WARNING: SO, SO NERDY.
In between doing laundry, failing to buy the dirt we were planning to buy, and watching Downton Abbey, Steve and I have been entertaining ourselves with selected episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I didn't watch it much the first time around, but I was moved to revisit it after I fell down the delightful rabbit hole of Fashion It So.
It is pretty enjoyable! This is particularly true if you have a high tolerance for Deanna Troi's cleavage and also have someone on hand to make sure you don't accidentally watch any of the really stupid episodes that are terribly stupid and make you say "this show was stupid and terrible and stupid." Try to avoid that, unless you like it better that way.
The big surprise for me is that Riker is my favorite. I'd thought, based on my hazy memories of the series, that he was either very boring or some kind of irritating Cyclops type.* (I am making myself really super un-nerdy with this line of discussion and this comparison in particular, right? Where are you going, beloved readers who care about Nancy Mitford novels, analytic philosophy, and/or Serge Lutens perfume? Come baaaack!) But no, he is awesomely smug and smoove. I particularly enjoy when he is just puttering around in the background and instead of doing some kind of generic background tech, he is being a background total player. Also, he plays the trombone.
Anyway, last night, the conversation turned to replicator-generated human meat, as it will do.
"As long as I was at it, I'd have the replicator make it be me meat. Because why not?"
"But what cut?"
"Yeah, I don't know that there's that much good eating on a person."
"Right, and I don't really want to eat something that is TOO obviously HI! YOU'RE EATING A CHUNK OF HUMAN. So ribs are out."
"Maybe bacon."
"Ooh! Yes. Person bacon. PERSON BACON. Very catchy. Or sausage. Maybe a pulled person sandwich?"
"I think you mean pulled dork."
"Of course! Or dork chops."
So then, just now, I was looking at this post and trying to think of how I could end it, you know, with some funny little button. But...
"This is the dorkiest thing I have ever written," I said.
"You could make a joke about William Shatner and ham," suggested Steve. But I think I won't.
*Updated, much more delightful link! "An Interview with X-Men's Cyclops, Who Sucks."
now that it is on netflix streaming josh and i have been watching original star trek. i am totally, desperately, in love with it. knowing nothing about the next generation, we will end up watching the stupid terrible episodes, but sometimes the horrible-ness of it is what i like.
yay, star trek!!!
Posted by: kim | 10/18/2011 at 10:01 AM
I saw Riker (cannot remember the actor's name) play his trombone at a StarTrek Con I took my sons to back in the 1990s. Truly a dork.
Posted by: kmkat | 10/18/2011 at 10:55 AM
Yo, Vera... Star Trek TNG is absolutely my favorite TV series ever. What are some examples of "the really stupid episodes that are terribly stupid" ? While I would certainly allow that not all TNGs were equally excellent, I thought that the original series with Kirk & Spock had MANY more dumb episodes.
I really came to like the entire bridge crew, but my favorite is Picard. He is my perfect model for a CEO: authoritative and highly ethical, but he is also aware of his complete dependence on his support team, totally respects and trusts them, and even defers to their judgment when he understands they are more expert than he is.
It took me a long time to warm up to "Q", I must say. I also never really cottoned to Dwight Shultz as Reginald Barclay, though I really liked him as "Howling Mad" Murdoch on the "A-Team".
BTW, I do actually have a very high tolerance for Deanna Troi's cleavage.
Posted by: Uncle R | 10/19/2011 at 06:39 PM
My mother's comment on Troi's uniform (the vaguely purplish one with the deep cleavage and the v-shaped beltline): "What it don't show, it points to."
Posted by: LizardBreath | 10/20/2011 at 12:08 PM
We're skipping everything from Season 1, basically everything from Season 2, and any episode focussed on Wesley or Barclay. Worf/Klingon politics episodes and one were Riker gets to sleep with a xenophilic nurse played by Bebe Neuwirth are getting priority.
Posted by: Steve | 10/20/2011 at 05:37 PM
I don't actually mind the episodes about Wesley. I totally agree about the Klingon politics episodes -- excellent. I also quite liked many of the episodes that connect back to the original series and feature Spock and Sarek. Many of the Borg shows were excellent as well. That was a cool concept. There are some episodes from the first couple seasons that are worth the time. Without the list in front of me I cannot specify which.
Posted by: Uncle R | 10/20/2011 at 07:10 PM
Probably this would amuse you.
Posted by: ben | 10/31/2011 at 02:12 PM
It does, it does amuse me.
Posted by: redfox | 10/31/2011 at 06:43 PM
Sorry to post this here - smack me with the only loosely related stick - but: It's Molds!
http://www.justanswer.com/dermatology/5rh4k-molds-neck-watching-doctors.html
Posted by: Jenertia | 11/02/2011 at 04:11 PM
Holy cow. It's molds! She could probably clear that up with some bleach.
Posted by: redfox | 11/02/2011 at 04:56 PM