#channeling my inner star trek fan

[lizardsfromspace]

I posted 2,841 times in 2022

That's 1,638 more posts than 2021!

1,072 posts created (38%)

1,769 posts reblogged (62%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lizardsfromspace

@hobbinch

@biggaymatt

@lydiardbell

@ze-ev

I tagged 2,611 of my posts in 2022

Only 8% of my posts had no tags

#incredible - 382 posts

#tumblr - 204 posts

#film - 149 posts

#movies - 131 posts

#star trek - 105 posts

#television - 104 posts

#politics - 70 posts

#uspol - 69 posts

#art - 58 posts

#writing - 55 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#how do you lose an argument against someone whose strongest point is 'peanut butter proves evolution is fake'. and then post it on youtube

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

JJ Abrams showing naked disdain for Star Trek, and openly stating he really was only doing them in the hopes of getting to make Star Wars one day, only to get his chance to make Star Wars & making it even worse, so bad he killed off Disney's scheme to release a new Star War every year into eternity...truly iconic

29,822 notes - Posted April 15, 2022

#4

"Hi y'all, it's Chronomaster42, the only Youtuber with the ability to travel through, and control, time and space, here with another taste test. I'm here in 1976, and I'm gonna get some fries from Mickey D's before they changed the recipe, and then I'm gonna take 'em back to 2022, and get fries from the same McDonald's, so I can compare. Now, I've got my Nixon, uh, Ford? Carter? Era fries right here, so now I'm gonna"

*everything appears stretched and distant, and then the camera flies through space, through the sun, over millions of different Earths, past the faces of individual people in a thousand different timelines, splintered day by day, the long-dead alive once more, their varied futures lying before them. They appear to be screaming*

"annnnnd here we are, gettin' the new fries, today. I have to say, I like the old fries a bit better, bit more crisp, but Mickey D's fries are still Mickey D's fries, y'know? Anyway, I know some of you guys were freaked out at all the screaming time faces last video, but like, I'm used to 'em, and they aren't even audible to me? But y'know what is audible? That's right - Audible, use code -"

42,639 notes - Posted April 10, 2022

#3

The people of London may sleep easy, knowing that *checks notes* the devs of a fan remake of a game that isn't even commercially available anymore are behind bars

50,382 notes - Posted April 14, 2022

#2

In the early 70s Sesame Street was created with an eye towards educating poor, inner-city children for free, and became a massive hit with all children. In 2016, faced with going off the air forever after facing conservative efforts to destroy public broadcasting since basically its beginning, new episodes became a timed exclusive for premium cable network HBO. In 2022 HBO Max, newly merged with and taken over by reality TV channel Discovery, removed Sesame Street episodes and spin-offs from streaming as a tax write-off and scheme to avoid paying residuals.

63,768 notes - Posted August 19, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

HBO Max: so basically we're going to erase most of our shows as a tax dodge in a week and you can't stop us

A Youtuber who makes two hour long & strangely ominous video essays about Lost Media: it'll all be on Archive dot org by the end of the week you son of a bitch. Also the forbidden original pilot of Caillou and the French dub of the long sought after August 27th, 2001 Spongebob bumpers

82,510 notes - Posted August 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thedogsled]

Okay guys it’s about time we did this properly. This is Q.

John de Lancie is pretty much my single most long lived childhood crush so bear with me because this is a love post as much as it’s explanatory to those people who absolutely need to know. Q is a hugely significant character to the genre, and De Lancie appeared in three different series of Star Trek as the character (I’ll get to that). He’s basically the Star Trek universe’s trickster god (and on many worlds he’s even worshipped/feared as such, or as chaos, or mischief, or in one implication Loki *COUGHCOUGH*). So significant is the character in fact that Discord, the dragon in MLP, is also voiced by De Lancie.

Q introduced himself to the crew of the Enterprise-D as “Q”, but went on to explain that he is a Q (a member of the Q Continuum) and therefore other Q are called Q too. When Q was introduced, he was putting humanity on trial. If they failed, the Q would exterminate them, and if they passed...well. The implication has always been imo that humanity has the capability to become essentially Q, and that’s where the evolutionary arc is leading them. What’s fascinating, however, is that the more time Q spends around humanity, the more it affects him as well. Seen as rebellious, he’s considered an outcast by the rest of the Continuum at one point, but is brought back into the fold later on to resolve issues. He has a whole character arc within the three series he’s in which is expanded on by the books.

Since I enjoy a good story about multidimensional beings that become more human as time goes on, and the quest for humanity in general, I sort of love him to death. Also this:

P.S. The trial that Q puts the Enterprise crew through? Spoilers: it’s the entire seven season run.

According to the books (and Q himself), the Q have always existed. He wasn’t ‘born’, but he did experience a coming of age, and my favorite book followed Q as he explored his powers, wandering around the universe making dodgy friends with other interdimensional beings. Despite this upbringing Q eventually does what no Q ever has before and makes a little baby Q (called Junior, played briefly as a baby by De Lancie’s own son on ST: Voyager). He then has to raise him and teach him his values, though the kid has serious superpowers (like our Jack) and other things on his mind.

tbf he respects his daddy almost as much as his daddy respects... idk. julian bashir:

Q is capricious. In the beginning he can give zero shits about mortals and their problems. Ultimately he maybe gives only one or two shits about mortals and their problems, but it’s an improvement.

His powers are basically anything he wants he gets. He can teleport into people’s beds, seduce them with puppies, instantly transport a ship 75000 light years in a blink of an eye, shrink it down to the size of a christmas tree decoration and put it on a christmas tree on the actual ship that’s shrunk down, generate dancing girls, and whine about EVERYTHING EVER in a totally endearing way.

Oh and there was that one time Sisko punched him in the face. Picard never did that, though for Picard Q was much more of a nemesis, introducing the crew of the Enterprise to the Borg among other things. And appearing in his bed. And basically acting like superior intellectual gatekeeper to the universe.

Not to mention he basically wore the captain’s uniform to mock and undermine him from the get go. (There’s only one captain on a starship after all, so this was Q mirroring Picard deliberately to challenge his authority)

Just as in any search for humanity story, Q experiences being human, but ultimately he doesn’t really like it very much. This is after he experiences falling asleep for the first time:

Powers are where it’s at for Q. He has a superiority complex that is pretty unparalleled, biting sarcasm, and is used to explore just how a being with unlimited power might act in any situation, and how in some ways the lack of humanity is a weakness. Q is not bound by general rules of physics. He’s much more aware of multiverses, scoffs at the passage of time, manipulates gravity and relative dimensions in space.

Not to mention the Continuum itself (the place not the species), which exists outside of our universe and is.......basically the most boring place ever. Where is the lie?

Oh and there was that one time he pretended to be God for shits and giggles

And tried to seduce Janeway because he admired her or something. (Or actually cause he was being a bratty rebel but whatever). And like I mentioned already he tried to seduce her with puppies.

And both intentionally started and ended a civil uprising in the Continuum because he was sick of being predictable (even though the civil war literally resulted in stars exploding and other awful cosmic things)

I could literally be here all night and not say all the things I want to say about him, so I’ll just leave you with this not safe fw gif as the last one. It’s so scandalous...

Long story short I love this guy. And there’s no doubt there’s a little bit of De Lancie in Misha’s Qstiel. Now you know (and shame on you! go watch some Star Trek!)

(Edit: tldr: Q is a cosmic entity with the power to transform his appearance and manipulate the universe around him. He’s more powerful than God (even literally in his canon), and even once appeared to a character when they were ‘dead’ to mock them and force them to confront their past before returning them to their life to live it better. He also put humanity on trial for all its mistakes via the Enterprise crew. He’s also a mocking little shit with a superiority complex who likes to get things his own way.)

[laforgedata]

Worf and Alexander meet a Kryonian tiger on Brentalia.

[damnredthing]

Trailer tsunami

With all the character trailers in the recent days, I am sure a lot of fans are super hyped up now. I’ve already seen a bunch of screencaps, gifs, videos, tweets and whatnot. So, I try to approach the trailers a bit differently and just point out what I noticed after I watched them for the second and third time. Plus some thoughts about Pike in the end. My observations are in no specific order, they just follow my scatterbrained pattern.

Caution: Long post (no wonder after so many trailers!)

Uniform chatter – continued

The male skant is back. If you are very observant, you might have noticed a guy wearing a skant during the wedding scene in Pike’s promo trailer:

Where is waldo?

(I brightened the pic up a bit so you can see it better)

You actually don’t even have to ruin your eyes to find a guy in a skant. I think Chief Kyle (played by André Dae Kim) is wearing one in the Hemmer promo trailer:

There seems to be a variant for the male version, with black shoulder accents (which are missing on the female ones and also on the male one from the wedding scene). 

Looks like the shoulder accents go all the way down the upper arm for the male version. Or maybe it’s also a onesie (see blelow). Also, seems Kyle is an Ensign (no stripes and no cadet badge).

Cadet uniform gives me serious Star Trek Online vibes:

This looks almost like the default uniform in STO.

New tactical vest now shows divisions. In Discovery, the tactical vest was black for everyone, in SNW the tactical vest has an armor plating in the color matching the division of the wearer. So Pike’s is gold while La’an’s in red:

Gotte love me some Pike in action…

Away team combat armor. Apparently an away team expecting trouble doesn’t just beam down with an armored tactical vest. A light full body armor completes the combat gear. It looks water resistant, seems to be a tight fit and comes with a very cool Starfleet badge on the upper arm (cosplayers will be so busy):

I am not sure if this armor is capable of producing a space helmet.

The EV suits seem to look differently:

They also come in the divisional colors, but they seem more shiny and they have the Starfleet logo on top of the plate. At least in La’an’s case.

Uhura’s EV suit somehow doesn’t show the logo.

While Hemmer’s does. BTW, I like the detail of Hemmer wearing the hood. We do know that Andorian/Aenar’s tentacles regrow, but why risking them being cut off by activating the helmet if you can avoid it? 

Interestingly, Spock’s EV suit is all black:

Or the lighting is just so unwelcoming to the color blue…

Away team jacket. I am not sure what the rules are for the away team to wear armor or just the jacket. Maybe they wear the jacket if they do not expect (that much) trouble. Whatever the reason, I absolutely love the jackets. They also seem to be adaptable depending on the weather. They either come as a normal jacket:

Or they are more suitable for cold/rainy weather and come with an attached hood:

The awesome patch is also on the jacket.

This jacket definitely deserves more observation. When zipped up, you can see some V-pattern on the chest:

I also love the scarfs that work so well with the overall outfit:

And snow goggles…

Captain’s quarters

We actually get to see quite a bit of the Captain’s quarters. 

Pike’s quarters are HUGE! And he has a chimney??? On a starship? How does that even work? Also… Pike actually looks tired here.

Yep, it is a chimney!

Such huge quarters… looks like a megasuite!

Kitchen in the Captain’s quarters!

Big kitchen!

Chapel’s onesie. It’s neither a skant nor a jacket and pants. Chapel is actually wearing a onesie:

And she rocks it!

Pike channels his inner Elvis.

Or Johnny Bravo… (I’m sorry Anson!).

Everything is new on the Enterprise?

Pike’s crew seems to be partly renewed. La’an and M’Benga introduce themselves to Pike, while Pike welcomes Uhura and Chapel aboard the ship (sorry, I have no screencaps for that).

Also, we see the Enterprise leaving spacedock:

I’m not sure if they are repairing the damages from the season 2 finale of Discovery when the Enterprise looked like this:

They also showed in Discovery how the Enterprise was repaired. So maybe this is another visit to the spacedock.

Either way, with Enterprise being out of commission for repairs/refitting it would also match Pike’s timeout/vacation and allowing him to channel his inner Santa (sorry again, Anson!).

Additional badge for Ortegas.

I am not sure what it is, but at one point in her trailer Lt. Ortegas is wearing an additional badge above the normal Starfleet badge:

Patient’s name

The patient’s name is Rukiya. According to IMDB, Rukiya will show up for at least 3 episodes in season 1. Interesting!

Pike pondering his fate

The first teaser with Pike hiding in the back of beyond already hinted at his inner fight. What does knowing your fate do to you? In Discovery he seemed fine in the season 2 finale. Granted, with the fight against Control there wasn’t much time to think about his own fate. But later when Spock returned to the bridge all shaved and in uniform, Pike seemed happy to see him and he looked fine.

However, this doesn’t mean he is doing fine all the time. I can speak from experience. You can still function and even appear to other people completely like your normal self, while in truth you are deeply troubled inside.

I often hear critics about the new Star Trek shows, how giving all characters a troubled background is “lazy writing”. For Pike it all makes sense though. “Through the Valley of Shadows” IMO is one of the most important episodes of all Star Trek because it defines what Pike is all about. It adds to the explanation why he became one of the most decorated Star Fleet officers and even has a medal of valor named after him. But if you show such an episode, it should also be clear to the audience that such a fate cannot have no effect on the person.

I like that the writers let Pike question himself. He is apparently unsure what to do with this firm knowledge of his fate (which in part he misinterprets, but I’ll get to that in a bit). Will he take bigger risks? Or will it makes him hesitant? We’ll have to wait and find out.

The fact that he consults Spock is also interesting. It pays into their close friendship as it is revealed later in the TOS episodes “The Menagerie”. Spock is risking his life and career for Pike. There must be a reason why he feels so close to Pike. So, Pike telling Spock about his fate makes sense. But maybe this wasn’t so voluntarily. We already know of 2 people on board who are able to read minds, Spock himself and also the Aenar Hemmer. Or maybe Spock confronted Pike after he acted not his usual self or risked himself unnecessarily. We don’t know yet.

Will Pike keep this knowledge throughout the entire show? Or could we see another “Requiem for Methuselah” in SNW?

There is a problem with Pike knowing his fate. If he knows his fate, he knows he cannot die before that moment of his vision comes. That could lead him to risk his life way too often even to the point where he unintentionally also risks the ship and crew.

This leads me to his partly misinterpreted vision. He says he knows exactly how and when his life is going to end. I am not sure how exactly he concludes the “when”. All he knows is that he’ll be a fleet captain and he’ll be on a cadet vessel. But he does not know when he’ll be promoted and he does not know when he’ll be on that vessel.

We already know that the accident will not end his life. However, for him there is no way of knowing that because the time crystal didn’t show him what is going to happen after the accident. His conclusion that his life is ending makes sense for him. He does know what the explosion was. He does know that his initial injuries were just some burns. And he does know that he later becomes defaced and wheelchair bound with lung support. So it makes totally sense for him to believe he was poisoned by delta radiation and his body is going to deteriorate even further to the point until all his organs will fail and he’ll die.

From his point of view he knows he’ll die. That makes a huge difference to knowing that you’ll be disabled. What are you going to do with your life in the here and now if you know in maybe 10 years tops you’ll be dead? Do you still allow yourself to fall in love with someone (or admit your love to say... Vina), knowing your partner will grieve for you? Do you still have life goals? Do you still allow yourself to enjoy things, knowing it’s possibly the last time you’re doing it or you’re simply questioning the sense?

I actually hope for another Requiem for Methuselah; I wouldn’t want to see Pike fighting his inner demons throughout the entire show. But that is just my humble opinion.

And congrats if you read thus far. You are more patient than I am. :P

[olitech]

Thoughts on the Z Fold 3

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is an interesting device. While it is not the first foldable device made by Samsung, and not even the first foldable device on the market in general (though Samsung certainly was the first real company, I'm not really counting the horrible Royole Flexpai) for me personally, this is indeed my first foldable device.

So what is it like? For context, I am a long term Samsung user, having used the S2, S3, Note 4, S7 edge, S9+, and recently the S21 Ultra. Coming from the S21 Ultra the Z Fold 3 isn't that extreme in size, and folded it lies even better in my hand because it is less wide. Typing on the slimmer front screen is certainly something you have to get used to though.

The weight increase of 44 grams from the S21 Ultra's 227 grams to the Fold's 271 grams is noticeable. It isn't the end of the world or tipping the scale into "This is way to heavy" territory, but you will notice it when you handle them one after the other. The Z Fold 3 is, however you hold or handle it, definitely not a small or light device. Considering you have a foldable tablet in your hands, that fact isn't really surprising - it is kind of the point of this whole thing.

So If you want something small and light, you are definitely in the wrong market segment if you are looking at this phone.

The device can be unlocked with the fingerprint reader in the Power button on the right side, which I massively appreciate. I guess they can't yet fit an under display fingerprint reader into this kind of display due to size constraints and I am happy that's the case. I have an under display fingerprint reader on my S21 Ultra and my Galaxy Tab S6 and constantly have to retry with both of them to unlock these devices. These fingerprint readers have not yet gotten to the same level of performance the old ones are capable of, so I am really glad the "old" tech has made it into this device. If you want to unlock your phone with your face, that works perfectly fine, but in a world full of masks today the fingerprint reader is in my opinion the most versatile option, when done this way at least.

For my use cases, this thing is clearly overkill, I'll be really honest. Watching a Youtube video or TV Show is really nice on this device, especially if you want to watch classic shows like Star Trek The Original Series or Knight Rider, because the unfolded screens aspect ratio of 5:4 is really nice for those old 4:3 shows. 16:9 content is fine too, but there is of course quite a bit of screen real estate you are not using in those cases. But since this is more of a productivity device, 5:4 is the perfect aspect ratio in my opinion.

Typing on the unfolded screen is nice, but takes some getting used to. I have been using this phone since I have received it on Friday the 20th of August 2021, which has been 5 weeks now, and I still mistype quite a bit. I don't know why it takes me so long to get used to the split keyboard I use with Microsoft Swiftkey. When typing or swiping on the screen the crease of the folded display is very noticeable. When you watch or read something it quickly becomes absolutely not an issue, I couldn't care less. But you definitely will feel the crease with your fingers or even with the S-Pen.

Coming to the S-Pen, and the Note package available for this device. I like the S-Pen for the Fold 3. I have the smaller one of the two available since Samsung gave me the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Note package for free as a promotion for preordering the phone. The Note package contains a Super Fast Wall Charger supporting up to 25W, and this should have come with the phone itself in my opinion. I understand the environmental concerns these companies cite as the reason they don't put chargers into the box anymore, but for this price I simply cannot accept that this is the case. It just feels cheap when you open up such an expensive device and there is the phone and a cable in the box and nothing else.

I'm sorry but I have to start swearing for the next section of this article. You have been warned.

The Flip Cover that comes in the Note package is a horrible fucking mess and I don't want to meet whoever designed this thing because I would be scared of that person and the drugs they must have taken designing this thing. The cover doesn't stay closed, flops around like a flaccid dick and just feels like cheap crap. I cannot tell you how glad I am they gave that package to me as a free promotion for preordering, because if I bought this package and actually paid 89,90 Euros of my money for this cover I would have been fucking pissed.

Samsung, if anyone of you is reading this, you can do better than this. Much better. It feels like someone decided 5 minutes before production started "Hey we have this new folding phone, and we decided not to make a new Note, so why not combine the Pen with the Fold 3?" and wanked out a design on a napkin during dinner while the kids were screaming at them.

I am not a massive fan of the magnetically attached pens the Galaxy Tab Series and the iPad use, so I appreciate having a place to actually store the pen in, but the front opening part of that cover makes this thing completely useless in my eyes. And I think they kind of knew that, since you can take off the part of the cover the pen stores in - a fact I didn't see anywhere other then one single Youtube video made by the channel HighTechCheck in his video "Best And Worst Cases For Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3", here is the link, it's a great video in general if you're looking for cases for this phone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2TBKlm-R2E&ab_channel=HighTechCheck

There might be other videos showing this feature of the Note Flip Cover of course, but this is the only one I came across while looking for accessory videos for this device.

Continuing on with the S-Pen, I understand that they had to make a new version because people would've poked holes into their screens with the old one - the new one is spring loaded to prevent you from pressing the pen to hard onto the screen - but what I do not like about the new S-Pen (at least the little one, I don't have the bigger one to test this with) is that you can only use it on the inner screen of the Z-Fold 3. That's right, the smaller of the S-Pens available for the Z Fold 3 does not work on the outer display of the phone when it is closed. I do not know why that is. It works perfectly fine on my S21 Ultra screen, but not on the outer screen of the Z Fold 3. I find that very bizarre. The outer screen has Gorilla Glass Victus on it, it certainly isn't a matter of screen protection. And it works on the S21 Ultra, so what the hell?

I'm a tech nerd, so I love the technology behind the foldable screen and the new form factor this results in. But I don't write 20 emails a day on my phone, or write a book on it, or anything like this. I use the big screen on the Z Fold 3 mainly for content consumption, Google Maps occasionally, web browsing, looking a photos, stuff like that. I am not a productivity monster that actually does multi tasking with a device like this. It is a great phone and the continuation of a new era in mobile technology and screen technology, and I'm glad I could be here to support that change because this means cool things might come out in the future with this technology. Could I still do everything I usually do on my S21 Ultra? Yes, yes I could, easily. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I bought this thing, but for someone like me this is massive overkill, as it probably will be for most people. Most people who buy this thing with their own money might not agree with that I guess. They have to justify the price of 1800 Euro for this thing after all. But I prefer to be honest with myself, and with you.

This is not a sensible device. It is absolutely a fun device and a great look into the future of what will one day be possible with this display tech, not just in the smartphone world but with screens in general. Just like that rollable LG TV this is technology that can be used for so much more than smartphones - it doesn't even have to be foldable. Just being able to put a display around a corner like it is a plastic sheet and having that in a fixed position opens up cool possibilities, once the tech is even better, and most of all, cheaper.

So no, it doesn't make my S21 Ultra look like unusable crap when compared to the Z Fold 3 just because of the foldable aspect. But in my opinion that's not the point of this device. It is to further push along the technology and establish it so it becomes more common place. So it gets better, can be made better, not just because the manufacturer Samsung is continuing to work on it, but because they get feedback from users about the device. The more established and researched a technology becomes, the cheaper it can become, meaning better and new usage forms for this technology in everyday life. Take a screen like that, make it see-through and put it into my car windscreen. It doesn't need to fold for that, but it does have to be durable, and depending on the windscreen, at least bent in some form. Give me overlay graphics on my car window for navigation. Give me glasses not like Google Glass with a small area of a screen but have the glasses BE the screen with this technology in a see through version. Give me a Cyberpunk 2077 style visor. That would really be exciting for me. What this phone and it's display technology represent is what is more interesting and exciting for me than the device itself. But the device itself is still great and I do not regret buying it. If you're into tech and have the necessary funds for it, I can recommend it. Maybe you are even a person that uses this device to its full multi-task capabilities, who knows?

Speaking of which, multi tasking is a breeze with this thing, it's perfectly fine running several apps at once, not just switching between apps but displaying several at the same time since you now have the screen real estate to actually use it. Since I just launched my homepage (this will be the first entry on it, actually) who knows, maybe I will use more multitasking myself in the future when writing stuff on the go, reading and researching in the browser and typing a note on the side perhaps. I doubt it, since for real writing I really don't like to use the touchscreen, but if I have a quick idea on the go and I have time, I could definitely see this being very useful.

Battery life is not an issue either for me, last week I had a day where I watched 6 hours of Star Trek The Original Series on it at around 80% brightness and was around 65% battery when I stopped, which is pretty impressive in my eyes. I have the episodes on my phone, so I wasn't streaming them over the network in case anyone is wondering.

The software has so far given me no troubles, not all apps scale to the screen but they still usually work without issues, and many apps like Youtube for example are adapted to use the foldable aspect of the Z Fold 3 in several ways, like when you half-fold the phone, set it on a table, and have the video on the top and scroll the comments on the bottom. Or multi task by having one app on the top and other on the bottom, stuff like that works really well in most apps I am using, I can't really recall any app right now that had huge issues with the aspect ratio or the foldable nature of this device. Good job Samsung!

The back cameras are on par with the S21 Ultra, so they're in my opinion top, but I'm no expert. What even I notice is the inner camera under the display. No longer is there a hole punch style camera, this one is actually under the display, which drastically decreases the performance of that inner camera. It's usage for video calls I guess, but for a device in that price range I think I would've been fine with a hole-punch style just to get the better image quality. I've made a comparison video on Youtube, comparing the front camera of the S21 Ultra and the Z Fold 3:

https://youtu.be/h5uQ1IQeIvE

The Z Fold 3 is a tech nerds dream come true, and really does whatever you need it to do. Whether you actually need all of that and if it is worth the money is for you to decide. If you already have a tablet you use for media consumption, and if you aren't a huge productivity fan or need one device that does it all and can carry nothing else, then I'd say no, you don't need it. But you might still want it just the same, like me.

Sunday, October 3rd, 2021.

Oliver Weber

[mindingmyownbusiness]

Rescue (1/?)

Pairing - Bucky x Reader Soulmate AU Summary - You've always believed your soulmate was out there somewhere, Bucky not so much. What happens when he finally takes a leap of faith and reaches out to you? Warnings - some canon-typical violence in later chapters, the occasional curse word, but I promise to make up for it with loads of fluffiness Chapter Word Count - 891 Notes - Well guys here’s the start of that soulmate AU I’ve been teasing for ages. I’m hoping to post new chapters about once a week so wish me luck (and any encouragement you can offer is always welcome!). Inspired by Rescue by Lauren Daigle and by a lot of the concepts in Sense8.

Your POV

“Another beautiful day…” squinting you blink the sleep from your eyes and stretch in a way that channels your inner cat. “I wonder if you’re a morning person?” Rolling over you snuggle deeper under your comforter. “Gosh I hope not,” you chuckle to yourself, “cause in case you haven’t noticed I hate getting out of bed.” 

The sunbeams filtering through your curtains have travelled nearly the width of your bed before you manage to summon the energy to rise and truly greet the day. If anyone else was around to hear you they’d probably think you were crazy for talking to someone who clearly wasn’t there but honestly you couldn’t be bothered. You knew in your heart that your soulmate was out there somewhere and that he was listening and no one could take that away from you.

Soulmate bonds were not a guarantee these days, more of a persistent myth. “Like the Force,” you’d giggled one night as you rewatched the original Star Wars trilogy for the umpteenth time and pondered aloud about the comparisons between the strength of the soulmate bond versus the strength of the Force. “Nobody believes in the Force until they see it with their own eyes, it’s the same way with soulmates. I’m one of the lucky ones ya know, my parents had the bond so I know it’s real. Just like I know you’re real and one day we’ll find each other, you can take that to the bank.” You smiled as you thought of your mom and dad. It had been long enough since their deaths that your thoughts were more of fondness and less of sadness. Of course you missed them terribly but you knew that they wouldn’t want you to grieve forever, they valued life and love too much for you to waste away on might-have-beens. They’d want you to make the most of each day, and to never give up hope on finding your own soulmate.

Flicking off the TV you tidied up a bit as you moved through your apartment getting settled in for the night. “Lights off, doors and windows locked...” you headed for your bathroom, making a ridiculous face in the mirror before starting your bedtime routine. “That one was just for you handsome, so you know what you’re in for.” After finishing up you winked and blew a kiss at the mirror, “Hope you’re keeping count of those cause you owe me like a billion, mister.” Flipping off the light you climbed into bed, your weighted blanket and nest of additional blankets and pillows always a welcome relief at the end of the day. “I wonder if you run hot or cold… I bet you’re warm cause I’m freezing all the time, that would explain a lot…” you murmured as you rolled over to find a comfortable position, your eyes falling shut soon after. “Goodnight.. whoever you are. Can’t wait to see you, hear your voice, to hold your hands in mine… Love you..” and you drifted off, thoughts of your soulmate filling your head and fueling your dreams.

His POV

Cursing under his breath he stormed into his room, tac vest and weapons tossed who knows where as he stripped and turned the shower on as hot and as high as it would go. Lava showers were his go-to when he needed a reset, just enough self-inflicted pain to separate his brain from the details of a particularly grueling mission. He groaned as he stepped under the spray, allowing the heat and the pressure to wash away the worst bits of the last four days. Sure, they got the bad guys in the end, even discovered some unexpected intel in the process, but the getting there had been ridiculously draining. Squirreled away in a remote South American jungle, the Hydra base provided little choice when it came to infiltration.  Landing within five miles would have given away their position so it had been a difficult trek through unforgiving terrain, not to mention the hundred-plus degree heat. Time was of the essence so any sort of rest was sacrificed for the sake of the mission. By the time they made it to the base and overpowered double the amount of goons as were predicted the entire team was stretched thin. Needless to say they were all thankful to be back home and without another mission for the foreseeable future. 

Feeling the water cool slightly he shook himself out of his daze and finished rinsing the last of the dirt and blood from his body. He could feel himself coming down hard from the adrenaline of the mission and barely dried off before slipping on some sleep shorts and collapsing into bed, the hum of his fan creating that white noise that his brain craved when he needed to further quiet his thoughts. Bucky could handle 48 hours without sleep no problem, but that didn’t mean he liked doing it or that he didn’t need at least 24 hours of sleep afterwards. Just before he drifted off he thought he heard a voice... a soft, soothing voice that brought an unexpected smile to his face. Before he could think too much about it he succumbed to his dreams, pleasant dreams for once, filled with a mysterious woman and an overwhelming feeling of safety and love.

Part 2

[douxreviews]

Quantum Leap - Season One Review

"Oh, boy."

Quantum Leap began as a mid-season replacement in early 1989, ran for five seasons (1989-1993), and made a television star out of Scott Bakula. While it was running, it was one of my two favorite shows (the other was Star Trek: The Next Generation). There wasn't much good science fiction on television back then. Actually, there wasn't much sci-fi on television at all, unlike today's sci-fi-rich television environment.

What happens

A brilliant scientist named Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) invents time travel. Pressured to produce results or lose funding, he tries it on himself — and wakes up in 1956 in someone else's body. With the help of his Quantum Leap Project partner Al (Dean Stockwell) who visits Sam in the form of a neurological hologram, Sam discovers that he must correct whatever it was that "went wrong" in the original timeline before he can leap out again. It is theorized by Ziggy, the artificial intelligence back at the Project, that if Sam can't make the appropriate correction in each leap, he'll be stuck in that person's body forever.

What works

There is so much to love about Quantum Leap. Fortunately, the two best things about the show are the main characters, Sam and Al, and the actors who played them. I've always thought that Sam Beckett is a dream role for an actor, and Scott Bakula was more than up to the challenge of playing a new character in a new situation every week. Okay, not exactly a new character, but he still had to play Sam's interpretation of that character, which added some acting layers while still preserving the integrity of Sam himself as a character.

Yes, Sam Beckett is just too perfect. A genius with six doctorates, his massive intellect made him capable of stepping into nearly anyone's life. What helped make Sam less perfect was that the Quantum Leap process made "swiss cheese" out of his memory. His partial amnesia also helped disconnect him from his old life, making it easier to immerse himself in the lives of the people he leaped into, an excellent plot device.

And then there is Al, who is also brilliant and multi-talented, and whatever Sam can't do while living someone else's life, like fly a plane or speak Italian, Al can step in and help. Al is also the king of double entendres and references to scoring with women, and under other circumstances, I would have found such a character repulsive. But Dean Stockwell is just so lovable in this part. He made it easy to see the humanity and goodness inside Al, right from the start. And Bakula and Stockwell played so well off each other. Even though Sam and Al were totally different people, they were believable as close friends.

The basic premise of the series is great, too; it's a fascinating framework for a time travel series. The only real limitation is that Sam couldn't travel to the future or to a time earlier than 1953. Setting episodes in the fifties, sixties or seventies made Quantum Leap all about the nostalgia, though. Gender roles, period music, historical events woven into the story like the east coast blackout and the streaking fad in the early seventies, you name it.

And then there were the clothes. I have little interest in fashion, but I love the costumes on this show. Scott Bakula looked so comfortable and natural, so right in those period outfits. Sometimes they were yummy; occasionally they were hilarious. What I enjoyed just as much was Al showing up in bizarre futuristic outfits in outrageous colors, which fortunately never became fashionable in real life. Like Bakula with the period clothes, Dean Stockwell simply made that wardrobe work. Al is a colorful character, and his wardrobe matches his personality.

What doesn't work

There isn't much I don't like about Quantum Leap. Maybe it would have been interesting if they hadn't been limited to Sam's lifespan, and the United States (and yes, brief spoiler, they do get around that occasionally in future episodes). And yes, it tends toward the procedural, since most of the episodes are Leaps of the Week, but hey, it was the nineties.

One thing did leap :) out at me during this rewatch — the show's tendency to lecture. In this abbreviated first season, we got "The Color of Truth," the first time that Sam leaped into the body of someone who wasn't a white guy like himself. Instead of just being a person of color with an important life experience that Sam had to figure out and change, "The Color of Truth" is a sixty-minute lecture on the evils of racial segregation in 1955 Alabama. Not that there's anything wrong with the topic: it was a huge and important part of the recent past, and the episode was both well-intentioned and well done. But preachiness can be a turnoff, and this wasn't the only time it happened.

Another thing I didn't like was that every episode ended in a cliffhanger as Sam leaped into his next challenge, in what always appeared to be dire circumstances. Yes, I get it, cliffhangers help bring the audience back. But I would have been a lot happier if they had simply ended each episode with Sam leaping out, who knows where.

The music replacement controversy

When Quantum Leap was initially released on DVD way back when, Universal decided not to buy the rights to a number of the songs featured on the series simply because it was prohibitively expensive. Changing the music changed the series, though, and many fans were livid about it. The worst offenders were the season two episodes "M.I.A." and "Good Morning, Peoria." (I'll talk more about why fans were upset in my review of season two.)

After some research, I can report that Amazon and Netflix fixed this serious problem; the original music is intact. (I'm writing this review in December 2016, and I live in the U.S.) Unfortunately, Netflix decided to stop carrying Quantum Leap as of January 1, 2017, when I hadn't quite finished my rewatch, so I had to move to Hulu. And unfortunately, Hulu does not feature the original music. I have no idea what is going on with the music in the DVD sets. If you plan to buy Quantum Leap on DVD, you might want to find out about the music replacement situation before purchasing, if it matters to you.

Important episodes

1.1/1.2 "Genesis (September 13, 1956)": This is a decent two-part pilot. The brave test pilots and their long suffering wives waiting at home kept reminding me of the 1983 movie The Right Stuff, which might have been their intention. (In fact, many Quantum Leap episodes remind me of specific movies.) Maybe it shouldn't have been a two-parter, though, because honestly, while Sam's "wife" was doing the laundry, I got a little bored.

This pilot does mention the possibility that Sam's leaping is being directed by God. You'd think God would have the power to fix things Herself without having to use Sam, but okay. Maybe God employs other people like Sam, too.

1.6 "Double Identity (November 8, 1965)": Best episode of the season, and an obvious tribute to The Godfather. The wedding scene where Sam had to sing and Al gave Sam the Italian lyrics to "Volare" was funny, and kept getting funnier as Sam channeled his inner lounge lizard and really got into it. In fact, it went on so long that you'd think it would stop being funny, but it didn't.

(This might be a good time to mention that Scott Bakula has a beautiful, professional singing voice that they often featured in the series.)

Later, during a life and death situation and wearing hair clips and shaving cream, Sam had to converse in Al-prompted Italian. Bakula spoke the lines Sam didn't understand as if he were reciting poetry. And the ending with the thousand watt hair dryer in Buffalo causing the east coast blackout of 1965 was practically perfect.

1.9 "Play It Again, Seymour (April 14, 1953)": A very Sam Spade sort of episode with bits of Casablanca, with Sam in the body of a private eye who looked like Bogart investigating the murder of his partner. Of course, there was a dame — his partner's slinky wife, Alison (Claudia Christian, one of my favorites from Babylon 5). There was also a poorly written novel called Dead Men Don't Die, a dropper named Klapper, and every hardboiled detective cliche you can imagine.

Much of "Play It Again, Seymour" was filmed in the Bradbury Building, a Los Angeles landmark that was also used as a major location in my favorite science fiction movie, Blade Runner. When I was living in L.A., I went to see the building in person. It's gorgeous.

Sam was born in August 1953, and this final leap of the season was set in April 1953. I can only assume the leap range was defined by Sam's conception, not his birth?

Bits and pieces:

-- In season one, Sam leaps into and must become: a test pilot, a professor of literature, a boxer, a veterinarian, a chauffeur, a drag-racing teenager, and a private eye.

-- There are many references to three characters we don't get to meet in this first season: Ziggy, the artificial intelligence that gives Al projections on what Sam is supposed to change; Gooshie, a little guy with bad breath who also works on the Project; and Al's current girlfriend Tina. (Okay, oops, I'm wrong. According to IMDb, Tina is the woman with the flashing earrings that Al picked up in his car.)

-- The person that Sam replaces turns up in the imaging chamber, and Sam only knows how others see him by looking in a mirror. The synchronized mirror scenes are okay, although the motions were never choreographed well enough for me to suspend belief. Maybe those scenes should have been done more simply.

-- In the pilot, Sam wanted desperately to contact his late father but couldn't remember his own last name. Later in the season, in a lovely scene, Sam did speak with his father on the phone but of course, didn't tell him who he was.

-- It is established in season one that animals can see Al, that Al had been raised in an orphanage, had participated in protests during the civil rights movement, and has been married five times.

-- Famous people: Sam gives teen Buddy Holly the lyrics to "Peggy Sue," and shows a tiny Michael Jackson how to moon walk.

-- Notable actors: Teri Hatcher as Sam's first love in "Star-Crossed," Mark Margolis from Breaking Bad in "Double Identity," and Claudia Christian in "Play it Again, Seymour."

-- The saga sell is fun and so are the opening credits and theme music. But come on. A little "caca"? That's childish. I'm glad they didn't retain that.

-- Scott Bakula has a streak of white in his hair. It's not artificial; he has said during interviews that he's had it since childhood.

-- We're told that you cannot fix your own life. Why?

Season one is all "leap of the week" episodes, but it's a short first season and there's nothing wrong with that. By the end, we still don't know much about Sam, Al, or the Quantum Leap Project, so there's a lot of story left to tell.

On to season two!

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[novarasalas]

Second Look Review: The Feud

*This post is very graphics heavy. Use caution. Sorry*

Nnnnggggg…..

…..I hate game shows.

And you know what I hate more than game shows?

1970s game shows.

…..yay, this episode.

But I’m gonna power through it, because there’s a lot of throw backs and references here that you may not have noticed the first time around. There’s also some good plot happenings, too.

But really….

Pictured: my two moods watching this episode.

So the first reference people got almost immediately is in the Garfle Warfle Snick logo.

It’s a classic 70s design. While the asterisks and colors of the GWS logo aren't present in the original Dating game logo, they do feature in the set.

That’s Farah Fawcett, by the way.

The first game is called Pictation. It’s obviously a play on Pictionary, which had it’s own game show in 1997. The original drawing game show, however, was “Win, Lose or Draw”.

This is an episode from 1987, featuring Burt Reynolds, Annie Potts, Dom Deluise, and…

Betty White!

And now Keith is lucky enough to play.

The hair tie is to keep his emo bangs out of his face while the pacifier is to bite down on in frustration.

I know this from experience, as I was in art school starting in 2005, which was a prime year for emo kids, and they made us play Pictionary one afternoon.

Everyone’s pretty much already said it, but yes, I can confirm, Keith is a good artist.

None of us were that day, though.

Several instructors pulled all of their students into one room and broke the news that we’d be playing a game. As socially awkward and socially anxious weirdos, the news also broke us. Half the students didn’t even participate, the other half were doing what Lance is doing here: yelling random stuff that doesn’t even come close to making sense.

And we were terrible at this game. All of us.

After the 3rd round, a cry came from the back of the room:

“hOW Are wE SO BAD aT ThiS???!!!”

I wish I knew, random art kid.

What I do know is that Keith is doing far better than I did. I mean, he didn’t start crying, not even a little bit.

In the end, Team Voltron loses, giving Team Galra a chance to steal. That’s a game mechanic from The Family Feud, and it’s the only one, even though the episode is titled “The Feud”.

It’s more in the overall design of the set, really.

….

I’ve never liked “The Family Feud”. I claim legacy on that: back in the day before remote controls were standard, my sickly grandpa would drag himself out of his chair to turn the t.v. off because he hated Richard Dawkins so much.

Richard Dawkins was the original host of the show, and he was one in a line of 70s game hosts that always made me feel like I was about to be sexually assaulted.

...can’t imagine why I’d ever feel that way.

To be fair, he’s not kissing those women without consent. They asked them before the taping if they were ok with it. But still….ick. And Richard Dawkins wasn’t even close to being the worst in terms of smarmy game show hosts.

Back to the episode at hand though.

(This is a great loop, btw. I suck at gif making myself, so thanks op.)

Everything about Team Galra is delightful. I just wish there was more of it.

With a steal and a win, Zarkon chooses Lance to play.

Zarkon is so thrilled to call Lance dumb. It’s hilarious. Also, Lance fans, please enjoy this endless loop of that moment.

I kid, I kid. I like Lance. We’ll talk more later.

I don’t know what Faces from the Past is referencing, but that isolation shield seems awful lot like The Cone of Silence from “Get Smart”.

What is The Cone of Silence? It’s a class A security procedure, used to transfer top secret intel between two agents.

Demonstrated here:

The next game is more familiar.

It’s the Garflator, or otherwise known as...Password!

...wait….is that…?

Yes! It’s Betty White again. Also seen here in an episode from 1963.

Doing this research, I found out that Betty’s done a lot of game shows in her time. That’s news to me, because I still don’t like game shows.

After the dumb one is the smart one.

And everyone knows it.

Pidge plays miniature golf here.I don’t think it’s in reference to anything else, though maybe you could see a game from The Price is Right if you squint.

And then Pidge gets things done about, by calculating a shot that takes out the camera and the crazy, demi god like creature known as Bob, tackling him to the ground.

The ambition, drive and self assurance that Pidge has is amazing and no one talks about it nearly enough. I want to be her when I grow up.

So now it’s down to a vote: who ever gets voted for the most gets to leave while the rest stay for eternity. It’s kind of like a reverse “Survivor” situation, really.

And now everything gets very heartwarming as they vote for each other, but one stood out to me: Lance, voting for Keith.

Lance: He’s our leader, plus he’s half Galra, so I think he’s, like, the future.

That….was so sweet. I mean it. That face, those words. I didn’t expect Lance to say that. He’s come so far since those first episodes where he was just an unmitigated asshat to Keith. It’s growth. It’s good.

Keith, what say you?

Keith: I just don’t wanna be stuck here for eternity with Lance.

Oh no! Keith...hahah...Lance gives you something so heartfelt and that’s what you go with? Aw man…

Really, though, his ire’s not directed at Lance, not really. It’s more like he’s just done with everything that’s happening, he’s frustrated, and Lance is the only one he’d take anything like this out on.

But buck up, kiddos, your love and friendship won the day!

And lastly, one more reference, this time directly from The Price is Right:

At the end of each show, host Bob Barker would turn to the camera and say “Help control the pet population: have your pet spayed or neutered.”

Bob Barker has fought for animals rights for decades, and while I don’t necessarily agree with everything he’s done, good things have come from his work. I’d link some info on it here, but...I can’t. Channel you’re inner essay writer and go find those sources.

So, that episode was a trip. In all, it more reminded me of “Let’s Make a Deal”, where costumed contestants would be chosen from the audience to play games for cash and prizes.

Bob himself is most like Bob Eubanks, as played by Q from Star Trek. I believe the showrunners even mentioned Q while talking about Bob in this episode

That’s Bob Eubanks up there. He was the host of “The Newlywed Game” and “Hollywood Squares”.

Q, on the other hand, is:

“He is an extra-dimensional being of unknown origin who possesses immeasurable power over normal human notions of time, space, the laws of physics, and reality itself, being capable of violating or altering them in unpredictable ways with a casual thought or hand gesture. Despite his vast knowledge and experience spanning untold eons (and much to the exasperation of the object(s) of his obsession), he is not above practical jokes for his own personal amusement, for a Machiavellian and manipulative purpose, or to prove a point. He is said to be nigh-omnipotent, and he is continually evasive regarding his true motivations.”

This is him:

So...I still don’t like 70s game shows. But, I gotta say, not everything is terrible about them.

Gene Gene the Dancing Machine is fun. This is from “The Gong Show”.

Fun, if your definition includes “pure chaos”. 

The uh….energetic...host there is Chuck Barris. He’s the creator of “The Dating Game”, “The Newlywed Game” and “The Gong Show”. His shows seem to have pioneered the whole look and feel of most of these 70s game shows, and thus is my sworn enemy.

…

Don’t even think of talking to me about “The Match Game”.

In summary:

I actually had fun with this episode, as much as I don’t like the aesthetic.

And apparently Josh Keaton said that this episode foreshadows something and I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS AND I’M SCARED SO VERY SCARED.

Next up: Wow! What a call back! -and- Kolivan’s been having a bad time.

[tvserieshub]

History Channel’s original show SIX came out swinging last year, delivering fantastic action and emotional content hand in hand. SIX grabbed audiences in the first episode and delivered through the entire first season. With season 2 premiering Monday, May 28th we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you why you should be watching this military-themed show.

10. Olivia Munn

Olivia Munn is joining SIX as a shady CIA Operative…need I say more? Ok, maybe just a bit more. Munn is great in everything she does and from what I’ve seen this is no exception. The addition of Munn throws an already ticking time clock of a team into near meltdown. Going into season 2 look for her to be both help and foil to our team.

photo credit @SIXonHistory

9. Troop Support

Even in real life, the cast of SIX has taken their military connection seriously. The actors participated in a Tough Mudder Run as a team to fundraise for the charity Student Veterans of America in 2016 and 2017. They also recently participated in the Flag and Flower challenge created by Preston Sharp. The challenge asks people to visit the grave’s of veterans, leaving flags and flowers to honor them, in particular NOT on holidays. Even as I write this, some of the cast are preparing to participate in The Murph (a physical challenge meant to honor LT. Michael Murphy, a SEAL who was killed in combat). Whether it’s in interviews, or on social media, you’ll find this cast expressing a constant respect for the warriors they portray.

Flags and Flowers event @SIXonHistory

@BarrySloane

@Jaylen_Moore

8. Locations

SIX uses it’s time wisely. It’s no cookie-cutter action show with all the fights taking place in dingy lighting, creeping through underground tunnels. Instead, you’ll see this team on land, in the air, on the water. You’ll see them at home (some of the hardest hitting scenes), trekking through the forest and busting down doors. I love never knowing where the team is going to end up next, there isn’t any sense of repetitiveness.

7. Complex Villains

Forget blah, zero backstory villains. SIX allows it’s bad guys to be every bit as interesting and dynamic as it’s heroes. Tell me, how many other military shows can say that? Dominic Adams spent last season playing Michael Nasry, the American-born terrorist who’s out for revenge. Although we loved to hate Michael and the tortures he planned for Rip (Walter Goggins), you never impatiently wished him off the screen. In fact, I’m happy to say that Adams is back for season 2, although we’ll find Michael in a very different set of circumstances this time around. SIX is also introducing “The Prince” (Nikolai Nikolaeff) as the big bad of the season. Nikolai spent months preparing himself for the role, diving deep in background so that he could best honor the role. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

6. Diversity

When the U.S. military is 40% PoC it’s completely unrealistic to have a military show with no (or a single token) non-white person on the team. Unfortunately, for some networks that continues to be the trend. SIX threw that nonsense out the window, showing a true picture of what a SEAL team would be. We have an African American member, Hispanic member and, my personal favorite, an Afghani American. Yes, that’s right. The first Muslim SEAL portrayed on American television. If that alone isn’t cause for celebration I don’t know what is. And yes, if you’re keeping track – that’s 50% PoC. Thank you SIX.

photo credit @SIXonHistory

5. The Action

The cast of SIX brings it full force physically. Training with former Navy Seals helped the actors hone their physicality and bring realism to their fight scenes. SIX doesn’t have the big budget of network shows and instead relies on the details instead of huge explosions. Although, no fear, you do get your fair share of those as well. The precise shots and killer hand-to-hand combat are impressive in every episode. Whether it’s taking down terrorists or rescuing school girls, you’ll believe every minute. I’d highly recommend checking out the Instagram accounts of the actors, there are lots of BTS videos detailing the grueling preparation they went through to get ready for these roles.

4. Characters

You can tell from episode one that these characters have been fully fleshed out, loved and thought about. Whether you’re watching Bear mourning his daughter, Buddha struggling with a changing family dynamic or Caulder being forced into parental responsibility, each of these men has some serious backstory. One of my favorites from last season was Fishbait, portrayed by Jaylen Moore. Even without the screen time to explore his family life, Fishbait never felt 1 dimensional and Moore was able to grab some of the spotlight. I’m happy to say we’ll be getting more Fishbait this time around! Bill and David Broyles as the writers/creators clearly love their show and it shines through. They’ve lovingly crafted complex 3D people that you will be captivated by.

Jaylen Moore @sixonhistory

Eric Laden @sixonhistory

Juan Pablo Raba @SIXonHistory

3. The Families

This military drama spends a significant amount of time on the effect that this job has on the home life of our SEAL team. These men go through hell and back on a constant basis and that takes a serious toll. SIX addresses this with respect and honesty. Seeing the inner turmoil of the team and the families around them connects you to the show in a way you might not feel if the focus was all on the action side. I’m partial to a good shoot ’em up show, but SIX is an action show I can recommend to everyone. The issues of home life for these warriors are addressed with a frank simplicity that’s stunning.

Brianne Davis as Lena Graves, and Nadine Velazquez as Jackie Ortiz, bring a warmth and personal touch to the show. As a Navy wife, I couldn’t ever watch dramatized shows like Army Wives. It felt nothing like my own experience since it was essentially Desperate Housewives on a base. SIX, however, shows the good and bad of being a military family in a way that I could immediately connect with.

2. The Cast in General

There are some serious heavy hitters here. Juan Pablo Raba plays Ricky “Buddha” Ortiz. Buddha is one of the most compelling characters to me personally because of the strain he feels between his work and home life. Raba brings his experience and acting chops to show that push/pull of warrior/husband powerfully. Walter Goggins is good in everything he does and SIX is a compelling argument for him as one of the best actors out there. Jaylen Moore has been in a lot – but hasn’t had a lead role in a hit tv series. I predict great things coming out of SIX for him, we didn’t have a chance to see a whole lot of background for Fishbait last year, but that will be changing in season 2.

Brianne Davis adds a level of heart and connection to this show that just blew my mind. She was one of the first cast members I wanted to interview because I felt that honest connection from the start. Kyle Schmidt is charming, funny and still manages to break your heart. Edwin Hodge brings a gravity and intelligence to his role and I look forward to seeing where that takes him in this much darker season 2. There isn’t a miscast actor in the bunch, and to honest, I could have written a paragraph for each one and why we love them. From interviews we’ve done we’ve learned that several of the characters were created AFTER meeting the actors who would play them. Juan Pablo Raba and Jaylen Moore in particular. The writers saw potential and they know exactly how to make their stars shine.

1. Barry Sloane

I’ve been a fan of Sloane’s for years, but in SIX he’s a totally different actor. From the bad boy romantic on Revenge to the deputy on Longmire, Sloane has always been good on screen. But in this? In this he’s great. As Joe “Bear” Graves, Sloane brings a power and complexity that shows what a truly phenomenal actor he’s become. Bear is ripped apart, suffering PTSD and struggling to balance home and work. He’s following the path of his mentor Rip (Walter Goggins) in all the worst ways, something the audience hopes and prays he can pull away from. He’s a leader on and off screen, the rest of the cast referencing him in every interview we did. To be honest, I’m really amazed Sloane hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy for his work in this series. Here’s hoping it happens in the future

Interviews

I’ve been fortunate enough to interview several of the hard-working actors from SIX. Check out what they have to say about the upcoming season:

Barry Sloane Interview

Joshua Gage Interview

Brianne Davis Interview

Eric Ladin Interview

Jaylen Moore Interview

Nikolai Nikolaeff Interview

Juan Pablo Raba Interview

  We have more interviews coming, check back soon!!

Get Watching!

All told, SIX is a standout series worth your time. If you haven’t seen Season 1, get binging! Season 2 premieres Monday, May 28th at 10/9c and then moves to its regular time on Wednesday, May 30th at 10/9c. This season promises to be darker, more emotional and explore new sides of our team. It’s going to be great!

I’ll be live tweeting from @tvserieshub all season, check back after the episode for my reviews. Hit me up anytime @nolenag03 to chat about SIX

  10 Reasons You Should be Watching #SIXonHistory +Cast Interviews @BarrySloane @EricLadin @TheBrianneDavis @JuanPabloRaba @Jaylen_Moore @EdwinHodge @NNikolaeff @iamKyleSchmid History Channel's original show SIX came out swinging last year, delivering fantastic action and emotional content hand in hand.

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

Television wise I’ve been rewatching The Prisoner to celebrate it’s 50th anniversary this year. Since the show is so significant to me I am going to have to ramble about it!

Growing up my parents talked about various shows they watched back before I was born, and for folks that weren’t into tv much it was a pretty good list. Star Trek, The Avengers, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Smothers Brothers, The Saint, The Twilight Zone, Mission Impossible, etc...whether they knew it or not they were geeks at heart. I get it honest, as Mom would say.

Two shows always mentioned together were Danger Man/Secret Agent (depending on which country you’re from) and The Prisoner. Danger Man was the more serious sibling of the mainstream tv spy genre of the time. It was a bit closer to LeCarre than James Bond, if you know what I mean. When the star tired of it a very different show was created, one where to this day people debate whether the main character actually is the same person. The Prisoner was not an ordinary show but a thing of art, of myth even. 

I was convinced I would never see this mysterious show. It had aired before I was born, and my parents were under the impression that there was something preventing it from every being reshown. But then, when I was about 14, our local PBS station showed it. I was incredibly excited.

Now I love a great many things, but some strike something deeper than others. Once in a very, very long time something hits something at the very core of your being, something primal and personal. It 

I mentioned before about reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass when I was six and how it expressed something absolutely true to my perception of the world. It was just right in a way no other book ever had been. My reaction to The Prisoner was something like that.

Something like but different. Visceral and overwhelming, not comforting but  a scream of recognition of something dark and powerful. I have never in my life reacted as intensely to any work of art or pop culture as I did to that first episode.

Put simply, I freaked. I identified with the main character so completely I was raging. I stomped around the house, shouting, reacting with a ferocity of someone personally experiencing the events of the fantasy.

If you are unfamiliar with the show, it involves a man, most probably a spy, that has resigned from his job. He wakes to find himself in a place known only as “The Village”. It’s designed like a vacation resort, but is in fact a sort of prison where everyone is constantly monitored and mind games are the order of the day. Instead of names everyone is refered to by a number, so while our hero is constantly questioned as to why he resigned, he in turn wonders “Who is number 1?” Answers are as elusive as escape.

One of the beauties of the show is that even though for all the ‘60s surrealism many episodes can function as an adventure show, much else about it works best when viewed as an allegory. My best friend was the only other person I knew that watched it** and yet you would think we were watching different shows. To her it was that adventure show that got too weird at the end, to me it was fodder for an epic essay in English class about how the Village represented the world, blah, blah, blah with those weird episodes my absolute favorites. 

At heart, the show is a study in the dynamics between the individual and society. Society, through it’s various structures, attempts to make an individual part of the whole. The individual, instinctively as much as anything, attempts to maintain separate identity. It’s a sort of dance between pressure and resistance, where our hero, as ultimate expression of that conflict, can hold onto the self but can never escape society.

Or that’s my take today! LOL

No, really, it is open to interpretation. The Village could equally be seen as an internal cage, the struggle not between society and the individual  but one within a person for identity. Or it could be... 

But I won’t rattle off how to read it. How you understand a peice of art, and I do think the show counts as art as much as any group creation for mass consumption can, depends on the person taking it in. The show is half the creation, and you the viewer are the other half. 

In a way that is the secret for my meltdown. I reacted to powerfully not because of the show but because of me. It might sound odd for a 14 year old girl to find her purest fictional identification character in the form of a middle aged male spy from a tv show from before she was born, bit it does make a sort of sense. 

I have all my life had a intensely strong sense of self. I’ve known who I was, even when I don’t really like it. My unshakable sense of identity had always placed me in a situation of conflict. My refusal to pretend to be other than who I was or deny my views for the sake of unity had caused me trouble from the start. I lived in a small rural community with a great deal of expectation for conformity and social unity, but still I refused to compromise my expression of self. It didn’t matter if it was counter to my seeming well being, my instinct was always to an inner truth that would be read as rebellion or weirdness by others. I watched the first episode and saw myself and my world.

So there I was, finally watching the first episode and going nuts. I could not taking it. It stirred things, those personal resonances, so deeply that I was overwhelmed. When the next episode was shown a week later my family watched without me. That was a first, me refusing to watch something because it got to me. In fact it wasn’t until months later when the reruns started over that I watched again. I was prepared this time. I’d hold my emotions in check and watch rationally. And this time it was love.....

I cannot tell you how many times I have rewatched the series over the years. As we were watching the episode Once Upon A Time I pointed out to Mom I actually have the dialog memorized! Admittedly the episode, in which our hero (I never call him Number Six...I dunno, I just can’t) and Number Two (one of the ever changing rulers if The Village) going into a psychological pressure cooker situation, is a particular favorite. Still the same applies to other episodes. Dance of the Dead, Free For All, A Change of Mind, Fall Out ( that controversial last episode I adore)....actually only the episode Do Not Foresake Me Oh My Darling, where star Patrick McGoohan went off to a film a movie leaving the character to be mind swapped in a story that always felt off to me, just get rewatched on series run throughs. 

And so here we are in the milestone year, a 50th anniversary to a show that still connects with me on a primal level. There aren’t going to be mountains of celebratory memorabilia or even magazine covers trumpeting the event. That’s okay. Much as I wish more people remembered it as more than some dusty old footnote in tv history, it doesn’t change the fact it’s a masterpiece. 

One day I may even get up the nerve to watch that remake series of a few years back.

Maybe....

 **Most people around here did not have cable yet, so it was still four channels, five by the time I was in high school and there was Fox...if the weather was right. Despite the lack of options it seemed NO ONE watched PBS outside my family. I was a child when they started showing Doctor Who, eventually six days a week. You would think with only four channels at the time I wouldn’t be the only Doctor Who fan in the entire school. You would be wrong. LOL

[thedogsled]

I’m such a Trekkie that when I rub my dog’s ears I call it oo-mox.

Now you know.

[damnredthing]

Let’s get ready to ramble – SNW S1E03

This post – naturally – contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode yet and do not want to read spoilers, please do not read any further.

This is not an episode review but rather just a bunch of ramblings which I’ve tried to at least sort a little bit into categories.

Season 1 – Episode 3 – Ghosts of Illyria

I’ve posted some of my thoughts in the Strange New Pod mailbag, so check out their channel if you like. 😊

Pike’s inner demons - continued

No mention of that at all in this episode, and that was the perfect choice! This episode was centered around Una and M’Benga. Showing any of Pike’s PTSD in this episode would have felt way out of place. BUT we still see him dealing with it in an indirect way. Judging from how he reacts when he’s in imminent danger, he obviously still hasn’t made up his mind whether his future is predestined or not. Because if he knew with 100% certainty that he cannot die up until the moment when he rescues those cadets, why would he be afraid of a) the ion storm and b) the glowing creatures?

On hindsight, I think Una challenging his vision in the last episode was actually a genius choice by the writers. Because that got Pike thinking. He is now not so sure anymore whether the vision will really be his fate. I still believe the writers will not retcon his fate, but at least now Pike does have a sense of fear and danger again. Fear is not a weakness, it is what makes us cautious. If he has no fear because he knows his fate, he will take risks. But now that Una has given him the uncertainty, she – probably unknowingly – helped Pike to overcome this blockage.

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Wishlist - yay or nay

Reference is made to this post:

Different tones in different episodes – Again yay. Compared to the first two episodes, this one is dramatic and has some suspense. I wouldn’t have minded if it had a few horror elements, too; but I’m fine with how the episode worked out. The positive messages the show tries to bring to us continue to happen. It turns out the ghosts of Illyria were not out to harm or possess Pike and Spock, but instead they wanted to protect them. And it also turns out the Illyrian colonists weren’t mad people who tried to subdue other civilizations with their superior augmented abilities. The colonists wanted to de-engineer their augmentations to join Starfleet because they believed in the good Starfleet is doing. This is a nice fuck you to everyone who thinks in stereotypes and always suspect the worst in people. It is also why Pike doesn’t fear the discussion with Starfleet, should Una’s secret ever be revealed to them. He has seen the good in the Illyrian’s and he’s willing to fight for them.

Surprising reveal -  Kinda yay. I hoped for a surprising reveal for Pike, but as all my points in my wishlist are directed at Pike (for obvious reasons, duh), I am fine if this happens to other characters on the show. This time it is Una who has a shocking secret revealed, one that will change her character significantly in the show (and one that originated from beta canon). We all thought the augment would be La’an. And I actually still think she is, even if “just” by inheritance. Have you seen the fight? La’an was on par with Una.

But it’s actually Una who is augmented (, too). That makes Pike’s 3 senior officers ranked right below him in the command chain all physically superior to him, with Spock being a Vulcan and Una and presumably also La’an both being physically enhanced. I can already hear all the crying from so called “true Trek fans” about how the writers “emasculate” Pike and about how “woke” the show is. I’ll enjoy drinking your tears 😂😂😂. Truth is Pike is going to be thrilled to have such a strong back-up! I mean why wouldn't he? They are on the same side! I’d also be happy to have a crew who can kick ass.

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Randoms

Disclaimer: I often ask questions here which might be understood as nitpicking (and it probably is). But it is never meant to slam the writers or the show. They are just questions that pop up in my mind while I watch the episode for the first time and I just take notes. But should none of my questions ever be answered, trust me I will not lose sleep over it. So please just take my questions with a bit of tongue in cheek. They are never meant overly serious.

So La’an is very much aware who her ancestor is, and it seems it’s part of her Starfleet file so everyone knows. I sure hope we gonna get an episode focused on that, because just telling the story wouldn’t be satisfying to me. As I said before, I am pretty sure she inherited some of the augmented strength. Just the way she could hold up against Una is a straight giveaway.

Why did the increased atmospheric pressure and the Illyrian ghosts’s proximity inflict pain on Pike and not on Spock? Do Vulcans have thicker eardrums? Or does Spock just have a higher pain tolerance? He looks totally undazzled while Pike’s head looks like it’s about to explode (hah! I did it 🤯😋).

Why didn’t Pike and Spock get infected? At least Pike was in the same room as Ensign Lance when Lance released the virus from the cabinet, and the room was bright. Also as M’Benga later found out, it only took passing an infected person on the Enterprise to catch the disease.

How did the ghosts know there were people on the planet that needed protection?

And why didn’t they break through the window which would have been much easier than breaking through the steel door?

The red shirt death counter still didn’t get a strike! How hilarious would it be to have an entire Star Trek show running for like 5 or 7 seasons without a single red shirt biting the dust? (probably very unrealistic)

I loved to see Pike’s anxiety when they were stuck on the planet and his mind was racing around his sick crew back on the Enterprise. I’ve seen people complaining that Pike is too perfect, when in fact he’s not. He does show very human feelings that I think most of us would have if we were in the same situation. You fear for your crew and feel helpless, so you start pacing around in anxiety. You get angsty when some unknown creature tries to break through a steel door. And you sure as hell are frightened when they actually break through and come for you. Not to mention his PTSD. I think Pike is represented in a very realistic way with all his flaws but also all his good sides.

So, M’Benga also has a sad backstory (and I am sure the whiners will jump on this one, too). But it wasn’t just tell, they also showed his daughter Rukiya. I just hope Una and M’Benga don’t keep this secret from Pike. If Una has learnt one thing in this episode, then it’s better not to keep secrets from him. He got your back. Don’t thank him by keeping even more secrets from him. That is just not fair and could break more than it can help.

Also, Una’s doubts about Pike felt misplaced to me. Her assumption he might have decided differently if she was not the hero is emotional and probably based on her insecurity in this matter, but it holds no merit. He clearly told her he doesn’t care where she comes from. If M’Benga had found the cure all on his own, it wouldn’t have made any difference for Pike. It baffles me a bit that after Una and Pike have presumably known each other for so long, she doubts him like that.

I love the reference to Lower Decks that multiple lower ranked crew members have to share one crew quarters and sleep in bunk beds! And they even intermix the crew, not just one quarters for all male and one for all female.

How did the cylinder with the relevant information that the Illyrians wanted to officially apply to join Starfleet pop out just when Pike and Spock were to leave the archive? I suppose one of the ghosts stayed back to activate the cylinder, but there wasn’t any of the glowing creatures to be seen.

Pike refused to accept Una’s resignation and to report her to Starfleet. While I get that he’s taking the risk (because in his mind he only has 10 years of active duty left anyways, so to hell with regulations), there are 3 more people onboard the Enterprise who need to keep their mouths shut as well: La’an, Chapel and M’Benga. While I do not doubt their loyalty to Una, that’s still a lot of people to keep the same secret. My guess is Una’s secret will be revealed to Starfleet sooner or later anyways, and we might see a kind of a repeat of Julian Bashir’s story. Starfleet allowed La’an to join them even though she probably has inherited augmented genes. They could do the same for Una. However, the difference is that Una was aware of her inheritance but lied to Starfleet to be able to join them. There might be a court martial for all people involved (because let’s face it, court martials are a classic in Starfleet and SNW will have theirs sooner or later) but she’ll probably be left off the hook because she proved herself worthy and to not have ill intentions. Additionally this episode could be the base for redeeming the Illyrians.

I think when Una carried Hemmer to sickbay, Rebecca was actually carrying a Hemmer puppet… and I’d bet 10 bucks that it was a puppet like the one showed at the SNW exhibition on Mission Chi and in New York at the Paley Center!

The Illyrian ghosts sometimes show their humanoid form. If you look closely you can make out hints of legs, arms and a head. When they all three band together to protect Pike and Spock, they form a little dome. I wish there had been some communication. But I also have the feeling this might not have been the last time we’ve seen the Illyrian’s or the Illyrian ghosts.

We cannot count on future interactions with other Illyrians being just as smooth. In the Enterprise show, Archer stole a warp core from Illyrian’s (after the Illyrian helped to repair the Enterprise mind you!) in order to reach Earth before the Xindi with their deadly weapon could. Archer literally left the Illyrian’s to die, because without the warp core, they would need years to travel home and there was no guarantee that they would find enough food, water and resources on their long journey. But should they have been found by their own people (which we do not know), you can bet that at least some Illyrians might not be too happy to run into humans again.

I suppose the building complex where the landing party beamed down has never been hit by the ion storm since the colonists vanished, because only this time the windows were shattered.

Ethen Peck as Spock has so grown on me big time. He’s not just some iteration of Spock as he was in Discovery. In the very few episodes of SNW he became Spock to the core, at least to me. There is something different going on in SNW that wasn’t there in Discovery but I cannot pinpoint it. But whenever he speaks and the way he sometimes looks… it feels like a perfect Nimoy impersonation.

Still not enough Hemmer in this episode! But I am sure the episode centered around engineering will come. Have faith people!

The CGI porn was outstanding in this episode. I mean, just look at this! And also thank you for having put a nightmare of mine into pictures. I've been dreaming of a thunderstorm like that with black clouds engulfing me since I was maybe 9 years old. And yeah, they did return... 😟

On a sad note, I think I have to skip “spot the dimples” for episode 3 because I couldn’t find any. Looks like scared Pike doesn’t produce dimples lol.

But to make up for that, here’s some fan service for fanfiction writers. 😇

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Remarkable Quotes

Hemmer: Engineering to Transporter. Try it now.

Chief Kyle: What the...? How did you...?

Hemmer: I am a genius.

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Pike: Suggestions, Mr. Spock?

Spock: Run.

(This is actually the 2nd time Spock suggests this to Pike. The other time was in Discovery Episode S2E09 Project Daedalus)

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Ensign Lance: I need to feel the light on my skin.

Ortegas: Whatever tweaks your freak, pal.

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Una: Anything else abnormal during transport you can think of?

Hemmer: Besides the landing party's atoms almost getting mixed up into a puddle of bioorganic stew?

Una: 😳

Hemmer: No.

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Spock: I believe there is a human phrase. A watched kettle never boils.

Pike: It's a pot. And in this case, I'm pretty sure we're gonna get hit with the scalding water.

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Pike: This place is fun. They should sell tickets. .

Pike: Any clue as to what happened to the colony?

Spock: I am only halfway through these records, Captain.

Pike: Consider maybe skipping to the end before the storm tears the building apart?

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Pike: Whatever made that sound, looks like it's gone.

Spock: A curious figure of speech.

Pike: 😒

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Una: Hemmer, what are you doing?

Hemmer: Performing a miracle.

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(because this dialog is hilarious, here’s it in full length)

Pike: 🤨

Pike: Does that thing have a setting for stun?

Spock: I am arming us with knowledge.

Pike: 😶

Pike: You think the Illyrians knew how to stop these things?

Spock: Perhaps. But even if they did not, we may be able to learn from their misfortune.

Spock: I have deduced that these creatures did not destroy them. That, in fact, they began to appear as the Illyrians were starting to be wiped out by a mysterious disease.

Pike: 😳

Pike: I'm still waiting for the useful part.

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M’Benga: Prejudice has kept people from helping each other for centuries with no scientific justification.

M’Benga: And after we met our neighbors in the galaxy, we found new bigotries. .

Una: I just did my job, sir.

Pike: No. You defy every stereotype the Federation has about Illyrians.

Pike: You're an example to them.

Pike: And to all of us.

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M’Benga: We travel light-years in hours.

M’Benga: And somewhere out there is a planet that has the discovery I need. .

[alexzalben]

Some Stuff I Did This Week (Sept. 24-30, 2017)

In last week’s classic “Some Stuff I Did This Week” I talked about how I’ve been pushing myself to write more, in order to tap back into my inner creativity and combat the doldrums that have impacted every aspect of my life for the past few months.

This week, I didn’t do that much. Actually, that’s not true; but as Ian Malcolm always says, “life finds a way to get you very busy and give you excuses to not do the things you want to do.” I still did THINGS but I didn’t produce STUFF, if that makes sense.

Regardless, I’m finding that posting a weekly round-up is a good way of pushing, re-centering and focusing myself on the tasks at hand. If I don’t have a lot to write down here, then clearly I haven’t done my job (well, my metaphoric job, not the actual job I get paid for; I did that).

Anyway, here’s what I actually did create this past week:

#BirthAnnouncement

https://medium.com/@azalben/birthannouncement-af9dd93da1e6

I’ll be perfectly honest since it’s just the two of us here: this was partially inspired by MTV’s press releases for the new TRL. I used to work at MTV, I love MTV, I bet I even know some of the folks involved in those press releases. But the constant churn of language used to describe people involved in the channel -- two participants in the new TRL are called “content creators” -- will always be funny to me. So yes, this started with that, and then spun off from there. I actually kind of wish it was a little longer, but after doing some research on birth announcements, I realized they’re not like wedding announcements -- i.e., long stories. Probably mainly because “they had sex and nine months later, a baby” is the story almost every time.

Star Trek: Discovery Boldly Pays Tribute to the Franchise – While Blasting It Into the Future

http://www.tvguide.com/news/star-trek-discovery-review-for-fans/

I really like Star Trek: Discovery a lot, and strongly recommend you watch this week’s episode, which completely changes the show yet again. In fact, if you haven’t watched the first two that’s okay (you should) because the third episode is essentially its own pilot. Anywho, above is my review “for fans,” for the first two episodes, and I thought it was important to go at length about how I often feel like a bad fan.

100 Secrets From The Walking Dead's Hundredth Episode

http://www.tvguide.com/news/walking-dead-episode-100-spoilers/

This is the thing that wrecked me for the rest of the week. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever written, but it is quite possibly the longest, one hundred impressions, quotes and notes I took while visiting the set of TWD this past Summer. Short version, the set is stunning and at some point I’ll write about how much Walking Dead has changed my life (for the better) through a variety of weird experiences. Point is, I wrote this for fans, and non-fans -- but I got a lot of great feedback from the hardcores, and that meant the world to me.

The Stack: Thor, Wonder Woman and The Black Monday Murders

http://comicbookclublive.com/?p=1823

I really like Thor a lot! Pete and I discuss the controversy around Wonder Woman! Black Monday Murders continues to be very good! Enjoy!

Comic Book Club: Reed Tucker

http://comicbookclublive.com/?p=1827

Reed Tucker wrote a book called “Slugfest” about the long battle between Marvel and DC. It’s a lot of fun, and this SHOW was a lot of fun, despite some mic problems early on. I think around year 20 of doing this show we’ll figure out our mic problems. Stay Tuned!

[repwincoml4a0a5]

Geek of the Week: MoPOP senior curator Jacob McMurray turns his geeky passions into life’s work

MoPOP senior curator Jacob McMurray in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame exhibit. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

When Jacob McMurray first went to work in 1994 on the initial development of Paul Allen’s dream for a music museum in Seattle, he was cataloging Jimi Hendrix records out of an office building in Bellevue, Wash.

Over the years, McMurray has changed positions about as many times as the Experience Music Project (etc.) has changed names. He’s been a curatorial assistant, researcher, associate curator and curator. McMurray is senior curator at what is now the Museum of Pop Culture, a job he’s held for 12 years, and he summed up his life’s work for us by saying, “I just get to be a big nerd and get paid for it.”

For that distinction alone, it’s easy to see why McMurray is GeekWire’s latest Geek of the Week.

Jacob McMurray holds a 1965 Fender Jazzmaster, played by J. Mascis of the band Dinosaur Jr. (Courtesy of Jacob McMurray)

During his time at MoPOP, McMurray has organized over 20 exhibitions covering many facets of popular culture, including:

PUSH ME, PULL ME: Pearl Jam and the Art of the Screen Printed Poster

Indie Game Revolution

Hear My Train A Comin’: Hendrix Hits London

Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film

Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses

McMurray is also the author of “Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind” (Fantagraphics, 2011), which documents the explosion of Grunge, the Seattle Sound, within the context of the underground punk subculture that was developing throughout the U.S. in the late 1970s and ’80s.

This weekend marks the opening of McMurray’s latest exhibition, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame at MoPOP. Gathering artifacts and the stories associated with the 108 inductees is just a natural progression for a guy who is already an avid collector and consumer of everything from comic books to video games. Having an interest in all sorts of geeky stuff is part of the territory in curating for a pop culture museum.

“I definitely was always a huge science fiction/fantasy fan — big reader, big movie watcher, big music fan as well,” McMurray sad. “I think a lot of the other topics we cover, it’s kind of an opportunity to nerd out on that topic whether I know it or not. For me it’s always really exciting to use the skills of storytelling to explore a new area of popular culture.”

McMurray is also well aware of the unique aspect of what he gets to show off to the public, and how it can differ from traditional museum content.

Jacob McMurray poses with the Dr. Zaius costume from “Planet of the Apes.” (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

“One thing that we really try to focus on in our museum is just that idea that the stuff that we’re displaying, we’re not talking about going to see past masters of works that are 200 years old,” McMurray said. “We’re showing stuff that is part of people’s lives already. So when you look at Spock’s tunic, I think of watching the original ‘Star Trek’ with my dad in re-runs when I was little. As long as we can provide avenues for people to think [their] story is part of the exhibition, I think that’s a good thing.”

Outside of MoPOP, McMurray dabbles in graphic design, focusing on books and print ephemera. At points in what he calls the “increasingly distant past” he was an archaeologist, owned a screen printing studio, and founded a small independent publishing house. He lives in Seattle with his wife, two daughters, four chickens, one cat, and 50,000 honeybees.

Learn more about this week’s Geek of the Week, Jacob McMurray:

What do you do, and why do you do it? “As the Senior Curator of MoPOP, I develop exhibitions on a wild range of geeky areas of pop culture. I come up with the exhibition narratives, guide the overall look and feel of the exhibition, find various collectors and borrow cool artifacts for display, do oral history interviews with myriad individuals for use in the exhibitions, write all of the interpretive text, and represent the exhibitions for the institution, the press, and the public.”

“I’ve worked in various positions at MoPOP for over 20 years now, and I love it because I get to merge my personal passions with my career and I get to share that with the public.”

What’s the single most important thing people should know about your field? “I think that the words ‘curator’ and ‘curated’ have become pretty overused and diluted in our culture. Being a curator and organizing exhibitions isn’t merely selecting objects and putting them on pedestals. For me it’s part art, part science, part craft. I view exhibitions in themselves as complex works of art that combine many different elements — resonant artifacts, stories from primary sources, compelling and distilled narratives, innovative exhibition design and graphic design, compelling interactive experiences, an evocative gallery score, elements of drama and whimsy — all into a package that is exciting, entertaining, and illuminating for an audience.”

Where do you find your inspiration? “I find my inspiration from all over the place. I check out a lot of museums. I take inspiration from contemporary art, from design, film, music. I have an inner catalog of all the cool things that I see and if there are way to implement those cool ideas in interesting ways in an exhibition I’m working on, I’m all for it.

“I also view each exhibition as an opportunity to take what worked in a previous exhibition and amplify that or take it to the next level in a future exhibition. To me it’s one, long, multi-exhibition, evolutionary process.”

What’s the one piece of technology you couldn’t live without, and why? “I really couldn’t live without a whole suite of mobile-based productivity apps, like Slack, Workflowy, Trello, Airtable, Smartsheet, Onehub, etc. Being connected with the work and our team wherever I am is vital.”

Jacob McMurray’s workplace isn’t like most. The Museum of Pop Culture was designed by architect Frank Gehry. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

What’s your workspace like, and why does it work for you? “I work in a highly-collaborative environment, with a bunch of really creative people. Day-to-day, we are all over the place at the office, traveling, and working on various exhibitions and other projects. Our offices are set up to allow for informal meetings and easy flow of information. The museum itself is a uniquely-shaped Frank Gehry-designed wonder. We don’t have any galleries that are rectangular boxes — everything is very organic. Following suit, we want each of the exhibition spaces to feel like their own, unique environments, tailored toward the exhibition content and the experience we want the visitors to have. I like our galleries because they force you to think outside of the box.”

Your best tip or trick for managing everyday work and life. (Help us out, we need it.) Email is a scourge. I try and mitigate it by using things like Slack, but it still is overwhelming. I spend an hour each weekday morning, from 9 to 10am, solely focusing on getting my emails down. The rest of the day is then devoted to individual exhibitions and projects. It’s not a perfect solution, as I still get inundated, but my daily, focused chunk helps me keep email within manageable limits.

Mac, Windows or Linux? “Windows.”

Kirk, Picard, or Janeway? “Kirk. I think I’d probably really dislike him as a real person, but he’s still the best captain, IMHO.”

Transporter, Time Machine or Cloak of Invisibility? “Cloak of Invisibility. I’m much more interested in observing others than being in the spotlight.”

If someone gave me $1 million to launch a startup, I would … “I would launch a nerdy small press of beautifully packaged genre-tinged projects that marry art and literature. Bound to fail financially, but oh the things we would make!”

I once waited in line for … “William Gibson during a signing on his ‘Virtual Light’ book tour. I was a broke student and couldn’t afford the book, but I did have a Philip K. Dick short story anthology with me. I gave it to Gibson for him to sign. He gave me a strange look, but then inscribed about Dick, “AN UTTER MADMAN” and signed his name. It was pretty awesome.”

Your role models: “Stefan Sagmeister, because of the risks he takes and how much of himself he includes in his art and design work. Noam Chomsky, because of how he unpacks the way the world works and is able to communicate that with an audience. Amy Goodman, because as a journalist she’s been singularly dedicated for decades in bringing to light marginalized voices in our society. Jeff Kleinsmith, because his beautiful and timeless poster design work inspired me to be a designer of things myself. My daughters Izzy and Eleanor, and my wife Sara, because they are good reminders that while I have a cool career, family is key.”

Greatest game in history “‘Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.’ Maybe not the greatest game ever, but it was my first PC video game that I got for my 10th birthday in 1982. And I loved it.”

Best gadget ever: “I don’t know if this qualifies as a gadget, but I love my TWSBI Diamond 580AL fountain pen.”

First computer: “An Apple IIe with a monochrome screen, 64k RAM and one 5.25″ floppy drive.”

Current phone: “A very old HTC One M8 that is very in need of replacement.”

Favorite app: “I love the Slack app on my phone. I keep private channels and dump cool things that I see on the net into them for later inspiration.”

Favorite cause: “Planned Parenthood.”

Most important technology of 2016: “VR.”

Most important technology of 2018: “VR with actual compelling content.”

Final words of advice for your fellow geeks: “I think being a decent and respectful person is key. The world is hard enough so don’t add to it by being a jerk.”

Website: JacobMcMurray.com

Twitter: @TheeMcMurray

LinkedIn: Jacob McMurray

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2mOP2y0

[repwinpril9y0a1]

Geek of the Week: MoPOP senior curator Jacob McMurray turns his geeky passions into life’s work

MoPOP senior curator Jacob McMurray in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame exhibit. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

When Jacob McMurray first went to work in 1994 on the initial development of Paul Allen’s dream for a music museum in Seattle, he was cataloging Jimi Hendrix records out of an office building in Bellevue, Wash.

Over the years, McMurray has changed positions about as many times as the Experience Music Project (etc.) has changed names. He’s been a curatorial assistant, researcher, associate curator and curator. McMurray is senior curator at what is now the Museum of Pop Culture, a job he’s held for 12 years, and he summed up his life’s work for us by saying, “I just get to be a big nerd and get paid for it.”

For that distinction alone, it’s easy to see why McMurray is GeekWire’s latest Geek of the Week.

Jacob McMurray holds a 1965 Fender Jazzmaster, played by J. Mascis of the band Dinosaur Jr. (Courtesy of Jacob McMurray)

During his time at MoPOP, McMurray has organized over 20 exhibitions covering many facets of popular culture, including:

PUSH ME, PULL ME: Pearl Jam and the Art of the Screen Printed Poster

Indie Game Revolution

Hear My Train A Comin’: Hendrix Hits London

Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film

Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses

McMurray is also the author of “Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind” (Fantagraphics, 2011), which documents the explosion of Grunge, the Seattle Sound, within the context of the underground punk subculture that was developing throughout the U.S. in the late 1970s and ’80s.

This weekend marks the opening of McMurray’s latest exhibition, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame at MoPOP. Gathering artifacts and the stories associated with the 108 inductees is just a natural progression for a guy who is already an avid collector and consumer of everything from comic books to video games. Having an interest in all sorts of geeky stuff is part of the territory in curating for a pop culture museum.

“I definitely was always a huge science fiction/fantasy fan — big reader, big movie watcher, big music fan as well,” McMurray sad. “I think a lot of the other topics we cover, it’s kind of an opportunity to nerd out on that topic whether I know it or not. For me it’s always really exciting to use the skills of storytelling to explore a new area of popular culture.”

McMurray is also well aware of the unique aspect of what he gets to show off to the public, and how it can differ from traditional museum content.

Jacob McMurray poses with the Dr. Zaius costume from “Planet of the Apes.” (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

“One thing that we really try to focus on in our museum is just that idea that the stuff that we’re displaying, we’re not talking about going to see past masters of works that are 200 years old,” McMurray said. “We’re showing stuff that is part of people’s lives already. So when you look at Spock’s tunic, I think of watching the original ‘Star Trek’ with my dad in re-runs when I was little. As long as we can provide avenues for people to think [their] story is part of the exhibition, I think that’s a good thing.”

Outside of MoPOP, McMurray dabbles in graphic design, focusing on books and print ephemera. At points in what he calls the “increasingly distant past” he was an archaeologist, owned a screen printing studio, and founded a small independent publishing house. He lives in Seattle with his wife, two daughters, four chickens, one cat, and 50,000 honeybees.

Learn more about this week’s Geek of the Week, Jacob McMurray:

What do you do, and why do you do it? “As the Senior Curator of MoPOP, I develop exhibitions on a wild range of geeky areas of pop culture. I come up with the exhibition narratives, guide the overall look and feel of the exhibition, find various collectors and borrow cool artifacts for display, do oral history interviews with myriad individuals for use in the exhibitions, write all of the interpretive text, and represent the exhibitions for the institution, the press, and the public.”

“I’ve worked in various positions at MoPOP for over 20 years now, and I love it because I get to merge my personal passions with my career and I get to share that with the public.”

What’s the single most important thing people should know about your field? “I think that the words ‘curator’ and ‘curated’ have become pretty overused and diluted in our culture. Being a curator and organizing exhibitions isn’t merely selecting objects and putting them on pedestals. For me it’s part art, part science, part craft. I view exhibitions in themselves as complex works of art that combine many different elements — resonant artifacts, stories from primary sources, compelling and distilled narratives, innovative exhibition design and graphic design, compelling interactive experiences, an evocative gallery score, elements of drama and whimsy — all into a package that is exciting, entertaining, and illuminating for an audience.”

Where do you find your inspiration? “I find my inspiration from all over the place. I check out a lot of museums. I take inspiration from contemporary art, from design, film, music. I have an inner catalog of all the cool things that I see and if there are way to implement those cool ideas in interesting ways in an exhibition I’m working on, I’m all for it.

“I also view each exhibition as an opportunity to take what worked in a previous exhibition and amplify that or take it to the next level in a future exhibition. To me it’s one, long, multi-exhibition, evolutionary process.”

What’s the one piece of technology you couldn’t live without, and why? “I really couldn’t live without a whole suite of mobile-based productivity apps, like Slack, Workflowy, Trello, Airtable, Smartsheet, Onehub, etc. Being connected with the work and our team wherever I am is vital.”

Jacob McMurray’s workplace isn’t like most. The Museum of Pop Culture was designed by architect Frank Gehry. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

What’s your workspace like, and why does it work for you? “I work in a highly-collaborative environment, with a bunch of really creative people. Day-to-day, we are all over the place at the office, traveling, and working on various exhibitions and other projects. Our offices are set up to allow for informal meetings and easy flow of information. The museum itself is a uniquely-shaped Frank Gehry-designed wonder. We don’t have any galleries that are rectangular boxes — everything is very organic. Following suit, we want each of the exhibition spaces to feel like their own, unique environments, tailored toward the exhibition content and the experience we want the visitors to have. I like our galleries because they force you to think outside of the box.”

Your best tip or trick for managing everyday work and life. (Help us out, we need it.) Email is a scourge. I try and mitigate it by using things like Slack, but it still is overwhelming. I spend an hour each weekday morning, from 9 to 10am, solely focusing on getting my emails down. The rest of the day is then devoted to individual exhibitions and projects. It’s not a perfect solution, as I still get inundated, but my daily, focused chunk helps me keep email within manageable limits.

Mac, Windows or Linux? “Windows.”

Kirk, Picard, or Janeway? “Kirk. I think I’d probably really dislike him as a real person, but he’s still the best captain, IMHO.”

Transporter, Time Machine or Cloak of Invisibility? “Cloak of Invisibility. I’m much more interested in observing others than being in the spotlight.”

If someone gave me $1 million to launch a startup, I would … “I would launch a nerdy small press of beautifully packaged genre-tinged projects that marry art and literature. Bound to fail financially, but oh the things we would make!”

I once waited in line for … “William Gibson during a signing on his ‘Virtual Light’ book tour. I was a broke student and couldn’t afford the book, but I did have a Philip K. Dick short story anthology with me. I gave it to Gibson for him to sign. He gave me a strange look, but then inscribed about Dick, “AN UTTER MADMAN” and signed his name. It was pretty awesome.”

Your role models: “Stefan Sagmeister, because of the risks he takes and how much of himself he includes in his art and design work. Noam Chomsky, because of how he unpacks the way the world works and is able to communicate that with an audience. Amy Goodman, because as a journalist she’s been singularly dedicated for decades in bringing to light marginalized voices in our society. Jeff Kleinsmith, because his beautiful and timeless poster design work inspired me to be a designer of things myself. My daughters Izzy and Eleanor, and my wife Sara, because they are good reminders that while I have a cool career, family is key.”

Greatest game in history “‘Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.’ Maybe not the greatest game ever, but it was my first PC video game that I got for my 10th birthday in 1982. And I loved it.”

Best gadget ever: “I don’t know if this qualifies as a gadget, but I love my TWSBI Diamond 580AL fountain pen.”

First computer: “An Apple IIe with a monochrome screen, 64k RAM and one 5.25″ floppy drive.”

Current phone: “A very old HTC One M8 that is very in need of replacement.”

Favorite app: “I love the Slack app on my phone. I keep private channels and dump cool things that I see on the net into them for later inspiration.”

Favorite cause: “Planned Parenthood.”

Most important technology of 2016: “VR.”

Most important technology of 2018: “VR with actual compelling content.”

Final words of advice for your fellow geeks: “I think being a decent and respectful person is key. The world is hard enough so don’t add to it by being a jerk.”

Website: JacobMcMurray.com

Twitter: @TheeMcMurray

LinkedIn: Jacob McMurray

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2mOP2y0

[thedogsled]

Not for nothing but I have real John DeLancie as Q feelings wrt The Empty rn.