A Tale of Two Captains

Date: May 5, 2021

Music Video of the Day: In fitting with the “captain” theme…

Interstellar News: Happy belated “May the 4th be with you” (and also with you) and Happy Cinco de Mayo. Tuesday night was movie night and the continuation of our chronological MCU movie marathon. Since it was Captain Marvel, it inspired me to discuss both it and Captain America: The First Avenger.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

“I finally get everything I wanted, and I’m wearing tights.” I completely adore this movie, and more so now that I’ve watched it a few times. Steve starts out as this scrawny kid from Brooklyn (I know, not really in the comics) who just wants to be useful and he goes from “zero to hero” thanks to Dr. Erskine. Every single time that Steve throws himself on top of the grenade gives me goosebumps. Stanley Tucci is amazing as Erskine and I cry every time he dies, even though I know it’s coming. Unfortunately Erskine’s demise causes Steve to become nothing more than a pretty face until he’s able to free the men who were captured and bring them back. Bucky has the best lines when Steve rescues him (“I thought you were smaller“, “Is this permanent?“) and just has so much admiration for his best friend. I mean he’s out of his mind on drugs and was probably tortured and he’s asking Steve all these questions… it’s wonderful.

Steve Rogers, showing us that he can “do this all day” and has for quite some time.

When Bucky “dies”, I’m an absolute mess because Steve doesn’t know what he’s become. Having just finished The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I know it will get better for them both… but that’s a whole long way away and they both go through so much in the intervening 70 years. Peggy is amazingly bad ass and I can’t wait to start watching Agent Carter since I haven’t gotten around to it before. She holds her own and isn’t just there to kiss Steve. I absolutely lost it when she shot his soon-to-be shield made of vibranium, it’s just such a boss move. Tommy Lee Jones is crotchety old man goals (“I’m not kissing you“), Red Skull is absolutely nutty, Howard Stark gives us a good picture of where Tony comes from (“Fondue is just cheese and bread, my friend“), and Dr. Zola totally comes across as the guy who plays for whoever is winning (“Hail Hydra“). When Cap needs to put the ship in the water and he and Peggy say goodbye, I also cry like a baby, and totally love how bummed he is about missing his date when he’s woken up by Fury.

Some things I found interesting in light of all I know now…

  • Red Skull says he’s seen the future and there are no flags. Almost 80 years later, enter the Flag Smashers.
  • When Red Skull bare-hands the Tesseract, we see he kinda goes off into space… which foreshadows him heading to Vormir.
  • Phillips tells Steve that he’s “not enough”, but then Steve goes off on his lonesome and rescues ALL THE PEOPLE.
  • This gem from Howard Stark: “The moment you think you know what’s going on in a woman’s head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked.”
  • Erskine almost forgetting Rogers is having a procedure the next day, never getting to share the schnapps with each other, and then Rogers not being able to get drunk is too much irony for one movie.
  • Dugan, Morita, Falsworth, and the rest of the team are just wonderful.
  • Finally this gem from Bucky: “Oh, you’re from Paramus now? You know it’s illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?”

Captain Marvel (2019)

“I’m kind of done with you telling me what I can’t do. I have nothing to prove to you.” This is may be the second or third time I’ve watched this movie, and it does get better with every viewing. It’s a total love letter to the 90’s, from the wardrobe to the soundtrack, and I dig it completely. I grew up in the 90’s and this movie makes me nostalgic but also shows me how far we’ve come. Women can do more things, like fly in combat, and technology has come SO MUCH further. It’s a story about discovery, about always getting up (hmmmm, someone else who doesn’t know when to quit), and about knowing who you can trust. I love that we get more backstory on Fury(“You know anything about a lady blowing up a Blockbuster? Witnesses say she was dressed for laser tag.”), we get to see baby Agent Coulson (“You think you can find others like her?“), Maria Rambeau (“And you were the most powerful person I knew, way before you could shoot fire through your fists.”) gets to be a bad ass mom to Monica (“I just think you should consider what kind of example you’re setting for your daughter.”), and we find out the truth about the Skrull/Kree war.

goose the flerken
“Species: Flerken. Threat: High.”
“It’s a cat, not Hannibal Lecter.”

Danvers and Fury have such an amazing chemistry while working together, and it’s clear that Yon-Rogg is the bad guy much earlier than she realizes. I love Talos and how creeped out he is by Goose, who turns out to be not so pretty of a kitty after all but completely steals the show in every scene he’s in. The Fonz lunchbox, the Nirvana t-shirt, and the Blockbuster all bring me such joy. The biggest downer is when the movie opens with the tribute to Stan Lee, though his rehearsing lines for Mallrats helps balance things out… knowing he lives on in our hearts and minds. I may not love Captain Marvel as a character or as a movie more than Captain America, but she is a strong female role model who takes a different approach to making a difference. This movie helps fill in some of the gaps, like what happened to Fury’s eye and how the Avengers initiative got started, and also helps set up Endgame. One thing that bugs me is they use the S.H.I.E.L.D acronym here but not in Iron Man, which supposedly happens later. The Kree may be boring to me and Ronan the Accuser is totally lackluster because he’s just there to get his ass kicked, but it’s still a fun movie with lots of awesome action scenes and shapeshifting.

I’ll likely do more posts like this for the Iron Man movies and whatever else comes along when I have a gap in watching Star Trek and Sports Night.

TA Out!

VOY: Season 7 “Imperfection”

Date: May 3, 2021

Season 7, Episode 2

Music Video of the Day:

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week…

Interstellar News: Today was a very hectic Monday where I didn’t get everything done, but I got a lot done.

TL;DR: Rebi and Azan, the Borg twins, are going off to live with their own people and are taking Mezoti in, while Icheb has chosen to stay on Voyager. Seven’s cortical implant begins to fail and one from a dead drone won’t help. Icheb researches a method that will work, Seven doesn’t want his help, he donates his implant anyway, and everyone lives.

Favorite Quote:

EMH: Seven, if you’re having problems, you need to let me know.

Seven of Nine: If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll be more forthcoming in the future.

EMH: You’re all heart.

The way the EMH delivers this line is beaming with sarcasm.
Frankenstein's monster says he's an organ recipient instead of a donor
Icheb: “If the Captain were dying, you’d risk your life to save her, wouldn’t you? And when you respond to a distress call, you’re risking the life of everyone on this ship to respond to the aid of strangers.” Janeway: “He’s right.” Seven: “Captain, he’s just a child.” Janeway : “I don’t think he is. Not anymore.”

“What I want is to be useful.”: This is the organ donation episode. Much like “Journey to Babel” when Sarek needed blood from Spock and “The Enemy” when Worf was asked to donate blood, but this time it was a vital piece of anatomy. Janeway obviously has a blind spot when it comes to Seven, but thankfully Chakotay was able to talk her into taking Paris and Tuvok with her to the disabled Borg ship. I also loved that Torres and Seven have a wonderful moment in engineering, which was a great bonding moment between two people who are generally pains in the ass when it comes to medical treatment. While Icheb doesn’t take no for an answer, he makes a great point to Seven about accepting help and putting life at risk. This was a cute little episode that gives happy endings to all of the Borg children, especially Icheb who can’t wait to get into Starfleet. My favorite part of the episode is when Neelix is trying to help Seven get her mind off things and he and the EMH do a wonderful job employing reverse psychology to get her to stop working and play kadis-kot. 6 red tiles, because I prefer red over green no matter what Seven of Nine thinks.

TA Out!

Sports Night: Season 2, Episodes 7, 8, and 9

Date: May 2, 2021

Season 2, Episodes 7, 8, and 9

Music Video of the Day:

“A month goes by / I barely hear your voice / I tried to give you space / I tried to be alone /Then I stopped“

Interstellar News: This morning I watched Lilo & Stitch, which I have not seen in AGES. I saw a friend for lunch, ran some errands, made dinner, and then watched Disney’s Robin Hood… which I also hadn’t seen in a few years and is one of my favorite renditions.

Episode 7 – “Kyle Whitaker’s Got Two Sacks”

Tina Locke looks at Dan
Tina: “Are you okay?” Dan: “Not even close.”

“You’re fired. I’m firing you. Tell J.J. I’m the one who did it.”: Dan is still in therapy, Jeremy has an intern issue (it’s J.J.’s cousin), and Dana’s brother is part of a steroid scandal. This is such a wonderful episode. Dan is trying so hard, but he’s in the early stages of therapy where you usually feel worse before you feel better and it’s awful because you don’t feel like you’re making progress. Jeremy is trying to be the go-between the network and the show, but we see that Natalie is his tipping point. It’s a very Jeremy thing to do. Dana’s story, though, takes the cake. She is so totally stoked to get an exclusive and then absolutely crushed that her brother, whom she was so fucking proud of earlier that day, is on the list. More on that in the next episode.

Episode 8 – “The Reunion”

Kyle Whittaker
” I’m not done being your big sister yet, and it seems to me that these are the moments that big sisters get paid for, so, what do you say I be the one person in your life that isn’t pissed at you right now?

” I once thought being a field-goal kicker looked easy ’til 11 guys running after me demonstrated why I should never try it again.”: Dana’s brother, Kyle, comes to visit, Natalie asks Dan to watch her audition tape, the team tries to figure out the “athlete of the century”, and it’s Christmas time so there’s a Secret Santa thing happening in the office. Casey is absolutely adorable trying to get Isaac the very best gift and completely misses the point, while Natalie is very upfront about what Casey is going to get if he doesn’t give her a clue. Dan lies to Natalie at first and then realizes he needs to be honest with her, and I absolutely love that moment they have. Natalie accepts the criticism but also berates Dan for lying to her in the first place. They don’t come anywhere close on the athlete list, and that bit feels a lot like filler though it’s excellent Jeremy material. My favorite part, again, is Dana. Casey gives her advice she eventually takes, and she gives her brother the best present by being the one person who isn’t mad at him and just loves him unconditionally. It’s a wonderful big sister move and he visibly relaxes when she stops yelling at him.

Episode 9 – “A Girl Named Pixley”

Pixley Robinson
Casey: “You understand the next time you see me, I’ll have already gone on the date.”
Dana: “I do grasp the time-space continuum, yes.”

“Once again, it’s not the sport of kings. Horse racing is the sport of kings.”: Casey goes out on his first date as part of the “dating plan”, Jeremy is nominated for an award, and the show for the next night is terribly short. There’s a lot of time spent on Dan trying to come up with ideas to fill the show, Jeremy finds out he didn’t win the award but Sally Sasser did, and Casey goes on his date that ends just about as awfully as you would expect. This one is okay, but it’s more of a set up for how terrible the dating plan truly is. The best part is Jeremy thinking about his award and then accepting his defeat graciously. There are some great lines, as always, but it’s not too stand out of an episode.

TA Out!

VOY: “Unimatrix Zero: Parts 1 & 2”

Date: May 1, 2021

Season 6, Episode 26 and Season 7, Episode 1

Music Video of the Day:

You’ve all seen the meme… Happy May!

Interstellar News: Two posts in a row? Has she gone mad? No – I’ve just finally gotten to the end of the semester!

TL;DR: The Borg Queen identifies drones that have a “disease”, but it’s really a recessive mutation that allows them to be individuals when they are regenerating. Paris is reinstated as a Lieutenant and Seven is brought to “Unimatrix Zero” where the drones who are individuals request her and Voyager‘s help. They help by having Tuvok, Torres, and Janeway become assimilated, though able to retain their individuality. Axum reveals Seven and he were together for six years while Janeway gets the better of the Borg Queen. Although Unimatrix Zero has to be destroyed, Seven and Axum hope to see each other again.

Favorite Quotes:

Seven of Nine: My appearance is irrelevant.

Axum: No, it’s not. They may have turned us into drones, but they can’t change the essence of who we are.

Axum dropping hot truth bombs when your appearance has been changed against your will.
Tuvok mindmelds Janeway and Seven so she can chat with the Borg
EMH: “Watching and doing are two different things.”
Tuvok: “As always, your logic is impeccable.”

Chakotay: Lieutenant. A First Officer could get in a lot of trouble for talking to his captain that way.

Paris: Well, I’ve learned from the best.

Paris is acting first officer and ribbing Chakotay.

“It’s my understanding that when we receive a distress call, we respond. Starfleet protocols.”: Part 1 is a great setup and leaves you with the same feeling as when Picard was assimilated in “The Best of Both Worlds“. You want to find out if this was all part of the plan, if something went wrong, and what is going to happen next. You can tell there is/was something between Axum and Seven, and it’s sort of wonderful to know she embraced being Annika for a time. I was saddened, however, to see the Delta Flyer destroyed. I’ve lost count how many shuttles have now been put out to pasture in the DQ. The Borg Queen gets a lesson in debugging as she finds one problem, thinks she has solved it, and several others pop up. Whoops.

Tuvok and Torres as drones
Janeway: “Sorry, we didn’t think to develop an antidote.”

“I don’t compromise with Borg.”: Part 2 is where Janeway has decided she’s had enough of the Borg’s bullshit. Way back in “Scorpion” she needed to bargain with them to make it home, but there’s no more Captain Nice-pants left after a few more years stuck in the DQ. I love that it’s Tuvok who loses control, because we never see him like that. I also really loved seeing Paris worried about Torres, but his arrogance is still there and it’s not completely out of a place of love and worry. It’s wonderful when the Klingon drone, Korok, comes to help out Voyager and do battle once again… even if he was a bit of a dick inside Unimatrix Zero. The one bit I don’t like here is how many drones, who used to be and still are people, were killed while Janeway was not negotiating with the Borg Queen. It’s a huge loss of life and it needed some acknowledgement. I also don’t quite buy Seven all-of-a-sudden wanting to be with Axum, but I am glad she’s engaging with her humanity a bit.

As a season finale, season opener two-parter, this was far better than “Equinox” but still had its issues. I give them a combined score of 8.23, just to mess with the Borg Queen. This also means I AM ON THE LAST SEASON OF Voyager, finally!

TA Out!

VOY: “The Haunting of Deck Twelve”

Date: April 30, 2021

Season 6, Episode 25

Music Video of the Day:

Missing you always, my friend. Until we meet again, I love you.

Interstellar News: As we’re gluttons for punishment, we’ve started an MCU marathon. Disney+ Watch Parties are an awesome way to stay connected when we can’t be together. Tonight was Captain America: The First Avenger and it was brilliant.

TL;DR: Seven asks Neelix to take care of the Borg kids while the ship needs to shut down as they enter a strange nebula. To keep them entertained, Neelix tells them a “ghost story” about what happened last time they went through a similar nebula. The children are gripped but then believe Neelix lied to them to keep them occupied. Neelix checks in with Janeway who tells him their stowaway found its way back home, showing the viewers that at least part of the story was true.

Favorite Quote:

Neelix: All right. Gather round. But I’m warning you, this is not a tale for the faint of heart.

Mezoti: We’re not faint of heart.

Icheb: Our cardiopulmonary systems are reinforced.

Mezoti: So don’t leave anything out.

Neelix: All right. But remember, I warned you.

The Borg children not understanding the expression in the most adorable way possible
The Borg children around a light as Neelix tells the story
“Snacks are irrelevant. Continue the story.”
ummm, said no Italian ever.

“Fear distracts people from accomplishing their goals.”: I love that this was told as a ghost story, because you get to see it through the eyes of the Borg kids and it’s delightful. We don’t know how much is true and how much Neelix embellished, and I kind of like that. I also absolutely love Janeway “talking” to the ship and playing the biggest, ballsiest game of chicken ever. She always tries to communicate with new lifeforms, explore the galaxy, and protect her crew along the way. Neelix is a wonderful storyteller and he really is good with children. The actual story he tells reminds me a bit of “Twisted” when everyone kept getting lost until we realize something is IN the computer. I love that Chakotay shoots the computer, Neelix is a bundle of nerves, Tuvok continues to be calm and collected, and Kim tries to be the voice of reason. This was a fun episode, even if the crew almost had to abandon ship forever and Janeway almost died. 7 shields for Captain America… I mean, wrong movie.

TA Out!