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STOP PRESS: after giving Journey
Into Space 9/10 in his original review, TV Zone contributor
Andrew Pixley later changed his judgement after discovering the tapes
were not quite as he expected. Andrew writes:
"My caution at the review (T104) of the BBC Radio Collection
re-issue of the classic 1950s serial Journey into Space was well
founded. A total of six hours is missing (ie, the equivalent of 12
episodes!) Going on my instincts, I feel that I would have to lower my
mark of 9/10 to around the 3/10 mark."
Television
Review
Babylon
5
Strange
Relations
Episode E6, first aired in the USA 25 February 1998
Bester's
bloodhounds are on the loose
For once Psi
Cop Bester gets a civilized reception when he arrives on Babylon
5 to arrest Byron's telepaths for miscellaneous crimes. As he
once helped Captain Lockley, she feels obliged to return the
favour although, under pressure from Sheridan, she must find a
way to thwart his mission.
The story of
the telepath colony continues apace as Lyta lends them her
support, firstly by finding them medical supplies and then by
using her Vorlon-enhanced powers to protect them from Bester's
men. But she is badly outnumbered and as Byron will not resort
to any sort of violence, matters look fully sewn up until
Franklin inadvertently gives Lochley the lever she needs. It is,
however, only a reprieve, and more will follow…
When Delenn
and G'Kar ask Franklin to leave Medlab to study the subject of
cross-species infection, the doctor readily accepts, leaving
G'Kar feeling that he personally is not doing enough for the
Alliance. He should know by now that saying this sort of thing
to someone with a mind like Delenn's spells trouble, and finds
himself presented with his biggest challenge yet. Knowing that
he is, unfortunately, the most logical person for the task she
has in mind, he decides to embrace the irony with relish - and
his decision solves a situation that has been bugging regular
viewers for years…
This episode
contains so many plot threads that it is a delight to watch -
from the revelation of the secret that Sheridan has kept from
Delenn, to the growing relationship between Lyta and Bryon, to
the moment when Lochley gets to sock Garibaldi on the jaw, to
Bester's last words before he leaves the station, it's all fine
material. (8/10)
Deanne
Holding
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Merchandise
Review
Star Trek
The Captain's Table #1: War Dragons
Written by LA Graf
Simons &
Schuster Books
Price: £4.99
Out: 1st June
1998
ISBN:
0-671-01463-3
Trek's new
tales begin at the Captain's Table
The "most
exclusive club in the galaxy" is the Captain's Table, a bar
that appears magically only to ship captains of all types and
eras. Good stories buy the drinks while a gold and green gecko
scurries through each of the Captain's Table books. It's an
intriguing concept; what stories would the captains themselves
choose to tell an audience? Graf is a good choice for the first
entry in the series; nobody writes Sulu and Chekov quite like
Graf.
The story
Captains Kirk and Sulu choose to tell starts when, during Kirk's
first command, he encounters the dimorphic Nykkus and Anjiri
species, reptiloids governed by a fascinatingly drawn
matriarchy. Twenty years later, during his first command of
Excelsior, Captain Sulu meets the reptiloids again and needs
Kirk's Enterprise to prevent them from wreaking havoc on the
Federation. The viewpoints shift rapidly; chapters switch
between Kirk and Sulu and between respective flashbacks, often
pausing for the other captains at the Captain's Table to
interject comments. Graf's touch is sure, the command of Nykkus
and Anjiri 'translated' syntax flawless, and the references to
Sulu's fondness for lizards gently humorous. It's a good story,
and it's well told.
There are,
though, several minor yet distracting flaws in the execution of
this promising series concept. The teaser for the next entry in
the series happens in Chapter 17, implying incorrectly that
Picard's story is part of Kirk's and Sulu's tale. A purposeless,
badly placed biography of the captains rehashes well-known
history in annoyingly vacuous terms. And the series editors get
in the way: a felinoid captain lapses, for four jarring and
anomalous lines of dialogue, into somebody's terrible idea of a
feline accent. The title is uninspired - and the cover art is
simply awful. Graf needs those strong storytelling abilities to
rise above the dreck: the gecko mascot and the sheer, good
natured 'tell us a tale, Jimmy boy' atmosphere make up for the
concept's constraints. In spite of the flaws, I liked this entry
in the series very much, thanks to Graf's talents. Pull up a
chair and enjoy the tale. (7/10)
Megan
O'Neill
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