challenging Mitch McConnell for his Senate seat.  She ultimately decided against.  Truly, she is a remarkable woman.