One Month of Trek: Philosophy Day

In honor of the release of JJ Abram's Star Trek (a.k.a the best movie of the year and every other year that didn't release a Star Trek movie), I have decided to hold Star Trek month on my pop culture blog. I will be talking about Star Trek in all its forms-- its 5 main television series, books, movies, comics, and perhaps even some of the merchandise and/or toys.

There will be 30 days of Trek, starting on May 15th, where I will share my various viewpoints on several aspects of the Star Trek universe. (I would have done this when the new Star Wars movies came out, but they were so shitty that even my fan-colored glasses couldn't handle such abysmal dialogue. "You're breaking my heart, Ani..." Motherfucker.)

*ahem*

In any case, I would like to kick things off by introducing my favourite philosophical moments in Trek history. Star Trek is many things, but in my humble opinion its most powerful aspect is its ability to make one question one's view of the world. ST: TNG alone is littered with so many powerful moments that I could write a book about the Awesomeness that is Jean-Luc Picard's shiny noggin.

For fans of the other series, though, I'll try to keep my TNG fangirl-ism to a minimum. ;)

And so without further ado, I give you....

1) TNG 2x02 "Where Silence Has Lease"



Quite possibly my favourite exchange between Picard and Data. In all innocence, Data asks Picard: "What is death?" and Picard responds by outlining both theist and atheist beliefs. Data asks "And which do you believe?" Picard responds that he believes in both... because in the future, everyone is as indecisive as I am. Boo-yah!

2) TOS: 1x28 "The City on the Edge of Forever"

Widely considered as one of the best episodes of the original series, this whole episode is pretty much one long philosophical debate. Of course, since it's Kirk we're talking about here, a debate doesn't actually occur (unless you count Spock saying "Edith Keeler must die" over and over again a debate). Still, to make a long story short-- the crew gets thrown back in time, Kirk falls in love with a girl (surprise, surprise), and they find out that she must die in a horrible accident in order to avert a disastrous timeline (our Edith is something of an activist). Spock is, as always, the voice of reason, and in the end Kirk must stand by and let his lady-love be killed in a pointless accident.

Now, before all you yuppies start screaming "Butterfly Effect" or whatever other spins on this classic scifi theme have come out, you have to remember that this was pretty heavy stuff back then. This was 1967-- Adam West was Batman for crying out loud.

Anyway, here's a trailer that pretty much tells you everything:



3) ENT 3x10 "Similitude"

Enterprise was never a particularly popular Star Trek series, and (canon-obsessed) fans never quite warmed up to it. Still, it will always hold a special place in my heart for giving us "Similitude"-- a powerful, poignant episode about the moral ethics of cloning in order to harvest healthy organs for injured people.

I love this episode because while it acknowledges that clones are in fact real people, it did not apologize for its final resolution. Ending in the exact opposite way as the highly improbably "The Island", Captain Archer makes the tough choice to order Commander Tucker's clone to his death in order to save the original's life.

Unfortunately, I don't have a clip for this one (YouTube kept yielding fanvids instead of actual clips), but rest assured that this is one of the best (if not the best) episodes of Enterprise, ever.

If you've never seen Star Trek (TNG, VOY, DS9, TOS) and want to try watching one of the series', I highly suggest starting with Enterprise. It's fun, has great effects, a great cast, and you won't be too nitpicky about future canon to appreciate it.

4) VOY 1x01 "The Caretaker"

It's impossible to talk about morality without touching on Captain Janeway and Voyager. The entire series was based on her making a moral choice that stranded her and her crew in the Delta quadrant, which pretty much meant that they were 75 years away from Federation space. Basically, Janeway ensured that no one on her ship would ever live to see their loved ones again (except for the two vulcans on board, since they Live Long and Prosper ;D), and her crew tries to make the best out of a crap situation.

Oh, and did I mention that the Delta quadrant is where the fricking Borg live?

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated... right after we make you wet yourself like a 2-year old girl.

No clip of this one again, because YouTube is full of fanvids and furry animals. Still, I think it's safe to say that as far as philosophical debates go, this one's a doozy. After all, they spend seven seasons trying to justify Janeway's choice. ;)

And that wraps up today's list of Philosophical favs. Every fan has their own favourite clips, so please feel free to comment and share yours! Just remember-- no hating on other series, okay? Sam Beckett has feelings, too.

Flight of the Conchords: New Zealanders with 'Tude

HBO's Flight of the Conchords' second season run has been proving even better than its first, and what was a hilarious musical comedy show is now turning into true comic genius.

FOTC is about a couple of New Zealand comedy singers (Brett and Jemaine) going to the big city to make their dreams of fame and fortune into a reality. In the span of a season and a half, though, they've managed to only pull in a crowd average of... 1.

They have one voracious fan who stalks them and constantly gets underfoot, which is actually sadder than having no fans at all. The cast is rounded up with their incompetent agent Murray and their pawn-shop owner friend Dave.

There is an average of 2 songs per episode, which means that out of 22 minutes, you've got around 8 minutes of exquisite musicality. Songs such as "The Humans Are Dead", "Frodo (2000 L.O.T.R rejected demo version)", and "Bowie" all make it onto the show, and each one is expertly crafted into the half-hour episode. The comedy is a mixture of self-deprecation and hate for Australians, which amuses the shit out of me because it's extremely hard for non-New Zealanders and non-Australians to tell their accents apart.

I say this about practically every show I blog about (must really find time to watch and blog about shows that I hate, if only to add a little variety to this thing), but I highly recommend picking up the first season and catching up to the 2nd on HBO.

I give this series 5 stars and one slightly mashed robot arm!

Heroes: I'm sorry, guys, but that's as far as you're going to go...

As an incredible comic nerd, there were few people happier than I when Heroes came out. It was filled with all the requisite superhero cliches-- the reluctant hero (Peter), the idealistic protagonist (Hiro), the incredibly hot psycho blond (Nikki, not that jailbait brat Claire), and a plethora of other interesting characters.

The first season was some of the best television I'd ever seen. But the second season started off pretty weak, collapsing under the weight of too many new characters, hopelessly emo (and pointless) old characters (lookin' at you, cheerleader), and a really weak storyline.

I suppose I've kept watching the series just to see how bad it could eventually get, and with season 2's incredibly stupid hours-long eclipse (wha-buh?) and the inexplicable sex scene between Sylar and Elle (hello, fangirl powerz) I thought it could get no dumber.

But with the latest arc's foray into X-men territory (we protect a world which hates and fears us, yay!), I just can't help but notice that the series has gone past a point of no return. Ladies and gentleman: Heroes has jumped the shark.

Sadly, this show had some of the greatest potential ever. Maybe it had something to do with its quick rise to incredible popularity, but the storyline in the second season left a lot to be desired. It's as if the writers would reach into Marvel's back issue bin, randomly fish out which comic they'd 'borrow' their ideas of the week from, and write a script around it. Ugh.

Sorry, Heroes, but you're off my weekly watch list.

Wonder Woman: The Animated Movie

I'm not trying to be ironic when I say that Wonder Woman: the Animated Movie is the best thing I've seen since sliced bread. I've said this about every single direct-to-dvd movie in the DC line, but I've got to say that in terms of a cohesive plot, mind-blowing action, and just downright good dialogue, Wonder Woman is the best one to date.

Superman: Doomsday had mind-blowing fight sequences, Justice League: New Frontier had a great story, and Batman: Gotham Knight had wonderful (if a bit spotty in some places) storytelling. Wonder Woman pulls together all three attributes and melds it into one pitch-perfect movie that made me want to jump off my seat and run around in circles til I fell down. It was *that* good.

Keri Russel did a wonderful job as the usually deadpan Diana, and Nathan Fillion as the unsinkable Steve Trevor practically stole the show. There's something so magical about seeing your favourite comic book characters move around and kick ass on screen (or in my case, monitor), and I was just complete blown away by this.

I guess what most live-action Hollywood movies lack is the unmistakable hand of True Comic Geniuses. There's always the big name actors to consider, what the studios want, what will make them the most money, etc. The purity that comes with animated, direct-to-dvd releases is simply wonderful, and this is Wonder Woman at her finest.

And have I mentioned that the legendary comic writer Gail Simone (Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey) and Michael Jelenic wrote the script?

Bliss. Utter bliss.

***

Wonder Woman: the animated movie is slated for DVD release on March 3rd, 2009. Check out the official website here.

Important Things With Demetri Martin

"Important Things with Demetri Martin" is a new show on Comedy Central which features the hilarious stand-up (and various other talents) of comedian Demetri Martin. My boy recommended this show to me (he has a thing for random comedy acts), and much to my surprise, I actually liked it.

It's a mish-mash of random things-- skits, musical numbers, stand-up, a funny drawing portion (!), and whatever else Martin can imagine. As a great man once said: "If you can dream it, you can do it!"... as long as it's inane enough, that is.

I imagine that "Important Things" is what what would happen if "Saturday Night Live" met "Flight of the Conchords" and they had a retarded child who then mated with "Art Attack". Maybe.

Either way, I leave you with a small clip from the show. The gorgeous Amanda Peet is in it. Enjoy!

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Welcome back to the world of television, Joss Whedon... I can't think of a better way to do it than with the extremely awesome DollHouse. Known for his strong, sexy female leads and his rich storytelling, fans of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer will love Whedon's latest offering.

Starring the gorgeous Eliza Dukshu, this series deals with mind-wiping, over-priced and highly illegal operations, and a wonderfully rich concept. Eliza plays the doll "Echo" who, when not on assignment, is literally an empty doll with no personality. When she's active, she's "ecrypted" with various personalities spliced together to form the most suitable person for whatever job she's on-- whether it be assassin, party girl, or even a professional negotiator.

What I like about this concept is that the possibilities are endless. If you get down to the brass tacks, it's a lot like the old "Quantum Leap" series, except done-up and fancified with all those new-fangled computer ideas. Heh.

The first episode is a bit confusing, but when you get your mind wrapped around it all, it's *extremely* interesting. I definitely recommend checking this show out-- if Eliza's not your type, maybe the so-severe-she's-pretty Sierra will be more your speed. (I applaud Whedon for constantly casting unconventionally beautiful women in his shows... :D)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

After the (very awesome) initial movie release, Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series entered the arena with one-shot, light-hearted episodes depicting everyone's favourite galaxy far, far away. Most of the episodes were amusing (the droids were generally portrayed as the comic relief), and the relationships between Obi-Wan, Anakin, and his new padawan Ahsoka Tano were tentatively explored. There was even a Jar Jar (ugh) episode or two, and most of the episodes were rife with thinly-veiled lessons for the kids.

It wasn't until episode 9 (Cloak of Darkness) that things really started to get interesting. Suddenly a huge "TV-PG: for moderate violence" sign was posted at the beginning of each episode, and 'lo and behold-- people in the animated Star Wars galaxy actually began to *die*.

No one really cares when clone troopers or the odd political figure dies every now and then, but in what is currently my favourite Clone Wars episode ever (1x10 - Lair of Grievous), one of the Jedi actually *dies*.

Another favourite is the 2-parter "Defenders of the Peace" (1x13 and 1x14), which deals with the implications of the wars on farflung, peaceful planets. The quality of the storytelling here was practically at the level of the quite-philosophical Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, and I was pleasantly surprised at its depth.

It's ironic that the stories in this animated series far surpasses the latest Star Wars trilogy, but there you go. George Lucas should be thanked for greenlighting it, and congratulated for not writing any of it. Lol.

Clone Wars is currently on its 17th episode and I highly recommend this to fans both young and old.

Wolverine and the X-Men, More Plz.

There are few things that I remember with more fondness than watching X-Men cartoons as a young girl. The drama, the action, the crazy, crazy costumes. Since the original X-Men series of the 90's went off the air, there has been no animated equivalent that has quite brought back the fond memories. X-Men Evolution, which turned everyone into teenagers, was all right, but I feel that it failed to live up to the original series' drama.

The latest offering in the animated world of the X-Men is none other than "Wolverine and the X-Men". It's an alternate universe mish-mash of events from the past series, the current comics, and the various (always evolving) backstories of each character. Wolverine is hardly my favorite character, but oddly enough, I'm not put off by the series' focus on him at all.

Cyclops, who has always been my favorite guy character, has been emasculated by the disappearance of Jean Grey, and is now a loose canon. I suppose that's the only way they could justify Wolverine stepping up, and oddly enough (again), it actually worked. Scott has always been prone to melodrama, and now he just stumbles blindly into enemy territory whilst screaming "Where's JEAN!!?" and destroying everything in his path. My likey. :)

In any case, if you're a comics fan, a movie fan, or an Evolution fan, there's something for you to like in here. It's (IMHO) the best adaptation of the X-Men that I've ever seen, be it in movie or animated form. (Yeah, I'm lookin' at you X3.)

I highly recommend giving this a look.