This Star Trek: Discovery review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 1 and 2
The final voyage of Star Trek: Discovery is upon us, and it’s officially the end of an era—albeit one that will likely be met with plenty of mixed emotions. After all, no matter how you feel about the show itself, Discovery brought Star Trek back to television after a decade-plus absence, and played a key role in launching the larger franchise universe we’re all enjoying today. For that alone, we owe it a debt, and a resounding thank you. But it also must be said that Discovery hasn’t always been the easiest Trek installment to watch—or love.
The show struggled to find a coherent identity in its early seasons. A series that originally began as a fairly bleak Star Trek: The Original Series prequel about the Klingon War, Discovery drastically shifted its...
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 1 and 2
The final voyage of Star Trek: Discovery is upon us, and it’s officially the end of an era—albeit one that will likely be met with plenty of mixed emotions. After all, no matter how you feel about the show itself, Discovery brought Star Trek back to television after a decade-plus absence, and played a key role in launching the larger franchise universe we’re all enjoying today. For that alone, we owe it a debt, and a resounding thank you. But it also must be said that Discovery hasn’t always been the easiest Trek installment to watch—or love.
The show struggled to find a coherent identity in its early seasons. A series that originally began as a fairly bleak Star Trek: The Original Series prequel about the Klingon War, Discovery drastically shifted its...
- 4/4/2024
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This article contains light spoilers for Dune: Part Two.
Even the biggest fan of David Lynch‘s original Dune movie from 1984 has to admit the (unintentional?) comedy that occurs when Chani (Sean Young) pleads for Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) to “tell me of your homeworld, Usul.” In the very next scene, the two are in the throes of passion, suggesting that “tell me of your homewold, Usul” is a pick-up line with the power of the Voice.
Believe it or not, the name “Usul” is not some Lynchian term like “Garmonbozia,” something he made up during transcendental meditation. Rather it comes directly from the Frank Herbert book he adapts. Similar to “Muad’Dib,” Usul is a name that the Fremen give to Paul, this one meaning “the strength of the base of the pillar.” But whereas Muad’Dib refers to Paul’s relationship within his Sietch (as well as desert mice!
Even the biggest fan of David Lynch‘s original Dune movie from 1984 has to admit the (unintentional?) comedy that occurs when Chani (Sean Young) pleads for Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) to “tell me of your homeworld, Usul.” In the very next scene, the two are in the throes of passion, suggesting that “tell me of your homewold, Usul” is a pick-up line with the power of the Voice.
Believe it or not, the name “Usul” is not some Lynchian term like “Garmonbozia,” something he made up during transcendental meditation. Rather it comes directly from the Frank Herbert book he adapts. Similar to “Muad’Dib,” Usul is a name that the Fremen give to Paul, this one meaning “the strength of the base of the pillar.” But whereas Muad’Dib refers to Paul’s relationship within his Sietch (as well as desert mice!
- 1/25/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 6
While the adventures the crew of the Enterprise find themselves in from week to week on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are always fun, they’re often the least important part of the show we’re watching. Instead, the missions of the week are almost always explicitly tied to the larger themes at work in the various emotional journeys of the show’s characters and their relationships with one another. Such is the case in the season 2 episode “Lost in Translation,” an hour that’s technically about discovering a new alien species, but that’s really a larger story about loss, empathy, and the power of listening to others, even when you don’t always understand what they’re trying to say, at first.
A largely Uhura-focused episode, “Lost in Translation” also gives several...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 6
While the adventures the crew of the Enterprise find themselves in from week to week on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are always fun, they’re often the least important part of the show we’re watching. Instead, the missions of the week are almost always explicitly tied to the larger themes at work in the various emotional journeys of the show’s characters and their relationships with one another. Such is the case in the season 2 episode “Lost in Translation,” an hour that’s technically about discovering a new alien species, but that’s really a larger story about loss, empathy, and the power of listening to others, even when you don’t always understand what they’re trying to say, at first.
A largely Uhura-focused episode, “Lost in Translation” also gives several...
- 7/20/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 4
Because Strange New Worlds is more episodic in nature than many of its recent Star Trek onscreen brethren, one of the most intriguing things about watching this show week to week is wondering what kind of story we’re going to see. The series has gleefully embraced wild shifts in genre, tone, and narrative style over the course of its run so far, giving us everything from courtroom legal dramas to heartbreaking trips into alternate pasts, and while season 2’s fourth episode initially seems like your standard away mission adventure, “Among the Lotus Eaters” actually turns out to be anything but.
An hour that epitomizes the creative gap filling in terms of its own canon that Strange New Worlds excels at, this is an episode that not only offers new context for one of...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 4
Because Strange New Worlds is more episodic in nature than many of its recent Star Trek onscreen brethren, one of the most intriguing things about watching this show week to week is wondering what kind of story we’re going to see. The series has gleefully embraced wild shifts in genre, tone, and narrative style over the course of its run so far, giving us everything from courtroom legal dramas to heartbreaking trips into alternate pasts, and while season 2’s fourth episode initially seems like your standard away mission adventure, “Among the Lotus Eaters” actually turns out to be anything but.
An hour that epitomizes the creative gap filling in terms of its own canon that Strange New Worlds excels at, this is an episode that not only offers new context for one of...
- 7/6/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds article contains spoilers.
The fact that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds features a character with the last name Noonien-Singh meant that we would eventually get an episode like “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” an hour that finally attempts to address the long-tail impact and trauma of growing up in the shadow of Khan’s bloody legacy. But, like so many other aspects of this show, the series found an unexpected way to explore this story—one that doesn’t rely solely on nostalgia to carry its plot but rather uses familiar elements to find something new to say about its characters and the larger world they inhabit.
To be fair, security officer La’an Noonien-Singh has absolutely been through it over the course of her life so far—heck, even just over the course of this series’ 13 episodes to date!—and it’s hard...
The fact that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds features a character with the last name Noonien-Singh meant that we would eventually get an episode like “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” an hour that finally attempts to address the long-tail impact and trauma of growing up in the shadow of Khan’s bloody legacy. But, like so many other aspects of this show, the series found an unexpected way to explore this story—one that doesn’t rely solely on nostalgia to carry its plot but rather uses familiar elements to find something new to say about its characters and the larger world they inhabit.
To be fair, security officer La’an Noonien-Singh has absolutely been through it over the course of her life so far—heck, even just over the course of this series’ 13 episodes to date!—and it’s hard...
- 7/5/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 2
Though Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has technically only aired 12 episodes to date, it has the confidence of a much older series, deftly shifting between genres and subverting familiar storytelling tropes in unexpected ways. From bodyswap romantic comedies and children’s fairytale fantasies to creepy body horror and even a shot-for-shot remake of a classic The Original Series episode, this show seems to delight in finding new ways to tell familiar stories, and the franchise is all the better for it.
The second installment in Strange New Worlds season 2 circles back to the storyline most of us probably thought the premiere would handle, and what follows is basically a courtroom procedural, a Star Trek does Law & Order riff that sees Enterprise First Officer Una Chin Riley face the legal consequences of her decision to...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 2
Though Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has technically only aired 12 episodes to date, it has the confidence of a much older series, deftly shifting between genres and subverting familiar storytelling tropes in unexpected ways. From bodyswap romantic comedies and children’s fairytale fantasies to creepy body horror and even a shot-for-shot remake of a classic The Original Series episode, this show seems to delight in finding new ways to tell familiar stories, and the franchise is all the better for it.
The second installment in Strange New Worlds season 2 circles back to the storyline most of us probably thought the premiere would handle, and what follows is basically a courtroom procedural, a Star Trek does Law & Order riff that sees Enterprise First Officer Una Chin Riley face the legal consequences of her decision to...
- 6/22/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Strange New Worlds review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 1
On paper, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the most traditional entry in the current Star Trek franchise, with its more episodic weekly adventures, light-hearted feel, and open embrace of the wonders inherent in space exploration. But, for all its old-school vibes, nothing about this show feels stodgy or stuck in the past. In fact, Strange New Worlds is at its best when it’s gleefully subverting our expectations about what a show like this is supposed to be and do from week to week, embracing shifts in genre, tone, and format that somehow manage to make even the most familiar story beats feel fresh and new.
So it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Strange New Worlds season 2 premiere continues to choose the unexpected path, and does exactly the opposite of what...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 1
On paper, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the most traditional entry in the current Star Trek franchise, with its more episodic weekly adventures, light-hearted feel, and open embrace of the wonders inherent in space exploration. But, for all its old-school vibes, nothing about this show feels stodgy or stuck in the past. In fact, Strange New Worlds is at its best when it’s gleefully subverting our expectations about what a show like this is supposed to be and do from week to week, embracing shifts in genre, tone, and format that somehow manage to make even the most familiar story beats feel fresh and new.
So it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Strange New Worlds season 2 premiere continues to choose the unexpected path, and does exactly the opposite of what...
- 6/15/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 10
All good things must come to an end. Even the things we might wish wouldn’t. Such is the case with Star Trek: Picard, a series that, to put it mildly, struggled to find a coherent identity and purpose during its first two seasons, but which blossomed in its third and did so by finally embracing the very legacy it at first tried so hard to run away from. I’m as surprised as anyone to find myself wishing this story could last just a little bit longer, that we could somehow spend a little bit more time with these people, that we didn’t have to say goodbye to this piece of Star Trek: The Next Generation, grown older alongside us in rich and fascinating ways.
Look: If you, as a viewer, haven’t been enjoying the...
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 10
All good things must come to an end. Even the things we might wish wouldn’t. Such is the case with Star Trek: Picard, a series that, to put it mildly, struggled to find a coherent identity and purpose during its first two seasons, but which blossomed in its third and did so by finally embracing the very legacy it at first tried so hard to run away from. I’m as surprised as anyone to find myself wishing this story could last just a little bit longer, that we could somehow spend a little bit more time with these people, that we didn’t have to say goodbye to this piece of Star Trek: The Next Generation, grown older alongside us in rich and fascinating ways.
Look: If you, as a viewer, haven’t been enjoying the...
- 4/20/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9
The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3 is an hour it feels like we’ve been waiting weeks to see. “Vox,” thankfully, seems to understand that there are two episodes left in this entire series and acts accordingly. The end result is an hour that may not be perfect from a narrative perspective, but that definitely hits all the right notes when it comes to the heart and emotion that have made this season of Picard such an improvement over the two that have come before it.
After largely spinning its wheels through “Dominion” and “Surrender”, two mediocre installments notable only for the return of Deanna Troi and the successful merging of Data’s multiple personalities, the series’ sudden dash through a half dozen major plot points at once is certainly a welcome change, if only because...
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9
The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3 is an hour it feels like we’ve been waiting weeks to see. “Vox,” thankfully, seems to understand that there are two episodes left in this entire series and acts accordingly. The end result is an hour that may not be perfect from a narrative perspective, but that definitely hits all the right notes when it comes to the heart and emotion that have made this season of Picard such an improvement over the two that have come before it.
After largely spinning its wheels through “Dominion” and “Surrender”, two mediocre installments notable only for the return of Deanna Troi and the successful merging of Data’s multiple personalities, the series’ sudden dash through a half dozen major plot points at once is certainly a welcome change, if only because...
- 4/13/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 8
Star Trek: Picard giveth and Star Trek: Picard taketh away. Sometimes even within the same episode. Such is the case with “Surrender,” a wildly uneven hour that shines brightest when it focuses on the legacy crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation, but stumbles badly whenever it attempts to pivot back to the larger mystery of Jack Crusher’s true identity. The show’s repeated contortions to not answer this seemingly central question of its final season are rapidly becoming exhausting, and worse, are narrative momentum killers that take away from the much more interesting emotional character work happening elsewhere.
Despite plenty of heavy-handed hints and Vadic’s ominous declaration at the end of last week’s episode that it was time for Jack to learn who he truly is, the explosive revelations we’re promised ultimately fizzle.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 8
Star Trek: Picard giveth and Star Trek: Picard taketh away. Sometimes even within the same episode. Such is the case with “Surrender,” a wildly uneven hour that shines brightest when it focuses on the legacy crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation, but stumbles badly whenever it attempts to pivot back to the larger mystery of Jack Crusher’s true identity. The show’s repeated contortions to not answer this seemingly central question of its final season are rapidly becoming exhausting, and worse, are narrative momentum killers that take away from the much more interesting emotional character work happening elsewhere.
Despite plenty of heavy-handed hints and Vadic’s ominous declaration at the end of last week’s episode that it was time for Jack to learn who he truly is, the explosive revelations we’re promised ultimately fizzle.
- 4/6/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 7
Given that “The Bounty” was the easily best episode of Star Trek: Picard to date, it was probably always inevitable that whatever came after would feel like a letdown. Such is the case with “Dominion,” an hour that purports to finally offer viewers some answers about Vadic, the Changelings, and their larger plans, but where very little actually happens. This is not to say the episode is bad, per se. (And it’s certainly far from the worse episode of Picard we’ve ever seen!) There are a handful of solid subplots at work throughout—the stuff with Geordi, Data, and Lore is especially emotionally compelling—and while they don’t all come together in an entirely satisfying way, they certainly set the table for an explosive follow-up next week.
The episode starts off incredibly strong, with a...
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 7
Given that “The Bounty” was the easily best episode of Star Trek: Picard to date, it was probably always inevitable that whatever came after would feel like a letdown. Such is the case with “Dominion,” an hour that purports to finally offer viewers some answers about Vadic, the Changelings, and their larger plans, but where very little actually happens. This is not to say the episode is bad, per se. (And it’s certainly far from the worse episode of Picard we’ve ever seen!) There are a handful of solid subplots at work throughout—the stuff with Geordi, Data, and Lore is especially emotionally compelling—and while they don’t all come together in an entirely satisfying way, they certainly set the table for an explosive follow-up next week.
The episode starts off incredibly strong, with a...
- 3/30/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 6
The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard finally puts the proverbial band back together in “The Bounty,” and, to the likely surprise of no one, it’s the best episode of the season. It’s true, the bulk of this hour is pure fan service and contains elements that seem to be there for no reason other than they will utterly delight those who loved Star Trek: The Next Generation. But it’s hard to argue with a classic simply playing the hits when they’re executed with this much verve and heart. Particularly when they’re integrated so seamlessly into the larger story the season is telling.
From a slow-motion panorama across many of Star Trek’s most famous starships—including Captain Kirk’s U.S.S. Enterprise and Seven’s former home, the U.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 6
The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard finally puts the proverbial band back together in “The Bounty,” and, to the likely surprise of no one, it’s the best episode of the season. It’s true, the bulk of this hour is pure fan service and contains elements that seem to be there for no reason other than they will utterly delight those who loved Star Trek: The Next Generation. But it’s hard to argue with a classic simply playing the hits when they’re executed with this much verve and heart. Particularly when they’re integrated so seamlessly into the larger story the season is telling.
From a slow-motion panorama across many of Star Trek’s most famous starships—including Captain Kirk’s U.S.S. Enterprise and Seven’s former home, the U.
- 3/23/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5
Now that the U.S.S. Titan has successfully escaped the existential threat of death in a gravity well (and completed a truly outstanding quasi-two-parter in “Seventeen Seconds” and “No Win Scenario”), Star Trek: Picard slows down a bit. “Imposters” is an hour that is, admittedly, mostly table setting for the back half of the season, as the show moves various pieces into place to finally bring its disparate plots together. Yet, because Picard seems to have learned—at long last—that it’s at its best when it’s wrestling not just with the broader legacy of The Next Generation, but the way that legacy has impacted the lives of others, the episode is still more emotionally compelling than any installment that’s predominantly about Changeling physiology has any right to be.
The big reason for the...
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5
Now that the U.S.S. Titan has successfully escaped the existential threat of death in a gravity well (and completed a truly outstanding quasi-two-parter in “Seventeen Seconds” and “No Win Scenario”), Star Trek: Picard slows down a bit. “Imposters” is an hour that is, admittedly, mostly table setting for the back half of the season, as the show moves various pieces into place to finally bring its disparate plots together. Yet, because Picard seems to have learned—at long last—that it’s at its best when it’s wrestling not just with the broader legacy of The Next Generation, but the way that legacy has impacted the lives of others, the episode is still more emotionally compelling than any installment that’s predominantly about Changeling physiology has any right to be.
The big reason for the...
- 3/16/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 3
Star Trek: Picard season 3’s third episode is its best outing yet, an action-packed, emotional adventure that feels determined to show us everything that this show can do and be, all in a single hour. And in the aftermath of an episode where it felt like almost nothing happened, “Seventeen Seconds” lands like a thunderclap, fully determined from its opening moments to make up for the time that the Star Trek series’ first two installments wasted on boring things like plot exposition and setup.
Oh, you wanted Beverly and Jean-Luc to finally have that heart-to-heart that’s been several decades in the making? That happens. Maybe a better demonstration of that powerful portal technology and an explanation of how Raffi’s story ties into that of Star Trek: The Next Generation crew? Done! How about the inclusion...
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 3
Star Trek: Picard season 3’s third episode is its best outing yet, an action-packed, emotional adventure that feels determined to show us everything that this show can do and be, all in a single hour. And in the aftermath of an episode where it felt like almost nothing happened, “Seventeen Seconds” lands like a thunderclap, fully determined from its opening moments to make up for the time that the Star Trek series’ first two installments wasted on boring things like plot exposition and setup.
Oh, you wanted Beverly and Jean-Luc to finally have that heart-to-heart that’s been several decades in the making? That happens. Maybe a better demonstration of that powerful portal technology and an explanation of how Raffi’s story ties into that of Star Trek: The Next Generation crew? Done! How about the inclusion...
- 3/2/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 2
Despite the fact that Star Trek: Picard seems to have finally realized that what the people always wanted from this series was a mature version of Star Trek: The Next Generation that wrestled with maturity, legacy, and the way even the closest relationships can change over the course of a lifetime, the series continues to be plagued by pacing issues in its second episode. “Disengage” is an hour that not only takes forever to reveal a plot twist we all pretty much guessed last week, but it’s also full of the sort of laborious table setting that isn’t particularly fun to watch.
It’s difficult to imagine that the episode that includes the long-awaited return of The Next Generation alum Michael Dorn, features a brief but wildly emotional (and entirely nonverbal!) reunion between Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher,...
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 2
Despite the fact that Star Trek: Picard seems to have finally realized that what the people always wanted from this series was a mature version of Star Trek: The Next Generation that wrestled with maturity, legacy, and the way even the closest relationships can change over the course of a lifetime, the series continues to be plagued by pacing issues in its second episode. “Disengage” is an hour that not only takes forever to reveal a plot twist we all pretty much guessed last week, but it’s also full of the sort of laborious table setting that isn’t particularly fun to watch.
It’s difficult to imagine that the episode that includes the long-awaited return of The Next Generation alum Michael Dorn, features a brief but wildly emotional (and entirely nonverbal!) reunion between Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher,...
- 2/23/2023
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
With his debut feature, Get Out, Jordan Peele reinvented himself as a groundbreaking genre director/writer with an almost uncanny sense of how to balance the horrific with the socially conscious, while adding a nice dash of edgy humor as well. His second feature, Us, was more ambitious conceptually yet perhaps not quite as sharp thematically, although the film was still largely effective, unpredictable, and managed to stick the landing.
In his third film, Nope, Peele leans more fully into science fiction (with horror flavoring) and also aims for his most visually ambitious film yet – a “spectacle,” as all the early social media reactions seemed almost programmed to call it. Yet the bigger the scope, the hazier the picture: like the clouds that play an ominous role in the movie as they hover above its California desert setting, Nope becomes more shapeless as it goes on, with a third act that borders on incoherence.
In his third film, Nope, Peele leans more fully into science fiction (with horror flavoring) and also aims for his most visually ambitious film yet – a “spectacle,” as all the early social media reactions seemed almost programmed to call it. Yet the bigger the scope, the hazier the picture: like the clouds that play an ominous role in the movie as they hover above its California desert setting, Nope becomes more shapeless as it goes on, with a third act that borders on incoherence.
- 7/21/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
One of the highlights of the current era of Star Trek is the return of Kate Mulgrew to the role of Admiral Kathryn Janeway, who fans first met as the captain of the USS Voyager in the series of the same name. During Voyager‘s original run from 1995 to 2001, Janeway led the stranded Intrepid-class starship through a hostile Delta Quadrant full of Borg, and when she finally got her crew back home safe, the captain was promoted to vice admiral by Starfleet.
Longtime Star Trek fans may remember that Admiral Janeway’s promotion was first revealed on the big screen, just a year after Voyager aired its final episode on Upn. In 2002, the fan-favorite character finally made the jump to theaters with a surprise cameo in Star Trek: Nemesis, the final movie starring the cast of The Next Generation. In fact, it’s Admiral Janeway sending Captain Jean-Luc Picard and...
Longtime Star Trek fans may remember that Admiral Janeway’s promotion was first revealed on the big screen, just a year after Voyager aired its final episode on Upn. In 2002, the fan-favorite character finally made the jump to theaters with a surprise cameo in Star Trek: Nemesis, the final movie starring the cast of The Next Generation. In fact, it’s Admiral Janeway sending Captain Jean-Luc Picard and...
- 7/2/2022
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 9
The generally episodic nature of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds means that the show can much more easily play with things like tone and genre than either of its fellow modern-day predecessors. From last week’s emotional gut-punch disguised as a candy-coated children’s fantasy to a bodyswap romantic comedy, the show seems to delight in subverting our expectations about what a show like this is supposed to be and do from week to week.
Admittedly, penultimate season 1 episode “All Who Wander” is a fairly big departure from the show’s most recent handful of episodes, what with its overt jump scares, body horror, and murder aliens, and the hour has enough action to feel like a season-ender in its own right. It’s propulsive, thrilling, and genuinely creepy by turns, with plenty of legitimate stakes for multiple characters.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 9
The generally episodic nature of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds means that the show can much more easily play with things like tone and genre than either of its fellow modern-day predecessors. From last week’s emotional gut-punch disguised as a candy-coated children’s fantasy to a bodyswap romantic comedy, the show seems to delight in subverting our expectations about what a show like this is supposed to be and do from week to week.
Admittedly, penultimate season 1 episode “All Who Wander” is a fairly big departure from the show’s most recent handful of episodes, what with its overt jump scares, body horror, and murder aliens, and the hour has enough action to feel like a season-ender in its own right. It’s propulsive, thrilling, and genuinely creepy by turns, with plenty of legitimate stakes for multiple characters.
- 6/30/2022
- by Lacy Baugher
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Jun 21, 2019
It's unlikely that Star Trek: Picard and Discovery will crossover... but what if they did?
As the current executive producer of all future Star Trek TV projects, Alex Kurtzman had to have some kind of a plan. And, in a long, revealing interview this week with Deadline, Kurtzman made it clear that before Star Trek: Discovery even launched in 2017, he knew the future of Trek needed to be planned out with some patience.
In recalling his meetings with CBS, Kurtzman said he told the network: "‘I think you have a universe here that is very under-utilized, and a fan base that I think is hungry for a lot more.’ And I walked them through the plan of what I saw for the next five to ten years of Trek." But, with a decade of Trek loosely planned out in advance, it stand to reason that Kurtzman and...
It's unlikely that Star Trek: Picard and Discovery will crossover... but what if they did?
As the current executive producer of all future Star Trek TV projects, Alex Kurtzman had to have some kind of a plan. And, in a long, revealing interview this week with Deadline, Kurtzman made it clear that before Star Trek: Discovery even launched in 2017, he knew the future of Trek needed to be planned out with some patience.
In recalling his meetings with CBS, Kurtzman said he told the network: "‘I think you have a universe here that is very under-utilized, and a fan base that I think is hungry for a lot more.’ And I walked them through the plan of what I saw for the next five to ten years of Trek." But, with a decade of Trek loosely planned out in advance, it stand to reason that Kurtzman and...
- 6/21/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Jun 13, 2019
Pundits worry Trek is taking a cue from Star Wars by turning a hero into a grump, but adult rumination is what Trek has always been about.
Even though very little is known about the new Star Trek: Picard series, what we do know is enough for pundits and fans to already start making thematic assumptions. If you’re wrapped-up in the geek internet, you’ve probably already heard this one: Having a grumpy, retired Captain Picard in the new Star Trek series is similar to having a grumpy, exhilted Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
However, pundits forget: unlike Star Wars, The Next Generation was always been about olds, and Star Trek often draws its narratives not from coming-of-age tropes, but, instead, has always been about adults dealing with adult problems. If Picard is old and grumpy in the new show, it’s not...
Pundits worry Trek is taking a cue from Star Wars by turning a hero into a grump, but adult rumination is what Trek has always been about.
Even though very little is known about the new Star Trek: Picard series, what we do know is enough for pundits and fans to already start making thematic assumptions. If you’re wrapped-up in the geek internet, you’ve probably already heard this one: Having a grumpy, retired Captain Picard in the new Star Trek series is similar to having a grumpy, exhilted Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
However, pundits forget: unlike Star Wars, The Next Generation was always been about olds, and Star Trek often draws its narratives not from coming-of-age tropes, but, instead, has always been about adults dealing with adult problems. If Picard is old and grumpy in the new show, it’s not...
- 6/13/2019
- Den of Geek
The Twilight Zone saves the best for last in an episode that tries to answer — what is the Twilight Zone, anyway?
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This Twilight Zone review contains spoilers.
The Twilight Zone Episode 10
The season finale of Jordan Peele’s newly rebooted version of The Twilight Zone is perhaps the best argument for why the sci-fi classic was brought back to life in the first place. Unlike all the previous entries of the new Zone, this episode presents its twist right away: you’re actually watching a fake version of the new Twilight Zone, and the writer of the faux- episode, Sophie Gelson (Zazie Beetz) is slowly losing her mind.
The episode is excellent, but not because it’s a metafictional story about a sci-fi writer trapped in their own creation. This isn’t an on-the-nose cautionary tale about how escapist sci-fi can ruin your life or make you...
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This Twilight Zone review contains spoilers.
The Twilight Zone Episode 10
The season finale of Jordan Peele’s newly rebooted version of The Twilight Zone is perhaps the best argument for why the sci-fi classic was brought back to life in the first place. Unlike all the previous entries of the new Zone, this episode presents its twist right away: you’re actually watching a fake version of the new Twilight Zone, and the writer of the faux- episode, Sophie Gelson (Zazie Beetz) is slowly losing her mind.
The episode is excellent, but not because it’s a metafictional story about a sci-fi writer trapped in their own creation. This isn’t an on-the-nose cautionary tale about how escapist sci-fi can ruin your life or make you...
- 5/30/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt May 28, 2019
While we wait for Star Trek: Picard, here are five underrated, Picard-centric The Next Generation episodes we recommend.
Every Star Trek fan knows the best Captain Picard in The Next Generation episode is probably “The Inner Light.” Or wait... is it “The Best of Both Worlds”? Maybe it’s “Family”?
In any case, coming up with a list of the very best Picard-centric Tng episodes is either very easy or very hard. But, what about the episodes that might not be on everyone’s top ten lists? Which great Picard episodes are just out of sensor range, but are fantastic nonetheless?
read more: Everything We Know About Star Trek: Picard
Here are five excellent episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation featuring Sir Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard being amazing. And the best part is, none of these episodes are on everyone else’s lists, meaning, you...
While we wait for Star Trek: Picard, here are five underrated, Picard-centric The Next Generation episodes we recommend.
Every Star Trek fan knows the best Captain Picard in The Next Generation episode is probably “The Inner Light.” Or wait... is it “The Best of Both Worlds”? Maybe it’s “Family”?
In any case, coming up with a list of the very best Picard-centric Tng episodes is either very easy or very hard. But, what about the episodes that might not be on everyone’s top ten lists? Which great Picard episodes are just out of sensor range, but are fantastic nonetheless?
read more: Everything We Know About Star Trek: Picard
Here are five excellent episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation featuring Sir Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard being amazing. And the best part is, none of these episodes are on everyone else’s lists, meaning, you...
- 5/24/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Apr 11, 2019
Did you catch all of these Star Trek references and Easter eggs in "Such Sweet Sorrow"?
Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Episode 13, “Such Sweet Sorrow.”
The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season is jammed with perhaps more old-school references than any episode before. Because the USS Discovery hooks-up with the USS Enterprise, there are probably more Easter eggs than are reasonable. It will likely take several repeat viewings — and a lot of freeze frame — to catch everything in this thrilling episode.
And yet! We tried! From classic starship designations, to how you blow up a spaceship, to Sherlock Holmes, and Shakespeare, here are all the Easter eggs and references we caught in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 13, “Such Sweet Sorrow.”
The episode title references Shakespeare and Future Klingons
The title of the episode comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: “Parting is...
Did you catch all of these Star Trek references and Easter eggs in "Such Sweet Sorrow"?
Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Episode 13, “Such Sweet Sorrow.”
The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season is jammed with perhaps more old-school references than any episode before. Because the USS Discovery hooks-up with the USS Enterprise, there are probably more Easter eggs than are reasonable. It will likely take several repeat viewings — and a lot of freeze frame — to catch everything in this thrilling episode.
And yet! We tried! From classic starship designations, to how you blow up a spaceship, to Sherlock Holmes, and Shakespeare, here are all the Easter eggs and references we caught in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 13, “Such Sweet Sorrow.”
The episode title references Shakespeare and Future Klingons
The title of the episode comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: “Parting is...
- 4/12/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Mar 29, 2019
We talked to Star Trek writer DC Fontana about creating Spock's family in The Original Series and beyond.
For fans of Star Trek, Dorothy Fontana—better known to Trekkies as "D.C. Fontana"— is the most influential living Trek writer on the planet. Not only was she a script editor on The Original Series, she also worked as a associate producer and/or writer on The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Video of Star Trek Writer D.C. Fontana on Breaking the Sci-Fi Mold | Origin Stories Podcast | Syfy 25
For fans of Star Trek: Discovery, specifically, Fontana's script for the animated episode "Yesteryear," has been the visual and thematic backbone of nearly all of Discovery Vulcan-centric flashbacks in the second season, which has informed this version of Spock's character. And, for those who love Spock parent’s— Amanda Grayson and Sarek...
We talked to Star Trek writer DC Fontana about creating Spock's family in The Original Series and beyond.
For fans of Star Trek, Dorothy Fontana—better known to Trekkies as "D.C. Fontana"— is the most influential living Trek writer on the planet. Not only was she a script editor on The Original Series, she also worked as a associate producer and/or writer on The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Video of Star Trek Writer D.C. Fontana on Breaking the Sci-Fi Mold | Origin Stories Podcast | Syfy 25
For fans of Star Trek: Discovery, specifically, Fontana's script for the animated episode "Yesteryear," has been the visual and thematic backbone of nearly all of Discovery Vulcan-centric flashbacks in the second season, which has informed this version of Spock's character. And, for those who love Spock parent’s— Amanda Grayson and Sarek...
- 3/29/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Mar 28, 2019
Did you catch all of these references in Star Trek: Discovery's "Perpetual Infinity"?
Warning! This Star Trek: Discovery review contains massive spoilers.
With a huge and emotional reveal central to the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, there wasn’t a lot of time for winks and nods to existing Star Trek.
Just kidding! Though the 11th episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season — “Perpetual Infinity” — mostly focused on building its own mythology, there were still plenty of connections to the larger canon of Star Trek. From visual references to the Borg, the size of Starfleet, specific phasers and quotes from Shakespeare, here’s every Easter egg and reference we caught in “Perpetual Infinity.”
A new/old Klingon ship
In the opening flashback, we see Burnham’s parents suddenly attacked by Klingons on Doctari Alpha. The Klingon ship that hovers over their installation looks like...
Did you catch all of these references in Star Trek: Discovery's "Perpetual Infinity"?
Warning! This Star Trek: Discovery review contains massive spoilers.
With a huge and emotional reveal central to the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, there wasn’t a lot of time for winks and nods to existing Star Trek.
Just kidding! Though the 11th episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season — “Perpetual Infinity” — mostly focused on building its own mythology, there were still plenty of connections to the larger canon of Star Trek. From visual references to the Borg, the size of Starfleet, specific phasers and quotes from Shakespeare, here’s every Easter egg and reference we caught in “Perpetual Infinity.”
A new/old Klingon ship
In the opening flashback, we see Burnham’s parents suddenly attacked by Klingons on Doctari Alpha. The Klingon ship that hovers over their installation looks like...
- 3/29/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Feb 8, 2019
The history of the Rebecca Romijn’s “new” Discovery character predates even Star Trek: The Original Series.
If Star Trek: Discovery is your introduction to the Star Trek franchise, the relevance of Number One (played by Rebecca Romijn in Discovery) beaming aboard the USS Discovery and slipping Captain Pike a digital note might have seemed confusing.
Who is this person? What does she do? And, perhaps, most importantly: Does she have a real name? Here’s everything you need to know about “Number One,” and including her past, present, and possible future in the world of Trek.
Mild spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Episode 4, “An Obal for Charon.” Complete spoilers for the classic episodes “The Cage” and “The Menagerie.”
First up, Number One’s moniker is a huge tradition across the entirety of the Trek franchise, but in fact, began with her. In the rejected...
The history of the Rebecca Romijn’s “new” Discovery character predates even Star Trek: The Original Series.
If Star Trek: Discovery is your introduction to the Star Trek franchise, the relevance of Number One (played by Rebecca Romijn in Discovery) beaming aboard the USS Discovery and slipping Captain Pike a digital note might have seemed confusing.
Who is this person? What does she do? And, perhaps, most importantly: Does she have a real name? Here’s everything you need to know about “Number One,” and including her past, present, and possible future in the world of Trek.
Mild spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Episode 4, “An Obal for Charon.” Complete spoilers for the classic episodes “The Cage” and “The Menagerie.”
First up, Number One’s moniker is a huge tradition across the entirety of the Trek franchise, but in fact, began with her. In the rejected...
- 2/8/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Feb 7, 2019
Did you catch all of these Star Trek references and Easter eggs in Discovery's "An Obol For Charon"?
The fourth episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season is all about death, and perhaps, in some senses, rebirth.
The title of the episode, is “An Obol for Charon,” which references the Greek mythological god Charon and the specific way you bribe him. In order to get your soul taken to the right place in the underworld, you’re supposed to give Charon an “Obol” or payment. In ancient Greece, this sometimes meant putting money in the mouths of dead people. In this Star Trek episode it seems to reference the price everyone is paying for flirting with death, or in the case of the Spore Drive, traveling to the “underworld.”
Anyway. Beyond the big Greek Mythology lesson, the latest Disco also referenced a ton of existing...
Did you catch all of these Star Trek references and Easter eggs in Discovery's "An Obol For Charon"?
The fourth episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season is all about death, and perhaps, in some senses, rebirth.
The title of the episode, is “An Obol for Charon,” which references the Greek mythological god Charon and the specific way you bribe him. In order to get your soul taken to the right place in the underworld, you’re supposed to give Charon an “Obol” or payment. In ancient Greece, this sometimes meant putting money in the mouths of dead people. In this Star Trek episode it seems to reference the price everyone is paying for flirting with death, or in the case of the Spore Drive, traveling to the “underworld.”
Anyway. Beyond the big Greek Mythology lesson, the latest Disco also referenced a ton of existing...
- 2/7/2019
- Den of Geek
The Orville crew gets a replacement for Alara and deals with eugenics by way of astrology.
This The Orville review contains spoilers.
The Orville Season 2 Episode 5
The big news on The Orville is week is that Alara has been officially replaced by Talla, a character who is of the exact same species, though seemingly, has a harder edge. The bigger news though, is that the show seems to be back on its feet after a few muddled episodes. Unlike the last couple outings, this is a true return to form, mostly because the concept is totally original and pro-science at the same time.
If this episode offends anyone, it will be people who totally love and believe in astrology. Essentially, the entire episode meditates on what would happen if an entire planet applied certain extreme aspects of astrology and mixed it in with population control. When members of the landing...
This The Orville review contains spoilers.
The Orville Season 2 Episode 5
The big news on The Orville is week is that Alara has been officially replaced by Talla, a character who is of the exact same species, though seemingly, has a harder edge. The bigger news though, is that the show seems to be back on its feet after a few muddled episodes. Unlike the last couple outings, this is a true return to form, mostly because the concept is totally original and pro-science at the same time.
If this episode offends anyone, it will be people who totally love and believe in astrology. Essentially, the entire episode meditates on what would happen if an entire planet applied certain extreme aspects of astrology and mixed it in with population control. When members of the landing...
- 1/25/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Jan 7, 2019
The video game stuff is cool, but, the real triumph of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is its love for all things Philip K. Dick.
The following contains spoilers for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
Depending on which path you choose, some versions of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch will give you a scene in which Stefan hangs out with fellow video game coder, Colin, at his apartment while they get high and talk about the nature of reality. Prominently displayed in Colin’s apartment is artwork from the original book cover of Philip K. Dick’s Ubik, which is much more than an Easter egg. The Ubik nod overtly states what some readers probably already noticed: Bandersnatch is a basically a giant tribute Philip K. Dick. The Netflix interactive movie isn’t technically an adaptation of any of Philip K. Dick’s stories or novels, but for all practical purposes, it...
The video game stuff is cool, but, the real triumph of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is its love for all things Philip K. Dick.
The following contains spoilers for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
Depending on which path you choose, some versions of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch will give you a scene in which Stefan hangs out with fellow video game coder, Colin, at his apartment while they get high and talk about the nature of reality. Prominently displayed in Colin’s apartment is artwork from the original book cover of Philip K. Dick’s Ubik, which is much more than an Easter egg. The Ubik nod overtly states what some readers probably already noticed: Bandersnatch is a basically a giant tribute Philip K. Dick. The Netflix interactive movie isn’t technically an adaptation of any of Philip K. Dick’s stories or novels, but for all practical purposes, it...
- 1/4/2019
- Den of Geek
Ryan Britt Jun 25, 2019
You love Blade Runner because it's a hot mess. It overcame problems, oddities, and a difficult production to become a masterpiece.
If you think Blade Runner is a masterpiece, you’re right. But, if other cool movies are like obedient robots—dutifully executing exactly what the filmmakers wanted—then the metaphor for Blade Runner’s awesomeness can be found in its rebellious replicants. This is a film that tried to destroy itself in nearly every conceivable way and that’s why we love it so much.
When science fiction is considered “good,” it’s often because its messages are contrary to the status quo. If cool and resilient science fiction were a person, it would be the opposite of someone who is “basic.” Philip K. Dick—the author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? upon which Blade Runner was based—is about as far away from basic as you can get.
You love Blade Runner because it's a hot mess. It overcame problems, oddities, and a difficult production to become a masterpiece.
If you think Blade Runner is a masterpiece, you’re right. But, if other cool movies are like obedient robots—dutifully executing exactly what the filmmakers wanted—then the metaphor for Blade Runner’s awesomeness can be found in its rebellious replicants. This is a film that tried to destroy itself in nearly every conceivable way and that’s why we love it so much.
When science fiction is considered “good,” it’s often because its messages are contrary to the status quo. If cool and resilient science fiction were a person, it would be the opposite of someone who is “basic.” Philip K. Dick—the author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? upon which Blade Runner was based—is about as far away from basic as you can get.
- 2/17/2016
- Den of Geek
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