Tagged: star trek universe

Is Garak Gonna Have To Cut A Mofo??? Oh, and Happy New Year.

First and foremost, Happy New Year!  I hope that you are getting on well so far in 2013.  If you didn’t make any resolutions yet, then go make some!  It’s always New Years somewhere on one of the 1 billion planets in the Milky Way galaxy.  I’d love for readers to share theirs, I’ll start:

1)  Use up things that I have bought, donate them, or throw them out.  I’m not up to Hoarders level, but my house is a graveyard for good deals and miracle products that haven’t lived up to the hype or failed to hold my interest.  I could have the most epic garage sale EVER!  I started purging things a bit before the new year and hope to continue over the next few weeks.  I am terribly sentimental and I even threw away a birthday present that I never used; yes, I’m serious.

2)  This one is more of a Part 2 to the aforementioned.  Buying exercise dvds makes me feel like I have worked out. *hangs head in shame*  Don’t tell Shaun T.  I have them all:  Power 90, Supreme 90, Walk Away the Pounds, The Firm, Pilates, Yoga, and a bunch of others.  I figure if I do them all over the course of the next year, I will surely be fitter by the end.  Sounds like a good idea, right?

Okay, enough about me.

Let’s all celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Deep Space 9.  The first episode, Emissary, aired on January 3, 1993.  I love nearly all things Star Trek, but I will admit that DS9 is my least favorite series.  I just couldn’t get into Avery Brooks’ acting style.  Every phrase is not an invitation to soliloquy, but he made it one anyway.  Extreme overacting and, yes, I know he teaches acting; but it’s Trek not Shakespeare.   There were a few bright spots (Episode:  In The Pale Moonlight), but it was just generally too much.  When I get down to doing the episode reviews, I will talk more about that.  I am currently rewatching the series and I will admit to enjoying it much more than I did initially.  Especially, Garak.  I had totally forgotten that everyone’s favorite spy-turned-tailor had such a pivotal role in the series.  Andrew Robinson was awesome in this role, especially when the show went off the rails and forgot about the Dominion War for about 10 episodes.  Seriously tho, what the heck was going on in Season 7?

So, tell me, who was your favorite character in DS9?

Shouts to Garak, he’ll cut a b*tch.  He’s Star Trek’s version of Omar from the Wire.

Source: Memory Alpha.

Captain’s Log: Saw the first 9 minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness

Spoiler alert: But, you’re so smart that you already knew that…

So, my dear friend paid for us to go see The Hobbit in IMAX 3D.  I am terribly appreciative because I nearly pulled out an old Chris Rock skit when I saw how much it was.  “Good Lawd!  Can I just get one 3D lens and pay $7.50.”  I wear glasses and wearing two pair at once is terribly uncomfortable and 3D makes the film darker.  IMHO, the only reason to go see The Hobbit in IMAX 3D is to see the Star Trek preview.  So, here’s my take on it:

First, any follower of this blog knows that I want to see more diversity in these reboots.  The future is surely going to have more black and brown people in it than we see in the shows and movies.  Star Trek has been such a progressive force for good in our collective psyche, so my hope is that these reboots will continue to blaze trails.  I was pleased to see the long-form trailer begin with the gentleman below.  I have no idea who he is or what his role will be in the movie, but I was glad to see him and his wife.

Color me a little worried about the movie from what I saw in the trailer, I’m just not getting it yet-  we have the love story between Uhura and Spock clearly taking a more important role, the crew clearly gets into some Prime Directive mess on Nibiru, Admiral Pike dresses down Kirk over some risky action, and it appears San Francisco takes a beating.  Because Dr. Carol Marcus is in the movie, we know that there is some sort of connection to the Wrath of Khan.  We know Benedict Cumberbatch is playing a terrorist of epic proportions and he has said that he hopes the audience will empathize with the character somehow.  I’m anticipating a whole backstory on Eugenics and augments.  How the heck is Damon Lindelof going to fit all of that into one good screenplay and how will J.J. edit it down?  I just don’t know. But, ooh, I hope they don’t mess up.  I personally lightweight hated Lost and found the storytelling in Alias to get quite clumsy, so I just don’t want them to try to do too much at once.

Here’s hoping!?!

Oh and what was with Spock striking the “accepting death with open arms” pose in the volcano?!?  Melo0000000000drama, anyone?  I was glad it was dark in the theater so no one could see the mean side-eye I gave.  My Spock wouldn’t do this:

Photo credit: ONTD-Star Trek.

Captain’s Log: Update- Benedict Cumberbatch is not Khan…

So, anytime I mention the name, Benedict Cumberbatch, people say, “Daaaaamn!”  It’s such an impressive name.  You better be good at whatever you do with a name like that.  The word on the street is that he’s just that, so I’m looking forward to seeing him in this film.

Anyways, he debunked the rumor that he is going to play Khan in the May 17, 2013 film Star Trek Into the Darkness.  I’m fine with that; I honestly don’t think anyone could deliver as iconic a performance as Ricardo Montalban did in the original.  Cumberbatch will play a character named John Harrison, no backstory on the character yet.

Update:  There’s the scene in which Spock makes the vulcan salute to someone on the other side of a glass.  This is an obvious sendup to Wrath of Khan, but I actually think that it is the villain on the other side of the glass.  Whether Spock and the villain develop some sort of friendship during the movie or had some sort of prior relationship, I don’t know yet.  We’ll see.

Photo Credit: NY Daily News.

Captain’s Log:The New Star Trek Trailer Is Up!!!!

So, I held my breath for 1.06 minutes while the official trailer was playing!  Squeee!  I’m so excited, but I must calm down because we have a few months to go yet.  I have been hearing that Benedict Cumberbatch is a great actor and the bee’s knees over in the UK, so I am excited to see him as the villain in this movie.  It appears that he has some sort of augmented strength or other ability and some very big weapons.  Some people think he will play Gary Mitchell and some think that he will be playing Khan.  I can’t tell yet, but I’m leaning toward Mitchell.  Who knows, he may be a completely new character.

I’ve seen some other critical reviews of the trailer that are concerned that the new Star Trek movie will be action-heavy and villain-focused.  That is precisely why I enjoyed TOS and TNG and disliked DS9 and Voyager’s later seasons.  I want action and a complex villain that I can dissect!  There was no reasoning with Nero (Eric Bana) in the first film; he was relentless and that was his strength.  Come to think of it, maybe Eric Bana should have been Bane in TKDR instead of Tom Hardy.

Chris Pine just doesn’t age–you know, I think he has done a very good job as a young Kirk.  I wasn’t convinced at first.

Oh and the future doesn’t look very diverse in J.J. Abrams view.  I counted 3 brown faces after watching again; Uhura, Sulu, and a screaming unnamed extra.  Reading the Star Trek wiki, I just learned that J.J. Abrams was concerned about casting a Korean person as Sulu (a Japanese person), but George Takei gave him the go ahead.  I wish someone would have asked me about casting Zoe Saldana as Uhura.  I still think that casting was pretty wrong, but she has done an alright job in the role.  Kerry Washington would have been truer to form, but oh well.

Alas, here’s hoping that the actual movie is a bit more diverse.  J.J., I hope you’re listening.  You have a real opportunity here.

Qapla’, b*tches!

Hi Everyone!  Welcome to my blog!  I hope that you will enjoy my musings about the Star Trek Universe.  I hope to infuse the blog with humor about life, dating, and other happenings relevant to all the lovers of the Trek.  We are going to have some killer episode and movie reviews!  If you hadn’t guessed already, wait for it… I’m black, word to Styles P.  I rarely run into black trekkies with whom I can discuss the art of the Trek.  Usually, it comes out in a hushed tone after I’ve figured out that I have encountered another potential nerd.  Then, it turns into a trivia smorgasbord and discussions of who is the better captain.  Let me say, I AM the best captain in my own mind, but I’ll be glad to listen to your thoughts.

Who is Captain Jackson anyway?

Captain Jackson, short for  Captain Shante T’Pel Beyoncé Sisko Jackson, is the great grandchild of Uhura and Spock, after he stopped frontin’ on his feelings. It’s Hov.

In all seriousness, I am native North Carolinian who stayed up way too late in her formative years trying to watch the Next Generation re-runs that came on before Rawhide.  The Treks helped me dream about life beyond the hood and imagine a world without poverty.  In my real life, I fight poverty on a daily basis and attempt to expand the horizons and provide educational opportunities for low-income youth.

What is Black Trekkie?

Blacktrekkie.com is born out of a need to find you, whoever you are, who can relate to my trekki-ness.  It’s a place to dream and discuss about the Trek, the state of science fiction, physics, nerdiness, and why Levar Burton should get an Image award every year for Roots, Reading Rainbow, and keeping the Enterprise running despite being forced to wear a banana clip on his face, real talk. I know there are other black trekkies/nerds out there, maybe we can meet up one day.

You don’t have to be black to enjoy this site, heck, we even have a penchant for green b*tches around these parts.  All you need is a quick-witted sense of humor and geeky sensibilities.

And, why should I care about black rights in space?

-Because it’s the final frontier, mofo. Because Outkast said so.  Neil deGrasse Tyson can’t do it all by himself.

Live Long!

Dif-tor heh smusma (Live Long and Prosper) and please come back soon!