Ruminating on the Next Trek Villain

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 0

There’s been a hell of a lot of speculation recently regarding just what villain Benedict Cumberbatch is going to play in the upcoming 2013 Star Trek film. And while the initial rumors were that he would play a young Khan, recent comments have caused the Trek fandom to consider other alternatives for the villain. Based on some of the stills that have been released from the set, and some of the things that the production crew have said, we know a few things, most notably that he is not playing an alien (or if it is an alien, it’s one that is human in external appearance).

Another Genetically Altered Human: Khan isn’t the only genetically engineered human out there, and it’s quite likely that there were augmented humans in Starfleet in this alternate timeline. It would be interesting to see a different story based on a similar vein.

Evidence to support this claim: Cumberbatch was rumored to have put on a good bit of muscle for this role, and genetically altered humans are said to be stronger than humans. This is something that we see evidence of in the leaked stills, as he holds his own against Spock:

Location Shot - TrekMovie.com

The psychological issues that result from the augmentation process make for interesting, brooding sort of villain, and numerous members of the Star Trek production have stated that Heath Ledger as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” was what inspired their latest villain. It would be interesting to see how others fared under the same sort of conditions. There’s also room for the argument that Cumberbatch IS

Hesitations: I’ll repeat something that was said in the original article that cast doubt on Khan – “There are a lot of directions we can go in the film and in this particular case we chose to do something that would be original and unique and different and again on paper I think we made the right choice.” Unique… different… after Khan, I don’t think that a genetically engineered human could be that unique. It would be a huge cop-out and would likely disappoint fans. Also, there’s been no evidence thus far to suggest that a genetically altered human can resist a Vulcan neck pinch, something I’ll get to in a moment.

Gary Mitchell: Gary Mitchell was from a family with known esper capabilities. He himself displayed rather impressive numbers on various tests of esper abilities, and could even participate in telepathic discussions with some telepathic species.

Evidence to support this claim: The scenes that have been leaked of Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain show him in an outfit that is very similar to the outfit worn by the other crew pictured. It has been speculated that this is either a uniform variant, or perhaps the Academy instructor uniform without the top “tunic” part.

The original casting choice for this villain was Benecio Del Toro, which is quite interesting given the fact that he is quite a bit older than Benedict Cumberbatch. Still, both bear a passing resemblance to Gary Mitchell:

Gary Mitchell was friends with Kirk in the Academy, so running this plot-line or a variant thereof would allow us to see a bit of emotional depth out of Kirk. In the TOS episode that featured Mitchell, he developed extraordinary powers, which could have included the ability to “shrug off” a Vulcan neck pinch:

Neck Pinch - TrekMovie.com

The photographer that captured this image indicated that Cumberbatch continued fighting after this, which is why fans speculate that whoever the villain is can resist a neck pinch. It’s possible that the galactic barrier might also have increased his physical strength, or that he could psionically enhance his own strength.

Hesitations: Gary Mitchell was a one-shot character. It would come as a surprise to me if they chose a character who was only involved in one episode of the Original Series as a 2013 Movie villain.

Q: My initial vote was actually for Trelane once fans began considering someone other than Khan. But I think Trelane wouldn’t be caught dead in the outfit Cumberbatch was wearing, so for now I’ll list my thought as a “weak Q.” At first I was thinking perhaps a young Q, but neither a young Q (nor Trelane, for that matter) would have the sort of brooding insanity that was embodied by Heath Ledger’s Joker. It would have to be a Q that wasn’t fully in control of himself though, else Spock wouldn’t be able to get him down on his knees at all.

Evidence to support this claim: Q can resist Vulcan neck pinches, and are stronger than human average. Q are a species that fans have often wanted to learn more about, and while John de Lancie’s Q seemed to harbor affection for the human race, a brooding, conflicted Q would be a fascinating thing to see. Also, they have a penchant for running around in Starfleet uniforms.

Hesitations: As awesome as I think that a Q as a villain would be, the production staff has indicated that this will be a very action packed film, just like the first. Q plotlines typically involve more talking than things that go boom.

Augment Klingon: Ever since Enterprise explained the decades old debate about what was really up with TOS Klingons, the explanation has been a subject of controversy with many fans. Still, perhaps this will help to breach the gap a bit.

Evidence to support this claim: As I’ve mentioned, Cumberbatch was seen in a Starfleet variant uniform. It would be interesting if part of the “augment lore” involved Klingons disguising themselves as humans to infiltrate Starfleet. It’s a new twist on an old classic (Romulans, Changelings and others have infiltrated Starfleet prior, after all). Also, he’s stronger than the average human. Yes, this isn’t really “evidence” just something that would be quite interesting. Rumor has is that Klingons will be featured in the new film, although I was at a loss to find a good source for this information. Part of the shoot took place in Hawaii, and we know that there is a scene that involves a volcano because of this still:

Spock in Volcano Suit - TrekMovie.com

There has been discussion on various forums that the scenes shot in Hawaii were meant to represent Qo’noS, and there are some rather inhospitable volcanoes there.

Hesitations: There’s been no evidence to support a genetically augmented Klingon being able to resist a Vulcan neck pinch. Most of the evidence is based on hearsay and speculation.

Other thoughts that I had involved something like Section 31, as the whole espionage angle would be interesting, and it would certainly explain why he’s in a Starfleet uniform. Section 31 seems to be hotly debated by fans, though, as some feel that it’s not in line with the mission of Starfleet. Someone from the Mirror World was another concept that I saw referenced by a few fans online (especially because of the 2 other variant uniforms that have leaked online) but it makes little sense to me. If it was really the Mirror World, evil Kirk or someone would be the antagonist. In the past, the intrigue of the Mirror World was that you saw “good guys” do bad things. Beyond that… this universe is already an alternate universe.

It’s going to be interesting in a few months when we first start getting the hints of the new teaser trailers. Perhaps Cumberbatch is playing Khan, and they’re going to make him drastically different than the Khan we’ve all known and loved. Either way, I’ve got my fingers crossed, and am chanting a mantra of “Please don’t suck.”

Speculation, star trek, Star Trek 2013 , ,

We’re Trekkies and We Know It

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 2

Jen from Epbot posted this the other day, and I simply had to share it. I won’t bore you all with a description or anything, just watch this:

star trek

I Give In, I Made a Tumblr

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 0

I finally did it.

I finally bit the bullet and made a Tumblr page. In fairness, I made a personal one some time ago, and every once in a blue moon I post something there for my legions of fans… ok, fine, the 4 people that follow me there. It’s just not really that appealing to me. I’m more verbose than the average Tumblr user, and I am kind of sick and tired of picking up new platforms, trying to find people to follow, talking to myself while I wait for others to follow me back… meh.

But I think the platform is a very good way for me to share one thing – pictures of my dogs. Because of that, I have set up a Tumblr for them at http://www.150percentcorgi.com. It’s a good way for people who care about my dogs to see what’s been happening without me having to spam my blog with Corgi pics all the time. I will probably still post some things, as Corgis are pretty geektacular, but it won’t be a common occurrence.

If you want to follow me at my personal Tumblr, you can find it at http://postmoderngeek.tumblr.com.

Corgi, Social Media , ,

Late Night Thoughts

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 0

Late at night, I have the oddest thoughts.

I came across this image of a pre-Nausicaan incident Jean-Luc Picard, and can’t help but wonder if artificial hearts are a cause of male pattern baldness. Perhaps that’s why Starfleet medical can’t fix it.

random thoughts, star trek ,

The Adult Sonic Screwdriver

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 2


One of my most successful posts of all time… ok, actually my MOST successful post of all time is this one, featuring a rather extensive list of Pony-inspired alcoholic beverages from my birthday party. I’ve been mulling over more geek liquor, and this is the first offering – the Sonic Screwdriver. Ok, ok, the concept is a little weak. All it is is a combination of two classic beverages – the Vodka Sonic and the Screwdriver. But hey, no one else had done it*, so I decided to!


1.5 Ounces of Club Soda
1.5 Ounces of Tonic Water
2 Ounces Vodka (I used Mandarin flavored, regular is fine)
5 Ounces Orange Juice

Mix it all together in a glass, then start drinking! It’s weird, the tonic makes it feel more alcoholic than it really is.

*According to my quick, 2 minute Google search.

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Spring is in Bloom

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 0

One of my favorite things about the new house is that we have a backyard with a teeny tiny garden. Over the past few days I’ve taken some pictures there that I’d like to share!

Got a nice shot of the sun peeking from between the trees. Shame I’m too dumb to not look through the viewfinder while I’m doing this…

A pretty rosebud.

The same rose, after blooming. Isn’t it pretty!

I have no idea what this is, but I’d like more of them. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading :-)

flowers, Photography ,

Why I’m a Brony

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 0

Three Luna Moon - My Little Brony

I’m a pretty open Brony (as the term “Pegasister” just doesn’t sit well with me), and this results in a lot of people asking me one question: Why? Why does My Little Ponies attract such an audience of older men and women?

Characters have Personality: Most of the children’s TV shows I’ve watched have horrible characters. Their personalities are inconsistent, and are often not developed at all. All six of the main characters in MLP (called the “Mane 6” in fandom circles) have extremely well-developed personalities. And they are all quite different – you don’t have that feeling where characters just do and say things that come out of left field. The background characters are well-written as well. Sadly, the main characters are written better in MLP then they are in some adult programming, and that’s sad. Characters grow and develop throughout the course of the show, and they learn from their adventures. And it certainly doesn’t hurt matters at all that all of the Mane 6 have endearing personality traits… well… I’m not a huge Applejack fan, but I think that’s just me being difficult. All of the characters have weaknesses as well, and they are frequently visited throughout the series.

The writers of the show really strive for consistency, and though this isn’t always possible, they do a darned good job at it. it doesn’t always seem that way in the first season, as the original order that the episodes were intended to air in didn’t actually stick through the production of the show, but aside from some small mistakes, they do a great job. Background Ponies are hardly random either. Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed that all of these “minor characters” are pretty consistent too, even the ones that never have a speaking role. Some of these ponies are extra special, but we’ll get to that in a moment ;-)

Inside Jokes: Many TV shows have inside jokes, and children’s programming is no exception. But one thing that bothers me is that the inside jokes in children’s shows are often veiled crude or crass references. These jokes are designed to give the parents who are stuck watching the shows some sort of entertainment. MLP quickly realized that it was attracting an audience of both children and adults alike – and that more interestingly, a lot of the adults who were watching didn’t even have children of their own. They’ve handled this by adding a lot of subtle, yet sophisticated “Easter Eggs” to the episodes.

One such Easter Egg is the inclusion of “special” Background ponies. For example, take a look at Dr. Whooves. Does he remind you of anyone?

Dr Whooves - MPL Wikia

Or how about these ponies who bear a striking resemblance to characters from The Big Lebowski?

Ponyville Gazette - The Big Lebowski

Then there’s this scene that bears a certain strong resemblance to a certain Star Wars movie scene. And there are far, far more little inside jokes and references that astute viewers will notice. All of this makes me very excited to watch each episode.

Writers Care: The writers of the show are very aware of the fact that they’ve attracted an older than expected audience, and they genuinely try to listen to what the fandom wants. From including more Dr. Who inspired background ponies, to making fan names the official names of background ponies, to making more episodes that have homages to other things. Very few shows truly appreciate their audience, and go out of their way to give them what they want, and I think that’s a very awesome thing.

Interesting Villains: MLP has a villain name Discord that (personality-wise) bears a strong resemblance to Q, of Star Trek fame. The kicker? He’s voiced by John de Lancie.

Fanpop - Discord

His interests include causing trouble, creating chaos, and turning ponies against one another. One of his little tricks is making Chocolate Rain. While he was The villain from the last episode of Season 2 was awesome as well, but I’ll not speak of her at length because I don’t want to make spoilers.

Positive Message: Plain and simple, this is one of the things that appeals to me the most about MLP. I hate watching TV late at night sometimes because I’m afraid that something I’m going to watch is going to scare the crap out of me, and then I’m going to have nightmares. It sounds silly, but I watched repeats of the X-files that I knew from my childhood the other night, and I slept terribly. So many shows nowadays are all about shocking their viewers, showing graphic scenes, or focusing on gritty realism. Sometimes it’s just nice to be transported to someplace simpler, someplace happier.

Instant Gratification: I have to admit, I get bored easily. I like the fact that MLP episodes wrap things up pretty quickly. But that doesn’t mean that things are always predictable. Unlike many children’s shows that I’ve seen, MLP does have a lot of twists and turns that I don’t always expect, and it helps to keep me paying attention.

Awesome Fandom: You really can’t beat the fandom for MLP. Beyond the typical fan art and fan fiction, you have an online pony creator, an in progress fighting game, tons of fan-made plushies, and more. But my favorite thing about MLP is that the fans embody the values of the show. There is a prevailing desire to be nice to other Bronies, and this is something I rarely see in other fandoms. Often, in “rabid” fandoms, you see a lot of disagreement and petty arguments, and such. But in MLP fandom, if someone says, “Rainbow Dash is best pony,” and someone else says, “Rarity is best pony,” everyone agrees to disagree.

And then there’s this, which basically trumps anything else, anywhere:

These are the biggest reasons that keep me watching, although there are many more reasons that I love the show.  Quite simply put, it’s fun, it’s adorable, and it’s good intentioned, and that means a lot.

my little ponies

How do you Define Geek?

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 2

A while back (honestly, probably so long ago that she’s forgotten), I was discussing with Maggie about what it means to be geek. I think there’s been a lot of griping on various social media sites about what geek is and isn’t – well, more specifically what a “fake geek” is and why that’s a bad thing. There are several noteworthy reasons why this has become a topic of discussion, most notably because “geek” things like Star Wars, Star Trek, etc are becoming more socially acceptable. But also because in the “geek girl” realm, there are cries of “fakers”; women who pretend that they are geeks to get geek guys all hot and bothered. I’ve discussed the matter of geek girls at least twice in the past, so I’m not going to beat the woefully deceased horse on that matter again.

I think one of the integral issues with defining yourself as geek is that it used to be a very clear-cut thing. If you liked Star Trek, you were probably a geek. If you went to cons, you were probably a geek. If you cosplayed, you were probably a geek. But the simple truth of the matter is that the series revamps for Star Trek have attracted new audiences, that people drag their non-geek significant others to cons, and sometimes people cosplay just to attract the attentions of the opposite sex.

The reason that this came up in the first place was because of a series of (top-secret) writings that I’ve done under the heading of Postmodern Geek, with the intention of one day actually making a book or a blog or a web series about the subject. The Postmodern Geek, in my mind, is the geek who can simultaneous pwn face at the MMO of their choice, while at the same time being socially competent and able to socially interface with the more mainstream “non-geeks” (for lack of a better term). As for why labels are important, it really boils down to the fact that our brains are designed to categorize things. It’s how we handle a variety of stimulus. It also makes it far simpler to identify others who are similar to yourself without spending hours debating the merits of various topics.

So after some rather considerable late night thought on the matter, I’ve come up with the following three “criterion” that generally make someone definably geek:

Refusal to Conform: I have a hard time coming up with a quick “snappy definition” of this element of geekness. Basically, one of the integral components of being a geek is that you don’t let other people’s beliefs about your interests sway you. A geek doesn’t care whether something is popular or not, they merely embrace the things that they like. And if people tease you for embracing those things… that’s just a fact of life. This is a trait that I’m seeing more and more often in the “mainstream,” but it really is the original hallmark of the geek.

Desire to be an Expert: Geeks aren’t content to merely watch a few episodes of a television show. No, geeks want to watch all the episodes, read about it online, memorize quotes… in short, if a geek truly loves something, they aspire to grok it. And this makes sense in a lot of ways, especially with recent studies coming to a further understanding of how catharsis actually works in our minds. If we as geeks are unafraid to wholly embrace something we like, it makes sense that we would get quite emotionally invested.

Longing for “Something More”: This is one of the more important traits in my mind. If you tell a geek that they could be anything they wanted, do anything they wanted, they will frequently give you answers involving space travel, or magic, or supernatural abilities. When I ask people who I consider to be “non-geeks,” I get very “inside the box” answers. World peace. Being rich and famous, or a celebrity. Ironically, the “quote” that I feel best describes my views on life and the world around me is from a song about drug addiction, Wolfsheim’s “Heroin, She Says”. The chorus goes, “‘Heroin,’ she said, ‘was the best I had, no more mountains left to climb. Oh the world’s so slow, are my dreams just to high, to be fulfilled in time.’” Drug reference notwithstanding, one of the more frustrating things that I’ve experienced in my life is the fact that I won’t live long enough to travel around the galaxy. I will never be issued my invitation to Hogwarts. I will never be bitten by a spider, or exposed to radioactive chemicals that will give me superhuman powers. As geeks, we look to Fantasy and Science Fiction and Roleplaying to try to get some sense of what it would be like to experience the things that are outside of our realm of possibilities.

And honestly, I think that’s one of the biggest elements of what a geek is.

bloviating inanities, geek, geek girls, Girl Geek , , ,

Erin Recommends – Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 0

I’ve done many things recently to try to improve my blog, and the single most valuable thing I’ve done has been read a TON of other blogs. Before now, my blog reading has been pretty sporadic. But now I have Google Reader setup with about 40 or so blogs that I like. I’ve tried to steer clear of blogs that are similar to mine as I don’t want to outright “steal” ideas from people. Most of what I read are nail polish blogs and Corgi blogs, and that has influenced me into including more of that sort of content. So far it’s been well-received. I tend to assume my audience is male, and therefore doesn’t give a shit about my nail polish and such. But really, I’d like to make my focus Geek and Girl stuff, and I think so long as it isn’t all pink all the time that men wouldn’t really care too much.

Anyhow, I was inspired by a Nail Blogger, Phedre from Colour is Magic (She’s a Redditor too, which makes her awesome in my book). She does a weekly Sci-Fi/Fantasy pick of the week. While I unfortunately just don’t have enough time to read that sort enough to recommend one book a week, I think I am going to do a segment called “Erin Recommends” that is devoted to movies, TV shows, books, etc. that I enjoy.

The first Erin Recommends is a YA urban fantasy novel series called “Vampire Academy” by Richelle Mead. I’d like to start by stating two things. Over the years, the number of authors who I have followed has dwindled. Anne McCaffrey passed away recently, and she gave up the Pern novels years ago. I actually stopped reading the Harry Potter novels at book 5. And most of the things that I read today I don’t necessarily “pay” for. Richelle Mead’s novels are worth buying.

Second, I know many of my friends tease me for reading a lot of Young Adult fiction. But it’s really quite simple. The bar has risen since the Harry Potter novels have become famous. Publishers are realizing that Young Adults have just as much desire for compelling plots and storytelling as Adults do – if not more. Young Adult novels can’t gloss over terrible writing by having risque sex scenes.

The one downside is that a lot of female protagonists in YA fiction tend to fall into the Bella category. They are weak-willed “shells” that are designed to not be overly developed so the reader can easily slip into their position. Rosemarie Hathaway is not that heroine. And this isn’t a story of a human female who falls in love with a Vampire man. Rose is a dhampir – a half-Vampire who is devoted to the protection of Moroi. Moroi are one of the two types of Vampire that are in the Vampire Academy universe. They are born Vampires, and are for the most part benevolent and in tune with nature and the elements. By comparison, the Strigoi are the more classical Vampires. They are created, generally by taking the blood of another Vampire as they kill them. They have the typical Vampire weaknesses to sun, stakes and silver.

There are a few things that I like about this. First, I like that there are multiple “types” of Vampires, as it is something that I haven’t really seen in other Vampire fiction. Nowadays, you need to really create a niche for yourself to differentiate your work from that of everyone else writing about Vampires. It also adds an extra level of politics and intrigue. Since the Strigoi are violent and “evil,” they are an everpresent threat to the Moroi.

There are a lot of levels of conflict within the stories. There are the typical teenage angst storylines, with who’s dating who, drama between students and instructors, etc. There’s also the power struggles between various families, the fear of Strigoi attacks, and of course betrayal of all sorts. The characters in the story are all very three-dimensional, and they all grow and evolve over the course of the storyline.

As mentioned before, Rose is very different from many YA female protagonists. She makes mistakes, and she pays for them. She isn’t universally loved by all, and she upsets people. She has to work for what she gets in life, and she rarely has a man that comes around and saves her. She’s the definition of the “Self-Saving Princess” and she is the sort of character that I would want my children aspiring to be like because she’s a very real person.

The supporting cast are all quite varied and realistically portrayed as well. Rose’s best friend Lissa is a Moroi Princess, but she doesn’t fall into many of the traps that are common in “royal” characters in YA literature. The main love interest throughout several of the books (who I’ll let remain nameless for those who’d prefer to be surprised), is quite Darcy-esque in his portrayal, but who is different enough to not be predictable or redundant.

Vampire Academy consists of the original 6 book series, which covers the entire story arc of Rose, Lissa, and friends. There is another series of books that will follow the stories of a few of the minor characters from said 6 book series, which I have unfortunately not began to read yet. I should be writing a follow up when I have a chance to read the first book in that series, Bloodlines. If you’re interested, Richelle Mead has an excerpt of the first Vampire Academy book on her website here.

I suspect my next “Erin Recommends” will be a book that I’ve just started reading on my Kindle, called “Guns of Seneca 6,” by Bernard Schaeffer. I’ve heard good things, so I’m optimistic at this time!

Erin Recommends, reviews , , ,

The Last Flight of the Discovery

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Erin | Permalink 0

I was really hoping to get some great pics or vid of the Discovery while they were flying her to the Udvar-Hazy Center, but the cloud cover seems to have other ideas today. So here’s a video posted by Jason Colón of this momentous occasion. While it’s great to remember the Discovery, it’s quite disappointing to think of how far our space program has fallen over the past few decades. I can only hope that private organizations will be able to get us back into space again, although I am quite concerned about the non-monetary costs of privatizing what should be a government sponsored institution.

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