The Discovery

Anita and I had been a big fan of Voyager. Last year, when we got Netflix installed, we managed to get through the whole series again. We went through pretty much all the episodes, which brought us the memories of staying in England when the series were first aired.

I was also into The Next Generations and Deep Space Nine. Anita wasn’t much. So, when the latest instalment of the Star Trek franchise was released, we got curious. We soon learned that Michele Yeoh would star, but it turned out that it was more of a special guess as the season developed.

After watching three episodes, we were hooked. We were not initially very keen on the characters but soon understood their motivations and circumstance. It would make for a great series I was sure. Now, we couldn’t wait for the weekly episodes ...

Catching up with Janeway

I was still an ardent Star Trek fan but lately there had not been any good series. The movies were not bad but it was a different proposition all together.

So, going through my Netflix account, we came across our old favourite. I followed The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine but Voyager was something different. Something about being stranded in alien territory having to fend for themselves while looking for a way home just appealed to me.

I started watching a couple of episodes, but before I knew it, I was hooked. And so was Anita. In fact, she was even worse. With the current renovation we were having at the apartment, we had to be without ASTRO for a couple of weeks due to cabling issue. But our internet were still up and using wifi, we were able to watch Netflix through our TV.

It certainly brought back memories of my final year in Medical School where I went to the video store every other weekend to check out on the new release. They didn't have it on satellite as readily as in the US. Plus due to my limited free time, I preferred to binge watch them and it was certainly a treat. We were already on Season 6. Maybe we would be watching the finale by next weekend ....

Into the Darkness

I managed to finish the morning ward round pretty early, and after a quick search on the net, there was an 11.30 am Star Trek show at Pavilion. A quick text to Puan Anita - to ask for her permission of course - and then I was off. Got to Bukit Bintang well in time, popcorn and all.

If you were expecting full-on action flick, you would be disappointed. There was of course the obligatory action scene, but on the whole, it was a plot-driven movie, and the scope of the storyline on the whole was actually pretty narrow. None of this safe the universe thing - but maybe they were doing it one star system at a time.

It was clearly a franchise movie - expect a third instalment of the series coming in the next few years. The dead giveaway was the ending - the crew embarked on a 5-year mission into deep space as the closing credit rolled on. This could also set the series up for television.

Anyhow, being a Trekkie, I liked the direction JJ Abram was taking the franchise. Clearly a work in progress rather than a pure stand alone movie. Some pretty heavy scene, while the villain did not actually die - which possible appearance in future ventures. Interesting none the less.