Temporal Anomaly of The Week

October 17, 2011 11:20 AM

The Cynic's Corner, abandoned in 2003, features a handful of reviews for various Star Trek TV franchises, as well as Andromeda (ostensibly a Roddenberry project) and Babylon 5. Each review covers a variety of topics, including the Temporal Anomaly Of The Week, Spatial Anomaly Of The Week, Unexplained Mystery Of The Week, and the War Crime Of The Week. An entertaining read, and serious time sink, for anyone currently skipping past Lwaxana Troi episodes on Netflix Instant.
posted by Brocktoon (15 comments total)

I wasted a lot of time reading these back in the day. Thanks for the flashback.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 11:26 AM on October 17, 2011

PRANDIAL ANOMALY OF THE WEEK: Vulcans don't touch food with their hands, eh? It seems like it should be possible to refute that, but the only example I can think of is Spock and the marshmallow in Star Trek V, which most people, understandably, dismiss as non-Canon.

Oh, internet... never change!
posted by odinsdream at 11:29 AM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

I consider myself to be a non-obsessive Trek fan, well-versed enough to be called a Trekker, but these reviews cover the exact blind spot in my awareness of the universe. Enterprise? Nope. Late Voyager and DS9? I'm getting there on Netflix, but not yet. Where's the TNG, for crying out loud? It's like The Cynic took a survey of my fandom and deftly danced around it.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 11:30 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

(And yes, I am going to split infinitives in this thread. Boldly.)
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 11:32 AM on October 17, 2011

Enterprise: Episode 1

Ah, yes, the credits. You know what? I kind of like it.

I say good day, sir.
posted by zamboni at 11:54 AM on October 17, 2011 [3 favorites]

Ah, yes, the credits. You know what? I kind of like it.

That song seriously grew on me after they [spoliers]made it faster[/spoiler]

And IIIIII will touch the sky .. Cuz I got faith .. Faith of the heaaaarrrttt

Enterprise isn't bad. If you want a captain, and a humanity, that was a bit primitive and sometimes went off half-cocked. As Quark said the federation is so bubbly and cloyingly sweet it is insidious. Well Enterprise isn't that. what you get is a captain beating robots to death with his bare fists while screaming "what species are you???? what species ???"

There is a strange amount of random shirtlessness as well, and soft focus Hoshi, which I kinda found endearing in an awww, they are trying to be sexy, how cute, kind of way.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:21 PM on October 17, 2011

That song seriously grew on me after they [spoliers]made it faster[/spoiler]

I SAID GOOD DAY.
posted by zamboni at 12:32 PM on October 17, 2011 [7 favorites]

They ain't gunna hold me down no more... no they ain't gunna change my mind .. Cuz I got faith... faith of the heart...

Guitar solo!
posted by Ad hominem at 12:35 PM on October 17, 2011

Star Trek Voyager, Season 6: in the episode "Collective," What happened to the Borg Baby? Seriously. I know the STV writers weren't all that crazy about continuity but introducing and then forgetting all about a Borg Baby is just plain lazy. Plus they missed some great opportunities to show the crew attempting to raise a Baby Borg. Imagine Tuvok walking around with a Borg Baby strapped to his chest... "Your crying is not logical. You have been fed. You have been changed. You are not sick. Logic dictates that you cease your crying and go to sleep." TUNE IN NEXT WEEK When Baby Borg assimilates a jar of strained carrots!
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 12:55 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ah, there's a broken link there to Tim Lynch's ST reviews. I used to enjoy reading those.

Here's a mirror site.

And here's how he bailed on reviewing ST:VOY after two seasons.

Effective immediately, I'm giving up on reviewing "Voyager" as a matter of course. It's a show that no one's taking the time to really examine while creating it -- and as a result, it's not enjoyable to review week after week. . .

I've never "abandoned" a Trek series I reviewed before, and I wish my decision here could be different. However, this season of "Voyager" has, I feel, abandoned everything about the series that made it potentially interesting, and replaced it with nothing I care to see. . .

I expect "Voyager" to keep spiraling downhill, and I'm not planning to go down with this ship.

My best wishes to the "Voyager" staff and the still-existing fans of the show; all my hopes for an eventual improvement.

Even superfen can get fed up, it seems.
posted by Herodios at 1:05 PM on October 17, 2011

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK When Baby Borg assimilates a jar of strained carrots!

LOL

I remember a time in high school when my best pal wanted me to write a ST:TNG novelization based on his idea -- those were the days...
posted by honkeoki at 1:06 PM on October 17, 2011

Websites with black backgrounds - computer says "No".
posted by panboi at 1:34 PM on October 17, 2011

Holy shit I forgot all about this site. It taught me the meaning of the word sycophant when I was in high school.

The best source for Star Trek (and also BSG) reviews is Jammer. The site used to be called Star Trek Hypertext. He's really an excellent writer and understands what makes good TV drama. I can remember watching new episodes of DS9 and Voyager and then reading his reviews, and he confirmed that I wasn't crazy thinking DS9 was the best ever and Voyager was shit.

I've actually been on a Star Trek nostalgia tour the past couple months. Started with videos on YouTube, then random stuff on Memory Alpha, and ended up at Jammer's site where it morphed into BSG nostalgia via reading all of his reviews instead of rewatching the series. So this post wraps things up very nicely, thanks!

Must resist extending nostalgia tour to Babylon 5 or I'm doomed
posted by palidor at 1:48 PM on October 17, 2011

Imagine Tuvok walking around with a Borg Baby strapped to his chest...

Borg Baby in a Baby Bjorn?
posted by Rangeboy at 2:23 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

anyone currently skipping past Lwaxana Troi episodes on Netflix Instant.

You'll take my Lwaxana Troi episodes out of my cold, dead hands. She is a daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed, the Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed and you will respect her amazing outfits.
posted by Mizu at 12:08 AM on October 18, 2011 [3 favorites]