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merl-merl · 4 months

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I have finished watching the two seasons of Star Trek Strange New Worlds. At first I wasn’t sure what to think, but the characters really grew on me. It’s a new and different-while-also-still-being-true Star Trek show.

What I enjoy too about SNW is that all the characters care for each other, the whole show is a warm vibe with strong morals and a spirit for exploration even if sometimes, at least at first, the characters seemed generic. This is the crew that has the most women in it!

The only thing I’m bitter about even though i searched to see why was Hemmer’s death. He was the only alien-alien-looking character and i think it would feel more Star Trek if there was at least one more good ally diverse character. (Spock is very cool as always but he’s basically an elf with slight face ridges so it’s not cutting it). Plus Hemmer was just good vibes TT^TT

I think Spock is done very well, he’s still Spock but he also has a warmer vibe compared to Nimoy’s portrayal.

At first Pike and Una didn’t give me immediate ‘I like this character vibes’, like they were good but there was something missing. And then suddenly they just grew on me so fast in the middle of the first season; especially Una. I love that Pike listens to his free immediately and trusts them. There’s such a high regard for everyone on the crew.

I felt like Doctor M’Benga had few yet the some of the strongest plot lines and big moral decisions to make, as with his daughter and the Klingon representative. That episode and his performance gave me chills. I hope he has more episodes centered on him in future.

Ortegas is so fun, she’s cool and spirited and they really make a point so show how serious and amazing she is at the helm.

I was very taken with La’an, her strength and bitterness really got to me, and her intensity shows depth. She also reminds me of other characters I’ve liked so that’s also probably why.

I loved how Uhura became more into herself, and I love that she gets more characterization. She saves the day a lot, and her grappling with grief felt real to me.

Nurse Chapel’s resourcefulness and free spirit is refreshing, especially compared to how she was/became in TOS.

I hope I’m not missing anyone ;7; also putting the musical and lower decks crossover in the second hit hard (in a good away. I was also surprised how many times Kirk showed up.

Anyways, my first thoughts. ^.^

#star trek strange new worlds #Star Trek

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kuwdora · 11 months

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Latest things meme... (Two posts in one day? Wonders never cease. Enjoy the ADHD flavor rambling below.)

Anyway, thank you always for the tag @kiriele!

Last song:

I have to again preface that most of my music consumption is for vid-related purposes these days.

I came across this hilarious meme that gave me my latest vid idea. It’s a photo of Paris Hilton picking out some ice cream treats, and overlaid on the treats are one Cassian Andor from Star Wars and John Silver from Black Sails. The captain reads “Actually, can I have five more of these [can’t escape the narrative] bitches?” And the OP writes “finally figured out why these two makes me so feral.”

I saw that and I felt like my third eye opened. Like. 🤯 Because there is a perfect thematic vid there showcasing these two’s specific struggles. Especially in the context of resisting an encroaching empire and and and... they really got sucked into the narrative and can't! fucking get out!! And then they end up believing in the cause (in their own ways) and ah ah ah...ahhhhh..

Okay that context being given, I went and spent all 5 minutes going “I need a song. I need a song for these two. Two sources, two voices? Maybe, maybe not. Male vocalist? Raging against the authority is punk, but I love mash-ups and pitting parallels and contrasts of with multiple musical sources. Wait, I already had a DJ artist who made this other mash-up I loved am going to use for a vid…surely he has something that could be… interesting or great for Cassian Andor and John Silver. Surely??”

Friends. Friends. Even those of you who don't know or care about vidding, this is just a sort of beautiful mini-nirvana moment when you discover the perfect song (especially so quickly).

BEHOLD. My Cassian Andor and John Silver vidsong that I may or may not make but you hear it first:

youtube

I can see the whole vid unfolding before my eyes. Frantically trying to download Black Sails and searching my 3 hard drives to make sure I had in fact nabbed Andor earlier for a different vid idea. Yet…I have so many other vid things in my queue and only so much hard drive space and brainRAM.

Currently watching:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I want to like it more than I do. I like elements of the characters, (La’An and Chapel are extremely compelling, Ethan Peck is bringing a great human cheekiness to his portrayal of Spock, Pike remains a great Space Dad) but there’s still something that’s not gelling fully with me. Which is sad because I am so on board with the more episodic angle again and some of the classic themes and motifs from TOS but it’s just…idk, I think I need a whole post to think aloud on it.

Currently reading:

Ahsoka by EK Johnston, Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski. Almost done with Spin State by Chris Moriarty.

Currently obsessed with: Oh, I’m burbling with obsession…

In my reading I’m still losing my mind over how much I love Baptism of Fire. Milva sucker punching a peasant. Regis’ entrance to the narrative. ZOLTAN, sloppy drunk. Geralt dreaming of Ciri…Ciri dreaming of Geralt. 😭

Ahsoka learning how to pretend to be a Normal Twice-Orphaned Teenager. How do people interact outside wartime situations and executing battle strategy?? Honey… (I need to go look for some post-O66 Ahoska fic novels…)

ALSO!!! @dragneto has also infected me witcher fic idea that’s got me foaming at the mouth. I want to tackle the idea but I’m also dying to finish my WIP chapter first before I can play. I’m so obsessed with this ridiculously horny and sad idea.

I also have 4 vid ideas I’m chewing on like a rabid gremlin and it is definitely to the point of obsession. Mad that I won’t be able to follow through in the short or medium term…too much on the brain, lack of focus, stress from life stuff, other WIPs eating away at me.

Two Witcher ones vid ideas: my Phil vid…she’s so bad, I love her. Sexy song, lots of bad. And I am revisiting an old pan-canon humor/thirst/thematic vid about Geralt… Which is more about how the characters see him.

Then I got my Star Wars Rebels idea which I’m having technical problems that’s keeping me from starting.

…And then this Andor/Black Sails thing…

tagging @deerna and @danegen and @shetiger and @simuran and @whatkindofnameisvolta ...and anyone else who wants to go.

#tag game #latest things meme #the vidding process #kuwdora's random witcher stuff #textpost #vidspiration

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fuckyeahspones · 3 years

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How did you start shipping Spones (brotp or otp, either is fine!)

So I think the brotp thing almost certainly came first, back in the mists of preschool when I was a shipping oblivious baby child. Ships did not occur to me as a thing until I started reading fic later in life (I’m a very slow to warm up demi) and the first one I saw, and wrote for, was Spirk (like most people.) McSpirk kind of grew out of that because who wants to see Bones lonely forever. Then someone, I can’t remember who, challenged me to write Spones, the Healerverse was born, and sometime around there I read quite possibly the best Aliens Made them Do It work I’ve ever read, kianspo’s Infinite Complexities and they were firmly added to my list of ships.

(A side note: My brain does not do OTPs. An infinite multiverse allows me to hold simultaneous not-mutually-compatible ships, each in their own lanes, not detracting from the others.)

Why did you ship them?

So, why I love the ship: First, the two of them are similar and opposite, like photonegatives of each other. Their intellectual curiosity, deep compassion, and underlying discomfort with themselves–both of them are deeply suspicious of their own value as persons, despite that belief being unjustified give them common ground. Their very different social interaction styles give them an opportunity for conflict and growth from both sides.

What are the some of the reasons you like Spock as a character? And McCoy?

They’re my family. I’ve known them since before I was potty trained. I could say I write both of them as self-inserts of a sort, but because they were so critical to my formation as a person when I was teeny tiny, I think the character development goes both ways. Both of them are a big part of who I grew up to be–they gave me examples of how to navigate a world that I didn’t really fit into comfortably. As characters, I love Spock’s curiosity, intellect, and strong moral compass that he couches in logical language. And I love his flaws–his belief that he has to be perfect, his imposter syndrome, and his tendency to reason himself into misery. I love McCoy’s drivenness, his tireless search for solutions to intractable problems, his compassion and caring. And I love his flaws too. The fact that his caring overwhelms him and is expressed as anger. The fact that his teasing of Spock frequently crosses lines (in TOS) and the opportunities that gives ficwriters to show growth and change.

Some of your fave things about liking Spones: tropes, fics, headcanons, etc?

I love post-Mirror, Mirror recovery fics. I think that the two of them resolving that trauma makes a really good TOS starting point for the relationship. I also love the pigtail pulling. Spock is so deadpan it’s not always as obvious that Spock gives as good as he gets. And, though I’ve seen it more rarely, I adore when it’s made clear that part of their differences of opinion on medical matters are because Vulcan medical practice is substantively different from Earth’s practices, so they are really, at lest at the start, truly baffled by each other.

When I saw your submission in the inbox I got very excited because I am a BIG fan of your work!

I totally am the same as you, I don’t do otps either -- I am a very big multishipper. I, too, to quote your words, am able to “hold simultaneous not-mutually-compatible ships, each in their own lanes, not detracting from the others”. My brain doesn’t work that way. I can understand why people may only be fixated on one or two ships but the world is too complex and so full of interesting possibilities that I can’t choose to keep to one or two options.

I am so glad someone challenged you to write the Healerverse because that is such a wonderful ‘verse and your writing is impeccable. I also enjoy your gen work too! It’s rarer to find good gen writers so it makes me happy when I can because sometimes I just want to read a story, an adventure, and not necessarily have anything romantic going on. And that fic of Kianspo’s is so great!

All those reasons you listed about Spock and McCoy their dynamic are reasons I love them too. It also makes writing them very satisfying.

I do love their interactions can provide the ability to show growth and change -- something I think a lot of people need to see more in media, especially with the rise of the lack of critical thinking and analysis on the internet, which is dangerous during these times. If we cannot see how people can change and become better people, how can we emulate that and be able to guide people to change and become better themselves? We, unfortunately, do not live in a perfect world, and as a result, we as humans are going to be raised imperfect. The best we can do is try to become and do better every day. And to believe that characters can only be one dimension or always be one state of being is...well. We rob ourselves of the opportunities of the tools available to us. (I’d go on but that would be a terribly long digression.)

It’s fascinating that so many people who have answered these questions and given answers have talked about growing up with these characters and their world, and how that is a significant factor in who they are as people.

Post-Mirror, Mirror fics are wonderful, though I can understand why it’s not for everyone. It does provide this opportunity for them to become close, to heal from trauma, and start a basis for a deepening of their friendship (and more, if one is inclined).

You’re right, Spock really does give as good as he gets -- both he and McCoy are very witty, intelligent people, and McCoy is one of the few that can keep up with him in that respect. That’s always interesting to watch.

And also, a very good point about them being truly baffled due to differences in how medical practices are between their two cultures! It would be nice to see that show up in fic again more, it definitely was a hallmark in a lot of older stories I’ve read. Maybe someone might take the mantle after reading this post? (That’s probably wishful thinking but one can hope!)

For those who wish to read PrairieDawn’s fics, you can here on AO3! And anyone curious, you can read Kianspo’s Infinite Complexities here.

[ We’re doing a Spock & McCoy appreciation weekend, so send your answers to these questions or anything related you’d like to send! ]

#submission #prairiedawn #spones #fic rec #it was exciting to see your thoughts and input and able to discuss with you!#being a multishipper on my end causes problems only because when you ship a rarepair... the lack of content lol and i don't always have the #spoons to make the content myself lmao #anyway i think you just made my night so #don't mind me lmao

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calliecat93 · 3 years

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Star Trek Into Darkness. I had heard a LOT of negative reception to this one. A lot of it is due to the casting decisions with Khan that I’m not touching with a 39 1/2 foot pole. But in general it’s. It seen as a great film at least in the areas that I’ve circled. But that’s other people’s opinion, I need to form my own. So my opinion?

It’s... slightly better imo than 2009, but still not great.

Pros are still the same as before. Good cinematography. Good acting. Good effects. Very good action. I also failed to mention this the first time, but the films ARE more diverse with the Enterprise staff than in TOS. We not only have varied PoC, but different alien species and styles as well. It’s one of the advantages of being closer to modern times and just helps add so much.. well, life. I also continue to love Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov in these things. They’re allowed a little more than they got int he show without overpowering the main... well duo since Bones sadly isn’t that lucky. But still, they’re great characters and I love them.

Kirk is... better. I feel like they did a better job making some of his actions understandable and sympathetic. He loses his mentor, almost loses Spock and being reprimanded for breaking Prime Directive for it, and his failure to have these feelings properly addressed is messing with him. It’s understandable and makes me feel bad for him and he is trying to do the right thing. I fully sided with him when justifying breaking Prime Directive to save Spock and while he’d have done a FAR better job explaining it to Starfleet, it’s what TOS Kirk likely would have done. Him also trying to have his crew spared also shows that he HAS grown and despite his recklessness, he has a heroic soul. However... I DID agree that Kirk deserves to lose his captaincy. He DID get it handed to him. He IS immature and unprepared, as his reactions here and how he’s still sleeping around (which WHY is that still a thing after the first?!) only emphasizes the point. So I am liking him more and I can say that I like him, but Beyond better do a better job because this still is not James Tibirius Kirk, just a standard action hero with the same name.

Spock was fine. Felt like we should have heard more about how he’s been doing since... you know, the destruction of his planet last film and all. But he still felt good here. He has a better grasp on himself compared to before. Still don’t like his forced relationship with Uhura, though they don’t drag out their conflict at least. They bring up his self-sacrificial nature and his seeming lack of care about how it would affect him or his loved ones and while maybe it got wrapped up too quickly, it was properly addressed. Essentially he felt like Spock. He felt more like TOS Spock while still being his own character compared to last time so that’s good! I was overall happy with him here. Also glad that he was smart enough to contact Prime Spock in case he had faced Khan before. Prime Spock sadly felt included for fanservice, but this would be Nimoy’s final time as the character, so I can’t complain about it. It was nice to see him one last time.

Bones once again gets screwed over. I will give them some points since he does at least get to show his intelligence and medical skills FAR more than last time where they only used it to have him drug Jim. Ut otherwise he exists and is still a fun character with Urban continuing to put his all into it. Him helping Spock with the torpedos got a grin out of me. But again, the filmmakers completely ignored his role and importance. In a film where Kirk is going through some major emotional trauma, this would have been a great place to let McCoy shine since it’s his role to be the one who gets Jim through his emotional issues. The episodes Obsession and The Ultimate Computer are excellent TOS examples of it. But they don’t. His reaction to Jim’s death and slaving away to save him was good though... even though he doesn’t even get a thank you for it (nor Uhura for that matter). Appreciate your doctors folks.

The Triumvirate is a tad better, but still not formed or given any focus at all. It’s still mainly Kirk and Spock who ARE more friendly and who I actually believe are friends. I actually care about their relationship now and it doesn’t feel forced or just that way cause canon said so. But they still have the two on opposite ends and not Kirk being the balance to Spock and McCoy. I will say though that while it only happens a little, I DID enjoy the three interacting together. It felt like ‘yes, they are together and it feels RIGHT’. I don’t get how the perfect package is sitting there in front of them but they ignore it. But it IS better. But these three were at their greatest potential together and the films just seem afraid to tap into it for some reason. I really don’t get it except they want to use Kirk and Spock to keep cashing in cause they think that’s what the audience wants. Yeah you get your money and general satisfaction... but you lose true story and character potential and fan respect for those who want to see those characters and their dynamic again.

Also... yeah the ending was trying to pull the reverse form Wrath of Khan with Kirk dying instead of Spock. While it DID have emotion behind it and was very well axted, filmed, and the score was perfect, it didn’t work. Not only because we know that there is no way they’re going to kill Jim off so the impact of his death is killed instantly, but because it is only there for the reverse. You wanna know why Spock’s sacrifice in WoK worked? Even if one could see it and predict that he’d come back and are fully aware of it in the years since? Because we’d had 80 episodes of seeing Spock. We had gotten to know him. We had seen his relationship with Kirk. We had seen them go through so much together. We had seen Spock’s struggles and related to him. When I watched WoK despite knowing that he’d be back. i was sad because of all that time I’d spent with him, and was relieved and happy when he came back in Search for Spock. The films don’t have that time. They had a film that didn’t portray their relationship properly and a second that did better, but still misunderstands it. Thus, the film succeeded in making it sad, but they failed in capturing the powerful emotions and meaning that it had before. It’s there to essentially cash in on WoK without any of the effort, and that pisses me off to no end.

Khan was okay. Again not going into the casting thing, but the character is nowhere near as food as TOS Khan. Carol was okay, but we needed the scene of her undressing because...? Plot was better than last time with good pacing and actual emotion/themes in it. The Nurse Chapel reference pissed me off especially for it’s implications about Kirk’s ‘womanizing’ ways that shouldn’t exist and considering that was who Roddenberry’s wife played, seems pretty damn disrespectful to the woman. Marcus was just a standard ‘evil authority’ character who IDT was needed at all. Also again, HOW did the timeline changing cause ANY of this?! The films see no reason to explain, it’s just an excuse to justify their own vision no matter if it works or not. It’s their way of doing what they want without puttin any work into justifying anything. I think that the film IS better than 2009... but it’s STILL not Star Trek. It’s a sci-fi summer blockbuster that uses the Star Trek name and characters to bring the viewers in. I’ve heard that Beyond had new writers and directors that actually DO understand TOS, so I am hopeful that that’s true and we get a good movie out of it. But Into Darkness, while I don’t agree it’s worse than last time (though the blatant cashing in without the work makes me fully understand why people feel that way), it’s still a film that doesn’t understand it’s source material.

#st watchthrough

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sunshine-captain · 7 years

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do you have any good star trek novel recommendations? (tos please!!)

Yes! I do! I’ve been meaning to make a post about this for…so long, whoops, but I’ll answer this ask instead! (might still make the post someday, idk tbh. I probably should though because since I have so many Trek books I haven’t read yet, I might like more enough to rec them, haha.) Okay, anyway… (By TOS I assume you mean the original Enterprise crew, I hope it’s okay that not all of these actually take place during TOS, aka the five year mission.)

Sarek by A. C. Crispin You might have seen me mention this one the other day on my blog; I really love it. It takes place post TUC, Amanda is dying and Sarek is uncovering a plot that’s way bigger than anyone realizes at first… Also there’s some stuff about Jim’s nephew Peter (from the episode with the farting flying pancake aliens? lol.) and yeah, it’s a great read. All the parts with Sarek and Amanda are lovely and sad and the plot is interesting and it’s just all around enjoyable.Definitely recommend.

Collision Course by William Shatner This is the other one I mentioned on my blog already, and this one is probably my favorite Trek novel. Spock is nineteen and Jim is seventeen when they first meet, and they’re both too smart for their own good and get into trouble and…well, all the things you expect from Jim and Spock. It was originally supposed to be the first in a series, but for various reasons, there probably won’t be any more (CRIES) but this one is so good. And it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger so it’s okay. I especially enjoyed tbh how Bill appreciates what an effect Tarsus would have had on Jim (this is only three years later, after all) and it’s still very visible on lil’ Jim. Not a spoiler, bc a reference is made to Tarsus on…literally the very first page. Lol. Anyway, this one is really fun and sometimes sad (bc Tarsus) and just really great! Also, at least one of the plot twists genuinely surprised me, which is rare… I normally see them coming a mile off in Trek novels. ;) (Which doesn’t usually take away from my enjoyment, tbh!) But I really appreciate when they can surprise me.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (novelization) by Gene Roddenberry You knew this was coming. This is an absolute must read if you’re a Spirk fan, tbh. I’m not all the way through with it so far, about halfway done, but I can tell you it’s a much better way of telling the story of TMP than TMP. Lol. The movie has this simple feeling and Jim rushing to Spock on the bridge and saying his name like a prayer and other things, but it also has all those dreadful special effect sequences. And the novel has its own gay to offer. I don’t necessarily agree with the way Gene wrote Jim (in fact, it’s been forever since I picked it up but I distinctly remember being bothered by it), but…yeah, at least borrow a copy from someone and witness the gay parts for yourself, haha.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (novelization) by Vonda McIntyre I’m going to go ahead and say right now that if you’re going to read the novelizations, go for the ones by Ms. (Mrs? idk) McIntyre. She wrote 2, 3, and 4. I haven’t read 3 yet, but I have read 2 and 4 and I like that she actually adds in scenes and stuff that weren’t in the movies. It makes me feel like I’m actually getting something additional for my time even though I’m reading a novelization of a movie I’ve already seen. I like this one, because there was quite a bit that wasn’t in the movie (I have a hunch the extra scenes, at least some of them, might be based on the script? because the scene with Sulu’s great….something or other grandfather as a child meeting Sulu is in the book, and I know they tried to put that in the movie but never managed to. anyway.) But yeah, there’s actual stuff in there that’s not in the movie! that’s the way it should be. Also…she ships Saavik/David pretty clearly. :P Like I said, haven’t read TSS novel yet, but I know she was working it into 2, and it’s mentioned in 4 as a thing. Anyway…good stuff! This is the one where the whole “Vulcans get drunk on chocolate” thing comes from btw :))) (Avoid the novelizations by JM Dillard! Avoid!!! I’ve read them and they’re not good.) (Oh and pretty much everything I’ve read by Vonda McIntyre I’ve enjoyed, she’s a good Trek writer.)

Dwellers In The Crucible by Margaret Wander Bonnano Margaret Bonnano is another writer I just generally recommend bc I like all the stuff by her that I’ve read, too. Anyway… okay so let me say that this book’s main characters are not Jim and Spock. I know, I know. But wait!! It’s so worth a read!! Jim and Spock are in it, not much, but when they are they’re literally so married and explicitly confirmed to be t’hy’la… :)) it’s great. okay anyway. The main characters are a human named Cleante and a Vulcan named T’Shael. They are ladies. THEY ARE GAY AF. OKAY. THAT ALONE MAKES IT WORTH A READ. it’s so glorious.I mean the book only says they’re friends but…in the same way Jim and Spock are friends in canon. they’re super freaking gay. and also there are like a thousand incredibly obvious parallels between our human and vulcan lady and Jim and Spock. it’s fun. also Sulu goes undercover as a Romulan. :D yeah, just…read it. it’s great. (it made me angry at one point. I’m still angry. but I recommend it.)

Ishmael by Barbara Hambly This one was, for me at least, just a genuinely good read. I really enjoyed the plot. So…Spock goes back in time to 1867, not willingly I don’t think. And he gets amnesia. So right there are two tropes I ADORE (time travel and amnesia, I don’t care, I LOVE THEM.) He lands in North America, in Seattle if I remember correctly. And that’s the plot pretty much. Haha…okay, there’s a Klingon plot, the Enterprise crew searching for Spock, Spock trying to adapt and hide he’s an alien while bonding with the members of the community he lands in. Also Jim and Spock’s reunion is a bit gay. (Warning for spoilers if you click that? it’s pictures of when they find him near the end, so. Yeah.) I just really enjoyed the book in itself, the plot and everything. Fun!

Enterprise: The First Adventure by Vonda McIntyre In light of the tv series called Enterprise, the title of this one might be a little confusing… But it’s most definitely TOS and has nothing to do with Enterprise, haha. The premise is that it’s the first voyage of the Enterprise with Jim as the captain. And the mission is…to transport a theater troupe. It’s ridiculous and so silly, I know, but it’s really fun. There’s a winged horse, a really un-Vulcan Vulcan (I think he’s Spock’s cousin? I don’t really remember tbh), Spock heckling the theater troop, Uhura being a good friend to Janice…that’s all I remember off the top of my head, but I remember really enjoying it when I read it!

Unspoken Truth by Margaret Wander Bonanno Remember what I said about those two writers? Lol. Okay so this is a Saavik-centric book. I really love Saavik, okay? So, as you might know, Saavik is half Vulcan, half Romulan. Well in this book (actually, in a bunch of books, by at least three different writers, it seems to be her accepted backstory in the novels) she was the result of a terrible experiment by Romulans, and when it didn’t work out, she and a bunch of other children were abandoned on a planet called Hellguard, and…some really horrible things happen. Anyway, Spock saves her, mentors her, and Amanda and Sarek basically adopt her (literally, she calls them mother and father, IT’S MY FAVE), well anyway, years later, either after or during TVH, she learns things are happening to the survivors of Hellguard…and the story goes from there. This was really good! Intense tbh. I loved it, but then, I love Saavik. If you don’t like her… But if you do, you’ll enjoy this one!!!!

Doctor’s Orders by Diane Duane Diane Duane is another must read author. All her books are excellent. In all honestly, I don’t remember too much about the plot of this one, but I know I liked it! Dr. McCoy is like “you can’t make me take command on the bridge” and Jim is like “uh actually I CAN” so he does and of course on McCoy’s very first day watching over the bridge Jim goes AWOL and shit starts going down. Poor Bones. Also, there’s some crazy aliens in this one, but they’re interesting!

The Vulcan Academy Murders by Jean Lorrah This one has such misleading cover art, lmaooo. At least, the version I have. There might be others… Anyway. Patients at a hospital on Vulcan keep dying and stuff, and then Amanda is in trouble. Lots of Sarek and Spock and Jim and Bones interaction. It’s a good one. (It’s been soo long since I read this one, too, sorry. But again, I know I enjoyed it!)

Uhura’s Song by Janet Hagan I love the alien species in this one. They’re like giant cats, and I love cats. When I read it, I got really into the planet and the species and their culture. The plot is that an old friend of Uhura’s is from this planet, and they “exchanged songs”…songs are a big deal in their culture. Anyway, there’s a plague threatening everyone on the planet and humans, too, and they think a song might hold the key to curing the disease, so they all go down on the planet to try and find it.

Strangers From The Sky by Margaret Wander Bonanno The plot to this one is…kind of hard to describe. Okay. So the parts with Jim and Spock go back and forth in time, part of the time being like, post-all the movies (I think) where they’re old friends (and really married, they’re just like. Margaret Bonanno has this way of inserting this really easy, casual intimacy they have with each other, and calling it friendship when OBVIOUSLY they’re married af, but either way I love it) and part of the time being very early on when Jim hasn’t been in command for long and he and Spock didn’t care much for each other (I mean personally I think they liked each other quite well from the start, but I’ll let it go, lol)… And then there’s a book. In the book. That everyone is reading and obsessed with and Jim starts reading it… It sounds weird, I know, but the book in the book is the story of the first time Vulcans came in contact with humans, long before the OFFICIAL first contact, it was when Vulcans crash landed on Earth and were discovered by some humans… I fucking love Vulcans, so that is obviously a great point of interest for me. Lol. Anyway when Jim reads the book he has nightmares, but then he discovers Spock has those nightmares, too, and it’s more than ‘just’ a book. Probably sounds bizarre but I really enjoyed it. ….and doesn’t every Trek plot EVER sound bizarre af when you try to describe it?

That’s all I’ve got right now!! This got so long I’M SO SORRY TBH BUT I HAD TO BE THOROUGH.

#trek books #ask #anonymous #long post #af #sorry guys #i hope this is useful?!?!?!?!

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wellsbering · 7 years

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star trek guide for star wars fans

link: star wars for star trek fans

(note: i have not finished the next generation, deep space nine, voyager, or enterprise yet, so those won’t be on here. if someone else has feel free to contribute ur expertise [i resisted the urge to say trexpertise are you proud])

recommended viewing order: the original series, the six original series movies [technically there’s a seventh but that happens sometime during or after the next generation tv series and im not entirely sure about the chronology there], the reboot movies (the order they were made)

the original series: think the original trilogy mashed with the clone wars but with more william shatner-brand overacting, bad special effects, and weirdass plots. sometimes episodes are really funny (magic planet where anything you imagine becomes real, space disease that makes you drunk, plant spores that make you stoned, spock has to get married or he will DIE), some are really sad (city on the edge of forever, the conscience of the king), some are just plain bad (spock’s brain, turnabout intruder, spock’s brain, jack the ripper is an alien and is framing scotty for murder repeatedly, spock’s brain). the series often had social commentary about issues especially relevant in the 60s, like the cold war, racism, and sexism. it featured the first interracial kiss on tv and had a surprisingly diverse cast considering the time period. however, it did not exist in a vacuum, and there’s some fucked up stuff in there. (example: “the enemy within” kind of implies every man has the suppressed desire to rape women and there’s an attempted rape scene, but the woman does escape. however, at the end of the episode, a character jokes that she secretly enjoyed it.) for the most part, though, considering the times, it was very progressive. aliens are mostly just humans with body paint, cheap prosthetics, and/or weird eyebrows, but it was the 60s and they were on a budget. no overarching plot. there’s one character than guest stars in season 1 and comes back in season 2, but in the season 2 episode they explain enough so you don’t HAVE to see the first episode to understand the second. some characters are really well-developed, others not as much, but they’re all very likeable characters.

original movies: like the original trilogy, except there’s still not much of an ongoing plot. they build on each other, so i’d recommend watching them all in order, but if you stop after, say, the voyage home, you won’t be left hanging. every movie had a different writer/director combo so each one has a different tone. the first one is like a really long tos episode with bad costumes and some really really long shots that just slow down the plot, but there’s some good scenes. wrath of khan/search for spock/the voyage home all go together, and the wrath of khan does makes a little bit more sense if you’ve seen season 1 of tos. the final frontier is kind of a mess. it is regarded as the phantom menace of star trek. i don’t remember much of the undiscovered country but i do know the ending is a really good one, if you ever decide to stop watching star trek permanently, stop after this one. it wraps everything up nicely, but in a return of the jedi kind of way, not a gut-wrenching, final rogue one kind of way. all the movies have some really fantastic quotes. special effects are about original trilogy-level. more aliens than the original trilogy, and they’re way better done than tos.

the reboots (star trek, into darkness, beyond): like the prequels, except instead of a true prequel they take place in an alternate timeline. the first one is a couple years before the time of the original series, the second and third are during the time of the original series. the second movie whitewashes an indian character from the original series (although said character was originally played by a mexican actor). sometimes women in the original series were treated more respectfully by 60s standards than the women of the reboots are by 21st century standards. a lot of fun callbacks to the original series though, especially in beyond. really good makeup and special effects. the third movie is the best imo, it’s more of what trek is really about and the treatment of female characters is a lot better than the other two. (also, sulu canonically has a husband, making him the first canonically queer character in the franchise!)

#sw #my contribution to the ongoing debate #st #star trek #star wars #my posts #star trek vs star wars

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