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Sundays are now lazy days for me. Going forward, I’m just going to re-post other people’s work or just do something silly. Today it’s … well, let’s just say I refuse to let this go, both the meme and the underlying issue.
Star Trek >> Star Wars.
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I love Star Trek: Discovery, but season 3 of DISCO ended with quite a let down. There were two basic premises of the season that really hooked me: A jump to the far future, and the mystery of the “Burn.” The crew probably won’t ever be going back in time, so we’ll always have that. The mystery of the “Burn,” however, was quite disappointing. That’s a lost opportunity to tell a cool story. I did like that they had a good reason to show Doug Jones without all the makeup. 🙂
The one constant complaint I have about all seasons is that the crewmembers are often people that have no business serving on what is (despite the claims to the contrary) a military vessel. This season exacerbated that by, among other things, having characters asking permission to be leaders. Seriously. More than once. That’s not how leadership works, but it’s how non-leader types want to believe it works, and that’s a lot of the fanbase. That’s harder to believe than warp drive and energy beings.
Still, I don’t regret watching the show. It’s Star Trek. I’m always going to watch, but I’m very concerned with the direction of the writing. A shake up behind the curtain is probably needed. DISCO has a lot of haters, and I don’t want this new wave of Star Trek television to fail.
YMMV.
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Sundays are now lazy days for me. Going forward, I’m just going to re-post other people’s work or just do something silly. Today it’s my own work, but it’s work I’ve already done. I went a little nuts today, creating my own, ridiculous spin on a Facebook post. I posted a handful of nerdy limericks, referencing Star Trek, Star Wars, the MCU, the DCEU, and Lord of the Rings. Each one has a Twitter hashtag of #NerdLimericks, so you can just click here to see them all. If I, or anyone else, adds more, they show up using that same link. The complete URL is: https://twitter.com/hashtag/NerdLimerick?src=hashtag_click.
Just for good measure, here are direct links to just a few of them. Retweet them all and share your own!
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Two Facebook interactions led me to this train of thought. First, I noted that I haven’t watched any MCU films in months (nor have I watched any DCEU ones in the same period). Second, I noted that Star Trek: Lower Decks really grew on me after four episodes. This got me thinking about how important that show is to the Star Trek universe, and how similar its role is to Shazam! and Guardians of the Galaxy in their respective universes.
In the prior post comparing Shazam! and Guardians of the Galaxy, I talked about the thematic similarities and their impact on the big picture to their universes. I’ll draw the same comparisons to Lower Decks in kind. But first, ….
Mea Culpa
I can never say this enough, though I never focused on this within this blog. I’m too old to be considered the target market for the MCU, but I look a lot like it. The base are the comic book nerds, some of whom are syncophants that will love anything “comic book” put before them (“Thank heavens I’m seeing my childhood get its due on the big screen!”), and others who will always hate anything “comic book” put before them (“You’re ruining my childhood!”). Even if you got all of them on board, that’s not “the masses.” Any property needs to grab a related crowd: People who didn’t grow up obsessed with the material but are nonetheless the type of people inclined to give it a shot. Win them, and you make billions of dollars. That’s one big reason why movies must deviate from their comic roots, always leading to haters. (The other big reason is that movies and comics are different media.)
Because of my age, I’m not quite in the target demographic, but I look a hell of a lot like it. I’m not going to use my disposable income to buy toys, shirts, caps, etc., but in terms of how I think, I’m a lot like that group. I was never really into comics, but because my cousin was a collector, I was familiar with them. Plus, I’m a nerd, so I’m inclined to like these movies. Win me over, and you have an indicator that you’re probably winning over that target audience.
So, when Guardians of the Galaxy was announced, I thought my reluctance wasn’t a good sign. I thought the MCU had finally lost its magic. Despite a decent knowledge of the Marvel characters, I’d never heard of the Guardians. It was too obscure of a property. When I learned more about them, I thought it was stupid and cinematic suicide to put a talking racoon and talking tree front and center. There were far better characters to have used, most of which could be taken seriously. In fairness, I wasn’t alone.
But yeah, I’m a dipshit.
I could focus on just how well acted, directed, and written the movies were, and how their particular themes appealed specifically to my personal psyche, making them my favorite MCU films behind Winter Soldier, but that would be missing the point. Even if the movies were mediocre, they still served an important role in the MCU as a whole. While all the MCU films were a mix of comedy and action, they gave far less importance to comedy. Guardians changed that. It gave us a break, and its influence on future films provided a comedic anchor despite the heavy-handed stakes of the Infinity War saga.
So, mea culpa. Thankfully, I didn’t make such prejudgments about Shazam!
Much Needed Lightheartedness
Every movie in the MCU and DCEU has comedy in it, but clearly the movies are about action first and comedy second. However, the mix between the two changes from movie to movie. As I discussed above, Marvel knew exactly when to make a shift with Guardians. DC may have waited too long, but eventually they got there. Star Trek has done it right with Lower Decks. It took several episodes for me to warm to it, but I absolutely did.
While I love Discovery and Picard, they’re very heavy-handed, and it turned off a lot of people. In fact, Strange New Worlds is a promise to bring back Star Trek‘s hopeful tone to bring those critics back into the fold, but until it’s ready for release, Lower Decks is swooping in to lighten the tone. Unfortunately, as quickly as it arrived — it’s only the third new Star Trek series — it hasn’t been fast enough for some. I don’t think it’s caught on as much as it deserves, but without meaning to criticize the others two series, it’s exactly what Star Trek needs right now. Lower Decks is not to be taken seriously. It’s a goofy show, providing what Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home did for the Original Series crew movies, and what Guardians and Shazam! did for their respective universes, but to a more extreme level. Right now, Star Trek needs that silly humor, and after that, they’ll need to bounce back to a show that takes things seriously but focuses on positivity. I’m glad I won’t need to offer another mea culpa. I can’t wait for Strange New Worlds to arrive.
When you consider how much time was spent on each topic in this post, I really should have title it, “Mea Culpa.”
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I’m excited to watch the season premiere of Star Trek Discovery tonight. Why? Because the alternative is a town hall with either Biden or Trump (written on 10/15/2020). Plus, I love Star Trek. This is, after all, why I bought a subscription to CBS All Access. I don’t plan on doing viewing notes for every episode; just this one.
Burnham arrives in the future. This is something every space show gets wrong. If you choose a random point in the universe, the overwhelming odds are that it’ll be empty. Yet here she is, showing up in a mess of junk and running directly into a ship.
Gee. It’s a good thing Burnham landed on a class M planet. What are the odds? See above.
Book really can’t fight. Give me the first punch, and you’re going to sleep. Plus, phasers have greater range than knives. It’s not an even trade to separate. She’s still a threat, and you’re no longer one. Dipshit.
The Burn!
A dilithium recrystallizer?
Oh, wait. Nevermind.
In other news, my spell check doesn’t recognize “dilithium” or “recrystallizer.”
I just saw Morn!
Yep. That’s Morn (you know what I mean).
Amazing that the animal’s goo is everywhere but on Michael’s face.
The red-leaved trees are an obvious homage to the opening scene of Star Trek Into Darkness. That movie deserves no references.
Why is everyone whispering? Speak up. I can’t make out what you’re saying.
Overall, this is a very interesting take on the Star Trek universe. I’m eager to see where this season goes.
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Sundays are now lazy days for me. Going forward, I’m just going to re-post other people’s work or just do something silly. Today, however, it’s serious. Neil DeGrasse Tyson and other assorted space scientists always caution us about the “unknown unknown” perils of space travel. This is an example of such a peril. Who could possibly have anticipated this?
At least now we know to look for space rabbits. You’re welcome.
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Sundays are now lazy days for me. Going forward, I’m just going to re-post other people’s work or just do something silly. Today, it’s a preview for tomorrow’s post. You see, Mr. Rourke had a fantasy too.
Please. It’s Kirk. Even Mr. Rourke couldn’t pull off that feat.
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Sundays are now lazy days for me. Going forward, I’m just going to re-post other people’s work or just do something silly. Today, it’s using Deepfake to swap the Original Series actors into 2009+ Star Trek.
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We end this series on CBS All Access with this movie, otherwise known as Star Trek X: The Search for Data. I’ve written about this one before. It’s one of my entries in my Guilty Pleasures series.
I love this intro, especially the music.
How convenient that tharalon radiation is green. The Romulan Empire has always been assigned a green motif.
Oh, crap. Denna Troi is going to cry again.
Considering that Romulan ale is illegal, it sure pops up a lot among Federation personnel.
I guess Worf has been studying up on ancient Earth composers since the last mission.
Worf is a prude.
“You have the bridge . . . Mr. Troi.”
Why didn’t they catch shit for this line?
I feel for Picard here. I plan to buy a Jeep Wrangler next month.
We’re within several kilometers of the signals.
That’s not very precise.
It appears that B-4’s clothing is actually a part of him rather than something he wears.
Suddenly they can pinpoint the signal to within a few meters?
There’s no way that jeep would make that jump. It’s too far.
So much for the Prime Directive.
The Enterprise is always the closest ship.
There’s no way the Federation flagship goes to Romulus unescorted. Many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation made mention of how the Romulans were going to capture the Enterprise and dismantle it to learn its technological secrets. Going in alone seems naive.
So Data no longer uses his emotion chip?
Considering how strong B-4 is, it was rather reckless to assemble him. They didn’t need him to be assembled in order to speak with him.
They’ve been waiting for 17 hours? That seems like a waste of time, and not just for the Enterprise. As we eventually see (SPOILER ALERT!), Shinzon is in a time crunch.
Is Ron Perlman in every movie?
It’s not dark enough that Picard shouldn’t already recognize Shinzon.
They should have known he was evil the second they saw he was Bane.
Was Picard always bald?
The busted lip and crooked teeth are a nice touch. They’re subtle and non-distracting, yet hint that he’s lived a rough life.
Oh, Dina Meyer. Even as a Romulan . . . .
The Romulans must be thinking, “Out of the frying pan; into the fire.” That’s assuming they fry food. Who knows?
Picard’s clone was intended to be the perfect nemesis (get it?!) for Picard in order to relive the magic of the Wrath of Khan. They didn’t quite achieve that. Shinzon’s statement of motivation later in the film isn’t as convincing.
When I saw this dinner scene, I knew Tom Hardy would be something special.
Shinzon’s backstory is some kind of rough.
A Starfleet captain standing in the Romulan Senate!
Well, only Nixon could go to China.
This scene with Picard and Crusher in the ready room reminds me of a strange, human (American?) custom. We often sit on desks. Think about how rude that is.
Boom-chicka-wow-wow.
The whole psychic sex thing is stupid. What was the point? Was it just a set up to explain (SPOILER ALERT!) how they eventually pierce the cloak? All that dumb for just a single photon torpedo. Why not use what they did in Star Trek VI?
So Shinzon also prefers hot tea. Does that mean genetics determines what you drink. Am I a Picard?
Worf! Shields up!
Because you don’t want there to be any chance of getting Picard back? No wonder you haven’t gotten a command yet, Riker. Someone inform Starfleet command before he takes command of the Titan!
I always noted that for a Reman, no/stop was accompanied by the color purple, and okay/yes by the color yellow (unlike humans, that use red and green). Of course you should expect those differences to exist from culture to culture, but not all shows appreciate that kind of detail.
Picard gets to pilot another vehicle unsafely.
Good thing those hallways are Original Series level of stupidly big. Otherwise, they could never have flown that ship through the hallways.
Leave it to Dina Meyer to be the ethical Romulan.
I guess it makes sense that a Romulan ship can now fire while cloaked, but that’s a big ship expending huge amounts of energy on weapons and shields.
Dina Meyer to the rescue! “You heard the lady! Let’s get to work!” She should have returned in Picard.
Now that Shinzon is in the final stages of his genetic breakdown, his complexion is now identical to that of a Reman.
The Scimitar’s bridge has even more wasted space than the hallways.
*sigh* Here we go. We have to give Riker his moment of glory. I never liked the character.
What the hell? A character that never had a speaking role and we’d never seen before this movie gets killed off? I never saw that coming. The poor guy doesn’t even have a picture on IMDB.com. Here you go, buddy.
Ramming speed! Everyone talks about it; only Picard has ever actually done it, and it was pretty cool. The look of confusion on the Reman helmsman’s face at 1:28:33 was priceless.
I have a lot of respect for psychologists, but the day one is put in command of a naval vessel is the day that navy loses the war.
Why doesn’t Data use his super-strength to screw with the ship’s arms. According to Geordi’s analysis, mess up just one arm, and the thalaron weapon may not work.
I’ve seen people on social media ask, “Do you think you could beat up your younger self?” Picard gets to find out, though he has an added advantage. Shinzon is a bit sick.
I don’t buy Shinzon’s death here. He could just stop running forward and not get stabbed. Plus, that bar had a blunt end. It wouldn’t have stabbed him. Maybe it would have busted a rib or something.
Like Khan, Shinzon assumes he’s killed his nemesis (get it?!). He dies before he realizes that Picard escapes.
On screen.
Ha!
Oh, is Deanna going to cry ag…. Yep. There it is.
Data was trying to whistle, Pop Goes the Weasel, dipshit. I hate Riker.
Wait. Why is Worf still on the ship? Why isn’t he on his way back to Deep Space 9? Is the Enterprise just going to drop him off like a taxi? I think they have actual space taxis for that.
I also like the ending music that segues into the Original Series theme, and then ending with the Next Generation theme.
Maybe they should have done the same signature thing that they did with the end of The Undiscovered Country. If Avengers: Endgame could steal it, why couldn’t Star Trek steal it from themselves? It seems the appropriate thing to do.
And that concludes my viewing notes for Star Trek X: The Search for Data.
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And now we’re back to Hulu. I’m going to do my best to be kind to this one. It’s easily my least favorite Star Trek film, but like Iron Man 2 in the MCU, that still means it’s good enough.
Didn’t they already do this episode?
Data shouldn’t have lost control like this, but sometimes the writers don’t know how else to get the story started.
Does this personal cloaking technology, which we’ve never seen before despite its incredible usefulness, violate the treat with the Romulans?
It doesn’t seem like this medical procedure uses any anesthetics.
We know that Troi and Riker get married in the next movie. Is the basis of their rekindled relationship the effect of the Briar Patch? It certainly appears so (despite Worf’s later save).
Another excuse for Patrick Stewart to sing. 😐 Anyway, why should Worf, a Klingon, be expected to know who Gilbert and Sullivan are?
If the away team is going to draw phasers the moment you they arrive, why aren’t they drawn before they beam down?
Boom-chicka-wow-wow! Doc Ock wouldn’t be pleased with Picard honing in on his wife.
Admirals really like to hang up on people. Hold on. Do you kids even know what “hang up” means?
What I need I can’t get from Dr. Crusher.
Don’t be so sure, Riker.
Why does that caterpillar have humanoid eyes?
If she really couldn’t swim, she’d be dead already.
The Briar Patch gets Geordi new eyes and everyone else laid. Except Worf. He gets a pimple.
Apprenticing for 30 years seems tedious. Besides, nothing takes that long to become a professional. For example, it doesn’t matter how far engineering progresses, you still need no more than a four-year degree to reach the minimum level to be a professional.
In 300 years, you never learned how to swim.
Exactly my thought.
Boom-chicka-wow-wow!
We are betraying the principles on which the Federation was founded.
No, actually, you aren’t. As Admiral Dougherty points out, the Prime Directive doesn’t apply. Picard engages in some Captain America-level of naïve bullshit. If one person (Vision) is willing to sacrifice himself for trillions of lives, you let him. Same thing here. I don’t know exactly where the line is drawn, but trading the (unnatural) convenience of 600 for the health of billions is a fair trade, especially where the 600 settled on a world that was already Federation property. “But . . . but . . . but the kid and his caterpillar!” He’ll get over it, and so should you. Sure, the script turns the Son’a into murderers, but that’s so you can see them as the bad guys and justify some silly “principles.”
No, seriously. How the hell are you doing that? A time stop spell? It makes no sense.
I’ll be in engineering.
Why weren’t you there in the first place, Geordi. Haven’t you been chief engineer since season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Why are you at navigation?
If the ensign isn’t good enough to work navigation, he should be at navigation on the Federation’s flagship. The captain shouldn’t do everything. Maybe Riker would be a captain by now if he understood that.
And now he’s using a joystick to run the entire ship. Is there any doubt as to why this is my least favorite Star Trek movie?
So, the kid runs back to find his caterpillar thing, and not a single adult stops him?
Why would a medical chair have a locking mechanism on it? When I was younger, I was told to sit on my hands during a medical procedure, but that’s the only constraint I’ve ever had that I recall.
So, the Captain’s chair on a Son’a ship is a gaudy, 1970s couch?
Good trick to fool the Son’a.
But I have 318 days of shore leave coming, and I intend to use them.
With whom, Picard? Anij? Nella? Vash? Until we have resolution for any of these relationships, I’m assuming each one gets 106 days with him. Maybe 104. He probably needs some alone time on his vacation.
Wait a second. I don’t think Picard actually had sex with Anji. Bummer for him.
Damn, that was a weak entry in the series.
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