LYRATEK.COM

"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself." ~ Wayne Dyer

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Science Fiction
reviews, guides, & catalogues:

-Doctor Who
-Sliders
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Articles:

-The Fourth Density
-The Maldek Files
-Recipe for Health
-Political Evolution
-Animal Whispering
-E=mc2 Page
-Green Control
-Monetary Reform

Resources:

-Dr. Deepak Chopra
-Dr. Stephen Covey
-Dr. Bruce Lipton
-Powertalk Interviews
-Flax Oil Secrets
-The Future of Food
-Archive Page

-What the Bleep Do We Know at Lyratek.com?


Doctor Who Episode Guide Catalogues
-
William Hartnell Era

1963-1966, BW
-
Patrick Troughton Era

1966-1969, BW
-
Jon Pertwee Era

1970-1974, Colour
-
Tom Baker Era

1975-1981, Colour
-
Peter Davison Era

1981-1984, Colour
-
Colin Baker Era

1984-1986, Colour
-
Sylvester McCoy Era

1987-1989, Colour
-
Christopher Eccleston Era

2005, Colour
-
David Tennant Era

2005-2009, Colour

NEW for February 2006:

-SITE LAUNCH
-Contact Page
-Articles:

Review: "City of Death"
now on DVD.
Fractures in Time
made highly entertaining.

Review: "The Claws of Axos"
now on DVD.
The innovation of
"Who-ish" excellence.

The Space Adventure Releases
details page.
The controversy over which Doctor Who stories these music cues REALLY appear in...

Harmonic Odyssey
A new age instrumental music CD composed, performed and produced by Martin Izsak.

Episode Guide Catalogues of Available Doctor Who DVD's, Videos, & Music Releases


William Hartnell Era

1963-1966, BW

Jon Pertwee Era

1970-1974, Colour

Tom Baker Era

1975-1981, Colour

Christopher Eccleston
/ David Tennant Era

2005-2006, Colour

NEW for March 7, 2006:

-Site Map
-Articles:

Review: "Robot"

only on VHS video.
The debut of North America's traditional favourite Doctor.

Review: "The Ark in Space"
now on DVD.
Tension, wit, & excellent sci-fi drama.

Peter Davison Era
Episode Guide Catalogue

1981-1984, Colour

Daz 3D - An easy start to awesome 3D graphics on your computer.

Check out their free introductory products...

NEW for March 20, 2006:

-Articles:

Review: "Spearhead From Space"
now on DVD.
The exile on Earth begins! U.N.I.T. and its new scientific advisor face the very first wave of the Auton invasion.

Reviews: "An Unearthly Child", "The Daleks", & "The Edge of Destruction" now in a box set on DVD.
Examine the origins of the sci-fi legend.

Patrick Troughton Era
Episode Guide Catalogue

1966-1969, BW

The next Space Adventures??!?!

Find out how you can help create an upcoming CD collection of soundtrack music....

NEW for April 3, 2006:

-Update Archive page (You are here.)
-Articles:

Review: "Genesis of the Daleks"
coming to DVD.
Is this really the most classic Doctor Who story ever? Let's examine what makes it rise above the rest....

Review: "The Aztecs"
now on DVD.
A taut character drama with more philosophical complexity about time travel than it is often given credit for.

Colin Baker Era
Episode Guide
Catalogue

1984-1986
Colour

Sylvester McCoy
Era Episode Guide
Catalogue

1987-1989
Colour

Hair Add-ons for Daz 3D

computer graphics system.
Some essentials you will want for your free Victoria and Michael figures....

-Plus, reviews of the rest of Season Twelve of Doctor Who:
-The Sontaran Experiment
-Revenge of the Cybermen

NEW for April 19, 2006:

The Christopher Eccleston 2005 season reviews begin....

Review: "Rose"
now on DVD.
After being out of production for 15 years, Doctor Who returns to battle a third wave of invading Autons.

Review: "The End of the World"
now on DVD.
A fantastic, visually exciting setting becomes the backdrop for an all-too-short whodunit story with very bizarre caricatures.

Review of this past week's latest sci-fi channel broadcast: "Dalek"
now on DVD.
An otherwise solid adventure spoiled by magic and misunderstood time theory.

Classic Doctor Who
Music CD's page
Plus, the following mini updates:
A review of the sci-fi channel Doctor Who broadcast for April 21, 2006: The Long Game (story No. 166).
A review of the sci-fi channel Doctor Who broadcast for April 28, 2006: Father's Day (story No. 167).

Watch for further reviews of the 2005 Christopher Eccleston season weekly as the sci-fi channel broadcasts them.


NEW for May 9, 2006:


Anthony Robbins'
POWERTALK!
Catalogue
Listen to interviews with some of the best authors, thinkers, and social scientists of our era.

Reviews for all six stories of season 16's quest for the Key to Time now on Region 1 NTSC DVD, separately and in a box set.
1. "The Ribos Operation" Humourous planetary real-estate fraud
2. "The Pirate Planet" Douglas Adams at his best
3. "The Stones of Blood" Stone circle mysteries unleashed
4. "The Androids of Tara" Ye olde mistaken identity eye-candy
5. "The Power of Kroll" Usurped natives and swamp beasts
6. "The Armageddon Factor" Interplanetary stalemate and the secrets of the key

Review: "The Tomb of the Cybermen"
now on DVD.
One of the greatest classics of the black-and-white era doubles as a marvelous introduction to Patrick Troughton's Doctor and his most persistent foes.
Plus the following mini update
for May 12, 2006:

A review of the sci-fi channel
Doctor Who broadcast
for May 5-12, 2006:
"The Empty Child" (story no. 168)

Plus the following mini update
for May 19, 2006:

Reviews for the Christopher Eccleston 2005 season continue with:
story no. 163 "The Unquiet Dead"
story no. 164 "Aliens of London"
and this week's sci-fi channel
Doctor Who broadcast (May 19, 2006):
story no. 169 "Boom Town"

NEW for June, 2006:


Doctor Who now has its own page at Lyratek.com
. Find extensive reviews of just-released-on-DVD stories like
"Genesis of the Daleks"
(June 6, 2006, pictured above) and much, much more....

Reviews for all five stories of
Doctor Who season 10, starring Jon Pertwee
"The Three Doctors" Humour abounds in this monumental tale
"Carnival of Monsters" Classic Sci-fi Mystery
"Frontier in Space" Operatic capture & escape routines
"Planet of the Daleks" Recycled script, improved at full length
"The Green Death" Environmentally-Friendly Classic

Review: "Bad Wolf"

now on DVD.
The Christopher Eccleston season wraps up with a patchwork quilt of ideas and emotions. Strange yet moving.

E=mc˛

Go down the rabbit hole, and discover how the famous Einstein equation relates to Newtonian physics, and how the speed of light can unravel....

NEW for July 2, 2006:

Reviews for the rest of
Doctor Who season 7, starring Jon Pertwee
"Spearhead from Space" (previously published)
"The Silurians" A tense character drama with no easy solutions
"The Ambassadors of Death" The "Citizen Kane" of Dr. Who
"Inferno" The Doctor's often forgotten greatest discovery

Review: "The Hand of Fear"

coming to Region 2 PAL DVD on July 24, 2006.
Sarah Jane Smith's last adventure as a regular TARDIS crewmember.

Review: "The Web Planet"

coming to Region 1 NTSC DVD on Sept. 5, 2006.
An imaginative adventure plot falls apart with poor execution.

New for July 17-18, 2006:

Infect the quantum field with your desire...
The extended "Down the Rabbit Hole Quantum Edition" of "What the Bleep Do We Know?!"
is coming to DVD for August 1, 2006. It's now a different movie with new discoveries each time you watch!

Reviews for the rest of
Doctor Who season 14, starring Tom Baker
"The Masque of Mandragora" Old clichés with eye-candy
"The Hand of Fear" Sarah's finale coming to DVD....
"The Deadly Assassin" The classic mythological thriller
"The Face of Evil" schizophrenic social decay puzzler
"The Robots of Death" Sandminer whodunit bottle story on DVD
"The Talons of Weng-Chiang" The Phantom of Jago's Theatre on DVD

Review: "The Horror of Fang Rock"

now on DVD.
A solid adventure with outstanding atmosphere misses several easy ways to make itself even better. Read more in our review...

New for August 2, 2006:


The Fourth Density

In this article, we discuss the nature of the evolution of human consciousness, which sits at the heart of the New Age movement, and the business and personal development worlds. For all those interested in the optimistic vision of the future...


Dr. Stephen Covey Page

Dr. Covey is famous for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a landmark book and subsequent series of lectures and material for evolving human endeavours in personal and business arenas, amongst others. Read more about his ideas and principles in our article...


The Earthrace Project

A really cool boat from New Zealand is attempting to set a new record speed for motor boating around the entire globe - AND they're doing it completely on a renewable energy source called Biodiesel to help raise awareness of renewable energies and biofuels. Awesome! :-) Check them out....


Review: "The Christmas Invasion"

A Special 2005 Holiday Doctor Who Episode.

David Tennant shines despite all the usual problems of a regeneration story.


Also new for August 6, 2006:
Peter Cushing has arrived at Lyratek.com!
His colour Doctor Who feature films are compared with the
black & white William Hartnell tv stories that inspired them:

"The Daleks" (review previously published) We love the tv original...
"Dr. Who & the Daleks" while this movie version falls short...

"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" This tv story makes us cringe....
"Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." while Cushing's movie excels...

New for September 3, 2006:


Dr. Bruce Lipton

Discover the scientific mechanisms by which intelligence and perception govern genetics, adaptation, and evolution....

Plus the beginnings of Doctor Who season six:

Review: "The Dominators"

only on VHS

An all-too-typical alien planet hero story with a bit of old-style charm.


Review: "The Mind Robber"

Now on DVD

A mental puzzler, fan favourite, and candy-horror classic, featuring the DW debut of director David Maloney.


Review: "The Invasion"

The 1968 eight-episode formation of U.N.I.T. is now complete, with animation synced to the original soundtrack of the two missing episodes. Coming to Region 2 PAL DVD for November 6, 2006.

New for November, 2006:


Dr. Budwig's Flax Oil Secrets

Learn to harness the true functions of unsaturated fats and oils within the body, to energize yourself and your power to heal.


The Future of Food

The dangers of and solutions to genetically modified food...

New for March, 2007:

A freeware program from Lyratek Arts, allowing user's of C-Lab's Notator sequencer to view .son files stored on their PC. Check out LookSon, version 0.1


New for November 2007:

Our Doctor Who reviews finally delve into the ever-enjoyable Peter Davison era, beginning with the DVD boxed set trilogy that launched his Doctor....

Review: "The Keeper of Traken"
Now on DVD

Don't miss this classic season 18 dystopian drama that escalates exquisitely....


Review: "Logopolis"

Now on DVD

The unusual, mythological conclusion to the Tom Baker era packs a powerful climactic punch as two arch-enemies collide.


Review: "Castrovalva"

Now on DVD

Peter Davison debuts in this gentle classic tale, exploring the depths of the TARDIS interior, as the ship is hurtled towards the beginning of time and beyond....

Review: "Four to Doomsday"

only on VHS

Find out what links this underrated Doctor Who story with a highly atmospheric Walt Disney sci-fi feature from 1979....

New for December 8, 2007:


All New David Tennant Episode Guide Catalogue

The current Doctor's info gets a massive update and splits off from his predecessor's (still available as the Christopher Eccleston Episode Guide Catalogue).


Review: "New Earth"

Now on DVD

Our "new new Doctor" sets off on his first proper adventure in this opener for the 2006 season, where exploration, intrigue, action, and emotionally moving scenes combine into a near perfect and extremely satisfying mix.


Review: "Kinda"

Only on VHS

Fascinatingly bizarre acting performances create a minor triumph in this
oft-overlooked but rewarding
studio-bound tale.


Review: "Time-Flight"

Now on DVD

A loud raspberry to the simplistic horror fans, as this story courageously enters intangible territory in the
sci-fi/mystery/fantasy genres, tackles complex subject matter, and survives a loosening plot through its enjoyable characters and high spirits.

New for December 29, 2007:


Reviews: "Smith and Jones"

"The Shakespeare Code"
and
"Gridlock"

Now on DVD
Medical student Martha Jones discovers the Doctor and climbs aboard the TARDIS for a roller coaster of interplanetary time-travel, adventure, and non-stop excitement in these opening three stories for the 2007 season.

Review:
"Destiny of the Daleks"

Coming to DVD

An entertaining, flawed story from an under-praised era inches Doctor Who mythology forward. Decent and highly enjoyable.

New for January 20, 2008:


Review: "The Visitation"

Now on DVD

Is this solid historical alien tale a bit too simplistic, or just a great "ripping yarn"? Find out in our review....


Review: "Black Orchid"

Coming to DVD

This tale of historical doubles abandons the usual tensions for fun and games.... Welcome to the party, and bring your own cricketing suit.


Review: "Earthshock"

Now on DVD

Easily the showstopper of season 19... How flawless is it? How perfect? How classic? Find out in our review....


Review: "Arc of Infinity"

Now on DVD

This Season 20 opener is a surprisingly strong sci-fi drama, and we gladly point out where it trips up while thoroughly enjoying its stronger points.

This completes our reviews for season 19; look for our rankings on the update for its final story: "Time-Flight".

New for February 1, 2008:


Review:
"The Time Warrior"

Coming to DVD

A deadly alien warrior and a humourous band of freeloading medieval swordsmen make an entertaining combination in this highly enjoyable season 11 opener that introduced Sarah Jane Smith to the show.


Review:
"Terror of the Zygons"

Only on VHS

Tom Baker's best U.N.I.T. story delivers substance with its style and comes out on top of the highly over-rated 13th season.


Review:
"Planet of Evil"

Now on DVD

This highly atmospheric story filled with all the right elements is only missing a few effects and a bit of character logic....


Review:
"Pyramids of Mars"

Now on DVD

This exceptional visual treat of a story offers a solid plot and dynamic ending, but suffers a sleepy pace and a number of blandly fanatical characters. The gothic season has spoken.

New for March 16, 2008:

Reviews: "Tooth and Claw",
"School Reunion"
, and
"The Girl in the Fireplace"

Now on DVD

A trio of successful single-episode stories from the 2006 season, each with its own unique charm. Enjoy.

Review: "The Sea Devils"
Coming to DVD

This remake of / sequel to
"The Silurians" (story no. 52) has its moments and its visual appeal, but is generally less inspired and far, far more problematic.

New for April 19, 2008:


Doctor Who Reviews:
"Rise of the Cybermen"
, and
"The Idiot's Lantern"

Now on DVD

Season 28 begins here to pair its fantastic stories with its stinkers. Here we review the first true classic of the revitalized series, and investigate what also went wrong...


New: Star Trek
Time Travel Season 1

Star Trek buggered up its time travel theory in its first year, and has never properly recovered. Find out how it all began in this article, containing our full review of the infamous
"City on the Edge of Forever"....


New: Hartnell era episode title page

For most of the Hartnell era, stories had no single on-screen title, only titles for each of the episodes they were composed of. Discover all the episode titles on this page...

New for May 5, 2008:

Doctor Who Reviews:
"The Impossible Planet"
, and
"Love and Monsters"

Now on DVD

The best explorations and the worst fears of Season 28 all on the same disk. Find out what works and what went wrong.

Star Trek: Examining The Prime Directive
The improvements most needed in the philosophy behind Starfleet's General Order #1 get some of their strongest imagery ever in this Next Generation tour-de-force, and so we begin our Prime Directive review articles with
"Who Watches the Watchers?"

New for June 15, 2008: The MALDEK FILES!


The Maldek Files: The Fifth Planet

An investigation into the histories and theories about Maldek: the original fifth planet of our solar system, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, where now only an asteroid belt remains....


Review:
"The Invisible Enemy"

Coming to DVD

The Doctor must pull out all the scientific stops to prevent the Swarm from taking over the solar system, a visually ambitious odyssey that takes him from the moons of Saturn to a hospital for the mining colonies in the asteroid remains of the planet Maldek, and introduces him to a robot dog named K9....


Review:
"Image of the Fendahl"

Only on VHS

The Doctor has his hands full keeping the Earth free of an ancient force that devastated its original homeworld: the fifth planet, Maldek.

New for July 5, 2008:

Doctor Who Reviews:
"Fear Her"
, and "Doomsday"
Now on DVD

The fun doesn't really start until the mythologically rich two-part finale begins.... but then, hold on to your hat!


Review:
"The Sun Makers"

Only on VHS

Sublime satirical writing and acting elevate this interplanetary rebellion against taxes above its production limitations.


Review:
"Underworld"

Only on VHS

Visually exquisite effects combat deficiencies of character and dialogue in this smorgasbord of
sci-fi ideas.


Review:
"The Invasion of Time"

Coming to DVD

This highly entertaining cornerstone of Doctor Who mythology only needed a more focused ending and fewer gags to top its era.

New for July 18, 2008:

Review: "The Runaway Bride"
Now on DVD

Can Doctor Who survive the extra Earth-bound domestication of a "rebound" companion and a wedding added to its new Christmas Special format? Alien & scientific elements struggle to uphold its appeal with some success.


Review:
"The Myth Makers"

Now narrated
on Audio CD

How to aim for the funny bone and completely miss the mark.

New for September 16, 2008:

Reviews: "Evolution of the Daleks",
"The Lazarus Experiment"
, and "42"
Now on DVD

Season 29 ploughs through its low points with its halting struggle to accept its new companion and get on with some decent outer space adventure, which it finally succeeds in doing before this disc is over....


Review: "The Android Invasion"

Only on VHS

The dregs of the Hinchcliffe Era begin with this slow but palatable offering.


Review:
"The Brain of Morbius"

New to DVD

The epitomy of the over-rating of season 13.... Find out why this is the worst Tom Baker story out there!


Review:
"The Seeds of Doom"

Only on VHS

Douglas Camfield and Graeme Harper give this drawn-out good idea some much needed punch.

New for October 2008:


New Section: "The Evolution of Political Ideals"

A new page that will be continually updated with information and links to our new series of articles highlighting the philosophical underpinnings in our politics and governmental systems.

Also, meet the 2008 Federal Candidates for Parry Sound / Muskoka....

Article: "Green Control"

Are "government-knows-best" and tax-punishment policies really the best methods of achieving harmony between man, nature and the environment?

Join us in our quest to put a better "Green Shift" on the cards than what has so far been proposed.
Monetary Reform Page

Here we outline what publicly accountable governments could do to reclaim their power over the banks and end the debt-based financial shell games and budgetary concerns that affect

government's ability to deal with nearly EVERY other issue of importance. Do this year's scare tactics reflect all the historical hall-marks of yet another public banking scam?

New for November 1, 2008:

Reviews:
"Human Nature"
, and
"Blink"

Now on DVD

Both the strong emotional heart and the most freakish intellectual puzzle of Season 29 arrive on this not-to-be-missed disc! Find out more in our review....

Review: "The War Machines"
Coming to DVD

Warp back to 1966 for the most complete story amongst Season Three's gems, and watch the program carve out a new format for itself while demonstrating more fascinating science than even it may realize...

New for November 23, 2008 - The Master's Journey:

Reviews:
"Utopia"
, and
"The Sound of Drums"

Now on DVD
The anticipation builds to a crescendo as the end of Season 29 draws near, but can the season finale deliver? We examine all the targets and count the score in our reviews....

Reviews:
"Terror of the Autons" and
"The Mind of Evil"
Only on VHS
Would these two stories have worked better as one big one? Find out in our full reviews of these groundbreaking 1971 adventures that originally introduced Doctor Who's arch nemesis.

The 2008 David Tennant season (season 30) is now on
Region 1 and 2 DVD
released November 17-18, 2008!

Catherine Tate's Donna Noble is back, joining David Tennant's Doctor for 2008. Discover new secrets of science and sociology, and transport yourself across the universe, through time, and into incredible heroic adventures with Doctor Who. And long live the cliffhanger.

Get your copy of this DVD box set
from the links below:
Region 1, NTSC, U.S.
Region 1, NTSC, Canada
Region 2, PAL, U.K.

Check out this companion Audio CD!

Doctor Who: Original Music from "Series 4" (2008)
by Murray Gold


New for March 7, 2009:

SLIDERS
Episode Guide Catalogue

Our new headquarters for all things concerning this show exploring parallel dimensions!

The beginning of a fantastic sci-fi series that explores the dimensions that cure bad time travel sci-fi.
Now on DVD
Sliders Season One Episode Reviews:
1. "Sliders - The Pilot Episode",
2. "Summer of Love",
3. "The Prince of Wails",
4. "Fever", and
5. "Last Days"
Review: "K9 and Company:
A Girl's Best Friend"

Now on DVD

How a half-decent
1981 Christmas Special failed to spawn a Doctor Who spin-off series.


New for April 11, 2009:

Mind Over Mara - Templates for Health & Wellbeing


Recipe for Health

A feature article on the relationship between leading practices and philosophies of mind, body, health and wellbeing.


Deepak Chopra Page

An introduction to one of the world's leading experts in Mind/Body medicine and holistic life integration, celebrating his popular works and latest projects.

Doctor Who
Review:

"Snakedance"

A brilliant gem of television that has so far received only moderate recognition by sci-fi Doctor Who fans.

Discover some of its hidden wisdoms and modern relevance as we explore its high concepts in greater depth in our review....

New for April 25, 2009:

Doctor Who reviews:
The E-Space Trilogy:
"Full Circle"
, "State of Decay", and
"Warriors' Gate" Now on DVD

Learn how these classic stories from the heart of season 18 in turn: showcase emotionally moving sci-fi mystery, transcend subject matter with structural versatility, and sadly fail a noble metaphysical experiment.

"Sliders" reviews
"Eggheads",
"The Weaker Sex",
"The King is Back", and
"Luck of the Draw"
Now on DVD

Quality builds to a crescendo in these final season one stories....

New for June 6, 2009:

Doctor Who Reviews: "The Rescue", and "The Romans" (story nos. 11 & 12)
Coming to DVD

A bizarre mystery on an alien planet brings excellence out of the Doctor in "The Rescue". And his first tv visit to the Roman Empire is still his best, as William Hartnell's comic touch rules all....

Enjoy the top stories of Season Two (1964-65) restored to DVD with tons of extras....


New for July 3, 2009: The STAR TREK Page

Star Trek Parallel Opposites

Star Trek's early parallel universe stories range from excellent to mediocre, yet fail to inspire a cure for the franchise's bad time travel theory. Read our full reviews for "The Alternative Factor" and "Mirror, Mirror".....

Prime Directive Origins

Our search for the initial origin of Star Trek's highest ranking philosophical principle - the Prime Directive - takes us through underdeveloped scripts for the second pilot before leading us to "The Return of the Archons", "Errand of Mercy", and "The Galileo Seven".

The Rise of the Prime Directive

Prime Directive issues abound during Star Trek's second season, yet a proper introduction story for this fascinating "highest law" continues to remain elusive. Join us as we closely examine "Friday's Child", "Who Mourns for Adonais?", "The Apple", "Bread and Circuses", "A Private Little War", "The Gamesters of Triskelion", "A Piece of the Action", "Patterns of Force", and finally the Prime Directive holy grail: "The Omega Glory".


New for August 29, 2009:

Reviews for the explosive 30th Season of Doctor Who begin:
Reviews:
"Time Crash"
,
"Voyage of the Damned"
,
"Partners in Crime"
,
"The Fires of Pompeii"
, and
"Planet of the Ood"

Now on DVD
The somewhat bumpy beginning to Season 30 produces a few surprising gems, and the tension builds....

New for October 4, 2009:

Reviews:
"The Sontaran Stratagem"
,
"The Doctor's Daughter"
and
"The Unicorn and the Wasp"

Now on DVD

Doctor Who Season 30 ranges from excellent to mediocre as it builds towards its crescendo....

Article:
"Star Trek Time Travel
Season Two"

Star Trek's characters keep their bad time travel theories in their heads while dramatic substance withers away in "Assignment: Earth".

New for October 31, 2009 - the latest Doctor Who:

Reviews for stories 200 & 201:
"Silence in the Library"
, and
"Midnight"

Now on DVD

Doctor Who Season 30 rides the wave with another epic classic from writer Steven Moffat...

Reviews for stories 202 & 203:
"Turn Left"
, and
"The Stolen Earth"

Now on DVD

Doctor Who Season 30 builds to a finale to top all finales...

Review for story 204:
"The Next Doctor"

Now on DVD

A nice little 1851 Christmas story complete with cybernetic industrialization and.... a glimpse of a future Doctor?

Review for story 205:
"Planet of the Dead"

Now on DVD and Blu-Ray

Deadly wormholes, alien deserts, military taskforces, and secret pasts.... a rough start for the 2009 specials.

...or start reading our Season 30 reviews from the beginning with the previously published: "Time Crash".


New for November 29, 2009:

Doctor Who Reviews:
"Mawdryn Undead"
,
"Terminus"
, and "Enlightenment"
Now on DVD in
The Black Guardian Trilogy box set.
The heart of Season 20 combines good and bad Peter Davison stories, but saves the very best for last....

New for December 14, 2009:

Article:
"Star Trek Prime Directive:
Season Three"

A quick look at season three's ideal launch vehicle "Elaan of Troyius", before examining the Prime Directive issues in
"The Paradise Syndrome", "The Empath", and "For the World Is Hollow And I Have Touched the Sky".

Article:
"Star Trek Time Travel:
Season Three"

Join us as we put
"Spectre of the Gun" under the microscope and find much good and bizarre in
"All Our Yesterdays".

New for January 29, 2010:

Article:
"Star Trek Time Travel - Season Four"

Written by the same writers as the original series, Animated Star Trek continued to solidify the bad time travel theories already at work in the franchise. Join us as we consider "Yesteryear", "The Time Trap", and "The Counter-Clock Incident".

Article:
"Star Trek Prime Directive - Season Four"

Already having introduced and developed the prime directive in the original series, Star Trek's writers seem now to have figured out how best to use and showcase it. Join us as we celebrate "The Magicks of Megas-Tu", "Bem", and
"How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth".

New for February 19, 2010:

Review: "The Waters of Mars"
Now on DVD and Blu-Ray

The most promising setting and plot mechanics of the "season of specials" gets tripped up by unnecessarily depressing character motivations. Let's find out how to REALLY inspire the future....

Review: "The End of Time"
Now on DVD and Blu-Ray

Russell T. Davies pulls out all the stops once more to give the Tenth Doctor's finale a great emotional ride and challenge the show's long mythology once more. Hang on and enjoy!

...or start reading our Season 30 reviews from the beginning with the previously published: "Time Crash".


New for March 2, 2010:

Reviews:
"The Curse of Peladon"

Now on DVD

Doctor Who's 9th season comes alive with a fun classic that helped define the well-traveled side
of Jon Pertwee's Doctor....

Reviews:
"The Monster of Peladon"

Now on DVD

Back for a longer, second helping of a good thing, this season 11 sequel almost manages to be as good as the original, while adding some of its own unique charms....

New for March 21, 2010:

Our remaining reviews for Doctor Who Season 1 are updated and published for the first time:
"Marco Polo"
now on CD,
"The Keys of Marinus"
now on DVD....
(Discover the key difference making one of these stories a success and the other...not so much.)

Also: "The Sensorites" now on VHS video, and
"The Reign of Terror"
now on VHS video and CD audio.

...or start reading our Season 1 reviews from the beginning with the previously published: "An Unearthly Child".


New for April 17, 2010:

Review:
"The Time Monster"

Now on DVD

A tour-de-force from Roger Delgado as
the Master in this season 9 classic....

Reviews:
"The Ice Warriors"
,
"The Enemy of the World"
,
"The Web of Fear"
, and
"Fury From the Deep"
.

Lost gems from the heart of Patrick Troughton's "monster" season.

New for May 8, 2010:

Review: "The War Games"
Now on DVD

This truly epic finale to season six is a groundbreaking milestone in the Doctor Who saga. Discover what makes it one of the show's best stories ever in our review....

Reviews:
"The King's Demons"
, and
"The Five Doctors"

Doctor Who Season 20 ends with the fun classic that has become its most famous and celebrated anniversary special of all....

New for June 16, 2010:

Reviews: "The Crusade",
"The Space Museum"
,
"The Chase"
and
"The Time Meddler"
. Now on DVD.

The final stories of Doctor Who Season 2 are textbook cases of adventures that sell a sense of anticipation... but can they deliver quality endings to match?

New for July 3, 2010 - Our final Tom Baker Doctor Who reviews:

Reviews: "The Creature From the Pit",
"Nightmare of Eden"
, "The Horns of Nimon" and
"Shada"
.

The final stories of Doctor Who Season 17 showcase some well-constructed sci-fi mystery puzzles and some pioneering electronic eye-candy, while half-decent / half-lame humour knocks over-rated horrific suspense out of the park.

Reviews:
"The Leisure Hive"
, and
"Meglos"

A bold new style begins for season 18, but can the stories' substance remain focused?

Review:
"Planet of Giants"

Too cute? Too slow?
This off-beat story still delivers the essentials....

New for July 24, 2010:

Sliders Season Two reviews begin:
"Into the Mystic"
, "Love Gods", "Gillian of the Spirits", "Time Again and World",
"El Sid"
, "Greatfellas", and "The Good, the Bad, and the Wealthy"
Now on DVD

The early part of Sliders Season Two represents an important arc in Quinn Mallory's heroic development. Join us as we review all stories in both broadcast and production order leading up to his character's breakout moment....

New for August 2, 2010:

Sliders Season Two Reviews:
"In Dino Veritas", "Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome", "Obsession",
"As Time Goes By", "The Young and the Relentless", and "Invasion"
Now on DVD

The final part of Sliders Season Two deals some terrific stand-alone stories including an all-time favourite, before culminating in an important shift in the series' long-term mythological arc.

New for August 31, 2010:

Article:
"Star Trek Prime Directive: The Genesis Project"
Is there really any way that terraforming can obey the Prime Directive, if all matter is created out of a unified field of intelligence in the first place? Join us as we examine the implications of this subplot of Star Trek
feature films 2 and 3....
Full In-depth Analysis Review:
"Star Trek 4:
The Voyage Home"

Star Trek's first time travel big screen feature stays refreshingly clean, focusing instead on high philosophies and undeniably non-human species.

New for September 21, 2010:

Article:
"Star Trek Prime Directive - The Next Generation Season One"

Skipping ahead into a new century, the Star Trek franchise initially gave the Federation some scope to further evolve its high philosophies and laws. Did the Prime Directive improve at all as well? Join us as we scrutinize "Encounter At Farpoint", "Code of Honor", "Justice", "Too Short a Season", "Angel One", "Home Soil", and most importantly of all: "Symbiosis".

Article: "Star Trek Time Travel - The Next Generation Season One"

The crew of Enterprise D witness the time/space/choice continuum being twisted and folded in all new ways. Join us as we examine "Where No One Has Gone Before", "The Battle", and "We'll Always Have Paris".

New for October 15, 2010:

Reviews: "Warriors of the Deep",
"The Awakening"

"Frontios"
, "Resurrection of the Daleks",
"Planet of Fire"
, and "The Caves of Androzani"

Doctor Who Season 21 sees the Davison era on a final successful run of excellence, while the seeds of passive-aggressive syndrome are planted to wreak havoc later on.....

New for October 25, 2010:

"The map is not the territory," a profound truth releasing many pieces of time travel fiction from the artificial bonds their writers may have inflicted upon them. From finally honing in on successful time travel / prime directive models, to completely missing the point (and misusing the freedom) of getting such things right, each of these "Next Generation" feature films earned a full in-depth analysis review:
Star Trek 7 - Generations
Star Trek 8 - First Contact
Star Trek 9 - Insurrection
Star Trek 10 - Nemesis
and Star Trek 11

New for November 14, 2010:

Reviews:
"The Twin Dilemma",
"Attack of the Cybermen"

"Vengeance on Varos"
, and
"The Mark of the Rani"
.

An overlooked Doctor struggles with story structure oversights as season 22 gets underway....

Review: "The Tenth Planet"

William Hartnell's milestone finale changed Doctor Who forever. This lost holy grail's release on VHS remains the best example yet of how an incomplete Doctor Who story should be reconstructed & restored to full length....

New for December 2, 2010:

Reviews:
"The Eleventh Hour",
"The Hungry Earth"
, and our
Buyers' Guide to Season 31

Now on DVD

Doctor Who's tightly woven 31st season compels like a good page-turner, but still suffers some habitual flaws. Join us as we review some of its highlights....

Reviews:
"The Two Doctors",
"Timelash"
, and
"Revelation of the Daleks"

Both story structure and focus continue to be problematic as
season 22 ends.... Can a host of fascinating elements and some good intentions save the day?

New for January 7, 2011:

Review Articles:
"Star Trek Prime Directive - TNG Season Two"
Star Trek finds some new and bizarre ways to side-step its most famous limiting law. Should the crew's ongoing debates find a venue to chuck the Prime Directive for good?

"Star Trek Time Travel - TNG Season Two"
Three mistakes all time travel stories should avoid are all committed by Next Gen's "Time Squared" episode, while we also reveal what we believe are the three best episodes of TNG's second season....

New for February 1, 2011:

Our reviews for Season 23 - "The Trial of a Time Lord":
"The Mysterious Planet",
"Mindwarp"
,
"Terror of the Vervoids"
, and
"The Ultimate Foe"
. Now on DVD

Can heroics find a place in the Gallifreyan "Prime Directive"? With plenty of intrigue behind the scenes as well as on screen, a much more successful and iconic year of adventures triumphs here....


Review: "The Mutants"

One of Jon Pertwee's best written stories receives a hit and miss production that still shines bright in season nine....

New for February 8, 2011:

It's time for an update
to one of our most popular articles:
"The Fourth Density"
New additions include more details about what it is, and what its philosophical principles are, as well as some new resources for achieving fourth density in your own life....
Article: "Animal Whispering
and the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Densities"

What a fun way for a human to better understand balance! Our article details how Cesar Millan's techniques for communication between 2nd and 3rd density can help human viewers prepare for and trigger the fourth density. Bonuses include managing your energy, promoting a calm-assertive stance, and living in the moment.

New for February 19, 2011:

Reviews:
"Invasion of the Dinosaurs",
"Death to the Daleks"
, and
"Planet of the Spiders"
.

Jon Pertwee's Doctor successfully teams up with
Sarah Jane Smith as we wrap up our season 11 reviews.

Reviews:
"The Ark"
,
"The Celestial Toymaker"
, and
"The Savages"
.

Season three struggles out of a temporary rut with some of its more interesting sci-fi adventures....

Or, read our season 11 reviews from the beginning with "The Time Warrior".

New for March 14, 2011:

Our reviews for Season 24:
"Time and the Rani",
"Paradise Towers"
,
"Delta and the Bannermen"
, and
"Dragonfire"
.

Content and style are at odds as the Sylvester McCoy era wades into more symbols, metaphors, and parodies than television could handle....

Reviews:
"The Faceless Ones"
, and
"The Evil of the Daleks"

Now on CD

Doctor Who tops off its fourth season with a couple of Patrick Troughton classics....

New for April 27, 2011:

Our reviews for Doctor Who Season 25:
"Remembrance of the Daleks",
"The Happiness Patrol"
,
"Silver Nemesis"
, and
"The Greatest Show in the Galaxy"
.

The 25th Anniversary season becomes a defining one for Sylvester McCoy, as tradition is honoured, while more candy-horror metaphors are tackled and finally conquered.

Reviews:
"The Moonbase"
, and
"The Macra Terror"

Now on CD

Patrick Troughton's Doctor settles down and gets somewhat more serious in these lost season four classics....

New for May 26, 2011:

Our reviews for Doctor Who Season 26:
"Battlefield", "Ghost Light",
"The Curse of Fenric"
, and
"Survival"
. All on DVD

Mythology and artistry reach the height of their complexities, but can these stories maintain an understandable emotional drive for audiences? Find out in our reviews....

Review: "The 1996 Untitled
Paul McGann TV Movie"

An attempt to revive Doctor Who via American co-production sees the show's heart being rewritten and a lot of money spent on its new look. Our review looks at the lessons to be learned from this exercise....

New for June 9, 2011:

Review Articles:
"Star Trek Prime Directive - TNG Season Three"
After our previously published prime directive primer examining "Who Watches the Watchers?", the Next Gen's third season delivers several quality shows that tastefully skirt around this law and deal with their own contact issues more directly and successfully....

"Star Trek Time Travel - TNG Season Three"
Join us for in-depth analyses of the popular fan-favourite episodes "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "Captain's Holiday"....

New for June 28, 2011:

Reviews:
"Galaxy Four",
"Mission to the Unknown"
and
"The Dalek Masterplan"
.

Doctor Who's sci-fi ambitions launch its third season to an exciting start and an epic length main event....
Reviews:
"The Massacre",
"The Gunfighters"
, and
"The Smugglers"
.

Historical stories lose favour in Doctor Who's third season, causing gradual abandonment of a dying formula....

New for July 27, 2011:

Review Articles:
"Star Trek Time Travel - TNG Season Four"
Time-related theories take a fascinating side-step in "Remember Me"

"Star Trek Prime Directive - TNG Season Four"
Prime Directive issues finally clarify and solidify their scope and jurisdiction in season four. Here we examine "Clues", "The Drumhead", "Half A Life", and the watershed fourth season episode "First Contact".

Story review - "Redemption": The story threads getting tied up in Next Gen's fourth season finale and subsequent opener hinge on non-interference, and are somewhat hindered by prior time-travel problems....

New for August 8, 2011 - Time Conundrums: Fiction mirroring Fact?


The Philadelphia Experiment

A brief primer on what this was, how far its time travel research may have gone, and how all this might best fit in with human social growth....

Review:
"Day of the Daleks"
.
Coming to DVD...

Doctor Who Season 9 begins with a gripping and poignant temporal conundrum involving the Doctor's arch enemies, with optional new 2011 upgrades in effects and voiceovers.

New for August 15, 2011:

Reviews:
"The Time of Angels",
"The Vampires of Venice"
, and
"Amy's Choice"
. Now on DVD

Some of Matt Smith's better season 31 Doctor Who stories receive their kudos in our reviews, but one of these tales is not quite up to par...

Reviews:
"The Power of the Daleks"
,
"The Highlanders"
, and
"The Underwater Menace"

Now on CD

The Patrick Troughton era of Doctor Who gets off to a rough start, but receives some help from a popular returning enemy....

New for August 21, 2011:

Reviews: "The Beast Below" and
"Victory of the Daleks"

Amy's initial TARDIS tour of future and past is a bit too formulaic for a modern Doctor Who season. Find out what still works and what doesn't in our reviews....

Reviews: "Colony in Space", and
"The Daemons"

Can a character's beliefs change believably? These two stories from Doctor Who Season 8 demonstrate polar opposite philosophies, while both having their own unique charm.

New for September 2, 2011:

Reviews:
"Vincent and the Doctor",
"The Lodger"
, and
"The Pandorica Opens"

Doctor Who Season 31 coasts through a gem, some filler, and a "finale" that seems decidedly unfinished, while interesting emotional arcs abound....

Reviews:
"The Abominable Snowmen" &
"The Wheel in Space"

Doctor Who's infamous monster season just can't go truly wrong, but almost does when a few elements go missing from these 1960's adventures....

Or read our reviews for the entire 31st season from the beginning with "The Eleventh Hour".


Coming for the New Year:

Sliders Season Five will arrive in a Region 1 DVD Box Set for January 17, 2012!

pre-order your copy today from the links below:
Region 1 NTSC in the U.S.
Region 1 NTSC in Canada

The most bizarre twists yet are here in season five, along with some really stand out episodes. Don't miss the last Sliders season filmed to date....

New for October 24, 2011:

Sliders Season Three Reviews:
"Double Cross"
, "Rules of the Game", "Electric Twister Acid Test", "The Guardian",
"The Dream Masters", "Desert Storm", "Dragonslide", "The Fire Within".
Plus our Sliders Season 3 DVD Box Set Buyers' Guide Review

The opening stories of Sliders Season Three deliver some of its very best gems ever, plus much excitement for where the series might be headed....

New for November 3, 2011:

Sliders Season Three Reviews:
"Dead Man Sliding", "The Prince of Slides", "State of the A.R.T.", "Season's Greedings",
"Murder Most Foul", "Slide Like an Egyptian", "Paradise Lost", and "The Last of Eden"

"Sliders" evens out for some decent average episodes during the middle of its third season, with a gem or two thrown in for extra excitement....
but have the BIG developments been delayed a bit too long?

New for November 24, 2011:

Sliders Season Three Reviews:
"The Exodus"
, "Sole Survivors", "The Other Slide of Darkness", "The Breeder",
"Slither", "Stoker", "Dinoslide", and "This Slide of Paradise"....

A groundbreaking double-length story gives "Sliders" a new blast of momentum as its third season rockets to a conclusion and takes the show where it's never dared to go before. But if only the sailing could have been a little smoother....


Season 32: story nos. 218 - 229
Season 32 (2011) starring Matt Smith
has arrived on Region 1 and 2 DVD
in a full box set loaded with extras
for November 21-22, 2011.

River Song's secrets will be revealed as you transport yourself across the universe, through time, and into incredible heroic adventures with Doctor Who. And long live the cliffhanger.

Get your copy of this DVD box set from the links below:
Region 1, NTSC, U.S.
Region 1, NTSC, Canada
Region 2, PAL, U.K.
Region 2, PAL, U.K. (Limited Edition)

also available in Blu-ray high definition:
Blu-ray Region 1, NTSC, U.S.
Blu-ray Region 1, NTSC, Canada
Blu-ray Region 2, PAL, U.K.
Blu-ray Region 2, PAL, U.K. (Limited Edition)

New for December 14, 2011:

Doctor Who Season 32 Reviews:
"A Christmas Carol"
- Now in the full season DVD box set.

A classic Christmas story gets an enjoyable, if flawed, modern sci-fi update: shifting time, memory, and choice into dangerous waters, while buoyed up by a sense of fairy-tale fun.

New for December 29, 2011:

Doctor Who Season 32 In-depth Analysis Reviews:
"The Impossible Astronaut"
, "The Curse of the Black Spot", and "The Doctor's TARDIS",
plus our Buyer's Guide to the entire season

Season 32 breaks the mould with a heavily mythological 2-part opener, and continues to deliver new twists alongside some long-missing staple sci-fi elements.

New for January 17, 2012:

Doctor Who Season 32 Reviews from: "The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People" to
"Night Terrors" (plus the "Night and the Doctor" additional scenes).

Join us as we examine what makes the best offerings of the year work so well, in addition to the few things that can still be improved on....

New for January 25, 2012

Our final Doctor Who Season 32 reviews: "The Girl Who Waited",
"The God Complex", "Closing Time", and "The Wedding of River Song".

Season 32 uses its great momentum to coast to a somewhat underwhelming but still generally enjoyable and thought-provoking conclusion.

New for December 2011 - January 2012:

All Doctor Who Season 32 reviews are here, from "A Christmas Carol" and
"The Impossible Astronaut" to "The Wedding of River Song".

Season 32 breaks the mould with a heavily mythological 2-part opener, and continues to deliver new twists and staple sci-fi elements, quickly building to some of the best stories Matt Smith's Doctor has ever had.


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