tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post138918025517566634..comments2023-03-28T04:32:18.124-04:00Comments on Witless Prattle: The Whole Damn Thing: STAR TREK: DS9 #0Kazekagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-75163782227641527832011-03-08T22:52:17.246-05:002011-03-08T22:52:17.246-05:00We're getting there. With the next installment...We're getting there. With the next installment we get the intro of the Maquis and the stuff about the Cardassian dissidents and inch ever closer to the first proper appearance of the Dominion (too bad it's in a crap episode, dammit) And yes, them expending some thought beforehand on what the nature of the Dominion threat was going to be made a HUGE amount of difference. Otherwise we would have had to have like, a Jem'Hadar Queen, and who of us would want's that?<br /><br /> Also, let's be hones, most of the time, Worf is a great big ass. :) But what you pointed out is why it has to be Worf who finally effects some change among the Klingon's--his idealism will not allow himself to tacitly endorse corruption anymore and he has to do something about it. :)<br /><br /> <i>Plus ce change, plus ce la meme chose,</i> Diana. ;)<br /><br /> It's in the sixth season and . . .oooh, I wish it were better and led to a better place. But we have a similar episode coming up (I think) week after next--"The Wire" which is basically Garak going off on Bashir for an entire hour and is just dramatic dynamite. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-22757763674892379012011-03-08T12:15:27.104-05:002011-03-08T12:15:27.104-05:00Can't wait to see your take on the larger Myth...Can't wait to see your take on the larger Myth Arc as it starts to coalesce - particularly because, as far as I can tell, this is one of the few instances where the writers actually had a fair-to-decent grasp of what the Dominion <i>was</i> before they started mentioning it all the time. Foresight? In SF? Who knew? :)<br /><br />Having Worf in the cast probably didn't help: when your token Klingon is the guy who prides himself on adhering to stereotypes while every other named Klingon visibly falls short of the "ideal"...<br /><br />I'd like to say it's comforting that some things don't change, but then, sometimes they really should. :)<br /><br />There was a similar episode late in the fifth or sixth season where Sisko and Dukat are trapped together, and like "Duet", the strength of the episode lies entirely with the dialogue. Of course, Dukat was also thoroughly insane by that point, so the exchanges were a bit more colorful too. :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-51265816882453846602011-02-14T23:58:10.730-05:002011-02-14T23:58:10.730-05:00Well, yeah, but trust me, this episode abuses the ...Well, yeah, but trust me, this episode abuses the privilege. It's really awful and you don't know how glad I am that we're on to the much improved second season now, which I should get on here soon. :)<br /><br />Well, it was inevitable that Our Heroes would make it out OK. Though I must say--on another board someone mentioned that Martok isn't exactly a classic Klingon warrior--of course, we don't learn any of that until the last season, but I did appreciate the effort. And enough of the recurring cast suffered through the war, which is more than most shows would do.<br /><br />Well, apparently despite all the other hurdles we've cleared as a race, apparently ethnocentrism is still alive and well in the 24th century, eh?<br /><br />Oh man, that episode kicks so much ass. It's one of the best of the whole show. I remember seeing it after that rather weaksauce season up to that point and feeling like my faith had been rewarded. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-12512159725294965122011-02-14T01:16:23.837-05:002011-02-14T01:16:23.837-05:00To be fair, aliens with stupid things on their hea...To be fair, aliens with stupid things on their heads who play games a lot is probably a time-honored tradition dating back to the days of Shatner. :)<br /><br />I think that was also the one major drawback to the Dominion War storyline - seeing thousands of Klingons die in battle doesn't have much weight when they're all based on the exact same template. And since most of the named characters make it through just fine, the stakes just aren't high enough.<br /><br />In more cynical times, one might have questioned why Starfleet - the military arm of the multispecies Federation - seems to be comprised <i>entirely</i> of Earth-made vessels...<br /><br />"Duet" is a classic, no question there - one of the few instances where the anvil <i>needed</i> to be dropped.Shawn Edreihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14971929559040747612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-3777449245229090652011-01-25T21:58:37.998-05:002011-01-25T21:58:37.998-05:00Or, "Do they have stupid things written on th...Or, "Do they have stupid things written on their heads and play games a lot?" Shit, I'm <i>still</i> angry about that damned episode.<br /><br /> I know, right? I think the asssumption of a monoculture is a real holdover from the earlier, pulpier days of sci-fi. The Kilngons are kind of the worst offenders . . .it's ages before we even get an inkling of a civilian class which would be necessary for the whole thing to function.<br /><br /> And the two-parter in season 4 when Starfleet nearly seizes control of the government. One gets the impression the further up the chain you go (past the usual corrupt/meddling admirals) Starfleet gets really worryingly scary really fast.<br /><br /> Oh yes. :) I do love that side of Kira, when you get a sense she doesn't take any crap (unfortunately, all too often the writers mistook that for her being The Complainer). And we're getting close to two of my favourite episodes of hers in the season, "Dramatis Personae" (where she camps it up and nearly kills Sisko) and "Duet," which is as awesome as DS9 gets, really. :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-59702741205875480792011-01-25T14:56:04.035-05:002011-01-25T14:56:04.035-05:00Precisely. The "first contact" ones tend...Precisely. The "first contact" ones tended to be more "Oh, let's see what quirky quality all these <i>new</i> aliens have! Do they talk entirely in metaphor? Do they all have a grey stripe in their hair? Are they Space Amish?"<br /><br />I'm reminded of a bit of dialogue from "Mass Effect", where alien squadmate Urdnot Wrex is told he's not what the others expected. And in the most withering tone possible, he replies: "Sure. Because you humans can have a wide variety of cultures and attitudes, but all Krogan think and act <i>exactly the same.</i>"<br /><br />That's when you get Section 31, I suppose. :) <br /><br />And just before that, she's screaming at one of the ministers and when he tells her she's overreacting, "then don't ask for my opinion next time!" Yes, Mr. Trekkie, women can use the direct approach too! :)Diana Kingston-Gabaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606122690934557406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-2300204955732368462011-01-07T09:59:14.084-05:002011-01-07T09:59:14.084-05:00It wasn't even that it was superficial--it was...It wasn't even that it was superficial--it was naive, honestly. And it completely ran against the show at its best anyways--the conflict between the principals was what drove the show in a large part. I generally found TNG to be pretty dull for that same reason usually--all my favourite episodes of the show are usually the atypical ones where something seems genuinely to be at stake.<br /><br /> That said, the externalized human traits pasted on to aliens do come somewhat close to being racist, I think. Thankfully, DS9 treads a bit lighter than most in this, but . . .yeah, the Klingons as Space Darkies and Ferengi as Astro-Shylock do not sit well.<br /><br /> Well, in his commentaries for movies 2 and 6, Nicholas Meyer talked about the notion that humanity had evolved past all conflict according to Roddenberry, and Meyer said he was far more interested in <i>how</i> that particular evolution took place, and I don't think he's wrong. I think that's what DS9 was doing--exploring how an allegedly "perfected" human society deals with aliens who don't share their values and aren't interested in any peaceful co-existence. What happens when that kind of push-back challenges your "perfected" construct?<br /><br /> Oh, Kira's one of my favourite characters, or she will be. I was writing this from the perspective of a pre-first season look at her--it's not until about season 3 or 4 that Kira really comes into her own, though, and she's held back early in the first season because the people making the show didn't realise that "dark and edgy" didn't neccessarily have to mean "everyone bickers all the time." Kira got the worst of that in the first season. <br /><br /> That said, I love her introduction: "I suppose you want the office." :)Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-72279531258684852852011-01-06T11:29:14.789-05:002011-01-06T11:29:14.789-05:00Awesome! Glad people are excited for this!Awesome! Glad people are excited for this!Kazekagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499536996058174109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207237618509440496.post-9155722395541513792011-01-06T01:27:46.387-05:002011-01-06T01:27:46.387-05:00NEXT GENERATION FRANCHISE BABY!
Sweet!NEXT GENERATION FRANCHISE BABY!<br /><br /><br />Sweet!Anonymoushttp://(optional)noreply@blogger.com