Tagged: DS9
Rise In Power, Captain K’Vagh (RIP, James Avery)
Boy, the hits just keep coming, don’t they? We’ve lots a lot of good ones over the last year, but this loss feels more personal. I haven’t posted in a while, but this passing deserved a post. James Avery was one of the GOATs in the acting game, of all races. Most of us knew and loved him as Uncle Phil on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but us Trekkies knew he was also Captain K’Vagh on Star Trek Enterprise. Even fewer people know that he auditioned against Michael Dorn for the role of Worf in TNG (Stop for a sec: Can you imagine?)
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures via Memory Alpha
We’ve lost one of the greats, everyone. Nearly everyone’s favorite TV dad and an actor that gave 100% to every role he took. He passed on today after suffering complications from heart surgery earlier this month; he was 68.
Beware, a Klingon Warrior is about to arrive!
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures via Memory Alpha
The Biggest Deal Nobody’s Talking About
Aye maaaan!
Hold up, so Voyager 1 has left the damn solar system and it’s not on the front page anywhere? Y’all do realize what an achievement this is, right? Voyager has now traveled farther than any man-made object to date.
Just so we are clear, this is a photo of Earth from Voyager 1 in 1990. See that little blue dot in the brown band? Yep, that’s us and everyone who has ever lived on Earth. It’s been 23 years since that was taken.
Photo credit: NASA via Wikipedia.
There’s been controversy about whether Voyager 1 actually left for a year or so now, but it appears researchers are certain that Voyager 1 is now traipsing through the Milky Way. It has actually gone where no man has gone before!
Remember V’ger, anyone else a little nervous? Could you imagine Voyager 1 being intercepted and upfitted by a race of aliens and returning to us? I’ll be long dead by the time that happens, but it is kinda cool to consider. On the other end of the spectrum, a probe entering a black hole and becoming self-aware was a very similar story to the movie Event Horizon– the scariest movie ever made. Let’s hope that sh*t doesn’t happen.
The V’ger entity and resultant merger with Ilia and Lt. Decker is supposed to be the beginning of the Borg, so, yeah, let’s hope all of that doesn’t happen. In fact, let’s hope that the galaxy is filled with gentle, kind My Little Ponies or something.
In fact, maybe there is good reason for this not to be front page news after all…
Happy Friday everyone!
This is old, but it is so perfect that I had to share.
All Trekkies who watched the Borg Queen’s torment/seduction of Data in First Contact will appreciate this.
To jog your memory (from IMDB):
[a Borg scratches Data’s flesh arm]
Lieutenant Commander Data: Ah!
Borg Queen: Is it becoming clear to you yet? Look at yourself, standing there, cradling the new flesh I’ve given you. If it means nothing to you, why protect it?
Lieutenant Commander Data: I… I am simply imitating the behavior of humans.
Borg Queen: You’re becoming more human all the time, Data; now you’re learning how to lie.
Lieutenant Commander Data: My programming was not designed to process these sensations.
Borg Queen: Then tear the skin from your limb as you would a defective circuit.
[Data hesitates]
Borg Queen: Go ahead, Data! We won’t stop you!
[Data forces himself to try to tear off the skin]
Borg Queen: Do it! Don’t be tempted by flesh!
[Data relents and leaves the skin alone]
Borg Queen: Are you familiar with physical forms of pleasure?
Lieutenant Commander Data: If you are referring to sexuality, I am… fully functional, programmed in… multiple techniques.
Borg Queen: How long since you’ve used them?
Lieutenant Commander Data: Eight years, seven months, sixteen days, four minutes, twenty-two…
Borg Queen: Far too long.
[they kiss passionately]
P.S. I still have no understanding of the Gotye video concept. Why was he painted like that?
A Dirge for the Star Trek: Las Vegas Experience
The first time I went to Las Vegas, there was one place I knew I had to go. That place where everyone’s at least a passing Trekkie. Well, alas, it is no more. The Las Vegas Hilton got rid of it years ago, but I still miss it. I guess that it wasn’t bringing in the big bucks like its Elvis impersonator. Yes, these grapes are sour.
If you’ve never been, I’ll paint the scene from memory: You walk in and get in line and see a few prop exhibits and a Trek timeline. But, the real fun starts when you get into the interactive Borg invasion. The Borg Queen tops my list of villians because of her detached ruthlessness. She was a bad mamajamma! The simulation was dated, but I didn’t care because it was the closest I’d ever get to being on a starship. Then, after you won, you could go into the Enterprise simulation and sit on,the Bridge and play an officer. Again, it felt more like a science museum exhibit, but it was great for any trekkie. Afterward, you could hang out in Ten Forward, drink some Romulan ale and chop it up with the Klingons wandering around. The highlight for me was being choked by a Klingon female. Then, of course, there was a neat gift shop with pretty good memorabilia.
Vegas felt a little emptier without any sort of Star Trek attraction there. So, here’s to sadness.
FYI: I hear there is a nice convention coming in August. Check it out if you get a chance.
Captain’s Log: The Meaning of the Phrase “Kirk Out”
This might truly be the first truly esoteric black trekkie post ever. I think you had to be Black and born some time between 1975 and 1980 to appreciate the phrase “kirk out”. So, let’s get into it.
Does anyone know how this became a black cultural idiom? I have no idea. The funny thing is when you say it, almost every black person knows exactly what it implies–you went temporarily (read: batsh*t) insane. In most situations, you’ve tried your best to keep your cool, but someone or a situation kept trying your patience and…finally, IT, whatever IT might be, was on! You were done negotiating, trying to be heard, waiting patiently, listening to reason, trying to be empathetic, whatever. You, Bruce Banner, turned into this raging Hulk of a person that not even your momma could calm down:
Example convo:
John: Yo, I was driving today and this mickey flickey cut me off. I couldn’t believe it when he flipped me the bird after I honked at him. Yo, seriously, I almost got out of the car and KIRKED the ****(optional) OUT on that cat! He better be glad I had a meeting because, otherwise, y’all would have been seeing me on the news at 6, yo.
Homie: I’m glad you didn’t, man. Not over something so silly.
Now, we all remember that Captain Kirk said “Kirk, out” whenever he signed off communications. We also know that Captain Kirk was forever going off-script and just flying into rages, but how did this enter the black vernacular? Not sure, but I’m glad it did. It is such a effective, concise way of conveying about 50 curse words at once.
Anyone else have ideas?
Edit: We are still looking for answers in 2021.
Black Trekkies, I’m Looking For You!
We just turned 1 year old! Woot! Hosting the blog has been a fun, creative outlet so far. It turns out that “Black Trekkies” is the top search term that is leading people to find the Black Trekkie blog. I knew we were out there! And, it appears that we are searching for one another. It’s been a fun year and we have bigger and better things planned for the future.
SO…if you happen onto this blog and find it funny and/or interesting, become a guest poster. If you just want to hang, leave a comment and subscribe.
I’d love to have more activity on the blog and offering alternative insights into the Trek would be great. And, please post comments and follow Black Trekkie. Every click gets us a little closer to the Delta Quadrant. Just kidding, it just lessens the distance between us.
We can even have an awesome Gorn/Kirk-style play fight. We’ll figure out what the fight was about later. Keep checking in, I’m looking to hear from you!
Captain’s Log: Wayment, how did I not see this coming?!?
How did I never think of this? So, the latest rumor about Benedict Cumberbatch’s John Harrison is that he is actually Khaaaaaan! But, reading some of the reviews coming out, I am starting to think that he might actually be a Klingon augment!
If you’ll remember the DS9 send-up to the Original Series, Trials and Tribble-ations, Worf was asked why Klingons in the Original Series didn’t have cranial ridges. He said they did not speak of it with outsiders. So, maybe, John Harrison is the beginning of the enmity between Klingons and the Federation?
I’m not big time enough to get special screening tickets, but we will know if a few days! Can’t wait!
EDIT: Well, that was fast. I just checked the IMDB page for the film. John Harrison is playing my favorite villain!
Romulans join the Dominion War
We can argue all day, but I think this was the best episode in all of the Treks. What say you?
Captain’s Log: Thanks for Uhura, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I imagine DS9 happened something like this:
There’s a meeting between the DS9 writers and the lightbulb goes off and someone says “I’ve got it! Let’s make him an intergalactic Martin Luther King, Jr.” Then, they call in Avery Brooks and he is full of ideas about how to bring nuance and depth to the character. The head writer interrupts him, Kanye-style, and hands him a VHS tape of the “I Have a Dream” speech, gives him the attaboy, and tells him to come back in a month.
I feel like I should talk about MLK, Jr. in June or really any other time than his designated day. Why? Because his contributions to our society and the world deserve more attention and investigation.
Most people know MLK, Jr. for his ubiquitous I Have a Dream speech in Washington. But, most people don’t know much about his inner life, his turmoil, and the very personal sacrifices he made during his journey. His writings and sermons from shortly before his death are definitely worth read.
This year, the celebration of his life and contributions will understandably be overshadowed by the second inauguration of the first black (and possibly Vulcan) president of the United States.
What does this have to do with Star Trek?
Black Trekkie 