Heading to Asteroid City!

A few fun (and inexpensive!) pickups at Illinois Gamecon today. I never played the DS9 game. So it’ll be fun to fire up the Genesis. Not sure I have anything to play the X-Files game. I got it mostly for the shelf.

Why would Jadzia need to relay the coordinates of these HUMONGOUS node-things? How do they know leaving this growing universe ANYWHERE isn't going to be bad news? Sisko declares he needs an hour to decide whether to destroy the universe or not. Which was actually kind of funny. I mean... are you not going to at least consult with Starfleet?

S2E17 "Playing God" - Eh. Not one of my favorites. There's some interesting stuff with Dax and her efforts with her Trill initiate. But both the A and B plot didn't really keep my attention. And the B plot's resolution doesn't make a lot of sense.

S2E16 "Shadowplay" - Man, these obelisks in these space towns are never good, are they? This is one of more boring "planetside space town" episodes. There is something kind of sweet and sad about the ending. Odo's relationship with the little local girl works very well because Rene Auberjonois was a masterful actor. Kira/Bareil continue their chemistry-less relationship. I actually like Bareil in general, but no way in hell is he good enough for Kira.

S2E15 "Paradise" - So, early seasons of DS9 have a lot of examples where they kind of cheat on the premise of the show. They jaunt across the wormhole or nearby and have adventures that pretty much any Star Trek show can have. These, in general, can kind of bore me. This one benefits from an infuriating (and very good) villain in Alixis. The scenes with the box and Sisko are genuinely harrowing.

S2E14 "Whispers" - I love this episode. The tension between Miles and everyone else is interesting. The framing device works incredibly well. And the twist at the end is remarkably moving. So much fun. A favorite of season 2.

S2E13 "Armageddon Game" - the Star Trek episodes where Starfleet officers are on trial or may have done something wrong are some of my favorites. I'm not even sure why. Maybe because most involve a mystery. It's a lot of fun, with the reliably great O'Brien/Bashir team. That being said, Keiko's reaction and subsequent ah-ha moment about the video is kind of silly. THAT being said, I really enjoyed how the episode kind of acknowledged that at the very end.

S2E12 "The Alternate" - a good Odo episode. His relationship with his "dad" is interesting, and really highlights what a strange life Odo has had. The twist of the episode is kind of fun, even if the way the intruder is taken care of is kind of uninteresting.

Just a quick little write-up in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Tori's From The Choirgirl Hotel. #ToriAmos #FromTheChoirgirlHotel #Music

https://www.jonwesleyhuff.com/2023/05/10/in-honor-of-the-25th-anniversary-of-from-the-choirgirl-hotel/

@neilhimself @fourplaysq I adore the vinyl / CD I got! It’s a fantastic listen.

S2E11 "Rivals" - This was a fun rewatch. First, having an El Aurian con man is a stroke of genius. Turning that group's renown as a group of listeners into a con man skill is fun. Also, I thought the little chance game was so fun. I wanted one. And such 90s colors! 😃 The rivalry between Quark and the El Aurian, and O'Brien and Bashir's racquetball rivalry is also a great step in the evolution of their friendship. It's all pretty lightweight, sure, but it's a fun diverting episode.

S2E10 "Sanctuary" - There's an interesting premise hidden here. The question of whether Haneek and her people would have aided and helped Bajor or been a resource drain—well, there's a lot of interesting commentary around immigrants which is compounded by the fact that Bajor isn't in a great place to help, on paper. However, the execution is off here. The alien makeup is really off-putting, and the acting from some of the guest stars is truly bad. Especially the key role of Haneek's son.

S2E9 "Second Sight" -Sisko/Jake have some great father/son scenes. Kiley is a fun over-confident scientist. Sisko and Fenna's romance is nice, if underdeveloped. But the big sci-fi twist of it all kind of falls flat because it's resolution is not that dramatically interesting.

S2E8 "Necessary Evil" - I've always liked this episode. As a big Odo fan, I was always intrigued that he worked for the Cardassians. It was just strange to think how that squared with him. This episode answers that wonderfully, as well as giving us a look at a younger freedom-fighter Kira. The episode also nods toward a weakening of trust between Odo and Kira, so that it feels like it has real consequences and isn't just a fun flashback story.

Now that I found Annihilus I figured it was time to open these guys I bought about 10 years ago or so and finally display them! #FantasticFour #ActionFigures #ToyBiz #RetroToys

Tonight, I fill in one of the (many) gaps in film watching. I’m very excited for this one.

S2E7 "Rules of Acquisition" - Some Shakespearean gender-bending fun here. Not only do we get the first mention of the Dominion, but Pel is wonderfully acted. Learning Ferengi society's rules is just fun. And in this episode we get the first rumblings of change. So I like when we get more insight into that. Also, the Oompa-Loompas with massive pecs are certainly memorable as far as alien designs go.

S2E7 "Rules of Acquisition" - Some Shakespearean gender-bending fun here. Not only do we get the first mention of the Dominion, but Pel is wonderfully acted. Learning Ferengi society's rules is just fun. So I like when we get more insight into that. Also, the Oompa-Loompas with massive pecs are certainly memorable as far as alien designs go.

S2E6 "Melora" - I don't think this one is particularly well regarded. And I see why. There are some stumbles. But I liked Melora a lot, and I liked how Bashir sort of picked apart her defenses and opened her up. The somewhat silly, Saturday-Morning-Cartoon resolution in the runabout aside, there's a lot I liked here. I'd say this is decently mid-range. Also, someone finally asks why the hell Cardassians have raised bottom edges to all their doors.