"That Which Survives" (Star Trek: Remastered edition)

posted by Tygrrius @ 8:34 PM

Star Trek (Remastered): "That Which Survives"
Remastered Episode #61 (3/15/2008)
Original Episode #69 (1/24/1969)

While Kirk, McCoy, Sulu, and D'Amato are in the process of de-materializing to beam down to a deserted planet, a woman suddenly appears in the transporter room, tells them that they "must not go," and then kills the ensign manning the controls by simply touching him.

After they appear on the planet, the landing party immediately encounters a violent storm. CBS Digital's newly-created scenes of the Enterprise encountering that same disturbance in space are, unfortunately, laughable.

Standard shots of the ship in orbit and moving through space look great, as I've come to expect from the Star Trek: Remastered effort. The newly created planet also looks fantastic.

As it has since the beginning, though, Remastered still seems to suffer from a time and/or budget crunch that makes some of the new effects look shoddy while others look brilliant. I consider myself a huge fan of this project, but this is a very disappointing aspect.

The landing party soon discovers that the Enterprise is no longer in the area. Sulu even suggests that it may have blown up, prompting a quick reprimand from Kirk that he is not interested in Sulu's guesses. In fact, Kirk chides Sulu a couple of times in this episode - almost making me want to give it another point just to see the overrated helmsman finally get his due.

Meanwhile, Spock and the others aboard the Enterprise are trying to figure out what happened to the planet, which seems to have disappeared, before they discover that the starship has actually been transported across the galaxy.

Like Kirk, Spock is also more irritable than normal in this episode - resulting in another nice exchange where he points out the uselessness of Scotty's comment that transporting the Enterprise such a great distance in so short a time is "impossible." Since it happened, it is obviously possible.

On the planet, what appears to be the same woman appears and, not finding any red-shirted crewmembers, kills the blue-shirted Lieutenant D'Amato - to the delight of the audience, since it spares us having to hear more of his bland delivery.

The "folding" effect used to materialize the woman appears to be essentially the same as the one on the original version of this episode, as I recall anyway. I'm glad they left this alone, as it was a unique feature of this episode.

Sulu's inferiority complex must grow, as Kirk keeps up his beating. Maybe Sulu made a huge mistake between episodes and is still facing Kirk's wrath. When Sulu notes that D'Amato's death is a "terrible way to die," Kirk sharply replies, "There are no good ways, Sulu."

Later, after they bury D'Amato in a "tomb of rocks" (not unlike the fate that will befall Kirk in Star Trek Generations), Sulu notes, "It looks so lonely there."

"It would be worse if he had company," McCoy tells him.

As Kirk, McCoy, and Sulu try to resolve the mystery on the planet, Spock and Scotty have their own problems on the Enterprise. An identical woman is also appearing there and killing off crewmembers, and the Enterprise just doesn't "feel" right to Scotty.

There's some chilling music in this episode, some of the best of the series. As a mystery episode, "That Which Survives" has a lot of potential and delivers on some, if not all, of it.

By the time of "That Which Survives" in 1969, Star Trek was in the home stretch. Only ten episodes of the three-season series came after this one in production. Conventional Trekkie wisdom has it that Star Trek "jumped the shark" several episodes earlier with the infamous "Spock's Brain."

As I've said before here, I just don't buy that. Yes, "Spock's Brain" is a bad episode but it hardly destroys the entire third season for me. The third season features a new lighting approach to many scenes aboard the Enterprise, toning things down from the colorful and bright previous seasons. There are also noticeable improvements to the special effects in the original versions of these episodes, particularly early on in the season. Perhaps we see a small glimpse of what might have been, production-wise, had the series endured for the fourth and fifth seasons it deserved.

Sure, compared to previous years, there are fewer top-notch episodes in the third season. However, there are plenty of average-yet-solid, "meat and potatoes" episodes. "That Which Survives" is one such episode. While it may not be as memorable as "The Tholian Web" or "The Enterprise Incident," it still offers up what the original Star Trek nearly always delivers: a solid hour of entertainment and adventure.

Sports teams cannot survive on their star players alone. They must have solid players all around to support those stars, and they must have depth in key positions should a player go down. In a season with few "star" episodes, "That Which Survives" represents the depth of the series. Star Trek is great not only for its stand-out episodes, but also for its average episodes like this one.

Dramatic Content: 5 (out of 10)
Effects Upgrades: 7
Overall Experience: 5

The Film Frontier's Related Articles

Action Comics #862

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:48 AM

Action Comics #862 (DC Comics, April 2008 cover date)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Gary Frank
Inker: John Sibal
Colorists: Dave McCaig and Hi-Fi
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Associate Editor: Nachie Castro
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Gary Frank

After the whole "Escape from Bizarro World" dud, Action Comics writer Geoff Johns has gifted us with "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" to redeem himself. Featuring an intricate, compelling storyline and art that is just as top-notch, this story arc has been a welcome reminder of the power of comic books when all of the elements come together.

This issue features part five of the six-part story. In the 31st century, the Justice League has been corrupted by Earth-Man, who has spread a concocted story that Superman was actually human rather than Kryptonian and that "aliens" have been the cause of all of Earth's woes.

On the other side of this fight is the Legion of Super-Heroes. Earth-Man is simply a jealous, Anakin-Skywalker-type who was unable to handle rejection when he applied to the Legion. Seeking revenge, he captures many of them and absorbs their powers to increase his own. Near defeat, the Legion has brought Superman into the future to help. Earth has a red sun in this time period, though, so Superman has none of his yellow-sun-derived powers.

Is Superman still super without those powers? Very much so, as his greatest power is his character—which is there with or without a yellow sun. Over the last few issues, though, the 31st century Justice League has continued to push the Legion to the brink of defeat.

At Superman's suggestion, they call in reinforcements—the Legion of Substitute-Heroes. Unlike Earth-Man, these Legion of Super-Heroes rejects have been constructive rather than destructive and made the most of their situations.

The action ratchets up as the Subs join the battle, and Earth-Man and Superman finally begin to square off. With Johns back in form, and Gary Frank's art just as incredible as the narrative, Action Comics is finally must-read again. I can't wait for the conclusion, next issue.

Story/Writing: 9 (out of 10)
Art: 9
Cover Art: 8
Overall Experience: 9

"By Any Other Name" (Star Trek: Remastered edition)

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:42 AM

Star Trek (Remastered): "By Any Other Name"
Remastered Episode #60 (3/8/2008)
Original Episode #50 (2/23/1968)

"By Any Other Name" is the episode that started it all. For me, anyway. In the late 1970s, when I was two or three years old, I watched Star Trek in reruns all the time with my older brother. Though I'm sure there were others before it, this is the first specific episode that I can remember watching.

Of course, the Star Trek: Remastered version of "By Any Other Name" isn't exactly the same as the one I watched as a kid. CBS Digital has revamped all of the visual effects with CGI, added a new matte painting of an alien landscape, and thoroughly improved the overall picture quality. A member of the Star Trek: Remastered team sent me a couple of screenshots on Thursday. Since I didn't have a preview article in the works but was planning to review the episode, I decided to save them for today. Click on each picture to see larger versions.

The Enterprise responds to a distress signal that turns out to be bait. The technologically advanced Kelvans of the Andromeda galaxy want to use the ship to get back to their own galaxy to report that ours is ready to be conquered. Andromeda will be rendered uninhabitable over the next couple of thousand years and the Kelvan scout ship was damaged beyond repair breaking the barrier that surrounds the galaxy (the one the Enterprise managed to traverse in "Where No Man Has Gone Before"). Though the journey to Andromeda would take the Enterprise over a thousand years in normal circumstances, the Kelvans plan to modify her to allow her to arrive in only three hundred.

To assist them in the use of the Enterprise, the Kelvans - who normally are large beings with a hundred independent tentacles - have assumed human form. In fact, they appear to be "perfect human lifeforms" that exhibit textbook responses. Dating all the way back to "The Cage," this is always an indication of trouble to follow.

The new matte painting (above), which is beautiful yet not too distracting from the overall 1968 feel of the scene, appears only for a few seconds early on. It features a large moon reflected in a beautiful lake. It would have been a nice enhancement to show the Enterprise pass this moon from space while leaving orbit of the planet. CGI renderings of the Enterprise are extremely realistic throughout this episode, though, so I can easily forgive them. Perhaps the moon was on the other side of the planet from where they broke orbit.

Unless you're a Vulcan, hijacking the Enterprise is normally a difficult undertaking. It helps when, like the Kelvans, you have power belts that can temporarily paralyze humans or turn them into small, tetrahedral blocks. Yeoman Leslie Thompson (Julie Cobb) is one of the first turned into a block. A human can be restored from this state as long as the block remains intact. Fortunately, the Kelvans spare us any further bad acting from Cobb by crushing her block into dust. The transformation and crushing of the block is actually the reason I so vividly recall this episode from back then, as it truly scared the two-year old version of me.

Since it didn't happen often due to the episodic nature of the series, I always love when one Star Trek episode specifically references another. When the Kelvans tell Kirk about the barrier surrounding the galaxy, he remarks dryly, "Yes, I know. We've been there." The Kelvans apparently reinforce the Enterprise in some way, though, as the destructive and ESP enhancement properties of the barrier do not come into play this time. Kirk later references an escape ploy used by Spock on Eminiar VII in "A Taste of Armageddon" and Spock tries it again.

As the Enterprise embarks on the three hundred year journey, the Kelvans reduce all of the crew to blocks except Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott, all considered essential personnel. The supposedly mentally superior Kelvans make the mistake of hijacking Kirk's ship but still allowing him free roam of it.

All-in-all, "By Any Other Name" is one of those average but enjoyable episodes of Star Trek. The remastered version looks incredible and is definitely worth checking out.

Dramatic Content: 5 (out of 10)
Effects Upgrades: 9
Overall Experience: 5

The Film Frontier's Related Articles

Images are copyright, © 1968, 2008 by CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures. Star Trek is a registered trademark of CBS Studios Inc. All rights reserved.

Star Trek: Academy—Collision Course

posted by Tygrrius @ 10:59 AM

Star Trek: Academy—Collision Course novel
Pocket Books, hardcover edition, 2007
Authors: William Shatner with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens

It has been said that all publicity is good publicity. When William Shatner and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens released Collision Course at the end of last year, I had not read a Star Trek novel in years. While various Trek novels provided me with countless hours of enjoyment dating all the way back to 1986, I simply lost interest in them at some point. Though the fine work of this particular team is always on my radar, I also did not have any plans to read this installment in the adventures of James Kirk.

Then I read a crushingly negative review of Collision Course on another site, and I knew I had to buy this one. I had to find out for myself if three of my favorite authors had really so mishandled Star Trek's most important characters.

Collision Course is the first book of a new novel series from Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens, Star Trek: Academy. This marks their tenth collaboration. Academy will follow young Jim Kirk's adventures at Starfleet Academy. Collision Course starts things off well with the first meeting of Kirk and Spock.

"Star Trek is about moving forward," some whine as a protest against prequels like this one, or J.J. Abrams' forthcoming Star Trek XI. We already know everything about Kirk so it will be boring, right? Wrong.

As viewers of Star Trek, we actually know far less about Kirk and Spock than we think we do. Most of their history prior to the adventures seen on the television series has been revealed in one or two lines in a scattering of episodes. Though references like The Star Trek Encyclopedia do a great job of tying all of those loose threads together with strings of conjecture, a lot of the details are still missing.

For instance, what really happened on Tarsus IV when Kirk came face-to-face with Kodos the Executioner? What drove Spock to choose Starfleet over his father's more logical plan that he attend the Vulcan Science Academy? Collision Course offers some insight into these and other mysteries of our heroes' early years.

One criticism that can sometimes be leveled at Star Trek and other series fiction is that there is little room for character growth. Authors are often forced to leave main characters in essentially the same emotional state that they start. One of the reasons that the novels of Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens are usually among Star Trek's best is that they avoid this trap.

In Collision Course, we see the growth of Kirk, Spock, and even the Starfleet organization. Kirk and Spock may seem at first to be strangely different from the characters we know and love. If Kirk and Spock were exactly the same in early adulthood as they were on the original series, then what would be the point? While there is an interesting if occasionally predictable plot, Collision Course is primarily a journey of character. In that journey, Collision Course achieves tremendous success.

The authors know these characters well, too. During the Vulcan form of an argument with his son, Sarek states, "Spock, you are an alien on an alien world. What can you do?"

You can almost hear Leonard Nimoy (and, perhaps, someday Zachary Quinto) delivering Spock's reply, "You are mistaken, Father. On Earth, you are an alien. But like my mother, I am not."

Collision Course is definitely a worthy installment in the adventures of Kirk and Spock. For the first time in a long time, I am looking forward to reading a Trek novel - Star Trek: Academy—Trial Run, which will continue these adventures.

Overall Experience: 8 (out of 10)

Superman #673

posted by Tygrrius @ 3:10 PM

Superman #673 (DC Comics, April 2008 cover date)
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Jesus Merino
Colors: Kanila Tripp
Letters: Comicraft
Associate Editor: Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Peter Vale and Wellington Dias

The last several months of issues for both Action Comics and Superman have been terrific. Geoff Johns on Action and Kurt Busiek on Superman have both woven intricate yet interesting storylines that have added new depth to the characters we know so well.

Superman #673 is the third and final installment of "The Insect Queen." Not being overly fond of bugs, even of the alien variety, I did not hold high expectations for this arc. I figured after the compelling "Third Kryptonian" arc, "The Insect Queen" would be a quick throwaway to pass some time. Filler issues, if you will.

I was pleasantly surprised with parts one and two of "The Insect Queen." The alien ruler kidnaps Lana Lang, now head of Lexcorp, and holds her prisoner on Lexcorp's secret moonbase to use as a sort of breeding stock with the alien insects in her effort to dominate Earth and use it as the center of her empire. The queen actually takes on part of Lana's appearance and personality. She even manages to capture and subdue Superman so that he can be used in the process as well. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Chris has been suffering reactions from a red sun watch that subdues his powers. When Lois helps him remove it, there is an explosion of pent-up energy that levels the Kents' apartment.

As part three begins, Lois is trying to help Chris cope with his guilt about hiding the effects of the watch, while Superman is still within the clutches of the Insect Queen. After such a great start, the conclusion of "The Insect Queen" is a little disappointing. The main problem is that the ending feels rushed, and thus, necessarily contrived. A comic book issue is so short these days that I think expanding this story to at least another issue would have been warranted, especially after the buildup of the first two issues.

There are plenty of positives, though, including a couple of great scenes for Lana. I am a fan of strong, female characters and she really delivers a punch, both figuratively and literally, in this issue.

The interior art is mostly acceptable, though oddly inconsistent. While a character may look perfect on one page, that same character may be poorly drawn on another. The cover art, featuring the Insect Queen and one of her "super-soldier ants" is horrible. I will just leave it at that.

Though not as satisfying of an ending as his work in "The Third Kryptonian," Busiek proves again in "The Insect Queen" that he really knows how to write Superman. I will be sorry to see him leave the title after issue #675. At least he will go out with a bang, as that is billed as an anniversary issue (Superman's 70th) - complete with Alex Ross cover art.

Story/Writing: 7 (out of 10)
Art: 6
Cover Art: 1
Overall Experience: 6