Robert Picardo Movies

The wildly prolific cult exploitation director and Roger Corman vet Jim Wynorski (Big Bad Mama 2, Not of This Earth) returns to the thematic territory of his 1986 Chopping Mall with the direct-to-video sci-fi actioner Shockwave (2005). The premise concerns a series of top-grade, covert "Shock Wave" robots. Originally designed as Mars Rovers, these machines - shielded with thick armor and laden with state-of-the-art lasers, weapons and tracking systems - ultimately proved themselves so ubiquitous that the armed forces opted to use them in routine military operations, to root out terrorists when attempting to suppress hostile lands. As the story opens, however, a plane transporting the machines crash lands on an abandoned Pacific island. The robots then go on a rampage, and a group of hotshot Navy SEALS is assigned to bring them down, via cutting edge particle cannons. The men are hindered by one small detail: as time rolls on, the intelligence of the robots builds rapidly, enabling the machines to dismantle all of the guns. As the power of the aggressors builds, the soldiers must find an innovative way to stop the madness, before the robots gain enough force and power to wipe out the entire human race. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Director Bob Fosse's fact-based tale of Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten's short life and gruesome death focuses less on Stratten (played by Mariel Hemingway) than on her husband/manager, sleazoid pornographer and all-around failure Paul Snider (Eric Roberts, ideally cast). He sees the young beauty as his meal ticket and sets out to pimp her in the adult entertainment business. He marries her and appoints himself her career manager; soon after, she attracts the attention of Playboy executives and wins a spot in the magazine. As her success increases however, so does Snider's alienation as he finds himself left out in the cold. His jealousy begins to consume him; she spurns him on the advice of her new friends; he goes berserk and confronts her. The same murder-suicide inspired the made-for-television Death of a Centerfold. This was choreographer/filmmaker Bob Fosse's final film. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

The first "Trek" film to feature the cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series without any of the members of the original series, this action-packed hit was well received at the box office. The Federation comes under attack by its ongoing enemy, the Borg, a cybernetics-enhanced race that once kidnapped Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), "assimilating" him into a drone. As a former prisoner of the Borg, Picard is ordered to stay out of the new battle, but he cannot resist and orders the brand-new starship Enterprise into the fray. The Enterprise follows the only surviving Borg ship through a time tunnel, where they intend to conquer Earth in an earlier era. The Borg have targeted the work of Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell), inventor of warp drive, the device that makes interplanetary travel possible. As the Enterprise crew attempts to stop the Borg from interrupting the work of Cochrane and his assistant, Lily (Alfre Woodard), Borg drones invade the Enterprise and take it over piece by piece, while Data (Brent Spiner) is captured and seduced by the Borg Queen (Alice Krige). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this follow-up to the earlier episode "Pathfinder," Robert Picardo plays the dual role of the holographic Doctor and the Doctor's creator, Lewis Zimmerman. With the help of a transmitter rigged by Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz), the Doctor is transported to the Alpha Quandrant, in hopes of saving the life of the mortally ill Zimmerman. Alas, Zimmerman turns down this help, on the grounds that the Doctor is a mere Mark One Hologram, and thus dreadfully outdated. Co-written by actor Picardo, "Life Line" first aired on May 10, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While tracking down a group of Maquis terrorists, the crew of the starship Voyager is caught in a freak plasma storm and hurtled some 75,000 light years from Starfleet Command -- and thus begins the first episode, and the seven-season saga, of Star Trek: Voyager. Upon realizing her plight, Voyager captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) also discovers that a being called the Caretaker has brought both her ship and the Maquis vessel to an uncharted patch of galaxy known as the Gamma Quadrant, in hopes of finding someone who can help him keep his promise to protect a race known as the Ocampa. Before long, Janeway's crew and the Maquis must do battle with a common enemy, the Kazon, and in the ensuing battle the Caretaker dies. It is now up to Janeway and Maquis leader, Chakotay (Robert Beltran), to work together in harmony, with Chakotay becoming Voyager's first officer, and another Maquis warrior, the half-Klingon, half-human B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Biggs-Dawson), taking over as Janeway's chief engineer. Also added to the "Voyager" roster are a brace of Gamma Quadrant aliens, the Ocampan Kex (Jennifer Lien) and the Talaxian Neelix (Ethan Phillips), not to mention the ship's new Doctor (Robert Picardo), actually a holographic human manifestation of the vessel's emergency medical computer program. Rounding out the main cast is Janeway's veteran comrade-in-arms Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill); Kim (Garrett Wang), a green rookie fresh from Starfleet Academy; and the Vulcan Tuvok (Tim Russ),who had signed on the Maquis ship as a Federation spy. Season one of Star Trek: Voyager finds Janeway simultaneously trying to fulfill the Caretaker's promise and to safely guide her crew back to Starfleet Command in the Alpha Quadrant. The season's slam-bang finale is dictated by the treachery of Voyager crew person Seska (Martha Hackett), who turns out to be loyal only to the Kazon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of Star Trek: Voyager begins with the titular space vessel still in the hands of the enemy Kazon, and Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and most of her crew still stranded on Hanon IV, a desolate planet that closely resembles a prehistoric Earth. Eventually extricating themselves from this situation, the crew survives to embark on innumerable other adventures in their efforts to escape the distant Gamma Quadrant and return to their Starfleet Command home base. Highlight episodes this season include the two-part "Future's End," in which the crew must alter events of the 20th century to avert catastrophe in their own time; "The Q and the Gray," in which familiar Star Trek: The Next Generation nemesis Q (John DeLancie) demands that Janeway bear him a child; "Coda," wherein Janeway comes face to face with her deceased father; "The Darkling," which finds the holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) generating a hostile version of himself; and "Before & After," in which Ocampan crew member Kes (Jennifer Lien) is given a most disturbing glimpse into the future. The traditional cliffhanger ending of Star Trek: Voyager's third season finds Janeway forced to forge an alliance with our old "friends," the Borg, in order to vanquish an even more powerful enemy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As the crew of the Voyager eagerly looks forward to their imminent return to their home base in the Alpha Quadrant, the fifth-season opener of Star Trek: Voyager finds the ship's captain, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), in seclusion, grimly questioning her past judgments of command. As it turns out, the ship is not quite back on its own turf, meaning that more adventures must come to pass before the Voyager's lengthy space odyssey can be resolved. Of the many plot developments transpiring during season five, several stand out: Lt. Tom Paris' (Robert Duncan McNeill) humiliating demotion after refusing to obey an order he cannot justify to himself; the near-reassimilation of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) into her old Borg Collective; the bleak future envisioned by crew members Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Kim (Garrett Wang) unless they are able to turn back the clock some 15 years; the marriage of Paris and B'Elanna (Roxann Biggs-Dawson), and their subsequent holographic honeymoon; and a foray into chaotic space, where absolutely none of the usual rules of physics apply. Elsewhere, Voyager's holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) continues his efforts to become more human; and in the episode "11:59," Janeway flashes back to the time when her 20th century ancestor saved the world on the brink of the millennium. And yes, season five ends on a cliffhanger. This time out, the Voyager's technology is captured by a hostile force, leaving everyone's fate in the balance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The seventh and final season of Star Trek: Voyager opens with the resolution of the previous season's cliffhanger, in which the loyalties of Voyager crew member Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) perilously vacillate between Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the evil Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson). Pushing ever forward in hopes of returning to their home base in Alpha Quadrant, Janeway's crew encounters numerous other adventures and challenges. Along the way, the crew person Neelix (Ethan Phillips) helps his fellow Talaxians vanquish their evil miner oppressors on a distant asteroid, and is ultimately appointed Starfleet ambassador to the Delta Quadrant. The series concludes with a "flash-forward" set 33 years in the future -- ten years after the Voyager had successfully returned to the Alpha Quadrant. Janeway has been promoted to Admiral, former ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) is now a captain, Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) is a successful author, the daughter of Tom and B'Elanna (Roxann Biggs-Dawson) is herself a Starfleet officer, the holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) has become sufficiently human to fall in love -- and, tragically, the Vulcan Tuvok (Tim Russ) is gravely ill and Seven of Nine is long dead. Stealing a Klingon device that enables her to go back in time, the elderly Janeway hopes to help her younger self in the battle against the Borg Queen (now played by Alice Krige) which cost Seven of Nine her life -- and the ex-captain may have to sacrifice herself in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stressed out from juggling her job as a cabbie with her responsibilities as a single mother and her burgeoning art-curator career, poor Elaine (Marilu Henner) finally snaps during a major art-gallery event. Reliable old Alex (Judd Hirsch) offers to drive Elaine home and help her calm down -- a gesture which Elaine apparently misinterprets as an invitation to have sex. But it is only after Elaine agrees to undergo therapy that Alex allows any thoughts of romance to dance in his own head. Cult-film favorite Mary Woronov (Eating Raoul) guest stars as an avant-garde artist, while future Star Trek: Voyager regular Robert Picardo also makes an appearance. ~ All Movie Guide

This family drama by actress and first-time director Anne DeSalvo centers around four adult sisters who are forced to re-evaluate their situations after tragedy strikes. The oldest of the clan, Grace (Mercedes Ruehl), is called upon to be the tower of strength, even though she is widely perceived to be a replica of their mother Dolly (Cloris Leachman), a woman who, like Grace, has unfailingly devoted much of her life to a husband who doesn't appreciate her as he should. Christine (Sean Young) is separated from her job-obsessed husband Paul (Jamey Sheridan), and contemplates divorcing him even though they have a young daughter. Another sister, Denise (Dinah Manoff), rejects the idea of marriage despite the advances of boyfriend Lawrence (Mark Harmon); youngest sister Dolores (Lily Knight) has become mentally challenged due to an accident, and has trouble relating to her older siblings. Dolores has found a romantic interest, but the family feels she is unable to cope with such an attachment at her age. Through the aid of Dolly's sisters Splendora (Lee Grant) and Loretta (Edith Fields), the family tries to retain its bond and deal with unexpected tragedy. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Still recovering from the death of a close friend, Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) goes on a vacation with the Bannermans and Bruce (John L. Adams). Before long, Johnny experiences another of his disturbing psychic visions -- this one of a tornado that bids fair to be the storm of the century. Despite his own fears of death, Johnny must confront the tornado head-on to save the lives of his loved ones. The first Dead Zone episode filmed in the letterbox format, "The Storm" was intended as the inaugural episode of the series' third season, but was included instead in season two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This groundbreaking, darkly-comic horror film from director Joe Dante changed the look and feel of werewolf movies in ways light-years distant from Universal's horror classic The Wolf Man. The story begins with television reporter/anchor Karen White (Dee Wallace) taking part in a dangerous police operation intended to trap psychopath Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). When confronted by Eddie face-to-face, she witnesses something horrifying enough to trigger selective amnesia. Plagued by a series of violent nightmares, Karen decides to admit herself to a posh recovery resort known only as "The Colony," run by her eccentric New Age therapist Dr. Wagner (Patrick MacNee), and brings along her husband Bill (Christopher Stone) for support. The night after they arrive, Karen and Bill are unnerved by eerie howling in the woods. Back in the city, Karen's coworkers Chris (Dennis Dugan) and Terry (Belinda Balaski) have been investigating Eddie's background after discovering that his body has disappeared from the morgue. Sifting through Eddie's possessions, they find a strange collection of artwork depicting wolf-like creatures, and decide to consult with Walter Paisley (Dick Miller, of course), the owner of an occult bookshop, on werewolf lore. Though he claims not to believe in the stuff he's selling, Paisley nevertheless convinces Chris to purchase a handful of silver bullets... just in case. Back at the colony, Dr. Wagner has organized a hunting party after hearing Karen's account of the nocturnal howling, but the men find nothing but a rabbit, which Bill is told to bring to the cabin of the sultry Marsha (Elisabeth Brooks) to prepare for dinner. After resisting Marsha's less-than-subtle sexual overtures, Bill is attacked by a wolf while returning to his cabin. The following moonlit night, the sleepless Bill wanders outside to find Marsha waiting and the two make love by the campfire, their bodies undergoing a frightening transformation. Just as Karen is beginning to suspect that her husband is hiding a secret far more threatening than marital infidelity, Chris and Terry have come to realize -- too late, in Terry's case -- that Eddie Quist is not only still alive, but not quite human... and he knows he's being followed. Chris arrives at the colony too late to save Terry, but manages to find Karen just as the colony's residents -- all of whom are werewolves, including Dr. Wagner -- are assembling to decide her fate. Dante fills his film with heartfelt homages to The Wolf Man and other classic horror movies, as well as a few clever visual puns and in-jokes from his tenure with Roger Corman, but never strays from the path to genuine horror, particularly when Rob Bottin's chilling monsters are onscreen. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide