I know that there have been many spins on the themes of It’s A Wonderful Life and I revisited one of my favorites the other night.  In The Next Generation episode “Tapestry,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard lies in sickbay following a mortal wound sustained during a battle.  While clinging to life, the good captain is stands on the threshold to eternity where he is greeted by the wonderfully charismatic entity known as Q.  The nearly omnipotent character offers Jean-Luc a choice: spend eternity by his side or return to the past and relive a life defining moment.  If Jean-Luc changes the event, Q promises him that nothing earth-shattering will come of it.

The event centers around an incident involving the young, brash, devil-may-care Ensign Jean-Luc Picard and two of his fellow Starfleet Academy friends.  The trio is on starbase for one last hurrah before going their separate ways.  After a game of chance, Picard’s friend discovers that he has been cheated by a rather nasty Naussican and a bar fight ensues.  At the end of the fight, Jean-Luc is stabbed through the heart (a feeling he laughs at), requiring him to receive an artificial replacement.  Also involved is the relationship involving his female friend which may or may not be a regret.

Will Picard change the course of his life?  What will happen if he does?  Although he is “just not that important” to the universe as a whole, what changes will occur in his personal life?  Or will he simply be lead off to an eternity of what must be his own personal hell with Q?

One of my favorite elements of the best Bond movies was the reliable appearance of Q, supplier of 007’s weapons and high-tech gadgets.  Sadly, Q has not made the leap to the latest two shows.  Played with excellent comedic presence by the late Desmond Llewelyn (and later by John Clease), the head of Q Branch took great pride in all of his accomplishments and even chastised Bond in every film about the damage most of them take in the field.  Here is a list of some of the best cars and other useful devices which have aided James throughout 22 movies.

• The Original Aston Martin DB5 with modifications (Goldfinger and Thunderball)… the first in a long list of gadget-laden automobiles.  This beauty came equipped with everything a superspy needs.  Revolving license plates, machine guns, tire slashing devices in the hubcaps, oil slick and smoke screen release, and the little red button underneath the cap of the gear shift.
• Jet Pack (Thunderball)… used in dramatic fashion during Bond’s escape during the pre-title sequence.  The pack was an actual functioning device that was intended to be used by the military.  A trained professional is seen flying the pack in long shots while Connery is seen in the close up shots.  No CGI in 1965.
• Little Nellie (You Only Live Twice)…  Once again a real gyrocopter armed to the teeth that allowed Bond to investigate while disposing of some evil baddies giving chase in helicopters of their own.  “She’s a wonderful girl. Very small, quite fast, she can do anything.  Just your type.”
• Attache Case (From Russia With Love)… what appears to be an ordinary briefcase holds many surprises for the user.  50 gold sovereigns (hidden in two straps on either side of the case), a knife, and two other dandy instruments that aided Bond during the movie.
• The Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me) another car featuring advances that assisted Roger Moore’s 007 and Russian beauty XXX as they worked together to stop the diabolical scheme of one Karl Stromberg and a giant steel-toothed baddie named Jaws.

Countless other useful devices have been used to varying degrees of success.  I do remember a certain “Bug”-detecting device used during Live and Let Die that seemed flimsy at best.  By the way, does anyone recall Q’s actual name?  It was given in at least one of the movies (one mentioned in this posting).

Casino Royale was the first Ian Fleming James Bond novel written back in 1953. Since then, the movie rights have been tied up in legal matters and just recently joined the ranks of the official Bond movie series. The 2006 movie was essentially a reboot of the franchise. It introduced a BLONDE Bond in Daniel Craig who I am having a hard time warming to. Hopefully with a new adventure arriving in November, he will grow on me. In any case, the lates movie opens in traditional fashion with a pre-credit sequence which illustrates Mr. Bond’s first two kills… thereby granting him his Double-O status. That is about as similar to most films in the series as it gets. This film is considerably darker but no less entertaining than the rest.

The plot of the movie concerns Bond and a female treasury agent (Vesper Lynde) on the trail of a weapons financier, Le Chiffre, who has a rather disturbing physical abnormality. Bond is entered into a literal life and death Texas Hold ‘Em tournament with the villain. The hope is to defeat Le Chiffre and force him to aid the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors.

I found the character of Bond to be quite interesting. He is not the seasoned super spy who has been out in the field thwarting the evil plans of countless bad guys. Instead, he is careless, untried, and has an enormous ego making M question her decision to promote him to 007. Along the way, Bond learns an important lesson in the espionage game both from experience and from the advice from his superior: “Trust no one.”

As usual, the action sequences are quite thrilling to watch. One of the most memorable scenes (in fact one taken directly from the novel) involves 007 being tortured by Le Chiffre in a way which would seem to decimate his manhood forever. In true form, Bond is able to make a quick though painful quip. Also like any good Bond film, is the double entendre and suggestive character name. Ms. Lynde’s cover identity is Miss Tiffany Broadchest.

Although dark in tone, Casino Royale does provide enough heart-pounding action to satisfy. I’m not entirely sure if this was a total reboot of the series. I hope we have not seen the end of original supporting characters like weapons master Q or flirtatious secretary Miss Moneypenny. Casino Royale ALMOST took itself too seriously.

There have been several versions of the Robin Hood tale. the classic story of the character who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, battled the Sheriff of Nottingham, and wooed Maid Marian. Some of these include the 1938 classic starring Errol Flynn; the 1970s Disney version; the 1991 Kevin Costner movie. Heck even Daffy Duck and Porky Pig starred as the outlaw and his Friar Tuck-esque companion. I think my favorite incarnation took place around the same time as the aforementioned film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Qpid” sees the evil (yet hilarious) omnipotent being known as Q transport Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his bridge crew to medieval England (as a “gift”) where the adventures of Robin Hood and his merry men are reality. Commander Riker, the android Data, Commander La Forge, the Klingon Worf (who delivers the best line in the episode), Dr. Crusher, and Counselor Troi all assume roles from the tale. The recurring character Vash (an on again/off again love interest for the captain) returns to play the role of Maid Marian. In order to return to the Enterprise, Picard and crew must live out the Robin Hood adventure by rescuing Marian and defeating the evil Sheriff.

My favorite character from the entire series is the villainous Q. Since the premiere episode, John de Lancie played the god-like being with flair, comedic timing, and gusto (very melodramatic). During the course of its run, Q would return at least once a season to mischievously annoy the crew. However, he did introduce Picard and crew to their most formidable opponents: The Borg. I wish the franchise would have used the character in one of the big-screen adventures.

On a tangent yet again (which I so frequently do), Patrick Stewart has another tie to the Robin Hood legacy. He portrayed King Richard in Mel Brooks’ epic: Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Star Trek Fan Collective – Q