# 50. PARALLELS
 The Next Generation, Season 7 |
| Episode Number 163 |
| - |
| Info and General Credits |
| Directed by Robert Wiemer |
| Written by Brannon Braga |
| Aired Nov 1993 |
| Stardate 47391.2 |
| Guest Cast |
| Dr Alyssa Ogawa Patti Yasutake |
| 'Lieutenant' Crusher Wil Wheaton |
| Gul Nador Mark Bramhall |
Premise
After returning from a Bat'Leth tournament,
Worf's normal routine on the Enterprise becomes mysteriously unhinged, as he is the
only one who seems to notice that some particularly odd occurrences are afoot. After some
in depth analysis it is discovered that Worf is literally 'jumping' from one quantum
reality (or Universe) to another....
Comments
This was a really cool, fun episode. The plot
was almost a cliché for Star Trek, but it pulled it off thoughtfully and skillfully. Worf
was his typical fumblin' and a mumblin' self and took a rare outing as centre stage for an
episode. But he received some solid support from the rest of the cast, notably Troi, who's
come a long way from her rigid and frigid first few seasons. For here we see the
beginnings of the Worf/Troi relationship. You've got take your hat off, the guys got a
great taste in Women, going from K'Ehleyr, to Troi, then from one Dax to the
other...
It doesn't take a Trek genius to realise that soon after the episode kicks off we're once again in Brannon Braga territory. Revelling in general weirdness is why we love the guy - only when he gets it right that is. To find out more about the ones that didn't come off, refer to likes of Phantasms, Threshold, Emergence et al. But there's some great moments here, no more so than the shocking moment Riker comes face to face with his bedraggled alternate Universe self....
TrekMania Image Archive:
Soundbites:
| Worf is less than impressed by his friends' Klingon rendition of 'Happy Birthday' |
Worf: "That was not a Klingon song!" |
Troi: "It wasn't easy to translate, there doesn't seem to be Klingon word for 'jolly'." |
| - |
| An image of pseudo-relative Lwaxana Troi flashes across Worf's mind |
| Troi: ".....That would make my mother your Stepmother...." |
| Worf: "....I had not considered that! ......It is a risk I am willing to take." |
| - |
| Data is interested in analysing Worf's sexual habits |
| Worf: "..........and then we mated...." |
| Data: "I am not privy to the exact details of when, where or how your first coupling took place, I could investigate.....?" |
TrekMania Sound Archive:
Trekmania Video Clip: See here
# 49. SCIENTIFIC METHOD
| Voyager, Season 4 |
| Episode Number 75 |
| - |
| Info and General Credits |
| Directed by David Livingston |
| Written by Lisa Klink, Sherry Klein, Harry Doc Kloor |
| Aired 1997 |
| Stardate 51244.3 |
| Guest Cast |
| Alzen Rosemary Forsyth |
| Takar Annette Helde |
Premise
When the crew begin to suffer from some
unexplained and extreme symptoms, the Doc and Seven uncover a ship-wide conspiracy
involving an alien force undetectable to the human eye, and sensors. Operating at a
particular phase variance, the aliens plan to conduct medical experiments on the crew, and
Janeway is in no mood to be a guinea pig.
Comments
The one shot that sticks in my mind with this
episode is the eerie image of Janeway sitting on the couch drinking coffee with a mélange
of medical gadgetry sticking out of her head. This truly is a clever piece of Television.
The unsettling concept revolved around a new race of pretty sinister and
barabric aliens - who subtly
play out the vivisection allegory, whether intended or not. I'm not particularly a huge fan
of deliberate, in-your-face allegory in Star Trek, (the more subtle the better) but indeed, some its best hours have been down to the
intentional 'morality play'. However you wish to analysis this episode, it's still a
fascinating and enjoyable slice of Trek, which delivers cool moments aplenty. Omnipotent
as the adversary seems with their technology, Janeway is one formidable Captain, and when she's
suffering from perpetual migraines and lack of sleep, one is recommended not to screw her around. It
would be intriguing to see if Picard would have come up with her extreme tactics to solve the
crisis!
TrekMania Image Archive:
Soundbites:
| Tuvok is dismayed at Janeway's strategy: |
Janeway: "I never realised you thought of me as reckless, Tuvok." |
Tuvok: "A poor choice of words, it was clearly an understatement." |
| - |
| Neelix and Chakotay compare geriatric notes: |
| Neelix: "Whatever happens I try to keep in mind that things could be worse. I still have my home here on Voyager, my friends...." |
| Chakotay: "....You're hair!" |
| Neelix: "True, but I'd gladly lose it if I could have my taste buds back..." |
| Chakotay: "At least you're not losing your eyesight. You see that display over there? It's nothing but a blur." |
| Neelix: "You think that's bad, the Doctor tells me my pupils have dilated sixty percent. I can't even look at that display it's so bright." |
| Chakotay: "Yeh!? Well I've got chronic arthritis in my fingers, I can barely keep this glass steady." |
| Neelix: "Well that's nothing. My spinal column is fusing together. In a matter of days I won't be able to walk." |
| Chakotay: "I got you beat. I can barely walk now!" |
| - |
| Janeway got out of the wrong side of the bed |
| Janeway: "It seems to me that people have been getting a little too comfortable around here lately. They're late for their duty shifts, taking mess-hall privileges during non designated hours, and a lot of people are spending more time in the holodeck than they are at their posts. You are security chief - don't thirteen department heads report to you every day?! |
| Tuvok: "Yes...." |
| Janeway: "Well, straighten them out!" |
| Tuvok: ".....Shall I flog them as well?" |
# 48. SHATTERED MIRROR
| Deep Space Nine, Season 4 |
| Episode Number 92 |
| - |
| Info and General Credits |
| Directed by James L. Conway |
| Written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler |
| Aired 1996 |
| Stardate Unknown |
| Guest Cast |
| Jennifer Sisko Felecia M. Bell |
| Garak Andrew Robinson |
| Nog Aron Eisenberg |
| Klingon Officer Carlos Carrasco |
| Helmsman James Black |
Premise
Whilst receiving a visit from the Mirror
Universe's Jennifer Sisko, Jake is swept away by the reunion with his
pseudo-mother. But then he is mysteriously kidnapped, and taken to the mirror
universe. On the trail to get his son back,
Captain Sisko uncovers the hidden agenda by the Terran Resistance: you can of
course have your son back, but first help us complete
the Defiant ....
Comments
Being the finale in the Terran Resistance arc,
this is the most entertaining of the 'crossover' episodes. It was interesting to watch the
interplay between Jake and his 'mirror' mother - which couldn't have been an easy
relationship to adapt. Sisko though does not fall under the spell of this illusion,
and regards her more as a
stranger. But he was nowhere near as stand-offish in the previous crossover installation
'Through the Looking Glass', whereby he jumped straight into bed with the 'mirror' Dax. No
such attraction was evident in the regular Universe, perhaps he couldn't get the image of
Curzon out of his mind!? Anyway, it doesn't take long for this episode to beef up a bit,
and no surprises when the 'alternate' Worf makes an appearance - as the Regent no less,
complete with a sniveling, shackled Garak. Intendant Kira is as treacherous and sublime as
usual, and the final battle with the Klingon flagship is a cool sequence. Check it out, if
only for the excellent Nana Visitor, and fans of the Defiant.
TrekMania Image Archive:
Soundbites:
| Garak weighs up the pros and cons of subservience: |
Garak: "Then why don't you kill me! The Intendant was bad enough. She was irrational, accusatory, unappreciative - but at least...." |
| The Regent: "At least what........!" |
| Garak: "At least I was able to....please her, now and then" |
The Regent: "YOU are not my type!" |
| - |
| Kira debates methods of torture: |
| Intendant Kira: "I could never make them understand violence is a precision instrument - it's a scalpel, not a club." |
| - |
| Garak is desperate for the Klingons not to perform a cavity search: |
| Garak: "What good would the key do me? Even if I were to unlock this collar, where could I go? I can't get off this ship! And besides, you've searched me three times already, where could I possibly be hiding it!?" |
| The Regent: "Perhaps you swallowed it!" |
| Garak: "Impossible! I'm very particular about what I eat!" |
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