A Star to Steer Her By

Our vacation continues as we make our way to what is, for many, the absolute pinnacle of the franchise: "The Empire Strikes Back". It starts with what should be the act III setpiece and then ends with one of the most famous reveals in modern movies, and everything in the middle is pretty iconic, too! Also this week: the look and sound of "Star Wars", poorly aged "romance" and Fish Vader.

Time for another few-week break between "Trek" series! This time we're finishing off the "Star Wars" films we've not yet covered in Ten Forwards! So come back with us to 1977 when "Star Wars" had yet to be weighed down by 40-plus years of extra lore, buyouts, new extra lore, fanboy rage, and all the other stuff that can really make it an exhausting franchise sometimes! Yes, it's "Star Wars", not e...

It's our fifth anniversary and our fifth fanfic outing, tho our last time out deigned to tack a number onto the title! It's DS9 again, classic names out of hats format, and this time a MIX of both scripts and prose! Brace yourself for time shenanigans, daydream believing, some Paramount+ style, and two-hand counseling. Also this week: wait a damn minute, did NONE OF US use Odo?! [Timestamps: Caitl...

With DS9 wrapped, it was finally time to sit down and check out the acclaimed, crowd-funded documentary "What We Left Behind". We muse on favorite bits, discuss the theoretical "Season 8" opener, and find ourselves shocked to our cores by the biggest reveal in the history of the franchise. Also this week: a shocking writing process, a bingeing show 20 years early, and hate-watching.

And so another "Trek" series comes to an end with "What You Leave Behind". The Dominion War comes to a dramatic conclusion and suddenly everyone is going their separate ways. Life soldiers on as new responsibilities and new opportunities send our crew in sometimes-surprising and sometimes-obvious directions. "OH CRAP!" The DS9 writers probably shouted at this point, "WE FORGOT TO WRAP UP THE WHOLE...

Whenever Vic's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking, "where's Vic?" We imagine this was probably a note from Ira Steven Behr as DS9 hurtled towards its end, breaking from the ultra-serialized format the finale has been taking thus far to give us more explicitly separate episodes! First up: Julian and Miles curb stomp ethics for the sake of saving Odo's life by taking a stroll i...

It's time to face facts as DS9 continues hurtling towards its finale in "When It Rains" and "Tacking into the Wind". Damar is fighting for a Cardassia that he ultimately won't recognize. Kira is finding herself assisting old enemies who confront her about the less comfortable facts of Odo's history. And Worf is forced — by a MOST unexpected source — to confront the hypocrisies of the Klingon Empir...

Right, look, we were pretty glib last week but we have to eat our words after "Strange Bedfellows" and "The Changing Face of Evil". The Breen have thrown the plot into chaos, attacking San Francisco and then positively DECIMATING an allied fleet with their energy-draining superweapon. Also their mere presence has been enough to shove Damar into full-blown revolution mode. Also this week: blink-and...

It's the beginning of the end of DS9 as we come to the start of the 10-episode mega-finale! We start with "Penumbra" and "'Til Death Do Us Part", where relationships take center stage! Sisko finally proposes to Kasidy, but his space-Mom says it'll end in tears! Meanwhile Ezri rescues Worf and they finally confront their feelings, before being captured by the Breen and being tortured into different...

A plan is a beautiful thing, but how often do they actually go without a hitch? Never in this week's episodes! First up: Vic Fontaine's program has sprung a mafia-themed "jack-in-the-box" and it's going to take a classic heist to save the day in "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang"! After that, Section 31 rears its ugly head yet again and Bashir thinks he has a scheme that can finally take them down in "Inter...

"Silence of the Lambs" sure is a great movie. Too bad it inspired sad attempt at psychological thriller/murder mystery/rushed nightmare "Field of Fire", in which Ezri is thrust into the Clarisse role and her memories take on the part of the worst Hannibal Lecter ever. After that, there's a lot of bad feelings and no easy answers when Odo has to face the fact that his friends might like him but sti...

No one is enjoying their travels this week on DS9. First up, Chief O'Brien has gone missing and Ezri's mother has the sway to help find him; but she demands her daughter drop home in exchange in "Prodigal Daughter". After that, Zek's ability to jump in without thinking has led him to being captive in the Mirror Universe, and now Quark and Rom have to go rescue him in "The Emperor's New Cloak". Als...

Staying hidden this week is key on DS9. First up: Gul Dukat may have slithered his way into being Emissary of the Pah-wraiths, and might be hiding out with their cult on the decaying Empok Nor, but as always, he just wants Kira to admit what a cool guy he is in "Covenant." After that: with the pressures of war mounting a still-convalescing Nog decides to hide himself away on the holosuite with Vic...

It's a dour day on DS9. First up: "Once More Unto the Breach" asks us if there is a place in the Klingon Empire for an old warrior who has, possibly, a few more enemies than friends? After that: an understaffed garrison's losses are taking their toll in "The Siege of AR-558". Also this week: time to feel sad, impromptu barbershop, and nine lives/one note! [Timestamps: "Once More": 01:24; "Siege":...

It's one of those magic SSHB weeks where a pile of trash is joined by something genuinely good. First up: the augments are back but Sarina has been retconned so she can become yet another of Bashir's patient/love interests in "Chrysalis"! Gross! After that, a Weyoun has defected, but is he really defective? Find out in "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River"! Also this week: Pedants the Podcast, S...

Our man Ben is going to abuse his power this week to force everyone to do stuff they'd really rather not. First up, in "Afterimage", Ezri really should be taking some time to get her head straight but Sisko decides it would better if she try and counsel a deeply distressed Garak. After that, the Emissary decides everyone needs to be involved in an old grudge of his and drags them onto the baseball...

Away we go with a sneaky little two-parter to start up the new season of DS9, and it's brought a sneaky little new Dax with it! Three months after Jadzia's death and the Prophets being cut off from everything our heroes are STILL trying to pick up the pieces! Worf has a sad because he's worried his wife isn't in Klingon Heaven, Sisko has a sad because he doesn't know what the Prophets need him to...

Step right up one and all for the absolute sideshow that is "William Shatner Presents: Chaos on the Bridge"! In 2014 Captain Kirk decided he was the best man to help tell the story of the tumultuous first two years of TNG, and the result is a disjointed mess of angry, angry people hollering at a dead man who can't defend himself. Oh, and people laughing about wanting folks dead! Also this week: un...

It's the end of season six, and absolutely everything happens while no progress is made! First up, the race is on to save a stranded Starfleet Captain who the "Defiant" has made radio contact with in "The Sound of Her Voice". After that, the charge to invade Cardassian space is on, but the Federation will be up against automated turrets and a Pah Wraith in "Tears of the Prophets"! And after that,...

Wow, what a week. First up, DS9 tried to do some kind of farce/commentary on sexism and they probably just should've steered clear of the whole disaster in the execrable "Profit and Lace". After that, Molly wanders where she oughtn't and time shenanigans occur in "Time's Orphan". Also this week: opening with a treat, Pepe le Ferengi, and you WILL steal a shuttle. [Timestamps: "Profit and Lace": 03...

Mistakes abound this week on DS9! First up: the Prophets are being vague again, leading to tension between Sisko and Kai Winn, but it's only when their wishes become explicit that the Kai takes action (the wrong one) in "The Reckoning". After that, surprising absolutely no one things have gone horribly wrong on a ship of elite cadets and they just keep doing the stupidest, stupidest possible thing...

Everyone's got troubles this week on DS9, and everyone decides to talk to a computer to fix them. First up: Ben Sisko uses his personal log to try and sort through the ethics of a decision he made in "In The Pale Moonlight". After that, Odo learns to chill with the help of a holographic 1960s crooner for some reason in "His Way". Also this week: the social media of Starfleet, Captainly morality, a...

Throw your ethics out the window because they're going to be tried, tested, and you won't know what's what anymore by the end of this week! First up: Kira has to face some harsh truths about the part her mother played during the Cardassian occupation in "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night". After that: Julian is told he's a secret Dominion mole so well programmed even HE doesn't know it, but the in...

Starfleet Intelligence just keeps dropping the ball on this week's DS9. First up: the morons decide to send Chief O'Brien, the most black-and-white morality in the Fleet, to do an undercover mission in "Honor Among Thieves". After that, what is supposed to be a simple message interception turns into full-blown agent exfiltration for Worf and Jadzia in "Change of Heart"! Also this week: O'Brien the...

There's some real tonal whiplash coming up this week on SSHB. First up, some liberties are taken to vaguely connect a frame story but we can forgive it, because the result is the famous "Far Beyond the Stars". Sisko finds himself not Sisko, but Benny Russell, aspiring sci-fi author struggling to be heard amidst the prejudices of the 1950s. Then applied phlebotinum makes a runabout tiny just in tim...