Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Captain Kirk ( William Shatner ) and his crew arrive at a mining colony that has been under attack by an unknown creature that has also stolen a vital piece of equipment that will cause the colony's nuclear reactor to explode if not restored. Kirk orders his crew to kill the creature on sight because of its proven aggression, but Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) believes there is more to the story. My Thoughts: As far as Star Trek episodes go, this one is kind of predictable. OK, we have a creature that begins attacking miners without apparent provocation soon after they find unidentified objects that look a heck of a lot like eggs. Hmm... I wonder why the creature is so angry? Episodes like this make me wonder why Kirk is considered the hero. The kill on sight order with zero information about the creature and why it was attacking seemed like something the villain general would do in a science fiction movie, not the main protagonist. It's also worth noting he didn't even...

Synopsis: A mysterious and powerful alien force destroys everything in its path on the way to Earth, forcing a newly refitted starship  Enterprise  into duty before it is completely ready. Admiral James T. Kirk is given command, much to the dissatisfaction of the ship's current captain Willard Decker, causing the two to butt heads as a mix of the original Enterprise crew and new faces speed toward danger. Who's in it? The movie stars William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Stephen Collins and George Takei . Review: While I don't consider myself a Trekkie, I do enjoy at least some aspects of the Star Trek universe, including most of the movies. That's why, when I saw it was showing on one of my movie channels, I took the time to re-watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture . As has been the case with past viewings, my opinion of the film remains mixed. I'll start out by saying there are a lot of things this movie does right. For one, I like how the movie re...

Synopsis: With his crew in desperate need of a break, Kirk ( William Shatner ) approves shore leave on a peaceful planet with no people or animals. However, when Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ) encounters a large white rabbit and Kirk himself sees people from his past, it is apparent there is something strange about the world. Review: It's been kind of wet and dreary out there so ended up going home for lunch today. While there, I decided to continue with my Star Trek watching and ended up watching this episode. I wound up having my doubts about it, but it did turn out to be better than I was expecting it to be. At first, when McCoy saw that white rabbit ( Bill Blackburn ) and, a short time later, a little girl that looked like the storybook character, Alice ( Marcia Brown ), I was concerned this would wind up being a bit too campy to be enjoyable. However, that turned out not to be the case. I think the thing that ultimately won me over was the episode's campy nature ...

Synopsis: When Enterprise encounters a planet that is identical to Earth, Kirk ( William Shatner ), Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ), Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) and Yeoman Rand ( Grace Lee Whitney ) and learn the planet is only inhabited by children because of a fatal disease that affects anyone that hits puberty. Unable to return to the ship because they too are infected, McCoy must figure out a cure. Review: I had a chance to watch this episode yesterday, in the short time I had between church and going to my daughter's ice show. I was intrigued by the premise. But, as I watched it, I realized I just didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The disease itself was kind of interesting. I'm still a little confused about how a disease that is the side effect of a genetic experiment can infect people who weren't part of that experiment. But, I liked how the sores gave us a visible representation of how it spread and did think it gave the episode a bit of a th...

Synopsis: While chasing an unmarked cargo ship through an asteroid field, Kirk ( William Shatner ) overextends the ship's systems and leaves the Enterprise limping with a dangerously low power supply. To make matters worse, the captured captain from the other ship, Harcourt Fenton Mudd ( Roger C. Carmel ) brings aboard three beautiful women with an unnatural ability to make human men desire them. Review: I wasn't sure I would like this particular episode, mostly because, from the description at least, it sounded like it would be a little campy. And, to be honest, when the episode first started and the three women ( Karen Steele , Susan Denberg and Maggie Thrett ) and the crew members in the transporter room, minus Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) started drooling over them, I was concerned my suspicions would be confirmed. However, as it turns out, this was actually a halfway decent episode. I think the thing I liked most about this episode was the mystery surrounding the wome...

Synopsis: The Enterprise is tasked with observing a dying planet and discovers the research team that had previously been assigned there has been frozen to death under mysterious circumstances. The ship is soon infected by the same inhibition-lowering disease that killed the researchers and Kirk ( William Shatner ) must find a way to rescue the Enterprise from an infected hijacker before it crashes into the planet below. Review: I had heard of this episode prior to watching it over the course of the past couple of days. However, until I finally selected it on Netflix, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. As it turns out, it was actually a surprisingly good episode. OK, I'm going to start out by admitting some of the scenes from this episode were a bit on the campy side, especially when Sulu ( George Takei ) puts on his shirtless swashbuckling routine and Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) gets into an emotional crying fit over his mother. But, despite that, there were qui...

Synopsis: Roughly 200 years after it went missing, the Enterprise intercepts the flight recorder from the U.S.S. Valiant and travels through a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy in an effort to find out what happened to the ship. The trip proves to be deadly, with several crew members killed. In addition, Kirk's ( William Shatner ) long-time friend, Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell ( Gary Lockwood ) begins to change and show God-like ESP powers. Review: I had an opportunity to watch this episode while I was home at lunch. When I started watching it, I was somewhat concerned (mostly because I didn't realize, at the time, it was the second pilot for the series) it would be a bit too much like the episode I watched yesterday, Charlie X . However, after seeing it, I have to admit, it wound up being just different enough to be entertaining. I think the thing that intrigued me most about this episode was the way there was some mystery about what would happen with Mitchell. ...