"Star Trek Beyond" (2016)

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban
Written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung
Directed by Justin Lin
Rated PG-13 — Violence, language
Running Time: 122 Minutes
Trailer

As his birthday approaches, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is in a funk. The strain of spending years in deep space is taking its toll on him, his ship and his crew. After the failure of a diplomatic mission, Kirk is ready to throw in the towel and trade the captain’s chair for a desk chair. But a distress call sends the Enterprise to a mysterious planet where a trap has been laid for them.

A man named Krall (Idris Elba) awaits the Enterprise. His forces tear the ship to pieces, sending it and its crew crashing to the surface. With most of the Enterprise crew imprisoned, Kirk, Spock (Zachary Quinto), McCoy (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) team up with the survivor of another crash, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) to free their friends and figure out just who Krall is and why he hates the Federation so very, very much.

'Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command' [Blu-Ray] (1992)

Starring Patrick Stewart, David Warner and Ronny Cox
Written by Ronald D. Moore, story by Frank Abatemarco
Directed by Robert Scheerer (Part I) and Les Landau (Part II)
Trailer

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is stunned when Admiral Necheyev (Natalia Nogulich) relieves him of his command of the starship Enterprise. But he quickly learns that she needs him to participate in a top-secret mission: Picard must infiltrate Cardassian space and destroy a dangerous new kind of biological weapon Necheyev believes is being developed there.

Picard is replaced aboard the Enterprise by Captain Edward Jellicho (Ronny Cox) who quickly finds himself at odds with Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes). While the crew struggles to adjust to Jellicho's command style and demands, Picard readies his team. He'll be going behind the lines with Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn).

But once their mission is underway, they learn the unfortunate truth: the whole thing is a ruse. Now, Cardassian forces are massing near the border in response to what could be an act of war on the part of the Federation. At the same time, Picard finds himself at the mercy of Gul Madred (David Warner), who is tasked with obtaining vital information about Starfleet tactical plans from Picard at any cost.

Happy Trails: "Star Trek Into Darkness"

An Experiment: I'd like to take a look at the advertising campaigns for certain movies, and how I feel they're either successful or not. A good place to start, in my mind, was 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness. 

The Film:
I like Star Trek Into Darkness. In fact, I like it more each time I see it. I'm a huge Star Trek fan, and I loved the 2009 film, so I was predisposed to see this one. But I have to admit, the advertising campaign for the film did little to entice me. I had to rely on my general feeling of excitement about new Star Trek to really feel much of anything before the film was released.

Let's talk about why.

The Posters:

 

First we have this rather apocalyptic shot of Benedict Cumberbatch, San Francisco burning behind him. "Earth will fall," we are told. 

Next up, one of the film's general release posters featuring the Enterprise crashing toward the Earth. This image was also featured on the soundtrack album cover and some of the home video release covers.

Four character posters released separately and in one large banner featuring Kirk, Uhura, Spock and Khan. 

Another banner poster. There were a lot of similar posters featuring the characters in dramatic action poses.

So what about these posters is problematic? Personally, I don't think they represent either the film or Star Trek all that well. Aside from the bold colors on the third poster, all of these images are fairly generic. Removing the Star Trek Into Darkness logo and one might not even guess from some of them that this is a Star Trek film.

But posters aren't really the most egregious part of this film's dull advertising campaign.

The Trailers:

What do these trailers do? Their major crime is that when you think about it, they really do kind of give away the entire film. All those shots of the ship crashing into San Francisco? The shots of Spock and Khan in San Francisco? The Enterprise falling apart as it enters the atmosphere? 

All that stuff is from the climax of the film. In their hopes of giving us the big money shots that will lure us into the theatre, the trailer editors did us a disservice because now we've seen a little bit of literally every major sequence in the movie. The film's major plot twist was one of the worst-kept secrets on the Internet in 2013, and the "kitchen sink" approach to the trailers wasn't helping anyone.

It's a problem too many movies suffer from these days - the trailer has almost become a condensed version of the film itself, rather than something designed to get us interested in seeing it. 

Coming out of the film, I found myself frowning, thinking about how the trailers had really shown me a lot of what I had just seen, and I didn't feel surprised about it. My general reaction to the movie was, "That's about what I expected." When I saw the film a second time, I enjoyed it a lot more. 

Star Trek Into Darkness is definitely an action film, no doubt about it. But it is also a Star Trek film, steeped in the lore of that universe as well as its common themes and social commentary. It is a bit darker than its 2009 predecessor, but it's also a colorful movie full of humor. Very little of that is represented in the posters or the trailers for the film, and worse, the trailers essentially give away all the big sequences. (And, hell, some of Benedict Cumberbatch's ominous lines aren't even in the movie.) Why should anyone bother to see the film after that? I went because I love Star Trek and because I had faith the team behind the 2009 film had made another movie I would enjoy, but not because of the advertising campaign.

I approached the movie with trepidation because of these factors. 

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Season 6 [Blu-Ray] (1992)

Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner
Created by Gene Roddenberry
Executive Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller

The starship Enterprise continues its adventures patrolling the outer reaches of space, safeguarding the Federation and discovering strange new lifeforms. This sixth season contains some true high points, such as the second of the two-part episode "Chain of Command," but also some real lows - like the Troi-centric and painfully bad "Man of the People."

The first season produced entirely after the death of series creator Gene Roddenberry, Season Six shows the writers breaking out into some new territories that they had been forbidden to approach previously. A few familiar faces return, including John De Lancie's trickster Q in two episodes, Robert O'Reilly as Gowron, as well as Data's twin brother, Lore (Brent Spiner).

Though there are a few episodes that aren't up to snuff, the show is still firing hard when it gets going. Episodes like "Tapestry," "Chain of Command, Part II," "Starship Mine," "Lessons," "The Chase," and "Face of the Enemy" are examples of a show that, even six years in, still knows how to craft a top-notch hour of television... even if it is uneven, as a whole.

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Season Four - 1990 [Blu-Ray]

Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner
Created by Gene Roddenberry

As season four opens, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has been taken by the hive mind of the Borg, twisted into the villainous Locutus and forced to commit violent acts of aggression against the Federation. The crew of the Enterprise, now led by Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) races against time to stop him before Locutus reaches the heart of the Federation - Earth - and decimates its population.

The Borg are not the only threat the crew of the Enterprise will face this year. Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) will come face to face once more with his evil twin, Lore (also Brent Spiner) and his own creator (also also Brent Spiner). Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) will deal with the trauma of losing her empathic powers. Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) finds herself trapped in a slowly-collapsing alternate universe, with no means of her own escape. Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge (Levar Burton) investigates the mysterious disappearances of some of his former crewmates, and discovers he may be next.  Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) will face his destiny as he is once again plunged into the dangerous world of Klingon politics.

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Season Three - 1989 [Blu-ray]

Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner
Created by Gene Roddenberry
Saved by Michael Piller

After a disappointing Season 2 release on blu-ray, Season 3 of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," often cited as the season that saved the show and thus the future of the franchise, warps into HD with much better results.

Gone is the soft, bland image of Season 2 - restored at the hands of an outsourced company that thought the show should still look like 1988 - and back again is the warm, filmic and exciting visual palette of Season 3. The detail on display in these episodes is, again, truly incredible. While occasionally the sets or props will look cheap, much of the show is actually quite well done even these decades later. The main areas of the Enterprise, such as the bridge, Captain Picard's ready room or the engine room all look amazing.

There are a few standout restoration moments worth mentioning here. The first is an episode called "The Enemy," in which the Enterprise answers a distress call from a Romulan ship crashed on a harsh, barren world. La Forge (Levar Burton) becomes trapped on the surface with a Romulan survivor. Previously, on TV and on DVD, a lot of the episode was practically unwatchable. Shot in dark cave sets with lots of dust floating around the air because the planet is supposed to be inhospitable, in SD this episode looked as murky as can be. But in HD, it's a revelation. Detail is crisp and clear, even in the deepest, darkest shadows. The muck on characters' clothing, the wounds and grime on their skin are all crystal clear. It's like watching the episode for the first time.

Enough cannot be said about the quality of the restoration work on the special effects in this season, some of which are huge. From the opening episode, "Evolution," which has shots featuring the Enterprise in front of a twisting stream of stellar matter, to the asteroid belt in "The Booby Trap," to the space-combat in "Yesterday's Enterprise," to the new orbital shots in "Deja Q," it all looks incredible. The Enterprise reappears in all her glory in this season, no longer washed out and dull as it was in Season 2.

Further, there aren't so many glaring errors in the new composites, either. The ship doesn't disappear partially in the frame, or have misaligned lighting passes or any of the other nonsense that plagued the previous set. Colors are bold, lighting is fantastic and subtle. It's great. This set is a joy to watch.

And then, of course, there's "The Best of Both Worlds," one of the show's biggest and most famous episodes. Don't miss it!

All is not super rosy, however. There is a noticeable drop in quality over the course of the season. This is not the fault of the restoration; rather, it's the fact that the show's visual style was changing. Things start out looking really amazing on the first disc, with much of the live-action photography looking very, very stunning and film-like. By the final batch of episodes, however, the lighting on the show has grown flatter, which robs the production of some of its glory. It still looks incredible for a show of this age, it's just a shame that the actual production is becoming somewhat lackluster.

If you're a fan of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," you owe it to yourself to watch these high-definition versions. There are so many great episodes in this season, and they've been lovingly restored. It's incredible.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013)

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch
Written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof
Directed by JJ Abrams
Rated PG-13 - Sci-fi action/violence and language
Running Time: 133 Minutes
Trailer

While conducting a survey of a primitive civilization on an alien world, the crew of the USS Enterprise discovers a volcano eruption will likely annihilate the indigenous people. A plan is concocted to save them by rendering the volcano inert, but when Spock (Zachary Quinto) becomes trapped inside of it, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) breaks the Prime Directive, Starfleet's highest rule, in order to rescue his friend. But while Kirk ignores the incident in his reports, Spock, being an honest Vulcan, does not. As a result, Starfleet Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) removes Kirk from command of the Enterprise, demotes him, and gives the ship back to its original captain, Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood).

But before the Enterprise can ship out again, a secret Starfleet research facility beneath the streets of London is attacked by a terrorist named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Marcus organizes the commanders of all Starfleet vessels in the region to hunt down Harrison, but the the bombing was merely bait to set the trap: Harrison attacks the meeting of Starfleet captains, killing Pike and wounding the others, leaving only Kirk and the Enterprise in any shape to chase down Harrison.

With Kirk back in command, the Enterprise will head deep into Klingon territory to locate this dangerous fugitive. Kirk's mission, one which his entire crew desperately pleads him to abandon, is to fire an experimental torpedo at Harrison's base in an abandoned city on the Klingon homeworld. Risking all-out war with the vicious Klingon Empire on a mission of murder, Kirk must make difficult decisions to rise above his desires for vengeance, and become the hero and commander his crew, and the Federation, deserve.

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Season Two - 1988 [Blu-ray]

Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner
Created by Gene Roddenberry

The massive, landmark project to restore Star Trek: The Next Generation in high-definition continues! In the show's second season, many elements of the show are cemented that would run through the rest of the series such as the new Ten-Forward set, Whoopi Goldberg joining the cast as Guinan, Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) beard, Worf (Michael Dorn) and Geordi (Levar Burton) promoted to their final positions, and more. The season also features several of the series' most revered episodes, including "Q Who," which introduces the Borg, and "The Measure of a Man," which features a hearing to determine whether Data (Brent Spiner) has rights as a sentient being.

While Season One was a revelation in hi-def, it was not without its problems. Indeed, CBS issued replacements of more than half the sets due to bad audio tracks and other tiny errors. Fans hoping that this situation wouldn't be repeated, and that the release of Season Two would go off without a hitch are going to be left wanting.

Much of Season Two on blu-ray looks incredible. The live-action photography in these episodes is gorgeous. Textures and details are wonderfully presented. You can see all kinds of detail in skin and clothing and hair. The new Ten Forward set looks incredible, with excellent lighting that makes every scene looking like a feature film. A demo-worthy episode is "Elementary, Dear Data" in which Data and Geordi play Sherlock Holmes and Watson on the holodeck. The old London sets and costumes are absolutely gorgeous, full of little details and textures. Lots of makeup work done on alien creatures also looks great.

'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Season One - 1987 [Blu-Ray]

Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner
Created by Gene Roddenberry

I previously reviewed the first season of Gene Roddenberry's much-beloved "Star Trek: The Next Generation," so I won't repeat those comments here regarding the quality of the episodes.  This review will focus purely on the remastering efforts of this new Blu-Ray edition of the show.

First, a bit of background to explain what is happening with this show.  Way back in 1987, the show was shot on 35mm film, including many of the show's myriad special effects sequences.  But as a time and cost-saving measure, post-production was done on videotape.  This was common with many shows in the 80s and through much of the 1990s.  What this means, however, is that the final version of every episode only exists in a standard-definition video tape.  This is impossible to present in high definition, since the image resolution simply isn't there.

Now, however, in order to present the show in hi-def for blu-ray, CBS has gone back to the original film elements of every episode and is essentially putting the show through post-production once again.  Every episode is being edited together again from scratch, all the special effects scanned and composited digitally.

The result is, in a word, astonishing.  In standard definition, the show seems drained of life.  The image is fuzzy, at best, and its colors muted.  The special effects always looked, well, like TV-level special effects.  The Enterprise was a big, gray object moving through space that looked like just a deeper gray.    The ship lacked contrast as the compositing techniques of the time and the videotape mastering simply couldn't get that original photography to look as good as it should.

Now, however, the difference is like night and day.  The Enterprise is highly detailed, and now has proper contrast and coloring.  It looks far more dynamic and visually appealing as it moves through space that is now a deep, deep black (and even occasionally broken up by gorgeous blue and purple clouds).  The show's opening credits are simply gorgeous; you can now see that there are actually animated people moving in the windows of the ship as it passes!  It was a detail that was never visible in the standard-definition versions of the show, and just speaks as to how this release is finally, finally doing justice to how this show was originally made.

"This Means War" (2012)

Starring Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon
Written by Simon Kinberg and Timothy Dowling
Directed by McG
Rated PG-13 - Language, violence, sex
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Trailer

There is a perennial argument amongst "Star Trek" fans: Captain Kirk vs Captain Picard.  Now, the only time those two legendary characters have met together on screen was 1994's disappointing "Star Trek: Generations."  Now, "This Means War" is not at all a "Star Trek" film, but there's a good joke buried in there for fans.

FDR Foster (Chris Pine) and his best friend and partner Tuck Henson (Tom Hardy) are two of the CIA's best agents.  On one mission to Hong Kong, they are tasked with retrieving some kind of dangerous device, and the criminal trying to buy it - a man named Heinrich (Til Schweiger).  Heinrich gets away, but FDR and Tuck retrieve the device and kill Heinrich's brother.

Meanwhile, Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon) is a successful product testing executive still dealing with the fallout of her last breakup.  Her best friend Trish (Chelsea Handler) sets up a profile for her on an online dating website, and she finds Tuck as one of her matches.  The two meet up for a date, which goes well.  Afterward, Lauren heads into a video store and bumps into FDR.  At first, they grate against each other, but he ultimately convinces her to go out on a date with him.

When FDR and Tuck realize they're both dating the same woman, they make a 'gentlemen's agreement' to see which one she ends up going for.  They both use their CIA contacts and skills to present themselves as the best man for Lauren, and both end up falling for her, while she struggles to decide which one she loves more.  All the while, Heinrich is making his way to the United States to track down FDR and Tuck and get revenge for the death of his brother.

Which one will Lauren choose? The safe, nice guy or the more exciting womanizer with trust issues?  ...And will any of them make it out alive?

'Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level' [Blu-Ray]

Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner
Created by Gene Roddenberry

In the 1980s, when 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' was in production, the show was shot on 35mm film, including most of the special effects shots.  But in post-production, the show was edited to videotape, meaning that film masters for finished episodes simply didn't exist.  In order to present the show in high definition, CBS has gone back to the archived original film negatives and re-edited the show.  Every single episode is going through post production once again, re-compositing the original special effects, remixing the audio into 7.1 uncompressed surround, and more.

"The Next Level" presents three 'Next Generation' episodes on high definition Blu-Ray.

"Encounter at Farpoint" is the 90-minute pilot episode.  Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) commands the USS Enterprise on a mission to the mysterious Farpoint station.  Along the way, he encounters the powerful Q (John de Lancie), who puts humanity on trial for its savage past.  Picard and his crew, including Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Yar (Denise Crosby) must uncover the secret of Farpoint and prove to Q that humanity has evolved.

"Sins of the Father" - Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) is surprised to learn that his younger brother Kurn (Tony Todd) is still alive, and that his long-dead father has been accused of being a traitor by Duras (Patrick Massett).

"The Inner Light" - An alien probe captures Picard's mind and makes him live out an entire lifetime on a dying world.

'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Season Six (1997)

Starring Avery Brooks, Michael Dorn and Terry Farrell
Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

Boom.

War!

With Deep Space Nine and Bajor occupied by the forces of Cardassia and their Dominion overseers, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) and the crew of the Defiant face months of losing battles against the Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar.  As morale dips dangerously low, Sisko realizes the Federation needs a major victory to get it back into the fight.

To this end, Admiral Ross (Barry Jenner) assigns Sisko the task of devising strategies to win.  Meanwhile, Dukat (Marc Alaimo) is frustrating Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs) and the female Shapeshifter (Salome Jens) with his inability to take down the minefield Sisko placed over the entrance to the wormhole.  Much-needed Dominion reinforcements are waiting on the other side, ready to sweep through the Alpha Quadrant and conquer the Federation, the Klingons, the Romulans and anyone else who get in their way.

While Sisko, Dax (Terry Farrell), O'Brien (Colm Meaney), Bashir (Alexander Siddig), Worf (Michael Dorn), Nog (Aron Eisenberg), Martok (JG Hertzler) and exiled Cardassian spy Garak (Andrew Robinson) attempt to retake the station from without, Major Kira (Nana Visitor), Jake (Cirroc Lofton), Quark (Armin Shimerman), and Rom (Max Grodenchik) begin their on resistance movement to overthrow the Dominion occupation of the station, return Bajor to freedom and protection of the Federation, and stop the Dominion from conquering the Alpha Quadrant.

'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Season Five (1996)

Starring Avery Brooks, Michael Dorn and Nana Visitor
Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

The fifth season premiere title "Apocalypse Rising" is an apt description of this season.  When last we left the heroes of 'Deep Space Nine,' they had learned that Changelings had infiltrated the Klingon Empire, perhaps as high up as Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) himself.

To this end, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks), Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney), Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) and Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) go undercover in the Empire with the help of a stolen Klingon ship captained by Dukat (Marc Alaimo).  There, they hope to infiltrate a gathering of warriors to expose the Changeling in public, and hopefully bring an end to the Klingons' war with the Federation.

But even though they do this great service for the Empire, Gowron tells them it is too late to stop the conflict.  As the Federation faces increasing losses to the vicious Klingons, Sisko knows the Dominion is just waiting to pick off their remnants.  Frustrated by his peoples' subjugation at the hands of the Klingons, Dukat forms an alliance with the Dominion, giving them the in they need to begin moving massive numbers of troops and equipment into the Alpha Quadrant.

In response, Sisko enacts a bold plan to mine the entrance to the wormhole, cutting off the Dominion supply lines from the Gamma Quadrant.  It is an act that could lead to war.

Or worse.

'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Season Four (1995)

Starring Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor and Michael Dorn
Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

Though not at war, the Season Three finale had proved to Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) that the conflict with the Dominion was already in motion.  The Founders had tried to start a war between the Federation and a neighboring empire.  As Season Four opens, that plan continues.  A massive Klingon fleet arrives at Deep Space Nine led by a General Martok (J.G. Hertzler), claiming to be there to shore up the Federation's defenses should the Jem'Hadar invade.  But Sisko, suspicious of these motives, recruits Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn), late of the Starship Enterprise, to get to the bottom of the matter. 

Worf discovers the Dominion has planted intelligence that the ruling council of Cardassia has been replaced by shapeshifters, prompting the Klingon Empire to launch an attack.  Sisko, knowing the way the Founders work, takes the Defiant into Cardassian space and rescues Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) and the ruling council, but in doing so triggers the ire of Klingon Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly).  Gowron dissolves the peace treaty between the Klingon Empire and the Federation.

Throughout the course of the year, Worf and the rest of the DS9 crew will deal with the growing threat of war with the Klingons, as well as more incursions by the Dominion.  The changeling threat to the Federation becomes ever more present when they detonate a bomb at an important diplomatic conference on Earth.  And for Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois), reuniting with his people may prove to be equally dangerous as he must face their judgment for becoming the first changeling to kill another.

'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Season Three (1994)

Starring Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor and Colm Meaney
Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

At the end of Season Two, the crew of Deep Space Nine had come face to face with a dangerous new enemy, the Jem'Hadar, vicious soldiers of the Dominion.  As Season Three opens, Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) has brought a new weapon back to the station: the starship Defiant, a ship he helped build years earlier to defeat the Borg.  Now, with first officer Major Kira (Nana Visitor), Lieutenant Dax (Terry Farrell), Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig), Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) set off into the Gamma Quadrant to locate the Founders.

Sisko's hope is to convince the Dominion that the Federation is peaceful, and that they have no desire for war.  Unfortunately, he soon discovers the Dominion does not feel the same.  The crew discovers that the Founders are changelings, and that Odo is one of their lost children.  They beg Odo to return to them and help them lead the Dominion, but he rejects them and their ways. 

As the year progresses, the shadow of the Dominion looms large over the Alpha Quadrant.  Governments become fearful of changeling infiltrators, and new alliances are formed to fight them.  By year's end, two galactic superpowers will be ruined, Odo will have committed the worst crime in the history of his people, and the Founders will have made their first moves to conquer the Federation.

'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Season Two (1993)

Starring Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney and Nana Visitor
Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

After the events of Season One, tensions on the planet Bajor are rising.  A group of extremists calling themselves the Circle have begun to spread their "Bajor for Bajorans" propaganda, driving a rift between the Bajorans serving on the station and the Starfleet crew.  Major Kira (Nana Visitor) receives intelligence that a Bajoran war hero named Li Nalas (Richard Beymer) is being held in a Cardassian prison camp, and sees his rescue as a way to repair relations. 

Instead, Nalas is turned into a figurehead by Minister Jaro (Frank Langella), who is soon revealed to be a leader of the Circle, and is plotting a coup to seize control of the Bajoran government.  As his troops march on the capital city, he sends and assault force to capture Deep Space Nine.  Starfleet orders a withdrawal, but Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) and the rest of the DS9 crew won't give up without a fight.  Sisko, Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney), and Doctor Bashir (Alexander Siddig), fight a guerilla war through the corridors of the station while Kira and Lt. Dax (Terry Farrell) head for Bajor with proof that the Circle's weapons have been supplied in secret by the Cardassians.

Over the course of the next year, the struggle to rebuild Bajor will continue.  The Cardassians will stop at nothing to gain control of the planet, the station, and the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant.  But on the other side of that wormhole, something dark is stirring. A dangerous power in the Gamma Quadrant is taking notice of Starfleet's missions, and the crew begins to hear whispers of something called the Dominion...

'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' Season One (1993)

Starring Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor and Colm Meaney
Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

"Deep Space Nine" has, without question, the best first season of any of the modern "Star Trek" series.  Starting right out of the gate with the pilot movie 'Emissary,' "Deep Space Nine" presents a corner of the "Star Trek" universe that is unlike anything else in the franchise's history.

Deep Space Nine is a remote outpost in a sector of space that seems to have little of value.  The station orbits the planet Bajor, built by the occupying forces of the Cardassian Empire.  For decades, the Cardassians ruled Bajor with an iron fist.  But a recent peace treaty with the Federation gives control of the sector back to the Bajorans, who are in no condition to govern themselves.  The Bajoran government invites the Federation to aid them in restoring their world.

In charge of this mission is Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), a Starfleet officer still grieving over the death of his wife several years earlier.  His first officer, a Bajoran liason officer Major Kira (Nana Visitor), is a former resistance fighter who resents the Federation's presence.  The station's crew also consists of Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), Doctor Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), Security Chief Odo (Rene Auberjonois), and is populated by colorful characters like Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman), Cardassian spy-slash-tailor Garak (Andrew Robinson), Sisko's son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) and Jake's best friend Nog (Aron Eisenberg).

'Star Trek: Enterprise' Season Two (2002)

Starring Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock and Connor Trinneer
Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

At the end of Season One, Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) was transported to the 29th century by temporal agent Daniels (Matt Winston), but discovered that his absence from history has led to the destruction of the future.  Earth lies in ruins, and Daniels no longer has access to the proper technology to send Archer back to his own time and repair history.  Meanwhile, the Sulban Cabal led by Silik (John Fleck) have captured the Enterprise and torture Sub-Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) to learn Archer's location, not believing that he'd been whisked away to the future.

The rest of the Enterprise crew, Chief Engineer Tucker (Connor Trinneer), Lt. Reed (Dominic Keating), Ensign Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery), Ensign Sato (Linda Park) and Doctor Phlox (John Billingsley) concoct a plan to retake the Enterprise from the Suliban.  In the future, Archer and Daniels come up with an equally desperate plan to figure out how to send Archer back through time.

Throughout the rest of the season, the Enterprise crew will get back to their original mission, exploring strange new worlds and meeting new life forms.  They'll make a few new friends, but they'll also encounter new enemies including the mysterious Romulans, and run afoul once more of the violent Klingon Empire.

At the end of the season, Earth suffers a terrible tragedy: an alien probe appears in orbit and fires an incredible weapon that cuts a swath of destruction from Florida to South America, killing some seven million humans.  Archer and the Enterprise crew receive word that a race of beings known as the Xindi are behind the attack, and the Enterprise is ordered to go into a dangerous region of space known as the Expanse in order to find the Xindi and stop them from destroying Earth.  But before he can save Earth, Archer has to deal with the price on his head from the Klingon Empire, and a Klingon captain called Duras who will stop at nothing to regain his honor.

'Star Trek: Enterprise' Season One (2001)

Starring Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock and Connor Trinneer
Created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

Jonathan Archer facial expression 1 of 2

Oh, jeez. 

I'm not even sure where to start, here.  I've already reviewed seasons three and four of this series, because I own them on DVD.  Recently the show became available to stream via Netflix, in HD no less, which prompted me to go "well what the hell" and give it another go.  Since I've been steadily watching through the entire franchise this year, I felt it appropriate.

Set one hundred years before the events of the original "Star Trek," "Enterprise" chronicles the adventures of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), captain of the first starship Enterprise before the founding of the Federation.  The show opens as a Klingon courier is wounded on Earth while running from alien assassins known as the Suliban.  Captain Archer, against the recommendation of Vulcan ambassador Soval (Gary Graham), decides to transport the Klingon back to his homeworld.  He gathers his crew, including Subcommander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), chief engineer Charles Tucker (Connor Trinneer), linguist Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), pilot Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery), Doctor Phlox (John Billingsley) and weapons officer Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating). 

Their ship is the NX-01, the first starship constructed by Earth capable of traveling at warp five.  Archer sets out into the galaxy on Earth's first deep-space mission to make contact with the Klingons.  Along the way, however, the Klingon courier is kidnapped by the Suliban, and Archer vows to rescue him.  This introduces Archer to the Temporal Cold War, a conflict raging across not just space, but time.  The Suliban take their orders from a mysterious benefactor in the future that delivers them technology and information to best their foes. 

After making an enemy of the Suliban, Archer is ordered to explore the galaxy.  He vows to make contact with new worlds and new civilizations. But the galaxy is a more dangerous place than he thought, and Archer will find out just what kind of commander he is, and what his crew is capable of.

Y'know, just like a baby gazelle.   ...or something.

'Star Trek: Voyager' Season Seven (2000)

Starring Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan and Robert Picardo
Created by Rick Berman, Jeri Taylor and Michael Piller
Based on 'Star Trek' created by Gene Roddenberry

Here it is; the end of another seven-year 'Star Trek' saga.  The starship Voyager, after seven years lost in the Delta Quadrant, finds itself closer and closer to home.

As the season opens, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) have infiltrated a Borg cube by allowing themselves to be assimilated into the Borg Collective to help spur a rebellion.  The Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) is getting closer to discovering the secrets of Unimatrix Zero, putting Janeway and her crew in danger, as well as the lives of countless drones that could be freed from the Queen's oppression.  Meanwhile, Commander Chakotay discovers that the key to stopping the Queen may involve destroying Unimatrix Zero itself, allowing the rebellion to live but cutting off its ability to connect over long distances.

Throughout the year, the crew of Voyager will face more adventures in the depths of unknown space.  Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) will confront her inability to feel the full breadth of human emotion.  Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) participates in an alien race to prove his ability and giving him a chance to propose to Torres.  The Doctor (Robert Picardo) will press forward a campaign for the rights of holograms as artificial life forms.  Commander Chakotay will take a tour of Voyager's past, present and future when the ship is torn into different time periods.

And all along, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schulz) will come closer and closer to devising a strategy for Voyager to return home to Earth.  But doing so may bring Voyager into conflict once again with Starfleet's greatest enemy, the Borg, and a final confrontation between Janeway and the Borg Queen (Alice Krige, this time).