Jammer's Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the questions I get the most about this site, and how I often respond. Feel free to ask, but if you ask a question that's shown below, you will likely get a response similar to what's listed here.
Q: Did/do/will you watch or review [whatever TV series]?
A: People most often ask if I've watched other sci-fi shows like Babylon 5, Farscape, Firefly, Doctor Who, or the various Stargate series. The answer is no to all of the above, and reviews are not forthcoming. I have no plans to go back to watch any other old shows.
Q. The star ratings don't seem to match between the different series. For example, a 3.5-star Voyager episode doesn't seem held to the same standard as a 3.5-star Battlestar Galactica episode. Are the star ratings intended to indicate equivalent quality?
A. No — or at least not necessarily. The star ratings are not meant to be absolute, especially not between different series (and sometimes not even between different seasons of different series). It's a sliding relative scale with a lot of uncertainty involved and factors that are not set in stone. A star rating is merely a useful summary of my feelings at the time I wrote the review. I like to try to assign them with consistency, but that's probably impossible given the wide range of tones and intentions behind the different series/seasons/episodes, not to mention my own changing feelings and attitudes spanning some 15-plus years. We bring different expectations to different situations, and that must be granted as part of the equation. So by definition the star ratings cannot be equivalent when comparing, say, BSG versus Voyager or, for that matter, 1997 versus 2012. They merely summarize what I thought at the time I wrote it. (And, yes, there are some star ratings out there that I no longer agree with. And, no, I won't be going back to change them. They are what they are.)
Q: Why are there no Andromeda reviews after season two?
A: Because I quit watching the show. This is explained in detail on this page. Scroll to the end and read the last four paragraphs.
Q: Can you add a link to my web site?
A: I'll certainly take a look at your site if you want, but I don't do links to other sites. Sorry.
Q: How do you pronounce that name of yours?
A: It's not nearly as hard as a lot of people insist on making it, especially if you break it down to syllables. My first name is easy: juh-MALL. The last name: EP-see-co-KHAN, said fairly evenly but with slight emphasis on the first and last syllables. That's "Epsi" like "Pepsi" without the P; "co" like "Coke" without the k; and "khan" like Star Trek II: The Wrath of "Khan." So if you remember cola giants and the most notorious Trek villain, you're set. Now you see why I just went with "Jammer."
Q: I want to get in touch with the writers/producers of [some TV show]. Do you know how to contact them?
A: I do not have any contacts in the industry. Your guess is as good as mine.
Q: Do the show's writers read your reviews?
A: In the distant past, I became aware that some of the Trek writers saw my reviews. In particular, Joe Menosky (of TNG and Voyager) was an occasional reader who invited me to pitch to Voyager. Several Andromeda writers were also readers who were kind enough to create and kill a character named Jamahl. Beyond that, I couldn't say.
Q: Did the "Demon" review actually happen?
A: No. Pure fiction. I was trying to be offbeat.
Q: Where did the pseudonym "Jammer" come from?
A: The story isn't that great, so I've never bothered to tell it. Suffice it to say that it worked well on the Internet, so it stuck. In real life, almost nobody calls me that.
Q: What is/are your favorite episode(s)?
A: That's a tough one. As a rule of thumb the four-star episodes listed on this site are generally the ones I will call my favorites, but not necessarily. I've never bothered to make a list, to be honest.
Q: I think you were too hard on Voyager.
A: I won't hesitate to say I think DS9 was superior to Voyager. I simply enjoyed the storytelling of DS9 more in general, and I think the writers did a better job of tapping that series' potential. At the same time, I enjoyed many aspects of Voyager even though I feel the show was an underachiever given its premise.
Q. You were too easy on Voyager. It was awful.
A. Okay, maybe I'm just the middle-of-the-road guy concerning Voyager.
Q: Do you or did you ever get paid for this?
From September to December 2000, I had a brief arrangement with Space.com (back when they had a sci-fi section with paid columnists and reviewers). They syndicated my Voyager and Andromeda reviews and actually paid me for it. It's hard to imagine a scenario like that today, where review blogs are everywhere and a lot of people write for little or no money.
The ads on this website do make me a little bit of money (and I guess could be called a "profit" in the strictest sense because web hosting costs next to nothing). But in terms of hours spent, this website makes no money and is a labor of love, not profit.

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34 comments on this article
Would you review it and include it as part of Season 4 or make a new section about BSG movies and perhaps move Razor there as well?
Just one question: have you ever read any of the Star Trek "relaunch" books, and if so, would you consider reviewing them on your site? I've read most of the TNG and DS9 relaunch books, and since I highly doubt we'll ever see any more TV/films with those casts ever again, the books are really the only "canon" way to follow the stories of these characters, but they - like the episodes - vary greatly in quality (the Destiny trilogy by David Mack is my personal favorite). It'd be awesome to read a review written by someone who obviously knows and loves these characters, since they're probably the only original Trek that will be forthcoming, the new movie aside.
I do appreciate we could be waiting a couple of years for the TNG reviews to be finished. There could be a new series of Trek by then... I jest, I jest!
EpsicoKHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
just. . . couldn't. . . resist. :)
Great site. Can't wait for the new stuff.
Cheers
You should watch this show when you have time. It's only one season and a movie. Firefly and NUBSG trump anything Star Trek for me personally, and I never thought that would happen regarding space science fiction.
Not so much a question, and I'm not asking for reviews of the show. But you obviously enjoy space science fiction and I think you are missing out if you don't give Firefly a chance.
I was just curious if you ever went back to finish Andromeda. I have no interest in the show, and know you won't review it, but just as a matter of free time were you ever curious about where the series went post season 2?
You seem to like DS9, and me too, love it, and they are both similar. B5 has story lines and plot arcs, which you seem to advocate alot, and well developed and growing characters.
So, do you watch B5? what are your thoughts, goood or bad? And why dont you review it? I think it would be quite popular.... Well...in my opinion...
Anyway...great work, nice stuff!! :)
ohh... (take 2) why is everything done in US central time? i mean...id love to be there...but...just...no.... there are other people outside the US lol :P (an we are proud of our time zones!)
Regarding Babylon 5, that's just one of those that I missed the boat on, and I don't feel the desire or need to go back for it. Once I finish TNG, which will be the only reviewing I do (except for the one-off blog) until I finish it, I don't know what the future of this website will be. But Babylon 5 just isn't something I see myself retroactively reviewing (honestly, probably nothing is, at this point).
If I do something new with this site once TNG is done, it will be something airing in the present rather than the past.
I understand that, I thought so at the time, glad I changed my mind though. Would have to say for B5, something that doesnt really have a future, I can understand your decision, I was just hoping you would say YES!!
Would of been nice to have an intelligent discussion or article about that show, since fans are hard to find around you know...ohh... well :)
It would be a shame to see your hardwork stop after TNG, cause these reviews are great, and most new US sci-fi future stuff is just awful in recent years in my opinion, their hasnt really been anything like DS9, B5, BSG around that can really compete....unless of course i'm blind and theres any shows here people would like to recommend? If thats not against the rules?
Anyway, the was my 1st time posting on a website ever, so I want to thank u for taking the time to answer, and hopefully I will be reading your reviews for a long time to come!!
In the DVD and Netflix-Age, where old shows are increasinlgy rediscovered by new generations, this argument baffles me.
I can understand that you don't have the time and passion anymore to review all this stuff, but you really should at least watch it. One of the treasure-shows of Sci-Fi.
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