Day: June 6, 1977

Categories
Fantastic Journey, The

The Innocent Prey

The Fantastic JourneyVarian, Scott, Fred and Willaway are awakened at their campsite by a brilliant light in the sky which slams into the ground in the distance. They find a crashed space shuttle with several injured astronauts inside, and they help them to find shelter in a nearby village inhabited by otherworldly beings with incredible powers and no knowledge of humanity’s dark side. Rayat and his people know nothing of the human concept of committing a crime, preferring instead to use their telekinetic powers to pursue higher purposes. Astronaut York, supposedly the shuttle’s commander, tells a story that doesn’t quite add up, and seems to be actively trying to silence his fellow crewmembers. Varian and Willaway discover that the shuttle was a prison transport which had been taken over by the inmates. They go to warn Rayat, and confront York, only to find that the psychopath who took over the shuttle now has a hostage: Scott.

The Fantastic Journeywritten by Robert Hamilton
directed by Vincent McEveety
music by Robert Prince

Cast: Jared Martin (Varian), Carl Franklin (Fred Walters), Ike Eisenmann (Scott Jordan), Katie Saylor (Liana), Roddy McDowall (Willaway), Richard Jaeckel (York), Nicholas Hammond (Tye), Cheryl Ladd (Natica), Lew Ayres (Rayat), Gerald McRaney (The Co-Pilot), Burt Douglas (The Pilot), Jim Poyner (Roland)

Notes: In keeping with a previous episode’s depiction of a space shuttle as an alien spacecraft, this episode’s “mid-21st century space shuttle” returning to Cape Canaveral is shown to be a The Fantastic Journeyfamiliar flying saucer design. Willaway says he once worked for NASA. This is the second episode not to feature Katie Saylor; there’s no mention of Liana’s whereabouts, even though she remains in the opening credits. This was one of the last guest starring roles for Cheryl Ladd before she became one of the stars of Charlie’s Angels, while fellow guest star Gerald McRaney was still a few years away from gaining fame as one of the stars of Simon & Simon. The Innocent Prey is a rare example of The Fantastic Journey trying to step into Star Trek’s issue-based storytelling, in this case touching on the hot-button topic of capital punishment. This was the final episode produced, and it aired nearly two months after the rest of the series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Man From Atlantis Season 1

Deadly Carnival

Man From AtlantisMark’s services and unique abilities are called upon to help solve a murder when the body of a distance swimmer, who also happens to be a government informant, floats into the collection tank of a hydroelectric power plant. The victim’s last message indicated that he had been hired by the operator of a local carnival to prepare for a bank robbbery involving disabling the bank’s defenses from within after swimming up through a storm drain. Mark manages to work his way into the carnival with his natural abilities, and is quickly taking into the confidence of Moxie, the carnival operator, who’s planning something bigger than a bank robbery. But with his limited understanding of the dark side of human nature, Mark may not be the best choice for an undercover operation.

written by Larry Alexander
directed by Dennis Donnelly
music by Fred Karlin

Man From AtlantisCast: Patrick Duffy (Mark Harris), Alan Fudge (C.W. Crawford), Sharon Farrell (Charlene Baker), Billy Barty (Moxie), Anthony James (Summersday), Sandy Barry (Carnival Attendee), Gino Baffa (Carnival Attendee), Donna Garrett (Student), Sean Morgan (Guard)

Notes: Moxie comments that Mark must have been underwater with no scuba gear for at least three minutes; in real life, that is how long actor Patrick Duffy – an experienced scuba diver in his own right – was able to hold his breath for Mark’s underwater scenes. This episode does not feature the Cetacean or any of its crew, and is not only Man From Atlantisthe final episode of the series’ 13-episode order with NBC, but the only Man From Atlantis story in which the words “Man From Atlantis” are spoken onscreen. Patrick Duffy went on immediately to win the role of Bobby Ewing in the smash hit prime time soap Dallas, a role he played through the early 1990s and returned to in a 21st century revival. Duffy has also written an original novel based on The Man From Atlantis. Alan Fudge went on to guest star in Hill Street Blues, Lou Grant, Knight Rider, The Greatest American Hero, the 1980s Twilight Zone revival, L.A. Law, and Dark Skies; his last acting gig was providing voices for the computer game Star Wars: The Old Republic prior to his death in 2011.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Deep Space Nine Season 02 Star Trek

The Jem’Hadar

Star Trek: Deep Space NineStardate not given: Sisko decides to take Jake and Nog to the Gamma Quadrant so they can survey an unexplored planet for a school science project, but is not so happy when Quark tags along to try to curry favor with the station commander. But even Quark becomes a minor inconvenience when a female of an unknown species stumbles across Sisko’s camp while the boys are off collecting firewood. Alien warriors known as the Jem’Hadar appear out of nowhere using personal cloaking devices and take Sisko, Quark and the fugitive Eris prisoner. Eris reveals that the Jem’Hadar are the most feared and ruthless soldiers in the Dominion, a Gamma Quadrant government which has oft been spoken of by those from the other side of the wormhole, but has yet to make a personal appearance. One of the Jem’Hadar visits the station and delivers an ultimatum to Kira – the Dominion will no longer tolerate unwanted guests from the Alpha Quadrant in their territory. Starfleet sends the Galaxy class starship Odyssey to retrieve Sisko and the others, but even the tallest ship of the fleet cannot withstand the brute force of the Jem’Hadar.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonwritten by Ira Steven Behr
directed by Kim Friedman
music by Dennis McCarthy

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), Alan Oppenheimer (Captain Keogh), Aron Eisenberg (Nog), Cress Williams (Telon), Molly Hagan (Eris), Star Trek: Deep Space NineMichael Jace (1st Officer), Sandra Grando (2nd Officer), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

Notes: Eris’ ability to generate a coherent burst of energy from her own body to use as a weapon was never seen again in other Vorta; either this ability was unique to her, or it was part of the charade. The use of a Galaxy class starship to demonstrate the Jem’Hadar’s offensive power was deliberate; producer Ira Steven Behr has commented that even the Enterprise-D probably would have been destroyed if it had shown up in the Odyssey’s place.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Battlestar Galactica (New Series) Season 4

The Hub

Battlestar GalacticaPresident Roslin, Baltar, Starbuck, Helo and the majority of Galactica’s fighter pilots and their craft are aboard the damaged rebel Cylon ship when it jumps, apparently in response to the reconnected Hybrid sensing danger. The ship makes its way toward the Resurrection Hub, but en route, President Roslin issues new orders to Helo: she is altering the agreement with the Cylons, and wants D’anna Biers brought to her immediately rather than allowing her to be debriefed by her fellow Cylons. Aboard the Hub ship, D’anna is revived by Brother Cavel, who hopes that a few token words from her will bring a swift end to the civil war among the Cylons. She refuses to cooperate, and is surprised when a joint Cylon-human attack leaves her in the hands of the rebels and the Colonial fleet. The Resurrection Hub is destroyed, putting an end to the Cylons’ ability to download into a new body and leveling the playing field by making the human model Cylons helplessly mortal. Mortality is also on Roslin’s mind after she hears an injured Baltar’s confession that he helped bring an end to civilization as she once knew it – and feels little remorse for that act.

written by Jane Espenson
directed by Paul Edwards
music by Bear McCreary

Guest Cast: Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Lucy Lawless (D’anna Biers), Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben Conoy), Donnelly Rhodes (Doc Cottle), Lorena Gale (Priestess Elosha), Dean Stockwell (Brother Cavel)

LogBook entry by Earl Green