Time to open the windows, beat the rugs and dust off the furniture. Yes, this place has been silent since January.
Other blogs and places on the Internet certainly have plans to celebrate Trek's 40th anniversary. (With Paramount remaining notably mute thus far).
There will be two tributes posted here on September 8th 2006, the 40th anniversary of the first U.S. airing of Star Trek, one for the first twenty years, and one for the most recent twenty. (the beginning of TNG and the "Voyage Home" film being the arbitrary cutoff point decided by this blogs owner. )
If there are any other bloggers/websites planning something special online, drop me a line and I'll link to it nearer to the date of the actual anniversary.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Monday, January 02, 2006
A "Crack'd" Idea
A rumor from last month, found here, talks about the next film being set in the Mirror-Universe of Star Trek, with Picard, Archer, and (that two time Emmy winner #$%^&* WTF!) Kirk.
No Sisko? The writers cannot be bothered to yank him out of the wormhole to deal with a universe and it's inhabitants that he has dealt with *more often* than *any* of the other captains. Picard went once in the books, and was truly able to handle himself, (although I'd rather see Mirror Troi than Mirror Picard [delighted shudder]) Kirk was there for perhaps twelve hours and was lucky to escape before Marlena phasered him or Spock or Sulu gave him some time in the Booth. And the only way Shatner's casting would be remotely palatable for me is if he played Kirk's evil counterpart. Then, just as his Emmy turn as Denny Crane has been, he can be as nutty as he likes.
And, much as I love "In a Mirror Darkly" Archer *has never been there!" We only saw the counterparts!!!
I love Scott Bakula. I do. But they'd better swap Archer for Sisko, or that movie is going to bring what's left of the franchise seven years of bad luck.
No Sisko? The writers cannot be bothered to yank him out of the wormhole to deal with a universe and it's inhabitants that he has dealt with *more often* than *any* of the other captains. Picard went once in the books, and was truly able to handle himself, (although I'd rather see Mirror Troi than Mirror Picard [delighted shudder]) Kirk was there for perhaps twelve hours and was lucky to escape before Marlena phasered him or Spock or Sulu gave him some time in the Booth. And the only way Shatner's casting would be remotely palatable for me is if he played Kirk's evil counterpart. Then, just as his Emmy turn as Denny Crane has been, he can be as nutty as he likes.
And, much as I love "In a Mirror Darkly" Archer *has never been there!" We only saw the counterparts!!!
I love Scott Bakula. I do. But they'd better swap Archer for Sisko, or that movie is going to bring what's left of the franchise seven years of bad luck.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
I'm scared.
I've just seen the "Extra Features" part of the Enterprise DVD box set and I just want to put something out there. For those who are TOS fans, and who have seen the episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before," the celebrated Second Pilot
I have a few words.
Remember Gary Lockwood, the actor who played Gary Mitchell? The guy who smiled and snarked a lot at Kirk when he found he could Move Sprayed Styrofoam Coffee Cups At Will? The one who, while smiling and snarking had to stagger around the bloody set half blind because the darn silver contacts wouldn't let him *look at anything ?* [Even Sally Kellerman?] Well he has a good twin.
Manny Coto.
The guy looks like Gary Mitchell's older brother after a particularly good week at the health club, spa and vacation at the beach.
It's obvious that he had a great deal of fun on the last year of Enterprise, the year that fans of the show say *they got it right* about. He was nothing but positive. All smiles all the time. About the Augments arc with Brent Spiner, about the three episode arc on Vulcan, and he was even charitable about the beginning and end of the season, that came from the Berman/Braga braintrust. I liked his interview and the segment, but then he would smile and lean back in his chair and look down, and I would get this involuntary shiver and think, "When are his eyes going to flash silver?"
Other features included a *tiny* list of outtakes...the most memorable of which involve Scott Bakula, Jeffrey Coombs and some antennae.
There was some great material involving the Mirror Episodes showcasing mainly costume changes. "We put the "Ho" back in Hoshi," and how the writer of the episode planted a rationalization in part I so that we could see the Mirror- Enterprise crewpeople in TOS clothing in part II
The rest of the extras were just not worth it for me, since all they did was make me sad all over again about Enterprise's cancellation (last day of shooting, with a lengthy naming list of many many people who worked behind the scenes or as charactor actors and smaller roles, the wrap party etc.)
But, for the Mirror Episode stuff and Manny Coto's praise of the best of the fourth season, it is worth a view.
I have a few words.
Remember Gary Lockwood, the actor who played Gary Mitchell? The guy who smiled and snarked a lot at Kirk when he found he could Move Sprayed Styrofoam Coffee Cups At Will? The one who, while smiling and snarking had to stagger around the bloody set half blind because the darn silver contacts wouldn't let him *look at anything ?* [Even Sally Kellerman?] Well he has a good twin.
Manny Coto.
The guy looks like Gary Mitchell's older brother after a particularly good week at the health club, spa and vacation at the beach.
It's obvious that he had a great deal of fun on the last year of Enterprise, the year that fans of the show say *they got it right* about. He was nothing but positive. All smiles all the time. About the Augments arc with Brent Spiner, about the three episode arc on Vulcan, and he was even charitable about the beginning and end of the season, that came from the Berman/Braga braintrust. I liked his interview and the segment, but then he would smile and lean back in his chair and look down, and I would get this involuntary shiver and think, "When are his eyes going to flash silver?"
Other features included a *tiny* list of outtakes...the most memorable of which involve Scott Bakula, Jeffrey Coombs and some antennae.
There was some great material involving the Mirror Episodes showcasing mainly costume changes. "We put the "Ho" back in Hoshi," and how the writer of the episode planted a rationalization in part I so that we could see the Mirror- Enterprise crewpeople in TOS clothing in part II
The rest of the extras were just not worth it for me, since all they did was make me sad all over again about Enterprise's cancellation (last day of shooting, with a lengthy naming list of many many people who worked behind the scenes or as charactor actors and smaller roles, the wrap party etc.)
But, for the Mirror Episode stuff and Manny Coto's praise of the best of the fourth season, it is worth a view.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Cackling over a particular piece
of my Christmas loot. :) Thank goodness it's ok to react like a child one day of the year:
"Enterprise: Season Four" was under my tree.
I'll review the "special features" etc section when I have a chance to actually sit down and watch it
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
"Enterprise: Season Four" was under my tree.
I'll review the "special features" etc section when I have a chance to actually sit down and watch it
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Christmas Trek
To be sung at great volume and questionable pitch to the tune of 'The Twelve days of Christmas,"
On the first day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
A Tribble and some Saurian brandy...
On the second day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
A two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble,
and some Saurian Brandy
On the third day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Fourth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me: Four days with Q, three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the fifth day of Christmas My Captain gave to me:
Five Zindi Weapons....Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy...
On the sixth Day of Christmas, my Captain gave to me:
Six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, A tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the seventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Seven Klingon's Kursing,six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the Eighth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eight whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons, Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the ninth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Nine cups of ale (Romulan style, *whew!*), Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons,
Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Tenth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Ten emotion chips,Nine cups of ale, Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing , Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi weapons,
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the eleventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine cups of Ale, Eight Whales Singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Twelfth day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
Twelve Reman bodyguards, Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine Cups of Ale, Eight Whales singing Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's Secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
Merry Christmas....
On the first day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
A Tribble and some Saurian brandy...
On the second day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
A two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble,
and some Saurian Brandy
On the third day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Fourth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me: Four days with Q, three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the fifth day of Christmas My Captain gave to me:
Five Zindi Weapons....Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy...
On the sixth Day of Christmas, my Captain gave to me:
Six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, A tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the seventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Seven Klingon's Kursing,six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the Eighth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eight whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons, Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the ninth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Nine cups of ale (Romulan style, *whew!*), Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons,
Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Tenth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Ten emotion chips,Nine cups of ale, Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing , Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi weapons,
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the eleventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine cups of Ale, Eight Whales Singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Twelfth day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
Twelve Reman bodyguards, Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine Cups of Ale, Eight Whales singing Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's Secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
Merry Christmas....
Sunday, December 18, 2005
I've invited a Guest Trek Blogger
to share their thoughts about the franchise written about two years ago.
Scott Shriner is a Trek Fan Extraordinare and a For Real Journalist. When he was young, I taught him up in the [Star Trek] ways he should go, and now that he has grown up he has not departed from them. :)
The only editing I plead is a few profanity erasures (don't get me wrong I love profanity, I'm just not sure of Blogger's position on that. ), and one small, minimalist,teensy, miniature (I'm SORRY Scott, I had to do it) timing and date change on one of the items in his Deep Space Nine post.
Enjoy.
Scott Shriner is a Trek Fan Extraordinare and a For Real Journalist. When he was young, I taught him up in the [Star Trek] ways he should go, and now that he has grown up he has not departed from them. :)
The only editing I plead is a few profanity erasures (don't get me wrong I love profanity, I'm just not sure of Blogger's position on that. ), and one small, minimalist,teensy, miniature (I'm SORRY Scott, I had to do it) timing and date change on one of the items in his Deep Space Nine post.
Enjoy.
Guest Trek Blogging #1
My name is Scott Shriner, and I'm a Trekaholic.
Always have been, always will be. I'll take it wherever I can get it. I'll wear that raggedly old Deep Space Nine sweatshirt that my wife hates forever. I will eventually buy all the Trek shows on DVD despite the fact that the assholes at Paramount have ludicrously overpriced them. Are you a Trekaholic, too? Well, it's a condition that's hard to diagnose. You may love Trek in general, but hate "Voyager." Can you hate "Voyager" and still be a Trekoholic? That's a tough question. Hmm…how can I boil it down?Look, let me give it to you straight, OK? Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?" Good for you; let's watch it sometime & talk about how it's the best Trek movie all time----you'll get no argument from me. But c'mon, everybody loves that movie. Doesn't mean you're an addict.Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier?" You may be a Trekoholic, like me. You have my condolences.
So I'm a nut for this stuff. I think Trek is great---in all its forms. I watch ALL the shows. No ifs ands or buts….I know who the Medusans are and I know who the Xindi are. If you know who either of them are, you're quite possibly a fan. But if you know who both are, it means you really are on the Enterprise for the long Trek haul.That being said…Trek is not perfect. It's had moments of perfection, but it's not perfect. It has had its ups and downs. Wow, has it ever. And I feel inspired, on this 38th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's creation, to cast aside all the bullshit expectations I have about how good Trek should be and deliver an affectionate, but honest, "state of the Trek" report. I'm always the one defending Star Trek to those who have arguments against its merits; well, now I want to truly debate those arguments, and perhaps make some of my own. What's the current status of Star Trek, what led it to the state it's in, and what it's future will be…that's what I want to talk about.Have ya got awhile? Good. Let's get Trekkin.
Always have been, always will be. I'll take it wherever I can get it. I'll wear that raggedly old Deep Space Nine sweatshirt that my wife hates forever. I will eventually buy all the Trek shows on DVD despite the fact that the assholes at Paramount have ludicrously overpriced them. Are you a Trekaholic, too? Well, it's a condition that's hard to diagnose. You may love Trek in general, but hate "Voyager." Can you hate "Voyager" and still be a Trekoholic? That's a tough question. Hmm…how can I boil it down?Look, let me give it to you straight, OK? Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?" Good for you; let's watch it sometime & talk about how it's the best Trek movie all time----you'll get no argument from me. But c'mon, everybody loves that movie. Doesn't mean you're an addict.Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier?" You may be a Trekoholic, like me. You have my condolences.
So I'm a nut for this stuff. I think Trek is great---in all its forms. I watch ALL the shows. No ifs ands or buts….I know who the Medusans are and I know who the Xindi are. If you know who either of them are, you're quite possibly a fan. But if you know who both are, it means you really are on the Enterprise for the long Trek haul.That being said…Trek is not perfect. It's had moments of perfection, but it's not perfect. It has had its ups and downs. Wow, has it ever. And I feel inspired, on this 38th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's creation, to cast aside all the bullshit expectations I have about how good Trek should be and deliver an affectionate, but honest, "state of the Trek" report. I'm always the one defending Star Trek to those who have arguments against its merits; well, now I want to truly debate those arguments, and perhaps make some of my own. What's the current status of Star Trek, what led it to the state it's in, and what it's future will be…that's what I want to talk about.Have ya got awhile? Good. Let's get Trekkin.
Guest Trek Blogging #2
The Original Series.
I'm not going to spend much time talking about this show, because I don't feel it's necessary. All arguments against this show are bullshit. They're bogus. You can't make an argument against this show, and no Trek fan should even attempt to.Yes, the original series produced some bad episodes. Some really bad ones. Some horrendously bad ones. It also gave us some of most memorable, amazing stuff ever seen on TV---not only "for its time," the phrase which some people like to quantify their compliments to the original show with---but period. Case closed.Don't give any of that crap about bad special effects. It's not a valid argument. Not even remotely valid. Sure, they were bad special effects. Trek is not about special effects. It's about ideas and it's about people. The special effects are so inconsequential that they are not even worth mentioning. Even though I did. But I had, because some of you people will not shut up about them.Don't talk to me about bad acting. I dare you to watch any original series episode - any episode - and tell me that the Spock character, no matter how brilliantly portrayed by Nimoy, would have worked if it hadn't been for Shatner's performance to counter him. Folks, I love to make fun of Shatner, too….you've probably seen me do it. Hell, the guy makes fun of himself. But without his acting - bad or good, call it whatever you want to - there would have been no Trek. Got it? Good.And finally, do not - I repeat, DO NOT- say one more word to me about "how come the Klingons look so different in the later shows and movies?" I don't care why they looked different. The studio had more money, so they had better makeup….that's why they looked different. There's a thing called suspension of disbelief…get acquainted with it.The original Star Trek series is golden. Golden, I say. Without it, there would have been no others. You can't touch it. Don't even try.And if after all my convincing arguments, you still don't like it….well, all I can say is, you're missing out on something really groovy.
I'm not going to spend much time talking about this show, because I don't feel it's necessary. All arguments against this show are bullshit. They're bogus. You can't make an argument against this show, and no Trek fan should even attempt to.Yes, the original series produced some bad episodes. Some really bad ones. Some horrendously bad ones. It also gave us some of most memorable, amazing stuff ever seen on TV---not only "for its time," the phrase which some people like to quantify their compliments to the original show with---but period. Case closed.Don't give any of that crap about bad special effects. It's not a valid argument. Not even remotely valid. Sure, they were bad special effects. Trek is not about special effects. It's about ideas and it's about people. The special effects are so inconsequential that they are not even worth mentioning. Even though I did. But I had, because some of you people will not shut up about them.Don't talk to me about bad acting. I dare you to watch any original series episode - any episode - and tell me that the Spock character, no matter how brilliantly portrayed by Nimoy, would have worked if it hadn't been for Shatner's performance to counter him. Folks, I love to make fun of Shatner, too….you've probably seen me do it. Hell, the guy makes fun of himself. But without his acting - bad or good, call it whatever you want to - there would have been no Trek. Got it? Good.And finally, do not - I repeat, DO NOT- say one more word to me about "how come the Klingons look so different in the later shows and movies?" I don't care why they looked different. The studio had more money, so they had better makeup….that's why they looked different. There's a thing called suspension of disbelief…get acquainted with it.The original Star Trek series is golden. Golden, I say. Without it, there would have been no others. You can't touch it. Don't even try.And if after all my convincing arguments, you still don't like it….well, all I can say is, you're missing out on something really groovy.
Guest Trek Blogging #3
The Next Generation.
Other than Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, this show is the most mainstream Trek ever got…and ever will get, in my opinion. And it deserves to be mainstream, cause you know what, it was really good. It was really really good. And man, when it was good, it positively crackled. This show had fantastic characters---Picard, Data, Worf, Ensign Ro, Q. Patrick Stewart played those dramatic scenes like he was in a fucking Shakespeare and Ibsen festival…thank God no one ever apparently told him he was in a friggin spinoff of an obscure, absurb little toy guns in outer space show. That Klingon intrigue! That Borg cliffhanger! That quest to be human! That was fantastic stuff, people and we all love it. The Next Generation is the only Trek show which no one will argue with me about, because everyone loves it. And we should.That being said…The Next Generation's first season was not horrible. But at times it came really damn close. It was not only clearly the worst first season of any Trek show, but also quite possibly one of the worst first seasons of ANY show that had even close of its kind of longevity. Look at the first season. Just look at it. Sure, someone had been smart enough to cast Stewart, but the writers were scared to death of actually giving some bald, middle-aged Englishman heroic, leading man stuff to do. Most of that stuff went to Riker at first; our beloved Jean "the line must be drawn here" Luc was pretty damn boring and passive those first few years. It wasn't until around the third season that they really realized what a gold mine they had with the future X-Men star, and that the meaty cool stuff should be going to the more interesting character, not to mention the better actor. (sorry Jonathan Frakes. You know I love you. You know I love Riker. But like I said, I'm cutting out the bullshit today and let's face facts---Riker is to Picard as Mick Shrimpton is to Nigel Tufnel. Riker could spontaneously combust while playing his goddamn trombone and they could get someone to replace him in a heartbeat. Without Picard, the whole bloody show falls apart.)Like any Trek show, there were some bad episodes. And let me tell you something about Wesley Crusher. Yeah, he's the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek…it's easy to hate him because he's such an easy target. But I'm not going to defend him. I happen to like him, but I refuse to defend him, because he was a bad concept from the very start. Casting the kind from "Stand By Me." Sure, good idea. But making him a genius? Bad idea. And what the hell was he doing at the helm of the Enterprise? Wil Wheaton did his job, give him a break. But Wesley was a mistake. I am now going to say something which some may regard as sacrilegious. Bear with me, I'm only saying it because I promised to be candid. The Next Generation got better after Roddenberry got his nose out of it.I love what Roddenberry brought us. He established the universe, the characters. But the show got better after he and his hippie dreams of conflict-free banality were out of the way of Trek's day-to-day production. Just like the Trek movies got better when he wasn't running them (Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a good film…yes, it is, watch it again, it's not as bad as you remember. But put it up against Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, Voyage Home…there's no contest. It's standard Trek pedestrianism compared to those later movies, which really pushed the envelope and dared to tell us stuff about the characters that we didn't already know.)But I digress----I'll get to the movies later, I promise. TNG set the standard for modern Trek. Unfortunately, it arguably set it so high and so well, that -with one notable exception-future spinoffs were scared shitless to divert from it.Let's continue…
Other than Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, this show is the most mainstream Trek ever got…and ever will get, in my opinion. And it deserves to be mainstream, cause you know what, it was really good. It was really really good. And man, when it was good, it positively crackled. This show had fantastic characters---Picard, Data, Worf, Ensign Ro, Q. Patrick Stewart played those dramatic scenes like he was in a fucking Shakespeare and Ibsen festival…thank God no one ever apparently told him he was in a friggin spinoff of an obscure, absurb little toy guns in outer space show. That Klingon intrigue! That Borg cliffhanger! That quest to be human! That was fantastic stuff, people and we all love it. The Next Generation is the only Trek show which no one will argue with me about, because everyone loves it. And we should.That being said…The Next Generation's first season was not horrible. But at times it came really damn close. It was not only clearly the worst first season of any Trek show, but also quite possibly one of the worst first seasons of ANY show that had even close of its kind of longevity. Look at the first season. Just look at it. Sure, someone had been smart enough to cast Stewart, but the writers were scared to death of actually giving some bald, middle-aged Englishman heroic, leading man stuff to do. Most of that stuff went to Riker at first; our beloved Jean "the line must be drawn here" Luc was pretty damn boring and passive those first few years. It wasn't until around the third season that they really realized what a gold mine they had with the future X-Men star, and that the meaty cool stuff should be going to the more interesting character, not to mention the better actor. (sorry Jonathan Frakes. You know I love you. You know I love Riker. But like I said, I'm cutting out the bullshit today and let's face facts---Riker is to Picard as Mick Shrimpton is to Nigel Tufnel. Riker could spontaneously combust while playing his goddamn trombone and they could get someone to replace him in a heartbeat. Without Picard, the whole bloody show falls apart.)Like any Trek show, there were some bad episodes. And let me tell you something about Wesley Crusher. Yeah, he's the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek…it's easy to hate him because he's such an easy target. But I'm not going to defend him. I happen to like him, but I refuse to defend him, because he was a bad concept from the very start. Casting the kind from "Stand By Me." Sure, good idea. But making him a genius? Bad idea. And what the hell was he doing at the helm of the Enterprise? Wil Wheaton did his job, give him a break. But Wesley was a mistake. I am now going to say something which some may regard as sacrilegious. Bear with me, I'm only saying it because I promised to be candid. The Next Generation got better after Roddenberry got his nose out of it.I love what Roddenberry brought us. He established the universe, the characters. But the show got better after he and his hippie dreams of conflict-free banality were out of the way of Trek's day-to-day production. Just like the Trek movies got better when he wasn't running them (Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a good film…yes, it is, watch it again, it's not as bad as you remember. But put it up against Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, Voyage Home…there's no contest. It's standard Trek pedestrianism compared to those later movies, which really pushed the envelope and dared to tell us stuff about the characters that we didn't already know.)But I digress----I'll get to the movies later, I promise. TNG set the standard for modern Trek. Unfortunately, it arguably set it so high and so well, that -with one notable exception-future spinoffs were scared shitless to divert from it.Let's continue…
Guest Trek Blogging #4
Deep Space Nine.
Promise me something. If you are one of those people who loves Next Generation but (quote) "never got into that Deep Space Nine show" (unquote), promise me that you will get into it. If you have read this far into my rantings and you haven't gotten bored yet and you are (if I may be so presumptuous) having as much fun listening to me talk Trek as I am actually talking it, you need to get into DS9. You just need to. Deep Space Nine was Trek's "great experiment," to coin Kirk's description of the U.S.S. Excelsior. To some of the show's detractors, this experiment failed; like the Excelsior in Star Trek III, DS9 looked flashy at first, but it sputtered and fell apart when it tried to chase the mighty Enterprise. But to a lot of us who actually watched the show from start to finish (and I guarantee you none of its detractors did so) this experiment was a savior; like the Excelsior in Star Trek VI, it kicked ass, defied Starfleet regulations and nearly flew itself apart while soaring to the aid of an old and tired ship, and keeping the Enterprise - and the franchise -alive. What did you think of that metaphor? I thought it worked swimmingly well. OK, the show had a misfire here and there. Nog flying the Defiant made about as much sense as, I don't know ,Wesley flying the Enterprise. OK bad example. But seriously it had some dumb moments. But man were they few & far between. Put simply, DS9 is Trek living up to its full potential. It took the fantastically rich universe Roddenberry & the gang had created, and through its willingness to fuck with the rules that had been established for it, showed us how it was even more cool than we thought it was.Give me a show set on an alien space station, where the characters can't just take off if they aren't getting along with the latest guy whose wife Kirk or Riker banged. Give me a character who hates Picard because he (as Locutus) killed his wife at Wolf 359, someone who doesn't forgive him for that, like we were all so willing to do.Give me an ex-terrorist as a first officer, who thinks the Federation is a bunch of jag-offs.Give me a changeling searching for his identity…and better yet, when he finds that identity, let him be ***** repulsed by it.Give me a Ferengi who is neither an ineffective villain OR comic relief… someone who's a real guy.Give me a kid character who, unlike Wesley, doesn't give a **** about Starfleet. Make him a writer. Now there's someone I can relate to.You can have your boring Cigarette Smoking, Man…give me Garak, a mysterious recurring character who's actually interesting.Give me a green, wet-behind-the-ears young doctor who I think I'm going to hate, and make him into one of the most complex characters on Trek.Give me a husband and wife with a family on a Trek show, and show me how their lives work in the context of what happens on a Trek show.Give me Martok. Give me Rom. Give me Dukat. Give me Winn. Give me Weyoun. Give me Morn.Give me Dax…whatever form she's in.Give me a show that features a knock-down drag-out two-year war, an oppressed spiritual race, political coups out the wazoo, and a *****singing, self-aware hologram in a 1940s [actually Scott it was an early '60's] Vegas gin joint, and weave it all into an amazing tapestry that ends with the lead character being revealed as a **** messiah.Give me DS9, baby. Give me more.
Promise me something. If you are one of those people who loves Next Generation but (quote) "never got into that Deep Space Nine show" (unquote), promise me that you will get into it. If you have read this far into my rantings and you haven't gotten bored yet and you are (if I may be so presumptuous) having as much fun listening to me talk Trek as I am actually talking it, you need to get into DS9. You just need to. Deep Space Nine was Trek's "great experiment," to coin Kirk's description of the U.S.S. Excelsior. To some of the show's detractors, this experiment failed; like the Excelsior in Star Trek III, DS9 looked flashy at first, but it sputtered and fell apart when it tried to chase the mighty Enterprise. But to a lot of us who actually watched the show from start to finish (and I guarantee you none of its detractors did so) this experiment was a savior; like the Excelsior in Star Trek VI, it kicked ass, defied Starfleet regulations and nearly flew itself apart while soaring to the aid of an old and tired ship, and keeping the Enterprise - and the franchise -alive. What did you think of that metaphor? I thought it worked swimmingly well. OK, the show had a misfire here and there. Nog flying the Defiant made about as much sense as, I don't know ,Wesley flying the Enterprise. OK bad example. But seriously it had some dumb moments. But man were they few & far between. Put simply, DS9 is Trek living up to its full potential. It took the fantastically rich universe Roddenberry & the gang had created, and through its willingness to fuck with the rules that had been established for it, showed us how it was even more cool than we thought it was.Give me a show set on an alien space station, where the characters can't just take off if they aren't getting along with the latest guy whose wife Kirk or Riker banged. Give me a character who hates Picard because he (as Locutus) killed his wife at Wolf 359, someone who doesn't forgive him for that, like we were all so willing to do.Give me an ex-terrorist as a first officer, who thinks the Federation is a bunch of jag-offs.Give me a changeling searching for his identity…and better yet, when he finds that identity, let him be ***** repulsed by it.Give me a Ferengi who is neither an ineffective villain OR comic relief… someone who's a real guy.Give me a kid character who, unlike Wesley, doesn't give a **** about Starfleet. Make him a writer. Now there's someone I can relate to.You can have your boring Cigarette Smoking, Man…give me Garak, a mysterious recurring character who's actually interesting.Give me a green, wet-behind-the-ears young doctor who I think I'm going to hate, and make him into one of the most complex characters on Trek.Give me a husband and wife with a family on a Trek show, and show me how their lives work in the context of what happens on a Trek show.Give me Martok. Give me Rom. Give me Dukat. Give me Winn. Give me Weyoun. Give me Morn.Give me Dax…whatever form she's in.Give me a show that features a knock-down drag-out two-year war, an oppressed spiritual race, political coups out the wazoo, and a *****singing, self-aware hologram in a 1940s [actually Scott it was an early '60's] Vegas gin joint, and weave it all into an amazing tapestry that ends with the lead character being revealed as a **** messiah.Give me DS9, baby. Give me more.
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