Tag: Season Finale

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Discovery Season 2 Star Trek

Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2

Star Trek: DiscoveryStardate 1201.7: Surrounded by Leland’s Section 31 fleet – all under the thrall of Control – Enterprise and Discovery launch their full complement of shuttles (modified to serve as fighters) and prepare to cover for Burnham when the suit is ready to make the time jump. The Control AI proves to be equally useful in modifying its resources, literally carving up the hulls and other materials of Section 31’s armade to create a cloud of deadly drones, putting sheer numbers on Control’s side of the battle. Stamets is critically injured when Discovery takes a direct hit, and Culber, opting now to stay on Discovery with him, induces a coma to stabilize him. The suit is completed, but Burnham is unable to jump directly to the future without first going back in time to send the signals that Discovery‘s crew had already sighted and explored – each of which led to a change of events vital to the current battle. Klingons and Kelpiens, the latter flying commandeered Ba’ul fighters, join the battle, responding to a request for assistance transmitted by Tyler. Leland, no longer human but now the physical embodiment of Control, boards Discovery and begins desperately searching for the sphere data, and is instead repeatedly attacked by Georgiou and Nhan. A torpedo lodges into the Enterprise‘s saucer section without immediately exploding, though Admiral Cornwell finds that nothing can stop that eventuality, and sacrifices her life to close off the affected section to save the ship. Burnham completes sending the first five signals, and the suit’s control system now allows her to deliberately set a course for the future, which she does, sending the sixth signal as a signal flare for Discovery to follow and the heavily damaged Enterprise covers her escape. Discovery’s next stop is 930 years into the future: the 32nd century, and the last anyone in the 23rd century sees of it is a brilliant flash.

Order DVDsStream this episode via Amazonwritten by Michelle Paradise & Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman
directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi
music by Jeff Russo

Star Trek DiscoveryCast: Sonequa Martin-Green (Commander Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Lt. Commander Saru), Anthony Rapp (Lt. Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Cadet Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Jayne Brook (Admiral Cornwell), Mary Chieffo (Chancellor L’Rell), Yadira Guevara-Prip (Po), Mia Kershner (Amanda), Tig Notaro (Commander Jett Reno), Ethan Peck (Spock), Rebecca Romjin (Number One), Alan Van Sprang (Leland), Rachael Ancheril (Lt. Cmdr. Nhan), Emily Coutts (Lt. Keyla Detmer), Patrick Kwok-Choon (Lt. Gen Rhys), Oyin Oladejo (Lt. Joann Owosekun), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Lt. R.A. Bryce), Sara Mitich (Lt. Nilsson), Raven Dauda (Dr. Tracy Pollard), Julianne Grossman (Discovery computer), Star Trek: DiscoveryZarrin Darnell-Martin (Nurse), Glenn Hetrick (K’Vort), Thom Marriott (Council Member), Hannah Spear (Siranna), Samora Smallwood (Lt. Amin), Hanneke Talbot (Lt. Mann), Kyana Teresa (Doctor), Chai Valladares (Lt. Nicola), Nicole Dickinson (Yeoman Colt)

Notes: Pike, Spock (who is finally seen clean-shaven and in uniform), Tyler, and Number One all recount to Starfleet incident investigators that Discovery exploded, and all knowledge of Discovery‘s existence, unusual technology, and crew is stricken from the official record, possibly in response to a steady stream of canon-fixated fans’ complaints about Discovery having “anachronistic” technology and other visual elements. (Some editorial thoughts on this development can be found here.)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Orville, The Season 2

The Road Not Taken

The OrvillePlanetary Union officers Gordon Malloy and Ed Mercer scavenge an abandoned Union listening post for anything of value, but the arrival of the Kaylon forces them to abandon their search with nothing more than a food printer to show for the risk and effort. After escaping from the Kaylon in a battered Union shuttle, Mercer and Malloy are caught off guard by a scavenger freighter that captures their shuttle. The ship is under the command of Kelly Grayson – a young Union officer Mercer once had a single date with before she broke off all contact with him. But, she reveals, this is because she had accidentally been pulled into a future from which she returned…and decided to change. Since that change meant that Mercer never commanded the Orville, Mercer wasn’t there to head off the Kaylon invasion of Earth and the destruction of the Union. Grayson has reassembled the crew of the Orville from the future – even if, in this timeline, they never served aboard that ship – to try to set history right…be it this nightmare history or the more hopeful timeline she witnessed on the Orville. But the Kaylon are never far behind her ship and its seemingly mismatched crew…

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by David A. Goodwin
directed by Gary Rake
music by Joel McNeely

The OrvilleCast: Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (Commander Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Lt. Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Lt. Commander Bortus), Jessica Szohr (Lt. Talla Keyali), J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), Halston Sage (Alara Kitan), B.J. Tanner (Marcus Finn), Kai Di’Nilo Wener (Ty Finn), Norm MacDonald (Yaphit), Chris Marroy (Rebel)

Notes: This was the final episode of The Orville to air on Fox prior to the announcement that the third season would be exclusive to the Hulu streaming service.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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For All Mankind Season 1

A City Upon A Hill

For All MankindChristmas 1974: Astronaut Ellen Waverly, command module pilot of Apollo 24, regains consciousness. One of her crew members has been lost; the other, Slayton, is injured and has to be hauled back into the command module by his tether. The booster finally runs out of fuel, but Apollo 24 is so far off course that Waverly has to burn every drop of fuel left in the command/service module to bring its speed down enough to capture by the moon’s gravity…and even then, she comes up short. A plan is devised to have Ed Baldwin launch from the moon to rendezvous with – and refuel – Apollo 24, but he has his hands full with a cosmonaut found lurking outside Jamestown Station, and Baldwin has maintained radio silence with Houston since learning of the death of his son. Slayton’s condition continues to worsen, and NASA resorts to desperate means to get Baldwin’s attention. With time running out to save Apollo 24, Baldwin must contemplate the unthinkable – trusting his Soviet counterpart to cooperate with him in the rescue effort.

For All Mankindwritten by Matt Wolpert & Ben Nedivi
directed by John Dahl
music by Jeff Russo

Cast: Joel Kinnaman (Edward Baldwin), Michael Dorman (Gordo Stevens), Sarah Jones (Tracy Stevens), Shantel VanSanten (Karen Baldwin), Jodi Balfour (Ellen Waverly), Wrenn Schmidt (Margo Madison), Chris Bauer (Deke Slayton), Sonya Walger (Molly Cobb), Wallace Langham (Harold Weisner), Arturo Del Puerto (Octavio Rosales), Olivia Trujillo (Aleida Rosales), Krys Marshall (Danielle Poole), Mark Ivanir (Mikhail Mikailovic), Pam Horton (Meghan Leathers), Nate Corddry (Larry Wilson), Rebecca Wisocky (Marge Slayton), Lenny Jacobson (Wayne Cobb), Charlie Hofheimer (Dennis Lambert), Chris Agos (Buzz Aldrin), Noah Harpster (Bill Strausser), Nick Toren (Tim “Bird Dog” McKiernan), Spencer Garrett (Roger Scott), Megan Dodds (Andrea Walters), Mason Thames (Daniel Stevens), Zakary Risinger (Jimmy Stevens), Dan Warner (General Arthur Weber), Krystal Torres (Cata), Penny Chen (Carin Chea), Theo Iyer (Carl Reid), Brian McGrath (Sam), Ben Solenberger (LMSYS), Alex Skinner (Telex Guy), Mel Fair (Reporter 1), Stephen Jared (Reporter 2), Chi-Lan Lieu (Reporter 3), James Thomas Gilbert (Protest Man), Clint Culp (Guy at Bar)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Mandalorian, The Season 1

Chapter 8: Redemption

Star Wars: The MandalorianKuiil has been killed by Imperial Stormtroopers, and the child has been abducted, though the troopers are held up at a checkpoint outside of the city gates as Moff Gideon delivers an ultimatum to the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga. An unexpected wild card tips the negotiations in the Mandalorian’s favor: IG-11, programmed to serve as a nurse droid for the child, kills the tiny creature’s captors and rescues him, before commandeering a speeder bike and blasting a path through the Imperial reinforcements. The Mandalorian and his allies use this distraction to decimate the Imperial platoons keeping them pinned down, though Moff Gideon proves to be harder to eliminate. The Mandalorian is severely injured; IG-11 creates an escape route for Dune, Karga and the child, staying behind to tend to the Mandalorian’s injuries before helping him escape as well. In the sewers underneath the city, the Mandalorian is stunned to find that, in the wake of his previous escape from Nevarro, the Mandalorian covert was laid to waste, leaving only the Armorer alive to count the dead and reclaim their armor. She gives him his pick of munitions, as well as a jet pack that he will have to learn to use, before covering his escape yet again. Escape is seemingly in sight when the Mandalorian spots an Imperial platoon ready to ambush; IG-11 entrusts the care of the child to the Mandalorian before sacrificing itself to make sure they escape alive. But Moff Gideon is leaving nothing to chance, and intends to deal with the Mandalorian personally.

The Mandalorianwritten by Jon Favreau
directed by Taiki Waititi
music by Ludwig Goransson

Cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Taiki Waititi (voice of IG-11), Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Gina Carano (Cara Dune), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Jason Sudeikis (Bike Scout Trooper #1), Adam Pally (Bike Scout Trooper #2), Aidin Bertola (young Din Djarin), Alexandra Manea (Din Djarin’s Mother), Bernard Bullen (Din Djarin’s Father), Brendan Wayne (Mandalorian Warrior), Rio Hackford (IG-11 performance artist)

The MandalorianNotes: Cara Dune was born on Alderaan; at this point, she may be among the last living Alderaanian natives. (Even though Leia is still alive during the events of The Mandalorian’s first season, she was Alderaanian only by adoption, not by birth.) Moff Gideon is shown to be wielding the Darksaber, a weapon introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (The Mandalore Plot, 2010) and last seen in the hands of Sabine Wren (Star Wars: Rebels: Legacy Of Mandalore, 2017). Assuming that there has been only one Darksaber all along, presumably the weapon fell into Gideon’s hands during the purge of Mandalore during the darkest era of Imperial rule.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Picard Season 1 Star Trek

Et In Arcadia Ego – Part 2

Star Trek: Picard2399: The synthetics have taken Picard prisoner as they build a beacon that will summon a league of powerful synthetics from beyond the galaxy. Agnes Jurati has been granted amnesty by Alton Soong and his creations, but is aware that Soong is trying to manipulate her. Narek slips into the Borg cube to retrieve grenades so he can ground the synths’ small defensive fleet, but is followed by Elnor. Narek surrenders himself to Raffi and Rios, offering to help them return to the synths’ settlement and destroy the beacon…but Elnor doesn’t trust his fellow Romulan to live up to his word. While they put that plan in motion, Jurati helps Picard escape, and they make their way back to La Sirena and take off, while Picard desperately tries to think of a plan to stall the Romulan fleet in the hope – but with absolutely no certainty – that Starfleet is on its way to protect the synths and fend of the Romulans. Even if Starfleet does arrive, whatever emerges from the portal generated by the beacon may be more powerful than both fleets…and Picard’s condition is worsening, limiting his ability to play a key role in preventing an all-out war.

Order DVDsteleplay by Michael Chabon
story by Michael Chabon & Akiva Goldsman
directed by Akiva Goldsman
music by Jeff Russo
Blue Skies performed by Isa Briones

Star Trek: PicardCast: Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Alison Pill (Dr. Agnes Jurati), Isa Briones (Dr. Soji Asha), Evan Evagora (Elnor), Michelle Hurd (Rafi Musiker), Santiago Cabrera (Captain Cristobal Rios), Harry Treadaway (Narek), Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Brent Spiner (Altan Inigo Soong), Peyton List (Narissa), Tamlyn Tomita (Commodore Oh), Kay Bess (La Sirena Computer), Brian DeRozan (Romulan Officer), Matt Perfetuo (Rune), Mike Perfetuo (Codex), Jade Ramsey (Arcana), Nikita Ramsey (Saga)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Mandalorian, The Season 2

Chapter 16: The Rescue

Star Wars: The MandalorianWith the help of Boba Fett, Bo-Katan, Cara Dune, and Fennec Shand – and with a little bit of information gleaned from the Imperial scientist captured en route to continue his experiments on Grogu – the Mandalorian plans a two-pronged attack on Moff Gideon’s cruiser. His objective is to rescue Grogu, while Bo-Katan wants to recapture the Darksaber and regain control of Mandalore. Standing in their way is an entire platoon of Darktroopers – droid stormtroopers impervious to the weaknesses of either Imperial recruits or clones – and taking out even one of them is almost more than the Mandalorian can handle on his own. Bringing Moff Gideon to heel is somewhat easier, but once the entire team is trapped on the cruiser’s bridge with Gideon and Grogu, with Darktroopers crowding on the other side of the blast door, it seems a new hope is needed.

The Mandalorianwritten by Jon Favreau
directed by Peyton Reed
music by Ludwig Goransson

Cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Omid Abtahi (Dr. Pershing), Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), Gina Carano (Cara Dune), Mercedes Varnado (Koska Reeves), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand), Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Thomas E. Sullivan (Co-Pilot), Luke Baines (Pilot), Gabriel Ebert (Gunnery Officer), Katy O’Brian (Comms Officer), Matthew Wood (Bib Fortuna)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Book Of Boba Fett, The Season 1

Chapter 7: In The Name Of Honor

The Book Of Boba FettBoba Fett, the Mandalorian, and Fennec Shand survey the ruins of Garsa’s Sanctuary, recently bombed by the Pykes. With the Mandalorian’s assurance that Cobb Vanth and the people of Freetown will be en route to provide reinforcements shortly, Fett sends his closest allies – Krrsantan, the Mods, and his Gammorean guards – to keep an eye on strategic locations in Mos Espa to watch for a build-up of Pyke troops. But the three families with whom Fett thought he had reached a truce turn on those allies, and the Pykes attack the Sanctuary in force. Fennec is sent to take out the head of the Pyke syndicate in Mos Eisley, stopping to help the Mods out of their predicament on the way. After the arrival of the residents of Freetown, the Mods and even Krrsantan manage to reach the Sanctuary to join the fight. This seems to send the Pykes to ground, a worse problem surfaces: Pyke-controlled Scorpenek droids, deadly relics of the Clone Wars, scatter Fett’s forces and begin laying waste to the city. Fett leaves the Mandalorian to defend the townsfolk while he rockets back to his palace to fetch his rancor. A new distraction arrives for the Mandalorian, however: Grogu, apparently having chosen not to walk the path of the Jedi, has been returned to him at what is either the most dangerous time possible, or the best time possible. But even if the droids can be defeated, Cad Bane is lurking in the background, and his duel with Boba Fett is personal.

The Book Of Boba Fettwritten by Jon Favreau
directed by Robert Rodriguez
music by Joseph Shirley
music themes by Ludwig Gorannson

Cast: Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Sophie Thatcher (Drash), Jordan Bolger (Skad), Corey Burton (Cad Bane), Amy Sedaris (Peli Motto), David Pasquesi (Mok Shaiz’s Majordomo), Carey Jones (Black Krrsantan), Matt Berry (voice of 8D8), Robert Rodriguez (Mayor Mok Shaiz / Dokk Stassi), Phil LaMarr (Pyke Boss & Klatoonian Boss), Frank Trigg (Gamorrean Guard), Collin Hymes (Gamorrean Guard), Barry Lowin (Garfalaquox), W. Earl Brown (Weequay Proprietor), Karisma Shanel (Jo), Dorian Kingi (Cad Bane performance artist), John Rosengrant (Mayor Mok Shaiz performance artist), Ardeshir Radpour (Klatoonian Boss performance artist), Jamie Alexander (Pyke Boss performance artist), Andres Saenz-Hudson (Pyke Capo performance artist), Stephen Oyoung (Dokk Strassi performance artist)

Mid-Credit Scene: In Fett’s palace, as Cobb Vanth soaks in the bacta tank, the Modifier prepares to get to work.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 1 Star Wars

Part VI

Star Wars: Obi-Wan KenobiHaving narrowly escaped Jabiim, the transport ship of refugees is trailed closely by Vader in the Devastator. But there is a further wild card in the situation – Reva has barely survived her fight with Vader and has discovered the locations and identities of Vader’s children. Having lost Leia, Reva now goes to Tatooine to find young Luke Skywalker. Her unsubtle questioning of the locals gives Owen and Beru time to prepare to fight her when she arrives. Obi-Wan leaves the transport in a dropship, certain that Vader will break off his pursuit to follow him rather than the refugees. A furious lightsaber battle ensues, during which Obi-Wan is able to do critical damage to Vader’s life support suit. Perhaps realizing that, while Vader is dangerous, he remains vulnerable to his feelings and capable of major tactical errors as a result, Obi-Wan leaves him alive but unable to fight. The Jedi then races to the aid of Luke, whose peril he senses through the Force, but it is Reva who brings the boy back to Owen and Beru of her own accord. Ben tries to absolve her of her past, and tells her that her future is for her to decide now; her inability to kill a child as casually as Vader once did is a strength rather than a weakness. After ensuring that Leia has been returned to Alderaan, Obi-Wan returns to Tatooine, agreeing to keep his distance from the Lars homestead, but is surprised when Owen introduces him to ten-year-old Luke despite that promise. And with the recent reawakening of his mastery of the Force, Obi-Wan has one further surprise waiting for him as he goes back into exile.

teleplay by by Joby Harold & Andrew Stanton and Hossein Amini
story by Stuart Beattie and Joby Harold & Andrew Stanton
directed by Deborah Chow
music by Natalie Holt
Obi-Wan Theme by John Williams / adapted by William Ross

Obi-Wan KenobiCast: Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Moses Ingram (Reva), Vivien Lyra Blair (Princess Leia Organa), Kumail Nanjiani (Haja Estree), Marisé Álvarez (Nyche), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Roken), Maya Erskine (Sully), Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), Rupert Friend (Grand Inquisitor), Simone Kessell (Breha Organa), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine), James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader), Jimmy Smits (Bail Organa), Hayden Christensen (Darth Vader), Hossein Mardani (Dardin Shull), Heath McGough (Foreman Groff Ditcher), Indie Desroches (Corran), Crispian Belfrage (Devastator Captain), Grant Feely (Luke Skywalker), Aiden Arnold (Jedi Youngling), Jonathan Ho (Jedi Youngling), Oliver Ho (Jedi Youngling), Yonas Ascuncion Kibreab (Jedi Youngling), Mila Lanin (Jedi Youngling), Ayaamii Sledge (Jedi Youngling), David St. Pierre (Supply Store Clerk performance artist), Dimitrious Bistrevsky (Darth Vader performance artist), Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn)

Obi-Wan KenobiNotes: The “unmasking of Vader” scene is very similar to a scene that occurs in the Star Wars: Rebels episode Twilight Of The Apprentice Part 2 (2016), in which it is Anakin Skywalker’s former padawan, Ahsoka Tano, who destroys half of Vader’s mask in a lightsaber duel. (At least each of Anakin’s old friends destroyed different sides of the helmet.) The original storyline for Obi-Wan Kenobi featured Darth Maul, not Darth Vader, though it fell to Dave Filoni to point out that a final duel between Kenobi and Maul had already been depicted in the Rebels episode Twin Suns (2017), and there was therefore no need to depict it again (or create a conflicting version of events, something that happened frequently in the early days of the Clone Wars animated series and the related publishing program). Twin Suns, as with most of Rebels, occurs much closer to the events of Rogue One and Star Wars than those of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 2 Star Trek Strange New Worlds

Hegemony

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsStardate 2344.2: As the U.S.S. Cayuga checks in on Parnassus Beta, a human colony outside of Federation space, Captain Batel continues her long-distance relationship with Captain Pike via subspace communication, which is suddenly cut off with the arrival of a crash-landing Starfleet shuttlecraft, followed closely by an enormous Gorn ship. By the time Enterprise responds to the Cayuga‘s distress signal, the Cayuga has been reduced to a field of debris orbiting Parnassus Beta. Worse still, the Gorn claim that the colony is in their territory, and any attempt to rescue either colonists or any survivors from the Cayuga will be seen as an act of war. Even with Admiral April’s explicit orders to avoid initiating hostilities, Pike and a small, hand-picked team go to the surface, hiding their shuttlecraft from detection by drifting through the Cayuga‘s debris. They find the Gorn present in great numbers, but also a contingent of surviving colonists and Cayuga crew members, including Captain Batel. Among the survivors is Lt. Montgomery Scott, the sole survivor of the last Starfleet ship attacked by the Gorn before attacking Parnassus Beta. His ingenuity provides what could be some tactical advantages, assuming he and the others survive long enough to eliminate the Gorn’s transporter scattering field and return to the Enterprise alive. Aboard the Enterprise, Pelia and Uhura devise a plan to dismantle the Gorn’s scattering field and rescue the humans on the surface, but when it happens, it will leave no doubt that Starfleet has taken a more aggressive posture and possibly start a war. The plan is a success, though the Gorn beam the colonists – including several of the Enterprise landing party – to their ship instead, attacking the Enterprise immediately afterward. As the crew awaits Pike’s orders, Captain Batel is put into stasis in sick bay, having been implanted with fast-hatching Gorn eggs in the Gorn’s attack on the planet.

Order DVDswritten by Henry Alonso Myers
directed by Maja Vrvilo
music by Nami Melumad
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds main theme by Jeff Russo

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsCast: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Ethan Peck (Lt. Spock), Jess Bush (Nurse Christine Chapel), Christina Chong (Lt. La’an Noonien Singh), Celia Rose Gooding (Ensign Uhura), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas), Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M’Benga), Rebecca Romijn (Commander Una Chin-Riley), Martin Quinn (Lt. Scott), Adrian Holmes (Admiral Robert April), Melanie Scrofano (Captain Batel), Dan Jeannotte (Lt. Sam Kirk), Carol Kane (Commander Pelia), Rong Fu (Jenna Mitchell), Matt Jensen (Ensign Appel), Alex Kapp (USS Enterprise/Cayuga Computer), strongNoah Lamanna (Chief Jay), Emeka Menakaya (Tiko), Simon Northwood (Rak)

Star Trek: Strange New WorldsNotes: Still a mere lieutenant in a room full of lieutenants, this is Scotty’s first appearance, chronologically speaking, in the prime Star Trek timeline; he’s also a former student of Pelia’s (though maybe it’s a good idea to look past his transcript). This is the first time an actual Scottish actor has played the role of Scotty. Since this season-ending cliffhanger premiered in the midst of a combined strike of the Writers’ Guild of America and the Screen Actors’ Guild, the ensuing wait for part two of the story would prove to be lengthy.

LogBook entry by Earl Green