Healer Trek

Monday, February 11, 2013

TWITrek Character Insight No. 39: Seska

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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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, our subject is Seska from Voyager.

Seska was a Cardassian operative who was surgically altered to appear Bajoran so that she could infiltrate the Maquis. Seska happens to be aboard Chakotay's ship the Val Jean when it is thrown into the Delta Quadrant with the Voyager. Seska then becomes a part of the Voyager crew for a short time.

Although Seska was close friends with B'Elanna Torres and formerly romantically attached to Chakotay, she bristled far more than the other former Maquis at the principles and operations of the Federation starship. As a result of this distaste, she secretly collaborates with the first major recurring villains of the show, the Kazon, in an effort to get herself back home to the Alpha Quadrant.

This deceit continues until she is critically injured during one exchange, leading to the revelation that she is Cardassian and her escape to be a consort of a Kazon sect leader named Culluh. She then serves as a primary villain against Voyager for most of the first two seasons of the show, including a temporary Kazon takeover of Voyager in the episode, The Basics.

Seska remains infatuated with Chakotay even after she departs Voyager, going to great lengths to lure him in and get herself impregnated with his DNA. Although it appears that she actually had the baby of the Kazon Culluh rather than Chakotay, the end result for the baby after Seska is killed is never revealed.

Seska was apparently granted a field commission of ensign aboard voyager, but her rank insignia is inconsistent with this. The insignia she wears is that of an enlisted personnel, like Miles O'Brien.

Our notable quote this week comes from the episode State of Flux:
"We are alone here, at the mercy of any number of hostile aliens, because of the incomprehensible decision of a Federation captain - a Federation captain who destroyed our only chance to get home. Federation rules! Federation nobility! Federation compassion? Do you understand, if this had been a Cardassian ship, we would be home now! We must begin to forge alliances. To survive, we must have powerful friends. The Kazon-Nistrim were willing to be our protectors, in return for some minor technology."

Actress: Martha Hackett played Seska, and she can also be seen in movies such as Never Been Kissed and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Clearly, she's a valentine's day favorite.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

TWITrek Character Insight No. 38: Jake Sisko

Jake is the son of Starfleet Captain Benjamin Sisko, and he grows up during the elder Sisko's service aboard the Deep Space Nine station. Although Ben Sisko wants his son to follow his steps into Starfleet, Jake follows his own path and becomes a writer, a profession he is passionate about.

Early in the DS9 series, Jake plays many similar roles as the Wesley Crusher character did, including being the accidental or unexpected hero on multiple occasions. However, Jake gets more depth thanks to the friendship with Nog, Quark's nephew who is also aboard the station. Jake and Nog even helped save his father from the Jem'Hadar during an initial encounter with that species.

Jake remains aboard the station as a Federation News Service reported covering the Dominion War, even when the Dominion takes over the station. Although Jake only appears in 71 episodes overall, which is 20 less than Morn, he is a regular character in all seven seasons of DS9.

As noted above, Jake loves writing and this includes poetry. Jake also enjoys cooking and baseball, which are activities that he did frequently with his father while growing up as an army brat. After becoming friends with Nog, the duo often plays dom-jot together as well.

Jake is one of only two characters since TNG to not appear as a hologram on a show. He is also the only member of the DS9 to not have a mirror universe counterpart.

Our notable quote this week comes from the episode Second Sight:
Jake Sisko: Dad - are you in love?
Commander Sisko: What?
Jake Sisko: You know, with a woman. You're showing all three of the signs.
Commander Sisko: Signs?
Jake Sisko: The ones that Nog told me about: loss of appetite, daydreaming, smiling all the time...

Actor: Cirroc Lofton played Jake in all episodes except as a child in Emissary and as an old man in the episode The Visitor. Lofton mostly played small guest roles in many TV shows outside Star Trek, including Soul Food, 7th Heaven, and CSI: Miami.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

TWITrek Character Insight No. 37: Tasha Yar

Tasha served as Chief Tactical Officer and Chief of Security on the Enterprise-D for most of the first season of the show. She also served as a love interest for Data, going so far as to have sex with the android while under the effects of polywater intoxication.

However, her role was not to last long, as she died near the end of the first season by a mysterious tar creature named Armus on an away mission. Yar did return multiple times throughout the remainder of the series to play alternate timeline versions of herself as well as a half-Romulan daughter.

Yar had a troubled childhood, which led her to relate to Worf a lot. She was an orphan who had to escape rape gangs frequently while also dabbling in drug use until her escape from her home planet. Yar enjoyed martial arts, especially aikido. She was also shown to enjoy Parrises squares as well.

Yar was the first main character to be killed without resurrection, and was also the first regular character to depart a Star Trek series while in production. The episode Symbiosis was filmed after the episode where Yar dies, so there is a scene where Yar waves goodbye to her fans in the background in Symbiosis. The character of Yar was based on space marine Vasquez in the movie Aliens.

Our notable quote this week comes from the episode Skin of Evil:
"My friend Data. You see things with the wonder of a child. And that makes you more human than any of us."

Actor: Denise Crosby played Yar, although she originally auditioned for Deanna Troi and Marina Sirtis auditioned for this role. Crosby also played in horror movies Pet Sematary and Child's Play, as well as guesting on JAG and Dexter.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Sunday, January 27, 2013

TWITrek Character Insight No. 36: Porthos

Porthos is Captain Archer's pet beagle, which he brings aboard Enterprise when he wins the right to command the starship for Earth. Porthos is a loyal companion that comes on many away missions with Archer, and the dog serves a much bigger role than what was attempted with Spot the cat in The Next Generation.

Porthos is one of a litter of four puppies, and the four were named after the Four Musketeers. Porthos was initially a source of irritation for T'Pol, whose Vulcan sense of smell heightened the distaste for having a dog onboard, but she came around more when Doctor Phlox gave her a nasal numbing agent to reduce her sense of smell.

Porthos turns out to be a helpful companion when he detects a camoflauged Borothan hiding unseen by Archer in his room. Porthos also brings some hilarity to the series in certain episodes, such as when two Ferengi try to establish communication with the dog via the universal translator.

Porthos appears at least in small roles in 43 episodes of Enterprise. Porthos is one of only four non-regular characters to be seen on all four seasons of Enterprise. Many times Archer is shown providing food to Porthos, as the dog whimpers and complains a lot if Archer does not bring him food on a regular schedule. Porthos loves cheese, although it often lands him in sickbay with gastrointestinal distress.

Our notable quote this week comes from the episode Cold Front:
"(Barking at Silik)."

Actor: Brannon Braga recalls that casting for the role of Porthos was the most fun he had at the beginning of the series. Three dogs played Porthos, a male named Prada and later two females named Breezy and Windy. Prosthetics and props were also used on many episodes because of strict labor laws on animals in television.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

TWITrek Character Insight No. 35: Tribbles

Tribbles were introduced when Cyrano Jones brings them aboard Enterprise to try and trade them. These cute furball creatures are non-intelligent lifeforms that are born pregnant and asexually reproduce every 12 hours or so, generally having litters of 10 or more Tribbles. As a result, one tribble can make a ship-load if left alone for too long.

I'm happy to report that I've been able to acquire one of these little guys to speak with us on the segment today. Let's take a listen to what a tribble has to say when you touch it...(insert cooing noise).

Now that our nerves are thoroughly calmed, let's continue. Tribbles and Klingons have a strong dislike for one another, and this possibly stems from each species' heightened sense of smell. A tribble will bounce up and down angrily when in the presence of Klingons, and Klingons have unsuccessfully tried to exterminate the species.

Tribbles were made from a piece of "figure-eight shaped" fake fur, sewn up to make a ball about five inches in diameter and filled with foam. Some tribbles were filled with decpaitated walking toy dogs to make the tribbles crawl, while others were filled with variable speed wheel with offcenter gearing to produce angry jumps when Klingons are around.

According to DeForest Kelley, the tribbles were a source of continued amusement on the TOS set. He said "I guess everybody was still kind of tribble happy and every time we got to work a tribble in somewhere, we were working them in. Instead of pulling out a communicator, somebody would pull out a tribble. They'd continually pop up somewhere. Pull out a drawer and somebody would reach for something and there'd be a tribble there [....] It took weeks to get all the tribbles off the set."

Tribbles were so well loved by fans that Star Trek creators continue to drop these creatures in almost as often as the number 47. They reappear in Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, Star Trek III, Star Trek Generations, a deleted scene in Star Trek VI, and the 2009 movie as well.

It is rumored that tribbles do not reproduce in cold temperatures, so I have put our tribble guest in a freezer to make sure that doesn't happen. What's that noise...oh no, the power went out...(insert multiple cooing noises)...well that's all the time we have...see you next week, maybe...does anybody want a pet?

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Monday, January 7, 2013

TWITrek Character Insight No. 34: B'Elanna Torres

Torres serves as Chief Engineer aboard Voyager, a role that Torres has to earn during the first year of Voyager's stranding in the Delta Quadrant. Thanks to the calming influence of Chakotay, who served with her aboard the Maquis vessel that also was thrown into the Delta Quadrant, she proved her worth and became a loyal member of the Starfleet crew.

Torres is half-Klingon and half-human, which caused her to be alienated and insecure in her upbringing. Those qualities provide Torres with a huge chip on her shoulder that she carries in a visible way throughout Voyager, as this is a personality trait that is hard to break.

In one of the most unlikely pairings in Star Trek history, Torres falls in love with Tom Paris, a ladies man who is always looking for the next conquest when he starts on Voyager. However, both of these crew members have complementary flaws that end up bringing them closer together, thanks to the common understanding they share about things like tough family upbringings. Torres and Paris have a child at the end of the series.

The Torres character really started as an unruly teenager or girl in her young 20's, and she grows into a confident woman over the course of the series. In addition, the character holds the nickname BLT, although it is unclear if the L refers to an unknown middle name or the letter sound in the name B'Elanna.

Torres is the first female chief engineer as a regular cast member, but the first female chief engineer shown in a Star Trek series was Sarah McDougal on the Enterpise-D.

Our notable quote this week comes from the episode Barge of the Dead:
"I inherited the forehead and the bad attitude - that's it."

Actor: Roxanne Dawson played Torres, and she has not been very active in television or movies since Voyager. She did play in movies Guilty by Suspicion and Mortal Sins in the 1990s.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

TWITrek Character Insight No. 33: Weyoun

Weyoun was a diplomat and leader serving the Dominion during the Dominion War between the Alpha Quadrant and the Dominion. Weyoun was a vorta, which was a type of solid race that was cloned by the Dominion to be top-level servants where the Founders did not want to act themselves (such as in leadership of the warrior race the Jem'Hadar).

For example, the first iteration of Weyoun that the crew of Deep Space Nine comes into contact with is Weyoun 4, the fourth clone of the original. Weyoun dies five times during the Deep Space Nine series, although the character was not truly dead until the Cardassians killed the backup clone at the Dominion cloning facility before killing Weyoun 8.

Weyoun was a character created for the actor Jeffrey Combs, who had played a couple of other minor roles in the series before this major role. Weyoun was slated to be a minor character as well, but the writers liked the character so much that they decided to not leave him dead following the first death of Weyoun 4 in the episode To The Death.

Weyoun was a master politician, and he emits an air of confidence and justified in his actions, even when they seemed evil from the Federation side of the story. Weyoun had some depth thanks to the different versions of the clone, including Weyoun 6, who saw the error of his ways and tried to defect to the Federation under Odo's protection.

The best episodes featuring Weyoun are In the Cards and Treachery, Faith and the Great River.

Our notable quote this week comes from the episode Favor The Bold:
"Weyoun: If aesthetics were truly important, the Founders would have included it in our genetic makeup.
Major Kira: Or... they made a mistake.
Weyoun: Gods don't make mistakes! "

Actor: Jeffrey Combs played Weyoun, and he is also known for the Reanimator movies in the 1980s as well as other appearances on Star Trek Enterprise and The 4400.

Until next time, live long and prosper...