Six Degrees of Star Trek

Recently, a big number Star Trek big names have come across the TV screen. As the current television seasons is about to end, I want to mention the few I have noticed.

William Shatner will appear on the Rookie Blue season three premiere.
Scott Bakula appeared on Desperate Housewives.
Nana Visitor appeared as a queen bee of her own 'hive' on Grimm.
George Takei competed on The Celebrity Apprentice.
Michael Dorn occasionally appeared as Beckett's therapist on Castle.
Roxann Dawson directed episodes of Scandal. Last year, she directed an episode of The Cape - The Lich, Part 2.
John Delancie appeared on The Secret Circle.
John Billingsley appeared on Harry's Law.
Robert Picardo appeared on Harry's Law and Body of Proof.
Wil Wheaton occasionally appeared on Eureka and The Big Bang Theory.
Kate Mulgrew appeared on Warehouse 13.

Some notable guest Trek actors: From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Monte Markham (a.k.a. the Seven Million Dollar Man) was on Fringe. From Star Trek: Voyager, Kashyk Mark Harelick was on Awake.

Speaking of Desperate Housewives. The series finale has come and gone. Two of its stars Brenda Strong and Teri Hatcher appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Vanessa Williams appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (1) Teri Hatcher appeared in the season two episode The Outrageous Okona. That episode also featured (2) Rosalind Allen who was a regular on SeaQuest DSV, which starred (3) Don Franklin, who was on Young Riders with (4) Anthony Zerbe, Admiral Dougherty of  Star Trek: Insurrection.

(1) John Aylward, who was on Fringe, played psychiatrist in the ninth season of The X-Files in an episode along with (2) Michael Emerson, who was in Lost created by (3) JJ Abrams, who directed Star Trek, 2009. Yes, they were in the Brady Bunch themed episode together.

Scene from The X-Files - Sunshine Days

Six Degrees of Star Trek

In 2011, I still cannot get enough Star Trek. I started to listen to the Treknologic podcast. I also started watching two new shows.
Harry's Law - Now in its second season, co-stars Christopher McDonald, who was in the The Next Generation episode Yesterday's Enterprise.
Body of Proof - Co-stars Jeri Ryan, Seven of Nine from Voyager.

Fringe 2011 Guest Performers
Aside from the most obvious Leonard Nimoy, we have more associations with the Star Trek series. Most of the names I mention are directly connected to Star Trek.

Body of Proof - Episode 2.01 - Love Thy Neighbor - Recap

Something toxic was in the air.

What I always like about Body of Proof is the light banter that goes along with the seriousness of solving a crime. This show lacks in nothing with all its characters. To make life easy, I want to give the fresh crop of shows the attention they deserve, I would not be making comments on a regular basis. I had to make an exception in this case though because of the heavy Desperate Housewives references.

The case, a car rolled out of control over an embankment, killing the man inside. Nothing is ever as it seems. Every sign points to the fact that the man was unconscious when the car impacted the tree. The investigation moves to the man's home, in an uninhibited cul-du-sac, that has its neighbors swapping wives. It wasn't really about jealousy or greed, but the act of a desperate husband.

Personally, Megan is still a bit bothered by her ex-husband Todd and her boss Kate's new situation. She feels insecure that her place in daughter Lacey's eyes is being usurped. Nothing was remotely close to the true.

Worth mentioning is the effect the case had on Bud and Peter. Bud was inspired to add a little spice in his relationship with his wife. Peter found himself flirting with one of the street's denizens. Megan's reaction to the latter was amusing to no end. At lease Peter found it funny, the sultry voice Megan used to tease him with. "Oh, your badge, so big, so powerful." The other funny moment was when Megan thumped Bud in the chest for his making a crack about women being emotional.

Memorable Quotes
Ethan: I'm a doctor, not an engineer.
Curtis: How do you like that Darth Vader? Who's your daddy?
Ethan: Saved my butt, you did. Mm.

Body of Proof - Episode 1.09 - Broken Home - Recap

Well. It was a good place to end the season. Megan and Lacey bonding over lunch. Or Lacey taking Megan's side in Todd dating Kate issue.

This episode starts off with young philanthropist Nikki Parkson dead. Then when Lacey got into trouble at school for looking at paparazzi photos of the her dead role model, Todd and Megan presented a united front to discipline their daughter, which she would later interpret as her parents getting back together.
Something in the pictures causes Megan to suddenly leave a meeting with the principal and was once again in full work mode, just when Todd was letting her to be more involved in Lacey's life.

Megan was determined to stop the funeral, even if it will get her into trouble. During the course of the investigation, the family truly believed that Nikki had hanged herself, but Megan found out it was made to look like suicide. Nikki was strangled to death. Ethan missed vital evidence, because he thought it pointless since she was already embalmed. It was a real mystery.

"She was already dying, why would someone want to murder her?"

Sam got it right. It was about money.

Not only did her sister conspired to con her money and got her killed, her own mother (Jill Eikenberry, L.A. Law) was withholding medication.

Meanwhile Megan figured out from a conversation with Lacey that Todd was dating her boss. Megan was right to get angry with Todd for putting her in an untenable position (definition of untenable: Incapable of being defended, as an argument). She had to work with Kate. It would be too awkward for her. Todd didn't get why it should be a problem. Peter didn't get it either.

Peter makes an interesting or rather annoying observation. Whenever something bothered Megan, she always draws solace from the dead.

Megan accepts the fact and is pleased when Lacey understands her frustration.

Favourite line:
Sam to Peter: You two can't wait for me to find the bodies, you gonna find them on your own now huh?

Four more episodes from the first season will be aired in season two. I am looking forward to seeing those in September.

Body of Proof - Episode 1.08 - Buried Secrets - Recap

Quality time between Megan and her mom (Joanna Cassidy) is interrupted by another "DB" dead body.

"You care more about the dead, because they can't talk back."
"Believe it or not, they have something to say."

Joe Salerno, 18-year veteran homicide detective with Philadelphia Police has seemingly been killed in a hit and run scenario. To make matters worst, he was Detective Sam Baker's friend. Megan tells her and Bud that he was already dead when the car hit him. He was killed then thrown over a bridge.

Due to the high profile case, the Chief is coming down hard on Dr. Hunt.

Talking with the widow, Sam and Megan learned that Joe had been moody and distant with his family and stopped making origami for his young daughter. And Bud found out that Joe was obsessed with solving the death of a teenage lacrosse player.

Peter couldn't help notice Megan's hand is troubling her again.

"What is it with you? Every time I have a problem, you gotta point it out."
"Maybe because you never allow yourself to have a problem, Megan."

She tells him this one is her mother. They have a complicated relationship.

All the while, Ethan is awkward around Detective Baker. When Megan asked if he ever lost a friend, he finds his own way to tell Sam he knows how she feels. His only friend was a guinea pig named Kenny. He cried when he lost his pet.

It was Megan's theory that whoever killed the girl must have also killed Joe too for getting close to nailing her murderer. Although Kate wants her to solve the police detective case only, Megan still pursues it by having her mother, the judge authorize an exhumation request of the girl.

The cemetery was also where her father David Hunt was buried. We find out that he had committed suicide.

Despite incurring the wrath of her boss, Megan worked with Kate to find out how the girl had died. They surmised that's why Joe was murdered. He had found the crime scene.

Why? Megan wants to know why a loving father and husband was moody and withdrawn, stopped talking to his wife, and stopped making origami for his daughter. Even if he was frustrated with his case, it doesn't explain his behavior. Megan thinks Joe should still be folding paper. The dead did have something to say. With Curtis' help Megan learns about Joe's illness.

When it came time to confront the murder suspect, Megan hits him in the arm. Then she bluffed her way to a confession. Scaring the killer into believing he was dying from rat poison.

Solving the case inspired Megan to find out what happened to her father. Joan doesn't. She reminds her, that she was the only one that wants to look now.

Collective Soul's Hymn for My Father play as Megan finds origami paper among Joe's personal effects and gives it to his little girl.

Body of Proof - Episode 1.07 - All in the Family - Recap

You are going feel this episode is out of sync with the ones we've seen so far. That's because it was aired out of order. It explained to me why Lacey suddenly thought her mom's job was more interesting than her dad's in "Talking Heads", after telling Megan she was pushing too hard in "Letting Go".

Despite that it was a great one for all the characters.

This episode started off with the murder in progress. Ed Russell was killed with his baby girl lying just a few feet away in a playpen. It happened in a nice neighbourhood not far from where Peter Dunlop grew up.

It's a mystery to the investigation who killed Ed. Who would want to kill a stay-at-home dad, father of two? Was it the wife? Or the angry teenage son?

It had to be a painful reminder for Dr. Megan Hunt, as we can see in flashback her own father was found dead, when she was a little girl. We don't know how it happened, but Megan took it personal enough to warn Bud not to tell the son when he brings the boy in. His father is dead. He shouldn't have to hear it from a cop.

Meanwhile, Megan's ex-husband Todd (Jeffrey Nordling) had gone to the Medical Examiner Office to seek Dr. Kate Murphy's help on a case. He also asked if Megan would like to take Lacey for the day. Megan jumped at the chance to be mom, even before she knew she would be carpooling Lacey's friends as well.

We got more than a few delightfully light moments.

One of them being an encounter between Todd and Curtis.
"Are you her secretary?"
"No. I'm her boss."
"No one is Megan's boss." So Todd still holds Megan in high regard.

Having survived growing up with three sisters, Peter offers his insights on adolescent girls.
"My mom told me the key to carpool is snacks." He had just plopped down a big bag of it on Megan's desk. (He listens to his mom. Hmm. Makes me wonder if Peter's sisters were older or younger than him.)

"I want Lacey to like me, not have her teeth fall out."
"You'll thank me for it later."

Lacey wasn't happy when Megan shows up with "work". Remember Peter has been helping Megan become a better parent. You have to love that he sticks up for her. "Give your mom a break." Tasty Kakes anyone? He knows what girls like.

It was good to see how Bud and Sam bounced ideas off of each other at the crime scene. It only goes to show that they have a good partnership. I found it amusing how they went to arrest their handyman suspect. "I hate my kitchen. Do you hate your kitchen?" Bud says, suggesting Sam be a sexy distraction, even if she still looked too much like a cop.

Back to Curtis. He had been roped in to help Dr. Murphy, on the same case. "This goes way beyond his job description." Watch what happens when he tells the young man he has to examine his you know what, in Spanish. Kate was even surprised that Megan was rubbing off on Curtis. He went out of his way to help an abused minor.

It was tense when Megan went to see the wife on her own. Don't go into the house.

In the end, Megan and Lacey naturally became closer.

Why Now?

There she was. Right at her usual spot over looking the reflection pool. All deep in thought. What does she think about? The six months since I've been assigned to work with her, I've always seen her like this. Whether it be about the case at hand or issues with Lacey. I hate the way it troubles her. I know now she's bummed about not knowing Daphne's cause of death. Making an arrest was not enough closure for her. The mystery has not been solved.

Deaths are always difficult. I heard her tell Bud. I wish it didn't have to be. After all this time, I still haven't seen things like that. I was a cop. I was trained to not let the work get to us.

She has got to take a break sometimes. She needs to. She was more than a little surprised by my invitation. To be honest, I didn't know if she would come or not.

"Why now? You've never once invited me for anything."

"Don't look so shocked. We just want to hang out with you."

Then she reached for my face with her hands. The kiss was so sudden, I had no time to react. It was amusing and awkward at the same time. After working together for a short time, we were just beginning to get close. I admire her passion. Why not now?

- A Body of Proof Fan Fiction

Body of Proof - Episode 1.06 - Society Hill - Recap

Alright! That was sweet!

Megan loathed the life she had in Chestnut Hill, yet she chose to come back and take this latest assignment. Fancy cars. Nice houses. City wide recognition as a top neurosurgeon. The recognition was nice, but she wouldn't want to relive the rest.

The victim was Society Fair Magazine editor, Daphne Zimmer, a powerful woman who has worked hard for her success. Megan automatically draws comparison between the victim and herself.

"Why is it every time a man calls a woman a power player, it sounds pejorative?" (Pejorative means belittling. Yes, I wanted to look up that word the first time Dana Delany said it.)

She wasn't an easy person to get along with. There are no shortage of suspects. They wouldn't find the cause of death until late in the episode. All they had to go on was that she died in her pool two days before she was found.

Dr. Hunt finds a new way to interrogate a suspect by re-entering high society, her mother's world. "Peter? Do you own a tuxedo?" Then we get to see Peter Dunlop clean up nice. It was no surprise to her that her mother found her actions embarrassing.

Megan and her mother Joan (Joanna Cassidy) argued about each others faults, whereby Megan accuses her that she was not there for her. They will also have quality time at the end of this.

"You don't know what it's like to have friends."

"After the accident, after I lost my profession, my standing, where were my friends."

"You were too embarrassed. You were too worried about your friends."

We almost see Megan and Peter outside the context of work.

As usual he is always there to cheer her up when she seems low.

"Just try and take your mind off the job, okay?"

Megan wonders why Peter is inviting her for anything for the first time. To simply hang out.

Then in her eureka moment, Megan almost kisses Peter.

Other interesting tidbits:

Kate's specialty is in bones, teeth and hair.

Curtis's specialty is entomology.

Ethan is curious about Kate's personal life. Apparently, she is not always so nice to him.

Curtis enjoyed feeding the maggots a little too much for Ethan's liking.

An old friend thinks that Megan was mortician.

We got just Bud this week. Are they alternating the detectives, because it will give them more to do per episode?

Megan making an electric charge to shock Peter's ear.

Deducted Reasoning

Megan Hunt's paralytic condition proved to be a clue to solving recent mysterious deaths.

A Body Of Proof fan fiction

Body of Proof - Episode 1.05 - Dead Man Walking - Recap

A man is dead. Detective Sam Baker (again without Bud) believed it could have been a mugging gone bad, but Megan later discovered that he had bled internally to death shortly after he had surgery. Convinced it was a questionable surgical practice, Megan makes baseless accusations in front former boss, old friend, and hospital administrator Gwen Baldwin (Carolyn McCormick). Now Dr. Hunt needed Dr. Kate Murphy's authority to find evidence and access to the staple gun used in the operation. Further investigation reveals equipment tampering. The urgency to shut down the hospital heightens when Megan realizes there is still two more defective staple guns unaccounted for. You've got to love Curtis for taking the initiative to have a fungus contamination found the tampered equipment tested.

Megan also had to overcome her fears of operating again, when she needed to cut open a man to save his life. In a nice moment, Megan confesses to fainting the first time she was in an OR. Peter Dunlop assures her that he's OK. He will faint later.

Meanwhile, Curtis and Ethan had to solve how a healthy young woman could have died from a blood clot. Ethan became close to the dead woman's twin sister (played by Geoffrey Arend's real life wife Christina Hendricks). Curtis advises Ethan (Mr. cute and bossy) to wait two months before pursuing the girl.

Body of Proof - Episode 1.04 - Talking Heads - Recap

Imagine that your hand was the only thing that told the story of you.

Human remains are found by a homeless man. The victim had been dismembered. The investigation recovers only a hand and a foot.

With Detective Bud away from the scene, we got to see more of Detective Sam Baker in action.

Initial examination revealed a first name, occupation and that he was a recent casino winner.

The next day, back at the office, Megan preps everyone for Lacey's visit for a social studies assignment. Dr. Hunt drafted a schedule and scripts for everyone to be interviewed and instructed them to hide the gory stuff. Hard to do in a morgue right?

"Make me look good." To which Curtis quiped, "So you want us to lie." Earning him a slap on the back of his head.

When more of the victim is found in an alley, Ethan reluctantly go to the dump to look for body parts. "Nobody deserves to end up like that."

Megan lays down the ground rules for Lacey. "No filming of bodies or body parts or bodies under sheets... Remember that these are people and we respect them at all times."

Peter and Sam found the rest of him in his freezer minus the head.

Lacey wasn't happy that her mother is so controlling. It's impossible to get anything past her.

Ethan's argument that convinced Megan to open up to Lacey.
"We are trying understand how this man died, based on the parts we can see, and is getting us nowhere. Has it ever occurred to you that Lacey is trying understand you and all she can see is the parts you are willing to show her?"

The hand of Callum Shane O'Donnell.
He build skyscrapers with this hand.
He held his baby daughter with this hand.
This hand gave her money so she can go to art school.

His killer left him to die.
He was cut up in his bathtub.
Then parts of him were kept hidden in a freezer, while the rest of him was thrown out like yesterday's trash.

Kate was amused that Lacey was so unlike her mother.
However, when Lacey became more involved with the case, she was just as eager to stick around until they catch the killer. Peter mused, like mother like daughter.

The body is the proof. He was obviously well cared for. Megan talked the victim's caregiver into admitting why she had to cut up her employer. From there, they find the head. The cause of death. And finally the man's killer.

At the end of the day, Lacey rewarded Megan by showing her the experience she took away with her.

Imagine that your hand was the only thing that told the story of you. What were your dreams? Who loved you? Who's grieving now that you are gone? - Megan

HIC LOCUS EST UBI MORS GAUDET SUCCURRERE VITAE
This is where death rejoices to teach the living.

Every person has something to teach us and we never stop learning. - Peter

They are not just dead bodies to us. They are the stories of a life. It is our job to tell it. - Megan

Thanks to a school project, Lacey got to see Dr. Megan Hunt through this young girl's eyes. It made her proud to be her mother's daughter.

Body of Proof - Episode 1.03 - Helping Hand - Recap

Peter was surprised to see Dr. Hunt at the crime scene, on her day off. She was filling in for a colleague she didn't know very well, whose wife just had a baby.

A young woman was found dead in a motel room. Killed by a shot in the arm, with an ABC wound. “A” being the initial entry wound. “B” the exit wound in the arm. “C” the reentry wound into the torso. Hm. You can still learn a few things from an autopsy.

Unlike Peter and Sam, Megan didn't notice Bud Morris' foul mood, but signs of brain surgery on the victim caught her attention. She is shocked to learn that the girl was one of her patients. The revelation bothered her even more because she was able to remember the procedure so well, yet failed to recognize a former patient.

Speaking with the girl's father, Megan found out she had more of an impact on the young woman than she realized. Saving her life inspired her to become a social worker for child protective services.

During the course of the case, we got to know a little bit more about all Megan's co-workers, when she takes Kate's advice and start taking an interest in people. It was awkward for everyone involved and provided real funny and light moments throughout the episode.

Her first target was Detective Bud. The way she was poking him made them look like an old married couple. Perhaps of her failed marriage, it's logical that they might understand one other a bit better. He was Catholic. He had no kids. His wife Jeannie threw him out of the house again because he was not attentive enough.

Curtis was suspicious and curious at the same time by the change in Megan, however it was not enough to make him honestly admit to being a good cook, liking extreme camping and James Bond movies.

Eagle eye Ethan memorized the way she places her instruments. Only thing he likes most is the job.

Only the audience find out Peter was a foster kid.

Finding out what killed the girl was her doing her job moved Megan to make a personal connection through the case. She reassures the grieving father that his daughter did not die in vain. She made a lasting difference in people's lives.

By the end of the day, Bud was beginning to warm up to Megan. She may not be able to help him with his marriage problems, but she can certainly patch up the hole in his suit jacket.

Body of Proof - Episode 1.02 - Letting Go - Recap

An interracial couple is found dead in their car. Lovers who died where they met. Shot in the head. No witnesses.

Detective Morris believed it to be a simple murder-suicide. The man shot the woman before putting a bullet in his head. No medical mystery. Until Dr. Megan Hunt removed two bullets from the male victim, making it murder.

It was no mistake they got to work with Det. Morris and Det. Baker again. Dr. Kate Murphy (Jeri Ryan) requested it.

To get through the autopsy quickly and efficiently, Megan asked for Curtis' and Ethan's help, letting us get to know these characters better. As Curtis kept saying, working for Nancy Drew -- Dr. Hunt.

Curtis, who was her superior, was not so thrilled about being ordered around, insisting he will not approve any unnecessary tests. He still wants to be called a doctor. Megan wanted him to act like he gives a damn. He tells her he does care.

All the evidence pointed to a killer who cared about the girl. It was as Megan discovered the girl's father. He shot her in a tragic accident. He loved his daughter so much he killed her. He could not let her go when she was going to marry her high school sweetheart, who was beneath her status.

Meanwhile, Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop) continues to counsel Megan on her relationship with her daughter Lacey, whether she wants it or not.

Megan tells him that he gave her the key to her apartment. And it seems like she was getting a second chance. Peter advises her to take it slow.

Lacey still blamed her for the divorce. She was not really ready to have a relationship with her mother just yet, even to talk over lunch. Saying she needs to back off and smother her.

There was a great exchange between Peter and Megan.
“You have great instincts about the dead.” Not about the living.
“I care about the dead, because they can't speak for themselves.”

Peter believes Megan is a decent person and a good mother. He's putting up with her, because he is sure she will not find her without him. He notices that she is troubled by it. Megan is stressed about losing the right to talk to her daughter. Losing the chance to tell her what she needs to know. About life. About boys. About everything.

Letting go could also mean what Megan has to do in order to love Lacey. She is willing to give her the space that she needs.

Main Cast
Dana Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt
Jeri Ryan as Dr. Kate Murphy (Chief Medical Examiner), Megan's boss
John Carroll Lynch as Detective Bud Morris (Homicide Division)
Nicholas Bishop as Peter Dunlop (Medical Investigator)
Sonja Sohn as Detective Samantha Baker (Homicide Division)
Geoffrey Arend as Dr. Ethan Gross (Forensic Pathology Fellow)
Windell D. Middlebrooks as Dr. Curtis Brumfield (Deputy Chief Medical Examiner)

Body of Proof - Episode 1.01 - Pilot - Recap

I have been looking forward to this. Just when the TV landscape has been speaking only to my short attention span recently, ABC offers up a familiar genre, I missed so much from the 80s, a juicy medical mystery, in the same vein of Quincy with heart. Although, I have not seen Dana Delany's other shows as much. She is one familiar face I love to see on television. And I wasn't disappointed.

The tagline:
Brilliant neurosurgeon Megan Hunt had it all, family and career, or so she thinks... until an accident killed her... career.

After a year as medical examiner, she still has to prove herself to her bosses and struggles to have a relationship with her twelve year old daughter, when her ex-husband got full custody.

In this episode, she is assigned the case of a drowning victim. What she finds out about the girl's life is what helped find her killer.

"The body is the proof. It will tell you everything you need to know if you just have the patience to look." We can expect this to be her motto.

Megan needs friends. Medical investigator and ex-cop Peter Dunlop is the closest thing right now. He has been assigned to her for 6 months and is only starting to get to know her. He noticed that she is a lot like her latest victim. The car accident that ended her career, changed her. It's making her a better doctor.

She is out for justice. She is unapologetic about the questions she asks the suspects or who she annoys. “I'm right. He's wrong. Question is how to prove it.”

"This new you, Megan Hunt M.E., who seems to cares about dead people more than she ever did about the living. Is she for real, or is she just working off her guilt for killing a patient on the operating table?" She admits both.

She can't go back to her old job because her hands still go numb. She realized she didn't really care about her last patient until she died.

She makes people asks questions. Why did a suicide victim blow his brain's out?

She finally makes a connection with her daughter. Instead of buying her affection, she gave something from her heart, her daughter a key to her apartment. Letting her into her life. Earning her a piece of pink birthday cake.

She's brilliant and driven. She throws elbows, but gets results. The Chief Medical Examiner (Jeri Ryan), her boss respects her abilities, but warns, "The knives will come out the minute you screw up."

By the end of this episode, it succeeded in making me care about Megan Hunt.

Memorable moments:
"And detective, I take mine with cream no sugar." - Megan winks at Det. Morris after she makes her request.

"You can't kill somebody if they are already dead." - Megan tells Det. Baker why she left a career as a neurosurgeon.

Running through line:
Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Curtis Brumfield can't seem to get people to call him doctor.

I only wish I could have taken part in the live tweet with Dana Delany tonight.

Main Cast
Dana Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt
Jeri Ryan as Dr. Kate Murphy (Chief Medical Examiner), Megan's boss
John Carroll Lynch as Detective Bud Morris (Homicide Division)
Nicholas Bishop as Peter Dunlop (Medical Investigator)
Sonja Sohn as Detective Samantha Baker (Homicide Division)
Geoffrey Arend as Dr. Ethan Gross (Forensic Pathology Fellow)
Windell D. Middlebrooks as Dr. Curtis Brumfield (Deputy Chief Medical Examiner)

Recurring Characters
Mary Mouser as Lacey Fleming, Megan's 12-year-old daughter
Jeffrey Nordling as Todd Fleming, Megan's ex-husband