Healer Trek

Monday, May 19, 2014

Character Insight No. 97: Sybok

(How could you not trust a face like that?)

Sybok is the son of Sarek and a Vulcan priestess, making him a half brother to Spock. He is a revolutionary in Vulcan culture, seeking experience and knowledge which were forbidden under that culture. Not surprisingly, that allows Sybok to be taken in by the God of Sha Ka Ree, a powerful entity which serves as the true top villain in this film.

Sybok actually follows a somewhat similar path as Spock of the Abrams timeline, in that he embraces his emotional side in an attempt to find better self-knowledge. He was banished for trying to recruit others to follow him in this manner, while Spock chooses his own path through Starfleet Academy, a move perhaps dictated by emotion from his human side rather than pure logic of his Vulcan blood.

Returning to Sybok, he provided a type of therapy to people by asking them to share their pain and then helping them overcome old regrets from long-buried trauma.

(Quote of the Week)
"Share your pain. Share your pain with me - and gain strength from the sharing."

These people typically then would become loyal followers to Sybok, which allowed him to amass an army which called itself the Galactic Army of Light. This group helped him kidnap three ambassadors in an effort to get a starship.

"What does God need with a starship?"

Although he does succeed in getting Spock's ship the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy, he doesn't realize he has been duped by the malevolent entity acting as the God of Sha Ka Ree until it is too late to do anything but sacrifice himself to stop the God. So unlike most villains, Sybok may end up redeemed in the end by saving Kirk, Bones, his brother, and the Enterprise.

The role was initially written for Sean Connery, and it would have been interesting to see the differences he would have brought to the role, even under William Shatner's directorship. Sybok ends up relatively low on this list because he turns out to be good, or merely misguided, in the end, which is not very villainous. Furthermore, kidnapping some ambassadors and trying to steal a starship in a search for a higher power is more understandable than some of the atrocities other trek villains have performed over the years.

With James bond not available, Laurence Luckinbill plays Sybok. Luckinbill has not acted regularly since the early 1990's, making Sybok one of his last roles. He also appears on Murder She Wrote, Law and Order, and the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Monday, May 12, 2014

Character Insight No. 96: Jack Crusher

(Ahh, the holodeck...)

Jack Crusher is the former husband of Dr. Beverly Crusher, and the father of Wesley. He is one of the only characters along with Moriarty to show up in multiple episodes, yet only as a flashback, vision, or hologram rather than a living character.

Crusher served aboard the Stargazer with Captain Picard during his first command, and they served together for a number of years. When faced with a life-or-death choice during an away mission, Picard has to deal with letting his trusted friend die as a result of an accident, and this dynamic between Picard and Dr. Crusher continues throughout the TNG series.

Jack Crusher's first appearance is as a hologram recording he creates for Wesley right after his son's birth. Beverly delivers this to Wesley on his 18th birthday, and Wesley receives a rare chance to interact with his father briefly thanks to this recording. Jack also appears as a corpse in a flashback forced upon Dr. Crusher by an alien, on the day which Picard brought his body back from the fatal accident on the Stargazer.

A little later, Jack appears in a vision quest that Wesley undertakes on a Native American world, and this vision tells Wesley he must now blaze his own trail after following his father's footsteps for most of his life. Thus, Wesley feels like he can move on later as a Traveler rather than continue down the Starfleet path.

(Quote of the Week)
Jack Crusher: You've reached the end, Wesley.
Wesley Crusher: The end of what?
Jack Crusher: This journey - one you started a long time ago. When I left you and your mother.
Wesley Crusher: You mean when you died.
Jack Crusher: You set out on a journey that wasn't your own. Now it's time to find a path that is truly yours. Don't follow me any further.

One of the more memorable anecdotes about Jack is that he proposes to Beverly with a gag gift, a book entitled How To Advance Your Career Through Marriage. One can only figure the same proposal would work on Will and Thomas Riker!

On screen, Picard never acts on his deep feelings for Beverly because he feels like that would disrespect the memory of his close friend Jack. However, in the novel series these two characters do eventually make a couple following the departure of Riker and Troi for the USS Titan, and it makes for a good complex set of relationship stories.

Doug Wert plays Crusher, and he has a long acting career highlighted by being a pretty face on some big soap operas, including One Life to Live, As The World Turns, and The Young and the Restless.

Thanks to Sunshine for the suggestion! Follow her at @SFCaptSunshine and let's have more good suggestions!

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Monday, May 5, 2014

Character Insight No. 95: Martia

(Certainly the best appearance provided by this shapeshifter)

Martia comes in at number 13 on the list of top Trek villains.

Martia was a Chameloid imprisoned at Rura Penthe when Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy are sent there as a part of a ploy to frame and then kill the Starfleet officers. Martia, much like Lieutenant Valeris who appeared previously on this list, was a small player who joined the bigger conspiracy at the front lines to try and encourage war between the Klingon Empire and the Federation.

In this role, Martia accepted a full pardon for helping Kirk and Bones escape from the penal colony, in order to give the guards a reason to kill the officers. However, it ends poorly for Martia as the commandant of Rura Penthe shoots her before trying to kill Kirk and McCoy. Thus, this shapeshifter gets exactly what she deserves, and the Han Solo-esque smuggler does not last long in this film.

(Quote of the Week)
Martia: They'll respect you now.
Captain James T. Kirk: That's a comfort. I was lucky that thing had knees.
Martia: That was not his knee.
[Kirk looks at Martia in surprise]
Martia: Not everyone keeps their genitals in the same place, Captain.

That being said, this relatively small performance is memorable enough to make this list because the use of a changling who actually morphed on screen via CGI was very new technology in 1991. Unlike previous uses in Willow and Terminator 2, two innovative shots included moving the camera during the morph and also morphing a character during a speaking line. Although the effect looks slightly dated now, the technology was amazing to watch at the time, making for another memorable villain. Just like the Terminator...

In addition to cloning Kirk's appearance, Martia shows up in three forms. Her primary form is as a tall attractive woman wearing furs looking like she walked straight out of Vogue, which is fitting considering former Vogue model Iman was cast in the role. That role was also originally considered for Sigourney Weaver, which would have been an interesting change.

Martia also shows up as the Brute, a hulking man-creature played by Tom Morga, and a small human girl, played by Katie Johnston. Iman payed constant attention to the mannerisms of Tom and Katie and incorporated their habits into her role to make the character more believable. Excellent acting gesture in a fairly undeveloped role before Odo made it commonplace in Trek.

In addition to this role, Iman also appeared in Miami Vice and the Cosby Show. She stopped acting in 1999, but she has produced two recent fashion television shows.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Monday, April 28, 2014

TWITrek Character Insight No. 94: Thomas Riker

(Good Thing Thomas kept the epic beard...can you imagine old Riker without it?)

Yes, indeed, a transporter accident made twin is one of the more fun mirror entities, but it's still a trope of Trek.

Thomas Riker was created as a result of a second confinement beam being reflected back to a planet while Will Riker was beamed back aboard following an away mission. This planet only allowed transporter and shuttle use every 8 years or so, which means Thomas Riker was not discovered until 8 years later when the Enterprise went to pick up supplies left behind in the original away mission.

He chose to go by his middle name instead of Will following his discovery. Ironically, Thomas means twin, which is fitting. The fascinating aspect of Thomas Riker is the nature vs. nurture distinction with Will Riker. While Will becomes a cautious officer who values his career above even a relationship with Deanna Troi, Thomas remains youthful, impulsive, reckless, and in deep love with Deanna. The differences make this alternate Riker much more interesting than others, like Hobo Riker in Parallels. Although he still walks through doors sideways, and both Rikers play in a highly memorable and strange poker game shared with Data and Worf.

(Quote of the Week)
Lt. Thomas Riker: I thought if one thing were clear by now, it's that you and I play things a little differently.
Commander William T. Riker: Why don't we wait and see who comes out on top?
Lt. Thomas Riker: I thought you were willing to settle for second, Commander.
Commander William T. Riker: I've never settled for anything in my life. I know what I want, I know what I've got, and you'd be lucky to do so well, Lieutenant.

Although Thomas only appears in one episode of TNG, Jonathan Frakes had pitched at least one more story that just never ended up getting made. Frakes has been quoted as saying he actually likes the character of Thomas more. Frakes does get a chance to reprise the role once in Deep Space Nine, where Thomas has defected to the Maquis and stole the Defiant in an attempt to uncover a fleet of warships built by the Cardassian Union.

Although Thomas ends up in Cardassian custody and is never seen again, he lives on in a high number of Star Trek novels, video games, and comics. Of these, I highly recommend Triangle: Imzadi II by Peter David, which is all about the Thomas-Will-Deanna complicated love triangle, and the DS9 Millenium trilogy, which is just a great read overall.

Jonathan Frakes played Thomas Riker, and he can be followed on twitter @jonathansfrakes. His acting career includes bit role appaearances on Charlies Angels, The Waltons, and The Dukes of Hazzard.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Monday, April 21, 2014

TWITrek Character Insight No. 93: The God of Sha Ka Ree

Sha Ka Ree comes in at number 14 on the list of top Trek villains.

The malevolent entity trapped on a planet at the center of the universe probably should not be known as Sha Ka Ree, as it was simply impersonating that Vulcan god as well as other known God-figures. However, as Sybok was led to lure Captain Kirk and the Enterprise to this entity under the false pretense of Sha Ka Ree, that's what we will call this fake god.

Sha Ka Ree actually sounds like a great concept for a villain on paper, which is why it moves ahead of others like Valeris and Dougherty. Captain Kirk versus a god-like being, something that may finally be a match for the Captain. However, Kirk sees right through the entity's ploy to capture the Enterprise for its own purposes ("What Does God Need With A Ship"), and thus he talks yet another powerful machine or entity to death. Must be the Bill Shatner cadence, which is in full effect in this film.

We never learn much about why Sha Ka Ree is trapped on this planet, as the villain only shows up near the end of this movie. However, star trek novels have retconned this story to include banishment by the Q Continuum after the being causes a civil war and the downfall of a powerful empire centuries before the encounter with Sybok and the Enterprise. I like to think this is just John De Lancie's Q on a ridiculous anger bender.

(Quote of the Week)
"God": You doubt me?
Kirk: I seek proof.
McCoy: Jim! You don't ask the Almighty for his ID!
"God": Then here is the proof you seek.
[Shoots Kirk with lightning]

The god-like being was originally to be shown in various forms, including andorian, zulu, and bullman, but those ended up on the cutting room floor. That would have made a much different look than the one settled on for most of this appearance.

This villain skates by on concept alone, as the execution was awful, much like the rest of this Shatner-directed and written fiasco. This is clearly the worst of the Star Trek movies and really the only truly bad film in the series overall, in my opinion, but that brings Sha Ka Ree down toward the bottom of the list.

I give this villain 1.5 out of 5 stars.

George Murdock played Sha Ka Ree in human face form, and he is best known for recurring roles on The X-Files and Law and Order. Sadly, Murdock died almost exactly two years ago at the age of 81.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Sunday, April 13, 2014

TWITrek Character Insight No. 92: Lieutenant Valeris

Valeris comes in at number 15 on the list of top Trek villains.

Valeris serves as the helm officer aboard the Enterprise-A. She is placed on the flagship because she was the first Vulcan to graduate at the top of her Academy class, thanks in large part to mentorship from Spock. However, his trust in her ends up being misplaced as she conspires with higher ups to sabotage peace talks with the Klingon Empire.

In furthering this conspiracy, Valeris gets the Klingon delegation drunk at a formal dinner, then has two compatriots murder Klingon Chancellor Gorkon in a zero gravity situation, leading to awesome floating purple blood special effects. She then kills those other crewmen to try and cover her tracks, although she is outfoxed by Captain Kirk in the end.

In a mind meld, she gives up all the names of the co-conspirators as well as reveals a plot to assassinate the Federation President. Captain Kirk and Captain Sulu of the Excelsior save the day by stopping the further assassination to save the Khitmoer Accords peace treaty.

(Quote of the Week)

Kirk: "Names, Lieutenant!"

Valeris: "I do not remember."

Spock: "A lie?"

Valeris: "A choice."

She wears a mismatched uniform with a red collar indicating cadet, the insignia of a lietenant commander, and a gray wristband and patch indicating sciences division because no new uniforms were being made for this cast and actress Kim Cattrall had to wear whatever would fit. This role was initially to be a recurrence of the Saavik character, but Kirstie Alley would not come back and the writers worried about making this beloved character a traitor. Good move, in my opinion.

She's the weakest villain in a movie with at least three of them, and that puts her near the bottom of this list. But we did at least learn that non-consensual double-handed mind melds can be apparently very violating and painful!

I give this villain 2 out of 5 stars.

Kim Cattrall played Valeris, and she is best known for her role in Sex and The City. She designed her iconic looking headband and also her name, which stems from Eris, the Greek goddess of strife.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Sunday, April 6, 2014

TWITrek Character Insight No. 91: Admiral Dougherty

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe. An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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For record, episode 90 was written and produced by Ken P., as we did an April Fool's switch of segments for the show. He did a great take on Commander Kruge from The Search For Spock, who ranked 18th in our poll for Star Trek villains. Check out the audio in the show feed (a script here wouldn't do it justice, as it was a great job!)
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we begin our series on best Trek movie villains with Admiral Matthew Dougherty from Star Trek Insurrection. (Insert film theme)

Dougherty comes in at number 16 on the list of top Trek villains.

(Nero, who was profiled a few months ago, came in at No. 17 and Commander Kruge came in at No. 18, which Ken P. did last week. But let's get to the subject at hand, the badmiral).

Like most Trek movie villains, Admiral Dougherty only appears in the movie he stars in. Dougherty had secured approval from the Federation council to collect all the metaphasic particles from the rings of a planet in an area of space called the Briar Patch. These metaphasic particles have rejuvenating qualities, and of course the Council is all about finding the fountain of youth, proverbially speaking.

However, the vice admiral left out one important detail when briefing the Federation Council on this action, and that was the need to relocate a peaceful race called the Ba'Ku from this planet since the collection of the metaphasic particles would render the planet uninhabitable. Although the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few may apply as a Vulcan axiom, the political fallout from such a forced relocation would not have been tolerated if the Council was fully informed.

(Quote of the Week)

ADMIRAL MATTHEW DOUGHERTY
I'm acting on orders from the Federation Council.

JEAN-LUC PICARD
How can there be an order to abandon the Prime Directive?

ADMIRAL MATTHEW DOUGHERTY
The Prime Directive doesn't apply. These people are not indigenous to this planet. They were never meant to be immortal. We'll simply be restoring them to their natural evolution.

JEAN-LUC PICARD
Who the hell are we to determine the next course of evolution for these people?

Thus, Dougherty has to turn to an alliance with some bad actors the Son'a, who just happened to be Ba'Ku that were previously exiled from this paradise planet. But of course Badmiral Dougherty was too blind to see the obvious, plotting for personal power and gain rather than doing things the right way. Thankfully Captian Picard and his crew figure out the deception and stop the Son'a, but not before their leader gives the Admiral the most vicious face-stretch ever. (Insert death noise).

ADMIRAL MATTHEW DOUGHERTY
If you launch the injector while the planet's still populated, the Federation will pursue you until--

ADHAR RU'AFO
The Federation... will never know what happened here.

Here's to you Admiral Dougherty. Your mediocre small role in a plot better suited for a television episode than a movie may not be memorable, but you do continue the trope of the bad Admiral. And that death by face lift was pretty cool as well. I give this villain 2 stars out of 5, as I share the view of the audience that this is a bottom-feeder in the chase for most evil and devious.

Anthony Zerbe played Dougherty, and he also played the villain in the James Bond flick License to Kill. He most recently appeared as a senator in American Hustle, his first acting role in over six years.

Until next time, live long and prosper...