gul_nodrog
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Posts posted by gul_nodrog
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^^You'll like Season 7 in spite of Ezri. There toward the end, that big push is a wild ride. All those secondary characters -- Damar, Weyoun, Gul Dukat, Martok, Gowron, Sloan, heck even ol' Vic Fontaine ... OMG you're gonna love it!
In response to other commentary:
We just watched an interview with Ira Behr on the special features of the Season 3 DVDs ... he mentioned that unspoken but very much understood "taboo" of going into a serialization mode on a Star Trek series. Quite frankly, I think that it made DS9 way more interesting than any of the other Treks in that we weren't just doing an "alien of the week" series anymore.
We became much more acquainted with all sorts of races, most particularly Klingon, and of course the Romulans toward the end. Then you had a real multi-facted development of Cardassians. Not to mention an in-depth look at the Bajorans.
And I completely disagree with the whole needing to resolve Bajor's Federation application status. Who says that everyone has to join the Federation? Perhaps it's good that some species opt not to join. Bajor seems to be the only planet left in the galaxy that still holds to some sort of religion ... do you really think that such a species has any place in the more or less agnostic and uber-politically correct Federation?
In spite of lip-service paid to the Klingon belief system, do you really think that any of the other Federation members honestly believe in or respect the belief in Stovolkor?
Do you think that other members of the Federation believe or really respect the belief in Bajor's Prophets?
Why would either of these races want to join an organization which in reality would seek to eliminate or push aside the faith of the race? How would that be in the best interests of the Bajoran faithful (who are most certainly in the majority)? The Klingons?
In regard to Voyager, it was a decent show ... I watched it faithfully. Eventually, I did find Janeway's rigid adherence to the prime directive kind of tiresome. I thought the addition of Seven and the elimination of Kes misguided (although getting rid of Kes made Neelix a heck of a lot less annoying!). And I hated how they dropped the ball on Janeway and Chakotay's potential as a couple, much the same as they dropped the ball on Picard and Crusher.
At least on DS9, relationships between characters were thoroughly explored, allowed to flourish and resolve. Main characters got married on DS9 (Worf/Dax; Sisko/Yates; Rom/Leeta). Main characters became lovers, friends, and enemies. And we got to watch it all unfold over a seven-season story arc which was awesome to watch.
God bless Ira Behr, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Michael Piller, Ronald Moore and every other single individual who put pen to paper in writing those DS9 episodes. Thank you for sticking to your guns and slipping that "serialized" story right under the noses of TPTB.
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Around here the jump is 20 cents in less than 4 hours ... it rarely goes up or down incrementally. And the price difference between the Sunoco closest to us and the Thornton's about 5 miles from us is 20 cents ALL THE TIME. (Example -- Sunoco $2.41 vs. Thornton's $2.21).
Don't summer fuel requirements cause gas prices to be higher in the summer? That's just another lamo excuse, I know, but one that I have heard before.
I had a thought on this whole thing ... I don't mind the $2.00 plus price per gallon at the pump, but I wish there was some way they could cut fuel costs for truck drivers, trains, etc. etc. etc. Like anyone who is moving merchandise (particularly food and other necessities), providing public utilities, police cruisers, garbage trucks ... give them a real tax break, allow them fuel credits and charge them less per gallon (maybe eliminate or reduce state taxes on gasoline/diesel). And those companies MUST pass on those savings to the consumers by holding their prices down to reflect the lower cost of fuel for their business.
Gas prices will not kill us on our commute to work ... what will really begin to hurt the consumer is higher prices on food, utilities, and local taxes to help pay for the increase in operating costs for utility companies and retailers.
What gets me is how these gas prices are not being reported on, or investigated as HUGE news. You'd think that every politician even considering running for office would be yammering on about this, but they are suspiciously silent, don't you think?
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I find it interesting though that so many of the bigger sci-fi shows now introduce aliens posing as gods. In Trek, of course, you have the Founders. Stargate SG1 does this with the Goa'uld. B5 did this, to a degree, with the Shadows. It seems to me that this would create problems for those posing. You've got a Founder and their followers think they are a god. Ok, fantastic. Wow, your god's military force has lost battle after battle and are forced back to Cardassia. Any doubts about divinity yet?
Only the Prophets worshipped by the Bajorans turned out to be Gods ... which is pretty neat, really. They never tried to conquer other species, they stayed out of things and let the Bajorans take their licks from the Cardassians, they remained observers throughout much of the Dominion War. Then the Emissary intercedes for Bajor, convinces the Prophets to help defeat the Dominion, the Emissary defeats the PahWraiths, and the Emissary goes off to commune with the Prophets in the Celestial Temple.
Unlike the Founders, the Prophets were not interested in corporeal gain. I think that if I were a race in the Gamma Quadrant (*cough* Vorta), I would have been able to spot the difference between those crazy poseurs and the real thing.
On topic: We are re-watching DS9 and are up to season 3. I think that on the whole there were some awesome episodes prior to the Dominion conflict per se. However, the Dominion began to shadow the series VERY EARLY. I would argue almost from the beginning ... so maybe there really is no "pre-Dominion," only a "pre-open war."
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I doubt it ... I'm more inclined to start purchasing TOS or Voyager now that I have complete DS9 and TNG sets.
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Section 31 was engaged in all sorts of covert operations, doing what the more squeamish folks in the Federation probably wanted to do, but were scared to do.
Apparently, Section 31 has been around since the inception of the Federation. It is much like the CIA (I think) ... secret agents, covert operations, assassinations of despots, spies in general. I think that the Obsidian Order to which Garak once belonged on Cardassia could be compared to it .... I didn't really have a problem with them either.
Section 31, working with their operatives in place at Starfleet Medical, implanted a virus in Odo which he then passed on to the Great Link. Ultimately, it helped end the Dominion War. See "Tacking into the Wind" Season 7.
Also, Section 31 used Dr. Bashir to gather information about a key Romulan politician in a less than savory way. Also Season 7 "Inter Arma Emin Silent Leges."
Those are the two eps that come to mind.
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It's hard for me to get into any "new" Trek when I'm still able to watch my DS9 DVDs any ol' time I want ... but, I will go see the next movie and pray that it does well.
Paramount or whoever is in charge should lure Ira Behr back to the Trek fold and put him in charge of whatever they do. Behr & Co. put out an incredible 7-season story arc in DS9, and frankly, that is the sort of Trek I want to see in the future. Continuing stories, strongly character-driven, complex political intrigue, very little of that "alien-of-the-week" approach all the other series' took.
Best of luck to 'em (and us!).
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Oliver Stone hasn't had a decent flick since .... ??? I can't remember the last good flick he had!
That's just stupid to not cast someone because they were on Star Trek! There've been some really good actors on each of the series. Stone's loss. Plus, I can't stand that Colin Farrell guy (wasn't he "Alexander?") If it's the one I'm thinking of, the Siddig is lucky to have escaped that particular film
I didn't know he was related to Malcolm MacDowell either ... that is cool!
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I'm with you, Phaserman. Let's see, we tote guns, believe in spanking our child (and in corporal punishment in the public schools ... doing away with it was the beginning of the end of discipline in that forum).
We're all for lower taxes and more military spending.
We'd like to see the elimination or complete overhaul of the welfare system in this country (I think the government should expect work out of these people for the money they are giving them, even if they have to create the jobs out of thin air.... pick up trash, mowing, painting, general labor in exchange for all the free money). And I mean with a foreman in charge of the work and accountability for the work. We're not teaching welfare recipients anything about how the world should really work ... the world WORKS for a living.
Abortion, however, is really a non-issue for me. I'll keep voting for conservatives, but their stance on abortion doesn't matter to me one way or the other. The way to eliminate abortion is for the people of this country to find their moral center en masse ... for the media to stop promoting sexual promiscuity and for the people to stand up and say enough is enough, sleeze-queens, put your clothes back on. For mothers and fathers to stop purchasing clothing for their daughters with writing across the rear-end, high-heeled flip-flops for elementary aged girls, and paying for piercing and tatoos for the minor children.... you get my drift.
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My husband is a huge Metal Gear fan and he played the game twice, then sold it back to the game store.
We missed Otacon! And the cut scenes were just way too long IMO.
Plus, we all know how I feel about PREQUELS to anything ... they blow.
K'apla!
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^^Oh, but I am so afraid that it can be. LOL
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Discretion and knowing your own child ... both of these things are more important than any stupid rating system they can come up with.
My six-year-old watches me play Resident Evil 0,1,2,3 and 4. That is all a bunch of make-believe monsters and he barely believes in Santa Claus let alone zombies! He's just too smart for his own good ... he has always been able to grasp the difference between real and not-real in every scenario.
Now, I wouldn't dream of allowing him to watch us play Grand Theft Auto, any version. Why? Because that game is set in the real world, the main character is a criminal and he goes around with the ability to shoot civilians and cops. He's not killing monsters, he's shooting real people. THAT would scare and scar my son and I know that because I actually spend time with him and KNOW him.
He plays many games that are rated "TEEN" -- Spyhunter, Spiderman and Spiderman II, Burnout, Gran Turismo ... those ratings are meaningless. I understand completely that my husband and I are not like most parents ... we are actually gamers ourselves. So we play all games prior to allowing our son to play them, just so we can judge their suitability and know their exact content. But, all parents are not gamers. It might be a good idea for those who are not to find other parents who are gamers to ask about a game before they buy it.
Game ratings, movie ratings and CD ratings systems are all flawed and are just another way for parents to blame someone else for their own shortcomings as parents. YOU are responsible for what your child is exposed to. You cannot trust a third party's opinions.
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I like the episode, but I'm a big Ensign Ro Laren fan. I just think she's awesome and it was hilarious to see her and Riker "forgetting" that they hate each other and going at it like rabbits!
Some of the posts above seem to indicate that this Keiran MacDuff character is someone we should have known ... I didn't recognize the name or anything. Maybe I'm just misreading the posts. I thought it was kind of clever how they slipped him in there on us. I also liked how Worf just up and assumed command of the ship ... that was cool.
Sorry, but I never care about "recycling" props because ship styles are never what I am paying any attention to with the ST shows anyway. I wouldn't know the difference, really, between different ships within different species, except for maybe Klingon ships i.e. Bird of Prey vs. that other one you see from time to time.
Guess I'm not much of a Trekkie! LOL.
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You're right. Just look at Fleetwood Mac.
Pink Floyd is so far and above every other group from their (or any other) era. It's hard to capture lightning in a bottle, but if any one has a shot at doing it, it would be PF.
We've turned our 6-year-old onto their music. Of course, he can name most of Steely Dan's biggest hits and sing along ... and he has a clearer idea of who Bob Dylan is than he does Mickey Mouse.
They took the midnight train to Georgia, dude. :unsure: (I like them, too!)
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Now, now ... suck is a strong word! I just thought that Jeff Bridges looked incredibly sexy in the flick. And if any of you have seen The Big Lebowski you gotta know that Jeff Bridges looking sexy is a fairly rare and difficult thing! He looked pretty good in "The Jagged Edge" come to think of it ... but Kong and Edge were many, many moons ago.
Plus I always liked Jessica Lange.
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I don't think it will be necessary, but it might be interesting for you to see it. Peter Jackson must have really LOVED the original and maybe we should see the movie that inspired him to make this new one.
I've only seen bits and pieces of the first one. I remember the 1976 version (I liked it well enough).
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OMG! Looks like Peter Jackson is going to do it again ... make a movie that leaves the rest of Hollywood's mediocre fare in the dust!
That trailer looks amazing ... I can't wait for the movie!
I'd watch "Silver Streak" if Jackson re-made it. I think he's the best thing to happen to the movies in a very, very long time.
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I would be very happy for Mark Hamill if he were to be cast in a major movie again. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher both went on to do different movies ... I've felt sorry for Hamill and the way he was typecasted and pretty much shunned after the original trilogy. Just my two cents. I'm sure he'd do a fine job and I'd love to see him get the chance.
Now that is a real problem for someone in his profession, but I agree with you 100%.
Well, my husband completely agrees/shares the viewpoint that Lucas is not a very good writer or director and should have handed the writing and directing off to someone else for all of the Star Wars movies.
And my hubby is the biggest Star Wars fan in the history of Star Wars fans ... he paid for two years of college when he sold his collection. (Of course, he's since bought it all back .... but I digress).
Amen to that, Madame Butterfly! In spite of the poorly written dialogue, Ewan MacGregor and Ian MacDairmid rose above the material and carried ROTS. HC did all right, but I need more from him than just looking at him to satisfy me on the big screen.
I'm sure HC would do just fine with the right material.
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That's ludicrous to say that we should all love Trek for Trek's sake! It's all about the writing and the direction the ppl in charge of the franchise are taking the franchise.
If it's going down the wrong road, fans have the responsibility to criticize and let their voice be heard! We are in the ultimate control and we do not have to accept anything that we do not like or agree with ... we simply don't watch, don't buy.
I know that I exercised that right by not tuning in to Enterprise after the first several episodes ... I didn't like the show and knew that there were people out there who could have created a better series. Heck, there are people writing fan fiction who were doing better than those hacks who were making the big bucks to crank out substandard material for Enterprise. That is just my opinion, but I have a right to it, do I not?
Substandard Trek insults the fan base. We deserve better and I hope we get it the next time.
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Trek is like a book, a really good book, that you read over and over again just because you miss the characters. There are four things I feel this way about: Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Stephen King -- his Dark Tower series and selected other novels of his.
Star Trek is also something that I share with my husband, just one of the many things that we have in common.
I think that Trek is an unlikely future for our world. Maybe in a parallel universe things will turn out the way that Trek has depicted the future. So "hope" for our future really doesn't enter into my Trek feelings one way or the other.
I only know that I miss Deep Space Nine the way you miss close friends, or a certain time in your life (college), or family that has passed away. If I think about it long enough, my eyes well up and I get a lump in my throat. The original cast comes in a close second, with TNG following a bit behind.
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Robert E. Lee was pardoned by President Gerald Ford and I believe his citizenship was restored to him posthumously. I know I read that somewhere.
His judgment in choosing to fight against the U.S. to which he'd sworn an oath to defend was certainly questionable .... but those were very different times. I think it would be hard for us to conceive of how the U.S. was prior to the Civil War. States regarded themselves as little countries, not really part of an organized "whole."
But because he was pardoned, would that not allow us to include him on the list, treason or no?
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^^Hey, what part of Kentucky are you from? I'm originally from Milton which is on the Ohio River about halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati. I now live in Fort Mitchell (near Cincy).
For a while, my husband and I lived in Somerset and he taught at Monticello ... that's where we encountered all the General Motors inspired names!
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I think they are both a little too bizarre personally to give their child a normal name. Django is some famous jazzer ... I remember seeing/hearing something about him while watching the Ken Burns Jazz series with my husband, the band director. I'm sure they (Visitor/Siddig) thought they were being mucho cool naming him that.
Believe me, I think that Django is a better name than many we've encountered over the years. In southern Kentucky every fourth kid is named after a pick-up truck or other auto ... Dakota, Cierra, Durango, Cheyenne (also a state capital!), etc. etc.
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Isn't that the truth?!
That's what I said ... I need to pick a favorite character per episode, not for the entire series. As you can see from the poll results, we're spread out all over the cast! That's the mark of a truly successful ensemble cast, don't you think? There's no clear cut winner, or even a top three.
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Okay,Sisko never whined about Section 31....but he did have a holier than thou attitude when it came to the Section's tactics during the Dominion War,which was very irritating.As for the incident with Garak murdering the Romulans,I believe when Sisko found out and attacked Garak,Garak told him something like "You knew perfectly well what you were asking for when you decided to involve me in this..."
Sisko wanted Garak to kill the Romulan delegate.He knew the murder,plus the falsified information regarding the Dominions interest in the Romulan Star Empire would drive the Roms into the Alliance.
I think the DS9ers should have been more willing to assist the Section in its campaign against the Dominion,rather than always opposing them.
Since Sisko was a "god" (in the words of Ira Steven Behr), I guess he was "holier" than thou, literally! :lol:
I always find the prating of bleeding heart liberals quite grating, so I see where you're coming from on the attitudes toward Section 31.
With the incident involving Garak, I think that Garak was right on target with his "you knew perfectly well" speech to Sisko after it was all over. On some level, Sisko absolutely knew he was sleeping with the devil in that entire scenario. I think that Sisko spent much of that interlude in a state of denial about what was happening or going to happen. When it did, he had to face himself and live with it, which as we know, he decided he could do.
Wonderful episode, wasn't it?
I also thoroughly enjoyed Sloan in that Romulan episode during the final season. (Help me, I can't remember the name ... something in Latin, I believe). I think even Julian grew up a little after that encounter.
Enterprise Earns Three Emmy Nominations
in Star Trek: Enterprise
Posted
Hair and make-up awards and technological awards are just bones they throw to shows to try and make up for ignoring the writing and acting. It's a crime how they treat television shows that don't fit that "Hollywood" ideal of the flavor of the week. Don't even get me started on how stupid I find that show "Nip/Tuck" ....
Star Trek is the whipping boy for the Hollywood elite ... we'll never see them recognizing anything other than the costumes, make-up or special effects. The same type of sci-fi prejudice has been going on since the first Star Wars movie didn't win best picture in 1977 (Annie Hall??? I ask you ....).