Feb 08 | While his "Lost" co-stars prepare to pack up and leave Hawaii, Daniel Dae Kim can plan to remain there for at least a few more months. Mr. Kim, who plays the time-traveling tough guy Jin on "Lost," has been the first actor cast in a coming remake of the crime drama "Hawaii Five-O," The Hollywood Reporter said. He has been cast as Chin Ho Kelly, a detective played by Kam Fong in the original series, which began in 1968. The "Hawaii Five-O" revival is being developed by the screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Star Trek," "Fringe") and Peter Lenkov, an executive producer of "CSI: NY."
Feb 03 | William Shatner has paid tribute to his former Boston Legal co-star Justin Mentell, who died in a freak car accident on Monday. The 27 year old was thrown from his Jeep after swerving off the road near Madison, Wisconsin and died at the scene of the tragic crash. The Star Trek legend was saddened to hear of Mentell's passing - as he's convinced the actor was destined for a glittering career. In a post on his Twitter.com page, Shatner writes, "I'm deeply saddened to hear about Justin Mentell. There's no telling how far up the ladder he may have climbed. My sympathies to his family."
Feb 01 | Journalist Edward Gross posted an article at SciFiTVZone.com called "The Making of the Star Trek Pilots, Part 3: "Assignment Earth"" which takes a retrospective look at the making of the Gene Roddenberry unsold TV pilot "Assignment Earth" filmed at Desilu Studios as a second season Star Trek episode. The article feature rare interviews - including authors involved with the character of Gary Seven in comics and in novels.
While all the STAR TREK series have their own distinctive personalities, none has as rich a tapestry of characters, storylines, and adventures as DEEP SPACE NINE. For seven years we were treated to an ever-growing universe that pushed the boundaries and when the ride was over, STAR TREK was richer for the experience and we were all saddened at its conclusion.
Pocket Books has taken the reins with Paramount's blessing and re-launched the series with original novels that explored the DS9 universe beyond the conclusion of the series. To date we've seen some wonderful novels, among them Andrew J. Robinson's first-person Garak narrative A STITCH IN TIME, J.G. Hertzler's excellent two-part Martok saga THE LEFT HAND OF DESTINY (co-written with Jeffrey Lang), and RISING SON, among others.
Now we come to the first-ever collection of DEEP SPACE NINE stories that continue to fill in the gaps during the series, PROPHECY AND CHANGE. Editor Marco Palmieri has brought together ten all-new tales that offer a look behind the curtain at some of the events that were not seen on television, all of which offer fascinating insights into the characters. Told from the perspective of an aged Jake Sisko, and adapting the bridging dialog from the excellent fourth-season episode "The Visitor," Palmieri gives us a new appreciation for the series's diverse cast of characters.
"Ha'mara" by Kevin G. Summers - Set a few days after the pilot episode "Emissary," Benjamin Sisko takes Kira, Jake, Julian Bashir, and Kai Opaka to Bajor to explore the remains of one of Bajor's long-lost libraries. When an explosion traps Sisko and Kira, they must examine their hidden uncertainties as to whether or not Sisko is the prophesied Emissary. This allegory reveals how Sisko continues to come to terms with his identity and destiny.
"The Orb of Opportunity" by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels - This tale, set between the third-season episodes "Life Support" and "Heart of Stone," finds both Kira and Kai Winn dealing with the loss of Vedek Bareil, only to be thrown into a new task: the Maquis have seized the Orb of Contemplation from the Cardassians, intended as a peace offering between the two long-time enemies, and taken it to the Badlands. Kai Winn takes along the young Ferengi Nog, who makes a crucial decision that will affect his future in the series.
"Broken Oaths" by Keith R.A. DeCandido - After the events of the fourth-season episode "Our Man Bashir," Chief O'Brien and Dr. Bashir are still not on speaking terms after the incident with the Jem'Hadar in "Hippocratic Oath." DeCandido shows what effects their strained friendship has on the entire station crew and what must be said in order for both men to move forward as officers and friends.
"...Loved I Not Honor More" by Christopher L. Bennett - During the events of the fifth-season episode "Soldiers of the Empire," Quark and his Klingon ex-wife Grilka meet once again. Grilka has a financial problem: a dishonorable Klingon has seized control of her assets and property, and it takes Quark into a journey to discover the Klingon sense of honor in his own heart.
"Three Sides to Every Story" by Terri Osborne - During the events of the sixth-season episodes "Behind the Lines," "Favor the Bold," and "Sacrifice of Angels," an unlikely friendship develops between Jake Sisko and Tora Ziyal, Gul Dukat's half-Cardassian, half-Bajoran daughter. Jake sees potential in the girl and attempts to bring to the public her talents and abilities as an artist trying to fit into Cardassian and Bajoran societies, while using the opportunity to alert Starfleet Command of the Cardassian occupation of DS9.
"The Devil You Know" by Heather Jarman - Shortly before and leading into the events of "Time's Orphan," Jadzia Dax reluctantly works with a Romulan scientist in looking for a way to counter the effects of the Jem'Hadar race's addiction to ketracel white and unknowingly comes face to face with one of her innermost demons.
"Foundlings" by Jeffrey Lang - In this tale, set just prior to the seventh season premiere "Image in the Sand," Odo and a Cardassian agent investigate the mysterious deaths of a group of refugees who died after escaping a Lurian transport vessel. During the investigation, Odo comes to terms with the fact that the lives who are saved are more important than finding those responsible for their reported deaths.
"Chiaroscuro" by Geoffrey Thorne - This episode, set between the seventh season episodes "Afterimage" and "Take Me Out to the Holosuite," spotlights Ezri Dax. Thorne takes Ezri on a journey through Dante's INFERNO to confront a hidden inner horror that her previous host Jadzia had eliminated from her memories.
"Face Value" by Una McCormack - Shortly before the events of the penultimate episode "The Dogs of War," Kira, Garak, and Damar travel to Cardassia to meet with a Bajoran arms dealer and to receive information on an arms shipment to the Cardassian resistance against the Dominion. During their sojourn they discover their prejudices stirring once again and ultimately discover that prejudice may not be all they have in common with one another.
"The Calling" by Andrew J. Robinson - In the only post-series story in the anthology, Robinson returns to pen this follow-up to his highly acclaimed novel A STITCH IN TIME. Written again in a first-person point of view, Garak continues his messages to Julian Bashir about life on Cardassia after the war and the journey he undertakes to find a cure for a Cardassian plague.
What works so well about PROPHECY AND CHANGE is that all of the main and supporting characters are utilized to wonderful effect. No one is neglected, and each character, whether solo or with another cast member, explores the issues concerning their situations and, in some cases, bring about resolution and change that allows them to grow. In some instances, we are given stories "behind the curtain" during certain episodes, particularly with the Ferengi, Klingon, Cardassian, and Dominion-driven story arcs of the series. Marco Palmieri ties all of the stories together effectively, uniting each story with the theme of growth and development; hence the title of the anthology.
It's hard to pick a favorite story among the ten tales presented here. All of them work so well and every character is spotlighted in one way or another. "The Calling" might be regarded as my personal favorite, simply because Andrew Robinson gets into the mind of Elim Garak and reveals tantalizing new aspects of his character, showing that even Garak can grow spiritually yet also be the target of an assassination plot. As with A STITCH IN TIME, it's hard to know if this Cardassian leopard will change his spots, because in Garak's mind, everything is true, including the lies. This is why Garak remains one of the most fascinating and complex STAR TREK characters ever created, and a fan favorite to this day. However, the ending left things a little disjointed and could have been a bit stronger.
Keith DeCandido's "Broken Oaths" is a definite winner, and it shows that he is just as versatile with Federation characters as he is with his strongest forte, the Klingons. There is an uneasiness that permeates through the story and he effectively reveals through Bashir and O'Brien that what needs to be said is sometimes the hardest thing to say, especially when both parties involved feel that they are right. "The Orb of Opportunity", "Three Sides to Every Story", "The Devil You Know", and "...Loved I Not Honor More" are also solid stories in their own right.
PROPHECY AND CHANGE serves both its title and its story content well, exhibiting necessary characteristics that the DS9 characters must reveal in order to grow. It's a fine complement to the series and makes for enjoyable reading.
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