If you're familiar with Asteroid Base, then you may know that I like to summarise a season's worth of episodes in terms of ratings, feedback and all that good stuff. In the case of Asteroid Field, I will be posting these reports every half-season due to the extended episode count. So I'll jump straight in to the ratings round-up.
A Touch of Death:Excellent Score: 7
Awful Score: 1
Verdict: The second half of the season was faced with a flurry of rewrites following the sudden departure of co-creator and acting CO, Griffiths. On the whole, however, I was very pleased with how the opening episode played out - and even more pleased beforehand when it was clear that at least one of the character deaths would come as a surprise to many. Sorry, Kyle. Sorry, Jemma.
Bête Noire:Excellent Score: 1
Good Score: 2
Verdict: A very low voting turnout for what I initially described as my least favourite episode of both Asteroid Base and Asteroid Field. Despite being a sprint to the finish, very little was accomplished. It was, however, a big set up piece for episodes to come and did provide more of an insight in to Walter Peirce - and a step closer to answering a few questions about the Etis family.
New Dawn, Red Dawn:Excellent Score: 3
Average Score: 2
Verdict: I enjoyed this episode, and feedback in the discussion thread was equally positive. Despite being intentionally repetitive in nature, it did make for an experimental introduction to Sophia Mason - who took a disruptor blast to the shoulder for the sake of a Klingon ally. Isn't that just sweet?
Fox and the Hounds:Excellent Score: 3
Good Score: 3
Average Score: 1
Verdict: Talus took the lead for a trip in to Professor Fox's past as his present counterpart faced charges of treason. Although the flashback sequence stalled in areas as the cadets problem solved their way through a mysteriously abandoned science facility - I did enjoy seeing some earlier versions of current characters, and the introduction of some one-time-only additions.
Prohibitum Scientia:Excellent Score: 7
Good Score: 2
Verdict: No sooner had Talus taken point, Greg House / Paracelsus took over the Serial Roleplay for a week as we went along for an adventure in a D'ni age on the most unorthodox of search and rescue missions - aiming to locate the missing science team from the Accobar III excavation site. A very successful episode and much fun was had by all. Apart from an absent John Adams - who returned to find his character killed off, for the second time. He died on the Athena, too, you know!
I Saw Three Ships:Excellent Score: 6
Verdict: Michael Barnes and Jemma Etis were faced with dilemmas in this instalment as Red Dawn laid down a prisoner transfer proposal. Walter Peirce - for both Amber Munro and Kensi Shaw. It also paved the way for the anniversary special - featuring lines of dialogue from Asteroid Base stories of old, and quick glimpses of characters long gone.
Dies Irae:Excellent Score: 3 [Provisional]
Verdict: Due to attendance issues which were not reported until very close to and exceeding the start time of the roleplay, the season finale underwent a number of changes - some of which will be highlighted in an upcoming trivia section. Nevertheless, it hit all of the important marks and from my point of view played out quite well indeed for an episode set mostly in Operations aboard an empty station.
Votes Cast: 41
Excellent Votes: 30
Good Votes: 7
Average Votes: 3
Poor Votes: 0
Awful Votes: 1
Season 2.5's episodes are ranked accordingly in terms of votes and ratings:
Prohibitum Scientia
I Saw Three Ships
A Touch of Death
Dies Irae [Provisional]
Fox and the Hounds
New Dawn, Red Dawn
Bête Noire
Season 2's complete episode rankings are as follows:
Justitia Omnibus
Till Death Do Us Part
Prohibitum Scientia
Kingdom of the Heavens
A Touch of Death
I Saw Three Ships
Do No Harm
In Extremis
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
Dies Irae [Provisional]
Fox and the Hounds
New Dawn, Red Dawn
Festina Lente
Bête Noire
The second season of Star Trek: Asteroid Field dragged it's heels across the finish line, with it's second half suffering from regular attendance dips throughout. Feedback levels also continue to drop every half-season. Both of these factors have been increasingly worrying for a series based around them, but can be compensated for with the third season, as storylines will not be so reliant on regular attendance - especially so on individual members, which has played havoc throughout this season. It's unfortunate, and do not regret Griffiths' push for character-centric arcs at the start of the season, but it is a necessary step until attendance stabilises - or we take on some new members.
In terms of storytelling, some very long-since asked questions were finally answered throughout the second season - while some dangling threads have been left for another day. Jemma Etis' father remains in play as an unknown factor in the Walter Peirce story. Amber Munro's return is still shrouded in mystery. The fallout from Operation Dawnstar has been largely ignored... and the finale brought with it a whole series of new potential ideas.
It has been a long season, and although I have enjoyed most of it - my commitment severely wavered towards the halfway point. Thankfully some very strong roleplays with you guys and the run up to the anniversary event has cured most of that. While I remain concerned about attendance and character retention, I hope that a more tightly packed and cohesive third season - which looks to be stripped back to basics in the aftermath of the Hobus supernova - will help to reinvigorate Asteroid Field for the future.
As ever, any additional comments you wish to share are more than welcome for the second season!
Bonus: Shattered Reflections:Excellent Score: 5