Quark’s groove continues, and what’s working is pretty easy to define: They’re making fun of Star Trek. Last time out they ripped off “The Deadly Years,” and this time out they’re ripping off (And conflating) “Mirror Mirror” and “The Enemy Within.”

Suddenly Quark works! It’s not brilliant SF, but it comes across as a story rather than just a series of gags. Granted, it really *is* just a series of gags, but after the really disjointed previous two episodes - which weren’t complete failures by any stretch - this one suddenly feels really tight and consistent.

ATENTION JOYLESS CITIZENRY! You've made it! You've survived CLASSIC BATTLESTAR GALCTICA WEEK here on Republibot, though whether or not you'll ever fully recover or enjoy life and love again is a matter of some debate.

Fortunately, as I've gotten NEARLY every bit of behind-the-scenes information I know out of the way in this review/essay/master's thesis, subsequent editions should be quite a bit shorter and less grueling. Unless Maren Jensen emails me or something, and suddenly I'll end up with a lot more to talk bout. But that's not too likely.

Anyway, if you've lasted this long and I haven't yet beat all interest in the subject out of you, read on, content in the knowledge that while I probably *will* do this to you again, I probably *won't* do it any time soon. And if I have managed to overwhelm and destroy your childhood love of all things Galactican...cool! Just hang out, and our normal friday night reviews will be up a bit later.

Welcome to our special, unaccustomed, Wednesday edition of "Retrospeculative TV," in which we take your quest for the knowledge of arcane pop culture, and punish you by not letting you go until you've smoked the entire box right in front of us, and get all sick and stuff...Because it's Classic Battlestar Galactica Week!