Trek Vets Pen 'Dead Zone' Episodes

The Dead Zone returns for its second season on Sunday, and the first two episodes of its sophomore year have been written by Trek veterans.

Former Deep Space Nine & Voyager scribe Michael Taylor, who serves as co-producer on the series, penned the season premiere, 'Valley of the Shadow,' according to Paramount.com.

The episode, which airs January 5 at 10:00pm on the USA Network, continues the story from last season's finale, in which Johnny Smith (played by Anthony Michael Hall), experienced "Armageddon visions." Sean Patrick Flanery (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) returns in the recurring role of Congressional candidate Greg Stillson, who becomes an object of obsession for Johnny Smith as he delves into the politician's past.

'Descent,' which airs a week later on January 12, was written by Deep Space Nine writer-producer and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda developer Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Part one of a two-part story, the episode involves Johnny Smith's attempt to rescue four teenagers from a collapsing mine.

Based on the Stephen King novel, The Dead Zone was created for television by DS9 and Voyager co-creator Michael Piller and his son, Shawn Piller. The series follows the life of Johnny Smith, who wakes up from a six-year coma to discover he has psychic abilities. Nicole deBoer (Ezri Dax) plays Johnny's former fiancée, now married, while David Ogden Stiers (Dr. Timicin in TNG's 'Half A Life') appears in the recurring role of the Reverend Gene Purdy.

The original episode synopses can be found here at Paramount.com. Further information on the show's second season is available in a Sci-Fi Wire interview with Shawn Piller or Michael Piller's latest production update at the official web site.

Discuss this news item at Trek BBS!
 Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fan? Then visit CSIFiles.com!