Breaking Borg; Part I

As synonymous as the Klingons and Romulans are with Star Trek, the Borg were established as one of if not the biggest threat to galactic peace - but where have the last 30 years taken them?

Rambling back to 1988 you start out at Q Who from The Next Generation's second season. You knew when this aired that the opportunity to bring the Borg back wouldn't be lost nor would it be too long in the making. If things had gone the way they were planned, the 88-89 season would have ended Borg rather than Grey. The writers' strike put paid to that but it did mean that Michael Piller came on board and pulled out one of the all-time top episodes of Star Trek; the first part of The Best of Both Worlds. Potentially that strike turned the Borg from being the enemy of the year ad a year that was certainly mixed in its quality into one of the deadliest foes Star Trek ever brought us...to a point.

But just look at the Borg in those fledgling The Next Generation years especially the ambiguous Q Who (in which ironically Q takes a massive backseat). There's no sign of assimilation, there's a nursery which would be revisited and promptly forgotten again in Voyager's episode Collective but that sinister, silent, menacing arrogance is there in every aspect of the race. All they want to do is acquire technology and advance themselves further.

Their appearance had been suggested back in The Neutral Zone in a still unexplained reference to all the machine parts being scooped up in the same way as J-25 and also Jouret IV but when you link everything together this thrown in observation doesn't work - wouldn't the Borg have just continued on if they were that close to the Federation or the Romulan Empire? Anyway, that's a conversation to be filed alongside "What Happened to the Conspiracy Aliens..."

Q Who is an exemplary episode introducing us to the cybernetic organisms, their cubic mode of transport and their haunting regenerative ability which we see on the hull of their ship. We're chilled by the way in which they adapt to phaser fire after only a shot and for once the Enterprise looked defeated, relying on the omnipotent Q to save the day. It effectively told us nothing about them. No queen, no real understanding of the hive, no idea where they were from, only that they were coming and come they did.

That flagrant arrogance is even more evident through the lone cubes which attempt to attack Earth in both the legendary two-parter The Best of Both Worlds and Star Trek First Contact but even going solo, their appearances in The Next Generation always brought a chill and a lump to the throat. Their interference was ominous, dangerous to the end and always to be feared. There is not one thing redeeming about them at this point. They exist solely to conquer, assimilate technology and move on, "bettering" themselves at every step.

Both Q Who and The Best of Both Worlds also chillingly pre-empt something else for me - the arrogance of the Federation and more specifically Starfleet. They admit in the two part cliffhanger that solutions to combat the Borg are years off and Picard himself in Q Who believes they are more than prepared for what's out in the great beyond. Starfleet sees itself as untouchable, a force for peace that other races will join or not choose to "oppose" because of its size and potential might (Dominion might have other ideas...) and it takes a cube making it to Earth and be within seconds of attacking before they step up preparations to another level.

The Best of Both Worlds demonstrates everything right about the portrayal of the Borg themselves as they head straight for Sector 001. We still known very little about them and the only assimilation we see on screen is that of Picard to become their figurehead/spokesperson Locutus. Later Voyager does tell us of Starfleet personnel who were taken at Wolf 359 (Unity, Unimatrix Zero, Part II) but at this time the only reason they take Picard is to have a human face and voice when they talk to humanity. The difficulty in defeating them here and in Q Who adds to their menace as an enemy that is keeping Starfleet absolutely on its toes. They are relentless, picking off anything that even looks like it might try and think about putting up some form of defence (Mars defences) or anything that simply gets in its path (USS Lalo) without a care. 

The cube is stopped with the single command; "Sleep" with only the kidnap of Locutus from the cube showing any kind of concern for the Collective but only momentarily. This story remains etched into the core of Star Trek lore to this very day with Deep Space Nine's pilot, Emissary bouncing off the seminal Wolf 359 battle and the loss of Sisko's wife key to the character's motivations. 

Even First Contact opened with Picard remembering his experiences as Locutus. How many references to the encounter are made over the course of the franchise I would hate to count but I think it's a lot and still with Picard it continues to this day. Off the back of it, the season five I, Borg offered the Federation a chance to destroy the race that ultimately backfired but once again that sense of danger posed by them was always there in the background. Hugh may well have broken free from his collective restraints but at the core the Borg were still the cybernetic machines we had seen in Q Who although this time on a little scout ship but there is still something inherent about who this lone Borg is although we are given hints that there is the chance for them to change.

Ultimately we know he returns to the Collective and this is the first point where I think Star Trek managed a disservice to the Borg. Picard's choice not to take out the Collective comes back again and again and for someone who has experienced the true horrors of assimilation, I'm one of those who believes he should have made the call.

The resulting story, Descent, is very much a tale of two halves. The first opens up a lot of questions, adds a new spin to the infamous enemy and then idiotically has Lore show up declare that they are going to take down the Federation. The subsequent season opener doesn't build on this vast opportunity and we have an hour of Geordi trying to convince Data not to torture him. The destruction of the Federation fizzles in ten minutes, the Borg individuality is restricted to a single ship and the edge and action that was borne from the opening firefight and Data's first experience of emotion feel totally underplayed. OK, so it rounds off the Lore story but it left us with the question as to what had happened to the Borg? What's going on with the rest of the Collective?

The Borg here are totally unique. Still drones, still recognisable physically as the beings from Q Who and The Best of Both Worlds the clever choice was to keep this rogue individuality confined to Hugh's ship. I take this as a somewhat standalone Borg piece since they are their own collective unit, not quite total individuals and still somewhat threatening. Perhaps even more deadly given their potentially "illogical" actions such as the desire for revenge we see in the encounter which opens the story. They remained sinister and unknown in these early years with so much unsaid and therefore so much that our imaginations conjectured as to their nature.

The influence of the Borg does expand beyond just the episodes they appear in with repeated nods to the rebuilding of the fleet following Wolf 359. The way in which the updated Starfleet would appear in the form of the Steamrunner, Norway, Saber and Akira classes were designed with a more military purpose in mind and, of course, in the creation of the Defiant which had one, sole reason behind its existence - to defeat the Borg.

To count the episodic one liners that nod to The Next Generation's creation of the Borg are extensive and in at least one Parallels future there's a big-bearded Riker still commanding (if it hasn't exploded) one of Starfleet's last remaining ships... I'd love to see how that universe evolved.

The movie appearance of the Borg is a massive change from their televisual origins. Given the scope of the cinema screen there's no surprise that the basic outfits and pale make-up are taken to another level, giving the drones an even more menacing physical presence. The armour has a more organic feel and the assembly more patchwork and less perfect. First Contact gave us our first real, graphic look at the assimilation process. In fact this is the first time we ever see or understand that the Borg are out to add more drones to the Collective. Truly a terrifying series of events, to this time only Picard had been joined to them onscreen but now it was an ever-present threat. 

First Contact cemented the hive mind concept with the powerful introduction of the Borg Queen, a character seemingly unrestricted by time and space due to her repeated, inexplicable avoidance of death. Her entrance in the movie is one of the great moments from the last 50 years however did she overstay her welcome after First Contact? 

We'll discuss that later. Here she provides that one-on-one nemesis for Picard, a perfect foil for the captain and for Data allowing the audience to easily follow the story and have a figurehead against whom the crew can be directly pitted. Imagine the movie without the Queen and it would be almost a silent production in some scenes. She is the voice of the Collective and ultimately does her death (spoiler!) truly offer the moment when the Borg should have been defeated? Significantly it's also the only time that the Defiant ever took on the purpose for which it was originally built and only just survives. Back to the drawing board perhaps?

Just as with Locutus, the Queen becomes the face of her people and draws the audience successfully into the nature of the species, how they operate and the motivations behind their actions. I solemnly believe that First Contact is the final point in the franchise where the Borg retain some of their mystery and eeriness that makes them a compelling enemy. I suppose their failing is that mass consciousness which means that there has to be some kind of vocal point to which we have to focus but it doesn't take away from their nature. 

The Borg of First Contact are a calculated step forward wielding more deadly weapons (that never get used) and with empty zombified facial expressions to chill you to the core. There's a much less human feel to the drones than we ever see in The Next Generation as well as those variants on the assimilated species - Cardassians, Klingons and more including the Enterprise crew themselves. Aside from the Queen they do remain faceless and as relentless as always but that mystery is somewhat quashed with the introduction of their imperious leader. 

The Borg Queen would reappear more in Voyager (played by Susanna Thompson apart from the finale where Alice Krige returned) but First Contact offers a pivotal point in the evolution of the Borg onscreen from an army of minions led by a central voice to being overseen by a single entity that refers to itself in the singular rather than the plural. 

Linking nicely to that eighth film - but perhaps not sitting too well with fans is the Enterprise episode - and the final appearance of the Borg ironically - in Regeneration. Now aside from the crew of the NX-01 managing to survive the attack in the first place when the crew of the Enterprise-D barely escaped in Q Who it's a fairly neat idea but does screw around with the continuity a bit but we have to understand that techniques develop over time.

The discovery of the Sphere wreckage from First Contact is a brilliant way to bring the series and the cyborgs full circle almost, giving us a core reason as to why they chose to head in the direction of Sector 001. Aside from introducing us to the Borg before we were introduced to them, Regeneration does have one core feature which aligns itself more correctly with The Next Generation than Voyager. It regains the air of mystery and danger that the species represented in that earlier series and gives away nothing to the nature or reasons for the Borg actions. It is a story which, for all its temporal failings, does stay more faithful to their origins than a lot of the Voyager entries. 

Separating the drones from the Queen and placing them against a less powerful adversary than the later Enterprise-E returns them to the faceless minions they were in Q Who and The Best of Both Worlds but adds in the twist that while the viewer knows what might be around the corner, the NX-01 crew are none the wiser to the escaping Borg and we the viewer appreciate just how damn lucky they are to have been spared from assimilation...

I am a firm believer that The Next Generation presented the best and most frightening presentation of the Star Trek foe even if physically the outfitting of the Borg is the most basic. So if that's the case, what happened when Starfleet stepped into the Borg's home turf of the Delta Quadrant...?

To be Continued...

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Correcting the Errors of the Past? The Official Starships Collection Issues 72 and 73

Flashback.

It's August 2013. Issue one of the collection releases and we all go pretty damn mental over the stunning beauty of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D model. With almost uncontainable excitement we descended on our local newsagents for issue two and the movie refit USS Enterprise. 

What a disappointment. A poor paint job, bad joins...it was not what we hoped for and, after I spoke to Ben Robinson I appreciated it wasn't what he had hoped for either. Some of the errors were corrected on the USS Reliant from issue 11 but we've had to wait 71 issues from that original refit to get the collection's revised and updated version in the form of NCC-1701-A featured in The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country. On a technicality you could say this is the first time the main stream collection has repeated a model seeing as the movie version with or without the "A" is effectively the same ship.

The first let down has to be that subscribers had to wait until the Saturday after the retail release to get their hands on the model. Grumble grumble....

Let's pull no punches here. In the same way that the movie ship was the same model as the one used for the first three films, this is exactly the same mould as the one from the issue two refit hence making it the first true duplicate of the whole run.  But surely Eaglemoss are not such underhanded players so what's the game with this one?

Well it is a completist model meaning you now have everything from the NX-01 through to the Enterprise-E available in the collection which will certainly get fans digging in their pockets for a few quid. Secondly this is a Quantum Leap ship and here's what I mean by that - it means that Ben Robinson has been able to go into the past and right what once went wrong. As we know the by-word for poor ships was the refit movie Enterprise and if ever there was a bad model it would be immediately compared to that craft.

Here they have gone to extra lengths to rectify the problems. Gone is the godawful battleship grey one tone paint scheme now replaced with an azteced two tone white on both hulls. That paint scheme alone makes a massive difference to what is one of the most iconic designs in 50 years of the franchise. The phaser banks on the saucer are a more subtle grey and the bridge module has been relinquished of its golden touch. Improvement - yes, but this is for me the definitive Enterprise design and since that second issue is this the solution I've been waiting for?

Yes (but bear with me) the paint scheme - which was originally tried and tested on the issue 11 USS Reliant - works perfectly, but it's the mould itself which houses the core problem here. The nacelles are still nicely aligned but the joints on the engineering section especially around the connecting neck section and forward torpedo bays is just horrendous. Smooth it ain't people and every time I look at her my eyes are immediately drawn to this screaming join line and accompanying gaps. Stand positioning is fairly "stand"-ard too with the clear grip sliding over the saucer and around the secondary hull exactly the same as the refit and the original USS Enterprise from issue 50. Would I also be right in suggesting that the odd fixture on the port side of the saucer would be for the filming mount and if so, why is this on the finished starship?

Equal to that is the scrappy joining of the warp engines to the secondary hull. It's marginally better than on the refit and the white does blend it in better than the monotone grey. Also what's with the big red blob on the shuttlebay doors? I have zero recollection of that being there or the thrusters being that shade. OK, it breaks up the white but so do the hull details on the underside of the engineering section and the updated pennants along either side of the same piece. The bottom of the metal saucer (secondary hull and nacelles are plastic) is just as well detailed but could have done with a bit more colour on that central lower sensor dome. 

Why are the RCS thrusters on the saucer now grey? On the refit they were yellow and even in the mag they are yellow? Erm...this just doesn't seem right somehow. The translucent sections on the ends of the warp engines are now a more reassuring black with just the longer grilles in the glowing blue just as they should be. But once again there's a question - shouldn't the pylons have some distinct coloured sections in a dark grey/black - again as with the refit?

However on the positive side, the panelling, phaser banks and decalling is all really crisp in fact it's a much better result than the finished Enterprise-E decals which were all over the place and had far too much packed in way too small a space. But talking of registry, the one behind the bridge module is far bigger than it should be nor is the large registry on either side of the saucer edged in red as it is in the films or in the magazine - or even as it was on the refit from issue two. What is going on?

To the magazine then and issue 72 trips over the events of The Voyage Home's closing moments and the events of The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country in a couple of pages before jumping into the details of how the original model used from The Motion Picture was revamped for its appearances with the "A" suffix.  Note too that the reverse angle CG pic used in the overview also doesn't have that glaring red blip on the shuttlebay doors.

It had a rather varied life and was certainly well travelled before being sold off as part of the 40th Anniversary auction, selling for a stunning $248,800. Following that we have a brilliant piece on Nicholas Meyer (very topical) and his work on The Voyage Home and The Undiscovered Country. Meyer was certainly prolific when it came to the classic crew movies and its good to read about the elements he used and the influences that helped shape two of the finest instalments of Star Trek cinematic history.

I feel that I have actually been very harsh with the "A" because of the standards it had to beat and honestly, I think it's made some improvements but then dipped in others. The full body repaint, aztecing and sprucing up have worked a treat but here it's those little details that have slipped such as registry edging and random blobbing that have almost made it equal to that long-ago issue. I still love the "A" but these blips mean I can't stick it into a top ten anytime soon.- there are just too many ships which are of a much higher standard.

The 73rd instalment brings us Borg. In fact it brings collectors their third Borg starship after issue 10's Sphere and issue 58's Tactical Cube with the Renegade Ship from The Next Generation's Descent two-parter. 

Going against all Borg constraints of geometric design and thereby emulating the renegade Borg and their individuality it still strikes me as one of the most bizarre creations that ever graced the screen. Totally asymetrical from every single angle its nice to finally get a close up look at what was a massive craft in the show.

While we didn't get to see the interior, the outside here gives us a lot to pour over. The paint scheme might not be awe-inspiring with one shade of grey all over but I'd hold back on launching a verbal offensive until you've looked more closely at the detail on the surface of this vessel.

First of all look out for the Borg "fist" emblem that adorns the hull in a couple of spots and matches the one on the floor in Lore's hall from the episode. I honestly can't recall seeing these in the episode but we didn't get up close to it and when we did it was at quite a pace. The brickwork effect isn't as tiny as the magazine makes out but it gives a very close approximation given the scale. The real beauty here lies in the grey/blue hued sections that are carved out of the hull representing live equipment and cooling vents. Also look out for the distinctly un-Borg windows (yellow) which are mainly to the rear of the central, metal block. Certainly a different looking ship in relation to its tones and shape.

As ships go she isn't the prettiest model we've been graced with over the years but I think the end result is better than the preview images. The two outlying pods on the uneven pylons are the only plastic sections of the ship but also contain some impressive tech detailing. There are some clear join lines but definitely no gaps (on mine) to complain of. The construction is spot on and she does feel very solid.

The final thing that will make you give a nod of approval with this one has to be the unique stand design that cups the lower section of the ship above the stand. Great idea to do it that way and the ship is very well balanced - oh and the black base sits sideways which should be fun to fit on the shelf.

I'm loathe to say it but at this point the Borg Renegade Ship is looking like this month's stronger entry and that's saying something because it is just a big grey lump at the end of the day. Eaglemoss have done a good job in transferring it from screen to diecast. It's just a shame that there are no coloured warp engines or translucent sections to help lift it a little. The trouble is that black and grey does make it a tad non-descript and does detract from the fact it's a solid model if a bit plain. Mind, it is the Borg and to them this must have been fairly racy.

The magazine is just as vague about its origins as the episode was. Did the Borg construct it or steal it? Did they modify it? We just don't know and the initial pages are left to recount the two-part season cliffhanger alongside episode screenshots. There are a couple of good CG images of the unusual Borg craft but two of them are from the back (including the cover) and one is from below. Only the plan view gives a good glimpse of the top.

The "Designing" pages total just two with very big pictures and very little text. Covering its evolution from styrofoam idea to finished model is interesting if brief and how it came to look the way it did will make you look at it very differently from now on.

An unexpected treat here is the six pages donated to an interview with Hugh actor Jonathan Del Arco. Only appearing in two episodes, Hugh still carved a lasting impression on The Next Generation and here we can look back at Del Arco's memories of his time working on both the second part of Descent for the seventh season and I, Borg for the fifth year of the show. It uses a lot of shots from both episodes to back up the narrative from the actor but this is a nicely written piece that details everything from his initial contact for the show through to his continued fanmail and convention interest 24 years after he appeared in the show.

Finally the episodic appearances are limited to both parts of Descent unsurprisingly but there are a couple of footnotes here that might spark your interest although one of them is extremely well known.

Issues 72 and 73 have a lot to offer this month, perhaps more so in their magazines than in the ships themselves. Both craft are pretty plain but will definitely garner a lot of buyers given they are an Enterprise and a Borg ship. I'm not wholly disappointed but more frustrated particularly with the "A" and the fact that while it's corrected errors it has also created a few more to replace them. I utterly love the "A" and really want to have that same level of affection for the model. It's just not quite happening I'm afraid.

Final point here, next month will see the Bajoran Sub-Impulse Raider and the Enterprise-E Captain's Yacht from Deep Space Nine and Insurrection respectively. Really looking forward to these two craft. Fingers crossed they top at least this month's fairly average results.

Oh - just before I go, one comment on the newly released Graphic Novels Collection - where the heck is selling it? I can't find a copy anywhere locally so if you got one please let me know where you managed to hunt it down because I'm at a loss and it seems their website has yet to list back issues. Could this be a trial run...?

What are your thoughts on this month's starship arrivals? Is the "A" a winner or just as disappointing as the refit from issue two?

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Mind Over Matter: Dream on Data

"Data...sometimes a cake is just a cake..." 

Season seven's Phantasms is among my favourite The Next Generation episodes ever. I spent a whole weekend in my teens transcribing the script from VHS volume 79 and typing it up. In some respects it makes Schisms look like a trip out to the seaside for utter weirdness yet it has me enthralled thanks to its unique plot and imagery. Then real shame is that the basis for the story is only explored in two episodes of The Next Generation and tragically never gets any more airtime due to the demise of Data in Nemesis. 

I guess it was one if those things that really would need it's own episode to talk about and I guess coming up with plots surrounding a dream programme aren't the easiest of things to come up with. This breakthrough in Data's programming was unleashed about half a season earlier in Birthright, Part I which I now think is a great little story. While the plot around the activation of the dream programme is only explored in the first part, it's one of the strongest indicators that Data is capable of becoming so much more and gets to keep an improvement for once rather than having it bestowed as a thank you or stolen from him. 

Now, Phantasms. I would absolutely love to wax lyrical over this one... Oh go on then, I will. Twenty years since it first aired (Really?! That long?) it's one of those classic The Next Generation moments for me. As an immediate successor to Birthright, Part I,  it does the story of Data's dreams the justice they were ill-afforded and ignored by the concluding part of the sixth season instalment. Brandon Braga is of course the man behind the script while Patrick Stewart held the directorial reins for the episode. This could easily have mutated into a schmaltzy "Data-learns" story as he comes to terms with his dreams and what they mean it goes as opposite in direction as possible. 

While saving the ship from some slug-like hitchhikers, we gain a troubling entrance into Data's psyche. Perhaps placing it against the recent emotions he experienced due to Lore in Decent would be as justified as relating it back to the more understandable visions that were realised in Birthright. There it was about Soong as creator, forging Data using his own hands and then letting him loose to explore and evolve. It was evidence that Data could make significant jumps in his understanding and abilities but there is a far more poignant moment in the sequel of Phantasms. When I rewatched it I still got the tingle of amazement that this line made it into the final version. When Data awakes from his second dream sequence he speaks to Geordi in engineering and starts to say that when he woke up he..... And never finishes the sentence. 

Is it that eventually the emotion chip he finally receives in Generations (and conveniently turned on and off for First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis) would not have been required? Was Soong's surprise in his appearance to Data in Birthright to do not only with the fact that his ultimate creation had managed to access such a deeply ingrained programme that he knew it could lead to self-development of emotions without external assistance? For me it's one of the most jaw-dropping cast off lines of the entire series, even more "argh" inducing than the Picard/Crusher romance that never quite happened. Had we explored the dreams of the android some more would this have been an eventual outcome?

The benefit of hindsight, hmm? I actually think we'd never get an answer to that unfinished question and it's important to remain on target here. Phantasms perhaps highlights how far Data has come since the beginning of The Next Generation while perhaps showing that he still has a great distance still to complete. His dreams bleed into reality and while it eventually becomes clear that there is a purpose to his "waking dream state" which reveals the existence of the creatures feeding on cellular peptides, it genuinely emotes some of the most chilling sensations I've ever felt within an episode of the series, specifically the sequence with Troi in the turbolift which was originally trimmed by the BBC when they first aired the episode. While Data is able to dream and thus be a step nearer to his goal of becoming human he still has the ability to turn it on and off at his will - there is still that last hurdle to overcome where it will "play" automatically rather than being instigated when desired. While the Troi incident is naturally chilling, the reminder of the dream sequence which repeats itself through the story is as bizarrely imagined as it is apparently logical by the tale's end and it would be more than criminal to avoid at least one reference to the "Troi Cake". All signs of consumption - and did you notice that the slice Worf is eating is cut into the Starfleet delta shape?

Anyway, let's look more like at what these stories say about Data. I actually think that the dream programme is far darker than we sense here. I I personally don't think Data really understands the power of the visions even when realises the significance of the visions at the conclusion of Phantasms which ultimately leads to the salvation of the Enterprise crew. In fact it could be seen that this addition is a weakness. I look at it this way, not only does he oversleep but there is the attack on Troi to consider. In Birthright, Data is wiling to effectively self harm to experience the programme again and becomes fanatic to the point of obsession with recreating images from the initial vision. While he might see it as some kind of Holmesian mystery to solve there is genuine danger to reach that goal and learn what it might all mean. It is perhaps more of a lost opportunity in Phantasms to push Data to yet another level that would be artificially provided in Generations. Maybe this belays that Data's personal evolution is not finite and that he simply does not understand how the dream programme could aid the ongoing development of his humanity even when there is moment that could define his future and is (almost) missed. 

While the choice of location for both of Data's dream experiences are firmly on the Enterprise (budget limitations i expect) is limited his dreams relate firmly to his past with fantastical embellishments - Riker's straw, Soong as a blacksmith. This latter vision has a thread carried into the sequel with the workmen i dressed in equally period garb. Interesting that such a futuristic being as Data would hark back to such an age - maybe hints of his preference for the odd Sherlock Holmes mystery coming through his android subconscious here! The very unsophisticated look of the workmen as well as Dr Freud's involvement perhaps are even further suggestions that Data's dreams and possibly his evolution are still in their infancy - he has yet to evolve to a more high-tech age and is still regarded by his now-deceased creator as a child in so many ways. 

While the workmen and Freud, like all the aspects of the dream are in some way symbolic, they are the most memorable aspects of the story. Where else would you find three manual labourers attempting to dismantle a plasma conduit in the office of a famed psychologist in the dream of an android lieutenant commander on a starship (souonds even more bizarre when you read it back). The addition of that emotion chip back in Brothers might have been a bit early given some of Data's nuances over the later seasons (particularly when fed emotions from that very chip in Descent).

Just to take a few moments to indulge in Phantasms it is more unusual when you look at the structure of the story. The Data plot is also aligned with a faulty warp core, the Annual Starfleet Admirals' Banquet and a love-struck young ensign in Engineering. It's packed to the saucer section with great moments which all intertwine into one strand at some point along the way whether we realised it or not. Data's dreams act as the core to the narrative with all these elements packed around it seemingly separate but yet all fundamental to the solution - even if that solution is keeping the captain busy for a few minutes elsewhere.

While the dream in Birthright is all about expression and growth, the second tale of Data's mental state is much darker and unnerving as a whole. Birthright is more open and inviting to Data, making him want to explore the possibilities buried within his cranium but that's totally flipped by the surrealism and haunting melodies that are played throughout Phantasms.  You're never quite sure what the visions mean right up to the close of either installment and it's the deciphering of the experience which helps us to not only, perhaps, get to grips with the story but also understand how Data deals with a new experience, function or program. How we would have seen this expanded further we will never know. Interestingly after Phantasms there is only one more throwaway reference to Data's dreams in a single line at the end of Masks near the middle of the season. 

Not only that, but while it's one of my favourite episodes I would really like to find out how the cellular peptide eating critters manifested themselves into Data's dreams in the first place. Maybe it was one of the great misfires of the latter years of The Next Generation alongside the cringe-worthy Force of Nature's warp five speed limit. I think an even more mind-bending third story would have been necessary to top these two pieces. Data as a bird and Troi as a cake? Surely Picard as the White Rabbit had to be the logical next step?

The Lure of Lore

Cut the cake and let's celebrate!

So this week saw Brent Spiner celebrating one more year and the internet will be awash with glowing reminiscences of how AMAZING he was as Data and that the character should never have been killed off in Nemesis and he was like, well, like the most AMAZING character ever in Star Trek. Dude - he was The Next Generation's Spock!

Cool. Yeah he was pretty good but let's not tread that path again. I want to talk, instead, about the other one. If you read the title it's fairly obvious - Lore. Quick stat-down for newcomers; he's Data's bro, uses contractions, bit mental, appears in four episodes (just) and introduces us to the Crystalline Entity. Y'see and we didn't even break the golden Thou Shalt Not Plot Synopsize rule. Tick that box.

So what about Lore? Well I like the guy if we cast aside that hideous Power Ranger costume the Borg made him wear in Descent. If Data had a family car, Lore would be tearing up the dust in a Ferrari with the law in hot pursuit. He's on the edge, sneaky; the Loki to Thor if you will. It's not that Lore is evil, he's a bit unhinged and it's not really his fault is it if we think back to his origins.

I suppose it's the classic evil twin story regurgitated to begin with but Lore is more than that - it's an unforgiving programming element, the seduction of emotion and just that little bit more human essence than his successive, less perfect brother. Indeed, Data's self-sacrifice in Nemesis is the final marker against his brother. While Data is willing to die for others, Lore remains a survivor, looking for another way out of a fix, the resourceful one of the pair (or three if you count B-4). It's Soong's desire for that perfect synthetic child which draws out the worst in Lore, creating a monster from the dream of android perfection. Indeed, Data could hardly be seen as perfection and maybe that's the point - perfection is impossible.

Maybe that's what marks him out as a more natural leader. He is willing to experiment, attempt new things that are a little bit dubious but help him personally. Ok, he's pretty selfish in that respect especially when it comes to his mutilation of the Borg in Descent, Part II however Data is far more neat and childlike in his investigations - comedy, beards, comedy beards, sneezing, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare are all taken in as though through the eye and the understanding of an infant grasping them for the first time.

That might be more true in the earlier seasons and +Alex Boag-Munroe said the other day to me that it really ground just how much Data smiled in the first two years. Lore however always had that opportunity. What he lacked was the family and the fall-back. There was only ever himself he had to look out for and essentially it was down to Soong's programming he was a bit, well, psycho wasn't it?

Datalore introduced us to the "evil twin" and while it's not a classic we do get the understanding of what went "wrong" with the first model. Lore is the angry teenager of the Soong family, cast aside by his father and takes advantage of the less developed, younger sibling - but yet he's the exciting one, living on the edge and taking risks and doing deals. He thinks nothing of the safety of others to fulfil a goal and this seems to be a common factor if we look at the typical evil twin story that numerous TV series have done in the past. Hey, let's even give a nod to The Enemy Within and the twin Kirks.

Brothers on the other hand layered the Lore character nicely, showing him as even more slimy and deceitful than before. Not only does this absolutely showcase the brilliance of Spiner playing a trio of roles, mainly in the same scenes, but where he truly marks out the differences in Data and Lore. The darker twin has not necessarily evolved rather he's survived, clawed through existence to this moment.

Lore is the injured son (or plays as such for a short while) but there's always another motive, something he's calculating at the back of his mind that makes you just a little uneasy - and why the heck is everyone apart from Data always so happy to see him?! Lore himself mind is always happy, gaining another tactical edge over his brother with the theft of that shiny little emotion chip. While Data has no emotional (!) attachment to the item it's another moment that gets logged but you have to give credit to Lore and maybe in turn to Soong for creating a being that can deal with the range of human emotion and motivations so effortlessly. 

While it's not the best installment of the show, the seventh season opener Descent, Part II does bring finality to the loose Lore trilogy. Here that self-importance and singular determination to spread his wonderousness to others is truly fulfilled. He has followers, he has emotions and he has ultimate control over his lesser, more controllable brother. He is the true cult leader and when the story completes it is as though he has completed a journey as he is deactivated once more. Data's journey might be to become more human and finally grasp emotions however Lore's in this area should be to understand the emotions and gifts he has but his jealousy and selfish nature are always there, chiseling away to overrule him.

The role of Lore certainly lets Spiner open up the acting wings a little more and display just what he's capable of when given the chance. Data was perhaps the role for which he will more prominently be remembered but as excitement and intrigue go, Lore is the much more multi-faceted. He's the Equinox to Janeway's Voyager if you will and certainly for Spiner an opportunity to chew some scenery - and himself along the way. 

So yes, hope you had a great day there, Mr Spiner and let's not forget that Data wasn't all you brought to the Star Trek universe. 

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The Starfleet Escape Podcast: Listen Up!

If it wasn't for the rather excellent Google+ Star Trek community I would have missed out on a gem of a podcast.

Now up to their 17th installment (with number 18 coming soon),  the SF Escape Podcast looks set to become one of my must listen to Star Trek audio shows of 2013. Hosted by Aaron, Marty and Eric it's informative,  funny and exceptionally accessible to fans both new and well-established.

You might ask how that's possible considering the amount of material that's out there (and what you're reading!) but Trek Trio manage it with ease. I like to think I have a fairly decent understanding of the subject however I even realised a couple of things during the Borg show that I hadn't noticed in the TV shows after several reruns. That, for one thing really impressed.

It's a straight forward format to the podcast; 90 minutes (approx) of chat and banter separated into distinctive sections. For a starter in this Star Trek audio restaurant there's news and opinion followed by a main course of good wholesome and filling debate into the topic of the podcast.  Once that's been cleared then you get to enjoy a dessert of subspace comments from a range of social media channels where a question of the podcast has been asked.  Bringing it all together as the coffee and mints at the end are a few moments to air some grumbles they may have over the subject which just helps to remind us all that it is a work of fiction and open to the wonders of human error and almost 50 years of attempted continuity.

Due to a bit of a hectic home, blogging, work life recently I'm combining my reviews of The Borg and The Romulans podcasts into one piece.

Now I really enjoyed Episode 16 and the Borg discussions,  possibly because I was fortunate enough to get my comment on the cyborg nemeses read out (sorry it was only slightly shorter than War and Peace gents,  I'll be concise next time!)   but it's great to get some clever,  witty and genuinely entertaining words on Star Trek even when you might think think that everything there is to say has been said. The news section was good although I would have liked to hear a bit more opinion than news fact which we can pick up at the newsagents or off the web. When there is, it lifts the show and makes you listen because it's absolutely worth taking in. I would say for newer Trekkers and those who are just getting into the franchise with the most general audience friendly reboots it's an excellent avenue and devoid of technobabble I can assure you. As you would expect there's talk If of the new JJ Abrams movie but also fan productions such as Star Trek Continues, the Green Girl documentary and Star Trek Renegades. Upcoming releases such as the timeline video game are also covered but there does seem to be an absence of printed Star Trek be it novels or comics. The good thing is with this piece of the show is that if you're not keen on trying to sieve your way through the internet the news section will help you out admirably. Also there's a great bit where our hosts consider whether or not they would purchase a chosen Star Trek product. Have to agree that the Bye Bye Robot posters are very good but I've got very little wall space opportunity to display them ! While it took a few pauses to listen to,  I was still surprised to find an hour and a half had warped by.

So what did I get out of listening to their take on the Borg? Running through their appearances in Star Trek universe chronology rather than episode transmission order does help realise how there was an attempt to tie everything together, and even the perhaps poorly conceived Enterprise story, Regeneration. What you become aware of is how Picard and co effectively are the reason the Borg become aware of humanity with an ending similar to TNG's Conspiracy. There's of course a good deal of discussion on the seminar two parter,  The Best of Both Worlds (is it now the most overrated episode of all time? As well as Q Who and I, Borg but yet there's a Descent shaped hole only touched on during a reflection on the Borg ship designs we've seen over the years. I was always of the thought that this was a captured ship however the distinctly non geometric design and does suggest their more fragmented and individualistic nature as portrayed in the double-hander. While not classed as one of The Next Generation's stronger installments I would have liked more opinion on where this might have led in the future.

The majority of of the discussion does end itself more towards Voyager and by default everything that comes after Seven of Nine's arrival on the ship at the beginning of its fourth season. What you do get from the chat is how inconsistent Borg history is. I tend to distinguish between Borg Version 1 (TNG) 1 and Borg Version 2.0 (First Contact and later)  but even then flashbacks in Voyager and the Next Generation movie aren't correct on wardrobe for starters. Then there's consoles, backgrounds...Picky but noticeable. While it was noticeable that Descent was sidelined, the podcasters did manage to spend some time looking at the variations that appeared in Star Trek: Voyager ranging from the future-Drone, the Borg children, Seven's former associates in Survival Instinct and the wonders of Unimatrix Zero from the final two seasons. There's a lot of information on the Borg meaning certain episodes such as Blood Fever and Unity were skated over in favour of some of the later, larger stories such as Dark Frontier and Endgame. This also meant curve-ball angles such as Hope and Fear didn't even get a look in when they deal with the effect of life after an attack on Borg survivors. Even some conjecture on their origins was played out citing non-canon novels and the story of the NX-02, the Columbia. I would have enjoyed some more non-canon moments within both of the podcasts but I get that time is limited and for the sake of the audience who will be more aware of the televised material this is probably a good choice although it might be a good suggestion to do something non-canonical in the not so distant future? Or maybe even something on the library of excellent Star Trek reference materials that exist? (I know a good guest host you could get for that...runs a blog....English....) 

The additional comments from Twitter and Google+ mean we're not restricted to the views of our hosts - although I they are pretty varied anyway - and I'm going to have to add a disclaimer because they had the patience to read out my Borg essay. Thanks guys! It showed there's a lot of love for TNG's first two parter as well as for I, Borg and Scorpion which is interesting as there's a lot more love for Janeway and crew than I thought.

What is good is that this podcast is just like getting a group of your mates round for a couple of beers and having a chat over an episode. It's informal, relaxed and very easy to listen to. I also didn't feel that I was getting an opinion forced down my throat, only provided with a few more angles to see the series which can only enhance future viewings - especially now I realise that Geordi is the one who starts up the deflector dish and not Worf as Riker requested at the end of The Best of Both Worlds, Part I! Never spotted, but another example of Worf getting neglected. There's also the good old subject of the Borg Queen and the drones from Star Trek: Enterprise that don't seem to fit too well with the space/time continuum but that kind of discussion is probably best left alone until a few more cans are drunk. What I had forgotten until this side of fandom came up was the potential Borg/V'Ger link that's been banded around for some time. Kudos for picking this one up as it's always been an interesting concept (although it goes out the window in David Mack's Cold Equations trilogy). However disappointed Peter David's classic Vendetta didn't get a mention - now that's how to deal with the Borg!

The Romulan podcast (Episode 17), which followed a couple of weeks later trod a similar concept in it's setup. Kicking off with the news section as before, the topic quickly turned to the Star Trek isolationists and conspirators extraordinaire, the Romulans. In comparison to the Borg I actually found this to be a better  structured discussion focusing on sections of the species rather than chronological appearance. Leading with subjects such as technology, clothing, footwear culture and ships it was great to reflect on how the Romulans have been portrayed since their first sighting in The Original Series episode, Balance of Terror. 

Now I just want to take a second here actually because I was perusing Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block's Star Trek 101 this week but couldn't get this podcast far from my mind when flicking through it. While it's designed as mini reference and ideal for the Star Trek new starter I would say that the SF Escape Podcast is a better and more comprehensive way to understand the series and what is all about. As with the Borg for example, if the introduction to the Romulan discussion kicks off with some useful background which would help newbies. Take note Mr Erdmann, sans-serif this is a much better way to break in some new fans. Aaron, Marty and Eric ensure that the scene is clearly set for discussion and then we're into the "good stuff". Gets a big gold star from my box of reviewing badges, gents. 

I really enjoyed this different approach and while it made me reconsider how the structure of the Borg episode had been crafted I also realised that this meant these guys are more than aware of the need to keep their audience awake and listening not turning for the stop button. There are certain things that will be heard on each installment but it's how those sections are made which provides the interest. The Romulans as a podcast was much more about their subject as a people and its portrayal over the various films and series; reuse of wardrobes, the difficult and yet managed appearance of their technology in Star Trek Enterprise when it has been made clear that they were not seen until Balance of Terror. A lot of time is given over to Enterprise in particular because of how things might have progressed into the now mythical season five and how the Romulans had infiltrated the Vulcan High Council.

My particular area of interest here was the ship designs over the course of Star Trek history - how they altered, how models got lost along the way and all the variations in between including the Nemesis revamps and the Next Generation scout ship version. 

While The Borg virtually stepped over Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to talk about the Delta Quadrant residents in Star Trek: Voyager, the space station saga got its fair share of air time here, most notably in reference to the classic and much revered In the Pale Moonlight. This seemed to be a much more comprehensive and flowing discussion with very little, but if anything being overlooked. From their origins through female commanders, the shoulder pads of the 80's, cloaking technology, peace treaties, neutral zones and even up to the destruction of Romulus itself in the 2009 reboot, then there's an opinion to hear on it all backed up with more subspace thoughts from fans on social media. Interestingly no mention of the fact that Denise Crosby's Sela is the only ever blonde Romulan within Star Trek but with the onslaught of information contained within Episode 17 this is such a minor detail that I can let it go. For those of you who do find there's a lot to take in during the SF Podcast then there's also a handy show notes download available. It helped a lot when covering these reviews it's a nice touch to add to the overall experience and for fans of all ages. Great to see the listeners comments included too.

I've got to applaud these guys for their enthusiasm through out the 90 minutes of run time. There are no uneasy silences, nothing too much and a very focused agenda that keeps the conversation and topics flowing. I didn't know whether I would get anything out of it as a long term Trekker but I was pleasantly surprised, sans-serif maybe because my 'specialism' doesn't lie in Star Trek: Voyager where we get the most information around the Borg so I got a lot from the reviews of that time frame. I have to agree with one thought at the end - the Borg have had their day and a decent run now on the big and small screen. They ended up being the main nemesis in Star Trek: Voyager by default and held their own until the end. In conclusion though the Borg could have probably managed another 30 minutes to look at some of their lesser appearances and references but when you have a broad audience to satisfy it once again comes down to ensuring common and referable ground is covered and covered well. 

The balance of understanding across the franchise is well proportioned with no particularly overwhelming part of this Trek Trio holding all the cards. I indeed I having the varied experience with the franchise makes it all the more accessible, sans-serif importantly reassuring us that Star Trek fans are human and not just huge memory resources of fictional information. As I've mentioned above though it would be good to hear more on non-canon material out there and perhaps even a section that allows listeners to air their though ts on the previous installment and anything contained therein. While one can always point for things that could be done differently this is still a supremely enjoyable production and clearly a lot of work goes into producing the information to fill the show. I'd guessing that all three hosts aren't in the same location either (?) for the production which must take some level of co-ordination just to manage that. The audio is crisp and there's not a moment wasted throughout either podcast.  I have to say this is well worth listening to and has helped me refresh my mind on some pieces of Enterprise and Voyager I'd completely forgotten about in respects to the two races featured in episodes 16 and 17. Good work gents - you're managed to secure my time and I look forward to your next recording!