29 Days of Star Trek meme: Day 2
Jun. 6th, 2015 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakDay 2 - Who is your favorite character?
One for each incarnation (minus Enterprise, since I have none there), I can't declare a favourite character of all ST, full stop. So:
TOS: Spock. Me and most of fandom, I know, but I can't help it. TOS Spock with his smartness, wry deadpan humor, loyalty, repression and inner conflict, his deep interest in the universe and his dignity was a childhood crush that stayed. One reason why Reboot!Spock could never hold the same attraction to me is that he's so openly emotional. (This is not a criticism, Reboot!Spock fans! I like him for what and who he is. He's just not a favourite in his own 'verse.)
TNG: Picard. Did I mention I have a thing for stoic repressed characters with gravitas and dignity who every now and then reveal there is an inner emotional torrent going on?( Also guys with great voices.) Seriously though, Picard is my Captain. In addition to the earlier named aspects, I love that he's an archaelogy geek, that he's awkward around children, that he really does believe in diplomacy and negotiations as a first option, that he takes the opinions of his bridge crew into account (most of the time) and asks for them (the whole concept of the ready room conference was a TNG thing), that he can be arrogant and self righteous but is willing to admit this and change the behavior in question if someone calls him on it, that he's willing to make a stand for principles even if they're inconvenient (The Tin Drum, aka the episode where an actual case of spying leads to an increasingly paranoid witch hunt , is a morely timely episode than ever), that he's the first main character in ST whose episode related traumas were allowed to stay with him. (The Borg one, obviously; but also, when Picard got tortured, he really did end up seeing five lights. In a tv climate where main character heroes had magical immunity from being broken by torture while villains always caved - and sadly, we seem to be going back there in some ways -, this was new back then. It made me afraid for Picard in a way I never could have been for Kirk who not only obviously would never be broken but also would be fine the next episode.) Lastly (and I'm going by on screen canon only), I love that he's the one Starship Captain whose old age future had him not become an Admiral, or stay a Captain, but had him become an Ambassador, which seemed to me uniquely suitable for Picard and a great continuity tie-in given his affinity to Sarek.
DS9: It used to be Garak while the show was on the air, for all the obvious reasons; Cardassian moral ambiguity personified, witty (the scriptwriters invariably gave him the most quotable one liners), mysterious trickster type with uncertain loyalties (for the first half of the show anyway), Andy Robinson gave a magnetic performance, and Garak/Bashir was probably my first slash ship. (It definitely was the first one where I felt jealous of a rival ship, to wit, Bashir/O'Brien.) Then, to my surprise, in subsequent years and upon rewatching the show on dvd, it became Quark. I wrote an entire separate post as to why, so allow me to quote from the conclusion: “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” Quark says in the DS9 series finale, and these are the last words ever spoken on the show. It’s fitting that they’re spoken by the regular who performs a similar function to the fools in classic drama; comic relief, to be sure, but also insight and occasions of deep pathos. Because his natural reaction to danger is to turn tail and run away, his moments of physical bravery were all the more effective; in a universe that gets increasingly grim as the Dominion war raged, he never stops seeing negotations and bribery as a way out (and incidentally is proven right in a way, as what prevents the Female Founder from ordering the Jem’Hadar to continue fighting is Odo linking with her and promising to return to their people). He keeps falling in love with women who were the opposite of what his natural conservatism tells him to treasure, is the rebel in a family of progressives precisely because he’s the Tory, and is quick-witted enough to win arguments with representatives of just about every race in two quadrants if he tries hard enough, from Cardassians through Vulcans to the Prophets themselves. In short, he’s a delightful paradox, and like Jadzia Dax tells Pel: “I don’t care what everybody else says, I love him.”
VOY: For the first three seasons, it was the Doctor. Then it became Seven of Nine. The Doctor was ST's latest take on the "non-human character exploring what it means to be human" trope, and a well done one; you could follow his growth through the seasons, Robert Picardo had superb comic timing but also was great in conveying pathos. The sole reason why he changed into being my second favourite was because I fell for Seven, and to this day it makes me angry when ST related articles make a reference to her being only there to show off the catsuit. Seven was, among other things, a take on another ST trope - the one I nicknamed for myself "Child of Two Worlds" , see post about it here -, she was allowed to maintain a genuinely different perspective to the Starfleet one, her dynamic with Janeway was fascinating, and I loved her relationship with the Doctor as well. (Oh, and if you want episodes to throw at people who think Jeri Ryan was there just for her figure, go for Survival Instinct - the sole Ron Moore episode on Voyager, wherein Seven has to deal with something awful she did and is in full Borg get up for the flashbacks while still conveying what's going on solely by facial expression, while in the present there is no easy solution at the end - and Body and Soul (for MacGuffin plot reasons, the Doctor is downloaded in Seven's body fora while, and Ryan has a great time channelling her inner Picardo.)
ST Reboot: Nyota Uhura. One thing about the Rebootverse I love without reservations is that Uhura has a much more prominent position in it. I have some great issues with the second movie especially, but I loved, loved, loved every single Uhura scene, and adored that en passant one of Nichelle Nichols' big complaints (the scene in The Undiscovered Country where Uhura has to browse through dusty volumes to speak a few Klingon phrases - Nichelle Nichols hated it with a passion, pointing out that as communications expert, Uhura would be fluent with a language so important in the ST verse as Spanish or Russian is on Earth) received a listening to (in Into Darkness, Reboot!Uhura gets to negotiate with Klingons in fluent Klingon). I like she takes the initiative in her relationship with Reboot!Spock, I like the relationship with Reboot!Kirk going from adverserial to bonding over mutual Spock exasparation, I like that she knows her worth and never allows herself to be patronized. In conclusion: she's my favourite.
Honorable mention: TOS movies, where it's Saavik, barely beating out Gillian the whale expert, but I wasn't sure whether to count the TOS movies as separate entities.
Day 1 - Which Star Trek series is your favorite?
Day 3 - Who is your least favorite character?
Day 4 - What was the first episode/movie you watched?
Day 5 - What was the first Star Trek series you watched?
Day 6 - Your favorite canon pairing? (Canon being the series and the movies, including the reboot.)
Day 7 - Your favorite non-canon pairing?
Day 8 - Your favorite actor/actress? (Not the same as character.)
Day 9 - What's your favorite episode?
Day 10 - What's your favorite species? (Humans are a species as well.)
Day 11 - What's your least favorite species? (See question 9 about species.)
Day 12 - What's your favorite funny moment?
Day 13 - What's your favorite dramatic moment?
Day 14 - What's your favorite Star Trek quote?
Day 15 - How did you get into Star Trek?
Day 16 - Are you involved with Star Trek fandom?
Day 17 - Have you read any of the books? If so, which ones?
Day 18 - If you could be any species in the Star Trek universe, what would you be?
Day 19 - How did the Star Trek reboot affect you?
Day 20 - Of the minor characters (one shots, not the recurring ones) who’s your favorite?
Day 21 - Which Star Trek food would you want to try at least once?
Day 22 - Which Star Trek world would you want to visit at least once?
Day 23 - Is there anything you'd want to change about Star Trek? Why?
Day 24 - Is there anything about Star Trek that has disappointed you?
Day 25 - How has Star Trek changed you?
Day 26 - Lots of Star Trek Parodies out there. Which do you dig?
Day 27 - What would you cross over with Star Trek?
Day 28 - Your favourite friendship in Star Trek?
Day 29 - If you could tell Gene Roddenberry one thing, Star Trek related or not, what would it be?
One for each incarnation (minus Enterprise, since I have none there), I can't declare a favourite character of all ST, full stop. So:
TOS: Spock. Me and most of fandom, I know, but I can't help it. TOS Spock with his smartness, wry deadpan humor, loyalty, repression and inner conflict, his deep interest in the universe and his dignity was a childhood crush that stayed. One reason why Reboot!Spock could never hold the same attraction to me is that he's so openly emotional. (This is not a criticism, Reboot!Spock fans! I like him for what and who he is. He's just not a favourite in his own 'verse.)
TNG: Picard. Did I mention I have a thing for stoic repressed characters with gravitas and dignity who every now and then reveal there is an inner emotional torrent going on?( Also guys with great voices.) Seriously though, Picard is my Captain. In addition to the earlier named aspects, I love that he's an archaelogy geek, that he's awkward around children, that he really does believe in diplomacy and negotiations as a first option, that he takes the opinions of his bridge crew into account (most of the time) and asks for them (the whole concept of the ready room conference was a TNG thing), that he can be arrogant and self righteous but is willing to admit this and change the behavior in question if someone calls him on it, that he's willing to make a stand for principles even if they're inconvenient (The Tin Drum, aka the episode where an actual case of spying leads to an increasingly paranoid witch hunt , is a morely timely episode than ever), that he's the first main character in ST whose episode related traumas were allowed to stay with him. (The Borg one, obviously; but also, when Picard got tortured, he really did end up seeing five lights. In a tv climate where main character heroes had magical immunity from being broken by torture while villains always caved - and sadly, we seem to be going back there in some ways -, this was new back then. It made me afraid for Picard in a way I never could have been for Kirk who not only obviously would never be broken but also would be fine the next episode.) Lastly (and I'm going by on screen canon only), I love that he's the one Starship Captain whose old age future had him not become an Admiral, or stay a Captain, but had him become an Ambassador, which seemed to me uniquely suitable for Picard and a great continuity tie-in given his affinity to Sarek.
DS9: It used to be Garak while the show was on the air, for all the obvious reasons; Cardassian moral ambiguity personified, witty (the scriptwriters invariably gave him the most quotable one liners), mysterious trickster type with uncertain loyalties (for the first half of the show anyway), Andy Robinson gave a magnetic performance, and Garak/Bashir was probably my first slash ship. (It definitely was the first one where I felt jealous of a rival ship, to wit, Bashir/O'Brien.) Then, to my surprise, in subsequent years and upon rewatching the show on dvd, it became Quark. I wrote an entire separate post as to why, so allow me to quote from the conclusion: “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” Quark says in the DS9 series finale, and these are the last words ever spoken on the show. It’s fitting that they’re spoken by the regular who performs a similar function to the fools in classic drama; comic relief, to be sure, but also insight and occasions of deep pathos. Because his natural reaction to danger is to turn tail and run away, his moments of physical bravery were all the more effective; in a universe that gets increasingly grim as the Dominion war raged, he never stops seeing negotations and bribery as a way out (and incidentally is proven right in a way, as what prevents the Female Founder from ordering the Jem’Hadar to continue fighting is Odo linking with her and promising to return to their people). He keeps falling in love with women who were the opposite of what his natural conservatism tells him to treasure, is the rebel in a family of progressives precisely because he’s the Tory, and is quick-witted enough to win arguments with representatives of just about every race in two quadrants if he tries hard enough, from Cardassians through Vulcans to the Prophets themselves. In short, he’s a delightful paradox, and like Jadzia Dax tells Pel: “I don’t care what everybody else says, I love him.”
VOY: For the first three seasons, it was the Doctor. Then it became Seven of Nine. The Doctor was ST's latest take on the "non-human character exploring what it means to be human" trope, and a well done one; you could follow his growth through the seasons, Robert Picardo had superb comic timing but also was great in conveying pathos. The sole reason why he changed into being my second favourite was because I fell for Seven, and to this day it makes me angry when ST related articles make a reference to her being only there to show off the catsuit. Seven was, among other things, a take on another ST trope - the one I nicknamed for myself "Child of Two Worlds" , see post about it here -, she was allowed to maintain a genuinely different perspective to the Starfleet one, her dynamic with Janeway was fascinating, and I loved her relationship with the Doctor as well. (Oh, and if you want episodes to throw at people who think Jeri Ryan was there just for her figure, go for Survival Instinct - the sole Ron Moore episode on Voyager, wherein Seven has to deal with something awful she did and is in full Borg get up for the flashbacks while still conveying what's going on solely by facial expression, while in the present there is no easy solution at the end - and Body and Soul (for MacGuffin plot reasons, the Doctor is downloaded in Seven's body fora while, and Ryan has a great time channelling her inner Picardo.)
ST Reboot: Nyota Uhura. One thing about the Rebootverse I love without reservations is that Uhura has a much more prominent position in it. I have some great issues with the second movie especially, but I loved, loved, loved every single Uhura scene, and adored that en passant one of Nichelle Nichols' big complaints (the scene in The Undiscovered Country where Uhura has to browse through dusty volumes to speak a few Klingon phrases - Nichelle Nichols hated it with a passion, pointing out that as communications expert, Uhura would be fluent with a language so important in the ST verse as Spanish or Russian is on Earth) received a listening to (in Into Darkness, Reboot!Uhura gets to negotiate with Klingons in fluent Klingon). I like she takes the initiative in her relationship with Reboot!Spock, I like the relationship with Reboot!Kirk going from adverserial to bonding over mutual Spock exasparation, I like that she knows her worth and never allows herself to be patronized. In conclusion: she's my favourite.
Honorable mention: TOS movies, where it's Saavik, barely beating out Gillian the whale expert, but I wasn't sure whether to count the TOS movies as separate entities.
Day 1 - Which Star Trek series is your favorite?
Day 3 - Who is your least favorite character?
Day 4 - What was the first episode/movie you watched?
Day 5 - What was the first Star Trek series you watched?
Day 6 - Your favorite canon pairing? (Canon being the series and the movies, including the reboot.)
Day 7 - Your favorite non-canon pairing?
Day 8 - Your favorite actor/actress? (Not the same as character.)
Day 9 - What's your favorite episode?
Day 10 - What's your favorite species? (Humans are a species as well.)
Day 11 - What's your least favorite species? (See question 9 about species.)
Day 12 - What's your favorite funny moment?
Day 13 - What's your favorite dramatic moment?
Day 14 - What's your favorite Star Trek quote?
Day 15 - How did you get into Star Trek?
Day 16 - Are you involved with Star Trek fandom?
Day 17 - Have you read any of the books? If so, which ones?
Day 18 - If you could be any species in the Star Trek universe, what would you be?
Day 19 - How did the Star Trek reboot affect you?
Day 20 - Of the minor characters (one shots, not the recurring ones) who’s your favorite?
Day 21 - Which Star Trek food would you want to try at least once?
Day 22 - Which Star Trek world would you want to visit at least once?
Day 23 - Is there anything you'd want to change about Star Trek? Why?
Day 24 - Is there anything about Star Trek that has disappointed you?
Day 25 - How has Star Trek changed you?
Day 26 - Lots of Star Trek Parodies out there. Which do you dig?
Day 27 - What would you cross over with Star Trek?
Day 28 - Your favourite friendship in Star Trek?
Day 29 - If you could tell Gene Roddenberry one thing, Star Trek related or not, what would it be?
no subject
Date: 2015-06-07 04:14 pm (UTC)I wonder if part of the reason the writers risked doing that was because Picard was such a well-written and well-acted character that they could "afford" to do that to him without worrying about damaging his likeability. Whereas a characters whose writing was more uneven or whose actor was less charismatic might not have been able to hold up to that without contemporary audiences rejecting him.
no subject
Date: 2015-06-07 06:08 pm (UTC)Whoever was ultimately responsible for casting Patrick Stewart really can/could pat themselves on the back. I think the first time the writers wrote something that deliberately used his acting potential was Sarek back in s3, the episode where he gets to channel Sarek's raw unleashed emotions (and his own). I had liked the character before but that was the episode that made me realize how great the actor was.
no subject
Date: 2015-06-07 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-08 08:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-06-09 04:01 am (UTC)