@JimZipCode -

@Random Letter - The forehead bumps got pretty ridiculous, that's for sure. They even gave 'em to the Romulans. I've always suspected that Rick Berman had some kind of weird forehead fetish.

The music used for the Companion scenes is really good too.

They got the makeup down in the "Enterprise" series. And the Andorians were great in the show too - their antennae moved around constantly.

Spock's Teddy Bear
In "Babel", I love Spock's reaction when his mom refers to his having a pet teddy bear as a child - to McCoy's delight. Spock says something like, "Doctor, they have six-inch fangs." Reminds me of the joke - "Mom, they're not dolls - they're action figures!"

If you enjoy Chariots of the Gods, try to catch the James Cameron-produced documentary with Simcha Jacobovici "decoding" the biblical Exodus story. It's both entertaining and absolutely ridiculous.

I didn't mean to slight the music - it's just that the opening credits music for all these shows sounds like variations on a theme. And the opening credit sequences for all of them (well, except Rome) are fantastic - especially Carnivale.

Well, for god's sake put a gun in the dead man's hand before the lynch mob gets here, Richelieu!

Olyphant does seem to be the weakest actor of the main cast - he doesn't inhabit his character's skin quite the way the others do. But it could be the director's decision. A director calls the shots - not the actor.

Maybe I should revisit Carnivale after finishing Deadwood. But the start of the second season sure didn't seem to have the eye for detail and subtlety of the first season. I admit I didn't get very far into season 2.

HBO Series Music
Is it just me, or does the theme music for Deadwood, Carnivale, Rome, and Six Feet Under all sound pretty much like the same tune done in different ways?

They even show the pistol in his dead hand. Maybe George Lucas can fix this later and have Hickcock and Bullock draw first.

Carnivale was one of the most amazing series in its first season. The second season crashed and burned almost from the get-go. Didn't Ron Moore run the show in the first season and then go off to develop Galactica?

The comments section seems like a pretty good place for favorite quotes.

The whole crew did beam down at least once - in "This Side of Paradise", and I think maybe one or two more. Kirk was the last man left to leave and turn out the lights and was going to beam himself off. Enterprise as the Mary Celeste.

Glad to hear someone else defend Space: Above and Beyond. What I found interesting and at the same time just a bit hokey was the impression I got that it was basically the Second World War in the Pacific transferred to a space setting. Agree with the casting (especially since I've had a fondness for Kristen Cloke…

Regarding the shuttlecraft vs transporter - another factor would be that for every planetside set, the production crew would have to drag the shuttle out and set it up somewhere, and set space and time were apparently at a premium. Plus, location shooting would be even more expensive if they had to drag the shuttle…

They mention credits in my favorite line from Catspaw - the Asst. Engineer, trying to break the Enterprise free from whatever has trapped it, says "I'll bet you credits to navy beans we can put a dent in it." I have no idea what the hell that means.

Just for the record - I should probably amend my vote for Catspaw as the worst of the series.

Ill stand up for Space: Above and Beyond. Perfect? Nope. Entertaining? To me, yep.