Rewatching the Star Trek movies! Generations (1994) gives us Captain Kirk and Captain Picard in the same movie. That’s fun, but what does it have to say about each character?
Here’s what happens: Seventy-some years after the death (or not?) of Captain Kirk, the crew of the Enterprise-D confronts a mad scientist who plans to return to the Nexus, a place outside of space and time where anything is possible. This plan will put innocent lives in danger, forcing Captain Picard to seek out some unlikely help…
Captains Courageous: Kirk dies saving the Enterprise-B, and then comes back to life to save the captain of the Enterprise-D. There’s this sense of inevitability, in that he knows that the Enterprise (a.k.a. the Trek franchise) is moving on without him. But he has this one chance to make things right, so he’s going to go for it.
Captain’s holiday: Picard begins TNG uncomfortable about children living aboard his ship, only to end the series by accepting the crew as his family. This movie puts that to the test, first by killing off Picard’s brother’s family in France. Then, once inside the Nexus, he has a vision of the family he never had. He’s quick to see through the illusion, and uses that to help Kirk, who has more trouble saying goodbye to the Nexus. That’s the inevitability mentioned above.
Ol’ Yellow Eyes: After not understanding a not-very-funny joke, Data decides it’s time to install the emotion chip introduced on TNG years earlier. But, this isn’t the “Data becomes human” story of fans’ dreams. Instead, Data is still Data, and the emotions just give him another aspect of humans for him to puzzle over.
Welcome aboard: When in the Nexus, Picard has a vision of a family he never had, including a wife named Elise. A lot of fans say Elise is played by the same woman who played TNG’s infamous holodeck babe Minuet. A quick look at the credits reveals this to be false. Elise was played by Kim Braden, who previously appeared as Ensign Brooks in the episode “The Loss,” and who is married to this movie’s director, David Carson. (Minuet was played by Carolyn McCormick.)
Trivia time: Kirk’s not dead! The 1996 novel Star Trek: The Return, co-written by William Shatner, Judith Reeves-Stevens, and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, details how and why Kirk is revived from the dead. He goes on to appear in many more novels, having adventures in the TNG era (era), and in Trek’s notorious Mirror Universe as well. Some fans, however, claim these books are not canon, separating them off into their own “Shatner-verse,” because of course they do.
What you leave behind: This movie is often criticized for being too much like a TV episode, but that was intentional. It was cranked out quick, to get it into theaters mere months after the TNG series ended. Beyond that, Kirk and Picard are both faced with the path not taken, but they choose not to give in to the fantasy. It’s true that Kirk’s death scene is a little disappointing, but would there be any way for that to be satisfying? It just is what it is.
Rewatching the Star Trek movies! The Undiscovered Country (1991) is about the future, and yet it’s also the (mostly) final go-around for the original crew. It’s all a whodunit with cloaked ships, intense mind melds, and you-know-what for knees.
Here’s what happens: When the Klingon Star Empire loses its main energy production facility in an unprecedented accident, peace talks between the Klingons and the Federation are under way. Then there’s an assassination attempt on the Klingon ambassador and Kirk is blamed for it. While Kirk and Bones are shipped off to a Klingon prison planet, Spock and the rest of the crew seeks the real killer.
Captains Courageous: Kirk does not want this assignment, and he’s angry at Spock for vouching on his behalf. He’s mistrustful and arrogant in the face of the Klingons. But when the chips are down, Kirk steps up and does the right thing. He fights to maintain the fragile new peace with the Klingons, despite his personal feelings towards them.
Ol’ Pointy Ears: Spock gives a speech about finality, and this being his last mission aboard the Enterprise. He wants his protégé Valeris to take his place. When she’s revealed as one of the conspirators behind the murder, he reacts with outrage. He later questions his choices as his own arrogance. Kirk’s response: “Everybody’s human.” Spock’s arc across these six movies has been about accepting his non-logical human half. His doubting himself, and then his memorable final line, show us what that acceptance looks like.
Welcome aboard: There are tons of great character actors playing both Klingons and conspirators throughout the movie. My personal favorite is the Klingon judge, whose face is barely seen but whose gravelly voice is awesome. This character has no name, although I see some fans have taken to calling him “the Magistrate.” That’s too bad, because I’d hoped the judge could have shown up in some ST novel or comic.
Continuity café: Okay, why do the Klingons have bright pink blood? We all know the real reason is so the movie can maintain its PG-13 rating. Within the fiction, though, there have been several attempts to explain why the blood is pink in this movie and dark red throughout the rest of the franchise. It’s either because these are different types of Klingons, or because the blood changes depending on the Klingons’ environment.
What you leave behind: This is a great movie. First the first time since The Motion Picture, we have a fully staffed Enterprise, and we have the crew right in the center of the Federation vs. Klingon conflict, rather than off on their own. This gives the plot some big, big stakes, and it feels like what we think Trek should feel like.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. In between issues #11 and #12 of the rebooted FF, we went back to the original Fantastic Four title for the big 50th anniversary issue #600.
Gimmie a gimmick: Starting with this issue, this series becomes two series. Fantastic Four continues after this with a #601, and FF continues with its #12 issue.
We spend two pages setting the stage for all the various plot threads and characters to keep track of:
The Inhumans on a rampage on board their floating city of Attilan.
The High Evolutionary’s Forever City, where Ronan the Accuser and his new wife Crystal (!) have brought the Kree Supreme Intelligence back to life.
Dr. Doom, Nathaniel Richards, and an evil alternate universe version of Reed arrive in Doom’s former stomping ground of Latveria.
At the new Baxter Building, the young geniuses of the Future Foundation are hard at work on a new emergency teleporter.
On “the other side of zero,” the villainous Anti-Priest is in contact with Annihilus.
In the streets of New York, the FF, the Avengers, and assorted other heroes assemble as Kree warships appear in the sky overhead.
What’s interesting here is that the superheroes have no idea why the Kree are attacking. Sue plans to use her force fields to push the entire armada outward away from civilians. Then, fighting! The combined heroes battle the Kree through the city. Dr. Strange takes down one the Kree’s big dreadnought ships, but it crashes into the city instead of the water. The Anti-Priest, now in a NYC skyscraper, says this is not the destruction he wanted. Annihilus tells him to “access the gate,” and the Anti-Priest unleashes the Annihilation Wave (an army of monsters) into New York.
In Latveria, that group confronts Kristoff, who is ruling the country in his own Dr. Doom mask and armor. Nathaniel says Dr. Doom’s life depends on his return to Latveria. In Attilan, Medusa says the Inhumans should flee as they are outnumbered, but something in Black Bolt insists on staying. The Supreme Intelligence senses that Black Bolt, the “anomaly” it is seeking, is right above them in Attilan.
Atop the Empire State Building, Reed, Spider-Man, and Iron Man invent a device that projects Sue’s force fields through Iron Man’s armor (!) to create a force field around Manhattan. This keeps out the Kree ships, but not their ground forces already in the city. The monsters of the Annihilation Wave attack the Baxter Building, while a bunch of Kree robots attack Soho. Ben is there, hoping to get them away from Alicia’s apartment.
The Future Foundation kids activate the teleporter, sending several floors of the Baxter Building to the moon. Spider-Man swings over the building to check on the kids, fighting the monsters as they try to open the building’s Negative Zone portal. He fights the monsters, who tell him the children died (!). He doesn’t manage to stop them all, and the portal opens.
Turn the page and… it’s Johnny, back from the dead! He’s wearing some sort of alien armor, and he has Annihilus in chains (!) kneeling at his feet. He asks Spider-Man, “Pete, what the heck are you wearing?”
To be continued!
But this is a big anniversary issue, so there’s backup stories. The first one takes us to Johnny’s supposed death, where he sealed himself inside the Negative Zone to keep Annihilus’ forces from getting through to Earth. He uses his all-powerful nova flame to thwart the army and subdue Annihilus, only for more of Annihilus’ forces to show up. Annihilus seemingly kills Johnny. Cut to months later, and Annihilus still can’t open the portal. He’s contacted by Reed, who demands Johnny’s body be returned to him. He threatens to use the Ultimate Nullifier to wipe out Annihilus. Annihilus says he’s doing all this because he wants to die, and that he’s sick of always being resurrected.
We see Johnny hallucinating as the aliens rebuild his body with weird biotech. Johnny is locked up in a jail with members of the Universal Inhumans’ Light Brigade, who had been brought to the Negative Zone by the all-knowing teleporter Eldrac. (Are you getting all this?) They’re being forced into gladiator games in Annihilus’ arena, and a few days later it’s Johnny’s turn. Johnny tries to attack Annihilus instead, only for Annihilus to kill and have him come back via the biotech. Johnny then watches as Annihilus makes a deal with one of the evil alternate universe Reeds who have been running around, who will open the portal for his own needs.
Johnny convinces the Light Brigade to help him steal Annihilus’ cosmic control rod, the source of his power. Then we catch up to the present, as Annihilus prepares to unleash the Annihilation Wave while the Kree attack New York. There’s a big fight, with Johnny again using his nova flame, until he and the Light Brigade subdue Annihilus. Johnny affixes the cosmic control rod to his arm, hence his new alien armor.
Backup story number three is set in Attilan. Medusa and Black Bolt meet in some sort of telepathic space where they can converse normally. Medusa doesn’t like the idea of Black Bolt having four other wives, but Black Bolt says it was the universe’s doing and not his choice. He talks about how things have changed, and he asks her to love him for who he is now and not who he once was. Medusa then makes peace with the other wives and calls them sisters.
In the next backup, we cut to the moon, where Reed arrives in a spacesuit to meet Galactus, just standing there in a big crater. Galactus has given Reed a device called the Arc, that can summon him when needed. Galactus wants to save the Earth because, he says, there is a “Galactus seed” on the planet. This is followed by a bunch of talk about Asgard and its connection to Earth via the “world tree” which must not be severed. Galactus gives a death-and-resurrection speech similar to the ones in the Johnny/Annihilus story. He tells Reed that the Galactus seed must not emerge and to use the Arc if needed. The story ends with him asking Reed, “Have you even noticed what your son has been doing?”
The final backup follows up on Galactus’ question, flashing back to Franklin meeting a future version of himself, and reigniting his mutant powers, creating his own “baby universe.” He hides the universe in his closet (!) during all the recent events. Then he and Leech open the closet door and they fall into a void. Inside the baby universe is an alternate version of NYC, where Franklin and Leech don superhero costumes as Hyperstorm and Kid Incredible. A mysterious figure, who appears to the Franklin of the future, encourages Franklin to do more with his power, and truly make the universe into anything he wants. “If you can make everything, you can make everything better,” the man says.
Unstable molecule: The Reed/Galactus backup story is ambiguous, but it once again shows that Reed is the only Earthling that Galactus respects enough to have a casual conversation with.
Fade out: Sue using Iron Man’s armor to make her force fields more powerful is interesting. It raises questions of whether she can use this tech for more uses in the future.
Clobberin’ time: Ben succeeds in spotting Alicia among the crowd in New York. He tells her to run while he fights off the Kree.
Flame on: I’m sure a lot of readers asked if this issue means Johnny is immortal now, with a Wolverine-like healing factor. We’ll have to see how this shakes out in future issues.
Fantastic fifth wheel: Although he’s defeated, Spider-Man puts up a good fight against the Annihilation Wave inside the Baxter Building before going down.
Namor is on hand, saying he will protect the city “for love.” He addressed that to Sue of course. Sue isn’t having it, but Namor says if they’re all about to die than he has nothing to lose.
While it’s often been theorized that Medusa speaks on behalf of Black Bolt via some sort of latent telepathy, this issue makes that text by having them converse in some s
Nathaniel Richards can address Kristoff like he does because the two have a history. Remember they were both alternate members of the team during the Tom DeFalco years.
Crystal seemed all-in on Kree business now that she’s married to Ronan the Accuser. But in this issue, when the Supreme Intelligence wants extinction of all life on Earth to get at Black Bolt, Crystal responds with, “No!”
She-Hulk helps Ben out during the fight against the ground forces. Her nickname for the Red Hulk is “Big Red.” Storm, Black Panther, and Luke Cage are also on hand during the battle.
Four and a half: Franklin’s create-pocket-universes powers are officially back, and he has considerable control over them this time.
Our gal Val: Valeria calls the shots during the attack on the Baxter Building, giving Bentley-23 the order on when to activate the teleporter.
Foundational: Alex Power uses his gravity-based powers to keep Annihilus’ monsters at bay. He suggests knocking Leech unconscious to short out Leech’s power-dampening abilities. But doesn’t Leech’s powers only work on mutants? And hasn’t Leech learned to control his power by now.
Trivia time: If the Kree robots seen during the fight seem kind of retro, it’s because they’re old school Lee/Kirby creations! They are the Kree Sentries, who made their debut in our very own Fantastic Four #64. They’ve shown up a bunch of times since then, as antagonists in the Annihilation and Empyre crossovers.
Fantastic or frightful? My apologies if this synopsis is a little confusing. As all the story threads and characters from the last dozen issues are now all crisscrossing, it’s hard to keep track of everyone. Each character is given only a few panels to move their part of the story along. The exception is Johnny, as his story is a lot of fun, another variation on the Gladiator and/or Planet Hulk formula.
Rewatching the Star Trek movies! Here’s The Final Frontier (1989) in all its broken glory. Shatner directs! Script disagreements galore! Paramount slashed the budget! Sybok! Row your boat! God needs a starship! The fan dance! This one has it all.
Here’s what happens: Kirk, Spock, and Bones are called in from vacation to the still-being-built Enterprise A following a hostage situation on a hostile desert planet. But the kidnapping is a ruse by Sybok, a Vulcan who’s very in touch with his emotional side. Sybok’s plan is to seize control of the Enterprise and take into the center of the galaxy on a search to find… God. Also, Sybok is Spock’s never-before-mentioned long-lost brother!
Captains courageous: Sybok has this telepathic power to take away everyone’s pain. Kirk refuses, asserting that he accepts his flaws and past mistakes, asserting “I need my pain!” In Trek, our innate humanity is what wins out over alien weirdness. Therefore, Kirk’s refusal to undergo Sybok’s treatment is what allows him to see through the B.S. at the movie’s climax and famously ask, “Why does God need a starship?”
Ol’ pointy ears: Spock’s whole life-death-rebirth journey across these films has been about accepting his emotional/human side in contrast with his hardline Vulcan/logical side. Now he’s put up against Sybok, who all the emotional side. Spock refuses to kill Sybok when Kirk orders him to, but then Spock sides with Kirk against Sybok throughout the rest of the film. Sybok departs the plot abruptly, leaving his and Spock’s issues forever unresolved.
Welcome aboard: Many fans over the years have been disappointed by how Star Trek V introduces a never-before-heard-of brother for Spock. But Trek continuity – including the original series’ “Journey to Babel,” the animated series’ “Yesteryear,” TNG’s “Sarek,” the 1994 novel “Sarek” by A.C. Crispin, and SNW’s “The Serene Squall” – is wildly inconsistent when describing or depicting Spock’s birth and childhood. Spock’s true origins, therefore, are unknowable.
Continuity café: In the TNG episode “Disaster,” a little girl says her favorite nursery rhyme is “The Laughing Vulcan and His Dog.” Writer Ronald D. Moore has said in multiple interviews that this was not a reference to Sybok, though it sure seems to be. The fan speculation and debates continue.
What you leave behind: At its best, Star Trek V has some real visual splendor and a fun, “Gee whiz, let’s go on an adventure!” feel to it. But then, the story is unfocused. The searching-for-God business isn’t well thought out. Sybok’s power to mesmerize people by taking away their pain is one gimmick too many. I don’t know. For as much as we all love Trek, there’s no denying the franchise has a camp element to it, so why not lean into the camp once in a while?
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Time to start breezing through the rest of Jonathan Hickman’s run multiple issues at a time, with FF #8-11. Fantastic Four’s “lost years” in the 1970s is where things got all confusing and impenetrable, and now we’re back there.
Picking up where we left off two long issues ago, there are four lost civilizations recently discovered that are causing tensions around the globe, and there are four evil alternate universe versions of Reed also running around creating trouble. After Johnny’s death (he’s not really dead) the Fantastic Four have rebranded as the Future Foundation, with Spider-Man and a bunch of young geniuses as new members.
Issue #8 begins with Black Bolt, his new five wives (!) and the floating city of Attilan attacking the High Evolutionary’s city. At the new Baxter Building, Sue confronts Nathaniel Richards about everything that’s happened, namely a bunch of the FF’s enemies being brought in as consultants – Diablo, the Mad Thinker, the Wizard, a bunch of A.I.M. scientists, and the High Evolutionary himself. With his time travel-y knowledge of the future, Nathaniel insists it must be done, and that he’s preparing for war.
Valeria and Bentley-23 scheme to escape the Baxter Building even though Valeria is grounded for bringing the four evil Reeds to Earth. Reed, Nathaniel, Spider-Man and all the villains infiltrate the High Evolutionary city while the Inhumans attack. Medusa and Lockjaw appear, teleporting Reed away from the scene, saying Black Bolt demands Reed’s presence. Dr. Doom, whom you’ll remember is now technically a member of the Future Foundation, confronts one of the evil Reeds. But before he can get information, Doom is attacked and betrayed by Diablo and the Wizard.
Issue #9 begins with Doom easily recovering from the attack and fighting back. Reed, Spidey, and Nathaniel meet with Black Bolt, who tells them to stand aside while he deals with the evil Reeds. The evil Reeds debate whether to shut down the evolutionary engine that powers the city while the Mole Man escapes. Then Maximus, Black Bolt’s evil brother, joins the fight in a huge battle mech. This turns the tide of the fight. The Inhumans win, capturing two of the evil Reeds.
There’s tension between Dr. Doom and the Inhumans. Doom refuses to join the others in Attilan after seeing a third evil Reed watching from a distance. This Reed has his universe’s version of the Infinity Gauntlet, which he uses to defeat and then enslave Doom. The fourth Reed escapes, but Black Bolt and Medusa insist he will be caught. To get Reed, Spidey, and Nathaniel back home, Medusa offers them Eldrac, a powerful teleporting door, which she says will take them wherever they need to go, which may or may not include time travel.
Issue #10 begins among the Kree, where Ronan the Accuser plans to attack the Inhumans and take Kree leadership back from the Inhumans. (Because there’s not enough characters and storylines happening at once, here’s another.) Ronan is married to Crystal at this time, remember, and she chooses to stay by his side rather than return to her family.
Eldrac returns Reed to the new Baxter Building where he catches up with Sue. Natheniel is teleported to Latveria, to meet with the evil Infinity Gauntlet Reed and the enslaved Dr. Doom. There are references to the “great game” from a few issues back, and Nathaniel says he’s there to help Doom, not the evil Reed. Then we catch up to Ben, still in mourning over Johnny. He’s been staying at Avengers Mansion. Spider-Man appears there courtesy of Eldrac. He tells Ben it’s time to come home. Ronan, Crystal, and the Kree arrive outside Attlian, ready for battle. Then Ben returns to the Baxter Building, bringing the Avengers along with him.
Issue #11 begins with the Future Foundation kids building a giant teleporter inside the Baxter Building in case of emergency. The Kree move on Attilan, attacking a prison and locating the two evil Reeds captured during the battle. Then we’re reunited with Anti-Priest and the Cult of the Negative Zone. They contact Annihilus with a new plan to reopen the Negative Zone portal by putting amplifiers in place around New York, surrounding the Baxter Building. That’s where Reed addresses the Avengers, apologizing for his past actions and hoping that they can succeed where the group of villain consultants did not. Reed and Captain America form a plan to deal with the Inhumans.
Ronan confronts the two evil Reeds. He does his thing, accusing them of crimes of arrogance. His hammer weapon opens up, revealing a Kree biological entity of some kind. It merges with the two Reeds, transforming into the Kree Supreme Intelligence, now alive once again. But now he has knowledge of the multiverse he didn’t before. He asks, “Where are my armies?” Then, as the FF and the Avengers gather on the Baxter Building’s roof, a Kree fleet appears in the sky over New York.
To be continued!
Unstable molecule: This is the usual character arc for Reed. He gets lost in his own head with all the big science stuff, and then comes around to realizing what’s important. Hence his acknowledging that working with the villains was a bad idea and calling in the Avengers instead.
Fade out: Sue sits out the battle because she’s still recovering from injuries from previous issues. We see her working in the Baxter Building’s garden to relax. Have we ever seen this garden room before?
Clobberin’ time: Ben enjoys “Jarvis burgers” while at Avengers mansion. He later jokes that he maintained his task of doing the dishes even when in mourning.
Fantastic fifth wheel: Alternate FF members among the Avengers are She-Hulk, Luke Cage, Namor (who officially joined the team during the Onslaught crossover), and Tigra (who was a member of the short-lived “Fantastic Seven” team in the ’70s).
Crystal has fully entered her villain era (era), as she’s all-in on the Kree conquests. Medusa is on hand throughout, speaking on behalf of Black Bolt. She seems perfectly okay with her husband having a bunch of other wives.
We get another look at the face of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot as the Baxter Building’s computer. This time, it’s identified as “H.E.R.B.I.E. Home System.” Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.
Four and a half: Franklin jokingly (or not?) gives himself the codename “Hyperstorm” while on lookout for the Future Foundation kids. Does he not remember that Hyperstorm was the deadliest threat in the FF history? Or could this be foreshadowing big things to come for Frankllin?
Our gal Val: Valeria “escapes” being grounded, only to have lunch with Bently-23 in the room with the Bridge, the teleporter that brought the four evil Reeds to Earth. Bently likes the bridge for its villain potential, while Valeria finds comfort there, saying it’s the safest room in the building.
Foundational: The Future Foundation kids’ plan is to create a teleporter powerful enough to zap multiple floors of the Baxter Building away to safety in case of emergency. The three Moloid kids discuss developing a sense of humor. Leech chooses “Kid Incredible” as his codename. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Trivia time: The Marvel Wiki insists that the Avengers team in this issue is a combination of multiple teams, the Avengers, the New Avengers, Avengers Academy, the Young Allies, and… the X-Men.
The Wiki also offers partial information on how the Supreme Intelligence comes back to life. Ronan’s hammer, the Universal Weapon, contained the Supremor Seed, the last remains of the Supreme Intelligence. The engine at the heart of the High Evolutionary’s city is what merged the seed with the two evil Reeds, bringing the Supreme Intelligence back to life. It’s as easy as that!
Fantastic or frightful? Comics are often criticized as being unforgiving for new readers, with hundreds of characters and plotlines all running at once. These issues are exactly that. Yes, there’s a big battle with a lot of action, but all the twists and turns, and the constant changes in location, and all the shifting alliances, it’s just too much. The handful of character moments we get are nicely done, and I really wish there was more of a balance between those all this plot, plot, and more plot.
Rewatching the Star Trek movies! After the life and death seriousness of the previous movie, it’s time for the franchise to let its hair down and have some fun in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Here’s what happens: Kirk and company return to Earth to face trial for stealing and then blowing up the Enterprise in the previous movie. Except a giant alien probe has made it to Earth first, threatening the entire planet if it doesn’t get an answer. Spock and Uhura are quick to deduce that humpback whales are the key to answering the probe’s call and saving the Earth. But all the humpbacks are extinct, so prepare for time warp…
Captains Courageous: In the previous movie, Kirk risked everything on a leap of faith to bring back Spock. This time, it’s another leap of faith. McCoy goes on quite a rant about how much of a longshot Kirk’s time travel plan is, but Kirk insists it’s the only way.
Ol’ pointy ears: We spent two movies with Spock having accepted his human half, which felt like genuine character development for him. But now he’s rebooted (so to speak) back to hard logic mode. It makes for some fun humor, but what is the character arc here? Spock is so single-minded at first that he can’t answer “How do you feel?” Later, when the mission is in trouble, Kirk calls Spock out his non-emotions, reminding Spock that he’s half-human and asking if he feels anything about that. This comes to a head during the trip back to the present (future?) where Spock must do the illogical thing and make a guess on how to get home. His humanity and imperfections are what save the day.
Welcome aboard: Catherine Hicks, as whale expert Gillian, is fun and flirty with Kirk. But I’m more interested in all the ancillary Starfleet characters seen at the opening of the movie. The great John Shuck hams it up as a blustery Klingon, Brock Peters is a commanding presence in his recurring role as Admiral Cartwright, plus we’ve got an unnamed Federation President, and an unnamed female starship captain years before Rachel Garrett and good ol’ Janeway. (What’s with all these unnamed characters in Trek’s supposedly rock-solid continuity?)
Continuity café: The movie doesn’t tell us what the probe is, where it came from. To get all that background, you had to read the follow-up novel, Star Trek: Probe (1992) by Margaret Wander Bonanno. I would go ahead and spoil it, but… I find the book unreadable. I’ve tried to get through it several times, but I never made it to the end. God Emperor of Dune was less obtuse.
What you leave behind: I like that the movie is light and funny (even if the circus music-style score is trying too hard to be wacky). But, like The Motion Picture, it makes you work to find the character arcs. This movie is beloved and considered a Trek classic, but I wonder if there could’ve been an even better version, that more successfully married its humorous side with its dramatic side.
Rewatching the Star Trek movies! While Spock’s death in the previous film is moving, everyone doubted he was really dead. Hence 1984’s The Search for Spock.
Here’s what happens: The Enterprise returns to a Federation space station following the events of the last film. But McCoy’s strange behavior and a message from Spock’s father has Kirk and the crew stealing their own ship to return to the Genesis planet to find what really became of Spock. A Klingon ship is also headed straight for Genesis, with murderous intent.
Captains courageous: There’s a great scene early on where the head of Starfleet denies permission for the Enterprise to return to Genesis, saying Kirk’s plan is based on nothing but Vulcan mysticism. Here we have the famously atheist Trek franchise going down a spiritual route. Everything Kirk does is based on faith – faith that Spock and McCoy can be saved, and faith that innate humanity can win out over the hard logic of the “needs of many vs. needs of few” thing.
Ol’ pointy ears: Does Spock have a character arc in this movie? Kinda. He spends most of the movie as a blank. He has returned as viewers predicted, so the suspense becomes in what way has he returned, and will he be the same? The movie’s final scene has Spock remembering who he is. Can we view this as a mirror to him accepting his human side in The Motion Picture, or am I reaching?
Welcome aboard: Christopher Lloyd hams it up delightfully as the evil Captain Kruge. But what is this bizarre scene at the beginning of the film where he confronts the mystery woman Valkris? She’s a Klingon agent delivering the Genesis info to him, and he kills her for looking at it without his permission. The dialogue suggests that the two may have been lovers, but the tie-in fiction disputes that, with a backstory about how they agreed to her death ahead of time, so that her dying with honor (does she?) will restore her family’s high status in the Klingon Empire.
Continuity café: McCoy goes to a bar aboard the starbase, and there’s a lot of fun alien/sci-fi gags. This includes an appearance by Tribbles. What to make of this? Does this mean Tribbles have been successfully domesticated by humans at this point, or are they about to overrun this station like they did in the classic series? Was this before or after the Klingons raided the Tribble homeworld and killed them all? Or are they not Tribbles at all, but the fake Tribbles you can buy at conventions? (Not that I’ve ever bought one…)
What you leave behind: Bringing someone back from the dead happens a lot in sci-fi/fantasy, because it’s something you can do there that you can’t do in, say, a romcom set in a small-town bookstore. I’ve been of the mind that if your story absolutely must bring a character back from the dead, it should be really hard. In this film, Kirk makes huge, life-changing sacrifices in pursuit of Spock. This speaks to the story’s theme of acting on faith. Good movie, lots to think on.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Here’s FF #7, the second half of an extended flashback that… Oh, I just can’t.
Recap: Two issues ago, the conflict between four recently-discovered lost civilizations was complicated by four evil versions of Reed from alternate universes, and then complicated further by the appearance of the flying Inhuman city of Attilan with Black Bolt on the throne. Then we got an entire issue of a flashback how Black Bolt recently died, another flashback about the Kree Supreme Intelligence learning that an Inhuman will be his eventual demise, and yet another flashback of Black Bolt returning to life.
This issue begins still in flashback, located “within the fault,” in deep space, where Black Bolt is under attack by tentacles (wa-hey!). This goes on for a bit until Black Bolt is rescued by the Inhumans’ teleporting dog Lockjaw. On the Kree homeworld of Hala, we’re reminded that the Inhumans recently took that throne, with Medusa ruling in Black Bolt’s place. The Kree all kneel in awe of Black Bolt’s strength and might.
Then there’s some politicking where a Kree regent argues against sending aid from the strong core planets to the weaker and impoverished planets on the fringes of Kree space, saying that this is simply not how the Kree operate. Black Bolt leaves Ronan the Accuser in charge to deal with this matter, as the Inhumans must return to Earth immediately. The Kree all argue against this, saying they gave Black Bolt rulership over the Kree for a reason. The regent asks him what changed and he actually speaks, saying, “I am awake!” His super-powered voice wreaks destruction in the throne room and killing the regent.
Medusa further explains that the Inhumans must leave because this is a summoning. She gives Crystal the option to join them or to stay with her new husband. She chooses to stay, revealing the husband is… Ronan the Accuser?!? Okay, then.
Cut to one thousand years earlier, when the Kree Supreme Intelligence is still freaking out over his own eventual death. He says he has come up with a stratagem to change his fate, and says that it will require something unexpected, a “Supremor seed.” This seed appears in the form of a glowing spikey thing, and it’s given to that era’s (era’s) accuser for protection.
Then we flash forward/flash back to one month earlier, cutting to the moon. Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family return to Attilan, where they meet the Universal Inhumans, made up of various aliens among these are four queens, from the Badoon, the Centaurians, the Kymellians, and even the Dire Wraiths. These four, along with Medusa, are the five brides mentioned in a prophecy in the previous issue. The captions tell us that the prophecy claims the chosen one has a voice that can shake entire worlds, and will speak one word, “War.”
To be continued?
Fantastic fifth wheel: Crystal and Ronan the Accuser are married?!? This was news to me. Turned out the blessed event happened in the Secret Invasion: Inhumans miniseries. The Inhumans allied themselves with Kree to help fight off the Skrulls. It seemed like an arranged marriage at the time, but by this issue Crystal shows some genuine affection for her new alien husband. This began Crystal’s new position as Inhuman ambassador to Earth, which the Marvel Wiki says still holds.
Medusa is able to interpret a lot of Black Bolt’s intent after seeing him just wave his hand. It’s established by now that the two of them are that in sync.
Trivia time: The names of some of Black Bolt’s new brides are familiar, or are they? The Centaurian is Oola Udonta, whom the Marvel Wiki says “may be” related to Yondu Udonta from Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Kymellian is Onomi Whitemane, with no note whatsoever whether she is related to Aelfyre Whitemane from Power Pack.
Fantastic or frightful? Everybody keeps telling me they love Jonathan Hickman’s take on this series, and that he’s one of the all-time best. But I just can’t with this guy. These last two issues have been unreadable, with the main story screeching to a halt for a two-month long info dump. A few weeks back, I praised Hickman for finally starting to tie a bunch of plot threads together, but I don’t feel that way anymore.
Rewatching the Star Trek movies! Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) is considered one of the high marks – if not the high mark – of the entire franchise. But what does it say about our characters?
Here’s what happens: When a Starfleet ship accidentally discovers the villain Khan (from the original series), events are set in motion where Khan seeks vengeance against Kirk by weaponizing a miraculous new technology.
Captains courageous: Kirk is still an admiral, back on Earth, where he’s teaching a group of trainees. His crew and the trainees board the Enterprise for a three-week inspection (how does that work?) This business of training recruits has Kirk reckoning with getting older and wondering if his good days are behind him. Spock is on hand to remind him that the captain’s chair is where Kirk is meant to be.
Ol’ pointy ears: Spock spent the last movie accepting his half-human emotional side as part of himself. By now he’s circled back around to full-on logic, introducing the “needs of few vs. needs of many” theme that will carry this through the next two movies. But then, the finale of the movie is about Spock making a sacrifice that goes against the “few vs. many” logic. This makes him – dare I say it – human.
Welcome aboard: All the fan blogs love to point out that new character Lt. Saavik is not just Vulcan, but part Vulcan/part Romulan. The movie doesn’t say this, however. I did a little reading, and allegedly Saavik was created as a new version of Spock for the never-made Star Trek II TV series of the mid-70s. Her Romulan background was written out of Wrath of Khan, apparently because it was an unnecessary detail that didn’t add much to the character. Follow-up novels and comics did more with Saavik, and there’s where her Romulan-ness was made canon.
Continuity café: To get this story to work, a number of details from the original series’ Space Seed have been rewritten and/or ignored. Most fans shrug this stuff off as either the passage of time or extrapolating by filling in gaps unseen in the old episode. Imagine that – Trek fans actually suspending their disbelief for once.
WTF is this?
What you leave behind: What can I say about this movie that hasn’t been said. It’s big, bold entertainment, one that’s enjoyed by both Trek hardcores and casual viewers alike. As far as character development goes, it’s more of a reset after The Motion Picture rather than a continuation. But that’s okay, because this one establishes key themes for the characters moving forward.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Is Black Bolt your favorite Marvel character? He’d better be, because FF #5 all about him.
Recap: Four evil alternate universe versions of Reed, of the interdimensional Council of Reeds, are running around on Earth, plotting to bring about war between four recently-discovered lost civilizations. As the Reeds enact their plan in an underground city – one of the four – Attilan, home city of the Inhumans, appeared in the sky over Earth, with an angry Black Bolt sitting on the throne.
The issue begins with yet another recap of what the Inhumans have been up to lately, which has been a lot. In the War of Kings crossover, Black Bolt took over the Kree empire only to die in battle against Vulcan, ruler of the alien Shi’ar empire. A space-time bomb had gone off, and Black Bolt was believed dead in the explosion. Cut to “weeks ago,” where Medusa is ruling the Kree in Black Bolt’s place. Crystal spies on the proceedings from the sidelines, telling the teleporting dog Lockjaw to keep on eye on things. An unnamed Kree scholar tells Ronan the Accuser (yes, he’s here as well) that it’s time to “release the seed.”
Just as we’re starting to follow this plot, we then cut again to “thousands of years ago,” on the Kree home world of Hala. Two scientists meet with the Kree Supreme Intelligence. The scientists have experimented with “metagenesis” allowing them to create a weapon from any living being (!). The Supreme Intelligence uploads the data into itself, with a lot of talk about “cosmic awareness” and “genetic prophecy.” One of the scientists says there are thousands of minds of geniuses contained in the upload, but one lone voice speaking on behalf of religion is an outlier called the “divine chimera.” This is the individual who will eventually be the downfall of the Supreme Intelligence. He has a symbol, which looks like Black Bolt’s famous antenna.
As the upload nears completion, the Supreme Intelligence orders the scientists killed, which that era’s (era’s) accuser does. The Supreme Intelligence orders a “cleansing,” after which we see the Kree accusers travelling from planet to planet, ordering huge slaughters to prevent this “chimera” from being born. The caption states that “five and one” survived – five queens for one king. This is a reference to Black Bolts queens from alternate universes who saw him die in War of Kings.
On the final page, we see Black Bolt emerge from space-time, still alive, with the caption stating that “fate cannot be avoided.”
To be continued!
Fantastic fifth wheel: Medusa is negotiating among the blue-skinned Kree and the other breeds of Kree, acknowledging (somewhat uncomfortably) all the different types of Kree there are.
It’s fun to see Crystal cast in a sneaky spy-like role, operating in the shadows.
Trivia time: This issue is setting up the big rematch between Black Bolt and the Kree Supreme Intelligence, right? Wrong! The Supreme Intelligence was killed by Wraith in the Annihilation: Conquest miniseries. Black Bolt’s return will go down a different route.
Fantastic or frightful? Heaven help any comic book fans who picked up this issue hoping for “It’s clobberin’ time” and instead getting this stuff. And yes, fans love far-out cosmic Marvel, but this issue is a far cry from the likes of Jim Starlin. Instead, it’s the first of two issues explaining how Black Bolt came back from the dead, and all in flashback with the main FF story on the backburner. Everybody loves Jonathan Hickman’s run on FF, but after reading this, all I can do is ask, “Why?”
macmcentire 