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...

 Here are my thoughts from today's Green Bay Packers' 20-17 overtime win at the New York Jets: They weren't perfect but I think the defense has shown improvement. There were a couple bonehead penalties on their first defensive series, but there's a pass rush and has been plays made without the still-injured Micah Parsons. That's a good sign and only makes Parsons' eventual return even more exciting.  That offense though.  Games like this make it hard to defend Matt LaFleur as head coach. It reminded me a lot of what happened last season and the way the defense would keep games winnable, but the offense just couldn't get started. LaFleur is supposed to be an offensive genius. His team starting out with six punts, a lost fumble and just eight first downs on their first eight possessions is unacceptable no matter which defense they are playing. That said, I will give LaFleur credit for his time management at the end of the 4th quarter. The hail Mary never had ...

Synopsis: While delivering supplies to a penal colony, Enterprise ends up with an escapee onboard. At first, Kirk ( William Shatner ) believes it is a prisoner, but when he learns it is instead one of the staff members, Dr. Simon van Gelder (Morgan Woodward), it puts him at odds with McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ) who wants him to investigate despite Kirk's admiration for the man overseeing the colony, Dr. Tristan Adams (James Gregory). My Thoughts -  This episode forces you to not overthink transporter technology. My first question was "why didn't the transporter detect a prisoner inside the box they brought on board?" My immediate answer was "the box is marked classified so maybe there's some sort of protection to keep the transporter from seeing inside." Then I asked, "but if that's the case, how is the transporter supposed to correctly transport what is inside?" I stopped when I realized I'd get a headache if I thought about it too much ...

Synopsis: While playing Robin Hood in the woods, Opie ( Ron Howard ) and his friends meet a hobo ( Douglas Fowley ) who uses their love of the literary character to convince them to steal for him. When Andy ( Andy Griffith ) finds out, he comes up with a clever way of solving the problem without seeming like the bad guy. My Thoughts: In all seriousness, has nobody in Mayberry had the "stranger danger" talk with their kids? You would think Andy, of all people, would have had that discussion with Opie but the very first thing he and his friends do is have a picnic with the homeless guy they meet in the woods. Law & Order: SVU episodes start that way. The episode ruins a great Barney Fife ( Don Knotts ) moment. I think I've said this before, but just because a show or movie is a comedy doesn't mean everything needs to be humorous. Barney's comment about not needing material things to be rich was sincere, insightful and added some depth to a character that is us...

Synopsis: After Barney ( Don Knotts ) writes Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) a ticket for making an illegal U-turn, Gomer turns the tables by conducting a "citizen's arrest" when he sees Barney do the same thing. Andy ( Andy Griffith ) attempts to diffuse the situation by writing Barney a $5 ticket he intends to pay himself, but an outraged Barney decides to take five nights in jail instead before handing in his letter of resignation. My Thoughts - It's probably sacrilegious to say it, but I just realized I don't like Gomer Pyle . To be clear, I think Jim Nabors was a national treasure so please don't confuse the two. I just can't stand his most famous character, at least when it's not in small doses. I think it's because everyone gives him a pass since he's always so good natured/simple minded even though this episode and others have proven he can also be kind of a jerk at times. And don't even get me started on the citizens of Mayberry. Look, I ...

Synopsis: Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ) and his friends are trapped inside a comic book, courtesy of an all-powerful entity, the Adversary (André Sogliuzzo). No longer in possession of the device, their only hope is to find the Flash (Andy Ridings) and convince them to use his abilities to transport them back to their universe before Mr. Freeze (Eric Allan Kramer), sent by the Adversary, kills them. My Thoughts:  I had some doubts because this could have gone a number of wrong ways , but it was well done. Having the Flash be the older, Jay Garrick, version was a nice touch as was having the team still being forced to sit through mundane tasks, like waiting for their flight at an airport and getting food poisoning while having it broadcast on the pages of the comic book. I was, however, left with questions about why. Assuming, of course, the Adversary is a main bad guy and not just universe specific, I think it would be safe to assume it knows just about everything about Stuart, especia...