Actually, now that I think about it, Fallout 3, Alpha Protocol, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution all did things that moved the ball forward when it came to non-combat stuff: Hacking computers & robots, picking locks, and making dialogue choices that influenced NPC behavior. So it ain't impossible.
That's what I meant when I wrote it would work better as a single player RPG. A good RPG offers many ways to complete a mission and lets you customize your character with non-combat skils. MMOs on the other hand are usually focused on combat. You get XP for kiling and quests, and you spend XP/skill points for abilities that let you kill better and to craft items that make you better at killing. Even your bridge officers are just things that provide combat abilities.
I'll admit, I did a few missions with my crew in TOS-era uniforms and had my tall Andorian security chief wearing the classic miniskirt & tights. Hey, it was the look back then.
I'll admit, I did a few missions with my crew in TOS-era uniforms and had my tall Andorian security chief wearing the classic miniskirt & tights. Hey, it was the look back then.
I actually did play a Klingon for a little bit, but one of my beefs with the game was how they reconceptualized the Klingon Empire to be a multi-species coalition like the Federation. So when I played a Klingon, I assembled a crew composed exclusively of Klingons.
Also, "Klingon Defense Force"? What a load of targ manure. Klingon Imperial Navy. Klingons don't defend.
I actually did play a Klingon for a little bit, but one of my beefs with the game was how they reconceptualized the Klingon Empire to be a multi-species coalition like the Federation. So when I played a Klingon, I assembled a crew composed exclusively of Klingons.
Also, "Klingon Defense Force"? What a load of targ manure. Klingon Imperial Navy. Klingons don't defend.
Amazon is selling Federation: The First 150 Years for 20 smackeroos, which seems to include all of the extras and isn't just for the book alone. I've never seen it myself, but it's gotten good reviews and it looks darned cool.
I've been watching a lot of Bonanza episodes on YouTube this month, and just finished this one. The guest stars are Ricardo Montalban, Madlyn Rhue, and Anthony Caruso (Khan, Marla McGivers, and Bela Oxmyx).
And... it's here! The Phase II/New Voyages fan film that's been eagerly awaited for ages has finally been finished and posted on YouTube.
"Mind-Sifter" was based on a story in the first New Voyages anthology that came out in the 1970s. This story had its beginning as a fanfic, and was later revised for professional publication. Before she died, the original author gave the Phase II/New Voyages producer, James Cawley, permission to adapt her story for a fan film.
This one has had an interesting history. I've seen clips from an earlier version in which Cawley played the part of Captain Kirk and a different actor played Doctor McCoy. There were some different plot points, and it was more faithful to the professionally-published version.
I honestly don't know what to make of this fan film. The actor playing Kirk is new to me, as is the actor playing McCoy. The script is a mishmash of several different versions of the story (as a fanfic, as a professionally published story, and as a script that's available on fanfiction.net, as well as newer elements). Some scenes I'd hoped would be in it weren't, and there is one scene that's a definite nod/wink to Phase II fans but most of the humor would be lost on people who haven't been following this series of fan films.
The premise of the story is this: The Klingons have learned of the existence of the Guardian of Forever, and they kidnap and torture Kirk to learn how to use it. He won't cooperate, so they use the Mind-Sifter on him (a torture device used on Spock in the TOS episode "Errand of Mercy"). Kirk is brought to the Guardian in an effort to force him to reveal its secrets, but he manages to escape... back in time, and ends up in a 1950s mental hospital. In the 23rd century, he's declared dead and Spock is promoted to Captain of the Enterprise.
I loved the original story - both fanfic and professional versions, and while this fan film isn't all I personally had hoped for, it's still a good adaptation of one of the best-liked Star Trek short stories ever to be professionally published.
So... Justin Lin. I guess the future of Star Trek as a slambang, computer-generated, action & mayhem franchise is sealed? I haven't seen any of his Fast & Furious movies, but that's not by accident. They look like amusement park rides. I've seen his pilot for Scorpion, and it was about as generic and uninspired a television procedural as I've seen (although that might be attributable to it being a pilot, regardless of who directed it, it's hard to tell sometimes). Oh, well.
I already hate nuTrek regardless of who directs it, so this isn't anything I plan to get more worked up about. As long as they have actors who can't act, writers who think the audience is stupid and that Star Trek is really a sitcom with special effects, and the Enterprise is the size of a city and Leonard Nimoy will be alive so nuSpock can use his phone-a-friend option... it will be bad (as in awful, not whatever other meanings that word might have).
So I was loafing last night and saw that very rare thing...a Star Trek episode I had never seen. I've seen all of the originals and all of Voyager, but there may still be a scattered few TNG out there. The pleasant surprise wore off quickly though, because it was awful. I suspect it was done during a screenwriters guild strike, because it was a mash up of Riker's memories...a typical method for reducing the amount of new material to be shot that can be done well. In this case though the premise was some invasive organism from a leg wound that immediately bound to a nerve...too tightly for the transporter bio filter, too much for modern medicine, and spreading . Of course it eventually reaches his central nervous system and then spreads to his brain...because apparently over the centuries mankind has completely forgotten the simple efficiency of amputation. I hate it when the entire plot rests on 'oh well we will just ignore the glaringly obvious solution to the problem'.
So I see. I just did some quick research and found that it is commonly held as the worst, except by a couple of reviewer organizations who say that 'clip shows don't count' so something else is the worst, but they admit that if they did count clip shows this would win hands down. I also found out that it wasn't the writer's strike that prompted this fiasco, they had overspent throughout the season and shot this garbage as the final episode to stay in budget.
Well, at least I can move forward assured that if I catch any more that I haven't seen I won't see anything worse.
I remember that episode. Still, I didn't find it as bad as the racist episode, where Tasha got kidnapped by a planet of Africans. If I remember right, the episode was so bad the director got fired over it.
I remember that episode. Still, I didn't find it as bad as the racist episode, where Tasha got kidnapped by a planet of Africans. If I remember right, the episode was so bad the director got fired over it.
Would it be just as racist if it had been Geordi kidnapped by a planet of blonde caucasian people?
The worst episodes, in my opinion, are the ones where the crew "de-evolves" or are otherwise forcibly subjected to hideous physical changes. There are some surreal scenes in a few episode that I find utterly stomach-turning.
The very worst modern Trek episode, though, has to be Voyager's "Threshold." That one was actually de-canonized.
I really didn't like the TNG episode with Troi turning into a lizard. It wasn't just bad - it was a joke. Threshold was bad but I think I hated it less.
I also wouldn't be surprised if there were some bad Voyager episodes in the first couple seasons that were even worse that I can't remember.. When the show first came out I could never take Janeway and the premise of the whole thing seriously, because of the fact that she chose not to go home when given the chance. Plus she seemed like a bad fit for the captain role.. I just did not like her.. or the setup of the show. The premise sounded good, but the way they executed it was very lacking. I also hated the way they did the whole fragmented crew storyline, it never seemed to really go anywhere, and then it was just resolved way too easily and everyone became a federation officer.. .. .. That was a huge missed opportunity. I also didn't like how the writers kept Kes as a 2-dimensional character for her entire stay on the show.. I kinda liked her, so then when she did a Crusher and left via magic it made it so much worse (for me). Everything else about the show was awesome as far as I was concerned, but the downsides were just too large. I kept watching every week for the first couple seasons because I was obsessed with Star Trek, but then when I moved to university after season 3 I think? I just didn't care. I didn't get back into it until season 6, when I got a new roommate, who introduced me to "Seven of 9". I caught up and FINALLY the show got some good episodes and even some good story arcs. They messed up the borg though, bigtime, but got some good stories out of it, so I'm torn on that one. It had a horrible conclusion, but at least some good stories were told, and some of the characters actually became quite good.
And that I guess is how I feel about Voyager. Overall I really do not mind it - the above are just the flaws I see in it personally.
I remember that episode. Still, I didn't find it as bad as the racist episode, where Tasha got kidnapped by a planet of Africans. If I remember right, the episode was so bad the director got fired over it.
She shopped that exact story around to multiple first season sci fi series, which are obviously so starved for stories that they'll buy almost anything. She also got the third episode of Stargate: SG-1, which is considered the worst ever episode of that series, but substituted 'Mongols' for black people. That also got her sacked, and I believe ended her television career.
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. Of course it eventually reaches his central nervous system and then spreads to his brain...because apparently over the centuries mankind has completely forgotten the simple efficiency of amputation. I hate it when the entire plot rests on 'oh well we will just ignore the glaringly obvious solution to the problem'.
