Character Insight No. 102: Lursa and B'Etor

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, we profile Lursa and B'Etor from Generations, who come in at number 9 on our best Trek movie villains countdown.

  
(The dymanic duo of Klingon Kleavage)

Veronica: "How About a Boobie?" clip...Yes indeed, these sisters are a memorable duo that originally starred as antagonists of the two part episode Redemption. But they were likely brought back because they checked the box of one popcorn movie trope, that being...Scott Fletcher: "Boobies!" clip, or more appropriately, in Klingon, Scott Fletcher: "in Klingon, Kap'freah!" clip.

Thankfully, there is more than just Klingon kleavage here, as Generations continues the storyline of the Duras sisters trying to obtain funds and weapons to revolt and take over the Klingon Empire. After Picard failed to be seduced by B'Etor in the episode Redemption and Gowron was put in as chancellor instead of their nephew, the sisters were outcast and that led to a life of crime and rebellion.

These crimes include selling minerals to Bajoran terrorists, rigging a poker tournament in their favor, and finally, the plot to help Dr. Tolian Soran in Generations. Soran had Lursa and B'Etor act as the muscle of the operation, raiding a Romulan outpost for trilithium to make a weapon sufficient to make a star go supernova and move the nexus into the path of Soran. 

Quote of the Week: "I hope for your sake you were initiating a mating ritual."

The sisters intend to get the weapon for their own use after Soran's nexus plans. Which of course, successfully lead to Guinan on a carousel, and Picard and Kirk on horses...

"I'm on a horse!"

While the captains are off saving the world from Dr. Soran, the Klingon sisters take on the Enterprise in a long overdue battle. However, crazy acting captain Riker gets the best of Lursa and B'Etor's bird-of-prey and this recurring enemy exits stage left in a glorious space explosion. 

They do get the honor of taking down the Enterprise-D though, as another iconic ship from the television shows gets the worst end of a movie plot. ("Brace for Impact!")  Lursa and B'Etor make for a nice tie back to the stories in the latter seasons of the TNG series, as well as an interesting parallel to the enemies of Kirk's era. While the return villains are memorable and a strong choice for this role, the plot itself is rather weak and the sisters seem more like eye candy than legitimate muscle in their secondary villain role of this operation.

Still, the tie-back and strong motivations for helping Soren push these sisters into the top 10 of our villain list. Plus, these sisters are eclipsed on this list by only one other role as a female villain, which is a nice change of pace that Star Trek should do more often.
Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh played Lursa and B'Etor, and you will be happy to know that the TNG Companion confirms that neither has to use chest padding to fill out those interesting Klingon uniforms. Cleavage jokes aside, March pretty must stopped acting after this movie, while Walsh has remained very active in various TV movies and series through this year, including a recurring appearance on NYPD Blue.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 101: The Whale Probe

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, we profile The Whale Probe from The Voyage Home, who comes in at number 10 on our best Trek movie villains countdown.
 
  
(When forehead of the week becomes facelift of the week)

Although one of the cooler ideas presented by Star Trek movies is a menacing machine as a primary villain, the whale probe just breaks into the top 10 because it ends up servicing one of the strangest plots devised for a Trek movie. 

I personally love the camp of Star Trek IV, but many fans hate it because it made Star Trek into a comedy, it focused on present-day 1980's Earth, and it slammed a cheesy "Save The Whales" story line down the consumers' throats. This movie is basically Free Willy, before Free Willy was cool. 

"Free Willy Theme"

Nevertheless, the whale probe is a large cylindrical member with a ball-shaped antenna that emerges to amplify a signal the cylinder makes trying to communicate with whales. However, that species had been extinct for quite some time in the 23rd Century, so the whale probe disables all ships and technologies and begins to vaporize Earth's oceans in an attempt to search for the missing whales. 

That leads Kirk and crew in the stolen Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek III to slingshot around the sun and go back in time to bring whales back from the 1980's. Hilarity ensues. 

"Nuclear Wessels!"

Of course Kirk saves the day and brings the whales back to save Earth. At which point the whale probe stops this noise (Quote of the Week: Insert probe noise) and goes back to wherever it came from. That'll teach those pesky human hunters a lesson!

The more interesting stories about the whale probe come from those at Industrial Light and Magic, the crew tasked with making this probe come to life on the silver screen. The probe was initially blue and white to look a bit like a whale, but the crew could not get the cylinder to shoot correctly in such a form, so the textured black surface was used. The ball-shaped probe was also originally orange, but that looked too much like a basketball so it was washed out to the blue from the final movie. Now it looks like a volleyball instead. 

"Doh"

ILM made three different models of the whale probe, one of which is just a large section used for flying over the screen like similar shots used in Star Wars movies. The self-illuminating glow was provided by a long tube lamp as well as a number of halogen bulbs at the hole where the antenna comes out. This was high-level incredible visual engineering, even if it ends up wasted on a relatively simple popcorn version of Star Trek.

The Whale Probe makes what could've been a disastrous dumb premise for a Trek movie into something pretty interesting. Plus, the visuals are pretty cool, so this villain turns out to be one of the best the movies had to offer.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 100: Spock

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, we celebrate 100 segments by giving the most iconic character in Star Trek lore the first repeat appearance on this segment. That character being Spock, of course. 

"Live Long and Prosper"

  
(Who would've guessed this would only be halfway along the journey of five decades for Leonard Nimoy Trek appearances?)

Today this segment will focus on Spock of the TOS movies because this is where the character really takes a different slant, and also because the movies are a current focus of this segment with the best villains series. The movies are where the dual culture of Spock really comes out in full force, as he swings between seeming fully Vulcan and strong moments revealing humanity as well.

When we first see Spock in the movies, he has just aborted a kolinahr ritual he had chosen to remove the displays of emotion he was prone to during the five-year mission. However, the V'Ger mission drew him back in, and while he was more steadfastly emotionless and Vulcan at this point, he realized the benefits of staying the way he was for the benefit of his friends on the Enterprise and in Starfleet.

Spock then becomes a Captain and trains academy students on the Enterprise before being drawn back in as Kirk's first officer for the missions against Khan and the Whale Probe.  Between those two encounters, Spock is resurrected by rejoining his Vulcan soul or katra with his body, which was regenerated by the Genesis planet, and this leaves him acting more Vulcan and emotionless over much of the remaining TOS movies.  It is interesting that Spock retires with the rank of Captain and as an ambassador rather than as a flag rank like Admiral, which is different than his close friends Kirk and Bones.

Although Spock was always there for Kirk and his crew when needed (QOTW: "I Have Been, and Will Always Be, Your Friend"), he follows his own path to build an even more unique officer and character in the movies. That unique character development such as his ambassador role leads to many natural storyline tie-ins that led to his appearances on TNG, plotlines on Voyager, and his re-appearance in the JJ Abrams reboot movies also.

In my opinion, Star Trek is not a success and does not exist today without the great work of Nimoy on this character. For example, the TOS crew likely does not do over four more movies post-The Wrath of Khan, had Nimoy not agreed to come back. Spock is the lynchpin of diversity and science fiction that makes this franchise memorable and important in the cultural pantheon.

Leonard Nimoy played Spock, and he will lend his voice talent to the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III game, for those interested in his most recent work. Did you know he, like Shatner, also tried to have a singing career? Check out this gem from a few decades ago: (Insert "Bilbo Baggins" chorus)

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 98: Ru'Afo

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, we profile Ru'Afo from Insurrection, who comes in at number 11 on our best Trek movie villains countdown.
 
 
(When forehead of the week becomes facelift of the week)

Ahdar Ru'Afo leads the nomadic race called the Son'a during a conflict with the Ba'Ku over a homeworld including fountain-of-youth type properties. Although not revealed until late in the movie, Ru'Afo and his people were also Ba'Ku who happened to be exiled about a century earlier based on trying to take over with a new leadership regime in a coup.

Ru'Afo, like many of the Son'a, was obsessed with capturing back the youthful appearance he lost when leaving his home planet and the metaphasic rings surrounding it. These included some brutal medical procedures which included facelift equipment that apparently is lethal when used to an extreme on other races...just ask Admiral Dougherty, who came in much lower on this list of villains.

Eventually Ra'Afo decides the best way to gain back his youth is to steal the metaphasic particles from the planet, and he constructs a detailed plot with Admiral Dougherty to get that job done. Unfortunately for him, Dougherty turns on him and then the Federation's flagship brings the full force of Picard kickass down on Ru'Afo and his silly particle collector.

(Quote of the Week)
Captain Picard: Ru'afo, we're getting too old for this.
Ad'har Ru'afo: After today, that won't be a problem... for either of us.

On the bright side, only Ru'Afo goes down in flames as his followers do find a way to be reintegrated into Ba'Ku society in a happy ending. These people should've known Ru'Afo was crazy when he built up military forces to take over two peaceful races before coming back home to try and do the same.

Ru'Afo was written and acted as a relatively one-dimensional character, and his revenge-driven plot role is highly uninteresting compared to many of the great Star Trek villains. Thus, like Nero he misses out on the top 10 but he does at least come close to the really good Star Trek villains coming up soon on this list. 

F. Murray Abraham plays Ru'Afo. He has a long distinguished acting career including roles in Scarface, the Grand Budapest Hotel, and Last Action Hero. He has recently been a regular on The Good Wife TV show.

Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 97: Sybok

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, we profile Sybok from The Final Frontier, who comes in at number 12 on our best Trek movie villains countdown.
 
 
(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...

Character Insight No. 96: Jack Crusher

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, we profile Jack Crusher from TNG.
 
 
(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...

Character Insight No. 95: Martia

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, we continue the Trek movie villains series with Martia from The Undiscovered Country.
 
 
(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...