Day: August 11, 1977

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Season 2 Space: 1999

The Bringers Of Wonder – Part 2

Space: 1999Restrained by his own crew, Commander Koenig fights to get Tony, Dr. Russell, Maya or anyone to believe him. He claims that the crew is being tricked by blob-like beings capable of telepathically projecting themselves as an image from someone’s memory – hence the rescue ship conveniently manned by people known to members of Alpha’s crew. Koenig convinces Helena to perform the same experimental brain treatment on her that he underwent, and she too can then see the Moonbase’s visitors as they really are. But this revelation is too late – the aliens have set a plan into motion to feed their need for highly-radioactive emissions by exploding the nuclear waste dumps on the moon’s far side. Even when Dr. Russell manages to administer a treatment to the entire Moonbase crew, Alan Carter and an alien-influenced team at the nuclear dump is left unaffected – and still doing the aliens’ bidding.

Order the DVDswritten by Terence Feely
directed by Tom Clegg
music by Derek Wadsworth

Guest Cast: Tony Anholt (Tony Verdeschi), Nick Tate (Alan Carter), Zienia Merton (Sandra Benes), Jeffery Kissoon (Dr. Ben Vincent), Toby Robins (Diana Morris), Stuart Damon (Guido Verdeschi), Jeremy Young (Jack Bartlett), Drewe Henley (Joe Ehrlich), Patrick Westwood (Dr. Shaw), Cher Cameron (Louisa), Al Lampert (Ken Burdett), Billy J. Mitchell (Professor Hunter), Earl Robinson (Sandstrom), Robert Sheedy (Henry), Nichols Young (Peter Rockwell), Albin Pahernik (Lizard Animal)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Babylon 5 / Crusade Spinoff: Crusade

The Needs of Earth

CrusadeA Ranger tips Gideon off on the whereabouts of an alien refugee named Natchok Var, who is on the run with a very important cargo – the sum total of all of his race’s knowledge. That data could include a lead on the cure to the Drakh plague – but to procure it, Gideon and his crew will have to break any number of local laws and assist a fugitive from justice. The captain and Dureena take great personal risks to rescue the man, but Dureena’s lifelong distaste for servitude causes her to set free a shipment of slaves, which alerts the authorities to the Excalibur’s presence. Gideon may have the precious information in his hands, but the price for his crew’s survival will be the life of the man they have just rescued.

Order the DVDswritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Mike Vejar
music by Evan H. Chen

Cast: Gary Cole (Captain Matthew Gideon), Tracy Scoggins (Captain Elizabeth Lochley), Daniel Dae Kim (Lt. Matheson), Carrie Dobro (Dureena Nafeel), David Allen Brooks (Max Eilerson), Marjean Holden (Dr. Sarah Chambers), Peter Woodward (Galen), Tony Amendola (Natchok Var), Bill Mondy (Nix), Mark Hendrickson (Patron), Peter Welkin (Trulann), Tom Wyner (Aprori Flentam)

Notes: This was the first episode produced.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Farscape Season 2

Beware of Dog

  • By Dave
  • August 11, 2000

FarscapeChiana brings a small creature called a Vorc aboard Moya; the traders who sold it to her convinced her that the Vorc will rid the Leviathan of parasites. The others are skeptical that there even are any parasites, and even if there are, the Vorc appears too feeble to do anything about them. Shortly thereafter, Crichton seems to confirm at least part of Chiana’s story – he claims to have seen a beast of some kind trying to damage Moya. Since Crichton also claims to be seeing visions of Scorpius, however, his judgement is not wholly trusted at the moment. Then D’Argo encounters the beast, and in their altercation D’Argo is poisoned. Zhaan tells the crew to use the Vorc to find the creature so she can concoct an antidote; to their surprise, they see the small creature transform into the larger beast. But when they bring it to Zhaan, she can find no trace of the poison in its system. There is another predator on the ship – but what is its relation to the Vorc and to the others aboard ship?

Order the DVDswritten by Naren Shankar
directed by Tony Tilse
music by Guy Gross

Guest Cast: Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Martin O’Leary (Ravorc)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Categories
Season 10 SG-1 Stargate

Uninvited

  • By Dave
  • August 11, 2006

Stargate SG-1Mitchell arrives at O’Neill’s cabin for a mandated team bonding weekend. For the moment, he’s bonding only with Gen. Landry, since Daniel is in England researching Ancient texts, Carter is in charge of the SGC, and Teal’c is assisting Col. Reynolds’ team with an offworld mission. Mitchell finds the situation slightly uncomfortable and distinctly not-relaxing, despite Landry’s orders to ease up for the weekend.

Teal’c reports back that Reynolds’ team, which has been on a covert mission, has found a sudden rash of maulings. Vala reasons that if Carter sends teams back out to investigate, they can determine if the Ori have anything to do with this . . . and delay their arrival at the cabin in the bargain. The creature attacks several members of the SG teams, but Teal’c is able to kill one with a grenade before it can attack Vala. Back at SGC, researchers discover that the creature was originally a benign plant-eater, but had been mutated by some strange slug-like creature with an odd radiation signature. Carter eventually discovers that these creatures have been bleeding through from another dimension. SG teams have been using modified Sodan cloaking devices in order to conduct covert observation missions, and the modifications removed a radiation screen that blocked the slugs.

Carter contacts Area 51 to round up all of the offending devices, but a recovered Agent Barrett discovers that one is missing, presumably in the hands of the Trust. When Mitchell and Landry learn that a strange creature has been mauling hunters around their cabin, they confirm that hypothesis – a member of the Trust has been spying on them all weekend. As a result, the mutated maulers are on Earth.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxwritten by Damian Kindler
directed by Will Waring
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Jodie Graham (SG Leader)

Categories
Season 3 Stargate Stargate Atlantis

Progeny

Stargate AtlantisYet another gate expedition takes the team to another Lantean city, though this one is merely one part of a planet which has raised the art of city-building to a grand scale. Dr. Weir immediately tries to open negotiations for additional ZPMs to power Atlantis, but those negotiations break down quickly with the Oberoth, the city’s leader, who is fixated on destroying the Wraith at a time and place of his own choosing – to the exclusion of all else, and regardless of who else dies in the meantime. Weir and the rest of her team notice that the other residents of the city don’t seem to share Oberoth’s sentiments, and then the visitors from Atlantis are locked up. During an escape attempt, they learn the horrible truth – the inhabitants of the grand city aren’t Ancients, and aren’t even humans. They’re Replicators, similar to the fast-spreading artificial life forms that SG-1 and the Goa’uld defeated with the Ancient weapon at Dakara. These Replicators were created by the Ancients to fight the Wraith and then tried to destroy when they became too aggressive. Some of the Replicators want to discard their aggressive programming, but can’t do that without someone reprogramming them. But even if McKay can manage such a feat, Oberoth may have evolved beyond anyone’s ability to control him…and Atlantis may now be the target of a new enemy.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxstory by Robert C. Cooper and Carl Binder
teleplay by Carl Binder
directed by Andy Mikita
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: David Odgen Stiers (Oberoth), John O’Callaghan (Niam), David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka), Hellena Taylor (Council Member #1), Kerry Sandomirsky (Council Member #2), Chuck Campbell (Technician)

Notes: The nanovirus that nearly wiped out the Atlantis expedition was cured in the season episode Hot Zone. The Replicators that persistently battled SG-1 first appeared in Nemesis at the end of the third season of that series, though human-form Replicators didn’t appear until the sixth season episode Unnatural Selection.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Lower Decks Season 01 Star Trek

Envoys

Star Trek: Short TreksStardate not given: Ensign Boimler is terribly impressed (with himself) when he’s assigned to escort a Klingon named K’orin to a starbase via shuttlecraft. Ensign Mariner manages to get herself assigned to this mission as well, and to Boimler’s horror, Mariner and K’orin are not just old friends, but drinking buddies. When the shuttle lands, K’orin goes missing, going off to sample the local cuisine (and booze), and Boimler and Mariner must find him and deliver him to his intended destination before his absence becomes an interplanetary incident. Meanwhile, Rutherford explores his career options aboard the Cerritos, only to discover that engineering may be where he fits in best.

Order DVDswritten by Chris Kula
directed by Kim Arndt
music by Chris Westlake

Star Trek: Lower DecksCast: Tawny Newsome (Ensign Beckett Mariner), Jack Quaid (Ensign Brad Boimler), Noel Wells (Ensign D’Vana Tendi), Eugene Cordero (Ensign Rutherford), Dawnn Lewis (Captain Freeman), Jerry O’Connell (Commander Ransom), Fred Tatasciore (Lt. Shaxs), Gillian Vigman (Dr. T’Ana), Jess Harnell (General K’Orin) Tom Kenny (Quimp), Kari Wahlgren (Anabaj), Jessica McKenna (Ensign Barnes), Ryan Ridley (Bajoran), Paul Scheer (Lt. Commander Billups)

Notes: The shapeshifting Vendorian species first appeared in The Survivor, an episode of the early ’70s animated Star Trek, and marks the first appearance of a Vendorian since then.

LogBook entry by Earl Green