Star Trek: Fan Collectives (2006-09)

Star Trek: Fan Collective: Borg (2006)

Dirs. Various  |  Number of episodes: 12 + 2 feature-length (FL) movies

The Fan Collective box sets are a collection of various themed episodes culled from each of the live action Star Trek TV series and packaged together in shiny new boxes. The cynic in me thinks it's nothing more than a lazy cash-grab from Paramount, once again exploiting fans who'll buy anything with a Trek logo on it. The optimist in me is forced to agree.

So, with Paramount's shameless tactics established, what do we actually get in each Collective box?

First up, the Borg ("Sounds Swedish") collection contains every episode from both TNG and ENT in which the semi-mechanical, drone-like menaces appeared, which amounts to six TNG and one ENT.

The remainder of the four-disc box is VOY episodes. The Borg played a major role in the VOY series, but it was too much of a good thing. The overuse turned them from a mysterious threat into a collective of chumps. Although it did give us Seven of Nine, who turned out to be one of the best characters in the entire VOY series, in my opinion.

Mindwarp (1992)

Mindwarp (1992)

aka Brain Slasher

Dir. Steve Barnett

I suspect the reason there's a sliver of Ash in most of Bruce Campbell's characters is because there's a lot of Bruce's own personality in Ash.

He maybe accentuates certain traits, but they spring from something real. Furthermore, if he's one of the main stars of a film, then there's a good chance he'll be facing off against some kind of evil creature. Mindwarp is no different.

It goes for a 70s style version of the 21st century, which is something that I really like; the poor-man's pre-Matrix (1992) VGA port in the back of the neck was hilarious.

The synthetic world that the female protagonist (Marta Martin) wants to escape is kind of similar, too, but the remainder of the film isn't.

Much of it is set underground where the lighting is bad, but on the plus side it helps hide budget limitations and makes sense because underground is where the aforementioned evil lives.

Wonder Woman '77: Volume 02 (2017)

Wonder Woman '77: Volume 02 (2017)

Authors: Amy Chu / Trina Robbins / Amanda Deibert / Ruth Fletcher Gage / Christos Gage / Marc Andreyko  |  Illustrators: Richard Ortiz / Christian Duce / Dario Brizuela / Andres Ponce / Cat Staggs / Staz Johnson / Wayne Faucher / Tom Derenick / Tess Fowler  |  Page Count: 160

"Release Agent Trevor and I'm all yours."

Before we even open the book the cover works its magic. I know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, that's not what I'm doing - I'm judging the cover by itself. It shows Wonder Woman in a running pose, but because it's Wo Wo '77 it's a safe bet that it's a slow-mo running pose! Yes, even the cover is respectful to the essence that is '77. Even before reaching page one I'm smiling.

Once inside things are just as good, kicking off with a puntastic title for the first story. Steve Trevor has man-flu, so it's up to Diana and her spangly alter ego to save the day, which is what she'd be doing anyhow, even if Steve was able to man-up and do something useful.

I loved how the little things weren't neglected, some being as entertaining as the more pressing concerns.

Jonathan Creek: The Grinning Man (2009)

Jonathan Creek: The Grinning Man (2009)

Dir. David Renwick | Approx 118 minutes

A feature-length adventure (of two whole hours!) that saw the wooly-haired sleuth return to our TV screens after a lengthy five-year absence.

It's written and directed by series creator David Renwick, so the quality is high. The only dip is with the inclusion of an entirely superfluous subplot featuring magician Adam Klaus. I mean no disrespect to actor Stuart Milligan, but it goes nowhere interesting and serves no purpose other than to give the character something to do; its removal would've strengthened the pace of the main plot considerably.

When last we saw JC he was being tormented by Carla Borrego (Julia Sawalha), but she's moved on to graze in pastures new. What is it with the women of the series? They never stick around for long enough.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki

It was officially released before Studio Ghibli existed but a great many of the themes and techniques that the famous animation studio is now known for were birthed in Nausicaä.

The residents of the titular valley harness the full power of the wind to survive. It powers their post-apocalyptic machinery, but it also carries poisonous spores from the polluted forests and swamps that cover the Earth. So while it supports life, it also carries death.

The relationship between man and nature is a delicate one that's thrown into turmoil when a neighbouring nation pushes their hostile ambitions too far. The Princess Nausicaä finds herself stuck in the middle, forced to weigh her reverence for all life against the need to preserve and protect the innocent.

The three-decades-old animation is less sophisticated than modern Ghibli, but when placed in its own time it really shines, with the compassionate, level-headed Nausicaä on her glider being especially memorable. The ending is a little too abrupt for my tastes but the scenes played over the credits do help compensate.

The Complete Skizz (2017)

The Complete Skizz (2017)

Authors: Alan Moore / Jim Baikie  | Illustrator: Jim Baikie  |  Page Count: 272

'Everyone was running that night. Some of them were running in the same direction...'

The first Skizz story appeared in Progs 308-330 (1983) of 2000 AD, long before I was a reader. It wasn't until a belated sequel appeared in 1992 that I got a proper introduction to the character.

There are three distinct arcs in Skizz's story, all of which are included in the book. The first is written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Jim Baikie. The second and third are both written and illustrated by Baikie.

The story's beginnings aren't anything special. The benevolent Zhcchz is a Tau Cetian interpreter on his way home when his ship crashes on a blue planet, in a place named Birmingham (incidentally, not too far from Moore's hometown of Northampton). I can't presently think of any other sci-fi books that are set in Birmingham, so in that it's somewhat unusual.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 7 (1993-94)

Star Trek: TNG: Season 7 (1993-94)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Longtime fans of TNG will get the most from what the seventh and last season offers. There's a lot of looking back, while also moving forward. A number of significant events from previous years are referenced or recalled, right back even to the Farpoint mission, the very first episode of Season 1 (1987-88).

Family plays an important role; mothers and sons mostly, but also fathers, brothers and the extended family you create for yourself from people who become closer than just friends, who earn respect a thousand times over just by being who they are at heart, free from any kind of ingratiating agenda.

And while strange new worlds are indeed explored, new life and new civilisations thoroughly sought out, there's also a dangerous limitation to be considered, one that has consequences for more than just the crew of the Federation's flagship. It's something that doesn't get forgotten by the next episode, which does sometimes happen in these kinds of episodic shows, and I'll be looking out for it as I progress through TNG's successor, the Deep Space Nine series, which takes place in the same time period.