Babylon 5: In The Beginning

I've been watching alot of Top Chef lately on the Bravo channel. I'm addicted. I love food. I enjoy cooking and wish I had more time to do so. In fact, in some ways I secretly wish I was a top chef. If I couldn't be a science fiction star or work in science fiction [which is why I keep this blog going- it keeps me sane], then I wish I was a top chef. I make a mean Italian gravy. It's a work in progress and getting meaner, but I'm always open to new ideas. Not unlike those cooking hot meals for critical eyes, I am currently writing to make entries hot off the key strokes for the sci-fi faithful. I currently have nothing on standby. The tank is empty [well, not creatively I hope]. I simply watch, analyze and write at this point and we're going to have to see how it goes. I'm essentially working the handwriting step out of the process. I've always been one religious about placing pen to paper, but it is time consuming and had to go. So like a hot meal, I'm writing to order at this point.

For my next trick I thought I'd step into Babylon 5: The Movie Collection for In The Beginning with direction by personal favorite Michael Vejar. I believe I am reasonably safe to delve into this film with the conclusion of Season Four of Babylon 5 based on input from you. This is the highly touted prequel to the creation of the station centering on Earth and the Minbari. Like my ignorance with the series I know nothing about this film or who is in it. So here we go.

It is immediately notable the transfer for this film appears fairly sharp and the colors vibrant. I have noted there are moments where the film quality slips and looks fairly VHS. They really should do something about cleaning up Babylon 5 on the whole. So much detail is really overlooked due to poor film quality. Perhaps someday they will take on that challenge and that would be a good time to re-review.

It is Earth Year 2278.

Speaking of beginnings, our story begins on Centauri Prime. The city appears as it did in Season Three, Episode 16 and 17, War Without End as it is devoured in flames and Londo appears on the throne as the aged emperor. Children play inside the emperor's quarters and Londo welcomes the sound of their voices despite their mother's concerns for disturbing him. Londo places the seal of the Centauri Republic around the young boy making him the emperor for the next few minutes and tells the boy he may give one order. He asks him those fateful words people we've come to know all too well, "What do you want?" The boy replies "tell me a story." Londo replies to his mother. "He did far better with that question than I did," acknowledging that question's significance throughout the series. Londo shares a true story with them. It was the dawn of the Third Age. Londo was there. "It began with the humans you know. They're the quiet ones I mentioned before. They changed the universe, but in doing so paid a terrible price." It happened 35 years ago on Earth. Pride was the undoing of the human race.

The flashback begins. Londo enters the Earth quarters of General Lefcourt [the actor who plays him returns] who mentions something about defeating the Dilgar [Sp?]. You'll recall Lefcourt was initially tasked with stopping Sheridan before aiding him in the final hours of the war against President Clark in Season Four, Episode 20, Endgame. Londo, himself, looks young, meticulously groomed, thick black hair and immaculately dressed as the Centauri ambassador.

Lefcourt inquires with Londo about a race called Minbari. The Earth representative indicates Earth's plan to send a dispatch to the edge of their world to see if they pose a threat to Earth's sphere of influence. Earth is clearly acting in a non-isolationist/ imperialistic fashion. Lefcourt understands a third of the Minbari population is dedicated to warfare. Londo clarifies it is a warrior caste and "not exactly the same thing hmm." Lefcourt is clearly a hardliner. If I recall the Centauri had a kind of neutrality pact in place that guaranteed their worlds would not be compromised by one another. It was referenced earlier in Season Two/Three of the show. The conversation takes a turn for the serious. Londo insists sending only one ship or the Earthers will not return. Lefcourt is not phased operating with overwhelming arrogance. Londo calls them on their arrogance or as Londo mentioned earlier, pride. Pride in most cases a virtue unless it is boastful. Exaggerated pride according to the Greeks was referred to as hubris and could lead to tragedy. The video would indicate it to be Earth's Achilles' heel. It's worth watching.



On Minbar, the caste elders reject the Anlashok [The Rangers] at a critical juncture in Minbari history when they are needed most. The leader of the Anlashok, Lenonn, is visited by six Minbari and lifted aboard a great ship via a beam of light. He is taken to the Grey Council's vessel.

Londo, while he tells his story to the children, indicates one of the great truths of the Earth-Minbari War. He is as guilty as they come with much blood on his hands. The war was as much a result of his own actions.

The story continues. Lenonn advocates for the Anlashok indicating their need for money, resources and people. Lenonn also believes a relationship should be developed with the Vorlons. The Minbari indicate efforts have been made to contact the Vorlons in the past, but their missionaries never return from Vorlon space. Delenn is at the Grey Council meeting as a representative and Dukhat supports her move to lend her voice to the proceedings and the matters at hand despite objection from others. Delenn indicates it was Valen who said The Shadows would return to Z'Ha'Dum before openly striking. She recommends a search party dispatch to Z'Ha'Dum. The warrior caste rejects the proposal despite their alleged lack of fear. Well, be afraid, be very afraid. Dukhat indicates the religious caste will go. The warrior caste is humiliated for sure. The warrior caste is more about saving face than any of the castes. They want to appear strong without the sacrifice at times. I'm not entirely accurate here but it feels that way sometimes.

Delenn indicates to Dukhat her surprise that the Vorlons have not reached out to them. Dukhat is unsurprised indictaing they do not reveal themselves quickly. Dukhat returns to his quarters. Kosh appears from the shadows. "Now it starts," says Dukhat. "Yes," responds Kosh as only Kosh can respond in a word. It would appear Delenn was spot on to her expectation of the Vorlons' appearance. They're here.

On Earth, Sheridan sits before Lefcourt. Sheridan is so well-groomed and looks so young. He looks like a pup compared to his last meeting with Lefcourt. Make-up is a wonderful thing. We certainly understand their relationship based upon some of what we learned in Season Four, Episode 20, Endgame. Lecourt assigns Sheridan as first officer of the mission to Minbari space on the Prometheus. Sheridan protests mildly indicating the Captain of the ship does not handle "first contact situations" well. It does not go well. This is a good sequence.



Delenn sees things happening but does not quite understand what is afoot. One of the things that struck me at this point was the mirroring of these two lives, Delenn and Sheridan, and all that we know about them now. They are so far apart at this juncture in their careers not to mention wet behimd the ears. Still they have been gifted with very special instincts. It's funny the two will inevitaby marry and fall in love. The juxtaposition of the two and the fact they are embroiled in a war to which their paths would converge is quite amusing, because you know it was so well orchestrated and crafted by design by Straczynski. This thought gives me pause and suddenly I wonder if at some point at the end of this film they do not come face to face in the bloodletting of battle to truly create one of the great ironies behind their love story with evidence they had met very early on. As far as I know, there is still much that Delenn and Sheridan do not know about one another's pasts especially Sheridan of Delenn. We shall see.

Delenn converses with her master, Dukhat, indicating she senses a Vorlon is among them. Dukhat indirectly gives Delenn an acknowledgement of the Vorlons' presence.

Earth's Prometheus is enroute to Minbari space. Earth is playing a very dangerous game. The Captain of the Prometheus foolishly looks to get closer to the Minbari. The Captain of the ship gives orders to get closer despite crew objections based upon orders given to them to the contrary requiring distance. So I'm thinking prior to the Earth-Minbari War the Minbari were making plans with the Vorlons in anticipation of the Shadows. The conflict with Earth must not have been a welcomed event with all that was going on behind the scenes. Anyway, the Earth ship is in pursuit of the Minbari when the Minbari unexpectedly turn toward them. The Captain gives orders to jump and get out of there but the Minbari scanners interfere with their ability to jump. The Captain makes an effort to establish communications unsuccessfully. The Minbari approach with gun ports open and Dukhat is not pleased to learn of that information. Many of the edits in this sequence are taken from Season Four, Episode 9, Atonement and take us back to events from that episode. The Captain is getting jumpy, nervous and fidgety just as Sheridan indicated he would earlier. Sheridan is fortunate not be aboard. With gun ports open, as is tradition of the warrior caste, Captain Jankowski ignorantly makes the decision to fire all guns at will. All batteries fire.

Arthur in color.

With his finger on the trigger, we are greeted by the face of Michael York, the first to fire upon the Minbari. You'll recall how he was haunted by the events of that day in Season Three, Episode 13, A Late Delivery From Avalon. Wow how it all weaves together like a beautifully woven Indian rug. Yorke played the part of Gunnery Sergeant David Mcintyre a.k.a. Arthur. It also speaks volumes about Delenn, as Lady Of The Lake, visiting him in medlab in the aforementioned episode. All hell breaks loose. Minbari die and Delenn goes ballistic over Dukhat's death, and as the deciding vote of a deadlocked Grey Council, orders the destruction of the Earth forces. "No Mercy!" she cries. Atonement fits like a glove over this film. Reiner Shone plays Dukhat in the TNT production, In The Beginning, and I believe is reprising his role from Atonement. The Earth Captain and crew heads for the jumpgates with the Minbari prepped to follow. So these events set the war in motion. The rest is Earth-Minbari War history as they say. I can imagine those conflict-loving Shadows must have been tickled silly to see this playing right into their plans. But not so quick, our story continues....

Earth's greatest morale boosters! Mr. Happy and Mr. Happier.
The Minbari are now on offense. Well Earth, if you're going to start a fight you damn well better be ready to finish it. Lefcourt tells the forces there have been no victories and one is needed for morale to improve. Doesn't telling that to the forces that contradict the intended goal? Further, if the enemy cannot be defeated it could mean the extermination of the human race. These guys a bundle of fun. Unfortunately they have much in the way of bad news to deliver. Starkiller Sheridan is in the audience and he believes any enemy can be defeated somehow.

We see Susan Ivanova is visiting her older brother. She wanted to wish him well before he headed into the battle. Susan tells her brother she'll be joining the ranks soon as well. It is her only appearance. Looking at this singular moment it feels a little shoehorned into the film and the brother is a bit of a waste despite fitting into the Babylon 5 mythology. I understand the establishing piece regarding Ivanova as well, but, it was fairly edit-worthy. Then again, she is pretty.

At this point, the cocky Earth brass are desperate in their struggle against the Minbari so they turn to the Centauri through Londo for tactical and strategic support plus weaponry. Londo refuses to listen to the voice of "a race that is about to become extinct." You can't say he didn't warn them. Londo wisely refuses to risk it. He's also not in violation of their security/ neutrality pact either. In a backroom the same Earth rep meets with G'Kar of the Narn. Andreas Katsulas always gives an energized performance.



The war is going swimmingly for the Minbari so much so it is like lambs to the slaughter. The warrior caste and the Minbari weaponry is clearly that good. Delenn, now with cooler heads prevailing, is having doubts about her decision to ignite the war. "It is genocide!" Lenonn has his theories on why the warrior caste has wholeheartedly embraced this war. The warrior caste loves to win. It is easier to defeat a weaker opponent and therefore they relish the fight. Exactly. If they can keep their hands clean they will. It's all about saving face and perceptions for the Minbari. Lenonn has recreated the Dukhat sanctum on the ship and he urges Delenn to go there.

Delenn encounters Kosh for the first time who also appears to be with Ulkesh. Delenn asks Kosh why they are here. "Creating the future," responds the always mysterious Vorlon. A video image appears and Dukhat urges Delenn to trust the Vorlons as he did. Dukhat informs her of the coming war and their need for allies. They will need a race called humans. Uh-oh. Delenn's reaction is the kind where the heart jumps into the throat and one is fairly certain they have screwed themselves royally with a very poor decision. Dukhat commands that the humans must be found. Oh, they're found alright. They are also being exterminated. Not good. Not good at all. The allies of the Shadows are gathering at Z'Ha'Dum and their masters won't be far behind he ensures. He asks Delenn to finish what he started. Delenn turns to Kosh about the humans. "Yes, they are the key" assures Kosh. You're half-expecting Kosh to follow up with "so what have you done?" Well, someone may need to quell the bloodbath taking place outside first then. As the head of the Rangers this is why Lenonn is in the know and why he asked Delenn to visit Dukhat's quarters. Time is running out and the Earth-Minbari war must be stopped for the Great War to be "stopped before it starts."

This is the ultimate reamer of all butt-reamers! No question about it.
Enter Dr. Franklin who is getting his butthole reamed by one of his superiors for having worked on the Minbari in the past but not bringing this vital information to their attention. Dr. Franklin plays doctor of ethics and refuses to give up his notes on the Minbari towing the ethical line. Franklin is arrested. The General confiscates any and all of his data for the good of the planet. Earth's very existence is on the line and Franklin decided to remain steadfast on principle. I respect his decision and while Earth is not exactly in the right here, this is your people brother. This is the very end of your people. WTF are u doing? There are always interesting moral questions in Straczynski's universe of morality plays.

Elsewhere, the Lexington, with Sheridan aboard, is in pursuit of a Minbari transport. The transport ship lures the squadron straight into an opening jumppoint whereby a Minbari war cruiser attacks. During the melee Sheridan's captain is killed. He's actually faceplanted into the dashboards, leaving him Sheridan in charge.

Delenn and Lenonn discuss a way out of this disaster in the making. Negotiations need to begin. Those secretive Narns are so good at keeping things in secret Delenn's intelligence reports already indicate they have been selling weapons to the Earthers. Ha! Nice work geniuses! Anyway it is through this avenue she hopes a communication line might be struck. Lenonn will have his Rangers establish contact with the Narn government to get a meeting organized within weeks.

The Lexington is now limping along without power. Sheridan believes their only option is to send a distress signal. If they do, they could be killed, but then again sitting around isn't a great option either. Sheridan sends 3 tactical nuclear warheads to the launching bay. Sheridan plays the part well as the uncertain newcomer in this climate taking the lead. Leading because he is merely forced to lead by circumstances beyond his control. His instincts are good and natural though and the others heed his ideas respectfully. "Hell, I didn't wanna live forever anyway." The warheads have been fastened to some floating asteroids. That seems a bit of a dicey idea. The distress signal is sent. Here comes the Minbari War Cruiser. He directs the pilots to maneuver behind the asteroids to give the impression of evasion. Sheridan holds a photograph of Anna Sheridan [Melissa Gilbert] in her pre-Shadow conversion days. ;) I still think it would have been nice to have a little bit more on their relationship along the way. "See you in Hell!" He loves saying hell. Sheridan's nuke plan works as the Minbari vessel is destroyed. Victory cheers are heard on Earth as Sheridan delivers a major morale booster. It was a clever but risky plan for sure. It would set the tone for a great commander who certainly is unflinching in his willingness to take chances. Oh and it turns out that was the Black Star, a Minbari flagship. So there you have the historic, infamous Black Star incident and thus the antithesis of the spirited cooperation that has been built into the alternately dubbed White Star vessels. Lefcourt is very pleased and kisses his ass and swallows some humble pie and crow after their earlier meeting as clipped above.

With the Lexington undergoing repairs, Lefcourt introduces Sheridan to G'Kar. Lefcourt is planning to have a Narn cruiser deliver Sheridan to a possible Minbari meeting. Segments of their government are looking to make contact. Sheridan is obviously the man for the mission or as Sheridan puts it, "and I'm expendable." Sheridan will be sent along with Dr. Franklin. Franklin has had much contact with them. His decision to go with Sheridan got him out of the brig. G'Kar will also be joining the mission for translation purposes if needed. Lefcourt indicates that if surrender is the only way out "We will surrender." It's either that or die as Earth is losing badly.

As it turns out Londo had orders too. He was to prevent the Narns from using the war to establish closer ties to the humans. Londo would essentially prevent the war from ending early. On a remote icy outpost, the trio are greeted by Lenonn. Narn is alerted to a ship coming through the jumpgate off the planet. It is a Centauri warship. The Narn cruiser is destroyed before he can report to G'Kar any further. The Centauri warship even fires upon the bunker.

Londo tells the children that the Minbari and humans thought it might be a renegade arm of either's government, and never knew the truth. It was Londo who attacked their location ending negotiations. Peace would not be established.

With the bunker on the planet being hit Lenonn is killed in the assault but not before whispering into Sheridan's ear.

The Minbari retrieve Lenonn's battered body as a result. I knew it! G'Kar, Franklin and Sheridan are brought before the Minbari. Delenn is there and she is cloaked. I knew they would be in the same room potentially. They are brought for questioning and execution. Sheridan yells that he has a message and he knows what is in Dukhat's sacred place. He is beaten by the Minbari until Delenn yells "Stop!" "What is," she asks. Sheridan yells "Encelzai" translated as "the future." They are released. It's notable especially on a second look that their eyes never actually meet. She is veiled in a cloak. She cannot see him and he cannot see her. Interesting.

The children ask if that is the end of the story. I thought Londo was going to say that was only the beginning. Get it, In The Beginning. With the one chance for peace destroyed Londo indicates "the greatest slaughter of all still waits for us and it changed everything." Centauri Prime is in flames. All of the windows are cloaked with drapes. I think this is one of the greatest truth about Londo said best by Jurasik as Londo himself. It's quite moving to see him express his feeling in what appears to be his final days.





Londo narrates impressively over images of the war and the stubborn nobility and courage of the human race in the face of great odds is always an admirable quality.

The President of Earth looks to hold back the Minbari in the hope that what remains of Earth may escape to neutral territory and survive complete extinction.

The Minbari are close to Earth and to finishing what Earth started. "What glory is there in eliminating an entire race?," inquires Delenn. "Not as much as in the beginning" says the Minbari to Delenn. He calls it the end of their holy war. Delenn does not find it holy. She is left struggling with questions and the consequences of her decision in the end.

Delenn goes to Dukhat's quarters and asks if the Vorlons are still there. "We have always been here." Yes, we've heard that before First Ones. Delenn seeks help. She is in such despair. "I don't know what to do. Tell me. Tell me what to do." Speaking in the kind of riddled language we have grown accustomed to hear from Kosh, he tells her, "the truth points to itself." God I miss Kosh. Don't you just miss this fella? Delenn looks to him and says "I do not understand." Don't worry sister that makes two of us. "You will. Go now before it's too late" pushes the Vorlons in unison. This was quite moving and my heart was broken for Delenn who is simply beside herself and overwhelmed. It's interesting to see the mistakes all sides can make and the efforts they are often willing to go to set things right.

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I really miss the big guy.

I have to believe Jeffrey Sinclair will play into this in some way in the final moments. Speak of the devil.....it's midnight on the firing line. I believe we are seeing the weaving of Season One, Episode 1, Midnight On The Firing Line, unfold before our very eyes as well as elements of Season One, Episode 8, And The Sky Full Of Stars. "Hold the line" Sinclair shouts through his receiver. Sinclair literally watches as his squadron is cut down by an armada of Minbari one by one. And moments before Sinclair would ram his starfury into a Minbari War Cruiser it would be Delenn who would point and select the man who would be Valen for questioning. Ah, how it all comes together like the perfect murder. It really is an exquisite job of story construction.

Sinclair is brought in for interrogation. Delenn is informed that a triluminary was being used on the human and she is summoned to come and see. I believe footage from Season One is applied here as well.



And so goes the hole in Sinclair's mind. WOW! It is truly something special the thinking, the planning, the epic scope of detail that has gone into Straczynski's story. I am humbled by it. There is nothing like Babylon 5 out there with this kind of intellectual soul in its science fiction. While I may not be always engaged by it conceptually I am in awe of the writing mastery behind the story of Babylon 5. Love it or not, it is an impressive work of genius.

For a decade the question nagged worlds across the galaxy. Why did the Minbari surrender on the eve of victory?

When the war ended, construction on the "last best hope for peace" began, the construction of the Babylon station. We get a glimpse of a red station because after all several did not make it until Babylon 4 got lifted and Babylon 5 got it right.

I love Londo's final remark to the mother of the two children. He touches her arm and he says to her "dear lady, I would love to walk with you on a beach somewhere for just five minutes. How strange to have come so far and to want so little." Wow. Very powerful. Very simple. It's funny. I got a call just today from a cousin and we were commiserating on the stresses and responsibilities piled upon us like heaps of weights in our lives with each step forward we take. He said, "do you remember when we used to swim in the lake and lay on the dock in the middle of the water?" I did. He said, "I remember thinking when I was young how I didn't have any way out of that place. I didn't have a car or any way to escape." I knew what he was going to say next, but I was so caught up in the moment and I said, "and" and he finished "and how I wish I could have just one of those days staring up into the blue sky laying on that dock in the middle of the lake back for just a little while." Amen. He was channeling Londo and myself. Londo said it and I think about that all the time. Just give us all five minutes of peace away from it all like the deep blackness of space.

Londo finishes his story coughing and tells them all to go. The little girl turns to ask if Sheridan and Delenn lived happily ever after. Londo tells her "that remains to be seen." I kept wondering if he had one of those keepers on his neck. He seemed to be drinking heavily and I thought perhaps that was allowing him control over his word and thought. Suddenly, Londo flips on a visual screen of his two prisoners, Sheridan and Delenn, which ties right into Season Three, Episode 16 and 17, War Without End. Hold good shit! How does this man do it? And of course this confirms my thought about the keeper which is indeed there on his shoulder. The alcohol is working according to plan. We also know that Sheridan and Delenn are about to be freed based on seeing the events in the aforementioned episode. And still with all of this fine storytelling I am still dying to know where the story goes from here.

It has been good for me to step away from Babylon 5. Sometimes you can get so caught up in something it can feel like a grind and I think I was feeling that way a touch. I've been doing a bit of this and a bit of that. I've been watching some science fiction that has been a little less [ahem] challenging but fun.

This was a tremendous telefilm loaded with Babylon 5 drama. It must not be watched before the end of Season Four to be sure as so many have suggested. Having all of that viewing experience under my belt, I enjoyed how it pulled and wove so many elements to the Babylon 5 story together. It's like coming full circle at this point. This is one expensive rug indeed.

In The Beginning: A-

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

The U.S.S. Enterprise. The queen mother of all vessels.

The Boy Wonder has suddenly become obsessed with Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise and I decided that I must seize the moment as they say. Carpe Diem. Right? He loves the ship! So I thought, it is time. He must learn the ways of the force, Star Trek style. So his education begins with the foundation of all things science fiction [in my mind], Star Trek The Original Series. It will be interesting to see how I view Star Trek through these aged eyes.

I begin somewhat unrhythmically with Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan [1982]. Those behind Star Trek had some serious bouncing back to do following the snoozer that was Star Trek's reintroduction to the world in the form of Star Trek: The Motion Picture [1979]. It had been some time since I had seen this one. I remember it well. It's a solid, good story, real good.
*

Speaking of age, our heroes have done a little aging of their own and are not far off from joining the granny contingent here. Captain James T. Kirk is coming to terms with his own mortality and it's an interesting opening. It's terrifically symbolic of this aging franchise, in particular this group, and the limitations of our stars going forward at this point in the game. Our old friends have aged well, but they have aged indeed. DeForest Kelly is certainly the oldest of the group.

Chekov and the Captain of The Reliant head to what they believe to be City Alpha 6 as part of a scouting mission for the Genesis Project, but Chekov reacts with great fear and trepidation upon discovering the remnants of the S.S. Botany Bay on the planet's surface. Escape is too late. Yes, this is the graveyard of Khan Noonien Singh played by our recently departed friend Ricardo Montalban. Khan is quite surprised to find his old nemesis Captain James T. Kirk is now an admiral. Khan tortures Chekov with an alien space creature's offspring that burrows into the ear. I remember this scene quite vividly and was pretty freaked out by it upon the film's release. It forced the Boy and Girl Wonder to cringe and shield their eyes with some fright despite the PG rating reminding me of my earlier reaction when first seeing the film.

*

Nasty little ear-burrowing critter. Yucko!

Elsewhere the U.S.S. Enterprise launches in all its glory. Saavik, played by Kirstie Alley [in much less heftier days], is captaining the Enterprise.

Note Scotty beaming wth pride over the young man to the left who was a child star once upon a time in Escape From Witch Mountain and Return To Witch Mountain. The actor is Ike Eisenmann.

Dr. Carol Marcus, Kirk's old flame, reports into Kirk after receiving word from a coerced Chekov [on the Reliant] that Kirk is taking over the Genesis Project. Kirk is out on a training mission with Spock and friends. Spock insists he should not have taken the promotion to admiral.

This sequence has much to do with the final heartbreaking moments within the film.

Kirk heads off to Regular One to find out more. He accesses the data files to learn about Genesis. Genesis is "life from lifelessness." The Genesis Project hopes to reinvigorate a lifeless planet through something referred to as the Genesis Effect. "It literally is Genesis." "The power of creation." The biblical undercurrent must have influenced Shatner for his directorial debut on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier [1989]. Anyway, the fear is using it on a planet already teeming with life. It would have a deleterious or thoroughly destructive effect. We are treated to a classic exchange between Spock and Bones with Kirk in the middle.
*

The Enterprise happens upon The Reliant. Caught unawares the Enterprise is fired upon while her shields are down and disabled substantially. Comm lines are opened with the Enterprise limping along. Kirk is puzzled by the enemy who has commandeered the Reliant until his eyes gaze upon his old, long lost enemy Khan. Khan wants revenge- plain and simple. His motives are pure. Needless to say the battle sequence is reasonably exciting for its day.

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It's deceiving but Shatner and Montalban never worked together on this film.

Kirk and Spock get the prefix code for the Reliant and cunningly bring down Khan's shields giving the Enterprise a chance to fire upon Khan. Khan escapes and Kirk and friends do their best to assess damage as they arrive at Space Station Regular One.
*

One of the losses is the Escape From Witch Mountain boy. If I'm not mistaken, it was James Doohan, in his own words in his biography, Beam Me Up, Scotty, where he indicates there was much more to this subplot than meets the eye. He is grief stricken here by the loss of this young man and we never fully understand why. He indicates more was intended to be fleshed out about it, but was left on the editing room floor. For some reason I thought this problem was corrected for the DVD, but I was still left uncertain over what exactly transpired for Scotty in ths film.
*

Aboard the Regular One, Kirk, Bones and Lt. Saviik find everyone aboard dead. They do find Chekov and Captain Clark Terrell [played by the late Paul Winfield; you'll remember he was the father of Dr. Stephen Franklin on Babylon 5]. The creepy crawlies that slithered into their ears have control of their minds and cause them great pain. The Genesis materials are missing. Kirk and company beams down to the planet below. He finds Dr. Marcus and his son. Chekov and the Captain hold them hostage and report back to Khan because they are involuntarily under his control thanks to those little alien thing-a-mabobs.

The Genesis materials are with Dr. Marcus. Captain Terrell shoots himself and Chekov falls to the ground while the little alien slime-slug thingy slides out and Kirk blasts it with his phaser. I'm not sure it presented any great trouble, but fry it anyway. I never could understand why the alien slug slid out of Chekov of its own accord, other than perhaps saving one of our legendary heroes from certain death.
*

Kirk contacts Khan and lets him have it. "You've managed to kill just about everyone else, but like a poor marksman you keep missing the target." Surely that must piss him off. Those are fighting words.

Khan beams the Genesis materials aboard the Reliant. Khan plans on hurting Kirk by leaving him marooned on a dead planet [or so he thinks]. That waterfall looks like a lot of fun.
*

Kirk and Dr. Marcus have a heart to heart regarding their son David. Only David doesn't know Kirk is his father. "How am I feeling? I'm old. I'm worn out." Shatner does a great job of playing strong while vulnerable. We all get there and he is a voice for all of the fans when he speaks on some level. Somewhere along the way, as Shatner aged, he learned to laugh at himself more and more. In fact, I think there came a point later where there was a little too much humor to overcompensate for the lack of action.
*

Spock comes to Kirk and company's rescue, but the Reliant is after them. It's faster and stronger than the damaged Enterprise. The Enterprise heads for the Nebula to even the playing field. The Nebula wreaks havoc on communications and other radar systems which gives the Enterprise a chance.

*

Crikey! Will you just look at those freakin' pecks!

Khan's ripped chest is really something for a man his age. That's not make-up. That's HIS damn chest and it is really something. It's like a damn six pack! I'm not in love. I'm just awestruck. It's hard to believe he and Kirk never come face to face throughout the whole film despite being mortal enemies. I think Montalban might have kicked Shatner's ass. The fact Director Nick Meyers pulls it off speaks volumes about his skill. The conflict is real, but the drama is told from afar throughout the film. They never come face to face as they did in Star Trek: The Original Series, Episode 22, Space Seed [1967]. It's astonishing really.
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Khan goes after Kirk because he cannot resist his insatiable lust and thirst for revenge. It is his undoing. It is his failure. His own people advise against it but he cannot resist like a bug to a light zapper.
*

Inside the Nebula the battle begins. The ships are unable to raise shields. Both ships are vulnerable. Kirk positions the Enterprise behind the Reliant. With all of the communications static the Reliant turns around and comes upon the Enterprise and both fire away at one another exacting much damage.
*

Chekov returns to the helm and doesn't exactly look 100% actually, but joins the fray amidst this cat and mouse battle. Although which is which I'm not sure until a victor emerges. There are moments of pure quiet as the two tacticians attempt to figure each other's next move. Kirk comes upon Khan and his ship and truly hammers away at him. Khan responds to Kirk with his disfigured face by preparing the self-destruct on the Reliant while the Enterprise sits very nearby unable to propel away with its malfunctioning warp drive systems.
*

"Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead." Scotty is injured. The Enterprise moves slowly away with little chance of gaining enough speed to escape.
*

Spock goes into the highly radioactive central core of the warp engine to reestablish warp speed. He unfortunately has to give Bones the Vulcan neck pinch to get in there. He has to be careful not to hurt his old bones. "Remember" he tells Bones. Khan is all spitting vile and venom right up until his dirty last breath. "No you can't get away. From hell's heart I stab at thee. For hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee."

*

Spock gets her done as the Enterprise narrowly escapes at warp speed. Kirk thinks Scotty has done the job once again. Sadly, he will quickly learn the sad fate of his old friend Spock. Where once the Nebula was is now a newly forming planet.
*

Kirk is informed he needs to report to the engine room immediately. The urgency is unsettling and he rushes there. This is quite the powerful scene. When he bumps into the glass wall it's tough to watch our old friend struggle. Nimoy always was such a tremendous presence.

The death of Spock is simply one of the most powerful movie moments in science fiction history. I am always touched to see that scene. A farewell tribute is given as he is launched into space. He is launched toward the newly formed planet and there is hope.



Classic line Kirk line over his loss of Spock to death: "I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. Tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing."

David Marcus visits Kirk in his quarters and tells him he is proud to be his son. They embrace in a fairly moving but brief sequence.
*

Not surprisingly as our friends leave the new planet's orbit it looks awfully familiar. It looks an awful lot like a thriving, big, vibrant, blue planet we know and love. Hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. We are reminded to treasure the life on our very own planet. These touches are subtle and never force fed to us which makes it all especially effective. It's all so ironic Kirk should lose his dear friend Spock on the heels of his own birthday in the film.

"He's really not dead as long as we remember him"- Bones [more than you know]

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan: B+

John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.

The whole thing is undeniably an exaggeration of the classic right up to and including the surfing by Russell which looks alot better through the marketing of this box cover.

Okay. So 12 years after it was made I finally check out the sequel to John Carpenter's Escape From New York. John Carpenter's Escape From L.A. [1996] comes along on the long heels of John Carpenter's Escape From New York [1981], fifteen years later. EFNY was and still is a classic. Tom Atkins, Adrienne Barbeau and Ernest Borgnine made it special to name a few. Kurt Russell, as legendary bad ass Snake Plissken, was just perfect. He was like America's post-apocalyptic answer to Australia's Mad Max [1979] by George Miller starring Mel Gibson. The original EFNY arguably ranks up there with that aforementioned classic.

Sadly, EFLA is more than a day late and a few dollars short. It's just crap. Kurt Russell is a bit long in the tooth, but he still kicks ass and he's not the problem. By the way, I love Kurt Russell, but the film is all retread, no originality, dumb ass dumb dialogue and completely ridiculous. John Carpenter's ability to turn out quality films had essentially dried up at this point. He clearly opted to reach back into his well of classics to try and get the creative juices flowing and get the gears turning again, but it winds up a waste of time and a poor carbon copy of his own original. You know things aren't going well for your viewing experience when you're fast forwarding at 1.5 speed and listening to dialogue that sounds just shy of the chipmunks things. I would have loved to have my time back.

This is the classic!

I'd like to say this is a bit of mindless fun, but alas I cannot in good conscience. There are some gladiator-like moments reminiscent of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, but American-style with a basketball. There's also this classic California surfing moment that is just crazy ass laughable. I mean this thing is bad, but not in a good way. When I say bad, I mean what the word means. Where Director George Miller's sequel The Road Warrior continued his extraordinary apocalyptic vision, EFLA just drops the bomb on itself.

It's like Surfin' USA here. Dig that groovy music. Behold and witness for yourself just how much is asked of you to suspend your belief beyond all reason. And what the hell was Peter Fonda thinking?

*

I was hoping for some of the classic feel of EFNY, but instead I got what I expected. The original EFNY was gritty and with minimal effects made for a low-budget thriller. The special effects here are just atrocious. There is a sense of deja vu and that's where it ends. There is nothing similiar to EFNY about this thing. It is sorely lacking on every level.
*

Not that anyone would be crazy enough like me to seek this one out, but avoid it just the same. Fortunately a friend loaned it to me. Some friend eh? If you haven't seen John Carpenter's Escape From New York you're missing out. It ranks up there with John Carpenter's The Thing and John Carpenter's The Fog and any number of Carpenter's classics. John Carpenter's name is often used at the beginning of the film's title and he deserves the credit. He deserves the blame here and at least he owns it.

There is an age old lesson to be learned from the film. Always turn the other cheek on those that try to start something. Walk away from those who try to make you stay for a fight. Never start the fight, but always finish the fight. When that fails and you continue to be pursued implement the Snake Plissken Rule.

Yup, that's Snake Plissken and that's how he rolls (along with riding the giants).
*

John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.: D [for dumb]

Kirk & Bones: The Great Ice Planet Adventure: Part 9: Beam Us Up Scotty

Kirk: Beam Us Up Scotty.

Scotty: Aye Captain, and where's Mr. Spock sir?

Bones: Funny, we were hoping you could tell us.

Mystery Babe: (whispering) Where are you Mr. Spock?

Babylon 5 The Complete Fourth Season: No Surrender, No Retreat

So there you have it, Babylon 5: The Complete Fourth Season: No Surrender, No Retreat. It was a terrific season as a whole and arguably the best to date. There were so many terrific moments along the way from the G'Kar/ Londo scenes in the first half to critical moments from Ivanova and Sheridan in the second half. Season Two and Season Three had exceptional episodes that rank among my favorites, but Season Four had a consistency to it that felt like a freight train running. Straczynski definitely had his groove on and there was no stopping its energy despite having to take a few shortcuts along the way in the event it might be the last season.

Understandably it also boasted the best special effects for the series to date and some sequences looked stunning for the period. Computer animation had clearly gained a foothold and was less blocky and digitized-looking in this fourth outing when compared to that dodgy Season One.
*

The DVD box set has a number of special features. Most notably you will recieve an all-new Introduction by series creator J. Michael Straczynski, Audio Commentary on three episodes plus access data and personnel files as well as the Universe of Babylon 5. There is also a Gag Reel and the No Surrender, No Retreat DVD Suite. The one I enjoyed the most was a featurette called Celestial Sounds. It is a terrific feature focusing on the scoring with composer Christopher Franke. He is indubitably the unsung hero behind the scenes of each episode. His music enhances the performance, the emotions and it does its job because it's simply not obvious and it's not meant to be. You feel a sequence's power because the music complements the drama on screen. Some of the interesting points for me was the fact Babylon 5 included no 'pre-canned' music. Every episode received its own scoring. That's really amazing. Each show included roughly 25 minutes of original music and Franke composed it specifically for each moment along the way. It is an impressive undertaking and a significant milestone in his career to be sure. It's a real nice piece which includes input on Franke's work from writer/ director J. Michael Straczynski, John Copeland and Douglas Netter.

*

Having four in the bag it's hard to argue for any one season being stronger than Babylon 5: The Complete Fourth Season: No Surrender, No Retreat. Season Four despite several strong marks from Season Two and Season Three, might be the most consistent in quality. A solid science fiction drama to date.

James Doohan: Beam Me Up, Scotty

"He's dead Jim." This is true Bones, which is why it wasn't easy attempting to learn more about this seemingly fine man.

My latest excursion into the literary world [The One To Be Pitied would beg to differ] would be this fairly difficult to find autobiography on the late, great Star Trek alumnus James Doohan as our friend Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott otherwise referred to simply as Scotty. Beam Me Up, Scotty: Star Trek's "Scotty" In His Own Words has been out of print for some time and save having to spend roughly 50 dollars on the book from someone it can be a tough find. I scored a fairly mint copy off an Amazon seller. I love Amazon. I love my local bookstore too, but they can't find gems like I Am Spock or Beam Me Up, Scotty and deliver them to my doorstep unfortunately. Additionally with the unfortunate death of Mr. Doohan and little interest surrounding his life on the whole by publishers looking to make a buck it would seem unlikely another opportunity to read about the man's life would come along. This would be about my only chance. So, since I missed the book upon its initial run in stores I had to get industrious. I probably had my hands full with tribbles upon its initial release.

I've seen some of the critiques out there on Doohan's book. Some folks have been brutal and particularly unkind. I certainly cannot attest to its sense of truth or dramatic license so I'll have to take it on face value. Something tells me he may have has a flair for the dramatic, but he was such an adorably charming fellow I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Interestingly enough he co-authored the book with famed Star Trek comic book writer Peter David so it 'kenna be all that bad Captain'.

Here's how the ol' transporter worked for Scotty.

Introduction: James Doohan gives us a run down of his castmates on the set of Star Trek: The Original Series. It's a little awkward, but interesting to see things from his perspective rather than Leonard Nimoy or William Shatner for a change. His descriptions of his fellow actors are fairly terse and kind of cheeky. I can't say I learned alot from the intro but I was definitely thirsty for more. One thing I did not know was that Doohan was close friends with Gene Roddenberry. Fascinating. Overall first impressions on the writing style tends to lean toward the conversational. There's a folksy feel to it. It's not at all like Leaonard Nimoy's I Am Spock. Nimoy is a fine writer. Doohan clearly needs Peter David's help here and how much of it he receives I'm uncertain. Still, it takes a little getting used to, but I have a feeling Peter David had his work cut out for him.

Birth Of A Notion: Doohan discusses how the name of Montgomery Scott originated as a nod to his grandfather of the same name. Apparently Doohan had considerable input into the character of Scotty. We get a glimpse of life in Northern Ireland and Belfast and it does lend itself to some fantastic insights into the political climate of the day as well as the depressed state of his surroundings during his youth. He talks extensively about his talented, intelligent father whose talents excluded him from joining the military since he was needed on other fronts. There has always been a soft side to Doohan. It’s a side that’s easy to identify with considering what he endured as a kid. He speaks extensively about his father who suffered from alcoholism. He was unfortunately a violent man who affected those around him. There's a lot of identification here for me as my father suffered from alcoholism. I was fortunate in that my father was a gentle man who never exhibited a violent bone in his body. It’s a touching account and it’s not lost on me how affecting this type of stuff can be on a young mind. Eventually, Doohan’s family opted to get the heck out of dodge moving from Belfast to British Columbia to Ontario. It was an obvious improvement in living conditions. Sadly, James Doohan’s plight was at the hands of a violent and sometimes physically abusive drunkard of a father. It is disturbing to read his account of those terrible days as a young lad of eight years old. It had to be hard for him to recall such painful memories honestly. As if it couldn’t get much worse during those formative years, Doohan came down with Diphtheria and nearly died.

Planes, Trains And Automobiles: No this is not about John Hughes, Steve Martin or John Candy. Doohan reflects on his love for toy trains, a passion and hobby that lasted all his life. We offers more insights into the complicated relationship he had with his father. We glean a bit into the romantic, child-like wonder of Doohan's love affair with cars and trains. This is hardly riveting information to the Trek fan looking for Trek dirt, but I like how the book informs us about what makes the man the man.

That’s Entertainment: Scotty gets down and dirty by sharing his first sexual encounter with readers. Too much information? It was a bit like watching a train wreck. I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe he’s sharing this stuff with us,’ but it's his autobiography. So, too much information aside, I was mildly intrigued and kept reading anyway. Doohan discusses other entertainment avenues like radio as a kid and the advent of television. It’s funny to hear him say something like “If someone had come to me from the future and told me I’d actually be spending a respectable portion of my life on that little screen, I wouldn’t have known what to make of it.” Doohan reflects on one of his greatest gifts, that of the accent. He chose an Aberdeen accent for Scotty. I actually spent a summer in Scotland once and had to do a paper on Scottish Nationalism for my British Politics class, which may explain some of my interest in the British-influenced James Doohan. For a period, I did everything I could to consume Scottish culture, Scottish women and the occasional Scotch. We learn about Doohan’s first love Kay Glynn, his love for the stage plus more on the pain of his relationship with his father. It should be noted Doohan’s mother was very nurturing and did her best to shower him with love to compensate for his father. Like anyone, he still yearned to capture the attention of his father's love. Still, Doohan’s father was isolating him and discarding him in the same way his grandfather had done it to his father decades earlier. History often offers a vicious cycle.

Giving Hitler The Finger: Useless fact of the day perphaps, but did you know Jimmy Doohan lost his middle finger? I did not. He kept it mostly obscured from camera during the filming of Star Trek: The Original Series. Fascinating until you make the point to The One To Be Pitied who quickly flaunts the fact she still very much has her own middle finger. This is why I share it with you. Anyway, you can note the missing finger in TOS Season One, Episode 15, The Trouble With Tribbles. He lost his finger during the invasion of Normandy on D-day. I’m a huge fan of history. You can learn much from it or choose to ignore it. It’s truly interesting to hear Doohan recall conversationally his memories of Hitler and the dictator's growing quest for power and domination. He remembers English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and how England and France declared war on Germany following Hitler’s usurpation of Poland. Canada wavered on remaining neutral, but did eventually join the war. Doohan quickly enlisted with the Canadian Army. Who knew they had one? For Doohan it was, oddly enough, a bit of a godsend to join the army to fight Hitler as it was an avenue to escape the oppression of home. Doohan gives a terrific account of how poorly prepared and trained the Canadian Army was back in the day. With the war upon him Doohan was forced to go his separate way from Kay for roughly five years.

You're In The Army Now: It's basic training for Doohan. He gets the snot kicked out of his ass to be accepted and learns Morse Code. It seems ironic he would be involved in communications even then not knowing he would become one of the world's most famous engineers.

Waiting For Action: This is a terrific remark referring to a bunk mate from Scotland after Doohan had arrived in England from Canada. "Some people make snide comments, saying that Scotty's accent is inaccurate, that it's not authentic. Believe me, if I did it the way Andrew from Aberdeen did, you too would not understand a damned word Scotty said. In fact, Gene Roddenberry, pulled me aside early in the series- several times, in fact- and said 'You mustn't make the accent so thick. No one's going to know what you're saying.'" That's perfect and it speaks volumes about why alot of actors deviate from the 'real' accent. Sure, some actors just plain can't act or just can't do a decent accent to save their life, not so for Doohan. On the war front, Doohan explains the waiting game in England before facing the encroaching Germans who were taking France. Doohan gives a vivid account of life in charge of his own regimen and the difficulties that accompanied that duty after just three years in the military. After four years in service he was about to make it to his fifth with Normandy.

D Day: Doohan vividly recalls some tension building moments leading up to D Day. I certainly cannot comment on the validity of his words, but I have no reason to doubt him. There is a stirring account of Doohan's nerve-rattling experience during the charge of Normandy Beach. It's a gripping tale and there is a genuine flow here that I can only believe Peter David helped coalesce. I can't say I've read an account of D Day, but if these weren't the words from the mouth of one of my favorite science fiction actors, I'd say this was a pretty astounding account of that day from one soldier's point of view. There's a down-to-Earth, regular guy kind of vibe as Doohan reflects on the little things that go through all of our minds before something difficult. Still, nothing comes close to what these young men had to handle on that fateful day. I am forever humbled by that day and Doohan's account reminds us why. This chapter served a detailed recollection of that day and it was a riveting read. Some critics have complained they did not get enough on Star Tek from this book. Remember, this is an autobiography and he spends a fair amount of time on his fairly lean upbringing and his time in the military. I really appreciated this window learning more about the man and the experiences that shaped him. In fact, more time could have been spent on this on this wrenching account. The book is a fairly quick read and merely scratches the surface of a number of topics. I also didn’t find his details surrounding D Day as being particularly self-aggrandizing as some have suggested. I mean Christ, the man stormed the beach at Normandy, was shot to hell, lost a finger from machine gun fire, got shot in the leg, shot in the chest, barely survived thanks to a cigarette case in his pocket that his brother gave him and lived to tell about it. For cryin’ out loud if the man lent any kind of writing embellishment in his recall of that day I’m okay with that. The man is still a hero just like everyone else who sacrificed so much that day against the Nazis. Not once did I feel Doohan made more of his sacrifice than was deserved and to be honest he could have written much more. Anyhow, it’s an astounding chapter and his penchant for telling a story shines through making it an entertaining portion to be sure. When I got to the end of it he mentions he had the opportunity to meet actor Van Heflin. It didn’t mean much to me, but then he mentioned he starred in Shane, which he really loved. I laughed. My father loved Shane. It was like the western to end all westerns for him. I even bought it for him on VHS tape long before DVD took off and he loved that movie. It is a good film. It just reminded me of my father, again, who was also served in the [United States] Army.

Junior Birdman: Doohan received mail from his love, Kay Glynn, only to learn she had moved on in her life with another man. Those are crushing letters and I’m sure we’ve all received letters like that in our lives at one time or another. To avoid having to deal with his father, yet again, Doohan took up flying instruction outside of London. He spent much time as an an airman working for the military. Later, the war in Europe may have ended, but the Japanese pulled him back for more. He continued flying in the war effort against the Japanese. You’ll recall they did not surrender as early as the Germans. He recalls US President Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. This was a fairly powerful and thoughtful reflection. “It’s become popular nowadays to second-guess Truman’s decision, but all I can tell you is that, while we were willing to fight on for however long it took no one was breathless with anticipation over continuing the war for year after year. The bomb ended the war. Unfortunately it also ended the lives of thousands of Japanese souls. Truman never wavered on the rightness of his action, and speaking as a possible beneficiary of his decision, I feel it was nice to have made it through the war, if not in one piece, then in a condition fairly close to it. Still, I’d be very surprised if the imagined screams of those thousands who died in the nuclear holocaust of Hiroshima and Nagasaki didn’t haunt Truman in his private hours.” I think those are pretty honest words from someone who was there. Doohan really endured some physical pain during the war. It's amazing how affable and light-hearted Doohan remained after all he'd been through. Given the fairly difficult path he would need to navigate, endure and overcome to get there, it's hard to believe he would become the man known as Scotty.

How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm...?: Doohan returned home arriving in Montreal to see his family for the first time in six years. He also visited his old flame Kay briefly. So began his journey toward the vocation of acting, which lured him to New York City for a time. The one thing that Doohan seemed unable to put to rest, the scratch he couldn't itch, was his relationship with da. Doohan had an unbridled sense of anger toward his father. He let him have it before leaving again. He made certain he understood the sense of torture he felt as a child. It was the last time he saw him and he does regret that exchange. He knows the devil of alcoholism and what it did to his father. He clearly regrets his actions that day. Alcoholism has a pretty profound impact on a life and it is such a feeling of helplessness that you have no control over fixing the other person's troubles. I really feel for him here. Fortunately my father was a joy to have around despite his weaknesses. We all have them.

Treading The Boards: I found it amazing just how little experience James Doohan had in the field of acting. Despite his shortcomings he certainly took on the challenge with his usual vigor. He always rises to the occasion. Doohan points to an interesting fact that sort of accompanied him on his journey through life and was his internal desire to run away from facing issues at home. The ghost of his father often ruled Doohan's motivations and actions. It really played a part of who he was as a man. "When you get down to it, my entire acting ambition- which not only was I at a loss to grasp, but seemed to have sprung almost out of nowhere- was really an extension of everything that had happened in my life to that time. I'd spent my entire existence happening upon new ways of escaping- to other countries, to a war, to the air." And now acting had Doohan escaping to what he referred to as "another reality altogether." He talks to some extent about how acting requires you to be open and free with yourself, which was the complete antithesis to everything he had been doing all his life. He had been walling himself and running from aspects of his life. It was complete self-preservation and an approach he needed to change.

The Year That Was: Doohan talks of his flatmate John Fiedler from Star Trek TOS, Season Two, Episode 14, Wolf In The Fold. Further, he discusses what a bizarre period it was in his life in that he took up attempting a singing career with John and Tony Randall [The Odd Couple]. One of the things that struck me was just how much older Doohan really was back in the day compared to some of his eventual Star Trek cast mates. The other thing is, despite his many hardships, Doohan led a fairly clean lifestyle. But boy, did this man live. Apart from training in NY, Doohan even spent some time in Rhode Island with Theatre By The Sea and Jackie Gleason of all people. He uncomfortably recollects his miserable seventeen year marriage to Janet. They had four children and a terrible marriage. He doesn't mention much more than that. Let's put it this way he indicates Normandy being easier. Yikes!

Jimmy Hollywood: Doohan lost his fragile sister Margaret at the ripe young age of thirty-seven. He was there for her on that day and it's a heartbreaker. His Mom and Dad also pass on. It's the 1950s and Jimmy Doohan is beginning to hit his stride. Jimmy said goodbye to his greatest mentor Sandy Meisner striking out on his own. Doohan expresses some interesting scenarios behind-the-scenes regarding the whole House Un-American Activities period of the 1950s and the search for communists within the acting community. He lived it to an extent. So the war was over, the war with his wife that is. He finally left her and his children though he talks a bit about them and how hard it was to leave them. His old friend actor Leslie Nielsen took him in for a time in 1964. This took him to a short three season stint for some little known show called Star Trek.

Show-time: For fans of Star Trek this is certainly THE chapter to read for all things Scotty. The Star Trek Pilot [1965] was picked up in 1966 just as Doohan learns, “Thanks very much, but we don’t really think we’re going to need an engineer.” That's not exactly good news if you’re an excited Jimmy Doohan. His agent got the old wolf back in the fold. Doohan was in his mid-forties when he tackled the part of Scotty. He shares highlights and lowlights here by episode. I've included a few. The Corbomite Maneuver: Doohan gives his impressions on the strange-looking, but brilliant, actor Clint Howard. The Naked Time: Doohan remembers Bruce Hyde singing one of his favorite songs growing up in the form of I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen. Classic Scotty line: “I canna change the laws of physics.” Doohan comments on the precedings with, “This was coming from an engineer aboard a ship that defies Einstein with its faster-than-light travel and has a matter transporter that flies in the face of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Okay, okay maybe Scotty couldn’t change the laws of physics. But he sure could bend them a good ways.” The Galileo Seven: This is one of my very favorite science fiction episodes of all time. I almost named my blog after it. Anyway, Scotty attempts to fix the coolest shuttlecraft in the universe. It was the first time he really worked closely with Nimoy and speaks with great respect for him. The Squire Of Gothos: The first entry Scotty lent his voice to a number of characters outside his role as Scotty. He was the voice of Trelane’s father. He really enjoyed actor Bill Campbell. Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Doohan offers observations regarding the effects utilized for the episode and how primitive they might be in comparison to the effects of today, but they were cutting edge. There is such a great vibrating shot of Scotty during an Enterprise hit they re-used the shot for The Doomsday Machine. Space Seed: He speaks reverently on Ricardo Montalban’s dynamic performance. Funny enough, Doohan later enjoyed a guest role for an episode of Fantasy Island. The Menagerie: Doohan fondly remembers guest Susan Oliver who has since passed. Someday I hope to touch on some of these fine actors when I pay tribute to Star Trek. Devil In The Dark: "What a lovely show. I just thought it was one of the best." He really appreciated the sci-fi intensive script. City On The Edge Of Forever: The first script was drafted by none other than Harlan Ellison, but was apparently not used and legend has it he was unhappy with their final choice. Doohan likes Ellison but calls him a man with "diarrhea of the mouth." Nice. Operation: Annhilate: The episode features "creatures that look like flying omelets." I loved those flying omelets! It made such an impression on me. One of my favorite scenes as a kid included Spock taking it in the back by the flying flapjack alien. It was so scary when I was kid. Metamorphosis: Scotty's role was greatly reduced here. Friday's Child: A big example of Kirk ignoring the Prime Directive of non-interference. Julie Neumar guests and Scotty takes command of the Enterprise. The Doomsday Machine: This is a Doohan favorite. Wolf In The Fold: This is like a Doohan vehicle. Scotty is a suspect in a series of murders. Did you know he dated Tanya Lamani? Do you care? There's a sequence that calls for the scanning of Scotty's right hand and since that is the infamous hand with the missing middle digit, a stunt double was utilized for the actual hand. You just gotta love those behind-the-scenes details. Doohan takes to task the scriptwriter's decision to have Kirk dope his crew rather than trust their training and proceeds to discuss one of those reasons why we love Kirk. "Kirk- without missing a beat-immediately tries to talk Spock into beaming down to the planet with him to check out a 'place' with women so amazing that words are never found to describe them. Think about it: Kirk wants to leave his ship in the hands of 430 drunk drivers (Sulu is literally spinning in his chair) so he can go planetside and score. Kirk ultimately discards the idea, probably because he remembers that he has a ship full of a hundred or so females, all with great legs, miniskirts and all of whom will be in a extremely good mood for, according to McCoy, the next five hours. Why go out when you can order in?" The Changeling: Scotty is the dreaded recipient of those fateful words, "He's dead Jim." Doohan believed it was his final curtain call but it was simply part of the script. Mirror Mirror: The one episode Scotty refers to the Captain as "Jim!" The Trouble With Tribbles: Scotty got a beefy part in this one. Doohan enjoyed this fine script by David Gerrold, but also credits Gene Roddenberry and Dorothy C. Fontana for their input as well. Elaan Of Troyius: Doohan moves into the much-maligned third season of Star Trek and kind of falls in line with the general sentiment out there about its problems. Leonard Nimoy expressed much insight on the subject in the book I Am Spock. The third season was indeed problematic on many fronts. You get a sense of it with Doohan's episodic criticisms noting the lack of Roddenberry's steady hand at the wheel. The Savage Curtain: Scotty wears a kilt. Doohan hasn’t much praise for Season Three.

Family Album: Like some families, Doohan dishes it on his cast mates. He refers to Walter Koenig as “dour” and “depressed” the more he got to know you. He had a “dry sense of humor and quick wit.” I think his personality shines on Babylon 5. Doohan loved hanging with George Takei. He felt sorry for Nichelle Nichols because she was so completely underutilized and unappreciated as an actress. DeForest Kelley was an incredibly likeable fellow. Leonard Nimoy, again, was the consummate professional and gentleman who always put the show first. Then there is Bill. “As for Bill Shatner, well…I have to admit, I just don’t like the man.” This seems to be a common refrain from the voices of Star Trek's cast. He doesn’t have much to say about the man and I think that about covers his feeling on the matter. I think some fans would have enjoyed more dirt. He certainly respects his old friend Gene Roddenberry, but felt he was better at spotting talent for the show as far as scripting than possessing scripting talent himself. His secretary Dorothy Fontana was exactly that kind of talent. He was a terrific producer. Doohan reflects very favorably on the talent of Gene Coon who also played a significant role in the show’s success along with Fontana. When it comes to the third season Doohan holds Roddenberry responsible for its failure. He became very hand’s off compared to his work on the first two seasons and the product suffered for it. It was interesting to read Doohan’s refections on that period because they are different to Leonard Nimoy’s reflections on the causes for Roddenberry’s departure for Season Three in his own I Am Spock. Now, they may have seen two different things or been privy to different facts, but Doohan definitely felt Roddenberry should have stepped up to the plate to see it through properly. It’s definitely an interesting chapter in Star Trek lore. I am fascinated by what exactly transpired between Season Two and Season Three. Things went terribly wrong for some key players. Nimoy certainly vented his frustrations in his biography and Doohan does here to some extent while maybe not to the same degree or detail. He definitively felt Roddenberry abandoned his baby. I would gather there may be some element of truth to it, but it’s certainly Doohan’s perception and it is a unique perspective. Doohan was definitely disappointed with Roddenberry’s surrender of the third season to Paramount and notes it suffered badly as a result of his missing vision. The chapter rounds out with some terrific insights into the man that was Gene Roddenberry. It’s interesting to hear him talk about how fans looked upon him, while Roddenberry was unable to articulate himself in the same way Star Trek was able to articulate his vision philosophically for him.

Star Struck: Finally, life after Star Trek in the world of Hollywood typecasting. We learn how he met his third wife Wende. They inevitably married with Trelane [William Campbell] as his best man. Times were tough, but the swell and demand of a growing Star Trek fanbase kept Doohan afloat.

Fan Dancing: Doohan’s first convention experience is shared in fairly good detail and it’s pretty entertaining for it. Doohan discusses the knowledge fans have of the episode dialogue. You know you’ve done your job as a writer when fans can recite lines and know which episode the line is from. Doohan gives us the technical version of how the transporter scenes were filmed. This chapter amplifies what a generous and giving man James Doohan was to fans of all the Original Series stars. He wore his heart on his sleeve for the fans. There isn't a question about this man’s gratitude for them. He is indebted and sincere in expressing his appreciation for them. There’s a nice bit about the Official James Doohan Fan Club organized by a girl named Anna. Eventually she got so busy she had to pass the torch to someone else and she went to Doohan to tell him. Doohan sincerely loved the fan club and how Anna ran it. He said to her, “Nobody will run it like you did, Anna” and opted to close it down. He tells some strange stories, one in particular about a young lad who wanted a vile of his blood. Weird. He even has an unexpected reunion with old flame Kay in CT. His wife oKAYed the reunion. I'm not sure The One To Be Pitied would okay such a reunion.

The Continuing Voyages: Doohan offers his perspective on Star Trek: The Animated Series. He was not overly fond of the resulting product but he lends some great insight into that period. He shares a strange moment when he decided to call up Bill Shatner, but Bill was less than kind and was quite angry with Doohan and how he got hold of his phone number. Shatner is an odd, but entertaining, duck indeed. It's easy to see why he wasn't crazy about Shatner though. At the time of Star Trek: The Motion Picture there were plans to make a series [Nimoy covers it in his book a bit more], which mutated into the film. Doohan discusses that ordeal a bit. He mentions how the final product was a “snorer” and referred to as Star Trek: The Motionless Picture. Ouch. Then came Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, which Doohan enjoyed, but felt a number of scenes were cut to shreds and left on the editing room floor. He does indicate the director chose to place those scenes back into a final director’s cut. Doohan, understandably, was quite pleased by the decision as he felt they left certain aspects of his character’s actions unanswered upon the original release. I've seen the film and I'm still scratching my head on some of those scenes. For Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Doohan had many fine things to say about Director Leonard Nimoy, but he did feel the film was lacking by the absence of Nimoy as Spock within the film and lacking in overall action. Doohan adored Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and its beautiful environmental message. Shatner announces his plans to make a fifth film himself during the filming of the fourth and needless to say no one was overly inspired. When it came time to do Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Doohan was less than enthused he had to walk down the corridor and bump his head. He saw the scene as something Bill Shatner designed just to put him down. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is far and away Doohan’s personal favorite of the bunch directed once again by Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan helmer Nick Meyer. Star Trek: The Next Generation came along for Doohan and the episode dubbed Relics. Doohan, like many, was quite opposed to the concept of TNG initially, but was inevitably won over. There's his hysterical analysis on the technobabble used in TNG versus the dialogue utilized by Scotty in TOS. It's pretty funny. He recommends comparing the two someday. Perhaps we'll do a video comparison right here on The Sci Fi Fanatic. Doohan thought Scotty was retired until Star Trek: Generations arrived. Doohan's final words in the chapter said alot about his character and the creation of Scotty and why to some he seemed a fairly one note character. "So much of what made him unique came not from any great acting challenge, but instead were simply elements of James Doohan, and an accent." That's about it. That's exactly the charm of Scotty. He was an incredibly likeable character because James Doohan was incredibly likeable. He adds, "To me, Scotty is Scotty and was already a full human being as soon as I opened my mouth with a Scottish accent." Amen.

One Trek Beyond: Doohan enjoyed a brief stint in soaps playing a part oddly reminiscent of his own father, only this time he was playing the role of his father. So would Scotty do it all over? “Would I do it again?” He goes into detail about the many things he has achieved thanks to playing the part of Montgomery Scott Scotty. He met Wende and had two wonderful boys. The answer is clear. “I guess I do regret not having played all those other characters I know I would have played. But to do that, I would have to stop being Scotty. I’d lose the negatives…but the positives, as well.” I often wonder what if I went down this path or that path. What if I had done this or decided to do that or not this. Don’t we all wonder a little? There’s no question Doohan wouldn’t change a thing, but he does wonder about those other roles as an actor, but we all wonder about those other roles for ourselves.

Reflecting back on the book about a man I knew little about going into the read, my inclination is to say, I really liked this man. There were certainly old school, traditional things about the man's experiences that reminded me of my father. I enjoyed that reflection. My father was a simple man who enjoyed simple things. It's a rare thing today. I miss having him around for those things. Funny, I loved the book for Doohan's ability to tell a tale or recall a story and to learn things about him outside of Star Trek. I also liked the book for making me recall aspects of my father.

Beam Me Up, Scotty: B

Kirk & Bones: The Great Ice Planet Adventure: Part 8: Scotch Rescue

Bones: Boy we sure are glad to see you Scotty. I didn't see you beam down.

Scotty: Aye, good to see you boys. I beamed down over beyond the bushes there.

Kirk: Well Mr. Scott it's good to see you indeed. We've been freezing down here.

Scotty: Aye. The temperatures on the planet have really been messing with my transporter and my ability to locate ya can.

Bones: Well, I reckon we don't have long Scotty, the temps are dipping again.

Scotty: Aye.

Kirk: Scotty, you didn't happen to see a tall blonde woman on your way here.

Scotty: No sir Captain or the haggie'd be in the fire for sure.

Bones: Huh? What does that mean? Nevermind. I don't want to know.

Kirk: Bones, Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish of animal's intestines stuffed with sheep's heart, lungs, liver, minced onion, oatmeal, spices, suet, salt, stock and boiled into a explosive taste fiesta.

Scotty: Aye.

Bones: Jesus. You know how to ruin a guy's appetite.

Scotty: Well McCoy I canna' change the laws of physics.

Bones: What does that have anything to do with an animal's intestines?

Scotty: Aye. Not sure, but I like to say things like that.

Kirk: Gentlemen, perhaps we should remove ourselves from this lifeless rock and head back to the Enterprise before it's too late.

Scotty: Aye Captain.

Bones: Would you happen to have a tasty tenderized steak ready for us back at the ship?

Scotty: Aye McCoy, the haggie is in the fire for sure.

Bones: Damn it Scotty, would you stop that? Steak for God's sake man! Red-blooded, steroid-injected, good, old-fashioned steak! Am I not speaking English?

Scotty: Aye sir, haggie sir.

Bones: You are maddening.

Kirk: How 'bout a Scotch? Lead us home Mr. Scott.