Star Trek 1270: Fragile Glass

1270. Fragile Glass

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Mirror, Mirror #1, Marvel Comics, February 1997

CREATORS: Tom DeFalco (writer), Mark Bagley and Larry Mahlstedt (artists)

STARDATE: Unknown (immediately after Mirror, Mirror)

PLOT: When Mirror Kirk returns to his Enterprise, he is immediately arrested by Spock and thrown in the brig. Spock takes command of the ship, forging alliances with Chekov as well as Miranda and her Tantalus field. While Kirk, Sulu and Uhura plot his downfall from the brig, Spock offers the Halkans a compromise, convincing them that the Empire will take their dilithium whether they resist or not, so they might as well just do their pacifist thing and let them. At the same time, a Klingon fleet is detected on long-range sensors. Spock asks Scotty to widen the range of the Tantalus field for when they arrive, which happens just as Kirk and his motley gang break out of jail and attempt to retake the ship. Spock makes all but one Klingon ship disappear and the surviving Klingons fly off to warn the galaxy of this shift in the balance of power. Kirk's gang tehn arrives on the bridge and fisticuffs ensue, resulting in Kirk's death. Spock becomes captain of the Enterprise, bringing a radical new mercy (Starfleet thinks it's ok because it's cheaper) to bear.

CONTINUITY: This occurs right on the heels of Mirror, Mirror, with the Mirror Enterprise still in the Halkan system and Mirror Kirk's party just arriving back to their timeline. Miranda, Mirror Kyle and the Tantalus Field all appear. The story provides impetus for the Klingon/Cardassian alliance seen in Crossover. We meet the Mirror Universe's Admiral Decker (he must have survived The Doomsday Machine).

DIVERGENCES: None.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Spock steals Kirk's girl.
REVIEW: Another really fun Special that takes everything we learned in Mirror, Mirror and provides a logical extension. Tom DeFalco writes a cracking action story and a young Mark Bagley provides dynamic art for it. Sulu and Uhura are especially nasty, with Kirk coming off as more of a brute, but it's Spock that really shines (as he did in the episode). He's really smart, spinning a lot of plates (the Halkans, Kirk's mutiny and the Klingon attack) and succeeds at everything he does, bringing both logic and passion to the fore. A tight script with real energy, and bridges the gap between Mirror, Mirror and Crossover rather well.

This Week in Geek (24-30/05/10)

Buys'n'Gifts

This week, I bought Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, just for completism's sake. I'm not expecting major revelations from it. I also got David Tennant's Casanova mini-series. Man, that's going to play havoc with my Amazon suggestions. Fellow gamers Etienne & Julie (the Time Lords) went to Montreal's Chinatown last week, and brought back Ip Man, the Donnie Yen picture about Bruce Lee's master. I was going to buy it for myself at some point, but it's so much better as a gift! Thanks guys!

"Accomplishments"

DVDs: My flipping of Battlestar Galactica proceeds apace, this week with Season 2.5. The second half of the second season takes us from the appearance of the Pegasus to a WTF?!? season finale on New Caprica. The show was pretty fearless, I must say. There a few weaker stand-alone episodes in this set, which is fully acknowledged in the podcast commentaries (which aren't without humor, especially when Ron Moore's wife shows up). Commentaries are featured on each episode, and almost all have deleted scenes. The box is supplemented by some fun video blogs and a showcase for the R&D logos of the first two seasons. And here I was waiting to the very end of the credits for them all this time.

A first for Kung Fridays this week: The double feature. Yep, we watched Fist of Fury and Fist of Legend. So who's better? Bruce Lee or Jet Li? Well, Bruce Lee's version has pacing issues (nothing a good editor couldn't fix), but it stands as Bruce's best film. Nay, his only good film. Basically, his master is killed and he turns into the Punisher (with fists). It's hugely entertaining and intense, and unlike his other movies, doesn't jerk you around on the action. There's plenty. The DVD has an interview with one of his stuntmen, but is otherwise pretty bare (photo gallery, trailers).

Jet Li's Fist of Legend is a much slicker piece, though the 90s are as dated today as the 70s are, in their way. Jet is a much showier fighter, here paired up with action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping, but he doesn't have the same charisma. In fact, he gets one scene stolen from him completely by veteran Japanese actor Yasuaki Kurata (and it's one that makes the film worth watching all by itself). Of course, it's not the same story aside from the set-up, with a much more balanced view of the Japanese, and our hero Chen Zhen a patsy instead of a psycho. Definitely one of Jet's better films, and overall better than Fist of Fury, but I'll give the edge to Bruce for sheer entertainment. The DVD has an excellent commentary track from expert Bey Logan and more than 2 hours of interviews with the director, stars and fans, as well as a martial arts seminar with Kurata, and deleted scenes. Good stuff.

My plunge into Doctor Who last week continued as I flipped a couple more classic stories on DVD. First was Delta and the Bannermen, starring Mel and the 7th Doctor. It's a piece of outright whimsy set in the 1950s, with some fun musical choices (rare for that era of Doctor Who) and a crazy tour bus filled with aliens. Fun and imaginative, though I can't recommend everything about it, especially the bizarre romance between Billy and Delta. The DVD is a "cheapie", which means it lets the commentary tracks (voice and text) tell the story of the making of without an attached documentary. Interviews made for a program at the time are included. There's also a sketch in which Sylvester McCoy is put on trial for his outtakes, and a piece on the 7th Doctor's comic strip (I love this series).

The 3rd Doctor and Jo are in The Curse of Peladon, which I decided to watch because I also wanted to get back into the old New Adventures books, and I'm up to the Peladon sequel, Legacy. Curse of Peladon is one of those stories you sit on the fence for. It's perfectly pleasant without being particularly engaging. It's got neat aliens, but terrible designs. It's got a deep political story, but it's riddled with plot holes. But I suppose the regulars are very good in it and the Ice Warriors put in an appearance. The making of stuff is split between this DVD and The Monster of Peladon (which I suppose I'll watch next), but there are also featurettes on the Ice Warriors and the Pertwee/Manning duo.

RPGs: Just finished playing a session of Doctor Who RPG, and the secret archenemy stands revealed as another surviving Time Lord. Some very nice comedy bits with the guest military, a little action, a little jeopardy, and a few crazy reveals along the way. I expect the season to come to its finale in only a couple of sessions now. And since from here to there is all one continuous "story", I've put a lockdown on Story Points. They won't be regenerating anymore (though I will hand them out for good role-playing, etc.). This is a measure I've taken because of the Story Point bloat we feel has overtaken our game as the group grew. A Time Lord + Companion combo has 20 SPs to burn in any given session. But we have 2 Time Lords and 3 Companions besides. That's 52 SPs, not counting those of gadgets. Expenditure was much more conservative this around, and dare I say, less gratuitous. Let them go crazy with points in small insular stories, but put the pinch on them come "arc" time. And may I say, the Once Upon a Time in China theme does wonders for our Chinese Companion's action scenes.

New Unauthorized Doctor Who CCG cards: 39, including cards from The Eleventh Hour and pick-ups from various sources. This completes my Dreams of Gallifrey set, which is about two months late from my originally announced schedule. But I seem to be back with a vengeance, so there is that.

Hyperion to a Satyr entries this week include:
Act I Scene 1 - Tennant (2009)

Star Trek 1269: Second Contact

1269. Second Contact

PUBLICATION: Star Trek - X-Men II #1, Marvel Comics, May 1998

CREATORS: Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton (writers), Cary Nord and Scott Koblish (artists)

STARDATE: 50893.5 (immediately after First Contact)

PLOT: As the Enterprise-E attempts to return to its own time after fighting the Borg in First Contact, it is instead sent sideways and into the past to the Marvel Universe. Looking for parts to repair the ship, the crew follows a Shi'ar energy signature to the X-Mansion where the X-Men are holding a reunion. Kang appears to both teams and reveals that time is broken and that two anomalies, one in each world, must be excised. Two combined Starfleet/X-Men teams split off while a third completes repairs on the Enterprise. Wesley and the Traveler appear to the latter and further reveal that Kang is exploiting them all. The anomalies are a way for space-time to fix itself and removing them will allow Kang to control both realities. They fly off to the team fighting Borg at Wolf 359 and warn them not to interfere with John Proudstar, the anomaly (he was the X-Man Thunderbird who sacrificed his life early after joining). Proudstar sacrifices his life again to save Sisko, who would one day become the Emissary of the Prophets, time dwelling entities who apparently keep Kang at bay. Wesley and co. don't warn the team fighting Sentinels in "Days of Future Past" in time however, and their anomaly, a mutant Tasha Yar, is prevented from providing the psychic bridge for the older Kate Pryde to send a message back to the X-Men. Troi provides that bridge and X-Men history is restored. Meanwhile, the Enterprise defeats Kang's timeship. The Starfleet crew initiates a return home and the X-Men beam down, but another anomaly seems to await them...

CONTINUITY: It is very much "one minute after" First Contact, with Data's metal face still uncovered and the Enterprise-E full of Borg bits. The X-Men remember Kirk's crew from Star TreX. One of the crisis points in time is the Battle of Wolf 359 (The Best of Both Worlds). The team lands on the Saratoga where we see Sisko (Emissary). The new-and-improved Sam Lavelle (Lower Decks, Star Trek Unlimited series) is back at the conn of the Enterprise-E. Wesley and the Traveler were last seen in Journey's End. Tasha Yar originally died in Skin of Evil. The story is continued in the novel Planet X.

DIVERGENCES: Obviously, the Marvel Universe doesn't really exist in the Star Trek multiverse (even if it's a parallel world, Picard shouldn't know about the Shi'ar).

PANEL OF THE DAY - Your Sentinels will be assimilated.
REVIEW: When I saw Abnett and Edginton credited on this comic, I started to hope it wouldn't fall into the same pitfalls the first Star Trek/X-Men crossover did. I really shouldn't have worried. Though there are still a lot splash pages, Cary Nord's art minimizes the anatomical gap between the two franchise, and only Colossus seems to tower over the other characters (as it should be). I don't know if these are the X-Men of the day (I'd long quit the title), but I don't think so. The writers have provided a "reunion" to get all the best ones together, and even made it important for some of them (Kitty seeing herself die in the future, for example). Worf and Data seem particularly well suited to rubbing elbows with superheroes, as does the space-time traveling Wesley. Kang makes for a cool time-traveling villain who, despite his clothes, could fit into the Star Trek universe (but the name is taken). The writers make great use of both franchises' continuities (where Star TreX failed), taking us to iconic moments for each. The inclusion of Sisko and his importance to the timeline was much appreciated by this DS9 fan, and Days of Future Past is THE classic X-Men time travel story. Somehow, Picard fighting Sentinels doesn't seem jarring, perhaps because it's so science fiction based. Whoever thought of the thematic link between Thunderbird and Tasha Yar, both killed before their time, should be applauded. The Borg and the Sentinels are also a great match. But you know what's missing, don't you? Professor X and Patrick Stewart in a dual role! As for the cliffhanger ending, it links into a crossover novel by Michael Jan Friedman I had completely forgotten about. One day, I'll have to read it...

What If... Wolverine Had Killed the Hulk?

Due to the character's popularity, Wolverine would eventually become an ubiquitous regular character in What If? (volume 2), but this is his first. And it's absolute bollocks. So the trend begins here, eh? Not much of a turning point. Big fight scenes that could have happened in any X-Men comic. An unconvincing ending. Oh, and a complete misunderstanding of what Canada is (always a favorite for me). Those responsible: Rich Margopoulos, Bob Budiansky and Mike Esposito. What does it say when only the inker's name rings any bells?

What If Vol.1 #31 (February 1982)
Based on: Incredible Hulk #181
The true history: Canadian agent Wolverine is sent to stop a fight between the Hulk and Wendigo in Southern Quebec. After Wendigo is defeated, the Hulk and Wolverine knock each other out.
Turning point: What if Wolverine killed the Hulk?
Story type: Slayer
Watcher's mood: DC Universe imp entity
Altered history: In this other reality, Wolverine disobeys his orders to capture the Hulk and deliberately tries to kill him. Being the best at what he does, he successfully manages it. If you wonder what impact that has on the Marvel Universe, this issue won't help you much. This is the extent of what we see:
Everybody's shocked, and that's about it. Betty Grant cries a lot too. No really, we're not interested in the Hulk's people. Wolverine celebrates his big victory by going on a bender near Dept. H's base "on the outskirts of Quebec".
You mean, like, Ontario? THOSE outskirts? Because they can't mean Quebec City's suburbs. For one thing, there wouldn't be a Canadian flag flying, much less a tavern with an English name (or that much wilderness). The obligatory bar fight features one Quebecker at least, Jean-Paul, who doesn't like Wolvie touching his women. The banter is colloquial English, but the attitude is all Quebec. Then again, Wolverine follows that up with the manslaughter of a guy called McKenzie. So this is Cliché Canada, then. I shouldn't worry about it not being anything like the real place. Anyway, that puts Wolverine on the run from the law, and on Magneto's radar. He recruits Logan for his Brotherhood of (Evil) Mutants.
He puts a telepathic scrambler on him, and thanks to the Canadian government sweeping the murders under the carpet (always protect your black ops guys), Wolverine goes undercover at the X-Men school. But it's the usual story. He bonds with them, and falls in love with Jean. And eventually, he'll be ready to betray Magneto. The only real difference is that these aren't the All-New, All-Different X-Men. Wolverine has actually joined much earlier (1974, looks like). As Magneto lay dying in a pool of his own blood, he lashes back at the redeemed Wolverine:
And both mutants DIE. Yeah right. Like the next issue wouldn't start with Wolverine getting out of his coffin, all healed up. From what we know of his powers, there is NO WAY he would be rendered dead-dead from sticking his own claws through his throat. I bet Magneto survives too. It's the X-Men, after all.
Books canceled as a result: Incredible Hulk is goners. Marvel's many Wolverine titles are pretty safe, however. I guarantee it!
These things happen: Since the Hulk is still around, I have to conclude that they do not. I don't even believe them HERE.

Next week: What If There Was No Fantastic Four?
My guess: Simple... Mole Man's New York.

Star Trek 1268: Star TreX

1268. Star TreX

PUBLICATION: Star Trek - X-Men #1, Marvel Comics, December 1996

CREATORS: Scott Lobdell (writer), Marc Silvestri and studio (artists)

STARDATE: 4740.5 (after Metamorphosis)

PLOT: The X-Men pursue the Shi'ar Deathbird through a psionic rift and come out at planet Delta Vega, which the USS Enterprise is investigating. Their ship destroyed. the mutants board the Enterprise and are soon discovered. They join forces with the Enterprise crew to defeat the Shi'ar and Proteus, a powerful mutant that has bonded with Gary Mitchell's corpse and plans to rule and destroy both teams' universes. While Spock and Bishop attempt to close the psionic rift, down on the planet, the two sides clash. Eventually, Kirk convinces Gary to give up the ghost, and Spock starts to close the rift, robbing Proteus of his power. The landing party and the X-Men fire on Proteus together and destroy him. Deathbird surrenders and the Shi'ar and X-Men leave through the collapsing rift.

CONTINUITY: The ship has returned to Delta Vega where Gary Mitchell and Elizabeth Dehner are buried (Where No Man Has Gone Before). Beast misidentifies the Enterprise as Constellation class.

DIVERGENCES: Obviously, the X-Men, Proteus, the Shi'ar, Gladiator and Imperial Guard belong to an entirely different fictional universe. Spock seems to know what Homo Superior are, but it's then revealed they come from a different universe.

PANEL OF THE DAY - More alike than they are different
REVIEW: Crossing over Star Trek and the X-Men is a pretty crazy idea, and it suffers from everything the X-Men suffered from in the mid-90s. First of all, and this may be a matter of taste, but the line-up is terrible. Gambit (who does nothing by the way), Bishop, Wolverine's bone claws... Marc Silvestri is a good artist, but he has a dozen assistants completing the issue for him, with a corresponding lack of coherence to the art, and even narrative flow problems. The issue is filled with gratuitous splash pages and has too much plot for its own good, with Deathbird and the Imperial Guard showing up and then giving up with no apparent motivation. Oh, and it's called "Star TreX". Yes, there's an interesting notion in that Gary Mitchell was a "mutant", and writer Scott Lobdell adds fun comedic touches throughout, but the two universes just don't mesh very well. It's not so much the Enterprise crew reacting to a superhuman punching the ship. That's the kind of genre friction that's actually fun. The problem is the art, quite frankly. There is no attempt to humanize the superheroes' anatomies to bring them more in line with the human proportions of the Enterprise crew, and so they never seem to occupy the same space. Either the X-Men are parodies of the human form, or the Enterprise crew are terribly out of shape. It looks ridiculous. But of course, the plot is rubbish as well. We're left with a few cute set pieces, like Kirk hitting on Jean Gray or the teams sharing a moment of inspiration, but that's the extent of it.

Movie Marquee Friday: Ghosts and Monsters

The scales are tipped...They translate as...

Ancient wisdoms come to ghetto shores...

On television, sideways worlds we would rather live in...

Stars may be less involved than they appear...

Neon nights, a train flashes by...

To Western eyes, the sound of the great beast...
It came from the wet...

We look to the clouds for the next threat...
While below the atomic fires burn in an inferno of stock footage...

Star Trek 1267: Nemesis

1267. Nemesis

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: Early Voyages #17, Marvel Comics, June 1998

CREATORS: Ian Edginton and Dan Abnett (writers), Javier Pulido and Steve Moncuse (artists)

STARDATE: Unknown (follows the last issue)

PLOT: Discovered by the Temazi, Pike, Kaaj and their respecting landing parties fight/run for their lives. The Temazi unleash their alien Thanatos weapons, large killer robots that attack both them and their ships. Up in orbit, the confrontation between the Enterprise and the Klingons takes a nasty turn as Admiral April undermines Number One's authority and tactics. Down below, Kaaj gives his life to destroy pursuing Thanatos machines, dying knowing Pike will be haunted by his death. The landing parties get to a shuttle and fly off the planet, but it may or may not be lost when April orders torpedoes that create a shockwave that hits the Enterprise and knocks out Number One...

CONTINUITY: See previous issue (Robert April, Kaaj).

DIVERGENCES: There is Voyager episode and a feature film that share that title.

PANEL OF THE DAY - The maddening finish
REVIEW: Down on the planet, we have Kaaj's epic death, worthy of a Klingon. Up above, there's human drama as April turns out to be something of a baddie, consistently undermining Number One's tactics. Sita shows herself to be an ambitious ladder climber, following April's lead rather than Number One's. The outer space action is a bit cartoony in places, but it ends in a strong cliffhanger. And despite all its strengths, I don't recommend you read the last two issues of Early Voyagers. See, it ends here, in the middle of that cliffhanger. What will April do with his returned command? Is Number One alright? Is Pike dead? And will he get the girl? What about Grace's troubles below decks? And does Sita get a better job after this? All unknowns. You can really tell here that Marvel's Star Trek line collapsed without warning. There wasn't even time to to turn some pages into a quick epilogue. Extremely frustrating and it stinks of wasted potential. All it needed was one more issue to wrap things off satisfyingly, I'm sure.