tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post3736800705502392797..comments2024-02-12T17:59:33.534-06:00Comments on RAZORED ZEN: Ich Bin Ein TrekkerCharles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-67986389368002180142009-04-30T10:43:00.000-05:002009-04-30T10:43:00.000-05:00cs harris, Good question. I suspect a bit of "uni...cs harris, Good question. I suspect a bit of "unity" of vision was important. Most TV/movie stuff is full on committee work.<br /><br />spyscribbler, I never caught many of the Enterprise episodes. I'm not really a fan of Bacula. The episodes I saw, though, were alright. But yes, the original series, and the second one too, had so many different and intersting elements.<br /><br />Danette Haworth, I liked VOyager when I watched it but I just never had much time to do so. The character I didn't much care for was Chatoy or whatever his name was.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-11680322195845139392009-04-23T16:21:00.000-05:002009-04-23T16:21:00.000-05:00I'm late to this post but I had to register myself...I'm late to this post but I had to register myself as a Star Trek fan, from Kirk to Data and whichever one had that holographic doctor (I liked him.)<br /><br />I didn't enjoy Scott B.'s Star Trek, nor did I like the Voyager, which many people heralded because it featured a female captain (but obviously the producers didn't think that would work, since she was the only captain to have a co-captain).Danette Haworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13220718895967380788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-52020967325994602472009-04-22T18:13:00.000-05:002009-04-22T18:13:00.000-05:00I loved all the Star Trek series, every single one...I loved all the Star Trek series, every single one, except the last one. (Enterprise) It was always on while I was working, so I don't know whether it was the fault of the show or the fault of my work schedule.<br /><br />I love the series because of the optimism, definitely. I love the ideals it strove for, the hopes it had for humanity. I also loved how it explored philosophy through the different races. It often forced you to think about living in a different way, and most of the time, it made you think about it with respect to that culture.<br /><br />A lot of people were comfortable with inter-species romances on ST before they could handle inter-racial romances in real life, LOL.<br /><br />There was just so much to that show!Spy Scribblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14299551957327543491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-37814562728621301872009-04-19T22:17:00.000-05:002009-04-19T22:17:00.000-05:00Yeah, I've always been a fan of the original serie...Yeah, I've always been a fan of the original series, too. Great writing, thought-provoking plots, emotional resonance, good acting. Why is all that so rare?cs harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13708705800818667923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-85102885300818828612009-04-17T18:01:00.000-05:002009-04-17T18:01:00.000-05:00Michelle, I have managed to escape Nimoy's poetry ...Michelle, I have managed to escape Nimoy's poetry thus far, and I appreciate your warning. I did once make the mistake of listening to some of Shatner's "singing," or "Spoken word" with song stuff. OMG, my intestines have never quite recovered.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-9234879619742608202009-04-17T08:10:00.000-05:002009-04-17T08:10:00.000-05:00Hey Charles,
My childhood best friend was a fanat...Hey Charles,<br /><br />My childhood best friend was a fanatical Star Trek fan. She tried to convert me, but I usually went for Sanford and Son as my show of choice which goes a long way in describing/predicting my life in Detroit. I did cover a Star Trek convention once for the local newspaper which was pretty cool. I respect your admiration, but I must warn you to NEVER read Leonord Nimoy's poetry. NEVER. It's worse than any celebrity poetry out there, even Jimmy Carter's book.Michelle's Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15769666862403600253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-56010971353269581882009-04-16T21:42:00.000-05:002009-04-16T21:42:00.000-05:00writtenwyrdd, so it's strictly same sex. OK, that ...writtenwyrdd, so it's strictly same sex. OK, that might explain why I've heard of fanfic but never slash.<br /><br />SzélsőFa, yeah, you're OK with me, my friend. ;)<br /><br />Angie, I think I would have liked Enterprise. I've caught a couple of episodes I enjoyed. I just am not in a position in my life to get caught up in any TV series much these days, and even more so when Enterrprise first started. Yeah, the Classic is still the show for me. I didn't catch the retro Sulu bit. Sorry to hear that. I liked him as a Swashbuckler in Amok Time.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-9413123820791745722009-04-15T21:11:00.000-05:002009-04-15T21:11:00.000-05:00Trek Classic was my first fandom. :) I too have ...Trek Classic was my first fandom. :) I too have seen every episode multiple times. I used to buy all the Star Trek books, and had the first fifty or so novelizations, plus the Foster animated adaptations (and I have to say that Foster's stories were much better than the actual cartoons [cough]), plus <I>Star Trek Lives,</I> Gerrold's book on the making of "Trouble With Tribbles," (which along with Harlan Ellison's comments on the subject, pretty much convinced me I never wanted to write for Hollywood), <I>World of Star Trek,</I> and the <I>Star Trek Concordance.</I> I got a couple of the Blish adaptations, but I think he was working from, like, first draft scripts or something, because the stories were far enough from the actual episodes that they were actively annoying so I stopped buying them.<br /><br />My first "That writer is an idiot!" reaction came from one of the early Trek novels. I'll be nice and not name names, but the writer had Spock in mortal peril down on the planet, Kirk got orders to head out to another star system immediately to take care of some emergency there, and Kirk said, essentially, "Wow, if I obey orders then I'll have to abandon Spock and he'll be killed. But I have orders, and hey, it <I>is</I> an important mission. Wow. Oh, well. Plot a course, Mr. Sulu. Lt. Uhura, notify Starfleet that we'll be needing a new Science Officer," and off they went. :P Massive WTFage there, and pretty clearly a writer who was completely unfamiliar with the characters.<br /><br />The chapter in <I>Star Trek Lives</I> is what got me interested in fanfic, although it was several years before I actually got to my first SF convention (when I was seventeen) and was able to buy some. I definitely started writing some of my own, though, although at the time it wasn't exactly a shining beacon of literature. [wry smile] Thirteen-year-olds are entitled to write sucky stuff, though; it's kind of their job.<br /><br />I hardly saw any of <I>Next Gen</I> (Trek Lite); I didn't have a TV at the time, but I went over to my mom's to watch the first few episodes and it didn't impress me. I was particularly disgusted with the blonde chick pretending to be a security officer -- ick! Talk about lowering the glass ceiling. :/ I watched a few more eps after they got rid of her, but was never a major fan.<br /><br />I watched a lot of <I>DS9</I> (Diet Trek) and my husband were watching the DVDs for a while, although we sort of wandered away after the war started. I though the commander was a great character, and Worf and Dax's romance was a lot of fun.<br /><br />I watched the first couple of seasons of <I>Voyager</I> (Caffeine-Free Trek) and sort of liked it, but wandered away and didn't really miss it.<br /><br />The only other series I watched all the eps of, and would like to see again, was <I>Enterprise</I> (Cherry Trek) but apparently my husband and I were the only people in the country who actually liked it. [wry smile] Bummer it got cancelled when it did. I liked the characters, the storylines, and the way the showed how things developed, from the gimmicks we're used to (the "Reed Alert" cracked me up) to having the relationship between Vulcans and Humans originally be kind of frosty and improve over time. And I <I>loved</I> that not every alien they ran into just magically spoke English, and that they had to actually put some effort into translating and communicating; I understand why they moved away from that, but it was still disappointing from a realism POV.<br /><br />Trek Classic will always be special to me, though. The trailers for the new movie have looked mostly good, so I'm looking forward to that with crossed fingers. (Although what's up with making Sulu some sort of kung-fu master? o_O Wow, not only retconning, but doing it in such a way as to play into a racist stereotype. [facepalm])<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-78250084322221004692009-04-15T15:08:00.000-05:002009-04-15T15:08:00.000-05:00Lol Charles - you never know what credit a typo ma...Lol Charles - you never know what credit a typo may ever give you :))))<br /><br />*handing out some more virtual beer*<br /><br />*checking keyboard to make sure the letters n and r are adjacent*<br /><br />-pause-<br /><br />*frowns*<br /><br />-pause-<br /><br />*think it must be my subconscious offer for my not being a sci-fi fan...*<br /><br />*handing out some more beer*SzélsőFahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11600289147447182465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-61922313850219067272009-04-15T13:15:00.000-05:002009-04-15T13:15:00.000-05:00Aine's got the definition a bit skewed. Slash is ...Aine's got the definition a bit skewed. Slash is any fanfic that's same sex. There is a vast body of Spok/Kirk stuff out there, which is what I was talking about. I had some friends in SF who insisted they were in print even. I never read any, but I was told they were hysterical.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-16675466371397406482009-04-15T12:41:00.000-05:002009-04-15T12:41:00.000-05:00SQT, yeah, I've actually never dressed up in any T...SQT, yeah, I've actually never dressed up in any Trek related gear but I do enjoy the cons and enjoy seeing folks have a good time with all the shows.<br /><br />Aine, Harry Potter slash fic? Man oh man. I was actually going to present an article at a Harry Potter conference in New Orleans back in 05 but Katrina cancelled it and I never got around to doing that piece. One element in both HP and Trek was the great worlds that existed for each, which just begged to be explored further.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-37200129014215118482009-04-15T11:52:00.000-05:002009-04-15T11:52:00.000-05:00PS-- Slash has become the term for fan fics that a...PS-- Slash has become the term for fan fics that are specifically gay porn in the Harry Potter fandom. All other stories are just called "fanfics". And, the HP fandom bows down to trekkies-- we modeled our forms of expression after the great trekkies! But the internet has allowed the HP fans to boldly go where no fandom has gone before....<br />:)Ainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08402176500997528105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-26616321854965564752009-04-15T11:44:00.000-05:002009-04-15T11:44:00.000-05:00Jason and I have such fond memories of watching NG...Jason and I have such fond memories of watching NG every week during our early years together.<br /><br />I've always been a huge fan (though I can't call myself a trekkie). I was just a kid when the original series ran. As a typical girl, I loved the fuzzy tribbles... :)<br /><br />But as an adult, its the exploration of psychology and anthropology in the episodes that hooks me. I love that Star Trek just boils down humanity to the basics. The aspects that we all relate to, no matter what culture or time we were born into.<br /><br />And, I totally relate to the passion you feel for it. I do the same with Harry Potter. If only HP had been written 20 years ago... surely I'd have attended every convention. (Helping to organize one ain't too shabby, though....)<br /><br />I admire your passion!!Ainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08402176500997528105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-20656661905723608682009-04-15T10:01:00.000-05:002009-04-15T10:01:00.000-05:00I've watched all the original series and TNG, some...I've watched all the original series and TNG, some of DS9 but none of Voyager. Read several books and seen all the movies. So I'm pretty much a fan, more rabid than a lot of people but not nearly as much as those who go to the cons. Can't wait for the new movie!SQThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-45031457299035622009-04-15T08:45:00.000-05:002009-04-15T08:45:00.000-05:00Erik Donald France, "I canna change the laws of ph...Erik Donald France, "I canna change the laws of physics, Captain. I've got to have 30 minutes." I would like to have met some of the original crew.<br /><br />Leigh Russell, yes, I'm a big fan of Frazier too. That was a great episode. I suppose I can forgive you for not being a Trekkie, you being British and all.<br /><br />Mark, I liked that element too. Normal people, for the most part, were living fulfilling lives. that was cool.<br /><br />BernardL, to Quote Khan, "and it is very cold...in space."Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-24305680385789054192009-04-15T07:41:00.000-05:002009-04-15T07:41:00.000-05:00Yep, I've seen the episodes multiple times and rea...Yep, I've seen the episodes multiple times and read many books connected with the original series. I live by the Klingon proverb 'Revenge is a dish best served cold'. :)BernardLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09722619048888613647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-24460665254052865052009-04-15T04:40:00.000-05:002009-04-15T04:40:00.000-05:00Personally I think the connection is in that Star ...Personally I think the connection is in that Star Trek showed that it was men and women who made these journeys to far off places, normal professional people who seemed on their face to be average Joes. Something every one can relate too.the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-28265456080122134182009-04-15T01:37:00.000-05:002009-04-15T01:37:00.000-05:00I do like startrek, but am not a trekkie. Not sure...I do like startrek, but am not a trekkie. Not sure why - life's too short? Have you seen the episode of Frazier where he inadverantly gives a speech in klingon? Looking at the original series now, it was ground breaking at the time, like Dr Who.Leigh Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15080517449825380527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-82339876731797302682009-04-15T01:01:00.000-05:002009-04-15T01:01:00.000-05:00Well, here's what I've got. Dug the show "in the o...Well, here's what I've got. Dug the show "in the original" and saw, with friends, a bunch of the crew, including Wm Shatner, in Chapel Hill, in the 70s -- hilarious. I liked the wholly formed world that was also part of this world, I suppose, though in school wrote variations that included starships crewed by Chinese and Indians and Africans and Brazilians, with fun Starship names to boot. Plus, who wouldn't love a phaser set to stun from time to time? Or to be beamed somewhere cool, or to use a communicator? <br /><br />Arm photon torpedoes and all remaining power to the shields . . .Erik Donald Francehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02332500850365598564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-14648324438598893762009-04-14T23:31:00.000-05:002009-04-14T23:31:00.000-05:00SzélsőFa, well, I suppose, maybe, I can forgive yo...SzélsőFa, well, I suppose, maybe, I can forgive you. You did at least mistype been as beer so that earns you some credit. ;)<br /><br /> Sphinx Ink, I actually liked Galaxy Quest too, because it was so clearly a Star Trek parody. There have truly been some good ones. In some ways, the cast of TNG consisted of better actors. Picard is quite good, for example, but it didn’t quite have the kick for me that the original had.<br /><br /> G, egads man! Some day you and I will have to grab a beer and I’ll let you in on all the Star Trek arcana. <br /><br /> Cath, I noticed that today that you’re post didn’t come through on my Google reader. It’s just a matter of me remembering. I have another blog I visit that doesn’t show up on Reader either.<br /><br /> laughingwolf, Yeah, Worf and Data were cool characters.<br /><br /> Steve Malley, Dude, dude, dude. The freakiest women were GREEN! But there were some decent blue ones too.<br /><br /> Cloudia, LOL. I may have watched Star Trek a bit intoxicated a time or two, but never on hallucinogenics<br /><br /><br /> Travis, Yes! I knew you were cool.<br /><br /> X. Dell, there was some great writing. Fontana really knew her audience and consistently turned out good scripts. She even refused to work on some that she didn’t think measured up. <br /> Ahh, that’s what “slash” is. I know about the fan fiction stuff with Trek, and have read some of the stories. I just never heard it called slash before. I understand quite a few were basically gay porn featuring Kirk and Spock.<br /><br /> JR's Thumbprints, Your wife rocks. But I’m sure you know that. As for cold box, I might have thawed him out in isolation, attempted to evaluate his mental state before freeing him, and perhaps have rewritten the laws so that he no longer owned everything. It was an interesting conundrum however.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-61893551954583917982009-04-14T23:29:00.000-05:002009-04-14T23:29:00.000-05:00Wow--this one really generated the comments. I was...Wow--this one really generated the comments. I wasn't really into Star Trek until I met Kathleen, who was a confirmed fan. She had even participated in the big letter-writing campaign to keep the show going. <br /><br />Star Trek: Enterprise was, after The Original Series, the best sequel, or prequel,in this case--at least for the first two seasons. "Carbon Creek" is brilliant.<br /><br />My favorite Star Trek book is "Strangers from the Sky," which ties Spock with Benjamin Spock, and uses the peace symbol as an icon.<br /><br />Star Trek was very much about the time it was made, and showed a world where there was no racism and less sexism. And when Star Trek used a black actor for the leading guest star ("The Ultimate Computer"), it had, as Kathleen said, the decency to make him the villian (though a sympathetic one).steve on the slow trainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18257811143869341854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-19630064720950044892009-04-14T23:10:00.000-05:002009-04-14T23:10:00.000-05:00My wife's a Trekker, whereas, I am not. She is a ...My wife's a Trekker, whereas, I am not. She is a product of a wealthy school district with a great science program, whereas, I'm the product of a school district with a crappy science program. I'm willing to bet there's a tie-in there.<br /><br />As for the "Cold Cold Box" by Howard Fast, I'm a firm believer in giving a man another chance, even if all of society could be jeopardized -- it's the type of world I want to live in. On the other hand, you could argue that the main character created his own problem and deserves to stay in suspended animation. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.JR's Thumbprintshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10479324326541901987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-57529703047631455372009-04-14T23:07:00.000-05:002009-04-14T23:07:00.000-05:00BTW, the slasher (or slash) novel pehnomenon began...BTW, the slasher (or slash) novel pehnomenon began with <I>Star Trek</I> back in the 1970s. Simply put, it's fan-written fiction using the familiar characters. Most of these weren't published, but were circulated at conventions. They typically feature stories that are sexually torrid.<br /><br />The only one I've read (can't remember the title--I gave it away long ago along with most of my novels) presented a scenario in which Spock goes crazy, and beams himself down to a distant planent. Kirk goes after him, discovers his second-in-command in the throes of pon far, and, well, (ahem!) has to take care of him without the benefit of the ritual battle. <br /><br />The slasher novels have actually influenced the licensed series. In the only <I>Trek</I> novel written by Roddenberry (the novelization of the first movie), he makes mention of this story in the introduction. Also, the <I>Star Wreck</I> parodies by Leah Rowlinski contained a scene later added word-for-word in then Next Generation episode "Relics." <br /><br />They are quite fascinating--that is, if you're old enough to read them.X. Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561609651507566271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-40161597530710803892009-04-14T22:57:00.000-05:002009-04-14T22:57:00.000-05:00One of the things about Star Trek is that it not o...One of the things about <I>Star Trek</I> is that it not only had a compelling cosmology, but an optimistic one at that, making it quite different from the many distopian views of the future associated with science fiction. Never mind that one could easily see Starfleet as a (benevolent?) military dictatorship. Then, of course, there was all of the cool stuff, the consistency of story elements (more or less), and the well written narratives from such diverse folks as Harlan Ellison, D.C. Fontana (and even Shari Lewis). <br /><br />And, for the record, ich bin auch ein trekker.X. Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561609651507566271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-43318782394847666652009-04-14T21:10:00.000-05:002009-04-14T21:10:00.000-05:00I love the original Star Trek. I believe I have a...I love the original Star Trek. I believe I have about 70 tie in Trek novels. And I go on Trek reading sprees as well.<br /><br />I didn't really care for any of the other Trek series though. It wasn't the same. My connection was to the original characters.<br /><br />But I can't explain it any better than you can.Travis Codyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06192526507760146748noreply@blogger.com