Well, whaddaya know, tonight's Enterprise was actually pretty good! OK, yeah, we're not talking Top-20-Trek-Episodes quality here, but it was nevertheless a solid, entertaining episode that succeeded in keeping my attention on the TV where it belongs. The plot, involving an alien which gets aboard the ship and starts encasing crewmembers in sticky webs, wasn't intrinsically all that exciting, but it was pretty well handled. And, I must say, even though I'm of the firm and oft-expressed opinion that special effects are the least important part of a science fiction show, it really didn't hurt that the alien effects looked really cool. But mainly, the important thing is that this time the characters were actually characters: diverse, fallible, individually-defined people, as opposed to the bunch of undifferentiated Starfleet mannequins we've been seeing so much of lately. I am trying to take this as a good sign. If it keeps this sort of thing up, it'll be a show worth watching. (If it doesn't, I'm a little afraid I'm going to start falling asleep in front of the TV.)

So what else have I been watching this week? Let's see:

Deep Space Nine: I'm engaged on the long-term project of re-watching this entire series over from the beginning. (And a very long-term project it is, as Columbia House sends me two episodes a month, and I somehow keep falling further and further behind with the tapes. Right now, I'm still at the point where Sisko has more hair on his head than on his face.) This is in many ways my favorite of the Star Trek series. Indeed, only the original holds a higher place in my affections and, I admit, that's largely due to sheer nostalgia value. DS9 had great characters, good stories, and sophisticated writing, and it wasn't afraid to take risks, make changes, and do things a little differently than its predecessors. So, needless to say, it ended up being far and away the least popular of the Trek series. (Cynical? Me? Nah...) Anyway, it is a very interesting exercise to go back and trace the character and plot development in DS9 from the beginning. If you've got a few years to spare, I recommend it.

Ultraviolet: A British series involving vampires. I've only watched the first two episodes on the DVD set, but I'll doubtless have more to say about this one when I've finished it. So far, though, I do rather like what I've seen.

Blake's 7: I've been re-watching one episode of this a month in order to discuss it with other obsessive fans on the internet. Unfortunately, last month's was "Stardrive," which wasn't a very good episode. Still, Blake's 7 was unquestionably one of the best damned SF series ever produced, and, personally, I'd rather watch the lamest episode of B7 than the best episode of Voyager. (Well, OK, maybe I'd rather watch that ep. with the holo-Doctor and the Romulans than "Harvest of Kairos." But that's the only exception.)

Farscape: I watched the last three episodes over again, and I did like the season finale rather better this time. Still, I find that my store of unanswered questions is increasing, rather than decreasing. But I will try to be patient...