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Season 06 Star Trek The Next Generation

Chain Of Command Part I

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 46357.4: Near the border of Cardassian space, Picard is unexpectedly reassigned by Starfleet. There are indications that the Cardassians are mobilizing for war with the Federation. Picard, Dr. Crusher and Worf get ready for a mission they can’t speak about to anyone. Captain Jellico, now in command of the Enterprise, doesn’t score any points with the crew in his unusual demands that the ship be made combat ready. En route to Celtris III Picard tells Worf and Dr. Crusher that the Cardassians may be perfecting a nearly invincible new form of biological warfare. Meanwhile at the border, Jellico begins talks with Cardassian representatives which confuse them and the Enterprise’s officers. On Celtris III, Picard’s team find themselves in a trap. Crusher and a wounded Worf escape a Cardassian ambush, but Picard is captured and taken to Gul Madred, who has alarming foreknowledge of their attempt to gather intelligence. And the interrogation of Picard begins…

Order the DVDsteleplay by Ronald D. Moore
story by Frank Abatemarco
directed by Robert Scheerer
music by Jay Chattaway

Cast: Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), Ronny Cox (Captain Jellico), Natalija Nogulich (Admiral Alina Nechayev), John Durbin (Gul Lemec), Lou Wagner (DaiMon Solok), David Warner (Gul Madred), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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1984-95: Heisei Series Godzilla

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth

GodzillaA huge flaming meteor splashes into the Pacific Ocean in the Ogasawara Trench, near Godzilla. It creates a typhoon that reveals a giant, rainbow colored egg. Takuya, Masako, and Kenji are sent to recover the egg on Infant Island. Meanwhile, another creature with red glowing eyes and a high pitched screech is awakened.

After several days, the team finds a cave with ancient paintings, one of which includes a butterfly and some sort of bat-like creature. The three press on and find the egg. Two women, less than a foot tall, calling themselves The Cosmos, tell the team the egg is Mothra. 12 thousand years earlier, and advanced civilization had created a weather machine, which had greatly offended the Earth. The Earth sent a monster, Battra, to destroy the humans. Mothra however defeated Battra, who had been sleeping in the sea. But pollution was threatening to bring Battra back.

The CEO of the Marutomo Corporation puts plans in motion to bring the egg to Japan. The Cosmos volunteer to go also. A larval form of Battra, however, is already on its way. Burrowing underground, Battra arrives in Nagoya and tears through the city. Lightning bolts from it’s eyes and a horn on its head easily render the Japanese Defense Force irrelevant. Battra destroys much of Nagoya, and burrows underground again.

The ship pulling Mothra’s egg behind it encounters Godzilla near the Philippines. As the King of the Monsters approaches, the egg hatches! The Mothra larva escapes before Godzilla can destroy it with his nuclear breath. Mothra distracts Godzilla in an attempt to let the ship slip away. Battra arrives and battles both of the other monsters. Battra and Godzilla fight underwater. Thier fight is interrupted by a volcanic eruption, and it’s believed they are killed in the molten rock. Mothra returns to Infant Island and the ship continues to Japan. Once there, Ando steals the Cosmos, with plans to exploit them for marketing purpose by the Marutomo Company. Locked away, the Cosmos sing out to Mothra, who begins the journey to Japan to rescue them.

Attempts to stop Mothra are useless. The larva destroys the Naval aramada sent against it. On its way to rescue the tiny girls, it is no respecter of property and smashes through the city. Takuya and Masako find the girls. Finding they are safe, Mothra leaves. But as it does, the giant larva collapses onto the capital building and encases itself in a cocoon.

Volcanic Mount Fuji explodes. Ando, who has had a change of heart, tells the CEO of the Marutomo company the Earth is getting its revenge for the damage caused by humans, and walks out.

Godzilla rises from the volcano and heads towards Tokyo. Back at the capital building, Mothra emerges from the cocoon as a giant, beautiful, rainbow colored butterfly. She spreads her wings and flies off to battle Battra. Meanwhile, out to sea, the larval Battra transforms into a giant bat and flies off. JDF units wage a fierce, but futile, battle in an attempt to change Godzilla’s direction.

As Godzilla approaches, Mothra and Battra meet in the sky over Yokahoma. Godzilla crashes through the city while the flying creatures do battle. Battra forces Mothra to the ground at a theme park in the harbor area. Godzilla finds the others and is attacked by Battra. Using it’s lightning blasts, Battra drops a building on the giant lizard. The King of the Monsters rises from the rubble, grabs Battra, and flings it to the ground. He blasts at it with his nuclear breath. Lightning from the injured Mothra stuns Godzilla. She flies to Battra, who gives her renewed energy.

Mothra rises to attack the approaching Godzilla. Using lightning blasts and glittery dander from her wings she appears to win the battle, but Godzilla is able to beat her back with a nuclear pulse. She crashes into a ferris wheel, but Battra grabs it before it can crush her. Battra slams the wheel into Godzilla, who falls to the ground. Both flying beasts blast at Godzilla from above. Godzilla tries to defend himself, but is confused by the onslaught. He struggles against the dander and the lightning before falling in a heap.

Battra grabs Godzilla, who bites into its neck. Mothra grabs onto Godzilla’s tail. The two carry the monster away from the battlefield. Battra is bleeding profusely from the neck bite, and Godzilla blasts at him with his nuclear breath, killing the giant bat. Mothra releases its grip on Godzilla’s tail and drops the pair into the ocean.

Keeping a vow with Battra, Mothra leaves the Earth to change the course of an oncoming planet-killing asteroid, a possibly deadly task that Battra would have performed if Godzilla had not reappeared.

screenplay by Kazuki Omori
directed by Takao Okawara
music by Akira Ifukube

Human Cast: Testuya Bessho (Takuya Fujita), Satomi Kobayashi (Masako Tezuka), Takehiro Murata (Kenji Andoh)

Monster Cast: Godzilla, Mothra, Battra

LogBook entry by Robert Parson

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Highlander Season 1

Family Tree

HighlanderRichie, trying to find out more about his parents, tries to steal orphanage records and gets himself arrested. MacLeod bails him out again, and Tessa gently suggests that maybe Richie’s family research would go better if he had help. Eventually, Richie follows the trail of clues to a run-down apartment, where a man named Joe Scanlon rudely brushes off his requests for information. Richie leaves a business card from Tessa’s shop with Scanlon and then leaves. Scanlon’s next visitor isn’t so pleasant – a loan shark’s thug has come to collect $50,000. The next day, Richie is surprised when Scanlon shows up, claiming to be Jack Ryan – his father.

MacLeod, suspicious as always, checks out Scanlon’s apartment for himself, and runs into the thug who had visited there the previous day. After following the thug back to the club where he works, MacLeod learns the truth – Scanlon is a third-rate gambler, deep into debt, who has only two days to come up with the money. But even after MacLeod tries to warn Richie that he’s being scammed, Richie may risk his life to help “Jack.”

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Kevin Droney
directed by Jorge Montesi
music by Roger Bellon

Cast: Adrian Paul (Duncan McLeod), Alexandra Vandernoort (Tessa), Stan Kirsch (Richie), Peter DeLuise (Clinch), HighlanderJ.E. Freeman (Joe Scanlon), Tamsin Kelsey (Mrs. Gustavson), Matthew Walker (Ian MacLeod)

Notes: Speaking of the family tree, guest star Peter DeLuise is the son of Dom DeLuise and, like many of his brothers, built a career in showbiz in Vancouver (Highlander’s North American filming location and base of operations). Peter later went on to direct and write many episodes of the Stargate series and Jeremiah, including one of the final Stargate SG-1 episodes, titled Family Ties.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 06 Star Trek The Next Generation

Chain Of Command Part II

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 46360.8: Cardassian representative Gul Lemec reveals to Jellico that Picard has been captured on Celtris III. Under interrogation by Gul Madred, Picard is tortured in the Cardassians’ attempt to find out more about the defenses of Minos Korva, a planet once sought by the Cardassians in their war with the Federation. On the Enterprise, Jellico prepares for all-out war in the event of a collapse of diplomatic relations, but meets with open disapproval from Riker. Jellico relieves Riker of his duties and continues to deny that Picard’s mission was ordered by Starfleet, which disqualifies Picard from the terms of the Federation-Cardassian treaty concerning fair treatment of prisoners of war. Picard resists further torture but is pushed to the limits of his endurance while Gul Madred continues to question him about Minos Korva, of which Picard knows nothing. Meanwhile, Jellico confronts the Cardassians and calls their bluff after discovering a flotilla of their warships hiding near Minos Korva. He successfully demands a withdrawal and the release of Picard. Returned to the Enterprise, Picard resumes command, but all is not normal after his experience at the hands of the Cardassians.

Order the DVDswritten by Frank Abatemarco
directed by Les Landau
music by Jay Chattaway

Cast: Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), David Warner (Gul Madred), Ronny Cox (Captain Jellico), John Durbin (Gul Lemec), Heather Lauren Olsen (Jil Orra), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Deep Space Nine Season 01 Star Trek

Emissary

Star Trek: Deep Space NineStardate 46379.1: Commander Ben Sisko and his son Jake, both survivors of the Wolf 359 Borg massacre, arrive at the planet Bajor as part of a Starfleet team taking over the abandoned Cardassian space station Deep Space 9. The station, which was intentionally damaged by the Cardassians before they left it behind, is being pieced together by newly-transferred Operations Chief O’Brien from the Enterprise. Sisko also meets Major Kira, his Bajoran first officer who doubts the ability of the provisional government of Bajor to avert a civil war and trusts the Federation even less; Odo, a mysterious shapeshifter in charge of station security; and Quark, the suspicious Ferengi kingpin who’s eager to get out of town before the regulatory hand of the Federation clamps down on his shady “business” affairs.

Sisko is summoned to the Enterprise for a briefing with Captain Picard, whom he still remembers as the man responsible for the death of thousands, including Sisko’s wife, in the Borg invasion attempt. Picard gives Sisko the Federation’s orders regarding management of Deep Space 9 – to do everything, short of violating the prime directive, to get the struggling Bajora back on their feet so they can join the Federation. Sisko, however, is considering resigning from Starfleet to raise his son in a better environment. Soon afterward, the Enterprise departs to undertake other duties as the station’s new doctor, the brilliant but inexperienced Julian Bashir, and science officer Jadzia Dax arrive. Dax, a Trill who has lived in a number of bodies, is an old friend of Sisko’s. Sisko, at the suggestion of Kira, travels to Bajor and visits Bajoran spiritual leader Kai Opaka, who tells Sisko that he is to be the emissary of the people to the temple of their gods. Opaka reveals an Orb, a mystic object of a type which has appeared throughout Bajoran history. The Orb envelops Sisko in a brief recollection of his first meeting with his wife, and then releases him. Opaka gives him the Orb, and the news that Sisko – whether he likes it or not, whether he even knows it or not – will find the temple. He returns to Deep Space 9 and hands the Orb over to Dax for further study.

The Cardassians return, ostensibly to make use of the station’s amenities. Dax discovers that reports of the Orbs’ appearances correspond to a certain area of space near Bajor. She and Sisko set out in a Federation Runabout to investigate, and stumble across a wormhole that shoots them 70,000 light years across the galaxy. Trying to return to the station, their ship is halted. Dax is taken back to the station by an Orb, while Sisko is kept and studied by noncorporeal beings who built the wormhole. These beings have no conception of linear time, existing simultaneously in the past, present and future, and they ask Sisko questions about the ephemeral nature of humans, which they do not comprehend. Dax, back on Deep Space 9, fills the crew in on details of the wormhole. Major Kira orders O’Brien to shift the station’s position so that it stands in front of the wormhole. A Cardassian ship, however, enters the wormhole, but is damaged by the wormhole life forms. When another Cardassian flotilla arrives and finds no sign of the missing ship, they threaten to open fire on Deep Space 9 unless Kira agrees to surrender the station. In the wormhole, the aliens’ study of Sisko reaches an end when they discover the human drive for knowledge, and they are puzzled by Sisko’s inability to get over the death of his wife.

At the station, Kira’s brinksmanship abilities and her feisty confrontations with the Cardassians result in a firefight, damaging the station heavily. The solution to the confrontation lies with Sisko, if he can overcome the wormhole beings’ manifestations of his inner barriers and escape from the wormhole.

Season 1 Regular Cast: Avery Brooks (Commander Benjamin Sisko), Rene Auberjonois (Odo), Siddig El Fadil (Dr. Julian Bashir), Terry Farrell (Lt. Jadzia Dax), Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko), Colm Meaney (Chief O’Brien), Armin Shimerman (Quark), Nana Visitor (Major Kira Nerys)

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonteleplay by Michael Piller
story by Rick Berman & Michael Piller
directed by David Carson
music by Dennis McCarthy

Guest Cast: Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard/Locutus of Borg), Camille Saviola (Kai Opaka), Felecia M. Bell (Jennifer Sisko), Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat), Joel Swetow (Gul Jasad), Aron Eisenberg (Nog), Stephen Davies (Tactical Officer), Max Grodenchik (Ferengi Pit Boss), Steve Rankin (Cardassian Officer), Lily Mariye (Ops Officer), Cassandra Bryam (Conn Officer), John Noah Hertzler (Vulcan Captain), April Grace (Transporter Chief), Kevin McDermott (Alien Batter), Star Trek: Deep Space NineParker Whitman (Cardassian Officer), William Powell-Blair (Cardassian Officer), Frank Owen Smith (Curzon Dax), Lynnda Ferguson (Doran), Megan Butler (Lieutenant), Stephen Rowe (Chanting Monk), Thomas Hobson (young Jake), Donald Hotton (Monk #1), Gene Armor (Bajoran Bureaucrat), Diana Cignoni (Dabo Girl), Judi Durand (Computer Voice), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

Notes: John Noah Hertzler is also known as J.G. Hertzler, who would return later in the series in the role of General Martok.

LogBook entry by Earl Green