Monday, July 23, 2012

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home



The movie is about a crew in a stolen alien vessel going back in time to rescue some whales so they can talk to an alien probe. Why wasn't this a comic book FIRST?




EDITED TO ADD: People have been asking for a link to SF Debris' review of Star Trek IV. I really think it's not that difficult to find if you just do a search for it, but very well: The Introduction to his Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Review

88 comments:

Anonymous said...

*points at the title card and laughs*
You got a wet butt!

-M4A

CrankyStorming said...

What was that piece of food you were holding at the end? It was clearly too thick to be an onion ring.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"What was that piece of food you were holding at the end? It was clearly too thick to be an onion ring."

Chicken ring. =3

Will said...

MYNDFLAME LOVES THE PART WHERE IT GOES WUB WUB WUB MERWAAAK

LucasChad said...

Honestly, of the six Star Trek movies with the original cast, Star Trek IV is my favorite just like First Contact mostly because of time travel. Both films used the theme differently but also very well. IV had fun with the concept while First Contact took it seriously.

My favorite part of the video was when you impersonate the angry Klingon like it's Christopher Lloyd's Kruge from Star Trek III having the most epic meltdown in the galaxy. Hilarious!

Anonymous said...

DC Comics made out with your girlfriend didn't it?

areoborg said...

Nice bit with McCoy and the Knight. :-D

Its the 80s!
Do a lot of coke
And vote for Ronald Reagan!

They can tell that there are two whales hanging out in San Fransisco from orbit, but they can't figure out the radio broadcast?

Does this mean that the next Star Trek review is going to be Star Trek V? This is gonna suck, isn't it?

You ate at White Castle? Its a good thing Comicron I has access to super-science based medicine to keep you on your feet and able to continue the journey.

ngrey651 said...

IAMAMAN!

Somebody's gonna post a Youtube video of you doing that 99 times in a row. I want that man to get a medal. Because that. Was. AWESOME.

rdfox said...

The street scene with Chekov looking for directions probably wasn't included because the whole sequence was done as improv with real passersby; when they did the adaptation, they wouldn't have had any idea what the scene would be beyond "Chekov asks for directions to Alameda."

By the way, that is one NICE drawing of the real carrier Enterprise... except that the beautifully-rendered antenna array on top of the superstructure there is the version that was *removed* in her 1978-1980 refit, and was long gone by '86! (She looks different in the movie because the Enterprise was actually at sea during filming, and she was instead "played" by the carrier Ranger instead--which also meant that they could shoot the "reactor space" scene in the Ranger's real engine room; the reactor spaces on all US Navy nuclear-powered ships are highly classified!)

...wait, so you were working on this storyline as far back as the SOPA protest?!

Laughing Hyena said...

The "It conquered the world" was the first episode of MST3K my family saw on Comedy Central during vacation. My dad who had a habit of showing Plan 9 from Outer Space whenever he could became a big fan of the show.

Also the monster prop from "It conquered the world"? It's been showcased a few times at the Monsterpalooza convention at Burbank. There's going to be a "Son of Monsterpalooza" convention this October.

For the "yay" sound effect, you could have used this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTZctTG6cE

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"...wait, so you were working on this storyline as far back as the SOPA protest?!"

Yup yup. ^_^

I play the long game.

DarkPhoenixMishima said...

You speeding past and delivering a man punch to Corporate is the greatest thing I've ever seen. Ever.

Maverynthia said...

Funny thing in science. Tey have found that sperm whales have distinct cultures and languages from each region. Meaning that humpback whales probably do too. THUS what regional language was that probe speaking in as well.

Anonymous said...

Linkara, I love you to death, but this storyline needs to get to the point. I've forgotten what goal you had in the first place and it's gotten pretty silly how much you are padding this out. I'm not trying to be rude or trollish, but after three weeks of padding, either cut to the chase or don't bother with the storyline. These episodes are beginning to feel like unnecessary filler, which is strange because you often call out shows for unnecessary filler.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Linkara, I love you to death, but this storyline needs to get to the point. I've forgotten what goal you had in the first place and it's gotten pretty silly how much you are padding this out. I'm not trying to be rude or trollish, but after three weeks of padding, either cut to the chase or don't bother with the storyline. These episodes are beginning to feel like unnecessary filler, which is strange because you often call out shows for unnecessary filler."

I know it seems that way, but there really is a point to all of it. The good news is that this segment of the storyline is finished and Linkara will actually start reaching the people he seeks in August and September, plus we'll finally check back in with the Gunslinger.

gclaw4444 said...

yay, douglas adams reference!

Anonymous said...

About continuity in the comics:

There was not only the mirror universe story, but a whole series published that took place between ST III and ST IV. It was about Kirk commanding the Execelsior and Spock commanding a science vessel.

Of course they got a problem to make the story match with the beginning of ST IV. As far as I remember Spock got infected with some bacteria that wiped out his mind or something and he could (of course!) only be cured on Vulcan, and Kirk (again) did something illegal to help him. As a result, the crew had to steal the Klingon vessel (which was brought to Starfleet for studies) and flying with it to Vulcan.

So they were renegades again, and Spock hat to recover from... brain pest or something.

Don't ask the details, I remember it only roughly.

FugueforFrog said...

#200 next week...with it missing in it's part of the cycle and yet with two indies and DC, I sort of imagine that it will be Marvel...

As for the review: the REM joke was great but...yeah, how the heck an alien would know to talk to an intelligent species that doesn't have the tech then or now is weird. I just wonder who the heck these aliens thought that whales had human-based techs...now dolphins, that's enough story.

DAMN YOU ECCO!!!

Kaibaman41 said...

Huh who knew DC messed things up in their universe with this Comic. Though I couldn't help but notice the various video game references you made I give props to that.

Also sweet I AM A MAN! Punch to Corporate Commander!

Cubey said...

I'm going to tackle the intro.

No, Star Trek was not good because it was edgy. But it was progressive, and being progressive is not the same as being edgy and rebellious for the sake of shocking people, and it is important. Linkara, for you it may matter more that the stories included are interesting, but you were never a member of the minority during the 60s. A show being well-written certainly helps make its messages more memorable, but do not disregard the messages themselves as unimportant.

SirMatt said...

lol the whale used Surf on Linkara.
and favorite line in the whole thins "Did you hear me Jim? Shenanigans!
Totally love the I AM A MAN!! shot.
Enjoying the storyline quite a bit and the shots of your travels. And totally you should come to Canada, it rocks here.

Unknown said...

Star Trek IV is the only one I don't think I have seen. Are you going to do more reviews of the comic adaptations? Or are there anymore?
Were the comics by DC meant to be in canon or their own continuity?
Also, thanks for the props to Chuck Sonnenberg Aka SF Debris. I think it was thanks to your recommendation from the first review of a Star Trek comic that I actually looked him up. Thanks for that.

Anonymous said...

Hitchhiker's Guide reference made my week.

That is all.

Unknown said...

Never mind about the movie comic part. I had forgotten about the DVD.

Unknown said...

Also, how did you like my home town of DC?

Unknown said...

You know, I gotta say I was looking forward to this one if only because it brings us one book closer to the real big payoff. And indeed, if your comments at the end are any indication, the next time you review a Star Trek movie comic it'll really be good!

Shanethefilmmaker said...

Wow this is getting intense. You got a lot of good shots of Washington.

PopCultureOtaku said...

I didn't really like 4. I don't know the whole storyline was weird. I brought this up when Critic Trek month. I liked 3 better then 4. I don't know maybe I should rewatch on the tape I have or something. Comic not bad as adaption wise. Reboots oy vey. Next 200th episode! Yeah! Cobra commander bit was funny. Brad cameo. Yeah! The DC was from the trip to DC over that bill wasn't it?

Unknown said...

Linkara, are you ever worried that you'll run out of Dr. Cox clips?

Anonymous said...

Useless trivia for you: did you know that the "whowhowho"- sound of the prob is actually leonard nimoy's voice?

Eileen Gonzalez said...

I'm no expert on marine life, but I had to pause the video on one of the whale panels because of how poorly drawn they were. It's like the artist confused humpbacks with killer whales and still got it completely wrong. Gyah. Way to ruin one of my favorite Trek movies, comic.

Also, the lack of Finding Nemo jokes was moderately disappointing, but that punch at the end totally made up for it.

Unknown said...

I can't load the blip player does any one have the same problem. I hope they haven't decided to block argentina for some reason.

Bazookoidben said...

I know that your outfit for the review is probably a Star Trek reference, but I can't help but think your dressed as Olag Gan. For the future he had a very renaissance fair look to his dress code.

You win points for the Hitchhiker's line. XD

I always had a theory that perhaps the creators of the Whale probe passed Earth and spied life/mammals in the ocean millions of years ago. In a horrible mistake they decide to try and make contact with them in their later evolved stage perhaps the creators of the probe are long lived or something, or just kept detailed records. So millions of years down the line the tried to send a probe to a race that never evolved...

Yeah it's a silly theory. But I sometimes like to try and justify it in defence of Voyage Home since I do enjoy it as a silly romp.

That said though, this comic didn't really have the same energy as the film. In comparison to other adaptations of movies, well on this show at least it's a damn sight better, but still the elements that where in the movie really couldn't have made it into a comic format.

Unknown said...

Never mind is loading now.
Get back to you when I can finally watch it

Unknown said...

I don't think I had ever heard that Savack(sp) was pregnant. So when you're back from your walkabout, any chance we could learn some more about Blake 7?

Turkish Proverb said...

YOu know, while I'm no fan of badly done "message shows", the idea Classic/TOS Trek wasn't filled with message episodes is one I can't take seriously.

For instance, in "Let that be your last battlefield" The fact one had been alleged a terrorist by the other is part of the point. It was about the Apartheid system, and any system threat comes with racism so institutionalized. He wasn't a terrorist to those who were white on the left side, he was a freedom fighter, leading an oppressed minority. The episode is entirely about racism. Looking at the situation in south africa at the time might illuminate this a bit more, though race riots were hardly unheard of in the states. However, if you prefer a suggestion related to your own, that it was about hatred in general, than it also makes an excellent story for the cold-war, two sides attacking each other to their mutual detriment, after all.


"A taste of Armogeddon" , the episode about the "simulated" war, if you'll forgive my loss of the title? A deliberate note against the middle and upper classes support for foreign wars where mainly the poor were dying, such as the Vietnam conflict at the time, as well as the cold war in general where the two countries mainly used other nations and their peoples as proxies, the idea being that without their everyday lifestyle effected, they might be relatively unconcerned with the bloodshed as long as they could act like they were "winning".

"Patterns of force" had a message far more than "naziism is bad" about leanring from history. Similarly, it deals with the dangers of interfering in a societies structure merely for the reason of "advancing" them. It's claim's also relate directly to the question of losing one's humanity and morality to a desire for "efficiency" or other alledged positives, an understanding that one must not simply assume there are not negatives to go along with the positive. These in addition to anything as nebulous as "good intentions" and the hells they pave the way to.

"A private little war"? An attempt to explain the cold war, to show the complexity of arming proxies in a war.


"The omega glory" was all about forgetting one's ideals, or holding to them only superficially.

Many anti-Laissez-faire episodes existed. All three Mudd episodes are a type of attack on consumerism and unchecked markets, and the tribble episode was an eve more obvious example with the danger an untested product being put onto said market creates.


...Wow, I went on a rant. Sorry, the lit-scholar in me spends too much time analyzing works.

Loved the review.

all star superman said...

Linkara, just out of curiosity, what are your opinions on the plot of the 5th star trek movie? I know most people consider it to be the worst out of all the star trek films, but i actually think that the premise of the movie, you know searching for god in space, could have been pretty interesting, plus I really do love the scene with dr McCoy and his father.

Anyways, i was just wandering what your thoughts are on the movie before you reviewed it, Thanks :)

The Exiled One said...

1-No, you see, you are wrong. You only THINK the probe was made by aliens.

The probe was really Dolorem, which is the name of the corporeal manifestation of Spock's darker side. That's right, after Spock was reborn on Planet Genesis, his darker side split off from himself and somehow turned into a little girl called Dolorem, and it was Dolorem who created the space probe.

The whole "alien" thing is just stuff you made up and has no actual bearing on the movie's plot.

You see, I wrote "The Voyage Home", which means only I get to say who built the probe, and I'm saying it was Dolorem. And I planned Dolorem to play a larger part in the "storyline", so should stop insisting that the probe was made by aliens.

(by the way, all the above was a highly sarcastic post meant to bash Linkara's ridiculous "Dolorem" explanation on why the forces controlling Silent Hill attacked him during the Lord Vyce arc)


2-You know, this movie really needs Lori Petty and Michael Madsen. And a Michael Jackson soundtrack.

(kudos to the three people who got that reference)

3-Wait, JILLIAN?

Does that mean that she forces the whales to listen to her ramble about the "Twilight" movies?

Also, if she's Jillian, does that make Kirk Brad? Scotty would be Jerrid, Spock would be Jake and Chekov would be Max Force.

4-Aw, man, you didn't include the funniest dialogue in the movie!

Interrogator: Let's take it from the top.

Chekov: The top of what?

Interrogator: Name?

Chekov: My name?

Interrogator: No, my name!

Chekov: I do not know your name.

Interrogator: One more word like that, mister, and you're through!

Chekov: I am? Can I go?

Was it in the comic?

5-Why is it always a "Scrubs" clip and never a "House" clip? Don't you like "House", Lewis?

------------

Linkara missed a golden opportunity to have him (or, as he would say, his character) meet with Brad's stoner friends.

Stoner Friend 1: AHAHAHAHAHA! So, what brings you here?

Linkara: I want to fix my magic gun-

Stoner Friend 2: I have a magic gun you can fix! *points to his crotch* AHAHAHAHAHA!

Linkara: No, this is serious,

Stoner Friend 3: Why so serious? AHAHAHAHA!

Linkara: My magic is disabled-

Stoner Friend 4: Then why don't do you call your fuck buddy Hairy Pothead? HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Stoner Friend 1: Men, those were great movies...for me to shit on! AHAHAHAHA!

Linkara: There's a guy called the Gunslinger-

Stoner Friend 2: More like, "shit-flinger"! AHAHAHAHA!


------------------

"My favorite part of the video was when you impersonate the angry Klingon like it's Christopher Lloyd's Kruge from Star Trek III having the most epic meltdown in the galaxy. Hilarious!"

...but it loses point for Linkara not yelling "I WAS FROZEN TODAY!".


"Funny thing in science. Tey have found that sperm whales have distinct cultures and languages from each region. Meaning that humpback whales probably do too. THUS what regional language was that probe speaking in as well."

This reminds me of the 1990s "Doctor Dolittle" movie with Eddie Murphy, where all of the animals spoke English except for the chimp in the interrogation scene, which spoke Spanish.

MichaelJGleason said...

Great episode as always, the brad jones cameo was cool. Keep up the good work Linkara, thanks for mentioning SFDebris, nice to see that more people will know about him.

boooratt said...

I never seen the movie but I was always curious of the overly message-y save the whales movie in the Star Trek franchise! I know the only reason it's about whales was because Nimoy was or is still a huge animal rights activist and he said he'd only do the movie if it had a good environmental message.
Can I get a link to this other guy's review that done all these movies!? I've seen Red Letter Media's review of all the Next Gen. movies so I might as well see the ones for the earlier movies.
My only reasoning for aliens wanting to talk to Whales would be if for some reason their langue is like the Whales... but still how could it talk to them?
As " Maverynthia said...
Funny thing in science. Tey have found that sperm whales have distinct cultures and languages from each region. Meaning that humpback whales probably do too. THUS what regional language was that probe speaking in as well.
July 23, 2012 5:20 PM
" It'd be like us sending a message to another alien species that evolved and talked like us by breathing across cord in their throats, but we sent it in Chinese or French or Russian... Just because their way to make sounds is the same doesn't mean the noises they make mean the same on their planet!
I do like the idea of an alien probe that comes to Earth and only speaks in "WUBs"! I'd love to see that as a parody of the Enterprise crew coming back to kidnap one of those YouTube Musicians!
You gotta love that old fashion time paradox of the item the future traveler leaves in the past but receives in the future!
This does make me wonder if any of this kind of stuff will come up in the reboot/09 Star Trek universe!? Since the timeline of that universe is screwed up already!
I've always felt that whole thing of bringing some one from the past to the future was kind of a dangerous idea... considering taking her out of the past equation might cause either another paradox or events to change since she might effected events that hadn't happened yet in her time line!?

Love the Corporate Commander cameo!!!
And White Castle! awwww... no Harold and Kumar joke!?
And Brad Jones!
HOW-DY YA'LL WELCOME TO TEXAS!!! Somebody get his wallet...

Master Control Cynic said...

OH MY GOD SOMEONE ELSE PLAYED ECCO THE DOLPHIN!!!!

Did you get past the spaceship? That level is a bitch and three quarters! And the coelacanths?. The coelacanths can BITE me!

Unknown said...

great review once again so how was white castle or did cinema snob eat all your food lol.

Shada67 said...

The big question I've always had about this movie (and now the comic), is; if the alien probe is trying to contact humpback whales it the oceans, WHY IS IT VAPORIZING THE OCEANS??

Seriously, is it trying to hurt the whales to get them to answer?? Why destroy the medium in which the beings you are trying to communicate with live in? It would be like a probe coming to Earth to speak to humans, on a wavelength that destroys our atmosphere.

Great job again Lew-two, wonderful episode. Loved the frilly shirt. How are you coming along with Pollo's new body?

Your walkabout is really showing just how far in advance you are planning things, I tip my "Indiana Jones" fedora to you. XD

Can't wait for #200, I bet it'll be awesome!

Unknown said...

ha finished, I haven't seen the movie but it sound like the good kind of stupid premise movie, will try to track it down. You are really at your best when reviewing this kind of comics, or one of the many dumb events comics like amazons attack than capitan taxtime and his ilk.

AmazedSatsuma said...

Wait Saavik was originally plan to have Spock baby? I don't know that, but I can see why they cut it out

BTW I feel sorry for your next Star Trek movie review To paraphrase a line from the move "Why does Star Trek V need a comic?

fatalrob0t said...

How could the whales heart the probe without technology? The same way they hear each other from miles and miles away: sound travels much, much faster in water than through the air. It travels especially fast in salt water. Marine animals use echo location much in the same way as bats, but they hear it miles away rather than from a shorter distance while flying like a bat does.

fatalrob0t said...

By the by, I liked the review. I did not know Savik was pregnant, so you actually informed me of something. XD Also... >: We'd love you in Texas. Come on down! Especially in Austin. :D Everyone's weird in Austin. :D

Mekkanos said...

I haven't seen this movie so I can't really talk too much about that. However, I really am honestly curious why they used the sound effect "MRAAWAAAK" when the sound clearly sounds nothing like that (Sounding more like "WUB WUB WUB WUB").

I also loved the Ecco the Dolphin reference. Man, that future segment with the flying psychic dolphins was weird.

Unknown said...

I must say that I think you should put some villains from lightbringer in here, this sounds like something that the Smiling man might do. Hell we'll finally figure out what he did with http://lightbringer.comicgenesis.com/d/20061027.html

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"I must say that I think you should put some villains from lightbringer in here, this sounds like something that the Smiling man might do. Hell we'll finally figure out what he did with http://lightbringer.comicgenesis.com/d/20061027.html"

Actually, the Smiling Man's motivation and backstory was explained in the webcomic Crossoverlord, which brought together a group of superhero webcomics based on an idea I had, but really the credit should go to all the other creators, who really took the idea and ran with it while I pursued other projects.

Anonymous said...

Good to know someone else actually liked "it conquered the world"

Anonymous said...

Completely agree on this comic. The art is ok... just ok considering the series and all. It compressed or ruined all of my favorite jokes.

Kinda sad that thanks to movie edits and this comic leaving it out the whole Spock's Son concept is not considered cannon. I think it could have been a nice counterpoint to Generations at the line "Sulu, when did he find time for a family." of course it was a blatant attempt to help him avoid coming out of the closet that failed but that's another point.

Any chance of getting Corporate Commander into episodes without his head censored?

I miss White Castles. But I miss more when the ingredients were sent fresh to the restaurants instead of sending them pre-cooked finished burger components they just had to steam/reheat. That changed depending on the restaurant between 1989-1994 ever since then its just as good if not better to get anything White Castle from the grocer freezer.

Did G-I-Joe have any serious stinkers of comics I think Corporate commander sitting in on one would be a great/obvious but great crossover to attempt.

The Id said...

Linkara, if you are indifferent about the cast in the then present, how do you feel about episodes like City on the Edge of Forever, and those episodes of DS9 where Sisko used the holodeck to simulate the past?

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Linkara, if you are indifferent about the cast in the then present, how do you feel about episodes like City on the Edge of Forever, and those episodes of DS9 where Sisko used the holodeck to simulate the past?"

I'm actually not really all that big on City on the Edge of Forever. It's a good story, don't get me wrong, but there are a dozen other episodes of TOS I'd watch first.

Also, I believe you're thinking of TNG or Voyager. DS9 actually very RARELY used the holodeck for period pieces. I can think of the Bond parody or Vic Fontaine, otherwise they had one time travel two-parter story which was also rather blah, IMHO.

Maybe you're thinking of "Far Beyond the Stars," which wasn't a holodeck piece, but was entertaining, but I enjoy it more as a metatextual analysis on the nature of writing than as a time travel story... and even then, that episode IS about racism, and it's a damn good one, too.

Nick Michalak said...

LOL! I loved it! Pure fun watching this review, and it looks like you had a fun time making it. I was an SFDebris long fan before I started watching AT4W. So, I'm well aware of his reviews on all the movies and more. He does exceptional work that is difficult to rival. His "Wrath of Khan" review was superb and informative.

I'm sure your Trek V comic review will be quite interesting. I'm curious to know if there are any major changes in the comic versus the movie since Shatner had scripted things that didn't make the final cut. I don't mind "The Final Frontier" much. Yes, it's rather ridiculous most times, the tone is really wonky, and it has numerous flaws, but Laurence Luckinbill made Sybok into a pretty damn good character. He definitely made more of it than what was on the page. A friend of mine actually believes that Star Trek V is the movie most like the original series. It's not that far fetched when you think of some of the stranger episodes.

I guess you've been planning this storyline for a while with the Washington D.C. footage in there. Wasn't that last autumn? Also, for a second there, I thought there might be an AT4W / Brad Tries crossover there, but it was just a french fry. I LOVE Brad's stuff, and a cameo is always cool to me. I should be meeting him at Wizard World Chicago next month. Oughtta be cool.

Great job. Can't wait for #200!

Jenna said...

You know what would've been so great, if you'd done that "every story that takes place in Washington D.C" cliche and had Linkara go to the Lincoln Memorial and talk to Abe about his problems. xD

Great episode, and I completely agree about "It Conquered the World." It's a pretty decent "body snatcher" story with excellent performances by Peter Graves and Beverly Garland. I think even Joel and the Bots got a little caught up in the drama.

Excited for the 200th episode!

Ozaline said...

I have to agree with @Turkish Proverb, Star Trek has a lot of message shows... They simply manage to be nuanced including other elements so as not to get over the top with the preachy.

This is also my favorite Star Trek movie, cause this honestly feels the most like a Star Trek story. Why do I say that? Star Trek at it's core is about being a fish out of water, exploring a strange new society and learning it's rules and how to navigate in it. That's exactly what the Enterprise crew has to do here... Even though it's their own history and our present, in no other film does the crew have blindly navigate their way around a culture with new clue about it's lingo (swears), or the finer nuances of it's social structure. Star Trek the Motion Picture is the only other film that even comes close to this and of course it's as dry as burnt toast.

Considering how many TOS episodes took place on low tech planets (Agriculture worlds, Ice Age an Witch Hunt time periods, primitive tribal cultures), 20th century Earth or parallels thereof (Nazi world, Gangster World, Roman Empire in the Twentieth Century World) this felt like old and familiar territory.

Anyway I think it can be assumed that Whales are sapient, dolphins definitely are and most whale species have bigger brains. But there have been repeated examples to show that whales do act with judgment; I think we just have an easier time communicating with dolphins since we can meet on a body language level, where whales aren't so big on body language. I can totally accept both Spock and the Probe communicating... though I'm assuming the original communication between the Whales and the prope people was telepathic.

I've been wondering what your DC footage was going to be used for... I totally guessed wrong and thought it was going to show up before your walkabout (which is an appropriate thing to call a quest for mystical or spiritual knowledge) but it deffinitly works well here.

Greenygal said...

Were the comics by DC meant to be in canon or their own continuity?

The comics were meant to abide by the existing movie/show canon (at the time that was show singular; TNG wouldn't come out till several years later). The trouble is that the series started around the time that ST: III came out, and so by the time ST: IV came around, the comics had already been running for a couple of years and had unavoidably gone off in a different direction. As mentioned above, they had to do some fairly clunky course changes to try and make the two storylines fit together.

revolverocelot2501 said...

I always laughed at Spock saying the mission would fail if they don't get THOSE whales, despite the fact that Earth should have more of them at the time.

Now I'm picturing One More Day to:
'Cause I hate you!
And I berate you!
And I can't wait to get to you!

And I eschew you!
And I say, screw you!
And I hope you're blue, too.

spiderman1989 said...

Getting back into Star Trek via TNG I never could understand what government like the federation would sign a treaty to stop studies on cloaking technology.
Yes their was the whole fear of war but the Romulans and federation were already on edge and ready to kill.

Unknown said...

Thanks for puting up the link. I was totally misspelling his name, hence the reason I asked. Thank you!

marconius666 said...

I actually recall one episode that had a very clear message... and it kinda ticked me off too. It was the one where the crew meets some ancient Greek/Roman gods and Kirk basically explains how humanity has found the one true God since then and thus doesn't need the old gods anymore. As a non-Christian, this... kiiiinda irritated me, but well, it was in the 60's, so I didn't mind too much.

Loveable Freak said...

..."If I end up in Texas next week, I'm just teleporting to Canada!" Good call! XD

Anonymous said...

You make an excellent point. What DID the Federation get out of the Treaty of Algeron?

Jarkes said...

"
(by the way, all the above was a highly sarcastic post meant to bash Linkara's ridiculous "Dolorem" explanation on why the forces controlling Silent Hill attacked him during the Lord Vyce arc)"

Okay, you're NOT letting that go, are you? Lewis has explained this particular plot point several times to you, and I, for one, think "Dolorem" makes perfect sense in the context of the magic gun's backstory.

"You see, I wrote "The Voyage Home", which means only I get to say who built the probe, and I'm saying it was Dolorem. And I planned Dolorem to play a larger part in the "storyline", so should stop insisting that the probe was made by aliens."

...That is not Linkara's attitude about it at all. I don't speak for him, but from what I can tell from his "discussions" with you, he doesn't mind speculation and crazy theories. His problem is a general sort of situation where a fan acts like they know a series better than the writer does. Kind of like what you continue to insist.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

""(by the way, all the above was a highly sarcastic post meant to bash Linkara's ridiculous "Dolorem" explanation on why the forces controlling Silent Hill attacked him during the Lord Vyce arc)"

Okay, you're NOT letting that go, are you? Lewis has explained this particular plot point several times to you, and I, for one, think "Dolorem" makes perfect sense in the context of the magic gun's backstory."

Especially since I made that explanation of what happened at the time the episode came out to people who were confused by it, so it's not like I just pulled it out of my ass recently.

Jarkes said...

Aw, dangit! You know what I just realized? You didn't reveal what the subject of the 200th episode was going to be at the end of this episode, like you did for the 100th and 150th episodes!

Cloud3514 said...

I think it should be noted that, like Blake's 7, there is a Star One song based on this movie. It's from the same album and is called "Songs of the Ocean."

Ming said...

Great review. This comic should have been better.

Can't wait to see your take on the adaptation of Star Trek V. You'll probably have to resort to putting an actual commercial break just to get away from that awful fan dance sequence.

Nice sequence at the end where you're in Washington. Great moment punching out Corporate Commander. Was that filmed during your trip to the SOPA hearings or MAGFest?

So will we see a resolution to this arc in the 200th episode?

Raktus said...

In the shatnerverse the probe comes from a planet of intellegent whales from a far away planet who's oceans have frozen over. So really, its a communications device between worlds of two long dead species. I believe there is also a description of the Probe being damaged in a fight with the Borg as well.

Unknown said...

I love your Star Trek video..i am so looking forward to the 200th episode..

P.S What is your opinion on Batman Earth One?

Brian said...

lol, I love this movie since it's from the 80s and it's Star Trek.


anyhow, it's hard to translate a movie into a comic-book form (The robocop 2 book was awful)....just hard to do in my opinion

Jarkes said...

"If I end up in Texas next week, I'm just gonna say 'screw it' and risk teleporting to Canada!"

...ConBravo's in Texas, isn't it?

Also, Exiled One's repeated grumbling about the "Delorem" thing made me wonder: Where exactly did you get the name "Delorem" from? It sounds vaguely Lovecraftian...

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Also, Exiled One's repeated grumbling about the "Delorem" thing made me wonder: Where exactly did you get the name "Delorem" from? It sounds vaguely Lovecraftian..."

It's Latin for misery. ^_^

Warclam said...

What was that about Silent Hill? I watched that part like 30 times and couldn't make it out.

"Oh right, you have fouling links"?

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"What was that about Silent Hill? I watched that part like 30 times and couldn't make it out.

"Oh right, you have fouling links"? "

The line was "Oh, right. UFO endings..."

Wishes to remain Unknown said...

Lewis, Star trek as a series was edgy and breaking new ground. while it wasn't in the 90s "Dark ages" way(which has appeared to paint you view of what is and isn't 'edgy'), it was something different that played with out perceptions of self, reality and the universe we haven't explored yet. It was Edgy in that it was a show that had black women in a respectable role along side men ,even a Russian man was aboard the ship. What you're attacking is the 90's through today's Mainstream perception of what is cool, being on this site already shows we've removed from that mindset in some ways. The "message episodes" you talk about were more what you took away from it, something you couldn't exactly say every main stream show of that era had. That's another thing that original star trek had going for it that was edgy: it's message is what you, the viewer, made of it.

Le Messor said...

IV is probably my fav'rite Star Trek movie. It's just enjoyable.
Which doesn't help the comic.
That said, it's refreshing to see San Francisco in a comic, and the sky's not orange.

Somehow, I knew what the Question was you were asking when you started asking it...

Unknown - Linkara wasn't saying original Trek wasn't edgy; he was saying that being edgy isn't what made it good.

RatherOddRanger said...

Sad thing is the UFO ending is all I really remember from the original Silent Hill game.

Also I don't know why but I'm a little sad they cut out the hospital scene with the elderly woman and McCoy.

Dark Patrician said...

This is a great episode Linkara, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say anything sooner, but I read something I thought you'd find interesting, I'll get to that in a minute.

Okay, first of all, where did you get that shirt with the ruffles because I'm reminded of The Puffy Shirt from Seinfeld.

Title Card: I love the expression on your cartoon counterpart's face, it's like he was shot out of blowhole and he's trying to forget what he saw.

"________ made out with your girlfriend didn't he?" I am going to start using that whenever a friend of mine starts ranting. Is it a reference to something or just one of your own creations?

I've read The Mirror Universe comic book, other than the fact that they kept going to Warp 13 or some other double digit warp I enjoyed it. What did you think about it Linkara?

Was the Silent Hill fog starting to turn yellow on the left side of the screen or am I just seeing things?

Anyway the reason this review took a while, I learned something you might find interesting, when I was in my local library I found a book called “Probe” by Margaret Wander Bonanno released in 1992 that was supposed to be the sequel to the movie and on the New York Times Bestseller list for six weeks. I don’t know how familiar you are with the expanded universe of Star Trek or if anybody has told you about the book before, and if so I apologize, but I thought you might be interested in her explanation behind the probe’s actions.

In her version and I quote: “It knew only that it had encountered a cluster of spacegoing mites, tens of thousands of them in sharp edged, cubical bubbles. Then, for a period, its memory did not exist. And when it began again, there was evidence of massive damage to its structure, damage that had already been largely repaired. Damage that, its logic told it, must have destroyed certain of the crystalline paths that held and circulated its memory.”

With “mites” meaning people and “bubble” meaning ship, unless there are other races out there with cube like ships, I think this means that the Probe fought the Borg and won but ended up getting amnesia during the fight. I guess that makes as much sense as anything.

Also the probe was built by giant dolphins from another planet over hundreds of millennia ago in a completely different arm of the galaxy, which also makes as much sense as anything.

Anyway, I thought you might find that slightly interesting.

Have a great day; I know I am because it's my birthday today.

Dark Patrician

P.S. I asked this in a previous video but never got an answer, What's keeping Pyramid Head inside the Pokeball? I mean it's a toy now right? Did something happen to Pyramid Head too, or are Harvey and Pollo having to deal with the Red Executioner? I know it's a minor detail in your story but its just been bugging me.

Sailor_Sega said...

In addition to Thorsten Reimnitz's comment this happened in D.C. comics: Star Trek Volume 1 #34 & 35. Look for them in your back issue bins if you want to know how D.C. comics shoehorned ST4 into their continuity.

Le Messor said...

I've always wondered why the whales' message to the probe was not "Get out! Get out! They're killing us all! Noooo!"

Joel Kirk said...

You say that Star Trek featured the first interracial kiss; that was false.

"I Spy" (in a 1966 episode called "The Tiger"), "Mission: Impossible" (1966 episode "Elena") "Mike Hammer" (from the 1950s show, in an episode called "Sandi"), and "Man from UNCLE"(the 1966 "The Her Majesty's Voice Affair") all featured interracial kisses before that particular Star Trek episode aired, and they were with Asian females and white men. (Yet, those didn't get the controversy or fanfare that the Uhura/Kirk kiss got; even one of the later episodes, "Elaan of Troyius" which featured Asian actress Frances Nuyen as the title alien who has a relationship (and kiss) with Shatner didn't get any controversy).

So, Star Trek didn't break any barriers there. I'm still waiting to see a leading romantic couple in Star Trek that is a black man/Asian woman and maybe a black man/white female.

I should add: "Movin with Nancy" (1967) featured a kiss between Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. ..and a British show called "Emergency War 10" (1964) had a kiss between a black woman and white man.

Anonymous said...

I have to say, while I haven't watched Star Trek IV, the fact that it's the trope namer for Space Whale Aesop, with good reason, makes me iffy about it's "save the whales" message given that killing the whales in the movie's timeline has consequences that nobody have possible foresee. I heard it was originally geared towards a more general environmental theme, but was changed because people were afraid it would be considered political.

Micro4 said...

ok i got it i figured out.
A laser fired at a surface can detect vibration and turn that vibration into sound. a laser-mic is used by US special forces for medium distance reconnaissance. Basically you point it at a window and walla! Instant conversation detection!
In theory the beam the aliens use could be a similar technology.

Arcapello said...

Hey Lewis, what was that plastic object you had on the sleeve of your jacket during these earlier episodes?

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Hey Lewis, what was that plastic object you had on the sleeve of your jacket during these earlier episodes?"

Did you watch the Silent Hill: The Grinning Man review?

Arcapello said...

"Did you watch the Silent Hill: The Grinning Man review?"

Silent Hill... grinning man!? That comic sounds bad already. I CAN'T WAIT. I must find that.