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: When will reviews for season [whatever] of Star Trek: The Next Generation be posted?

A: Eventually. I tend to work on TNG in spurts, where I'll write a season in a few weeks and then not get back to writing again for weeks or months. Bear with me; all the TNG reviews will eventually be posted. You've waited this long; what's a few more months?

Q: Did/do/will you watch or review [whatever TV series]?

A: I currently review Battlestar Galactica and TNG. People most often ask if I've watched the following other sci-fi shows: Babylon 5, Farscape, and Firefly. The answer is no to all of the above, and reviews are not forthcoming. I do watch and enjoy several other television shows. I make mention of many of them in my blog.

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 10-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 2008. 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 send me a copy of an episode?

A: No, and please don't ask if I know anyone who can. Most all this stuff is available on DVD. My suggestion: Get a Netflix subscription and rent it.

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 "link exchanges." Sorry.

Q: How long does it take you to write a review?

A: For an average review, if you take into account the processes of writing, editing, converting text, creating web pages, tweaking, and then posting each review, the total is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of four to six hours per review, usually spread out over a few days.

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 best bet is to find general postal contacts through the film/TV studio's web sites.

Q: Do the show's writers read your reviews?

A: In the past, I know 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: Can you tell me if [some fact about an upcoming episode] is true?

A: Probably not, because I try to avoid most of the major spoilers. I like to be surprised by what I see on the screen. So do not send me spoilers of upcoming shows or movies. I won't read them, and I'll probably not be happy with you.

Q: Where can I find spoilers or behind-the-scenes information?

A: Anywhere. It's called the World Wide Web. Start searching. I'm partial to Google.

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, but I'll probably blog about it eventually, so keep reading IDWID. Suffice it to say that it worked well on the Internet, so it stuck. I originally posted my reviews as "Epsicokhan's Reviews," but that was far too cumbersome and I knew no one would be able to pronounce it, so I went with "Jammer" instead. 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 don't ask me to pick a single favorite, though, because I don't think I could.

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 stories and characters and risks 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 get paid? If so, I'd be glad to write reviews.

A: PAID? Don't make me laugh.

(Note: From September to December 2000, I had an arrangement with Space.com, who syndicated my Voyager and Andromeda reviews and -- gasp! -- paid me for it! This arrangement was brief, however, and was terminated in January 2001 when Space.com decided to pull the plug on their sci-fi section.)