(Posting a couple of days early due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.)

Theme Month: "Body Swap, Part I"

Episodes which see our character's consciousnesses supplanted by others.

Episode: "Warlord" - VOY, 310

Airdate: November 20, 1996

Teleplay by Lisa Klink; Directed by David Livingston

Brief summary: "Kes is taken over by the mind-force of an obsessive rebel."

Background: This episode's story is credited to Andrew Shepard Price and Mark Gaberman. Together, they co-wrote five episodes of VOY. They are also writers and researchers for Jeopardy!.

Lisa Klink was a story editor for VOY during part of its run. She is credited with fourteen episodes (and one DS9). She also worked on Star Trek: The Experience, Earth: Final Conflict, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Roswell, and Hercules. The story for this episode was pitched by prolific Trek novel writers Michael Jan Friedman and Kevin J. Ryan.

David Livingston originally served as the supervising producer for TNG before becoming the most prolific director in the franchise, helming 62 episodes in total across TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT. He was a producer on both DS9 and VOY, too. Outside of Trek, he worked on Seven Days, Threshold, Baywatch Nights, Viper, Sliders, and more.

Guest cast: Leigh J. McCloskey (Tieran) also appeared in a DS9 episode along with episodes of The Streets of San Francisco, Hawaii Five-O, Buck Rogers, Dallas, Hart to Hart, Murder She Wrote, Chicago Hope, JAG, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, and many more. He is also an author and artist.

Galyn Görg (Nori) previously appeared in DS9's "The Visitor." She appeared in many shows throughout her career, including Twin Peaks, MANTIS, Xena, Hercules, Stargate SG-1, Fame, The A-Team, Lost, Parks & Recreation, CSI: Miami, and more.

Anthony Crivello (Adin) appeared in stage productions, films and shows such as Miami Vice, Law & Order, Independence Day, Seinfeld, Babylon 5, and many more.

Actor and filmmaker Charles Emmett (Resh) first appeared in Beverly Hills 90210 before going on to appear in Murphy Brown, Seinfeld, Quantum Leap, The John Larroquette Show, Boston Legal, The Steve Harvey Show, and many others.

Karl Wiedergott (Ameron) also appeared in an episode of ENT. He may best be known for providing multiple voices for The Simpsons, especially celebrities like John Travolta and Bill Clinton. As an actor, he appeared in The Golden Girls, Coach, Columbo, Wings, ER, Judging Amy, etc.

Brad Greenquist (Demmas) also appeared in Pet Sematary, Ali, Heroes, DS9, and two episodes of ENT.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Warlord_(episode)

As decided by you, this is the ...

Next Theme Month:

"People with Disabilities Still Exist": sure, it's the future, and people with disabilities can still contribute.

• "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" - TOS, 307
• "The Empath" - TOS, 308
• "Loud as a Whisper" - TNG, 205
• "Melora" - DS9, 206

Theme Month: "Body Swap, Part I"

Episodes which see our characters' consciousnesses supplanted by others.

Episode: "Dramatis Personae" - DS9, 118

Airdate: May 30, 1993

Teleplay by Joe Menosky; Directed by Cliff Bole

Brief summary: "The crew becomes infected by a telepathic imprint of a culture that destroyed itself."

Background: Joe Menosky started off in the franchise as a story editor in TNG's fourth season. Over the years, he became a producer and writer with teleplay credits on 56 episodes of Trek: fifteen of TNG, four of DS9, thirty-six of VOY, and one of DIS. Outside Trek, he's worked on The Dead Zone, The Orville, For All Mankind, and more.

Cliff Bole directed twenty-five episodes of TNG, seven of DS9, and ten of VOY. He also directed episodes of TJ Hooker, The Six Million Dollar Man, Baywatch, Fantasy Island, MacGyver, and The X-Files.

Guest cast: Tom Towles (Hon-Tihl) was nominated for a Spirit Award for his role in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. He also appeared in NYPD Blue, 1990's Night of the Living Dead, The Rock, House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, plus he later appeared in an episode of VOY.

Stephen Parr (Valerian captain) has a few other acting credits to his name, including Cheers, Hart to Hart, and Pee-Wee's Playhouse.

Randy James/Randy Pflug was a stand-in and background actor in many episodes of both TNG and DS9, plus two Trek films. In those positions, he appeared in many other shows and films, including The Hunt for Red October, When Harry Met Sally, The Naked Gun, Alien Nation, The Tracy Ullman Show, Cheers, LA Law, Roswell, and more.

Jeff Pruitt was a stunt coordinator and performer as well as background actor in many episodes of DS9 and VOY. He also worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Married ... with Children, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Sheena, Cyborg 2, and Roger Corman's Fantastic Four.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Dramatis_Personae_(episode)

Upcoming episodes in this Theme Month ...

• "Warlord" - VOY, 310

Theme Month: "Body Swap, Part I"

Episodes which see our characters' consciousnesses supplanted by others.

Episode: "The Schizoid Man" - TNG, 206

Airdate: January 23, 1989

Teleplay by Tracy Tormé; Directed by Les Landau

Brief summary: "An away team discovers the dying Doctor Ira Graves, who claims to be Data's 'grandfather.'"

Background: The story is credited to Richard Manning and Hans Beimler who pitched a story about a scientist implanting his consciousness into Data. Their concept was merged with one from Tormé which featured Data manifesting memories of the colonists from his homeworld and putting the moves on a visiting female character. Manning and Beimler both later joined the staff of TNG and wrote several episodes of the series. Beimler went on to write and produce many episodes of DS9.

Tracy Tormé was a story editor and writer during the first two seasons, with credits on six scripts. After TNG, Tormé worked extensively on the scifi series Sliders, Odyssey 5 and Carnivale.

Les Landau was a first assistant director during TNG's first season, and later was credited with directing 21 episodes of TNG, fourteen of DS9, nine of VOY, and one of ENT. Outside of the franchise, he worked on Dynasty, TJ Hooker, seaQuest DSV, Lois & Clark, Sliders, JAG, and more.

Guest cast: W. Morgan Sheppard made four Trek appearances: this one, Star Trek VI, an episode of VOY, and the 2009 film. Outside the franchise, Sheppard was a character actor who worked for the better part of five decades in movies and TV shows like The Elephant Man, The Professionals, Max Headroom, Cry Freedom, Elvira, Wild at Heart, Needful Things, Quantum Leap, MacGyver, Murder She Wrote, Frasier, The Prestige, Transformers, and many more. His son is Mark A. Sheppard, known to genre fans for his roles in Firefly, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, and an episode of VOY.

Suzie Plakson played K'Ehleyr in two episodes of TNG, Q in VOY's "The Q and the Gray," and Tarah in ENT's "Cease Fire." Her appearance here as Dr. Selar is that character's only appearance despite many references throughout the series. Plakson has had a lengthy career on both TV and in film, including roles on Mad About You, Everybody Loves Raymond, Wag the Dog, Disclosure and more.

Diana Muldaur appeared in two episodes of TOS as different characters and then appeared in twenty episodes of TNG as Dr. Pulaski. She guest starred in many episodes of TV throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s in shows such as The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Black Beauty, Quincy ME, LA Law, and Batman: The Animated Series. She also had film roles in Petrocelli, McQ, One More Train to Rob, Terror at Alcatraz, and others.

This was Barbara Alyn Woods' first acting credit. She went on to star in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids TV series, plus she had roles in Mr. Belvedere, Golden Girls, Dream On, Picket Fences, Wings, Seinfeld, Ally McBeal, and many more.

Rachen Assapiomonwait appeared in 57 episodes of TNG, most often as the background character "Nelson." His other credits include Cheers, Naked Gun 33 1/3, Molly, Monkeybone, and more.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Schizoid_Man_(episode)

Upcoming episodes in this Theme Month ...

• "Dramatis Personae" - DS9, 118
• "Warlord" - VOY, 310

Theme Month: "Body Swap, Part I"

Episodes which see our characters' consciousnesses supplanted by others.

Episode: "Return to Tomorrow" - TOS, 222

Airdate: February 9, 1968

Teleplay by "John Kingsbridge"; Directed by Ralph Senensky

Brief summary: "Telepathic aliens take over Kirk and Spock's bodies."

Background: The original script was written by John T. Dugan. After a rewrite by Gene Roddenberry changed the story's ending, he employed the pseudonym "John Kingsbridge." Using that name, he later wrote episodes of Mission: Impossible, Adam-12, and Doc Elliot, plus the film Shark!.

Ralph Senensky directed seven episodes of Star Trek. He also directed dozens of hours of episodic TV across multiple decades, including Route 66, The Fugitive, The FBI, The Wild, Wild West, Mannix, Ironside, I Spy, Night Gallery, The Partridge Family, Planet of the Apes, Paper Dolls, and many, many more.

Guest cast: Diana Muldaur makes her first appearance in Trek here. She later appeared in season three's "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" and in twenty episodes of TNG as Dr. Pulaski. She appeared in many episodes of TV throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s in shows such as The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Black Beauty, Quincy ME, LA Law, and Batman: The Animated Series. She also had film roles in Petrocelli, McQ, One More Train to Rob, Terror at Alcatraz, and others.

Billy Blackburn was a frequent stand-in on the series and he played regular background actor Hadley. He appears as both Hadley and an android in this episode, outtakes of which became famous thanks to ubiquitous blooper reels.

Roger Holloway played the background character Lemli in over three dozen episodes, as well as other characters throughout the show's run. He also worked as a stand-in for both James Doohan and William Shatner. Star Trek was his only acting credit.

Frank da Vinci appeared in some sixty episodes of TOS, sometimes as "Brent," sometimes as "Vinci," and sometimes as a background performer. He was Leonard Nimoy's stand-in and he worked for years on Mission: Impossible when Nimoy joined the cast.

Eddie Paskey (Mr. Leslie) appeared in appear in 58 TOS episodes before a back injury and severe headaches caused him to depart in the third season.

Jeannie Malone was a background actor who appeared in almost every episode of TOS as a yeoman, crewmember, or alien. In this episode, she was a nurse.

Cindy Lou portrayed a nurse in this episode and it is her only known acting credit.

(James Doohan provided the voice of Sargon.)

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Return_to_Tomorrow_(episode)

Upcoming episodes in this Theme Month ...

• "The Schizoid Man" - TNG, 206
• "Dramatis Personae" - DS9, 118
• "Warlord" - VOY, 310

It's time to choose a theme for the month of December! It's up to you to do so. Simply upvote the "distinguished" comment below (the ones posted by me) to cast your vote for the Theme Month you'd like to see.

Here are the options:

• "Faith of the Trek, Part I" - episodes wherein we deal with gods and/or their followers.

• "People with Disabilities Still Exist" - sure, it's the future, and people with disabilities can still contribute.

• "Spies Like Us, Part I" - all about espionage, often with our characters going undercover.

• "Whodunit?, Part I" - episodes that see our crew tackling a mystery.

The winning theme will be the one with the most upvotes in the last week of this month. Meanwhile, feel free to speculate on which episodes may be included in the comments.

Thank you!

Theme Month: "With Special Guest Star ..., Part I"

Episodes with familiar faces and big names.

Episode: "Message in a Bottle" - VOY, 414

Airdate: January 21, 1998

Teleplay by Lisa Klink; Directed by Nancy Malone

Brief summary: "Seven of Nine finds an abandoned subspace relay network that has the ability to send a message, or in this case The Doctor, to a Starfleet ship detected in the Alpha Quadrant."

Background: Lisa Klink was a story editor for VOY during part of its run. She is credited with fourteen episodes (and one DS9). She also worked on Star Trek: The Experience, Earth: Final Conflict, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Roswell, and Hercules. The story for this episode is credited to a Rick Williams who has no other credits listed online.

Nancy Malone was an actor, producer, and director. She has two VOY episodes to her name, but she also directed episodes of Dynasty, Cagney & Lacey, Touched by an Angel, Dawson's Creek, and Judging Amy. As an actor, she appeared in Route 66, Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, The Andy Griffith Show, The Rockford Files, and more. In 1976, she was the first female VP of TV at 20th Century Fox.

Guest cast: Andy Dick is a comedian best known for his hard-partyin' and tabloid-worthy exploits. He starred in the sitcom NewsRadio, plus he's had appearances in The Ben Stiller Show, Cable Guy, Dude Where's My Car?, Zoolander, Old School, and many more. He also roasted William Shatner at his Comedy Central roast.

Judson Scott is best known to Trek fans as Joachim, Khan's lieutenant in Star Trek II, despite the fact that he didn't get an onscreen credit. This was due to a SNAFU with his agent and his own misunderstanding that "waiving credit" meant he'd be listed in the end credits instead of the beginning credits (his name appeared in neither). Scott also appeared in an episode of TNG, plus the shows V and The Colbys, as well as the movie Blade.

Valerie Wildman is a character actor who appeared in Splash!, St. Elsewhere, Matt Houston, The A-Team, My Sister Sam, Hunter, Hardball, Beverly Hills 90210, Baywatch Nights, Chicago Hope, My Blue Heaven, and Mars Attacks!

Tiny Ron (Hirogen) is best known as the nagus' body man Maihar'du in seven episodes of DS9. The seven-foot tall actor featured in The Rocketeer, Ace Ventura, Road House, The Naked Gun, and many more.

Tony Sears was an art department coordinator on VOY who appeared in two episodes of the series. He acted in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, and Judging Amy. He has also worked as a casting director and a director of multiple stage productions.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Message_in_a_Bottle_(episode)

As decided by you, this is the ...

Next Theme Month:

"Body Swap, Part I": episodes which see our character's consciousnesses supplanted by others.

• "Return to Tomorrow" - TOS, 222
• "The Schizoid Man" - TNG, 206
• "Dramatis Personae" - DS9, 118
• "Warlord" - VOY, 310