This one is pretty average. Not great, not bad?

It serves to establish the time travel rules for new viewers - the past can be changed! Just because you know what 2005 looks like, you shouldn’t assume it will look like that next time you visit.

The Doctor’s edginess continues, turning on a dime to snap at Charles Dickens (and eventually turning back to apologize), and making it clear that he’s perfectly willing to let the Gelth inhabit dead humans - it’s like recycling!

I don’t think the Gelth themselves hold together very well. They’re stated to be gaseous, but they act more like stereotypical “non-corporeal” life forms for the most part. But the climax hinges on them being “drawn out” by the gas from the gaslights, so I guess they’re attuned to that specific mixture, rather than a standard nitrogen/oxygen mix? Not really the sort of thing we should dwell on.

Of course, this episode also establishes the Cardiff rifts, and introduces us to Eve Myles, which will be important soon-ish.

It’s modern fandom, so…probably.

WPG @ BC

The Bombers took control early, and never really relinquished it. The Lions defense tightened up in the second half and kept them in it, but their offense had a pretty rough go of it.

And hey, we got to see a Big Man Touchdown!

Nice - looks like they also make a root beer and some varieties of iced tea!

Where’d you find it?

Pretty good so far (if you’re a Bombers fan)!

As someone who doesn’t really pay attention to the off season…it’s stunning.

Okay, I haven’t seen much of the week’s games yet, but I did see that game-ending kick return by SASK.

Holy smokes.

Toews is a relatively legendary player with a proven record…who’s pushing 40 and hasn’t played in about three years.

It’s a bit of a gamble, but there’s a lot of potential, and a one-year contract isn’t too risky.

I’d like to know more about the ruling than what’s presented in the article. And I guess I’d need to know more about Canadian defamation law.

Not reading the book is unfortunate (sort of)…but it seems like a person could form a sincerely-held beliefs about a book without reading the thing cover to cover.

I didn’t have any problem with Omega’s appearance - his whole deal was that he could reshape his universe at will, so…sure, giant bone monster, why not?

How easily he was dispatched is another matter. It’s sort of what I expected from the episode, but still not exactly satisfying.

“There was plenty of fuss made about Winston Churchill being in Doctor Who, when there’s plenty of history to suggest he wasn’t such a good guy. And that’s always the way.”

He added: "Our history of slavery, our way of walking through the world is constantly being re-analysed. So I like to think it’s the same on Gallifrey… Omega has been re-contextualised, and the story gets bolder and changes over time.

“We don’t want to repeat the past, we want to push it forward.”

This seems like a very odd train of thought, though.

The SNW Gorn literally pulled the classic sitcom “stay on your side of the line” routine - basically the same motivation as “Arena”.

I know just the anomaly.

I prefer the goofy-badass-Gorn over the scary-quick-incubatin’-Gorn.

They’re iconic for a reason.

The recon is to the timeline and initial encounter with the species

Fair enough - I’ll backtrack slightly and say that if there’s a retcon, that’s where it is, rather than in the Gorn’s behaviour.

But there is a bit of wiggle room in “Arena”, I think. Kirk certainly seems unfamiliar with the Gorn, but they never really say it’s the first contact, and Spock doesn’t really say anything one way or the other (a very Spock-like thing to do in any situation).

They definitely have massaged that canon, but I don’t think they’ve really contradicted it.

It’s really none of our business…but are they?

“What I loved about the Gorn was it was an opportunity to retcon something into a real monster. What we do in Star Trek—and you’ll see we’ll even do it with the Gorn—is we start by seeing the other and often we end by engaging our empathy and understanding common ground. And that’s great, and it doesn’t mean that there isn’t real evil in the world. And so what we wanted to do with the Gorn was to give you a monster, and a monster that at least at first, seemed irredeemable.”

I find this statement a little aggravating, because in my opinion they really haven’t retconned the Gorn. In “Arena”, they slaughtered the entire Cestus colony, and the Gorn captain is utterly merciless.

“Arena” is about mercy, but the Gorn didn’t really earn it in the episode, which was really kind of the point.

I’m only going to speak for my own playstyle…I’ve really only ever played as a single-player game, following the linear storyline for the most part. Once you hit endgame, there are 5-player team-up events to participate in, and things like that.

The bottom line for me is that it’s not a difficult game to play, the PvP scene is basically non-existent, and there’s not really a lot of incentive to get really grindy with it unless you’re really a “make the numbers go up” kind of person. The game provides opportunities throughout the year to earn things through gameplay that would otherwise be locked behing IRL currency.

I have spent maybe $10 on the game in the last several years, and even that was more because I was bored more than out of “necessity.” That said, I bought a Lifetime Subscription in 2010 that gives me the equivalent of a $5 store credit each month, so I have the means to occasionally “buy” things without spending any money.

Lastly…it’s an old game. The gameplay is, by all accounts, pretty dated. But for the price of $0, it’s a pretty enjoyable Star Trek sandbox to play in.

Deadline seems to have taken a much bleaker interpretation from the very same content:

‘Doctor Who’ Showrunner Casts More Doubt Over Series’ Future As UK Ratings Plummet: “We Don’t Know What’s Happening”

One thing that I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention about that “oh, hello” is that it’s another fourth-wall breaking moment, this time not from Mrs. Flood/The Rani. Does that mean anything? Who knows!

And there’s Susan, of course.

Good to hear he doesn’t seem to have abandoned that thread in the wake of the finale.

(I’m still wondering who Gus is, from Mummy on the Orient Express. Maybe they’re the same!)

Also good to hear he’s still a dedicated troll.