Tag: Star Trek

Doors and Corners

The weather may be dismal and chilly, but Seriously Geeky Sundays is hot off the press! I just want to say that I had a lot of fun with this one, and a certain song keeps playing in my head with its accompanying maniacal laughter. You’ll find it right here!

9th  – Moving On

Did you know that May is National Moving month (or that such a thing existed?), nope, neither did I. Moving is a typical plot prompt used in fandoms to start a story, inject new characters or just shake things up a little when they get stale. So this week we’re asking you to think about what happens when characters move in or away in your fandoms.

What was the most recent fandom that started with someone new moving to town?

WandaVision – The show was so much fun, and the premise was such a refreshing, unique take on telling a story within the MCU.  I loved seeing the different costumes, sets, and camera filters (black and white…etc) throughout the episodes.

Tell us about your favourite character who left home to find their fortune.

Nog (Deep Space Nine) – He didn’t find a fortune in the traditional sense of the word, but he embarked on a journey no other Ferengi had done before. He left his family, friends, and home to join Starfleet. He found purpose in uniform and was happy despite the Dominion War and what it did to him.

Sometimes moving to a new place can put a character exactly where they’re supposed to be; who does this make you think of? 

Sansa & Arya (Game of Thrones) – The sisters couldn’t be more opposite. Where Sansa was draped in beauty and grace, longing for a life in the palace as queen, Arya craved action and adventure. They were torn apart after everything unraveled into chaos, forced to survive. Sansa had to play the game while Arya struggled and fought for her next meal. 

There is a scene when the two are reunited and they talk about how they wouldn’t have survived each other’s fate. The line always struck me as being true. I remember how it made me look back and think about their paths.  

Sansa is crowned Queen of the North, as the years have wizened her. Arya sails off into the wild, seeking new worlds.  Their fates couldn’t have been more fitting.

Not all new neighbours are benign, sometimes the devil comes to town (literally). Who was the most interesting villain to come to town?

There is no way I am not mentioning Agatha Harkness! Her snark, her laugh–I mean, how can you not enjoy a villain who comes up with their own, cheesy intro? And by cheesy, I mean awesome.

Not everyone sticks around; no fandom would be complete without the wandering passerby. Which one stuck in your mind?
Miller

Miller (The Expanse) – Doors and Corners, Kid. The private detective is hired to find a billionaire’s prodigal daughter. He follows clue after clue as a bigger mystery starts to unravel, and I can think of no better character to represent the wandering passerby than him. He’s got the dry wit, the hat (yes, the hat!), and appears at will (especially in the later seasons). 

Which character shook things up just a bit too much and made a complete mess of things?

I am going to catch a lot of flack for this, but I have to go with Lyta from Babylon 5. She was fine in the Pilot episode, but after that, she grated my every last nerve. She creates nothing but division, pain, and suffering in her wake. Lyta kills and abuses her powers without a second thought (she destroys an entire planet and commits genocide in the process. Just because the planet was full of villains doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy). She constantly carries a mind-numbing, nauseating self-righteous-always-the-victim attitude. Lyta should not be considered one of the ‘good guys.’ 

She is irredeemable in my eyes. I’ll go so far to say that she is one of my most hated characters.

Babylon 5 - Season 1 Cast
Babylon 5 – Season 1 Cast, guess who is conveniently not present, ha ha ha!

And on that unpopular opinion note, Have a great Sunday! *Laughs maniacally*

Geeky Sunday: International Women’s Day

Hello, Everyone! I am back with another fun filled Seriously Geeky Sundays brought to you by Heather! I’ve been busy these past two weeks with a virtual conference, so I hope today’s post makes up for it.

Women's Day

7th March – Maiden, Mother, Crone

March 8th is International Women’s Day (IDW), a worldwide celebration of women, and later this month it is also Mother’s Day in the UK. What better time to think about the leading ladies of fandom?

Who is your favourite leading lady?

I couldn’t possibly choose just one! There are so many well written women that I’ve admired over the years, so I included a few honorable mentions at the bottom of this question.

Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise – the first Alien movie was ahead of its time and still holds up even to this day. She is such an iconic character, and I’ll always rank her among my favorite female leads.

Ellen Ripley - Alien
Ellen Ripley – Alien

Honorable Mentions

  • Starlight – The Boys
  • Queen Maeve – The Boys
  • Kimiko – The Boys
  • Princes Leia – Star Wars
  • Delenn of Minbar (Babylon 5)
Which kickass female fighter do you admire?

My favorite female fighter will always be Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy. She’s realistic with her fears, failures, and emotions, yet she has the intellect and skill to survive and bring hope to those around her.

Katniss Everdeen - Hunger Games
Katniss Everdeen – Hunger Games

Honorable Mentions

  • Princes Leia – Star Wars
  • The awesome ladies on The Boys! 
  • Juliana Crain – High Castle
Who is the most badass female villain in your opinion?
Queen Daenerys I Targaryen
Queen Daenerys I Targaryen

Fire breathing dragons. Need I say more? I wish the final season had the full 10 episodes because Daenerys became one of my all time favorite villains in the span of a single season. She always had it in her, and I wish we had gotten to see more of it in Westeros.

Do you have a favourite fictional mother or grandmother?

You know I’m going to pick Helen Smith from High Castle, right? Because I pick Helen Smith from High Castle. She protected her children at all costs, and when she failed to protect her son, she went through a dark, emotional spiral, but she came out of it with the realization that she had been wrong and that she was going to save her daughters and take down a certain ideology no matter the cost.

Helen Smith - Season 3
Helen Smith – Season 3
IDW is about celebrating women’s equality and inclusivity in all fields; what characters have championed this cause?

If something is obviously preaching at me, I tend to not take interest in it. I want to be immersed in a book, show, or movie, so much so, that I lose track of time and forget my woes. Examples of inclusivity done right include The OA, The Expanse, and MCU’s The Black Panther film

The OA
The OA
Which women in pop culture inspire you?
  • Wonder woman (she was an icon of my childhood!)
  • Galadriel – Lord of the Rings/The Hobbet
  • The Romulan Commander from Star Trek: TOS
  • Major Kira – Star Trek: DS9
  • Catwoman (kid me loved cats and wanted to be badass, okay!)

Seriously Secret Santa

Today’s post is part of a Seriously Geeky Sundays secret Santa prompt exchange where we came up with 6 questions tailored to the person we got. Here are the questions I received; let’s dive right in!

1. Which fictional character’s wardrobe are you raiding for the Christmas party (just pretend we can have parties this year, haha!)?

It will always be the fabulous Helen Smith from The Man in the High Castle…in normal years, that is! I have been slowly adapting my wardrobe to be similar to hers since 2016. I would wear this beautiful red dress from Season 1. It is the perfect Christmas party dress!

2. Spending Christmas away from home can be fun, but what about really far away? Pick a fictional location in outer space (a planet, space ship, space station etc) to spend Christmas Day.

Deep Space Nine.

Just think of all the shenanigans I’d get up to with Dax, Kira, Quark, and Bashir! And of course Weyoun and Dukat would crash the party. Weyoun would be fascinated by the Christmas treats and gifts, and I can see Sisko dressing as Santa to give everyone presents (he would make an awesome Santa Claus). Dukat would pull some crazy stunt, forcing everyone into a hilarious adventure in order to restore things back to normal. 

3. Sometimes it is nice to put your feet up and not worry about cooking. But which fictional character would you choose to cook Christmas dinner for you and would you invite them to your dinner after they have cooked it?

Captain Sisko and Helen Smith would be my cooking duo. They are happy to be invited to my Deep Space Nine Holiday Special. After Sisko prepares his dishes, he sneaks away to change into his Santa costume as Helen covers for him. She is in on the surprise and heads to the Christmas bar to grab a glass of sparkling cider from Quark. He tries to charge her for it, but Dax slaps him on the head. Helen smiles and takes her drink.

4. Are there any Christmas films you watch every year and do you have a favourite?

I’m afraid there aren’t any I watch every year as an adult. When I was a kid, it was Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I looked forward to visiting my dad every December and sitting in front of the TV to watch it year after year. 

5. You’ve been bombarded with invites to New Year’s Eve parties by lots of different alien races. Which alien race will you choose to spend New Year’s with?

The Vorta (and Jem’Hadar) — The Founders instruct the Vorta to learn more about the Federation and its holidays, so they decide to throw an NYE bash, but they need my help. They have no idea how to plan it or what to do. 

I invite them to Deep Space Nine, and laugh as their large, lavender eyes widen in that unique curiosity only the Vorta display. They tilt their heads as I show them the party decorations.

“It’s so shiny,” Weyoun says as he picks up a streamer. Keeven lifts up a glittery Happy New Year crown and promptly puts it on. He smirks. 

6. You’ve been commissioned to design a set of Christmas cards for a fandom. Which fandom do you hope has commissioned you and what design ideas do you have?

The Man in the High Castle (to be commissioned something for them is one of my DREAMS). I made some cards set in their world:

SGS: A Trip Through Europe

I missed the last two Seriously Geeky Sundays. Let’s just say those two weeks were chaotic, and I suppose that is the norm because it’s 2020. For starters, this was my Internet for one of the weekends:

Fiber cable snapped in half by a large truck

You know what I miss? Traveling. Hell, I miss everything. I keep thinking that there has got to be a better way to handle a pandemic than this. We’re twenty years into the new millennium for Pete’s sake! Even I am starting to fray at the seams, but you better believe I am fighting it. 😉

Before I derail this week’s post into a vent session about 2020, I’ll just jump right into today’s prompt, which is the first in a series!

27th September – Around the World in 8 Sundays – Western Europe

It’s World Tourism day and today I’m launching SGS’s first multi-part theme! With 21st Century tech we don’t need to take 80 days like Jules Verne to go around the world. Instead for the next 8 months, one Sunday will be dedicated to a continent (with Europe divided into two to give us our total of 8). That week will explore fandoms set only in countries in that continent. For the first week, I’ve started with what’s home base for me; Western Europe.

Who is your favourite British character?

I have to go with my current writing project’s protagonist and namesake, Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I have always been fascinated by her. She’s thrown into this strange world where normal physics and rules don’t apply. She is a character of discovery. 

My character Alice about to step into another world.
Who is your favourite character from the Western European mainland?

Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is a calm leader, but he isn’t without a certain level of strength and cunning. For starters, In the episode, The Ensigns of Command, he uses the bureaucratic Sheliak’s treaty against them. He out smarted them by using their own words. 

Jean-Luc Picard as a Psi Cop Admiral because he’s badass like that.
Who is your favourite Western European actor?

Ahem. *Drops pictures* 

What is your favourite film set in this region?

I absolutely LOVE WWII documentaries. One of my all time favorites is World War II in Colour on Netflix. If you are a history buff or interested in WWII, it is well worth a watch. 

Western Europe is filled with history; which historical event, era or character to be featured in fandom has been your favourite?

The alternate outcome of WWII featured in Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle. We don’t get to see much of Europe, but what little we saw of it (Berlin) fascinated me. I was hoping they’d show more of Europe and how the alternate outcome would have affected the continent. 

Choose one of your favourite fandoms to go on a trip to Western Europe; where do they go? What do they get up to? Is it business, pleasure or not by choice at all?

Since Smith, Joe, and others from High Castle have done that in the show, I’ll pick Babylon 5...and Alfred Bester of course! 

I can see him chasing a Blip (a telepath who refuses to join the Psi Corps or take the meds that deactivate their telepathic ability ) all across Europe, a game of cat and mouse. He weaves in and out of historical castles, cathedrals, and possibly The Black Forest in Germany on an epic chase that he will remember as his toughest!

SGS: Galaxy Adventures!

Apollo 11 launch – Photo by NASA

Today’s prompt is near and dear to my heart. I have always been fascinated by space. Fifteen year old Queen Grasshopper’s room was plastered with Nasa posters, one of which, I still have to this day (I’ve been meaning to frame it after all these years). My ceiling was covered in glow in the dark stars, and I’d lay in bed just gazing at them.

Would I ever go to space?
Would there be a colony on the moon by the time I was 40?
Would we go to Mars?

July 19th – Galaxy Adventures

Tomorrow is National Moon Day, the anniversary of when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. It’s a day in our history when our world got that bit bigger and that means it’s time to talk about adventures in Galaxies Far Far Away.

What is your favourite sci-fi fandom?

Sci-Fi fandoms can be wonderful, and they can also be hard–I mean it is only natural that a group of passionate people have their differences! This is a tough question because I’ve made so many lifelong friends through the various sci-fi fandoms that I’ve been a part of over the years. 

I have traded gifts with friends (most of whom are on the other side of the pond 😉 ). I’m always on the look out for gifts to send to a select few during my travels, but 2020 has thrown a wrench into that for now. I look forward to the day I can peruse a gift shop in some far away state!

Through fandoms, I’ve laughed, I’ve created art, I’ve had arguments (I mean..who hasn’t?), and I’ve been introduced to new ways of thinking–opening up my mind to become the kind person that I am today. 

So in answer to this question, I’ll look back at the good times and name my top three.

1. High Castle
2. Star Trek 
3. Babylon 5 Psi Corps/Bester fandom

Runner up
Star Wars – many fond memories of my teens and early twenties of creating stories with my friends and doing group cosplays on Halloween. I still have the Jedi costume that was tailor made for me!

What is your favourite fictional planet?

The Martian Congressional Republic
Mars from The Expanse – I love how militaristic they are. I love how their society is one of do what’s best for everyone; in other words, Group Think. They are fascinating to me and I love any and every shot of Mars in that show! I look forward to seeing how the events of the show play out for them. I’m a little worried, ha ha!

Who is your favourite alien character?

This is impossible to pick just one, so I’ll name a few.

  • Weyoun from Star Trek: DS9
  • The alien queen from Alien
  • The predator from Predator
  • Kira from Star Trek: DS9
What is your favourite alien species?

This should come as no surprise to those who follow me: Vorta and Romulans. They’re sneaky, cunning, conniving, and attractive. 😉

What alien creature would you like to have as a pet?

Tribbles: they are cute, fluffy, and purr. Need I say more?

My family of tribbles
What is the most visually stunning alien landscape you’ve seen in a fandom?

I’ll have to go with any landscape involving the protomolecule from The Expanse. I love the glowing blue tones and the orbs; everything is so eerie yet beautiful. I love it!