Thirty Days of TV: Day Twenty-Eight
Mar. 8th, 2013 11:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakDay 28 - First TV show obsession
Leaving aside cartoon shows watched as a little kid and described on day thirteen, Star Trek, which entered my life when I was a somewhat older kid. I watched every episode. I bought the tie ins; those that were published in German, anyway; this was of course years before I spoke a single word of English, and btw, yes, like everything else imported, Star Trek was dubbed and known as Raumschiff Enterprise. (Which means I heard the voices of the original actors for the first time when I was in my mid-20s and discovered that the local video store also carried ST tapes in English. To this day, though, the dubbed German voices are those I associate first with the TOS crew, sorry, can't help it. Also Bones is Pille, not Bones.) Now Star Trek was actually shown in the late afternoon as part of the programms for kids, and this meant there was an infamous example of censorship to prevent the young 'uns asking questions about the Vulcan mating cycle. To wit: the dialogue for Amok Time was completely rewritten so that in the German version, Spock gets mysteriously sick, McCoy is racing against the clock to find a cure, Spock in his feverish delirium has a bizarre dream about going home to Vulcan to marry his fiancee which ends up with him killing Kirk, McCoy finds the cure, Spock wakes up, has a bit of trouble sorting out fever dream from reality and overreacts when meeting Kirk again. The end. You can imagine that when some of the media tie ins referred to the whole business with T'Pring, I was confused because hadn't that been a dream? Also, what was this Pon Farr everyone was talking about? Ah, the troubles of being a German first Generation fan.
(The other instance of censorship was that Patterns of Force didn't get dubbed at all until a few decades later. I first saw it, undubbed, at a convention and decided I hadn't missed much. It was exceedingly dumb and one of the worst examples of American tv using the ever popular Nazi trope.)
When the movies came, I was just the right age to see them in the cinema. This meant being unspoiled for Wrath of Khan, which no one will ever be again, but I think I already suspected Spock wouldn't remain dead despite sobbing as one does. And overidentified with Saavik who I decided was totally me in space. (Then I read the tie-in novel where Vonda McIntyre hooks her up with Kirk's newly discovered son, David, and went eeeeewwww, because Mr. Curly Blond Hair wasn't my type at all. However, the tie-ins later delivered the romance free Saavik backstory The Pandora Principle, which I read so often that my copy practically falls apart.) But I didn't make the ultimate fannish step of looking for fanfiction, going to conventions, debating with other fans, and being so impatient for new episodes that videos from England were imported until TNG times. Not only did I fall in love all over again (not at fist sight: as was said a lot by me in these reflections, the first TNG season was, err, not the falling in love type, but it had just enough to keep me watching), but this time I had this overwhelming wish to talk about what I'd seen and about the people, and how much for a convention ticket and train fare to Bonn again?
Space, I tell you. The final frontier. These were the voyages...
Day 01 - A show that should never have been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death.
Leaving aside cartoon shows watched as a little kid and described on day thirteen, Star Trek, which entered my life when I was a somewhat older kid. I watched every episode. I bought the tie ins; those that were published in German, anyway; this was of course years before I spoke a single word of English, and btw, yes, like everything else imported, Star Trek was dubbed and known as Raumschiff Enterprise. (Which means I heard the voices of the original actors for the first time when I was in my mid-20s and discovered that the local video store also carried ST tapes in English. To this day, though, the dubbed German voices are those I associate first with the TOS crew, sorry, can't help it. Also Bones is Pille, not Bones.) Now Star Trek was actually shown in the late afternoon as part of the programms for kids, and this meant there was an infamous example of censorship to prevent the young 'uns asking questions about the Vulcan mating cycle. To wit: the dialogue for Amok Time was completely rewritten so that in the German version, Spock gets mysteriously sick, McCoy is racing against the clock to find a cure, Spock in his feverish delirium has a bizarre dream about going home to Vulcan to marry his fiancee which ends up with him killing Kirk, McCoy finds the cure, Spock wakes up, has a bit of trouble sorting out fever dream from reality and overreacts when meeting Kirk again. The end. You can imagine that when some of the media tie ins referred to the whole business with T'Pring, I was confused because hadn't that been a dream? Also, what was this Pon Farr everyone was talking about? Ah, the troubles of being a German first Generation fan.
(The other instance of censorship was that Patterns of Force didn't get dubbed at all until a few decades later. I first saw it, undubbed, at a convention and decided I hadn't missed much. It was exceedingly dumb and one of the worst examples of American tv using the ever popular Nazi trope.)
When the movies came, I was just the right age to see them in the cinema. This meant being unspoiled for Wrath of Khan, which no one will ever be again, but I think I already suspected Spock wouldn't remain dead despite sobbing as one does. And overidentified with Saavik who I decided was totally me in space. (Then I read the tie-in novel where Vonda McIntyre hooks her up with Kirk's newly discovered son, David, and went eeeeewwww, because Mr. Curly Blond Hair wasn't my type at all. However, the tie-ins later delivered the romance free Saavik backstory The Pandora Principle, which I read so often that my copy practically falls apart.) But I didn't make the ultimate fannish step of looking for fanfiction, going to conventions, debating with other fans, and being so impatient for new episodes that videos from England were imported until TNG times. Not only did I fall in love all over again (not at fist sight: as was said a lot by me in these reflections, the first TNG season was, err, not the falling in love type, but it had just enough to keep me watching), but this time I had this overwhelming wish to talk about what I'd seen and about the people, and how much for a convention ticket and train fare to Bonn again?
Space, I tell you. The final frontier. These were the voyages...
Day 01 - A show that should never have been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 – Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 11:40 am (UTC)And I love that kid-friendly version of pon farr, wow!
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 12:47 pm (UTC)The best thing of this kid friendly Amok Time is that avid book reader that child!me was, I had come across far more explicit stuff at this point than poor Spock and his biological mating urge. But German tv was set on preserving my innocence.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 12:06 pm (UTC)And WHAT!!!!!!????? I had no idea that Raumschrift Enterprise was censored. *shakes head*
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 12:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 12:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 12:42 pm (UTC)Spock and Kirk: called each other "Sie".
Kirk and McCoy: called each other "Du".
Spock and McCoy: Sie
Sulu and Chekov: Du
Every other crewmember & crewmember combination: Sie.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-09 05:42 am (UTC)With Spock using "Sie" for Kirk (whether or not he addresses him as "Captain" in working situations or as "Jim" in more personal situations) while McCoy says "Du" throughout I think it makes sense with the personalities and their chosen ways of interaction. It also shows the dubbing people thought about this. Unlike those responsible for the TNG dubbing, of which I watched the first three seasons before getting my English videos, because there Troi and Riker use "Sie" for each other independent of whether they're alone in her room or on the bridge, except if the episode explicitly mentions they used to be lovers (meaning that whoever did the German translations did so on an episode by episode basis and didn't bother to keep the general show and backstory in mind).
OH! I never watched the German versions of Doctor Who but I am told the Doctor addresses his companions with "Sie" and vice versa in the bit of Four era and the two thirds or so of New Who that made it to our screens.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 07:16 pm (UTC)the dialogue for Amok Time was completely rewritten
I kind of want to see this, now, just for the WTF-ery.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-09 05:43 am (UTC)I haven't checked, but ST is often repeated on some channel or the other, so if you stay in Germany long enough, chances are you'll catch Weltraumfieber ("Space Fever"), the German version of Amok Time.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 07:53 pm (UTC)I've also read the novelization of Wrath of Khan and agree that David/Saavik really doesn't work. Of course, from what I've heard of more recent Trek novels, Saavik is now married to Spock. I'm not sure if that's better or worse...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-09 05:45 am (UTC)