Michael Piller Movies

As a condition of her parole from juvenile hall, embittered teenager Kris Furillo goes to work at Raintree Horse Farm, located in Fremont, CA, as the ABC Family Channel series Wildfire inaugurates its first season. Upon her arrival, Kris saves the life of Wildfire, an unbroken horse who'd been slated to be destroyed because it was deemed "useless" and "un-trainable." Having herself been consigned to the ash heap of society as an incorrigible loser, Kris forms a strong bond with Wildfire, who will respond only to her commands. As the friendship between girl and horse intensifies, the owner of Raintree, divorcée Jean Ritter (Nana Visitor), begins to see potential in Wildfire as a racing horse, and before long she is pinning her hopes on the notion that Wildfire -- and by extension, Kris -- will enable Jean to restore her family's fortune. Meanwhile, the Ritter family's traditional rivals, the Davis clan, demonstrate that they are willing to do practically anything to prevent Wildfire from stealing thunder from their own stable of horses. In particular, snooty teenager Danielle Davis (Nicole Tubiola) is determined to force Kris off the Raintree property, if for no other reason than Kris has stolen the heart of Danielle's erstwhile boyfriend, Jean's son Matt Ritter (Micah Alberti). Curiously, Danielle's down-to-Earth brother Junior Davis (Ryan Sypek) ends up as one of Kris' best friends and strongest supporters! During the 12 episodes of season one, Kris has a disturbing run-in with her mother Barb (Stacy Haiduk), who is accused of stealing valuables from the Ritter home; Matt develops a gambling problem which siphons much-needed money from his mom's bank account (already depleted by the exigencies of feed bills, IRS payments, and the like); Jean Ritter's troublesome ex-husband Pete (Joe Lando) pops up at the least opportune moment; Kris risks being returned to "juvie" when she starts taking prescription painkillers; and there is intrigue aplenty involving a famous female jockey named Tina Sharp (Amy Jo Johnson). As the season ends, we see a more vulnerable side of the unlovable Danielle Davis as she desperately seeks out the mother who had deserted her many years before. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Upon the death of his clergyman father, David Lewis (Louis Gossett Jr.), Bruce (John L. Adams) heads to Indianapolis for the funeral, bringing along his friend Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) for emotional support. Brushing past the body of Pastor Lewis, Johnny experiences a strange vision which he inadvertently passes along to Bruce. Suddenly, Bruce is hurtled into a whole new existence -- precipitated by a completely revised past life, with events radically changed, but the principal characters remaining the same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed under the title "The Hunt for Osama," this episode finds Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) joining the ranks of other psychics like himself in a covert U.S. counter-terrorist organization. For his first assignment, Johnny joins a "remote-viewing" operation to track down a dangerous fugitive terrorist, who though not identified by name bears a striking resemblance to a certain Afghanistan-based Muslim extremist leader. Originally scheduled to air on March 30, 2003, "The Hunt" was bumped back to July 27, presumably (and ironically) by cable TV's round-the-clock coverage of the Iraq war. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second season of the Stephen King-inspired TV series The Dead Zone begins with the conclusion of the cliffhanger introduced at the end of season one, as schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall), who ever since awakening from a six-year coma has had the ability to predict people's futures and read their thoughts simply by touching their hands, begins his mission to destroy political candidate Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), whom Johnny knows will destroy the world if he ever becomes president. His crusade against Stillson encounters innumerable unexpected twists and turns throughout the season, notably in an episode wherein Johnny throws his support behind Stillson's political opponent, Harrison Fisher (Gerald McRaney), only to discover that Fisher may prove even more dangerous in the long run. Meanwhile, Johnny's gifts allow him to arrive at the sobering conclusion that his former fiancée, Sarah (Nicole de Boer), would have married Sheriff Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno) even if Johnny hadn't been rendered comatose by his car accident -- but would Sarah have borne Johnny's son J.J., who now has no idea of his true parentage? Also, more questions arise as to the extent of televangelist Gene Purdy's (David Ogden Stiers) involvement in the death of Johnny's millionaire mother. Season two was to have ended with the episode "Playing God," but the USA network decided to extend the season by several weeks. As a result, audiences were treated to such choice episodes as "Zion," in which Johnny's therapist and best friend, Bruce (John L. Adams), experiences paranormal visions of his own; "The Storm," the series' first episode filmed in the letterboxed format; and "The Hunt," which was titled "The Hunt for Osama" until late-breaking events in the Middle East dictated a name change. The season finale provides a payoff to a recurring plot strand, in which Johnny is stalked by a mysterious man in black (Frank Whaley) -- who turns out to be a visitor from the future that Johnny has so often peered into, and who has a vital message that may or may not save the world from annihilation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Take a terrifying trip back to the beginning of one man's waking nightmare as Stephen King's best-selling book comes to life in this made-for-television feature starring Anthony Michael Hall. Following a near-fatal car accident, Johnny Smith (Hall) lies motionless in a deep coma for six years. When he awakens from his deep sleep, Johnny is haunted by psychic visions that allow him to look into the future of anyone he touches. Realizing that he can use his unique powers for the good of humankind, Johnny sets out on an tireless quest for justice that's plagued by danger at every turn. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall) awakens from a six-year coma to discover himself a stranger in his own land as the TV-series version of The Dead Zone launches its first season. Johnny's wealthy mother has died under mysterious circumstances, and a flamboyant televangelist named Gene Purdy (David Ogden Stiers) is in control of the Smith millions. Worse still, Johnny's fiancée, Sarah Bracknell (Nicole de Boer), is married to Sheriff Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno), and has a young son named J.J. -- who, unbeknownst to himself and Walt, is Johnny's biological son. Of utmost significance is the fact that Johnny, who harbored minor ESP powers before the car accident that had plunged him into a coma, is now a full-blown psychic, endowed with the ability to predict the future and read people's thoughts by touching their hands. As the season progresses, Johnny dedicates himself to using his mental gifts to help people and to prevent impending disasters -- all the while holding down his old teaching job. Johnny's friend and therapist, Bruce Lewis (John L. Adams), and our hero's reporter girlfriend, Dana Bright (Kristen Dalton), both suspect there is more to Johnny's uncanny ability to prognosticate than meets the eye, but in general he keeps his awesome powers to himself. Season-one highlights include Johnny's brief cosmic romance with a woman who may have died 60 years before, his psychic link with a century-old Native American shaman, his disturbing visions while serving on a jury, and his growing suspicion that Rev. Purdy murdered Johnny's mother for her money. In one episode, "Netherworld," Johnny awakens in what seems to be a parallel world in which his accident never occurred and he is happily married to Sarah...but appearances, here as elsewhere, are most deceiving. The season ends with "Destiny," the first episode of a two-part cliffhanger loosely derived from the 1983 film version of The Dead Zone, in which Johnny receives truly negative "vibes" when he touches the hand of ruthlessly ambitious congressional candidate Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having been given up for lost some 200 years earlier, a Bajoran space vessel suddenly emerges from the wormhole. Its sole passenger is Akorem Laan (Richard Libertini), a legendary Bajoran poet and political activist. Making up for lost time, Akorem claims to be the Emissary of the Prophets, a position currently -- and very reluctantly -- held by Sisko. As Akorem lays the groundwork for a full-scale return to the "old ways," Keiko returns to DS9 with important news for O'Brien. Written by Jane Espenson, "Accession" was first telecast February 26, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The crew of the Voyager must decide if their should put the safety of their allies before their own in this episode of the sci-fi series Star Trek: Voyager. The U.S.S. Voyager is on a search mission, trying to find a Maquis ship which has gone missing, when they're drawn into the Delta Quadrant by a mysterious but power individual known as "The Caretaker." The Caretaker knows he has only a short time to live, and is devoting the last of his days to establishing a colony of Ocampas on another planet. After the death of the Caretaker, Capt. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the commanding officer of the Voyager, opts to destroy the Camps space station rather than allow their advanced technologies to fell into the glands of their enemies; however, this decision also leaves the Voyager crew stranded in space with no where to go. Star Trek: Voyager: The Caretaker first aired on January 18, 1995. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The fourth entry in the evergreen Star Trek franchise, the UPN network's Star Trek: Voyager was set during the same timeframe (though definitely not the in same location!) as the syndicated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Caught in a sudden plasma storm while hunting down a ship full of Maquis terrorists, Starfleet Command's Voyager was thrust some 75,000 light years away from its home base. Now trapped in the Gamma Quadrant with their Maquis quarry, the Voyager crew, headed by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), was forced to form an alliance with the enemy. As it turned out, both the Voyager and the Maquis vessel had been deliberately relocated to Gamma by a mystical entity known as the Caretaker, who hoped that the combined crews would fulfill his mission to protect a less resourceful race known as the Ocampa -- and to remain eternally vigilant against the evil Kazon, who, during an early skirmish, had killed several members of both Janeway's crew and that of Maquis captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran). Surviving members of the Voyager roster included Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), who like Janeway hailed from planet Earth, as did Starfleet Academy rookie Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang). Carryovers from the Maquis vessel included the Native American Chakotay, who became Janeway's first officer; B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Biggs-Dawson), a mercurial half-human, half-Klington who replaced the Voyager's deceased chief engineer (and who later married the headstrong Tom Paris); and the Vulcan Tuvok (Tim Russ), who had infiltrated the Maquis as a Starfleet spy, surviving to become Janeway's security chief.

Others recruited for the Voyager were a pair of aliens from the Gamma Quadrant: Neelix (Ethan Phillips), a Talaxian adventurer who happened to be a master chef and an introspective philosopher, and the Ocampan Kes (Jennifer Lien), Neelix's lover. Kes would become an apprentice to the Voyager's Doctor (Robert Picardo), who despite resembling a human being was actually a holographic projection of the ship's emergency medical program. Kes would morph into a pure energy being in the series' fourth season; at the same time, the ship took on a new crew person, a human female who was once known as Anneka Hansen, but who, since her assimilation into the Borg Collective, had been renamed Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Still later, another recurring character appeared: Naomi Wildman, played by Scarlett Pomers. The series' episodes chronicled the efforts by Janeway and her crew to escape the Gamma Quadrant and return safely to Starfleet Command. Along the way, they were helped out by the "energized" Kes, who pushed the vessel some 9,500 light years closer to home, and by intergalactic communications expert "Reg" Barkley (Dwight Schultz, repeating his role from Star Trek: The Next Generation), who established a link between Starfleet and the Voyager, but only for 11 minutes at any given time. At the end of Star Trek: Voyager's seventh and final season, the vessel finally returned whence it came -- but in a series finale set 33 years after that return, it was revealed that several loose plot strands still had to be knotted together before a truly satisfying (or at least satisfactory) conclusion could be reached. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dax serves as host to Arjin (Geoffrey Blake) an insecure young Trill initiate who hopes to qualify for joining with a symbiont. While thus occupied, Dax becomes aware of a growing energy protoplasm which, if it expands into a universe, may destroy DS9. As she wrestles with the notion of possibly wiping out an entire civilization in order to save her colleagues, Dax must also contend with the increasingly troublesome Arjin. First telecast February 26, 1994, "Playing God" was written by Jim Trombetta and Michael Piller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first installment of this two-parter, Sisko learned of the existence of a Federation terrorist group whose activities threatened to start another war with the Cardassians. In part two, Sisko endeavors to prevent this by forming an uneasy alliance with Cardassian leader Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo). Complicating matters is the fact that the Maquis is headed by Sisko's old friend Cal Hudson (Bernie Casey). Originally telecast April 30, 1994, part two of "The Maquis" was scripted by Ira Steven Behr from a story by Behr, Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor and James Crocker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide