To Boldly Go Where Everyone Has Gone Before

Sports Night: “Ordinance Tactics”

Date: March 9, 2021

Season 1, Episode 20

Music Video of the Day: Happy 9th Day of Women’s History Month.

This all-female band really rocks it out.

Interstellar News: Tonight we continued our Star Wars marathon with Rogue One, so no Trek was watched tonight.

Favorite Quote:

Dana: We’re in charge. We’re women in charge. And we’re keeping it together. That’s what we do.
Casey: That’s what you do.
Dana: That’s right.
Casey: Well we’re men, we’re petrified. That’s what we do.
Dana and Natalie explaining to Casey and Dan why they aren’t losing their minds.

Adam West's Batman holding a bomb — *“Hey you’re afraid of fish, okay? I’m afraid of dying in a hail of shrapnel, who’s crazier?”*

“I just wanted to say that if anything terrible ever had to happen to one of us, I’d want it to be you.”: This episode always reminds me of my three years at Colonia Middle school. Every year, from 6th – 8th grade, we had a bomb scare. Every year we were fine, even the one where they found a pipe bomb a kid was making because he thought it would be cool to get out of school for a few weeks or more. I was never scared because I trusted the dogs and the bomb squad and the adults to keep me and my friends safe. Dana and the rest of the staff go right back to their jobs and understand the sense of urgency while Dan and Casey have their first dose of reality and then come to realize it wasn’t even about them but someone else in the building who was offensive to someone else. Dana is also dealing with Isaac being gone and having to do extra work, to delegate some to Sally because reasons, and Natalie who is still dealing with Jeremy trying to break up with her. This is not the best episode ever, but it’s certainly one that shows how to keep going when it feels like the world is falling apart.

TA Out!

VOY: “Child’s Play”

Child's Play movie poster (with Chuckie)

Date: March 8, 2021

Season 6, Episode 19

Music Video of the Day: Happy 8th Day of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

Yes, there’s this song, but the entire “Jagged Little Pill” album is boss. I owned it on cassette, and yes I’m dating myself.

Interstellar News: Today was a beautiful day out, which means we got to take Professor Zoom for a much longer walk than usual. I also got to deliver cookies to a friend for their birthday and had a wonderful video chat with a dear and beloved friend.

TL;DR: Icheb’s family is found and Seven has trouble letting him go. Icheb eventually decides to stay with his family, but Seven and Janeway realize there are some inconsistencies with the family’s story and head back to investigate. Icheb was genetically engineered to be the pathogen for the Borg and they’ve sent him back out to be assimilated again. Voyager rescues him, damages a Borg sphere, and skedaddle off home with Icheb in tow once again.

Favorite Quote:

Janeway: You could have done it with a little more tact.
Seven of Nine: Perhaps, but that doesn’t alter the fact that those individuals may not be suitable guardians.
Janeway: Those individuals are his mother and father.
Seven of Nine: Which is no guarantee that they’ll be able to care for him.
Seven pointing out that it’s not genetics that make a “good” or “capable” parent.

Leelo and Stitch: "this is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little and broken, but still good." — EMH: Oh, I should have known. You’ve got butterflies in there.
Icheb: I never assimilated butterflies.

“With all their technology, their opportunity to explore the galaxy, the thing they want most is to get home.”: This is a direct follow-up to “Collective“, though this time we find out Icheb was the delivery method all along. I love the science fair and it’s also great for Naomi that there are more young people on board. This is a decent vehicle for Seven to deal with some of her emotions and to show how she has developed over the past few years. I was also really shocked by the twist that Icheb was a weapon and he was genetically engineered, though looking back all of the signs were there. I will say I did like the father over time. At their first meal he encouraged Icheb to try it because his mother spent a great deal of time making it just for him. On the planet while watching the stars he also pointed out all of the good qualities of Voyager, and he truly seemed genuine. He was also the one arguing against using Icheb as a weapon again, even though he eventually reneged. Not sure how to rate this one, so I’m going with 5 supporting characters from Justice League since that’s all over the news today.

TA Out!

Sports Night: “Eli’s Coming”

Date: March 7, 2021

Season 1, Episode 19

Music Video of the Day: Happy 7th Day of Women’s History Month!

Lead singer and pianist Karen has such an amazing voice and brings real emotion to this song.

Interstellar News: I did all six loads of laundry yesterday! Today was another productive day where I did many things, including making cookies and cooking a yummy dinner. Also, happy birthday to a dear friend of mine who will probably never read this but I wanted to mention it anyway.

Favorite Quote:

Dan: What a jerk I was.
Bobbi: To who?
Dan: To you. I should have called you. If my not calling you made you feel like any less that what you are… I’m sorry.
Bobbi: Thank you.
Dan finally realizing how awful he was and doing the absolutely most appropriate thing.

“Well, later, when there’s time, I’ll see if I can let you off the hook. Right now there isn’t time to let you off the hook. Right now there’s our show. You’ll let me know if something more important comes along, right?”: This episode follows up on “Small Town” and “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” in all the right ways. Bobbi provides photo evidence of her and Dan’s night together, which allows several things to click for him. He was in Spain, he knew her as Roberta, and she looks much different now than when he first met her. He immediately realizes he was an idiot and apologizes and they get back to work. This on top of how wonderful he decides to be to Rebecca after finding out she’s only separated and not actually divorced shows how his character is learning and becoming more mature. It’s been a slow burn but I absolutely love it.

March Madness in a basketball with a bracket behind it — “Don’t forget, tomorrow’s a big day as March Madness heads into the ronde de seize. You can join us starting at three o’clock when Dan and I’ll begin our continuing coverage of the Sweet 16.”

Casey refuses to let Dana off the hook for dumping the show and you can tell their relationship is going through a bit of strain until she explains that Isaac had a stroke and he’s immediately in triage mode. His anger can’t take precedence over whatever Isaac is going through, and Casey plays it well. The feelings Casey and Dan have about March Madness will be how Dana feels about Draft Day in an upcoming episode, if I recall correctly, and the way Dana feels about the “Welcome Back” banner might come into play when Isaac returns… but it’s been a hot minute since I’ve watched Sports Night so we shall see in future episodes. An absolutely powerful episode about how the world can’t always stop when you receive bad news, sometimes you have to go on national television and report the news.

TA Out!

Sports Night: “The Sword of Orion”

The Sword of Orion yacht with some men sitting on it (black and white image)

Date: March 6, 2021

Season 1, Episode 18

Music Video of the Day: Happy 6th Day of Women’s History Month!

theSTART featuring women on both vocals and at the drums!

Interstellar News: Today’s goal is to complete six loads of laundry. I’m off to a good start as I didn’t forget about the first load. After that, our dryer will make an absolutely obnoxious noise when it’s done.

Favorite Quote:

Dan: Maybe he’s just busy.
Natalie: Yeah.
Casey: Maybe he met another woman and forgot all about you.
Natalie: Maybe I’ll jam a number-2 pencil up your nose.
Casey: Maybe he’s just busy.
Natalie: Maybe that’s right.
Natalie showing the boys who is really in charge when Casey tries to rib her.

” I’m gonna tear it down! For I am Dan: Doer of Good Things Where Women are Concerned.”: I love the opening scene where Casey shows off that he knows four different languages and then Dan totally forgets that English is a language, it’s a totally classic “Casey and Dan” conversation. Dan is also absolutely obsessed with Orlando Rojas and he wants to share it with Rebecca so much. I do love that she eventually let her walls down to let him in and to allow him to share this thing he’s so passionate about with her.

On the opposite end, Jeremy is hurting from his parent’s divorce. He tries to break up with Natalie but she knows he needs her and is not in a place to be making decisions. He throws himself into a work project on a yacht that went off course about 10 years ago because if he can understand how this happened, maybe he can understand why his father was cheating on his mother for 27 years with some woman he’s never met.

Thanos holding a marker sword "me in 4th grade showing my friends my marker sword" — It wasn’t *that* kind of sward… jeeze.

There’s so much good going on this episode, as both Rebecca and Jeremy are going through some emotional stuff and it’s Dan and Natalie that help them through it. Maybe their overly persistent ways are not the best, but they work in this fictional TV setting and within the dynamic of each relationship. Everyone responds to trauma differently, every relationship is different, and the same techniques don’t work the same way on everyone each time. Be kind to yourself and others, give space when it’s needed or asked for, and remember that time doesn’t heal all but it sure helps.

TA Out!

VOY: “Ashes to Ashes”

A priest giving the eulogy for Porky Pig, there are a lot of bad puns.

Date: March 5, 2021

Season 6, Episode 18

Music Video of the Day: Happy 5th Day of Women’s History Month!

“I don’t need forever after, but it’s your laughter won’t let me go / So I’m holding on this way.”

Interstellar News: Another beautiful day, another great walk, and another long day.

TL;DR: Ensign Lyndsay Ballard, who died three years ago, is back in the form of a Kobali woman. The Kobali reproduce by reanimating the dead and filling them with new memories, but Ballard had to return home. The EMH helps her to look more like herself and she and Kim have a brief romance, as he’s always been crazy about her since their Academy days. Seven is having a hard time with the Borg children, but eventually she takes some of Chakotay’s advice. Ballard eventually decides to go back with her “father” and stick it out in her new life as it’s too confusing to be back on Voyager. She and Kim kiss goodbye and then Mezoti helps cheer Kim up… even though it’s a bit creepy.

Favorite Quote:

Tuvok: Mezoti, you are not authorized to be in here.
Mezoti: Are you going to report me to the captain?
Tuvok: Considering this is your first offense, a warning will suffice.
Tuvok being lenient with the Borg children.

A Catholic guide to ashes (with various kinds like the blob, the hindu, the mini, etc.) — It was just Ash Wednesday, so this is totally appropriate. There is also an “extended edition”.

“Fun will now commence.”: I want to start with the good of this episode, and that’s Seven trying to be a guardian to the Borg kids. She takes a logical and collective-based approach, which totally doesn’t work on adolescents. She tries to schedule everything, including fun, which is something that has to happen organically. Eventually she drops her stern behavior just a smidge, but I do love how she builds a rapport with Mezoti first. Another good thing this episode does is sell the love story in a hour thing, as I’m totally buying that Kim was in love with Ballard but decided to stop when they were both assigned to Voyager. I love how he tells her “I just want you to be happy” and he really means it. What I don’t like is how everyone in engineering looks at Ballard like she’s a monster for speaking in another language, that can’t be the first time that’s happened on a ship with ALIENS for crying out loud. I am also super aghast about the ending, because Kim and Mezoti walking off hand in hand is all kinds of super creepy and not at all endearing. That brings this episode to a Number 4 combo off your second favorite fast food chain.

TA Out!