The Star Trek Meme.
Feb. 7th, 2012 11:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tree_and_leafI thought I would have a bash at this, even though some of the questions are a bit daft, because it gives me a chance to talk about Trek!
1 - Which Star Trek is your favorite?
Deep Space Nine, without a doubt. Long plotty arcs, a brilliant ensemble cast of characters - and some wonderful recurring guests, such as Garak, Dukat, Cassidy, and above all the superlative Kai Winn, politics, people who don't necessarily love Star Fleet but aren't 'bad guys', and did I mention the characters? One of the wonderful things about Nine is the web of relationships and interactions between the main (and minor) characters, the way the backstory keeps affecting them - and I also love the fact that they took Worf and O'Brian and made them into truly memorable characters. I love the sense of friendship (especially because sometimes it gets complicated and strained) - Jadzia and Ben, Kira and Jadzia, the developing friendship between Julian and Miles, Julian's fascinated, slashy relationship with Garak.
The fact that it treats faith much more richly and intelligently than any of the other Treks, of course, makes me even more fond of it. Ben's journey, over the series, is pretty brilliantly done - the reluctant acceptance of a vocation that turns out to be something even more fundamental. Kira, whose faith and her struggles with it (and her struggles with working for the Emissary) are fundamental to what makes her Kira. And the handling of the dark side of faith is just as good - Winn is a tragic and all too believable figure, and I suspect every priest has the potential to turn into her. And then there's Dukat, who wants to instrumentalise the Pah Wraiths as he has consistently tried to instrumentalise everything to do with Bajor, and gets turned into a tool himself. But I find Winn's fall scarier, because that's the sort of corruption of the good that happens all the time, without any special effects, and sometimes without anyone noticing.
The runner up is classic Trek (and the movies), because that's where it all started, and because of the wonderful trio of characters at the centre of it: Kirk, Spock, and Bones. Or to be honest, Spock, Kirk, and Bones, because Spock was always my favourite. Also, I love the way TOS can veer wildly between the serious and the moving to the honest-to-God crack. I mean, you'd hardly believe "City on the Edge of Forever" and "Shore Leave" were the same series. And sometimes you get the same weird tension in the same story. "The Naked Time" has some exceedingly funny scenes (Sulu swashbuckling and addressing Uhura as "Fair maiden!" and Uhura's dead-pan, "Sorry, neither"!), and some heartbreak as well.
It follows that "Trials and Tribblations" is one of the best things ever and guaranteed to make me smile. (But is it my favourite episode EVAR? Watch this space).
2 - Who is your favorite character?
3 - Who is your least favorite character?
4 - What was the first Star Trek series you watched?
5 - What was the first episode/movie you watched?
6 - Your favorite canon pairing? (Canon being the series and the movies, including the reboot.)
7 - Your favorite non-canon pairing?
8 - Your favorite actor/actress? (Not the same as character.)
9 - What's your favorite episode?
10 - What's your favorite species? (Humans are a species as well.)
11 - What's your least favorite species? (See question 9 about species.)
12 - What's your favorite funny moment?
13 - What's your favorite dramatic moment?
14 - What's your favorite Star Trek quote?
15 - How did you get into Star Trek?
16 - Are you involved with Star Trek fandom?
17 - Have you read any of the books? If so, which ones?
18 - If you could be any species in the Star Trek universe, what would you be?
19 - How did the Star Trek reboot affect you?
20 - Of the minor characters (one shots, not the recurring ones) who's your favorite?
21 - Which Star Trek food would you want to try at least once?
22 - Which Star Trek world would you want to visit at least once?
23 - Is there anything you'd want to change about Star Trek? Why?
24 - Is there anything about Star Trek that has disappointed you?
25 - How has Star Trek changed you?
26 - Lots of Star Trek Parodies out there. Which do you dig?
27 - What would you cross over with Star Trek?
28 - If you could change one thing about Star Trek, what would it be?
29 - If you could tell Gene Roddenberry one thing, Star Trek related or not, what would it be?
30 - What's your favourite film?
1 - Which Star Trek is your favorite?
Deep Space Nine, without a doubt. Long plotty arcs, a brilliant ensemble cast of characters - and some wonderful recurring guests, such as Garak, Dukat, Cassidy, and above all the superlative Kai Winn, politics, people who don't necessarily love Star Fleet but aren't 'bad guys', and did I mention the characters? One of the wonderful things about Nine is the web of relationships and interactions between the main (and minor) characters, the way the backstory keeps affecting them - and I also love the fact that they took Worf and O'Brian and made them into truly memorable characters. I love the sense of friendship (especially because sometimes it gets complicated and strained) - Jadzia and Ben, Kira and Jadzia, the developing friendship between Julian and Miles, Julian's fascinated, slashy relationship with Garak.
The fact that it treats faith much more richly and intelligently than any of the other Treks, of course, makes me even more fond of it. Ben's journey, over the series, is pretty brilliantly done - the reluctant acceptance of a vocation that turns out to be something even more fundamental. Kira, whose faith and her struggles with it (and her struggles with working for the Emissary) are fundamental to what makes her Kira. And the handling of the dark side of faith is just as good - Winn is a tragic and all too believable figure, and I suspect every priest has the potential to turn into her. And then there's Dukat, who wants to instrumentalise the Pah Wraiths as he has consistently tried to instrumentalise everything to do with Bajor, and gets turned into a tool himself. But I find Winn's fall scarier, because that's the sort of corruption of the good that happens all the time, without any special effects, and sometimes without anyone noticing.
The runner up is classic Trek (and the movies), because that's where it all started, and because of the wonderful trio of characters at the centre of it: Kirk, Spock, and Bones. Or to be honest, Spock, Kirk, and Bones, because Spock was always my favourite. Also, I love the way TOS can veer wildly between the serious and the moving to the honest-to-God crack. I mean, you'd hardly believe "City on the Edge of Forever" and "Shore Leave" were the same series. And sometimes you get the same weird tension in the same story. "The Naked Time" has some exceedingly funny scenes (Sulu swashbuckling and addressing Uhura as "Fair maiden!" and Uhura's dead-pan, "Sorry, neither"!), and some heartbreak as well.
It follows that "Trials and Tribblations" is one of the best things ever and guaranteed to make me smile. (But is it my favourite episode EVAR? Watch this space).
2 - Who is your favorite character?
3 - Who is your least favorite character?
4 - What was the first Star Trek series you watched?
5 - What was the first episode/movie you watched?
6 - Your favorite canon pairing? (Canon being the series and the movies, including the reboot.)
7 - Your favorite non-canon pairing?
8 - Your favorite actor/actress? (Not the same as character.)
9 - What's your favorite episode?
10 - What's your favorite species? (Humans are a species as well.)
11 - What's your least favorite species? (See question 9 about species.)
12 - What's your favorite funny moment?
13 - What's your favorite dramatic moment?
14 - What's your favorite Star Trek quote?
15 - How did you get into Star Trek?
16 - Are you involved with Star Trek fandom?
17 - Have you read any of the books? If so, which ones?
18 - If you could be any species in the Star Trek universe, what would you be?
19 - How did the Star Trek reboot affect you?
20 - Of the minor characters (one shots, not the recurring ones) who's your favorite?
21 - Which Star Trek food would you want to try at least once?
22 - Which Star Trek world would you want to visit at least once?
23 - Is there anything you'd want to change about Star Trek? Why?
24 - Is there anything about Star Trek that has disappointed you?
25 - How has Star Trek changed you?
26 - Lots of Star Trek Parodies out there. Which do you dig?
27 - What would you cross over with Star Trek?
28 - If you could change one thing about Star Trek, what would it be?
29 - If you could tell Gene Roddenberry one thing, Star Trek related or not, what would it be?
30 - What's your favourite film?
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-07 01:38 pm (UTC)I agree with all you say here (though my second choice is TNG), and would add two more things about DS9: first, that it thinks hard about race in a way that the others never or rarely do*, and second, that so many of its self-contained episodes are very thoughtful love-letters to genre film/TV. When those two things go together ('Far Beyond the Stars', anyone?), it's television at its finest.
I'm also noticing on my rewatch that it's even smarter about post-colonialism than I realized at first.
And in conclusion, I'm completely in love with this show. Just in case it might have been hard to tell.
* Though I do love the line of Uhura's that you quote, and it may be that TOS is smarter on race than I realize. Still: how is it that TOS can have moments like THAT and then, BAM, next episode, victim-blaming sexual-assault plotline? I find the show far too cognitive-dissonance-inducing to watch pleasurably. (My answer to 29 would probably be something like 'You were so close. So close.' Which, given the rest of television, is pretty fantastic.)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-07 04:04 pm (UTC)Yes, that's very true.
TOS is all over the place on race and gender - sometimes unexpectedly smart and insightful, sometimes completely and horrifically off-beam - the victim blaming of Rand was the most horrific example, but there are others which are almost as bad (and then there's the unexpected and troubling way Spock gets flat out bullied in a number of episodes of the first season). And of "Spock's Brain" we will not speak. I confess to skipping the failiest episodes... But I do love Spock, and while Uhura is criminally underused she has some brilliant moments.
But anyway! DS9 is love. Such a smart, thoughtful show. (Most of the time, but I'm focusing on the love rather than the fail here)/
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-07 04:12 pm (UTC)... Yes, it is irresponsible but also happier to forget that DS9 was also capable of things like Brigadoon In Space and Betazoid Menopause As A Communicable Disorder and the unspeakable 'Profit and Lace.' At least the writers usually seem to recognize their own failures. (Re: 'Meridian,' Ira Behr says simply, 'I am a moron.')
Now. We are focusing on the love. How about those hopelessly beautiful ancient Bajoran lightships? And remember that time Kira kicked the crap out of Damar? And how frightening a portrait of delusion it was when Winn confessed her crisis of faith to Kira? Sigh. Love.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-07 04:44 pm (UTC)How about those hopelessly beautiful ancient Bajoran lightships? And remember that time Kira kicked the crap out of Damar? And how frightening a portrait of delusion it was when Winn confessed her crisis of faith to Kira?
Indeed! That conversation between Winn and Kira gives me the chills every time I watch it...
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-07 02:42 pm (UTC)Kai Winn is amazing and I love her so freaking much. She terrifies my husband but I love her so much and I want to write to the actress and tell her so. She's from Birmingham, Alabama. I can point to her and say SEE SEE PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTH ARE BRILLIANT AT BEING VILLAINS WE DON'T HAVE TO BE REDNECKS. It's a tiny burr under my saddle, I'm sure you can forgive me that capslock.
And TOS is still going to be my first love, but then DS9 and Voyager are tied for second (only for Janeway. I <3 Mrs Columbo as a Starfleet Captain like you wouldn't believe!) and Uhura. Oh, Uhura. You are one badass woman and James Kirk doesn't get to appreciate you as much as he should in the series (I know, cultural times) but I am so glad you get to show off how awesome and amazing you are in the movies. You are far more than a glorified switchboard operator and you should NEVER be taken for granted. You can do things with one hand tied behind your back that no other communications officer in the entire Fleet was ever able to do with more equipment and shinier toys. Oh, Uhura.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-07 04:46 pm (UTC)Uhura was criminally underused, but she still has moments of badass awesomeness! And the "Mr Adventure" scene in ST:III is one of the funniest scenes in the movies. She's brilliant.