Organically Speaking: The Official Starships Collection Issues 144 and 145

So the collection charges onwards and this month we're stepping into the realms of The Next Generation and Voyager...

Up first is an instantly recognisable craft from the third year of the Enterprise-D's adventures in the form of Tin Man or more accurately, Gomtuu.

To date the only organically formed ships have been those from Species 8472 and here is Eaglemoss' second attempt to create something very naturally created through plastic. It is a mixed success which overall is better than the result we had with the Bioship but still loses something in the translation from screen to physical hold-in-your-hands model.

In a few brutal words, this is one of the easiest models to build from the whole collection. It's two halves snapped together horizontally. There are no call outs, no aerials or protruding engines; not a one. It's very light as well given the minimal materials used in its construction but you can't just poo-poo it for these reasons.

The finish to Gomtuu is very good with the skin of the ship/creature seemingly layered all the way from front to back just as, is quoted, a pinecone in effect. What does get lost is the glowing, living effect that emanates from between each of the folds and brings Gomtuu to life in the episode. On a model the pulsating yellow just can't happen and however much it can be flowered up it still remains flat on the plastic hull. There's nothing that can be done in this respect as the build material is harshly unforgiving when it comes to creating a natural finish.

Cleverly Eaglemoss have managed to texture the skin/hull of Gomtuu so that it does retain the grainy finish that we see in Tin Man and it helps to take it away from just being two pieces of clipped together plastic. On this point it is worth stating that the two halves are distinctly different in their pattern and can only fit together in one way due to the non-symmetrical join line that runs around the equator of the ship.

At the front there's a hedgehog-head section which acts as the humanoid crew space. There's no distinction anywhere to whether this was added after creation or grew as part of the ship although there is a noticeable difference in texture finish between this nose piece and the larger rear area.

It's a decent enough recreation of the living ship but this is one area that Eaglemoss doesn't excel at and it does stand out against the other "production line" starships. Good effort though and a real chance taken.

In the issue 144 magazine the CG renderings really do breathe amazing life into the craft and comparing the ship to the pics and the shots from the series you can see how precisely Eaglemoss have aligned the segmented hull - it's screen replica perfect.

The initial profile section recounts the little information we know about Gomtuu's past plus the ever-so-standard episode synopsis. The magazine also covers in some detail the offensive and defensive capabilites of the living ship which were displayed in the show.

The double page designing section comprises mainly of Rick Sternbach's magnificent design sketches that cover the evolution of the ship and inspiration from the natural world. Finally the back six pages cover off Costume Design for the groundbreaking third season of The Next Generation touching on all points from the reimagined Starfleet uniforms to the wardrobe for Captain's Holiday through to the Klingon focused Sins of the Father and finally The Best of Both Worlds and how Locutus' look came about.

Great final section here that answers a lot of questions about the look of the show in the year that really made The Next Generation.

To issue 145 and one of those ships that, well, could have waited.

The Nightingale featured in Voyager's final season as Ensign Kim's first ever command. So what's my beef with this one? Simple - it's a barely disguised reworking of the Federation Attack Fighter/Maquis Fighter.

I absolutely preferred the Fighter to this but it's unfair to nail it because of it being a kitbash and focus on the transfer from screen to replica.

The whole top section is a single piece of metal augmented to the rear with plastic impulse engines. The shape of the Nightingale is, of course screen accurate with the hull rammed full of detail whether it's panelling, windows or engine parts. The paint finish across the hull gives an incredibly worn - and ship accurate - finish making this look like it's been in service for a fair few years.  

The challenge is that through this weather-worn look it all becomes a bit jumbled. There's the light grey undercoat from the Federation Fighter overlaid with all the additional detail. in two darker shades of grey. Look closely at the paint scheme though and you'll see that the light grey base is actually worn itself with a matt/gloss/aztec effect to add more aging to the craft. Eaglemoss have packed a lot onto the upper surface of the Nightingale however it does seem a bit OTT given the scale and the area available. 

The window detail around the raised bridge unit is incredibly tiny and barely visible as is some of the recessed panelling. You do have to squint a bit to make some of it out.

Along the top of the internally-placed warp engines, the venting detail is highlighted in orange just across the edges with the intakes to the front are inset in orange plastic which brings a bit of life to the cluttered design.

The underside central hull section is the only large piece made from plastic and continues with the weathered aztec effect yet it manages to avoid the over-complicated dorsal patterning and is a lot easier to take in. The underside is a lot more refined - maybe because it's not something seen heavily in the episode but it also doesn't seem to carry such a weathered finish and a stronger panel definition at every point.  Comparing directly against the metal of the wings, Eaglemoss have managed to keep the paintwork uniform and fluid across the two building materials.

The join line between metal and plastic is perhaps most evident around the warp engine collectors to the front and across the back at the point where there should be a shuttlebay but the thickness of the hull negates this potential and it's left totally blank. Just above this space on a rollbar piece across the back of the Nightingale we have two impulse engines in a slightly greener shade arcing to the back. These have a nice bit of slatted detail to the back and are completed neatly with that underlying weathered effect continuing in a different colour.

In terms of display, the stand fits around the rear engine block and give it the "fake flying" pose that works well on those models that can afford to have a back-grip clip. 

In the magazine we run through the story of the Nightingale from being saved by the Delta Flyer and its crew through to the twist at the finale and all points between including the cloaking device. The subsequent section on the magazine covers the design stage which comes off the back of the Maquis Fighter which became the Federation Attack Fighter that made one more appearance as the title ship of a certain Voyager episode. Lots of good pics of the original model here throughout its life on the franchise as well as some level of understanding of how and why the alterations came about.

Finally there's an interview with Starfleet's most neglected ensign in the form of a chat with Garrett Wang and the life and times of Harry Kim. Over the years Wang has commented (including to myself) about how the role affected him especially in the early years when he felt very left out as a character and almost considered leaving. This interview is a lot more positive, looking at the wins Kim experienced particularly during the last three years of the show as well as a "nice" payoff to finally be promoted to captain for Endgame.

The two ships this month are pretty average. There's nothing outstanding here and the changes to the Nightingale versus the Federation Fighter seem negligible to the point where I question if this one really needed to be in the collection at all. Definitely dropping this one into the bottom of the pile on look and necessity. Gomtuu is the better of the two here but that's not an endorsement. It's ok, very well aligned to the screen given the way in which the carapace/hull/shell is broken up and textured. A memorable ship done as much justice as the collection probably can.

Coming up next month - Fesarius - finally - and Baran's Raider from Gambit. 

Which was the better result this time? Fan of Tin Man or liking another variation on a theme with Nightingale?

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Picard's....Destiny?

They're almost ready to Make It So.

This week has seen the news that we have around six weeks to go before the cameras start to roll on the first episode of the as yet untitled (could be Destiny?) Picard series.

A first for the franchise, the opening tale will be directed by Hanelle Culpepper who has already cut her teeth on the franchise with work on Discovery. Jonathan Frakes is also due to direct the new show while also continuing to turn up on the credits for Discovery and also for the pseudo-Star Trek/alternative to Star Trek; The Orville. Something tells me he'll be directing at least one episode of Discovery's now confirmed third season - yep, this show really is failing isn't it...?

With only six weeks to go (allegedly April 15th) it's amazing to think that it's only now that we get the first news on castings with two names entering the Star Trek fold. Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd are the two names joining the returning Patrick Stewart but there's nothing much to go on so far.

While Cabrera's character is undefined, Hurd is said to be playing an ex-con and pilot of Picard's ship. Looks like they're going to be taking the series down a line where the former Enterprise captain has returned to his passion for archaeology as witnessed in The Chase and later Gambit from the latter years of The Next Generation. 

There have been some supposed leaks regarding an ensemble cast of around five or six for the Picard series but these could well be speculation and until we get solid word from the House of Kurtzman I'm not inclined to blab about them. I would expect there to be at least one new alien race among the cast plus maybe one that we are familiar with and some form of link into Starfleet to keep the tradition alive. Also there's reportedly a teenage Romulan which would tie into the initial speculation that the series will show the effect of Romulus' destruction on the captain.

Over on Discovery, Michelle Paradise has stepped up from a writing position she held from midway through season two to become full showrunner alongside Kurtzman. My suspicion here is that Paradise is being set in place so that the franchise's new overlord can spend more time putting the finishing touches to Picard and give that the focus it needs to be a success now that Discovery has found its feet. This might become more akin to how Michael Piller reported into Rick Berman during the latter's tenure on Star Trek.

So who else would we want to see turn up in the upcoming series? What characters from the franchise should turn up and which should stay away?

The main ones that seem to be getting a lot of column inches are Guinan and Q. In the case of the Ten Forward bartender her relationship traverses centuries and at times acted as a reassuring opinion for the captain. This is more of an occasional guest role in the show than week in, week out much in the same way as having Q appear. That playoff of wills throughout The Next Generation made the Q episodes incredibly watchable and an interplay well worth waiting to see again and again.

I'd offer up Admiral Janeway too as one to add into the show to properly close down what happened to Voyager after it returned to Earth. Not all of the cast from that show need to turn up. Demand might push for a one-off appearance of Seven of Nine after the show has found its feet but let's at least add in a reference to Harry Kim finally getting at least one promotion in the Prime Universe.

That said about Voyager there has been a little rumour that one of the cast could be a hologram which a few outlets jumped on as meaning that the EMH will be back. I'd say that an EMH would make sense on Picard's ship and yes, it could be a retired EMH Mark One if Jean-Luc's craft is something old and worn. More likely it will be an updated model if included. 

Feeling from the cast of The Next Generation was that they didn't want to be involved if it was a lip service cameo (so noted Marina Sirtis at October's Destination Star Trek press conference) yet I would not be shocked if Worf or Riker drop by for a scene or two to assist the good captain on the net step of his career. Might we get to see the Titan or maybe Captain Ezri Dax on the USS Aventine? Will the galaxy be a smaller place thanks to transwarp or will the Federation have gone to pot? What's happened to the Dominion...? Calm down now...

But how about two characters that shouldn't turn up because actually, there are some Star Trek stories that need to stay closed.

For me that starts with Data and ends with Sisko. The android's journey ended in Nemesis and it may be playing on Picard's conscience even 20 years later but it's an event that needs to be respected as finite. Maybe the show will answer the question as to what happened to B-4 and the disassembled Lore but Spiner, with all due respect, is getting too old for the part. This is one character that might benefit from CG should he need to come back - but I'd rather Data didn't.

To Sisko and the way in which Deep Space Nine was concluded. He's another character more than likely not to return on the screen since Avery Brooks is reportedly done with Star Trek. There's no need to mention his disappearance and in this canon we should let him remain with the Prophets. Maybe there's a chance for Picard and his companions to end up on the other side of the Bajoran Wormhole as part of the plot however the return of Captain Sisko could undermine the legacy of that show and even cheapen the Picard series.

Just a selection of thoughts there on some do's and don'ts for the Picard show - but who would you like to see or perhaps more importantly not want to see meeting up with Jean-Luc?

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Back in Black: Light and Shadows S02 E07

We're done with the mycelial network and it's shenanigans but that doesn't give the crew of the Discovery time to throw a party.

Burnahm has taken the choice to return to Vulcan to meet with her parents to continue the search for Spock (I've resisted using that this long...) while the Discovery itself investigates a vortex which has appeared close to the planet Kaminar.

Let's split this straight in two and tackle the Pike-line first which is most likely the B story this time. Looks like this vortex is chucking out all sorts of temporal readings leading to the decision that former test pilot Captain Pike will man a shuttle and launch a probe into its centre to find out whats on the other side. Joined by Section 31's observer, Ash Tyler, the pair are less than amicable shuttle buddies from the start but when the probe comes back from the future their reliance on each other takes a turn. 

Now that probe comes back from 500 years in the future which would place it somewhere around the time that the agents from Enterprise's Temporal Cold War. It's been upgraded and places the captain and Tyler in danger when it launches an attack on the shuttle.

Cleverly we have hints as to the attack on the shuttle with an earlier temporal echo which makes it look like Pike is about to shoot Ash. The relationship between the captain and the Section 31 operative is fraught and filled with tension since Tyler sees his position within the organisation as overruling the commander of the Discovery but Pike has other ideas. 

While there's no sign of the Red Angel within this element of the story the questions have to be asked as to what is the significance of the vortex and also of the upgraded and dangerous probe that's been sent back. Why is it returned and attacking the shuttle? Was it indeed sent back by the Red Angel?

Burnham on the other hand is back on Vulcan and it's a great chance to see the built up parts of the planet as Michael navigates to her parents' home. Turns out that Amanda knows more than she let on and interlaced with flashbacks to Michael and Spock as children. Their earlier relationship is at least visibly amicable and Burnham manages to work out where Spock is and why Sarek is unable to detect his presence.

The episode goes to great lengths to remind us that this isn't a Spock that we will recognise nor is it a Spock that Michael will know. 

As our first meeting with Ethan Peck's take on the character it is distinctly different to the usually cool and logical first officer of the USS Enterprise. Repeating phrases and numbers over and over, Sarek also catches up with his son and plays on Burnham's logical and emotional sides to hand Spock over to Section 31. Peck is, unexpectedly great in his challenging role being able to spin the Vulcan in a completely different direction thanks to the unusual situation and state we find him in. 

Bearded and black-robed, Peck's portrayal is heavily physical aside from the "incoherent" ramblings although you suspect that there is more to come as he comes back to some form of normality and regains his emotional control.

This allows us to see both Captain Leland and Georgiou once more who are keen to remove information from Spock's brain (!).

Oddly out of character but perhaps not, Georgiou proves to be a an unlikely ally to Burnham, assisting in a prison break. Section 31's interest in Spock is intense but I think we see that Georgiou is playing both sides to provide a certain win for her own agenda.

Light and Shadows shows us that there are a lot of the crew with more going on than they wish to admit and is one of the season's more elusive episodes, offering zero answers only to expand the mystery of the Red Angel and its link to Spock. The writers have made a good move in revealing our favourite Vulcan at this midpoint in the season and not dragging out our expectations any longer. It makes sense for Amanda to be hiding her son and puts the human emotional sphere in opposition to the logical Vulcan choice that ensures Burnham is not in trouble once again with Starfleet.

The apparent transfer of something to Airiam - as evidenced through the three dots in her eyes - is another case of the "Tilly microbe" that ended the first season and the reveal of what Spock's repeated six digit number sequence provides one of the biggest twists and surprises that the franchise has managed to dig up since 1964 - and yes, I've picked that year very specifically.

This seventh episode feels like a place holder and almost a chance for the season to catch its breath and take stock of what's happened. Each episode has had a theme and it's own identity yet there's still an underlying link between them all which has brought Spock, Section 31 and the Discovery together. 

Now Discovery needs to start drawing some of the Red Angel threads together. Maybe not to a conclusion but certainly to a point where it begins to make sense. Is it friend or foe? Can we get some hints as to its agenda or even whom it may be?

What are your predictions for the second half of the season? Where are we going to be heading?

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Homeward Bound: S02 E06 The Sound of Thunder

With a new lease of life, Saru is a changed character after he survived what his race believed was a life-ending moment.

One of the red masses of energy have been detected at a new location and this time it's taking the Kelpien home - it's appeared over Kaminar.

So what's going on - is this all part of some massive plan we have yet to discover? How come the Red Angel seems to be helping Discovery or placing it in locations where it can do good.

For those who haven't watched The Brightest Star from the Short Treks then this is the time

to dig it out on Netflix and get it watched because you will appreciate those 15 minutes to give a little meat on Saru's backstory bones. That said, The Sound of Thunder does stick in a few parts from the short just to make sure you're covered. 

Unusually for this season the A story dominates the episode with just a few moments left to remind us that Doctor Culber is back from the dead and in the best health of his life in a brand new body that doesn't even bear scars that he'd had for years. How else Culber has changed is left unsaid yet there's the distinct feeling that we have much more to uncover in the weeks coming. 

The bulk of episode six focuses on Saru. Accompanied by Burnham to Kaminar he is reacquainted with his sister, Siranna, who is now the village priest and leader of the community. The Ba'ul are quickly aware of the arrival of the only Kelpien ever to leave the planet and are more than a tad anxious to have him back permanently. 

Everything boils down to the harmonious Great Balance that has been set in place by the predatory Ba'ul but, of course, because this is Star Trek there's a huge twist in here well worthy of the franchise. 

The Sound of Thunder is quintessential Star Trek placing the Prime Directive in conflict with the crew and Saru's desires for his people. Interference could destroy the even keel that the planet has experienced for generations and truly it's a dangerous point that could tip either way. Doug Jones' performance as Saru smashes the episode; no longer is he frozen by fear but confronts the Ba'ul on the bridge of the Discovery and takes the fight directly to them.

The Ba'ul are also finally revealed here after numerous mentions through the season. Now, for long time fans there will be a "Isn't that...?" moment because the alien lifeform we encounter has a striking resemblance to Armus from the first season The Next Generation episode Skin of Evil. The Ba'ul representative is one of Star Trek's truly terrifying aliens virtually dripping evil in every scene. Word for the future - just make sure the voice isn't distorted too much because there were a few words I didn't manage to pick out in the rumble.

Hannah J Spear as Siranna is fantastic alongside Jones as the two confront their species' nemesis face to face and it can't be easy to play out the terror, anger, pain and more that she and Doug manage through the layers of Kelpien makeup. That said, the partnership between Sonequa Martin-Green and Doug Jones goes from strength to strength and is by a country mile the strongest relationship on the show. I would honestly just watch it for these two after the ups and downs of this year alone. Marvellous acting and one of the best Star Trek duos since Spock and McCoy.

Of course, there's a link in to the Red Angel as you would hope since it's teased from the very start of The Sound of Thunder and to date this is our biggest reveal of the mysterious creature/form/thing that's providing the arc for season two. We actually get to see it and, yeah, it doesn't really tell us anything but the speculation will at the least have another layer added to it.

Certainly this episode places the Kelpiens in a very different place to how we began the show in 2017, fundamentally changing their identity and purpose to exist ultimately showing the prey species to be far more powerful than suspected by the viewer and themselves.

The Sound of Thunder is truly in the same vain as classic Star Trek with the crew arriving to assist in the development of a race but restricted through the confines of the Prime Directive. Saru might twist that a bit here but I have strong echoes to stories such as The Apple, Miri, Return of the Archons in the style of the narrative and the strength of the performances throughout. But - are the Ba'ul in the wrong? Were they just protecting their own survival and just where does the Prime Directive lie in all this? The Sound of Thunder asks questions and makes the audience think beyond the credits and in a way that the first year never did. Discovery seems to have cracked the Trek code.

Starting to get a little bored of saying this but once again Discovery has delivered. Providing further teases around the Red Angel arc and building in a greater understanding of the Kelpiens as part of the Galaxy Building begun back in season one. Magic from beginning to end and definitely one of my top three from the show. 

What might the Red Angel be? Is it someone we already know or a new character?

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Borg Free: Voyager's Fourth Season

What is it with fourth seasons?

Deep Space Nine brought in Worf and then two years later Seven of Nine steps onto Voyager. 

It's a landmark moment for the show as Kes departs and Jeri Ryan eased (perhaps not the best word) into the catsuit. Scorpion, Part II which kicks off the year is devoid of silvery bodywear however as we see Janeway forge a Borg alliance to defeat the CG-evil of Species 8472. A bold move to make the Borg an ally for the episode and rightfully they do go back on their word/try and do things better almost from the word go. Seven of Nine provides a voice for the Collective in much the same way as Locutus although there is never a desire to leave the Borg at any point unlike Picard's enforced alter-ego.

I like Scorpion and both parts are solid instalments and I do wonder how it would have worked if not for the Seven-as-contact device used here. Understandably the year is dominated by her arrival and she is used at every possible occasion although the only real Seven episodes are this opener, The Raven which eludes to some of the former drone's backstory as well as introducing us to her parents' crashed research vessel. A necessary tale to give us some breadcrumbs around Seven's origins which would be revisited a year later.

The other major Seven episodes of the year actually close out the year. Firstly there's the One letting Ryan flex her wings solo for a good portion of the episode as she oversees the ship through a region of space deadly to the crew if awake. Then there's Hope and Fear, which acts as a bookend to the season and notes how far Seven has come. The Janeway/Seven relationship is clearly evolving at this point.

While we were welcoming a Borg, we said goodbye to Kes. Her story would most likely have taken the line of Before and After, seeing her grow old over the course of the series but instead she ascended to some higher plane of existence which allowed for a return if required. The Gift is her episode but not Lien's strongest as it's there to do a job to finalise her arc and quickly show what could have been. Well, we might get another opportunity...

The biggest events of the year were keystoned with two stunning two-part stories. Year of Hell - originally envisaged as the finale of season three, its Voyager going concept once again but on another level. The vision to play out a whole year of action is like nothing else before it. Voyager is battered within an inch of oblivion, not everyone survives and again we're teased with a what-could-have-been before the big reset button gets pressed. 

The other huge season moment came in the form of the Hirogen mini-arc that trailed through Message in a Bottle, Hunters, Prey and finally The Killing Game. The first part introduced their communications network and brought Voyager into contact with the Alpha Quadrant for the first time proper and I feel marks a cornerstone of the show opening up a whole new direction that would be further realised though the Pathfinder thread in seasons six and seven. Hunters and Prey revealed the true nature of the Hirogen who remain my favourite original Voyager villains and are very much episodes there to set up the excellent two part arc finale.  

For the second time in Star Trek history the Second World War takes centre stage as one of the multiple scenarios the Hirogen are running across Voyager's expanded holodecks to continue the hunt.  In a similar way to the later Workforce, the crew are unaware of whom they truly are,  forced to endure life-threatening injuries over and over as the Hirogen hone their skills. It's one of Voyager's more violent moments but executed ever so well, possibly because I find the Hirogen so watchable. Their only other appearance however would be in season seven's Flesh and Blood. Talking of reappearances, the episode Demon would also introduce a duplicate biomimetic crew who would return a year later in Course: Oblivion. While this first story brought these creatures into the show, it would be that later sequel that would really be the stronger of their two appearances.

Along with the Hirogen arc and Hope and Fear,  the real highlight of season four has to be Living Witness. Sending us into the future beyond Voyager's time, the Doctor is reactivated on a world which sees the Starfleet vessel as a terrifying battleship crewed by dark misinterpretations of Janeway and the others. Part investigation,  part exploration of the way in which history can be rewritten to suit a cause,  Living Witness may be a Doctor story but the ideas and changes that are made within the narrative are very, very clever indeed. I would rate it as one of Voyager's best ever episodes and demonstrated that the show was much better when it pushed the envelope and went into conceptual territory that neither Deep Space Nine.

Aside from these the rest of season four is surprisingly mediocre. Each of the main cast gets their moment in the limelight but there are very few major standout episodes. One, in which Seven is the only crew member left awake to run the ship when Voyager chances across a toxic area of space, certainly leaves Jeri Ryan to shine in a season which has definitely focused on the new arrival. One leaves the actress very much solus and takes her exit from a collective consciousness to another extreme of solitude. Seven also turns out to be the saviour of the moment with the Doctor in Scientific Method. An episode that borders on slight horror, the crew are being subjected to experiments that they are unable to see. When Seven does get to take a glimpse out of phase we see all sorts of contraptions being stuck to the crew to aid the Srivani's "work".

Concerning Flight earlier in the year is a Janeway moment for example but more than likely remembered for the second - and final - appearance of John Rhys-Davies as Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci. Taking a character off the holodeck is fun but by this point its getting old hat. Bit too much formula recycling on this one even if it does rely on the holoemitter rather than a transporter accident. Kate Mulgrew's other biggie of the year (besides the finale) is The Omega Directive which turns thirty years of lore on its head just with the title. The concept of something that could overrule the Prime Directive is inspired with Janeway going super-secretive under the ruling of one of Starfleet's most serious commands. Adding a Borg perspective into the episode made it even better especially since we got to see what they aspire to become.

Chakotay even manages a decent outing in Nemesis. An early entry to the year, it deals with mind control and conditioning pretty successfully. The first officer is totally immersed in the belief that he is fighting a dangerous enemy when in fact he's been influenced through an impressive "media" campaign/training programme. Only let down? Some of the "alien" communication forms are a bit cliched. Still one of those episodes which improves over time as I was never that taken with it in the 90's.

He's also centre-stage for the nightmare episode Waking Moments. Taking a lead from both Night Terrors and Schisms it seems we have baddies lurking in a sleeping state who plan to take over the ship through the crew's sleepy time. I actually really enjoy this one because it is just so perverse and a little crackers. Tragically any call for Chakotay to seek out some mystical stuff is a bit cringe-inducing and somewhat wrong that Native Americans are being stereotyped into this hole by the show. 

And the others? Well, B'Elanna gets to drift around in space for her Day of Honor in a low rate Klingon-related story that has her flitting about her mixed heritage. Shame with these is that anything Klingon was being nailed a lot more successfully on Deep Space Nine with Worf and/or Martok. B'Elanna also gets top billing in Random Thoughts again at the early end of season four. With the arrival of Seven you do get the feeling that the producers were keen to remind us this wasn't a three horse show before it solidly became just that. Random Thoughts plays on that Klingon background again with the added bonus of a black market trade in violent thoughts. Where does Voyager come up with these curve balls? The season does offer a lot of variation if not all of top quality. In this case the story does become a little over talky but does deliver something provoking that pushes me to rewatch it.

Paris perhaps fairs the worst of the main cast, getting just one strong individual outing in Vis a Vis. It's a good opportunity for Robert Duncan McNeill to shine and play a different character and add an ounce of comedy into his performance. Not a top liner for the season in this story but certainly enjoyable and easier to recollect than some others I can think of.

As for Neelix well, he dies. Maybe this was some kind of sick joke by the producers but he does actually kick the space bucket only to be revived by Seven's nanoprobes within the televisual hour of Mortal Coil. Therein follows a ton of soul searching and moral dilemmas which, probably, no-one watching was really fussed about. Probably the drabbest moment of the year and certainly instantly forgettable as an episode. Would I drop this into my worst of the show list? Yep. Unquestionably.

The concluding episode of the year - and oddly not a cliffhanger either - is the superb Hope and Fear. As noted it does play on that Janeway/Seven combination that became a staple of the show and certainly had its moments in this year most notably with this episode. Hope and Fear has a simple enough plot which links in the communication with the Alpha Quadrant, a possible way home, the Borg, key relationships and a cool new ship design all in just 45 minutes. Potentially one of the most packed Voyager episodes ever and yet it works out perfectly.

A strong year for Voyager and one that would indeed be built on with the equally notable fifth season. Back in the day I did enjoy a good episode from the show but this return 15 years later has highlighted how great and original it could be. As with Deep Space Nine, Voyager was doing things that neither The Original Series nor The Next Generation could with their more singular episodic outlook.

Was season four Voyager's finest hour? Did it build on the legacy?

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Lost Post: The Toys That Made Us

LOST ARTICLE....sometimes one just slips the net - here's a mini review of the "recent" show looking at Trek toys that I somehow missed publishing...

Already one of my favourite Netflix series, The Toys That Made Us opened up its four episode second season with a corker.    

Not particularly known for its toy lines, Star Trek has a rich history of merchandise and with the online streaming service now showing every televised minute of the franchise its fitting that Star Trek gets to sit alongside luminaries such as Transformers, GI Joe, Lego, Hello Kitty and...erm...Star Wars.   

The toy lines have an incredibly bizarre history as the show explores from the 1960's era of AMT model kits, re-stickering existing unrelated items with the words Star and Trek through to the 70's period of flashing light helmets and the important Mego figures then on into the 80's Galoob figures (and all their errors!), the phenomenal success of the Playmates range in the 1990's and cruising to the Diamond Select, Eaglemoss and MacFarlane licences of the 21st Century.

The Toys That Made Us displays a somewhat colourful picture of the past to Star Trek merchandise. It seems that the companies responsible for producing the goods couldn’t time releasing their ranges with the franchise’s highs for many years and the quality was varied especially in the early days.  Add in a flying Enterprise, tanks and even freezicles and you can see a franchise being plundered in any way possible no matter the accuracy and quality.

For an overview,  talking heads come from the former head of Mego, the Tenuto family, the Trimbles, Doug Drexler - but noticeable through absence are any faces from Eaglemoss (Ben Robinson) when the show heads into the realms of The Official Starships Collection and the future of the franchise in toy form - although I might disagree with calling that collection a toy?! In addition, there's not even a mention of the Micro Machines starships from the 90's which reflects the fact this is much more tied to the history of Star Trek action figures rather than ships and playsets which get the occasional aside.

There are more than a few memories in there for myself as a collector since the 1980's but it's what's not mentioned that really isn't explored as much as it could have been. There are not only some stupidly off the wall ideas that actually made the production grade but what of the cancelled Galoob second wave of toys or more recently the axed Diamond Select Deep Space Nine waves? Hearing about what happened to cause these "failures" would have been a great addition although I might suspect it's down to the matter of timing that the licence holders have been getting wrong for decades. There is mention of the "1701" collections that meant collectors were scrambling for a limited number of items to complete their sets and which inadvertently was a factor that made sales crumble.

It's amazing as well, considering how precise fans can be around screen accurate replicas how much has been produced "cowboy" style or with some major tweaks to make it highly cost effective with one of those being the mix-and-match creature parts pressed into service for the brown-skinned Mego Gorn figure.

This is perhaps one of the more prominent The Toys That Made Us because it focuses on a franchise that is blindingly present but yet really failed to make a significant dent on the market when it comes to kids toys. Look at the other names in the series and all of them have reached silly heights of popularity whereas Star Trek has trundled along in the background, some might say, for many years just keeping itself above water and paddling for dear life.

Each of the lines has fallen foul of some error along the way which has caused them grief but the show looks positively to the future with the continuation of the JJ reboot and the launch of Discovery providing not only a new range of potential toy lines but (and unsaid), a whole new generation of buyers too.

Interestingly this is one series of toy lines that seems to admit it's appealing to an older generation of collectors rather than children playing with them which has led to the need for superior accuracy on all levels and an adherence to canon rather than continuing to stick new labels on other toy lines. Maybe there could have, ironically, been a little more detail in each of the sections covered but there is only a 45 minute run time for each episode of the series which might prove to be the restriction.

How I managed to miss publishing this so long ago is a total mystery but hey, this is a great episode that fills in some gaps and shows that Trek's merch history is certainly eventful. 

Definitely worth checking this one out on Netflix as soon as you can!

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