Just a Heartbreaker

Many of you celebrate today as Christmas Eve. But personally, I'd like to celebrate this as the day I died and came back to life!

Okay, maybe that's a bit overly dramatic. But it's not an exaggeration to say, last year on December 24th (2022), I had my chest split wide open while machines kept my heart and lungs working for a few hours as a team of incredibly talented doctors and nurses performed a very unexpected triple bypass heart surgery on me (commonly referred to as Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, or CABG). I'm typically not a fan of the holidays, but this was not at all how I imagined spending them. And it definitely is something that sticks with you for a while. Trust me when I say, not a day goes by that I don't remind myself just how close I got to not having a holiday season to scoff at this year.

So how did I get here...?

Well, some of you have heard this story, but many of you may not be aware of the specifics. So since it's on regular rotation in my brain, allow me a moment to relive my "reliving" with you, on the off-chance that maybe you or someone you love is saying, “Hm... I wonder if my heart is about to just up and quit working on me”.

Looking back, this all started a few years ago... 

And yes, I can already hear you asking, "Whyyyyy didn't you go to the doctor?!?" To which I say... Ha! I did! More or less. 

Since I've had decent insurance from my job, I try to have a fairly regular check-up. And I learned a while ago, my cholesterol is a bit high (thanks genetics!), so I'd started trying to eat right (ish). I stopped drinking soda, and haven't had any fast food in yeeears. I drink water, lemonade, orange juice, and coffee (obviously). 

And if that wasn't enough to lower those pesky triglycerides, I learned that Red Rice Pills can also lower it... somewhat. So I started taking those, and according to my doctor, it worked! And this sounded way better than being on prescription drugs. Cause I'm stubborn. And I hate drugs. 

Add to that, I do occasionally try to exercise. Not as often as I want (or should?) but enough to say that I do... sorta. So maybe I wasn't the picture of health, but more like a rough sketch. 

Then one day while exercising, I noticed I was getting some serious fatigue. I started feeling some aches and soreness in my upper arms, and just couldn't push myself past it. It was frustrating, but mentally, I chalked it up to the big “O”... I was getting “Older”. Definitely not something I wanted to accept, but since I had just recently turned 30 *cough-cough*, I knew things might be starting to slow down a little. Argh...

As random and strange as the fatigue was, I wasn't too concerned because I'd just had a check-up a few months earlier, and my doctor said all was pretty good (well, except for the cholesterol). But I didn't think it was anything urgent, and figured I'd discuss it on my next check-up. 

And then Pandemic season began. 

While THAT was going on, I had zero interest in going to the doctor, unless I reeeeally needed to. So I put off my annual check-up another year. Because I felt fine. And I really didn't want to go to the doctor anyway.

So when pandemic season came to a close, I kept telling myself I need to make a doctor appointment cause it had been a couple years by now. But since I was feeling alright, I wasn't in too big a hurry. I still had occasional fatigue, but meh. For the most part, I was trying to take care of myself and even started taking some vitamins. Maybe I still wasn't eating great, but good enough, and never excessively (because, as many of you know, I really don't like food).

But October 2022, it finally caught up with me...

*insert dramatic tension music here*

I'd gotten a bad cold earlier that month (or maybe late September). After recovering, I was walking into work, when suddenly, I got out of breath. A lot. And there was a definite tightness in my chest. By the time I got inside, I sat down, drank some water, and eventually felt perfectly normal (as normal as I usually felt). Well, that is until I had to run up some stairs. Then I suddenly got winded again. Seriously?!? WTF...

I went to health services, and they did some basic checks and said they could call an ambulance. To which I said nooooo... Cause really, I'm okay. He suggested maybe I was dehydrated especially after getting sick the week before. So, I went home early and thought, I just need to drink more water maybe. Or maybe I needed electrolytes? It is what plants crave.

I took a couple days off work to relax, and that's when I realized... I had just started taking Fish Oil to replace the Red Rice pills cause they were (supposedly) better! So maybe something in that was affecting me strangely?

"And that's when you finally went to the doctor!”

Naaaaah, no reason to bother a doctor when I can figure this out myself! (Remember... I'm stubborn!)

I did talk to a few friends to get their opinions, hoping they might be able to point me in the right direction (i.e. tell me what I want to hear). In the end, I stopped taking all my vitamins and supplements, thinking maybe I just needed to clear out my system. I even went to a big nerdy convention that weekend, where I walked around. A lot! And I felt pretty good the whole time.

The following week, I was ready to return to work, thinking everything was just peachy. 

Plot twist: Things were in fact, not so peachy.

As I look back, there are a few distinct moments during this whole ordeal where I can say it was 'the worst'. And this particular day was one of them.

Sitting at home, feeling that tightness in my chest, not being able to catch my breath was pretty horrible. Can I say I was having a mini heart attack? From what I've learned, yes, it probably was. The whole time, I had this internal monologue:

“Fiiiiine, I'll go to the doctor..."

"Wait, should I go to the ER??"

"Wait... should I call an ambulance??” 

To be clear, this was no longer stubbornness. I was just trying to figure out if I was overreacting or not. Was my mind playing into my discomfort and making it worse than it really was? The idea of going to the parking lot, and getting in my car sounded like a marathon. I was legitimately unsure if I could do it. But I thought... no. Maybe I am overreacting. I'm pretty sure I can get to the car. And if I do collapse in the parking lot, hopefully someone will see me and call for help.

Yes. Those were my actual thoughts. 

I made a call and fortunately my doctor could get me in that day, and more fortunately, I was able to get to my car without incident. I could even drive without any problems. By the time I got there... I felt great! I was convinced it had to be some issues with my muscles cramping, or maybe some strange lung problem. There is no way this could be my heart! Especially after they gave me an EKG, and I was told it looked beautiful! So maybe I was overreacting...? 

Curiouser and curiouser. 

Whatever it was, I was scheduled for some blood work and a follow-up a couple weeks later. 

In the meantime, I recall having a few more of those "out-of-breath" moments. A couple times at work, (adding to my theory that I was allergic to work), typically going up stairs, and again when I went to have my blood taken. And as much as it sucked, having this happen just before my blood test was probably for the best, so they could see the results while I was feeling it. 

By now, it's November and time for my doctor's follow-up appointment, where I get to find out exactly what's going on, give me a prescription, maybe a shot, and have me all fixed up so I wouldn't have to deal with this ever again. I still remember how that conversation went:

"Blah blah blah... cholesterol blah blah. Blah blah... prescription. Blah blah... Troponin levels. Blah... CARDIAC EVENT.... blah blah... AND YOU NEED TO GO TO THE ER RIGHT NOW."

Okay, that's... wait what? Hold on, I feel great! I don't need to go to the hospital. Plus I have to work tonight...

Welp, looks like I need to call in to work again, cause like it or not, suddenly I'm driving myself to the hospital. Ugh...

Everyone was making a fuss, and I felt like the lamest person in the ER because I wasn't doubling over in pain, nor was I bleeding all over the floor. But they put me in a room, and gave me a gown, and I'm like... seriously?! I'm not staying that long! They did a few tests, many of which turned out negative. They managed to narrow things down at least, and long story short: 

Turns out maaaaybe I have a heart problem. 

Ugh x2...

So FYI: A high Troponin level is a clear indication of a cardiac event. But they had no idea how severe it was or why it happened. They wanted to keep me overnight, to do more tests, but after they checked my Troponin levels again, everything looked normal. So I felt like staying longer was completely unnecessary. I had other things to do, and whatever did happen was a thing of the past, and I'll be okay now forever and ever. Plus maybe they saw my insurance was good, and wanted me to help pay for some new equipment by keeping me longer. Well, personally I wasn't having any of that, and really... I felt fine. They were definitely not happy when I told them I was going home. But I assured them, fiiiiine I'll make an appointment with a cardiologist if that makes everyone happy. They shrugged and let me check out. 

Then, a week or so later, when I finally could get in to see a cardiologist (Dr Olivier), he didn't tell me anything I wanted to hear either. I tried to convince him my chest pain was slightly on my right center, so it couldn't possibly be my heart. Soooo, turns out that's common because of how nerves often react to pain. He was also saying stuff like outpatient surgery, and Heart Catheter, and stent. But because I obviously know much better than a trained professional (because my initials are MD), I told him I really didn't need all that and asked if there was some alternatives. Reluctantly, he suggested doing some stress tests and ultrasound. But apparently, those kinds of things are fairly popular, because I couldn't get scheduled until late January. But fine... whatever is going on, it can't be that big a deal, and I can wait another couple months to find out.

Well, I must have kept my cardiologist awake that night, because he called the next day and said, he really REALLY needs to do a heart catheter. He was also very concerned about causing stress to my heart by doing a stress test. I can not express enough how much I really didn't want to do this... But fine. I got myself scheduled on December 22 for a heart catheter. At least it'll be over and done with so I can move on with my life. 

Ugh x3...

And while I was overly stressed thinking about this (which is obviously not conducive to someone with a heart condition), I talked to a few friends that had this procedure done, and they assured me... it's really no big deal. So, as nervous as I was going in on December 22, they were right. A heart catheter really isn't that bad. They gave me some light drugs, so I was awake the whole time, and pushed a wire through my arm, (yeah, they could have gone through the groin!). Occasionally I could feel a little burning in my arm, but I didn't even notice when they started poking at my heart. 

There was a giant big screen TV my doctor was studying above me to my left, and me still being the impatient patient, asked how everything looks. I mean, I don't reeeeally need a stent... do I?? 

His response: 

"Hm... Let me consult with my partner quick, so just hang tight."

Um. Okay, cryptic. But I wasn't going anywhere, especially since I still had a wire running through my arm connected directly to my heart.

He finally came back and turned the screen to show me what was going on. He sprayed a bit of dye through my heart and I couldn't help notice um... only half of it was working. He said a stent was impossible due to severe calcification on the left main artery. To be more specific, there was 95% blockage on the LAD, 90% blockage on the LMCA, and 100% blockage in the mid RCA. Yeah, I'm not entirely sure what any of that means either, but he informed me, it's commonly referred to as a Widowmaker... because you won't survive if anything happens to the functional half of your heart.

In laymen's terms:

Ugh x4000000000...

I'm not entirely sure what my response was, but I think it might have been something like, "Well, that sucks...".

At this point, a lot of it was just a blur, and not entirely because of the drugs. I think I was eager to go home, but they made it pretty clear I wasn't leaving this time. I mean, I could have made a run for it, but I would have been yanked back quickly from the IV and heart monitor cables stuck to me. Plus, apparently I could quite possibly die.

They also decided to transport me to another hospital (ORMC - Orlando Reginal Medical Center) that was more qualified to take heart patients. Have you seen those Facebook quizzes that ask you to give points for things you've done, like broken a bone or gotten a tattoo etc? Finally I can give myself a point for riding in an ambulance. Bonus points for the EMT guy in the back being very decent and talking about music with me and just being extra supportive. I don't think I had processed the mavity of what was happening yet, but it was great having a distracting chat with him, and hearing him tell me I'll be okay. 

And then they wheeled me into my hotel room. At least it might as well have been a hotel, because it was an impressive new empty wing of the hospital. And bonus points for a very cute friendly nurse helping me get all settled in. This may not be so bad after all! Oh, that's right... there's still all this heart stuff I have to deal with.

So I tried to relax and get some sleep and forget about everything for a while... until some random moron doctor wakes me up at 2am to tell me he's a doctor. Well, I say moron, but I'm sure he's very intelligent. But intelligence does not equal wisdom. Cause he woke me up just to introduce himself. And I don't think I ever saw him again. What was the point?? 

In his defense, at the time, nobody knew who was going to do the actual surgery. Remember kids, this was a big holiday weekend. I met with several doctors and initially, I was told they might not be able to do the surgery until Monday (Dec 26). Hey, I've gone this long with only half a heart, what's another few days...? 

But big surprise, Friday afternoon, I was told Doctor Hanna could perform the surgery on Saturday morning, Christmas Eve. 

This is great news...! 

Well, I guess it's great? 

Okay, sure it was a relief knowing I wouldn't have to wait, and I could finally get this over with so I could move on with my life. But... remember I said there were a few moments that particularly sucked? 

His assistant came to talk to me for a bit. She was nice, but also very matter-of-fact. It was apparently her job to tell me all about my upcoming surgery. 

In extremely graphic detail...

Now, many of you know, I enjoy a good horror movie. Mostly cause it's not real. And more importantly, because it's not happening to me. So maybe you can imagine how uncomfortable it was hearing about their plan to rip me apart, take out my heart and lungs, while removing arteries from my leg to fix me up. 

Maybe sometimes not knowing is preferable. 

It didn't help that physically, I was feeling pretty good. My brain was screaming, YOU are going to make me feel miserable! (ignoring the whole "Widowmaker" aspect of my situation).

But, she did tell me a couple of important things:

1. I'm apparently in really good shape

2. I'm still very young

Go on..... 

With those factors, there was a less than 1% chance of anything going wrong. But she also reminded me... less than 1% is not zero. 

When she left, I obviously had a lot to think about. And this was the only time I genuinely felt emotionally gut-punched. 

To be clear, I was not worried about dying. I KNEW I would live. There was no doubt in my mind I would be okay. I still had way too much to do in my life. I just didn't want to go through any of THAT. I'd gotten used to my internal organs sitting right where they were. So the idea of anyone messing with their natural placement sounded very unpleasant to me.

I had a couple very close friends I confided in, and I absolutely appreciate their support. But otherwise, I didn't make any of this public (no Facebook posts from me), because I really didn't want to worry anyone. See, I knew I was going to be okay, but I didn't want to have to convince everyone else. So there was maybe five people, plus my family that knew what was going on, and that was good enough. 

Maybe I just wanted to surprise everyone after it was all over. 

And just to make matters a bit more annoying, my parents (who I get along great with), are still in Indiana, and my dad had a bad cold. Nothing serious, but enough to make flying to Florida on Christmas Eve last minute, nearly impossible. Well, maybe with a private jet, but we aren't quite there yet. 

So once I'd coped with exactly what was going to happen, I did my best to settle in for the night, and prepare for quite possibly the biggest Christmas Eve of my life. Maybe even a bigger Christmas than the year I got all those Star Wars toys. But only slightly. 

And I'm going to skip right over the two or three "not-so-good' nurses I had to deal with the night before my surgery. Yeah, it was December 23, Friday night, and I'm guessing they didn't have their A-Team working. But you'd really hope they would know how to deal with an IV like not taping it down for a shower, then ripping it out. But hey, I said I wasn't going to talk about it. 

And after I surprisingly did get some sleep, I was awoken bright and early for my big day. I was wheeled down to pre-op, where I imagined being greeted by Santa, elves, all my friends and maybe even Scrooge and the Grinch himself, telling me this was all an elaborate lesson to teach me the importance of having more Christmas cheer! 

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. And even if it had, I'm sure Santa would have said something like, "We still have to open you up though, ho ho ho...!"

I remember being coherent, but not nervous. I was restless and eager to get it over with. I was also very eager for the drugs. Sure, I don't normally like drugs, but this was a special occasion. Give me ALL the drugs!

I must have eventually gotten them, because I don't remember anything before being wheeled into surgery.

And all the while they were eviscerating me, the few friends and family that knew about this were being updated on my progress via a text message chain, originating from the robot that was operating on me. To be clear, I'm pretty sure Dr Hanna himself is not an actual android. But from what I understand, a robot did do some of the more heavy lifting, including sending out texts telling my friends exactly what was going on. 

Typically, I'd be concerned if the surgeon operating on me was texting while he worked but, I'd like to take a moment to celebrate our new robot overlords...

To the best of my knowledge, things went textbook perfectly. But you'll have to check with everyone else regarding the details, (which I've only heard bits about), because thankfully, I slept through the whole thing. 

And then I woke up in the ICU...

Which brings us to the third (or fourth?) most uncomfortable moment out of this whole ordeal.

The very first thing I remember is a group of three or four people helping me walk to another bed, feeling myself all wrapped up in cables and tubes, followed by my very first words:

"I can't breathe..."

Because I couldn't.

To be clear, I thought I couldn't, because of how I used to breathe all willy-nilly without a care in the world. But this was a new post heart surgery era, where apparently I had a set of tubes still inside me pressing against my lungs catching some fluids. And apparently, this was all perfectly normal because of how everyone ignored me gasping for air as they continued to shuffle me to the bed. It was only a couple steps, but I can assure you... this really sucked. Might have been nice to know about the difficulty in breathing thing before my surgery.

Okay, maaaaybe they mentioned it, but I could have blocked everything out after they told me about the ripping me apart stuff. Kinda feels like maybe I should have paid more attention. My bad. 

So there I was, the only patient in the ICU, (cause I guess nobody else decided to get surgery for Christmas Eve), trying to get comfortable with all the tubes inside me, gasping for air, as they asked me if I needed anything. 

Music. Give me. Some music. Please...

I desperately wanted a distraction from the not being able to breathe thing. And some music that I could try to sing badly to would be an awesome way to just forget about all this for a while.

But I never got any music. Dicks.

Although, they probably would have just pumped in some Christmas music, and I don't think that would have helped in my recovery. I tried to sleep, because that was the only time I was comfortable. And every time I woke up, I was gasping for air again, and suddenly reminded how much this sucked. 

But good news, I didn't have any pain!  Possibly because of the drugs, but at this point, I really couldn't appreciate them. Cause seriously, breathing would have been a wonderful Christmas present. 

Anywho, you get the idea, and I don't want to drag this part on any longer than I should. Or at least any longer than it felt. In the end, I was only in the ICU for a few hours, but I'm not sure exactly how long. I wasn't paying much attention to the time. I just know eventually, someone came in and told me he was taking me back to my room, but first he needed to yank out some tubes. I remember looking at him confused at his comment, then feeling some very unusual sensations as things I didn't know were inside me were suddenly pulled out. 

I know I was on a few different drugs which probably helped immensely, because other than the breathing, I felt pretty okay, all things considered. I remember sending out a few texts, although I can't be entirely sure they were coherent. Spelling was a bit overly complicated for a few days. But I will let you in on a little secret: 

After my surgery, I posted something on Facebook letting everyone know what happened and that I was okay. But I had actually written it the day BEFORE my surgery, so all I had to do was copy/paste. It was only when people started responding and I tried to reply did I start to sound like maybe they cut out part of my brain as well. 

And I would say my heart grew three sizes that Christmas day, but that would have been extremely unhealthy. So instead, I'll just say again and again how overwhelmed I was (and still am) by the amount of support and love I got from my silly little post surgery post. Seriously. It meant the world to me, and I can't thank everyone enough. From all the messages, to all the phone calls, thank you x4000000000.

And of course, being in such a good mood made me feel rather chatty. I was alert, and imagined I was making some kind of sense (as much as I normally do). However, looking back, I read some of those texts, and a few of them may have come across as a bit jumbled. 

But I'm sure I sounded just fine for anyone calling or visiting! Although I do recall some very unusual imagery randomly popping in front of my vision. 

So, my hospital stay was surprisingly brief. Surgery was on Saturday morning, and by Wednesday afternoon,  I was on my way home. 

The highlights of my stay consisted of: 

- They kept trying to give me food. Other than it not being good, I never eat that much. So the trays just kept piling up.

- Fiiiinally getting the tubes pressing against my lungs pulled out of me, and realizing it really didn't help me breathe any better. 

- Getting yelled at every time I got up to do anything, cause they wanted me to call for help... but I really didn't want to bother anyone.

- Having several nurses trying to figure out how to change the toilet paper roll cause it was a new setup and nobody knew how. Legend has it, they are still trying to figure out how to change the roll today.

- Spending time learning how to walk... For the third time in my life. The second time after a foot surgery (bone cyst) a few years earlier. The first time being a few years after I was born.

But as much fun as all that was *sarcasm*, eventually they stuck me in a wheelchair and sent me home. To be clear, I got into a car for the actual trip home. They didn't wheel me down the road.

And having just learned how to walk again for short distances, I was concerned about climbing the three flights of stairs to my apartment. But even more concerning was, hoping I wouldn't get in an accident on the way home, because I figured my chest would just explode on impact. Although at this point, I had the same concern about sneezing.

I did finally make it home safely, and while it took some time, I managed to get upstairs. And as I was settling in, my first thought was... Should I be here??

I say this because I no longer had the perfectly adjustable bed, the monitors checking my vitals regularly, and the staff of nurses and doctors I could contact at the press of a button right down the hall should I have need of anything urgent. 

My first night trying to sleep consisted of me switching from the bed, to the couch, to the big cushioned armchair, back to the bed, and finally back to the chair, all the while trying to find the best pillow placement around me, and all within an hour of me thinking I really need to get some sleep.

But with each night, things got easier. Sure it was a rough few months, but thanks to many supportive and encouraging friends, I was able to recover fairly quickly.

However, most tragically of all, I gained back the ten pounds I lost after my surgery.

So here we are, exactly one year later, and other than occasionally feeling like I have a piece of duct tape down my chest, I'm pretty much back to normal. As normal as I get anyway. I've gone from having to take a break after going up a couple of stairs, to weaving in and around slow walking people when trying to escape work with my co-workers. My doctors are very happy with everything, and I'm down to taking only three prescription drugs, one of which is for cholesterol, and one is a baby aspirin, (hopefully just those two if I can convince my doctor on my next visit).

So the big question is, what caused all this calcification and blockage?

I was in relatively good shape, relatively young (ish), exercised (ish), and other than cholesterol, there's been no heart disease in my family. My dad says it was caused by all the macaroni and cheese I used to eat. I think it's just cause I'm a cheesy guy *Ba-dum-tss...* 

But let's not ignore how incredibly lucky I was.

I've often said I feel like I've been very lucky in my life. I've had the good fortune of great work opportunities in my career. I've been able to work with sooooo many wonderfully talented people. And now, looking back on this heart stuff, maybe you can see several times where this could have gone horribly wrong very quickly. I've seen a few fairly young celebrities that suddenly passed away, not from drugs (surprisingly) but a heart condition they were unaware of, and I can't help think... that could have been me. But thankfully, everything fell right into place and worked out for the best for me. Somehow.

And most importantly, I'll always remember how lucky I am to have some of the most awesome friends anyone could ever hope for.

Between Tom, Kristen & Lee, Lisa, Josh, Lauren, Tony, Tanya & Rich, Rick, and Dan, with all your visits, phone calls, care packages, driving me around, taking me out for walkies, and listening to me occasionally complain about random aches and pains, I'll never forget how truly amazing you all were to me and how much you really helped my recovery fly by.

And to soooo many other long distance friends who messaged me and supported me during all this as well, from the bottom of my heart, (which seems to work a lot better now, so hopefully it means a bit more), thank you! 

So, if I did die and come back to life, it's starting to look like I'll probably outlive everyone else now. And since I'm regularly taking a baby aspirin, it's starting to sound like that makes me one year old today!

Star Trek: The Ultimate Review - Part Two

Welcome back to part two of my Ultimate Star Trek Review. If you missed part one, check it out here. 

Remember how excited and positive I was about the first incarnations of Star Trek (with some exceptions)? Remember how I also said these are my opinions, and I completely understand if your opinions differ, as long as we can discuss it logically? 

Well, let's boldly go where no one has gone before, and talk about The Next Generation (TNG): 

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 - 1994)

Gene Roddenberry finally got approved for a new Star Trek series for television! But was it the same...? 

They decided to make this version eighty years after Captain Kirk, so we could see some advancements and they wouldn't have to be bound so tightly to the original series. This time, we follow a new crew on board the Enterprise, NCC-1701 D, as they boldly... well, you get the idea.

I think most fans agree, TNG had a very rough season one, but over time, the series vastly improved. Eventually there were many good episodes, but it still never quite felt like the original series to me. One particular problem I had was the dialogue and chemistry between characters. It seemed like everyone was unnatural and plastic, and conversations were laced with unnecessary amounts of technobabble. Sure the cast was talented, but it's as if they got the script an hour before shooting, and everything was filmed on the first take. Even with some good stories, the friendly banter often felt impersonal and almost forced. 

Riker: "Here's where I say something  witty and charming"
LaForge: "I'll chuckle appropriately, and possibly make a witty yet intellectual observation"
Troi: "Something about ice cream..."
Worf: *stares in Klingon*
*Audience laughs, because Worf just doesn't understand...!

Unfortunately, the writing team didn't have the benefit of creativity that the original series had when they used seasoned science fiction authors. And since it was an entirely different creative team simply writing for television, showrunner Rick Berman began crafting his own version of Star Trek. Which worked out okay in the end, but it took a while to figure out exactly what they wanted this Star Trek to be.

And honestly, I never liked the design of the Enterprise D either. It's obvious they wanted to make something simple for early computer effects, but it never quite looked right to me.

Even the music is just empty lush background orchestration. Other than the theme song, (which was from the 1979 movie), none of it ever stood out. From TOS, you know how the Vulcan mind meld music sounds. You know how the Doomsday planet killer music sounds. And you know how the standard fight music sounds. In TNG, I can't pick out any theme or motif in any situation they encountered. 

But, if you never saw TOS, I completely understand why you might prefer TNG  Because when this series was good, it was very good. And it helped that audiences were hungry for good science fiction.

So The Next Generation endured, for seven seasons, and several movies. And obviously, when you have so much time to fine tune things, you'll have some really great moments. And of course, some not so great moments too.

I'm not going to do a Top Five like I did with TOS. But if your curious, there are plenty of Top Ten lists for TNG posted all over the internets, and they tend to be fairly consistent. Otherwise, you're on your own here, kids. Just remember, season one has a lot of rough patches.

Oh, did I mention TNG had several movies? Beginning with...

Star Trek: Generations (1990)

This was the official 'passing of the torch (passing of the phaser?)' from one captain to another (Kirk to Picard). I should point out, it was an odd number Trek movie, so obviously, it was just okay (see part one of my review to understand where the reference came from). Although it had Malcolm McDowell in it, and he's cool...

Anyway, that brings us to...

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

This was such a fun movie, and really a pretty good story too! Easily the best TNG theatrical release, and overall just a great sci-fi action film to watch.

Insurrection (1998) & Nemesis (2002)

These were both movies. I know I saw them. The word 'forgettable' comes to mind. One of them was the last of the TNG cast. I know they got my money. I might have shrugged.

Meanwhile, back on television...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1999)

When Deep Space Nine began, TNG had been on television for a few years. At the time, I still did the occasional eye roll at what they did to my beloved Trek. But never did my eyes roll more than during the TNG story arc involving the Bajoran and Cardassian turf war. Their conflict was sooooo boring to me, and the Bajorans always sounded like a bunch of whiny bitches.

So imagine my enthusiasm when I learned there was a new series based on a space station in orbit around the Bajoran homeworld and the Cardassian occupancy! Ugh...

I saw the first few episodes, and not only did I still hate this endless soap opera, I also hated the characters. Dr. Bashir was like arrogant nails on a chalkboard to me! Not to mention, the cast felt like they really didn't have any chemistry. There were other cringy things that bothered me too. I still remember being offended when they were discussing a character being a 'fat Ferengi'. The actor just wore a badly padded fat suit. Why couldn't they have simply hired a heavier actor for the part?? It made no sense to me. The only person that seemed to be having fun in this series was Quark (Armin Shimerman). But it didn't help that I still felt generally the same about the Rick Berman Trek-verse in comparison to the original (meh).

While we're on the subject, let's examine another science fiction series about a space station where aliens met:

Babylon 5 (1994 - 1998)

Oh this was good... sooooooo good!

I want to clarify, this show has NOTHING to do with Star Trek.

Creator/showrunner J. Michael Straczynski pitched his idea for Babylon 5 to many networks. He had a concept about a space station where alien races could gather peacefully to work out their differences. One of the networks he pitched it to was CBS, but they rejected it. And before you can say suspiciously coincidental, CBS premiered Deep Space Nine... about a space station where all alien races could gather peacefully to work out their differences. Hmm...

Babylon 5 also had a rough season one, but the characters and concepts were fantastic! This series was designed to have a beginning, middle, and end, and Stracyznski fought very hard to keep this entire project alive. He was ultimately successful, and this is a show you need to watch if you can find it. Some of the best moments in science fiction ever are in this brilliant series.

Oh, sorry, I'm supposed to be talking about Star Trek...

The point I'm trying to make is, B5 had some great elements. DS9 had annoying and boring characters, with a boring story. The reality is, I can still be a fan of Star Trek, but I'm not a fan of bad writing. I'm simply a fan of good science fiction.

And I'll make a confession... I never finished Deep Space Nine. I know, I know, I can hear the collective nerd gasp from all of you, and I've heard it does improve. To clarify, what I've been told is it improved when they left the space station and got into the Defiant to explore space... sorta like a trek through the stars. A star trek. I swear I'll watch it one of these days. But really, I hated most of those characters so much...

Maybe the next version of Trek will be better...

Star Trek: Voyager (1995 - 2001)

The Federation starship Voyager gets shot out into deep space. I mean really deep space. Like suddenly it will take them a hundred years or so to get home. One might say they are... lost in space.

I was interested in the story, because it meant they could finally get away from those annoying ass Bajorans and Cardassians! But even moreso, I found most of the characters in Voyager were actually interesting. They finally created some unique characters, and the cast seemed to have great chemistry together. The interaction no longer sounded fake, and you believed the conversations were a bit more natural. Well, of course they still had an overabundance of technobabble, but this was already a big improvement to me. 

One of my personal favorites was the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH). Robert Picardo really had a great time with his role, and it showed throughout the entire series.

And while the writing and music still had that typical Berman Trek feel to it, the stories were good enough to keep me entertained and curious for more. And I want to make it very clear, I liked the show BEFORE they added Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan).

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking, but truth be told, she was a very well developed character! Wait... let me try that again. Due to Voyager's low ratings, it seemed very obvious why they added her in season 4. And as much as I did enjoy it initially, it really felt like something in this series needed to be tweaked... wait, that came out wrong too.

In all seriousness, her character wound up being more than just eye candy. Seven's story arc was interesting and a unique addition to the Trek Universe. Unfortunately, when they realized her popularity in the show, she began to overshadow everyone else in the series. Which is a shame, because as I mentioned, they did have some decent characters.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001 - 2005)

Never have I been more excited for a series, and yet so utterly disappointed. And no, I'm not talking about the silly mechanic jumpsuits they wore. Seriously, costume design, this is the best you could come up with?? Ugh...

Enterprise was to be the series before Captain Kirk, and even before Captain Pike, when Earth first started exploring space with warp drive. Starring Scott Bakula from Quantum Leap as Captain Archer, I thought, how could they possibly go wrong...

I had hoped for a return to the original look of the series, and an opportunity to explore the first contact with some of the classic alien races we love. There was so much potential, but sadly, the first couple seasons were generally bland or poorly written, with characters that I learned to loathe over time. One of the best reviews I remember reading at the time suggested changing out one of the characters with a potted plant to see if anyone would notice. 

Communication officer Hoshi Sato (Linda Park) and Doctor Phlox (John Billingsley) were two of the best characters in the series. Unfortunately, they were overshadowed by a Vulcan in a tight bodysuit, with a lame bowl haircut (Jolene Blalock).

*See part one of my review where I said Vulcan women do NOT have bowl haircuts, Rick!

Other characters in the show were either boring, or extremely annoying, and... whyyyyy did they spend so much time in their underwear rubbing each other in decontamination???

This happened... often, (although not normally with the dog). Sure, I love a bit of titillation in my stories, cause I'm a dude. But after a while, it became uncomfortable even for me. Maybe because they didn't have any actual writing skills?

Okay, I'm being very harsh, and in reality, not all the episodes were terrible. In fact, they got a new and improved writing team in later seasons, which gave us one particular stand out, the two-part mirror universe episode, In a Mirror Darkly. I loved everything about this episode! Rumor has it, they planned on an entire season of mirror universe if the series continued. That could have been interesting...

But alas, it was too little too late, and the series was suddenly cancelled supposedly due to poor ratings. Although some have said that certain execs in CBS (Les Moonves and Alex Kurtzman) decided they didn't like Star Trek or science fiction, so they just killed it. It didn't help that there was also a split between Viacom and CBS which caused a bit of a custody battle over the rights. So sadly, this was literally the end of an era. 

But before this version of Star Trek vanished, we at least got to explore a meaningful story about the Orion Slave trade.

I mean, it was a better story than the Bajoran/Cardassian conflict...

To be continued in part three...

Deeesher

Star Trek: The Ultimate Review - Part One

I'm about to drop some truth photon torpedoes on you. And while none of them will contain Spock's body, I hope you will find them all to be quite... logical.

"Hey Deeesher, do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek?"

I prefer good writing.
To clarify, I have a real problem with blind devotion over any franchise. Whether we're talking about Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel or DC, there are always some great versions, and some not so great versions. Anyone that says, "...We should be happy we're getting new *insert franchise here*!", clearly has no idea what they're talking about. This is how we get the Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Batman and Robin (bat-nipples anyone?), and of course, The Star Wars Holiday Special. I hope I've made my point.

I always want studios to respect the source material, but if they change something, make it a good change. As fans, we deserve to be given a quality product. And if it's badly written, call them out on it! If the online fan fiction is better than the theatrical release, Hollywood should be ashamed of themselves.

*DISCLAIMER
Before giving my reviews, I want to make it very clear, these are MY opinions. Your opinions may vary, and that's great, because you are human (allegedly). I'm not here to change anyone's mind. I just want to try to put things into perspective and explain why I like/dislike something. So if I should say anything you strongly disagree with, please try to refrain from becoming overly emotional. My motto remains the same:
I prefer aliens to alienation.

Space... the final frontier. Before these legendary words could be spoken by the equally legendary William Shatner in 1966, creator Gene Roddenberry (aka The Great Bird of the Galaxy... yes, that's his real alias) had quite an uphill battle ahead of him. Originally pitched in 1964, his vision of a wagon train to the stars was to be a space western set hundreds of years in the future *COUGH*firefly*COUGH*, with the crew of the Enterprise exploring strange new worlds. Every week, they would seek out new life, and new civilizations. Basically, they would be boldly going where no man (or woman) had gone before...

In those days, getting a series like this sold was quite a challenge, because most studio execs just didn't get it. But there was one major exec that loved the idea, who just happened to own a studio: Lucille Ball, of Desilu Productions, aka the Godmother of Star Trek.

She approved a pilot, and Star Trek began filming the first episode, titled The Cage. This version starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike and a female first officer *gasp* simply called Number One, (played by soon-to-be Mrs. Roddenberry, Majel Barrett).

But still, studio execs didn't get it. And they genuinely hated "the guy with the ears", Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). They felt the story was just too cerebral for audiences.

Roddenberry tweaked some stuff and created a second pilot, called Where No Man Has Gone Before. Rumor has it that Jeffrey Hunter's wife didn't feel Star Trek was right for him, and preferred he focus on a movie career instead, so he was 'unavailable' for the second pilot. Instead of re-casting Pike, the roll of captain was re-invented for William Shatner to play Captain James T. Kirk. And yes, they kept the guy with the ears.

This was finally accepted, and season one of Star Trek could begin it's five year mission.

And, over fifty years later, the legacy continues. But it has gone through MANY different incarnations, with each version quite different from the last. And I don't mean simply in appearance. Of course special effects get updated, but the heart and soul of the series has changed. Whether that's good or bad depends on your personal views. 

I would say the entire franchise can be broken down into three distinct parts. And that is exactly how I'm going to write this review. Let's begin our adventure with: 
The Original Series (TOS).

The Cage (unaired pilot - 1965)

Personally, I love it. There are a lot of good story elements, and it's interesting seeing Captain Pike convey the heavy burden of his command. 
"I'm tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn't. And who's going on the landing party and who doesn't. And who lives. And who dies." 

So when the Talosians give him an opportunity to live his life in a perfect fantasy illusion, you can easily empathize with how conflicted he feels. This becomes particularly difficult after meeting Vina, who they decide will be his mate. 

Vina was played by the beautiful and talented, Susan Oliver who, in the real world, following two near fatal plane crashes, decided to became a licensed pilot and was named pilot of the year in 1970. She would also be one of 19 women admitted into the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women (DWW), and was one of the first female directors for television. 

In this pilot episode of Star Trek, she also became the first green Orion slave girl, predating Slave Leia by about twenty years.

It's a great episode, but is it a good place to begin watching the series? Maybe not...? There is definitely some good drama, but I can see how people with short attention spans might not appreciate it. This is real science fiction. And yes, there is some action scenes, but they also spend time discussing what's going on, and how to resolve it. Fundamentally, this is (should be) the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek.

Star Trek: "What do these aliens want? How can we communicate with them? How can we convince them we mean them no harm so they don't kill us all?"

Star Wars: "Look! Something evil! I'm going to throw it across the room with magic!"

Neither one is bad, and I think both have their place... if well written. I found The Cage very well written.

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)

"Hey Deeesher, you must be old since you like a show from the 1960s!"
First, I'm still a millennial, and in a few years, I'll be Gen Z... as far as you know. Obviously I have no idea how age works.

The point is, there are many shows and movies I enjoy that were created before I was born. You just need a high tolerance for low budget effects. If all you see are cheap effects, you really aren't paying attention to the story. 

Obviously we all want realism in our science fiction, but not unlike reading these things called 'books', you can sometimes use this thing called your 'imagination'. And in fairness, for the 1960s, those effects were really pretty good. 

Fortunately for us, those not-so-great-for-today effects are a thing of the past. Due to it's popularity, Star Trek received a makeover a few years ago, and the effects were thoroughly updated and the series completely remastered. Maybe this will help some of you holdouts accept it more.

As a kid, I don't remember understanding Star Trek, but I do remember it often terrified me. Although at the time, I think nearly everything terrified me.

As an adult (ish), this is my favorite incarnation of Star Trek. Over the years, I've learned to really respect some of the amazing performances, as well as the great writing. It helped that many episodes were crafted by real science fiction writers, such as Harlan Ellison, David Gerald, Robert Bloch, and Norman Spinrad. In most cases however, Roddenberry himself, or his script editor, DC Fontana, would make some adjustments to the final version. If the rumors are true, even Shatner himself had a hand in some changes to the script, much to the chagrin of the writers. Harlan Ellison even wrote a whole book about his frustration with the process, (which I highly recommend!). 

If I could, I would sit down with you and watch some of these episodes, giving my commentary on each moment, so you have a better understanding of why I appreciate this series. In lieu of that, let me try to convey some of the nuances with my top five quick picks, (aka required viewing) to try to explain the genius contained within this series. 

And no, I will not being doing such a detailed breakdown on the other Trek shows. While other versions are good, I feel like these are worthy of a closer look. 

1. Doomsday Machine

This episode deserves all the awards. The Enterprise finds a trail of rubble in a solar system that once contained several planets. Upon further investigation, they find the Constellation, another Federation ship, which had been badly damaged after a battle with, what is basically a giant planet killer... a Doomsday Machine. The commander, Commodore Matt Decker (William Windhom) is the only survivor after sending his entire crew to one of the planets, fearing the Constellation would be destroyed in the battle. Then he has to watch helplessly as the Doomsday Machine suddenly looses interest in his ship.

Kirk: "Matt, where's your crew?"
Decker: "On the third planet."
Kirk: "There is no third planet."
Decker: "Don't you think I know that? There was, but not any more!"

Windhom's performance is simply amazing. Essentially playing Captain Ahab from Moby Dick, his thirst for revenge drives him completely insane. Decker commandeers the Enterprise trying to destroy this seemingly unstoppable killing machine, while Kirk is trapped on the derelict Constellation, helpless to save his own crew from this madman. If you aren't on the edge of your seat by the last ten minutes, you've obviously spent too much time staring at your phone during this episode. The editing, story, and performances are just fantastic.

And the glue to hold it all together, is the brilliant score by composer Sol Kaplan, written specifically for this episode. FYI the "Planet Killer" theme would eventually inspire John Williams in composing the theme for Jaws.

This is why I love Star Trek!

2. Mirror, Mirror

Even in the future, we need tech support. And never is it more obvious than when a transporter malfunction accidentally sends the away team to an alternate universe. And the people in this particular alternate universe are not so nice. One might even say they are self-centered, sadistic, and opportunistic. Somehow, Kirk and his team have to figure out a way to blend in to avoid being detected, while discretely trying to find a way back to their own universe. Some great moments as everyone explores their own dark side, not to mention a wonderful speech where Kirk tries desperately to inspire a revolution. I'm not even mad at their uniforms.

3. The Naked Time

A crewmember contracts a disease on a quarantined planet after removing his glove and touching his face, (um... ahead of their time?). Transmitted through touch, the results are that everyone behaves insane in their own unique way. To make matters worse, one of the crewmen has locked himself in the engine room and randomly starts pressing buttons for fun, not only causing the ship to spiral towards the planet below, but completely shutting down the engines in the process.  

There are plenty of great moments, and seeing the exasperated look on everyone's face as they continue to try to do their job, while others are falling apart around them is fantastic. 

But maybe the most powerful scene is how Mr. Spock reacts to the disease. Leonard Nimoy's performance is chilling, as a logical Vulcan who desperately tries to stay in control of his own emotions, but fails. The camera follows him with no edits as he desperately tries to keep his feelings in check. 

4. Amok Time

Speaking of Mr. Spock... Let's take a moment to discuss Vulcans.

Space is big. I mean really big. So it comes to reason that it's populated with a vast array of aliens that not only look much different than us, but have completely different philosophies. Having explored a bit of the original series lore, I always felt Vulcans were extremely... fascinating. Like us, they have emotions, but through mental disciplines, they've learned to control them. It was necessary for the survival of their race. In their past, they were a brutal war-like society, but thanks to the teaching of Surak, he helped them overcome their animalistic nature. He taught them a logical and unemotional way to a better world. 

And whether due to their purge of emotions, or just common Vulcan physiology, they do have a rather unique issue that has to be dealt with. Every seven years, they need to mate, or they will go insane and die. And no, this is not something they are proud of. In the original series, there was a certain privacy and mysticism surrounding Vulcans, and generally speaking, Starfleet, or at least humans, never knew about many of those details. I read somewhere that Vulcans had a certain power in their hands, which is why they don't greet by shaking hands. This is also how they perform the nerve pinch, and mind melds. And did I mention they are much stronger than the average human...?

So I particularly love this episode, partly to explore Spock's homeworld, partly because of yet another fantastic score composed specifically for this episode, and partly because it's a great story.

We also see Vulcan women, and no they do NOT have the same bowl haircut as the men as future incarnations of Star Trek will have you believe. For example, here is Spock's wife.

Which brings us to...

5. Balance of Terror

Ever notice how Vulcans and Romulans look alike? That's because hundreds of years ago, when Vulcans purged their emotions, there was a segment of their society that hated the idea, so they left the planet. They relocated on planet Romulus and became... Romulans.

This is the first appearance of Romulans, and their cloaking device. It's an amazing cat and mouse story with Kirk battling wits with the Romulan commander. It also features an important message about racism. One of the helmsmen suspects Spock to be a Romulan spy after seeing their similarities in appearance.

Stiles: "I was suggesting that Mr. Spock could probably translate it, sir."
Kirk: "I assume you're complimenting Mr. Spock on his ability to decode?"
Stiles: "I'm not sure, sir."
Kirk: "Well, here's one thing you can be sure of, mister: leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the bridge."

And FYI, the actor playing the Romulan Commander would eventually become known as Sarek, who is Spock's father. 

Left is the Romulan Commander. Right is Sarek, Spock's father. Both are Mark Leonard. 

So those are my particular top five, however depending on my mood, I could have easily substituted:

Man Trap - An alien that feeds on the salt in humans, and can disguise itself as anyone. This creature gave me nightmares for years!

Trouble with Tribbles - Funny episode involving Tribbles that are cute and fuzzy, and continue to multiply.

Galileo 7 - Spock commands a shuttle that crashes on a desolate planet. He tries to keep everyone alive, but the crew accuse him of being too unemotional during the crisis.

City on the Edge of Forever - Considered by most fans to be the best episode. Unless of course you're the writer, Harlan Ellison, who hated it. Kirk and Spock travel back to the 1930s to rescue McCoy after he accidentally overdoses on a drug, and changes time. Love story with Joan Collins ensues. It's definitely worth adding to the list.

Space Seed - This was the inspiration for the second Star Trek movie, Wrath of Khan. Ricardo Montalbon is fantastic. Like rich corinthian leather.

You could also include, This Side of Paradise, All Our Yesterdays, Assignment Earth, Tholian Web, Wink of an Eye, Tomorrow is Yesterday, and I Mudd.

Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1975)

There's a big debate about whether this series is actually canon or not. It has all the original actors, as well as many of the creative team behind it. And having re-watched recently, there are some very well written episodes. Unfortunately, they were limited to not-so-great animation, and had to resolve an entire story in less than thirty minutes. Had they been full length live action episodes, some of these story ideas would have been great! But often the episodes felt rushed, and the low budget is frustratingly obvious. Season one for the most part, is well written, but later episodes in season two felt like they tried to simplify stories to appease the younger Saturday morning audiences. They're really not bad. But this particular series is definitely for the more hardcore fans.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

This is where it all changed.

Star Trek had an overwhelming fanbase at the time. One might even call them rabid. There was a demand for the series to continue, but nothing ever panned out. There were plans for a Star Trek Phase II series, with a new crew... like a 'next generation' crew, if you will. But this never happened either.

Fortunately for us, George Lucas made a movie called Star Wars in 1977. And as you can imagine, suddenly studios wanted some of that sweet, sweet sci-fi box office money. So studio execs desperately pulled some elements of ST: Phase II out of their trash bin, and in 1979, a Star Trek Motion Picture was approved.

In many ways, this version of Star Trek could easily be equated to Star Wars The Phantom Menace. Sure everyone flocked to the theater to see it, and the fan knee-jerk reaction was to love it. But is it what we wanted?

 From Leonard Nimoy:
"It was a very finely crafted film, and it did well. But from the actor's point of view frankly, it was frustrating. We didn't feel that we were getting to play the characters that we enjoyed playing in the way that we knew how to play them, and it was frustrating for Gene Roddenberry too. It wasn't the story or script he had wanted, and the gaps seemed filled with too much emphasis on special effects."

For some reason, it was rated G. They hired the director of West Side Story (Robert Wise), and he initially didn't want to do it, but his wife convinced him. There were constant re-writes during shooting. The music was different, (although good), the uniforms were drastically different (ugly and very bland), the characters felt plastic, and the dialogue was often cheesy. Even the Klingons suddenly looked completely different for no reason whatsoever. Sure the effects looked great, but we got way too much of that. There were seemingly endless scenes of the camera just panning across the ship. Before the Paramount logo appears, there is over a minute of music with a blank screen. During the first appearance of the Enterprise, there is over four minutes of the camera panning around the ship as Kirk and Scotty fly around in a shuttle. No dialogue, just music and the Enterprise... for four minutes! I cannot confirm whether or not Kirk was actually masturbating during those four minutes. 

The story was okay, but this was not the Star Trek we had grown to love. And it's unfortunate, because from this movie, the franchise was never the same again.

That's not to say there aren't still good versions of Star Trek. Case in point...

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

This is the Star Trek fans wanted! Instead of focusing on effects, they dealt with characters, story, and action. And they did it beautifully. Everyone was at the top of their game, particularly Ricardo Montalban, who should have won all the awards for reviving his performance of Khan, and ramping it up exponentially.

Following the events from the original series episode, Space Seed, Khan's hatred for Kirk was fueled to rather epic proportions. After escaping his exile, he eventually tracks down Kirk to extract his vengeance.

And can we talk about the soundtrack here?? The music composed by James Horner easily rivals John Williams, and is one of my favorite movie soundtracks.

We also got a new character. Kirstie Alley played the half Romulan half Vulcan, Lt. Saavik.

Now, if I'm being completely honest, I think the casting of Merrit Butrick as Kirk's son just felt wrong. But there's so many other wonderful things about this movie, I try to overlook it.

 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

How can I explain this movie, without spoiling the events of Wrath of Khan? Well, it's been a few years, so maybe you know by now, Spock died. Or did he? Sarek (Spock's father) tells Kirk they need to get his body so they can bring him back to life. Obviously, they have to search for him, despite Starfleet telling him no.

I think this movie is too underrated. I really enjoyed it, and there are some very good moments in this one.

And for some reason, Lt Saavik is played by Robin Curtis this time. I'm not mad.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Directed by Leonard Nimoy, this is another fan favorite. The characters started to once again feel like they did in the original series (finally!). They had fun, and it shows. Even the story felt like it could have been in one of the episodes of the series. It was an original idea, and not connected to the other movies, except continuing where Star Trek III ended.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Um, do I have to talk about this one? Ugh... fine. It was a movie. I'm sure they made money from it.

Okay, a bit more. Directed by William Shatner (for some reason), we suddenly find out that Spock has a brother and I guess he wants to meet God.

This is also where the rumor began that all odd number Trek movies suck. And I'll say again, I liked III. But yeah, you can not only skip it, but ignore that it was ever made.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Another enjoyable movie. Not one of the best, but some good moments as the crew tries to unravel a mystery, and Kirk deals with his own prejudice against Klingons. It helps that we have a fantastic cast, particularly one David Warner, who has always been one of my favorite actors.

This is also the last we see of the original series cast together. Bittersweet, but it was time for their journey to come to an end.

And this is where part one of my review ends. Coming up: The Next Generation.

Live Long and Stuff,

Deeesher