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Nov 17 | Originally hired as co-executive producer to help with the second half of the show's first season, Kevin Murphy has now taken the reins of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel on Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He now serves as an executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson and oversees the day-to-day functions of the show.

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Nov 12 | Star Trek star Zachary Quinto is loosely attached to star in the romantic dramedy Whirligig, reports Risky Business.Quinto would play the lead role in the independent Canadian film, which is aiming to shoot early next year. The movie centers on a man who, in a misguided attempt to woo an older woman, befriends the woman's adopted son.Chaz Thorne is directing the pic, based on a screenplay by Michael Amo, creator of the Canadian supernatural series "The Listener."

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Nov 11 | The CNS Foundation, is hosting an on-line charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com.   One of the items they are auctioning is a signed movie poster of the new Star Trek movie which has all the cast members and writers.  The president of our organization is Carol Abrams, JJ's mother,  and she arranged for the donation from Bad Robot Production Company.  J.J. Abrams is also a major donor to their organization. The funds raised will go to help find a cure to neurological disorders in children.  The auction link is here.

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Nov 10 | Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart have been selected as the next inductees into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame. They will be honored at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so," TV Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner said. More info at the Hollywood Reporter

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Nov 08 | Unreality-SF.net has interviewed Star Trerk author James Swallow about some of his upcoming projects. He talks about Titan: Synthesis and Seven Deadly Sins: The Slow Knife, as well as some forthcoming Doctor Who and Stargate stories.

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Stardates Calendar

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Feature Story

Features

Deus Monitors "Observer Effect" With Compassionate Eyes

Features

By O. Deus / 00:17, 24 January 2005 / ENTERPRISE Reviews

Reviews Ex Deus

Title: "Observer Effect"

Overall: 8
Performances: 8
Writing: 8
Direction: 8.5
FX & Prod Value: 7.5


Synopsis: Aliens capable of possessing the bodies of the crew at will observe their reactions to a deadly virus.

Review: It's another episode from the Reeves-Stevenses, best known for writing William Shatner's novels, and, like "The Forge" before it, at times comes off more suited for a written format than a visual one. Nonetheless "Observer Effect" is one of the strongest episodes of the season thus far, in no small part because of veteran STAR TREK director Mike Vejar's work in conveying the eerie qualities of the aliens.

While the basic premise of "Observer Effect" is nothing unusual, suggesting any number of STAR TREK episodes from TNG's "Where Silence Has Lease" and VOYAGER's "Scientific Method", what sets "Observer Effect" apart is that like "Daedalus" it stylistically and thematically strongly resembles classic STAR TREK episodes. Indeed scenes such as Archer's and Phlox's confrontations with the aliens are strongly suggestive of Kirk and McCoy. By contrast, though, the chess opening of the episode is more in line with the stylistic flair of VOYAGER or third season ENTERPRISE.

The opening suggests a series of maneuvers; a game of chess that will be played out until the endgame, which is a surprising reversal of the strategic situation by emotional means. It is also a metaphor with the alien possessing Reed as the logical rule-bound type who can predict outcomes ultimately being outmaneuvered by emotion, which he cannot predict. Human emotions, empathy and its very irrationality stymie logic as effectively as they stymie the predictive abilities of the alien using Reed as a host.

"Observer Effect" opens with the aliens acting as observers studying the humans around them and ends with them departing, making alien observers the bookends of the episode in another noteworthy stylistic touch that we have seen in the past but is still worth mentioning. With the question of originality there are of course dozens of episodes from the Original Series and through VOYAGER that could be referenced but then it's increasingly hard for ENTERPRISE to do a genuinely original story. "Observer Effect" is a worthwhile reworking of classic STAR TREK themes, namely human empathy vs. highly developed but cruel intelligences and self-sacrifice vs. logical cost and benefit analysis.

Mike Vejar's excellent direction of course brings the eerie concept of alien possession to a whole new level. And it is interesting to note that about the only time Anthony Montgomery takes center stage and about the only time he's interesting is when an alien has taken possession of his body for the entire episode. Reed, who has also been woefully neglected this season, gets a little screentime too -- albeit as another possessed body -- but he manages to make the most of what little time he has. Hoshi surprisingly also gets a good deal of sudden development, though the poker story is dubious and simply doesn't fit with the character as depicted at all. Trip mainly reprises his sick and out of it material from "Shuttlepod One", which gives him rather little to do but he does it capably enough.

All in all, "Observer Effect" much like "Daedalus", is a good episode somewhat mired by a lack of originality and an overly abrupt ending. But it nevertheless strongly resonates of the Original Series and features some strong performances and excellent direction and will be a worthy addition to your tape library once ENTERPRISE goes off the air.

Next week: Andorians are feeling blue and the Tellarites haven't discovered razors yet but it was good of "Observer Effect" to reference Tellarites and beat the Tellarite referencing rush.



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RE: Chip and Dale | Report this post to moderator
By: O. Deus (Odo's file, contact) @ 16:21:46 on Jan 24, 2005

The Organians already had the 411 on Human behavior, so their jig is all for naught.

They have presumptions and cliches. It's the difference between your opinions about china and actually visiting china.

Just prior to the aforementioned decon scene, Dale (as Mayweather) says to Chip (as Reed), "We came to observe their response to the unexpected, not to watch them suffer". This is to say that they're familiar with corporeal suffering, and that they know it's happening to the Humans. Nonetheless, as soon as they leap into the sickly bodies of Hoshi and Tucker, Dale is surprised, noting "The sensations in this host are different from the others; I'm experiencing physical pain". Yes, Dale, that's the corporeal suffering you were just harping about to Chip, remember?

Physically experiencing pain is different from the abstract knowledge of pain. Just as getting a disease is different from 'knowing about the disease' It's an entirely different level of knowledge, experience vs. abstract knowledge. Which is what this episode is about too.

but wouldn't Chip and Dale be the Organian equivalent of scientists, since theirs is a scientific mission? Yeah, so why doesn't Chip understand the standard procedure and commonsense of isolating an unknown and contagious pathogen during the process of identification and search for a cure?...

They're not saying it's bad scientific procedure, just that the isolation is part of a psychological process of isolation and dehumanization. Think of the people who advocate segregating people with AIDS into leper colonies.

"According to what I read on the doctor's medical padd, he's learned how to stop the infection", notes Dale, to which Chip huffs, "Expending resources to attempt an impossible task is not a sign of intelligence". Excuse me? First, expending resources to accomplish a task is mostly unavoidable to physical beings, so Chip is again the bonehead. Second, Phlox has learned how to stop the infection, so the task of defeating the virus can't be called "impossible" at this point. Bonehead.

No species had managed to stop the infection. Phlox failed too. The task was impossible in the amount of time given. They had enough experience over 10,000 years to decide it was impossible and thus far they had been proven right.

Compassion sways Chip and saves the day. "What Archer has done today -- his act of compassion -- you've never witnessed that before", declares Dale. Pardon me for asking, but exactly which act of compassion can Archer take credit for? Removal of EV gloves, at personal risk? No, that was Phlox's initiative.

It was Phlox's idea but Archer was the one who actually sacrificed his life to do it.



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RE: Chip and Dale by TRexx @ 06:09:21 on Jan 25
    RE: Chip and Dale by O. Deus @ 15:59:28 on Jan 25

RE: Chip and Dale | Report this post to moderator
By: voxlumania (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 12:38:40 on Jan 24, 2005

Great post! I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt insulted... but more so for the Organian race. This is definitely not the same race from Errand of Mercy.

Probably the worst offense by this episode, however, is its coma-inducing dullness. From the boring Vulcan arc to the boring transporter-guy story to the boring Organian episode... it almost makes me wish for a little Nazi alien action - almost.

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RE: Chip and Dale | Report this post to moderator
By: Noraa (Odo's file, contact) @ 12:11:03 on Jan 24, 2005

why do you even continue watching?

--------

“People who are willing to give up their liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

-Benjamin Franklin

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RE: Chip and Dale by Blainevi @ 12:29:46 on Jan 24

Promenade










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