Month: March 2012

Top women in Sci Fi – part 4

March 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

Kathryn Janeway

(Star Trek: Voyager)

“Women leaders are more assertive and persuasive, have a stronger need to get things done and are more willing to take risks than male leaders….Women leaders were also found to be more empathetic and flexible, as well as stronger in interpersonal skills than their male counterparts” – 2005 Caliper study

This quote is the very definition of Captain Janeway.  As the first female captain to anchor a television show, Janeway bought a different viewpoint to the captain’s chair.

When we first meet Janeway she is leading a mission to track down a Marquis ship in the Badlands near Deep Space 9.  After both ships are brought to the Delta quadrant by the Caretaker, the crews are stranded there by Janeway’s decision to protect the Ocampa over the assured return of her crew.  After consolidating the crews, Janeway pools their resources and takes on new members in order to keep her promises her to return the ship home to the Alpha quadrant.

A recurring theme throughout the run of Voyager is Janeway’s willingness to ignore the Prime Directive to achieve the greater good.  Known as General Order No. 1, the Prime Directive dictates that there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilizations. (wikipedia.org)

This willingness is highlighted in “Counterpoint.” Voyager helps a telepathic species cross Devore Emporium. With no immediate benefit helping her new found friends and with the real threat of having her ship confiscated and her crew imprisoned, Janeway is ready to antagonize a xenophobic species. We can only guess that she is only motivated by her sense of justice.

Her impersonal skills are on display in “The Void.” Voyager becomes trapped in a starless void with countless other ships. The emptiness has turned some into ruthless pirates but Janeway begins to build alliances with various species in order to find the most effective way to escape.

Outside of Captain Sisko, Janeway is the only captain to consistently show a nurturing side.  Sisko paternal instincts were a natural fit given he raised a young son by himself.  While Janeway had no children, she was able to nurture various members of her crew (B’Elanna and Seven of Nine are prime examples) during their seven years together.

While not the first female captain in Star Trek, Janeway is definitely one of the most interesting.

How Do You Define What Is Canon?

March 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

The third definition of Canon as defined by www.dictionary.com: “the body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field of study or art”

While sci fi fans can be a stickler for what we consider sacred, does having a timeline/history set in stone help that hurt or help the development of show and its universe. I believe following the rich history of a storyline only enhances a show and its potential.  

Recently, I started watching Star Trek: The Animated Series and this question popped into my mind:  How do you define what is canon?  In the Star Trek verse, to my knowledge, there are six TV shows, eleven movies, countless books and an online game.  I’ve read that Gene Roddenberry never considered Star Trek: TAS apart of the official canon.  Although most of the original casts, writers and producers were involved in the creation of the show. The show’s creator didn’t consider it part of the history of the show. Why did he turn his back on a series that remind faithful to its progenitor? Not only did Star Trek: TAS flesh featured favorite characters like Harry Mudd, Tribbles and Kor and returns to familiar places like the vacation planet in “Shore Leave” and the “The Guardian of Forever.”

TAS lasted two seasons and has influenced later shows and deserves to be included in the official cannon and obsessed over like the other shows and movies.

Today, where we have seen countless shows live on in graphic novels after the original show had been cancelled.  While researching Aeryn Sun for my piece on The Top Women in Sci Fi, I discovered that the Farscape story continued in a graphic novel. Some of my favorite shows like Firefly and Buffy still live on in the graphic forms. Not having read any of the stories featured in the graphic form, I wonder if my opinions of these shows would grow or change.

Television: Out of the Box

March 19, 2012 — Leave a comment

For lovers of television and history, Los Angeles offers amazing opportunities to delve into Hollywood’s past.  Locals museums often offer a pick into the pasts of TV and movies alike.  A new exhibit at Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills is the latest addition.  The Los Angeles Times covers this new addition.

Classic Hollywood: Saluting nearly 60 years of Warner Bros. TV

“For fans of TV history, a walk through the “Television: Out of the Box” show at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills is like a grand stroll through our collective past.”

 See the rest of the article here:

 Los Angeles Times Article:

Walter Koenig Star Celebration

March 9, 2012 — 1 Comment

From Planet Xpo

On, September 8-10, come celebrate 2 historic events in 1 weekend!

Join us as we celebrate Walter’s induction onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Star Trek’s 46th Anniversary! Walter is the last of the original Star Trek’s seven regular cast members to get a star on the walk of fame, so do not miss this opportunity to be a part of history!

On Saturday September 8, start the day with a trek down the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Walter to locate every star involved with Star Trek.  Then it’s off for a screening of Walter’s favorite Star Trek movie and episode and a panel at Hollywood’s famous Egyptian Theatre where Walter will be on stage to introduce the screenings,  give us his insights and personal behind-the-scenes anecdotes and have a Q&A with the audience.  Following the screenings, a Star Trek panel will be held on stage featuring some of your favorite actors.    Then join us that evening for fun and entertainment in the Egyptian Theatre courtyard and mingle with your favorite stars!  Music will be provided by the Star Trek All-Star Celebrity Band.

On Sunday September 9, there’ll be panels focusing on Walters distinguished career, autograph sessions and more fun at the Beverly Garland Hotel!  Meet more of your favorite stars and then join us for a cocktail hour and dinner party in Walter’s honor that will feature a once-in-a-lifetime star-studded celebrity Roast and Gala.  And you won’t believe who’ll be there!!

On Monday September 10, join Walter and his family at the induction ceremony on the Walk of Fame.  This event is open to the general public.

Join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event in Hollywood!

I wonder what the movie will be!  Keeping my fingers crossed that its Undiscovered Country.  My favorite movie with the original cast.

For more information visit:

PlantXpo

Top 10 Women of Sci Fi – Part 3

March 7, 2012 — 1 Comment

Aeryn Sun

(Farscape and The Peacekeeper Wars)

With a host of strong characters on Farscape and Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, Aeryn Sun is one of my favorites.  We see her go through a transformative journey during the run of the show. When we first meet her, Aeryn is in uniform concerned about ranks and regiments. Officer Aeryn Sun, Special Peacekeeper Commando, Ikarian Company, Pleisar Regiment is a solider first and foremost. She is born of and born into the Peacekeeper life; meaning that she obeys orders and looks to move up the ranks to be the best solider that she can be.  While on a mission to recapture a ship full of prisoners, Aeryn’s life is changed forever.  Would a loyal solider choose to help a person from an unknown species?  In the pilot episode, Aeryn begins to distinguish herself from the traditional ways the Peacekeepers behave. After being declared irreversibly contaminated, she joins the escaping prisoners instead of facing a slow death. This decision puts her on a path that she never could have imagined before.

On Moya, she forms new relationships and learns of the joys of friendship and camaraderie.  In Thank God it’s Friday… Again, with the help of Pilot and to much of her surprise, Aeryn performs simple scientific experiments in order to aid Rygel while the others are trapped on an alien planet.  After being given Pilot’s DNA, Aeryn develops an intuition about leviathan that always remains with her. Time and time again, where there is a need, Aeryn steps up to full fill the void.  In Jeremiah Crichton with the others stuck on a planet with a dampening field, Aeryn and Zhaan are able to create and launch a probe in order to assist Dargo, Crichton and Rygel who were trapped on the planet.

You can’t have a discussion of Aeryn Sun without mentioning John Crichton.  In the beginning, she thought he was a useless a lesser creature but she begins to rely on him more and more with each new challenge they face.  They eventually fall in love but face many obstacles – a princess, death and a Crichton double to name but a few – but as all good epics they wind up together.  Theirs is an epic love story and one of the best onscreen couples ever.

Challenge Update – Foundation Trilogy

March 7, 2012 — Leave a comment

Last September, after discovering that I had read only a fraction of NPR Top 100 Sci Fi/Fantasy, I wanted to read all of the books on the list. How could I call myself a sci fi fan without having read what are consider classics of the genre.  I started with the classic Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov.  It was a great way to kick off this journey. The Foundation Trilogy consists of Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation.  It is a multigenerational story that covers the collapse of a great empire and the race to prepare society for what follows.  Hari Sheldon is a psychohistorian who along with his team uses social, mathematics, and psychology to plot a way to contain the chaos. Sheldon establishes two foundations who work independent of each other to propel the Sheldon Plan along.  The Sheldon plan is never fully explained but the citizens of the foundation believe that its calculations will automatically solve any problems that arise with the implosion of the galactic empire. With a complex plot and a vast number of characters to keep track of, The Foundation series is nonetheless a page turner.

Asimov is a titan in the Science Fiction world and rightfully so.  Although his writings were simplistic in style, his influence can still be felt.  Asimov was recently featured on The Science Channel show The Prophets of Science Fiction.

The Prophets of Science Fiction

Classic interview with Bill Moyers

Next up on the challenge: American Gods by Neil Gaiman