We take a little break this week to allow the re-watches to catch up with us. In between Chuck’s extended anti-Geek-stereotype rant, Sean brings us up to speed on Farscape and Akira, we listen to Chuck defend Nemesis and Asimov (again), discuss sci-fi’s important place in literature, question whether the moon is female, disagree on whether or not the Hitchhiker’s Guide is juvenile lit, compare and contrast Trillians, pick our favorite Lwaxana Troy moment, and pick on Audra about Tracey Gold’s lack of Star Trek appearances.
Amber: It is. A few weeks ago we skipped forward one episode, meaning that we were discussing the episode everyone was going to watch the week they received the 'cast – instead of discussing the one everyone just watched. While technically it doesn’t really make a big difference, we missed being able to pull everyone else’s ideas – from the forum and calls – into the 'cast as well as just relating our own. So we decided to skip a week so that we’d be back on track.
Audra, re the moon depicted as female in Shakespeare, I can think of a couple of examples off the top of my head:
Titania to Oberon in Midsummer:
…the moon, the governess of floods
pale in her anger, washes all the air
that rheumatic diseases do abound
and thorough this distemperature we see
the seasons alter.
Claudio to Hero in Much Ado:
You seemed to me as Dian in her orb
As chaste as the bud ere it be blown
but you are more intemperate in your blood
than Venus or those pampered animals that rage
in savage sensuality
I know there are more, but that would require research and actual access to a book
LadyD, Thank you, Thank you! This is exactly what I was wondering about. In the podcast I think the guys thought I was trying to make a point about gender, lol, but I was really just curious about how the moon’s gender was portrayed historically. I couldn’t remember if Shakespeare had used a feminine moon, though I remember all the references to the “inconstant” and unreliable moon.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here but I just wanted to comment on the geek ridicule discussion. For me sci-fi is escapism (it is my drug of choice) but it is also something much more. It is my friend and mentor. It helps me relate to this thing we call life. It helps me create deep, meaningful, long-lasting relationships. In the work place or social occasions, I proudly express geek speak. Sometimes it is met with disdain but other times I find acknowledgement. No matter who you are, either people accept you or they don’t. No matter if you are the prom queen or Urkel. In my experience, it’s best to be true to yourself. (Oh my I’ve become a public service announcement). G.I.JOE!!!
One time I was at a party and Paris (we’ll call her that since she most resembles the famous icon) says to me, “How can you like Star Trek? You’re such a no-life geek. Do you live in your mom’s basement?”
On the topic of Akira … A favorite of mine and still a classic. I’m looking forward to seeing a take on this live action … mind you I’m a bit leery about it.
I got to see a Korean movie that was a VERY limited release in the US titled
Sky Blue … It is also known as Wonderful Days http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353014/
This movie is BEYOND anything you could possibly imagine with a combination of cell animation and computer techniques.
Chuck, if you want an alternate history series to read, I would recommend the “In the Balance” series by Harry Turtledove.
I would recommend it, because it is pretty heavy on the Science fiction elements, as far as alternate history goes. The basic premise is that a group of aliens named “the race” have invaded earth during WW2, at the height of the conflict. Now I am probably not doing a great job explaining it, but it’s worth checking out.
The first series is set in WW2 within four books.
The second series in the 60’s and 70’s.
And there is a concluding book set in 1999-2030-ish.
I actually read a lot of alternate history, so if there is something specific you are looking for, I might have an answer.
Oh yeah, there was also a pretty interesting short story I read that was alternate history and science fiction. Basically, in the story, there was some kind of fold in the pacific. This resulted in the distance being pretty much infinite between Japan and the USA. Anyhoo, this team of Nazi explores have this nuclear powered blimp, and they attempt to cross the fold. The farther they go across the fold, the more prehistoric the landscape appears, until……
It is driving me crazy now, but I can’t think of its name……
I was listening to the podcast this morning and the topic of Season 1 Farscape actually drove me to join the forum!
I have a friend who recently became enslaved by Farscape and has been painfully and expensively acquiring the dvds. Season 1 is pretty impossible to find the good 4-disk Starburst Editions at a rational price. The Starburst Editions are generally regarded as the gold standard in region 1 dvds for Farscape. However if you cannot find them - you can now get the shows on itunes. (itunes has seasons 1 and 2.)
I get that people are put off by the muppets - but they aren’t cutesy - they are just additional characters. The storytelling in Farscape is amazing. And once you get into it - the total arciness of the storytelling should prove satisfying - particularly, since as fans of BSG, you obviously love the arc.
An interesting note on this … I was/am addicted to Farscape … I purchased all 4 seasons as they came out … retail … it was nice while I was consulting and single
Anywho … Season 2 Episode 9 … “Out of their Minds” … this had some Henson’s creatures which bear a striking resemblance to the Skekses …
Shakespeare treated this topic with a great deal of irony. In one of the final “taming” exchanges between Petruchio and Katherine, Petruchio wants Kate to acknowledge first that it is the moon and not the sun that is shining and then he reverses himself and says it’s the sun and Kate has to follow suit and she says:
Kate: Then God be blest, it is the blessèd sun.
But sun it is not, when you say it is not, And the moon changes even as your mind.
What you will have it named, even that it is,
And so it shall be so for Katherine.
This can be read as Kate being the obedient wife, but if one wanted to, one could also see a whole lot of irony in Kate’s repartee, making her less of an object of taming but more of an active subject, someone who’s looking through Petruchio.
Plus, in Julius Caesar, right before he’s murdered, Caesar exclaims that he is “constant as the northern star” - which he clearly is not as he’s changing his mind back and forth a couple of times in the same scene (deciding whether or not to go to the Senate). Caesar is making himself a fool when pretending to be so utterly constant…
