#Star Trek Voyager Fan Alter

[grtmnick]

Commander Kathryn Janeway puzzled over the multitudinous conflicting readings coming from her tricorder. The device was standard issue StarFleet kit, save for the modifications she'd made to bring it up to her standards as Chief Science Officer. Unfortunately, it seemed as though she might have made one alteration to many and damaged the device's inner-workings, as it was now insisting to her that temporal particles were spontaneously manifesting themselves just above her current position.

She tore the steel grey of her focused gaze away from her tricorder and upwards towards a waveform characteristic of a sonic boom, as it was created by a suddenly appearing unidentified object that was rocketing at terminal velocity towards the surface of the dwarf planetoid.

Echos of the numerous bleeps and bloops of her possibly malfunctioning device faded into the background of her perception, so inexplicably intrigued was she by whatever was hurdling ground-wards a mere twenty meters from her position.

The pulse of sound reached her just as the object smashed itself deep into the topsoil, knocking her back so that she was forced to square her stance and balance on the ball of her reward placed right foot.

As the cloud of debris dissipated, Cmdr. Janeway gasped as the source of all the commotion was revealed.

In the exact center of the newly created crater, was the tightly coiled nude form of a human woman. She was bent fully forward, curled in such a way that she was wrapped around her knees and with most of her bent body hidden by cascading curls colored sunflower blonde.

Janeway's already opened jaw hit the floor when the woman began to unfurl her body, and reached the full hight of her impressively towering self.

Despite Janeway's befuddlement, her scientific mind couldn't help but to notice the many cybernetic implants that were posited in several places over the blonde's pale skin.

"Commander Kathryn Margaret Janeway, I am Seven of Nine," announced the goddess fallen from the heavens. "I have traveled through time and space to save you. It is imperative that you accompany me." As the stranger was speaking, she'd confidently strode forward, seemingly utterly indifferent to her state of undress.

Before the rose cheeked Commander could gather herself enough to attempt communication, or question the bizarre request, a strange metal covered hand gently began to wrap itself around Kathryn's forearm.

Just as the stranger's fingers entwined, trapping the Science Officer within their firm steely grasp, the blonde promised, "resistance is futile."

The effect of the phrase stole the very breath from Kathryn's lungs, and so was she ensnared by the beautiful woman from tomorrow.

[darksideofthecoffeebean]

Endgame (episode) | Memory Alpha | Fandom

"A scene deleted from this episode depicted Chakotay having dinner with both the captain and admiral versions of Janeway. They spoke about their adventures and, when Captain Janeway was out of earshot, Admiral Janeway leaned over to ask Chakotay about his personal life. Chakotay acted surprised, though the admiral assured him, "There's no need to be coy with me, Chakotay. I know exactly what's going on." Chakotay was clearly reticent to discuss his personal life while his captain was nearby. Scripted stage directions indicated that he glanced towards Captain Janeway, who was standing at a replicator. "Don't worry. She doesn't know yet," the admiral stated. "So… how are things with Seven?" Chakotay smiled and replied, "Great." The script revealed that the admiral was "warmed to see Chakotay at such a happy time in his life." This scene was filmed, though edited from the final version of the episode. (Star Trek Magazine issue 121, p. 78)"

--- Omg, just to torture my little J/C shipper heart, I want to watch that scene so badly. 😱 Gives me all sorts of twisted fan fiction ideas.

Also, how many other scenes are there that were filmed but cut? Is there a chance, we'll ever get to see them? I damn hope they've been properly archived. Ah, I would pay good money to see them, even just snippets. 😩

[pixiedane]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Olivia Benson, Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, Amanda Rollins, Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr., Terry Bruno, Kathryn Janeway, Chakotay (Star Trek), Tuvok (Star Trek), Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, Additional Characters in Minor Roles Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abandonment, Dubious Consent Due To Identity Issues, Altered Mental States, Trauma Series:  Starfleet SVU Summary:

The SVU team have some questions about the warp ten incident.

Threshold 

Happy Threshold Day! Starfleet SVU is something I have been thinking about for a long while and I decided to use the holiday to kickstart it. This story takes place after Voyager gets home and features the current cast of Law & Order: SVU (season 25).

Star Trek/Lizard Babies fans, you do not need to know SVU to enjoy this fic (@liz-squids confirmed this for me). SVU fans, it would be difficult to follow without knowing Voyager and as hilarious as it would be for "Threshold" to be someone's introduction to Star Trek, I do not encourage that. If you know/like both of these very flawed series that I love very much, this fic is for you.

[peanutbutterandbananasandwichs]

whats ur ranking of the og star trek movies

I feel like this is gonna be a pretty uncontroversial ranking lol because there absolutely is a Correct answer to (most of) this, if I were ranking TNG era movies things might get slightly spicier lmao). 1) ST II: Wrath of Khan - you just can't beat it, gold standard Trek movie. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." "Or the one." yes thank you eating it with a spoon.

2) ST IV: The Voyage Home - Lowkey, highkey my fave to rewatch its just GOOFY, and fun, and a DELIGHT! (All things a lot of modern Trek - except LD godbless - tends to forget are KEY components of Star Trek. I'm also just a sucker for any time Trek does the "timetravel to the present in which the show/movie was made" thing, also a big fan of when Voyager did this in Future's End, always assures for good high-jinx.

3) ST VI: The Undiscovered Country - It doesn't get the attention it deserves, even ST V gets talked about more (for all the wrong reasons lol), but it really is great, honestly almost as good as Khan, its just not as fun as Voyage Home hense third place. Also Captain Sulu my beloved.

4) ST III: The Search for Spock: LOOOK its is NOT a good film, but the Kirk/Spock fodder is delicious, and the aesthetics of the film are so hugely influential on the franchise going forward I've gotta give it its dues. Also it does have Robin Curtis' Saavik <3

5) The Motion Picture: Its not a good MOVIE, it is in my opinion good Trek, the slower pace, the focus on the voyage, on discovery and self-discovery. But its not particularly fun to watch stretched out to the runtime of a film. BUT we do owe it, without TMP we absolutely would not have the Trek we have today (which of course is mostly down to the fans <3).

6) ST V: The Final Frontier: DEFINETLY not controversial to put this one last lmao. An absolute MESS of a film, godbless, who thought giving Shatner this much power was ever a good idea. However I will give it one thing in that it did gift us with the most unhinged Shatner interview of all time, which lead us to the glory that is Shatner of the Mount. Also the "Go Climb a Rock" shirt is iconic (also I literally have a Kirk/Spock drag act that uses Shatner of the Mount and a version of the go climb a rock shirt altered to say "Go Climb a Spock" so I owe it my life really.) Thaaankkk you for the ask this was FUN.

[zahri-melitor]

#ehhhh i know old dudes at my lcs who still have beef with decisions made in the 80s lol#i feel like a good 40% of being a comic book fan is being a stubborn nightmare person who refuses to let go of shit#i generally prefer characterizations that are at least 10-15 years old#so i would say the good boy jason truthers are carrying on a proud tradition lol#dc#batfam

Not to call you out specifically @lemontongues in that I also know plenty of people in long running fandoms who hate everything that happened after X point (me dealing with IRL friends of mine who refuse to accept a single Star Trek after Voyager/Insurrection) but it’s more like…you can hate the retcon, but acting like the retcon has not happened is silly at this point.

Fan demand CAN walk back retcons! We’ve all seen it happen! But the baseline on successful attempts is more in the ~10 year zone. We got most of nu!52 alterations to older backstories dumped. Flash fans just restored Wally intact by being very obnoxious about it for a decade. Arrow fans FINALLY got us a Lian and Roy hug after 15 years. We can get entire runs memoryholed if enough people and writers afterwards go “I do not see”.

Geoff Johns managed to resurrect and return Barry, Ollie and Hal over the course of 20 years of effort.

But as I noted, the current situation with Jason’s backstory is a retcon stretching out about 35 years now, with nobody pushing back on page. He’s been back longer than he was dead and it’s STILL how his time as Robin is characterised. I just don’t see it altering and my version above is the easiest way I can think to smooth the disconnect.

At some point you’ve got to accept that canon had a retcon when multiple writers over multiple years and titles through multiple universe reboots have fairly consistently characterised Jason’s time as Robin as the ‘impulsive angry’ Robin, including in flashbacks.

Look you can still keep Jason’s written characterisation from 1984-1988 if you want, but there is overwhelming evidence at this point that Bruce, Dick, Barbara and Alfred’s memories of the period have now been glossed and overlaid in their memories with “Jason was reckless and occasionally violent and took risks”. Because when they replayed their memories of those times, over and over, they all looked for ‘how could this happen’ and that’s the narrative that was constructed, and which they told themselves and (especially) cautioned Tim about. We know memories alter over time and as they’re replayed and honestly reading in that alteration fits the narrative we have.

You can fight back. You can argue with panels. But when no writer in over 35 years has used the characterisation…you’re basically Sisyphus at this point.

Jason might not have been that kid at the time. But that’s the kid everyone remembers.

[usstrekart]

“Alter Ego” (S03E14, Stardate 50460.3) starts with a lot of promise... but it really drops the ball. The Harry angle is just so much adolescent whining. Tuvok gets a decent story that is overshadowed by an undercooked alien-of-the-week and a whiny lovelorn ensign.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Lila Rossi: I’d Say She’s a Good Villain, but Then I’d Be Lying (300 Follower Special)

Deception and cunning are easily two of the most important traits an antagonist could have. It shows that even if they don't have the strength to overcome obstacles, their wit is more than enough. This kind of trait is why characters like Lex Luthor, David Xanatos, and Princess Azula are so beloved, simply because of how intelligent they can be as villains and pose a real threat to the heroes.

It's clear that the Miraculous Ladybug writers want Lila to be seen as this, but the writing seriously fails to back that claim up.

Easily one of the most controversial characters in Miraculous Ladybug is Lila, mainly for the writing surrounding her. But there was a time where she was actually more of an ambiguous character, mainly for the lack of screentime she had until Season 3. But unfortunately, the more appearances she's had have painted a very poor portrait of an antagonist.

Lila's Tragic and Sympathetic Motivation for Hating Ladybug

Lila's first appearance was at the tail end of Season 1, “Volpina”. She was a new transfer student from Italy, and quickly made friends with a lot of her classmates for the lies she told, including being friends with Ladybug (which Alya blindly believed without doing any research like any excellent journalist). But because of how close she was getting to Adrien, Marinette, in a rare act of selfishness, transforms into Ladybug just to chew out Lila for lying about knowing her, humiliating her in front of Adrien. And this is the only motivation we get for what Lila does afterwards.

I'm not saying that it's wrong for Lila to get upset at Ladybug for doing this, and I like the moment of weakness Marinette has, but this is literally the only explanation we get for Lila deciding to side with Hawkmoth, a literal terrorist. As much as I hated the way the arc turned out, I could still understand Chloe siding with Hawkmoth, as it was clear that Hawkmoth was manipulating her and taking advantage of her ego. Lila? Ladybug's mean to her one time, and that inspires her to conspire with a complete stranger who brainwashes people to attack the city, which endangers innocent people and causes God knows how much in collateral damage if not for Miraculous Ladybug fixing everything.

I just don't get how a single negative interaction with someone is enough to conspire with a literal supervillain. Even in Season 3, when Marinette and Lila truly became enemies, it was because she risked exposing all the lies she told, which could damage her reputation. Sure, it's petty, but it makes sense for Lila to want to keep up the illusion. If she was simply an antagonist to Marinette in her civilian life like Chloe was before “Miracle Queen” , I'd be fine with that, but the writers clearly want her to be seen as on the same level of evil as Hawkmoth. I'll get into why that doesn't work later on.

Why Lila is an Excellent Liar

In my Master Fu analysis, I had pointed out that despite all the flaws he had, the narrative insisted on portraying him as an incredibly wise mentor. The same problem applies for Lila as well. We're supposed to see Lila as an expert manipulator and liar, but her lies are insultingly obvious. She always claims to be friends with celebrities and does all these awesome things, and in an age where we can have almost any question answered thanks to the internet, nobody ever stops to question her.

It's even more frustrating when you hear Lila talk about saving Jagged Stone's cat, when Jagged Stone is established to be very fond of Marinette (evidentially more than his own daughter), and nobody ever points that out. I think if Lila's lies were more stories about her travels around the world than outright lies about real people, it could have worked. It'd still be hard to believe, but it's something.

But this is a problem with writing shows aimed at children. As much as we hate writers who need to spell out things to kids, sometimes, they just don't understand some of the media they consume. Seriously, I never got this joke in SpongeBob as a kid, and I can't believe Nickelodeon actually approved this.

So the dilemma when writing a show with children in mind is finding that sweet spot between assuming your audience can figure it out, but not being too vague in your details. It's even harder when you need to find a way to convey the fact that someone is lying without being too obvious. Unfortunately, the show clearly fails to do that

Okay, this is going to sound like an incredibly weird thing to cite, and I only know about it because I used to know someone who was a huge fan of the franchise, but the movie Monster High: Friday Night Frights does a better job of subtly explaining to the audience that a character is lying. Please, just hear me out.

The movie follows the main characters competing in their high school's roller derby for the season after everyone on the usual team gets injured, and the championship match is against another school whose team tends to cheat to win matches. How they manage to do this without getting caught is anyone's guess. While the main characters are practicing, their coach, Clawd, notices a spy for the enemy team taking video of them to study their moves. In response, he calls over one of the athletes, Operetta, to chew her out for her showboating attitude. In reality, he's alerting her to the spy. Only using facial expressions, he clues her, and by extension, the audience, in on the fact that they know what the opposing team is trying to do.

This soon leads to Operetta pretending to tell the enemy team about their secret plan for the championship match, which was really an attempt to outsmart them to gain the advantage in the final stretch. The brilliance of this is how the audience is informed of this with no dialogue, and there's no scene afterwards spelling it out for those who don't get it. It manages to convey deception without being too obvious that Clawd and Operetta are being deceitful.

I think if there were more subtle hints to show the audience Lila was lying, she would be seen in a better light. As it is, Lila's lies are just pathetic, and it's ridiculous that everyone believes her. Which leads me to...

Lila, the Master Manipulator

I once read a Star Trek: Voyager fanfic that poked fun at the series by claiming that the reason a lot of the dumber episodes like “Threshold” and “Twisted” happened was because one of the crew members was an alien who unintentionally produced mood altering pheromones, with Captain Janeway actually realizing they were all high because of said pheromones, while two of the unaffected crew members were wondering what the hell they were doing before they found out the cause. Why do I bring this up? Sometimes, it feels like Lila is an unintentional parallel to the alien in that story.

Like so many characters, it's clear the show desperately wants the audience to view Lila in a certain way, but her actions do very little to actually back up that claim. When she's not using lies to tell stories about so many famous people she knows like her uncle who works for Nintendo, Lila is using strategies to manipulate everyone that are so obviously deceptive, the Thermians could pick up on them. Everyone and their mother knows how ridiculous a lot of what Lila does in episodes like “Chameleon” and “Ladybug” are, and I've talked about them before, so I'll try to be quick.

First off, as someone who had access to accommodations through high school and has had assistance in college so far, there is no way in hell that Ms. Bustier should take Lila's tinnitus at face value in “Chameleon”. If a student has a disability that could interfere with the education process, physical or developmental, not only does the school have to evaluate their performance, and determine if they're eligible for an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, but her teachers would have to be notified in the first place. As her primary educator, Ms. Bustier would be part of the team to oversee Lila's IEP and determine what accommodations she needs to help her learn better with her tinnitus and arthritis. But because the writers don't know what Google is, they just ignore it,  assume that Lila can just say she has a disability, and have everyone believe it. Even when Eric Cartman pretended to be disabled to compete in the Special Olympics, he put in more effort to look the part, even if he looked like a caricature.

Then there's the fact that that in “Chameleon”, everyone just believes Lila when she says Marinette stole her grandmother's necklace when not only is said necklace from the Agreste line of jewelry, but Alya, who is Rena Rouge, can't pick up on the fact that it's a fake. All she does to justify these lies is come up with a sob story about how nobody believes her, yet nobody ever tries to defend Marinette except Alya one time, and it was after she got expelled.

Or what about in “Oni-Chan”, where Lila thinks having Kagami kill Ladybug while claiming she'll back away from Adrien is a good idea? Let's say Oni-Chan does kill Ladybug or at least take away her Miraculous, what then? We know Lila wouldn't go through with this promise, and as soon as Kagami sees her harassing Adrien, she'll be ripe for akumatization again. Overall, not a great plan.

And yet somehow, this last example is what made her worthy enough to become one of Hawkmoth's most trusted agents. I'm just going to say it: Lila is not a good fit for the power of illusion. Whenever she's Volpina or Chameleon, she always goes out of her way to make a big show instead of being subtle with her deceptions. “Chameleon” is the worst offender, as even though Lila gets the power to shapeshift into someone else, instead of being discreet and cornering people into kissing them and gaining their appearance, she just runs around to get Ladybug's attention instead of being subtle. Even Felix had the bright idea to pretend to be Adrien to catch Ladybug off guard. How do you lose to something that happened in “Felix”?

Despite all of these screw-ups, we're still supposed to see her as this master of deception worthy of allying with Hawkmoth in both his supervillain and civilian form, when really, she's a terrible liar on the schoolyard and on the battlefield.

Why Lila is an Important Character

In the grand scheme of things, Lila just isn't as important of a character that the show loves to parade her around as. She's nothing more than a plot device used to raise the stakes in an episode, given how much reality seems to bend over just to accommodate for her lies. Even when the show alludes to her being part of bigger things, like her deal with Adrien, or her rivalry with Marinette, they don't even go anywhere.

She just feels pointless when you remember Astruc's brilliant idea to force Chloe into being the final Akuma for the season while Lila isn't even mentioned once. She only really makes appearances whenever the writers feel like it, which is why it’s hard to take her seriously. Why should I take this character seriously as a threat if the writers refuse to take her seriously as a threat? Why build Lila up as a big threat and not give her a major role in the finale? Why even include her in the show in the first place when you could show Chloe being more manipulative to fill in the plots Lila plays a big part in?

As of the time I am writing this analysis, four episodes of Season 4 have aired, three of them have been about lies or deception, and Lila hasn't been mentioned at all. It honestly seems like she won't appear unless the writers need a easy way to drive up the conflict, so they can justify it by saying that Lila's “superpower” of lying is more powerful than the common sense of everyone else.

I'm sorry this post was shorter than the last one, but compared to Master Fu, there's not that much to say about Lila that I haven't already said. Even the show barely gives her any attention, so it's hard for me to really find a lot to talk about.

[raisinchallah]

I can't find the post now but you saying in Strange New Worlds where Spock says "Starfleet is where I'm accepted" or something like that. Excuse me while I make my tinfoil hat but I can't shake the feeling that newer Trek shows are shifting to military propaganda or 9/11 really did move TV so far right that they have to be even more obvious and basic with their messages. Like you said, it's such a revision but also hard for me to not think "Who benefits from this"

ok this answer got a bit out of control dfjklad;jklj its going under the cut

yeah i think theres a ton of different factors and i do think its been a gradual shift starting before these new shows like i didnt actually realize until recently but voyager was produced as a network show not a syndicated show like tng and ds9 and had to answer to the executives of upn as well as paramount (tho paramount owned upn) and there was a lot more executive meddling and was part of why the show like wasnt able to have any kind of overarching story or anything tho rick berman was also super nervous about that and in many ways voyager feels like a shift towards a sort of baffling obsession with starfleet rules and obsession with starfleet for starfleets sake which i think is somewhat jarring after watching ds9 and feels like active course correction and then of course the most extreme product of the post 9/11 tv environment was enterprise also produced in a similar atmosphere with that kind of oversight and all that i think also well its been the slow march towards understanding itself as a larger franchise as well and i guess as each subsequent show is produced its like actively defining what the franchise itself is... and then theres aos which actually is pretty interesting on this front that it does portray a much more militarized starfleet and is definitely critical of that but i think perhaps has been taken by some people to be like well starfleet = good so militarized starfleet also = good and because it was so many peoples first introduction to star trek i dont actually know how that has altered fan perception and so on and now we exist in a world of more and more giant sprawling franchises that also have extremely tightly controlled content that is also wrapped up in military propaganda and i dont think star trek is ever gonna like fully going on in that direction but i do find it interesting i guess starfleet has become the defining trait of the series and must always exist i think the push to bring back the federation in discovery really is so puzzling to me but i guess just again reflects this history and i suppose u cant really call something star trek now if u dont have the little delta shaped badge on or something when i dont really feel like that has to be what it is cuz its a massive massive universe to explore i know picard this season is i guess trying to be political and comment on current events but tbh i havent watched it so i do not really know how people are assessing its handling of it and all but i do think this would be idk interesting to look into and think about and wow i just realized i strayed kinda far from your question um anyways back to the revisionism yeah i think partially it might just be trying to sand off the edges and redefine this story and show for their ongoing franchise plans and like the newer shows have very much been stuck in looking at old star trek sort of a snake eating its tail which i think will always angle towards somewhat underwhelming and kinda conservative takes idk i wonder if in many ways its trying to reflect how fans and the public percieve what star trek should be rather than like reality idk all marketing something adkl;kladfj i am trying to not be so cynical and whatever but idk its interesting ok sorry for the word wall

[wemblingfool]

Star Trek has a starship problem.

And the problem is this: Starfleet has too many.

I mean it's only natural. You want to have cool new ships to excite your fans. That's logical. But in the span of time the Romulans had four unique ships (+ a repurposed klingon, and an alteration of the scout model that was originally used only once), Starfleet had well over two dozen.

Again, it's only natural. You only rarely see the "big" aliens, and you want to show off new stuff with your heroes. Thus, the majority of your new models will be Starfleet.

My problem though, is this. Starfleet is basically military, and the Federation is huge. You're not gonna run your cruisers to do nothing but haul cargo back and forth to Andorra, or assign your explorers to running passengers back and forth to Vulcan. So... Where are the civilian ships? We know Starfleet really isn't in the habit of repurposing obsolete frontline ships to civilians, from various bits of dialogue about being "mothballed," and just a general lack of such. Given Excelsiors and Mirandas were in frontline service for a century, and La Forge commenting that Scotty's Jenolan "would probably still be in service today," we can basically assume Starfleet uses their hulls until they fall apart.

So... Where's the ship owned by the Oceanographic Institute that parks in this newly discovered planet for three years while marine biologists catalogue it's sea life? Where are the cruise ships that run out of Risa?

How would I, a farmer from Idaho, go see my cousin who lives in an unimportant colony on Celtus 3? Do I need to play a game of Starfleet checkers, jumping from various military vessels to starbases and back, until I land on an excelsior delivering cargo there?

We've only seen one ship that was explicitly said to be civilian, The Raven (which was a five deck, 100 meter ship owned by one specific pair of researchers). The Oberth was nebulous and never fully explained if it was a civvie, or fleet. It was used for both. The Jenolan was also nebulous.

So my problem is this: why do all the exciting new ships need to be Starfleet battleships? The Excelsior had three concept designs that would have been terrible as the USS Excelsior... but honestly? They would have been excellent designs to repurposed and use as civilian owned transport/research ships.

So, you can still work in cool looking Starfleet style designs, but they don't all need to be the best warships in Starfleet.

(I'm aware Enterprise introduced a few civilian ships, but those were all gone by the time of TOS, let alone Voyager)

[grtmnick]

I feel so called out by ^^ posted on Instagram by @startrekvoyagerfangroup.

It's not my fault that writers rely on naught but highly caffeinated coffee to fuel them!

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let’s (Briefly) Talk #StarTrekLowerDecks

Despite the show’s unusual tone, it is a surprisingly good addition to the Star Trek franchise.

For my brief thoughts on Paramount+’s Star Trek: Lower Decks, feel free to keep reading. There will be (light) spoilers.

Lower Decks takes place on the USS Cerritos, but instead of centering around the main crew focuses on four ensigns who follow their orders. They are Beckett Mariner, Bradward Boimler, D’Vana Tendi, and Sam Rutherford. In addition, one of the show’s major conflicts involve Mariner and her mother who also happens to be the ship’s captain Carol Freeman.

The show’s title originates from a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode of the same name. It expanded upon the Enterprise’s lower ranked officers who would normally be portrayed as expendable redshirts, something which has been prevalent throughout the franchise.

Lower Decks stands out from the franchise’s other shows. Instead of focusing on either the senior officers or someone connected to the bridge crew, it centers around the ensigns who work below them. 

The show’s main character, Beckett, might be considered by some as yet another Michael Burnham (from sister show Discovery). Both rebel against authority and tend to find a way to survive despite risking their lives. That is where the similarities end. Whereas Burnham does it for a wide range of factors, Beckett mostly does it to piss off her mom.

With that noted, longtime Trek fans may be turned off by the show’s comedic tone. While the show is still about going around the galaxy and interacting with a wide range of aliens, the characters are far more raunchier than usual. They also occasionally swear, which is intentionally censored for comedic effect.

Some might see the show as the Star Trek version of Rick and Morty, which is understandable due to the involvement of Mike McMahan. He previously worked on Rick & Morty, winning an Emmy for his work on the famous “Pickle Rick” episode, and also created Hulu’s Solar Opposites.

Where they differ are in references. In those two shows, the characters regularly bring up pop culture, such as Rick ordering his coat to “rip off Doctor Strange”. Lower Decks similarly refers to the franchise’s past, either to mock it, as a callback, or both. Most of the references work, such as an image of Kirk and Spock lifted directly from The Animated Series. Others feel a bit forced, like a character referring to the events of the original Star Trek series as TOS.

Continuity-wise, the show is set between Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Picard. It is mostly not brought up until the finale, when a couple of certain characters from both productions make an appearance. 

It also continues a controversial trend from Discovery, where officers from different ships wear different uniforms. While the grey uniforms from the Next Generation films make an appearance, the Cerritos crew primarily wear a slightly altered version of said TV show’s uniforms. 

This might have been done intentionally to give this show its own distinct look, since almost every other show has featured a different version of the uniforms. With three exceptions.

Due to airing alongside most of the Next Generation films, Deep Space Nine went from wearing a mixture of that show’s uniforms and a flipped variation (also seen in Generations) to the aforementioned grey. Voyager, on the other hand, solely used the variation due to its premise. The Animated Series wore the original show’s uniforms as it was a direct continuation.

The show’s animation is bright, colorful, and fluid. Like the aforementioned 70s series, it has the freedom to feature nonhumanoid characters such as Chief Medical Officer T’Ana and Ensign D’Vana. The former is a Caitian (a literal talking cat alien only previously seen in said 70s show), while the latter is an Orion (a green-skinned alien from the original series). Either would be too cost-prohibited to appear in live action but not in animation. Hopefully, the show’s second season will feature more nonhumanoid characters.

Despite all of this, the show does have a few flaws.

The characters might be seen by some to be too obnoxious. 

While the other shows have had eccentric characters, such as Wesley, Neelix, and Quark, they tended to limit it to only one character per show. In Lower Decks, however, everyone is obnoxious in some form or another. They range from being militaristic with their duty to goofing off while at work. It helps the show stand out, but some might see it as the franchise dumbing itself down to the lowest common denominator.

Unlike the majestic theme songs of Discovery and Picard, this show’s theme is incredibly awful. At first it tries to resemble that of Next Generation, only to abruptly sound like a mashup of it, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, almost as if someone played all the themes simultaneously. By contrast, the intro’s visuals quickly set the tone by showing the Cerritos screwing things up and running away from bigger problems.

Star Trek: Lower Decks may not be as dramatic as the original Star Trek or Next Generation, or as gritty as Discovery or Picard, but it does fill in a comedic niche the franchise has frankly lacked. It stands out with its unique perspective, obnoxious but likable characters, and bright and colorful animation.

If you like animated science fiction, or want to watch as much of Star Trek as possible, this show is worth checking out at least once.

Star Trek: Lower Decks can be streamed, depending on your region, exclusively on Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access), Prime Video, or Crave. The show’s second season will premiere later this year.

Until next time, thank you for reading!

[kwebtv]

Character Actor

Garrett "Barry" Atwater (May 16, 1918 – May 24, 1978) Film and Television character actor who appeared frequently on television from the 1950s into the 1970s. He was sometimes credited as G.B. Atwater.

By 1960 he had achieved enough stature to be named by host Rod Serling in the on-screen promo as one of the stars of the well-known CBS Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". Atwater made six guest appearances on Perry Mason including as murderer Robert Benson in the 1959 episode "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager" and as murder victim Dr. Stuart Logan in the 1965 episode "The Case of the Cheating Chancellor". A Variety review of the latter stated that Atwater played the part with "correct nastiness".

He played Benedict Arnold in an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and received positive notice for an appearance on Playhouse 90.

Atwater in the mid-1960s spent three years on the ABC soap opera General Hospital while he also made prime-time appearances, billing himself as G.B. Atwater from 1963–1965, a period in which he was cast in supporting parts. About his nine-month stint on General Hospital, Atwater said, "It was a good experience and good income, but it got tiresome. Shows like that are written for women, and the men are all emasculated". By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Atwater was again scoring primary guest-star roles, particularly on fantasy and science fiction series, including The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West,  Judd for the Defense, The Outer Limits, ("Corpus Earthling"), Night Gallery and Kung Fu, where his altered facial appearance suited his grim and sinister countenance due to its menacing and intense appearance,

Atwater was one of the few actors to play a character from Spock's planet on Star Trek: The Original Series, portraying Surak, father of Vulcan philosophy, in the episode "The Savage Curtain". Atwater could not achieve the Vulcan salute naturally, so when he bids farewell in a medium shot, he has to first lower his arm so his hand is out of camera view as he pushes his fingers against his body to configure them properly.

Atwater's role as vampire Janos Skorzeny in the acclaimed TV thriller The Night Stalker (1972) made him a popular guest at 1970s fan gatherings that capitalized on the resurgence of classic horror during that decade.  Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised Atwater's performance, writing, "that gifted character actor Barry Atwater is terrific as the vampire". Keith Ashwell of the Edmonton Journal wrote that Atwater was "a prince among vampires"  (Wikipedia)

[denofgeek]

After four episodes of searching for what was left of the United Federation of Planets, the crew of the USS Discovery actually finds the new incarnation of their government, 930 years later. For a casual fan, the new Starfleet and United Federation of Planets may not seem all that different — after all, didn’t they have greyish uniforms kind of like that in the last Chris Pine movie, Star Trek Beyond? Superficially, Starfleet may have been given a sleek upgrade, but the look and feel of the most famous fictional space-faring organization isn’t actually the big news. Yes, we got a good look at a new (or old?) USS Voyager as well as several other shiny starships from the 32nd Century. But, the bigger changes fundamentally alter the context of what Star Trek is all about. Here are three ways Discovery has altered what Starfleet and the Federation are all about… 

[Read more at Den of Geek]

[unspectacularmarvels]

Star Trek: Voyager - the missing episodes: series two, volume one

Although initially flattered by the verbal pun, the captain’s patience soon wears thin as everybody insists on announcing that they’re doing every last little f***ing thing ‘the Jane-Way’ - a habit as ubiquitous as the t-shirts and other assorted merchandise on sale in the mess hall… As series/ season two kicks-off, everybody does their ‘guess what minor alteration I’ve made to my appearance since the first run to denote the passage of time’ shtick. To which end, Harry’s over-sized comedy glasses don’t last too long. A pity Tuvok didn’t get to keep his hi-top fade, though... 

Drunk out of his skull at a trade outpost bar, a semi-naked Paris bets a group of surly Greasærians that Voyager can outrun any ship in the sector. Consequently, the crew soon find themselves participating in a space street race(?) through an area of gravimetric instabilities locally referred to as ‘The S**t-Storm’.

The bridge crew get another potted plant to complement the one they got in the first series (easy, Mr. Tuvok). Also, they find a way home which inevitably doesn’t work out.

Wednesday night is Disco Night in the mess hall! Time to break out your flares and strut your funky stuff, Chakotay!

Janeway commissions Kes to make a mural using her crayons and finger paints, so everybody in the mess hall can feel all warm and fuzzy and go ‘awwwww’ whilst avoiding eating whatever crap Neelix has broiled this week. Alas, despite the overall naïve charm and nascent existentialist leanings of the piece by Voyager’s ickle pwincess (also referred to as Ensign Snugglebunny), she makes Crayola Janeway look just a little too fat - and then s**t really hits the fan.

Rumour has it that the Delaney sisters have made a list of all the male crew members, ranking them in order of hotness (kinda like that South Park episode…which won’t air for another ten years, because this is 1995/6). Convinced he’s bottom of the pile, Harry overcompensates by swaggering everywhere and maintaining a firm grip on his crotch.

The Doctor sets-up a rudimentary crazy golf course in sickbay for his private use, having accumulated a stash of personal effects from crew members who traded them for hardcore drugs. Is that Harry’s clarinet on the third hole?

Voyager keeps going round and round the same asteroid after Paris claims he can see the face of Robert Reed in it. Meanwhile, Harry tries to sneak his bed sheets down to the laundry room without anyone seeing after…well, after…y’know. GOD! WHY IS TORRES ALWAYS AROUND WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN?!

Neelix attempts a beef casserole. Concurrently, Voyager gets swallowed by some kind of giant space whale. Somehow one of these problems will resolve the other.

Tuvok uses the neck pinch on this really annoying kid who wouldn’t shut the f*** up when the crew visits yet another generic alien hippy commune. He is immediately taken captive and commanded by the weary-looking village elders to work his magic on the rest of the little s***s.  In his absence, law & order aboard Voyager break down as all the toilet paper goes missing mysteriously…

In the wake of Seska’s betrayal, Chakotay seems thoroughly bummed-out (especially since Disco Night Wednesdays didn’t last too long). In an unusually generous move, Paris lends him Brandy, his inflatable playmate, who is subsequently possessed by a malevolent, incorporeal life-form who tries to take-over the ship. Meanwhile, Neelix experiments with chub.

The search for Harry’s clarinet continues...

[anotheruserwithnoname]

Thoughts on Picard S01E02

Saw the second episode of Star Trek: Picard last night. I liked it perhaps even a bit more than the first episode. Some spoilers follow, so a break line first...

I have to admit I’m not understanding the near-condemnation that ST: Picard is getting from some fans - including fans I am in full alignment with in regards to other shows. Episode 2 moved very swiftly, it wasn’t boring as I’ve heard some describe it. Nor was it earth-bound as others have griped. Major scenes took place on Mars and in the converted Borg cube. (And even if a lot of it is based on Earth, what of it? We saw very little of Trek-era, original-timeline Earth in the original franchise. I’m happy to be able to explore it a bit more. Not all Star Trek needs to be about running between planets - and we’ll get more than enough of that later in the season, I’m sure.)

The show continues to be a direct sequel to the TNG episodes “The Measure of a Man” and “The Offspring” and has some of the tightest continuity I’ve seen. It almost reaches the point of “continuity lockout” for newcomers, but so far they’ve stayed on the line of it being follow-able by people who never watched TNG or don’t remember the minutiae of specific episodes from 30 years ago.

And the show isn’t “dour and serious” either. There are some very funny moments, such as Picard griping about why he doesn’t like science fiction (which is even funnier to those who know that Patrick Stewart turned his nose up at sci-fi before he was cast as Picard, even reportedly teasing his BBC Hamlet co-star Lalla Ward about her role in Doctor Who), and the “9344 days since an assimilation” sign (or whatever that number was) put up in both English and Romulan at the Borg cube.

I’m really liking the new characters, especially Orla Brady’s Laris and Jamie McShane as Zhaban, who Romulans who live with and take care of Picard and who were former Tal Shiar agents. There’s a great scene where Laris and Picard do some 24-century CSI work that is a lot of fun. If CBS is planning more spinoffs, they could do worse than to basically give us a Romulan version of Nick and Nora Charles.

Also liking Isa Briones’ characters of Dahj (r.i.p.) and Soji. It’s still early days to get a real feel for her yet, though. And then we have some characters only introduced in episode 2 such as Peyton List’s Lt. Rizzo, a Romulan spy, who is one of the best female Trek villains I’ve seen since Commander Sela.

If I had a complaint, it would be that Picard is going to the same well Discovery went to. Rizzo has undergone alteration to look human and infiltrate Starfleet - just as Ash Tyler did in Discovery. There are also some other aspects, such as the environmental disaster that befell the Romulans, that is basically a do-over of what happened to the Klingons in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (though they appear to have fixed that one by the TNG era as Quonos is still alive and well).

But I certainly have no trouble accepting Starfleet acting like dicks to the Romulans after hearing it explained in pretty clear terms why they couldn’t help. And the conspiracy within Starfleet, revealed in episode 2, also suggests the decision had other origins, as well. I also liked the fact that for once we actually see a hero have to deal with the aftermath of a “big speech.” Not everyone is going to be cheery about it.

One thing I didn’t like was the language. Although the admiral dropping an F-bomb on Picard at least felt natural - not like the “let’s swear because we’re on streaming so we can” moment in Discovery season 1 - I don’t think it was needed. Apparently Laris also uses the F-word at one point, but I honestly never caught it if she did. Maybe it was the accent (apparently the current group of Romulans learned English in either the UK or Ireland). While I don’t agree with those who feel Trek characters shouldn’t swear because back in 1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home allegedly established that swearing had been abolished (something immediately forgotten by Star Trek V, and most of the TNG films had at least one bit of non-TV-friendly swearing each) - I do think there’s time and place; if Laris did drop an F-bomb, her use there was more appropriate than the admiral’s.

Anyway, so far so good, and except for Brent Spiner (whose de-aging looks a LOT better in final form than in the trailers) we’ve yet to see any of the other returning cast members, so they’ll add a lot to the show when they eventually arrive. (By the way, in episode 1 I appreciated the fact an image of Worf is shown, confirming that the “Klingorcs” design of Discovery isn’t going to be continued in Picard, at least not in the case of Worf, should he ever appear.)

[shewhowillrise]

Still bitter about the cancellation of Almost Human five years later? Here’s a list of 5 awesome shows that have the same look, feel, or character bonds as Almost Human!

1) Continuum - 4 seasons - Netflix

Continuum revolves around Kiera Cameron, a cop from the future who is trapped in the present with 8 different escaped criminals, also from the future, who she has to capture. The show takes place in current Vancouver and Kiera must use her prowess and powers to take on and hunt the 8 members of Liber8 who are running rampant before they manage to alter the future significantly.

Notes:

There are flashforwards (technically flashbacks - time-travel is weird) to the future. Honestly, Almost Human seems like a prequel to Continuum in a way. There’s a lot of the same tech in both shows. It’s also a cop drama, much like Almost Human, and Liber8, this show’s inSyndicate, has an interesting story arc within the plot. There’s many twists and turns and with time-travel, there’s no end to the wacky science-bable. You’re at the edge of your seat the whole time wondering what’s next? and how does this change things in the future?

2) Dark Matter - 3 Seasons - Netflix

Dark Matter tells the story of the crew of the derelict spaceship the Raza, awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got on board. Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, betrayal and hidden secrets.

Notes:

A group of six people and an android learning and regaining their humanity. What does that remind you of? This crew is fun to watch develop deep relationships and trust with one another as they try to regain their pasts. It’s a space opera with an interesting twist, and if you’re a star trek fan, they have their mirrorverse they have to survive. Now, the show was cancelled after season 3 (with a mind blowing cliffhanger no less!) because of money, but!!!! stay with me, the show runner recently posted there were *distant rumblings* of the show having a season 4 & 5, and whether that be live action, or comic book, this show is worth it! (the show runner has actually posted the scripts of the first two episodes of s4 on his blog!)

3) Altered Carbon - 1 Season (renewed for a 2nd season!) - Netflix

In the future, people's consciousnesses are contained in what are called "stacks", storage devices attached to the back of a person's neck. Physical bodies are turned into what's called "sleeves", mere disposable vessels. Takeshi Kovacs, a violent mercenary, wakes up 250 years after his sleeve is killed, and he's given the choice to either spend the rest of his life in prison for his crimes, or help solve the murder of the wealthiest man in the world.

Notes:

I’m only a few episodes in, but the look and feel of the show is very Blade Runner and it’s been helping me ease my soul about Almost Human. It has a cop-esque plot. With different technologies practically every scene, it’s another show that seems it can be a continuation in the Almost Human/Continuum timeline.

4)  Westworld - 2 seasons (renewed for a 3rd season!) - HBO

Westworld isn't your typical amusement park. Intended for rich vacationers, the futuristic park -- which is looked after by robotic "hosts" -- allows its visitors to live out their fantasies through artificial consciousness. No matter how illicit the fantasy may be, there are no consequences for the park's guests, allowing for any wish to be indulged.

Notes:

I love this show. It’s amazing and the story is intriguing, the characters evolve, and the integrated storyline keeps you guessing on what’s really happening. Robots becoming conscious on who they are and what they are to humans is mind exploding. And it seems like the first five seasons have been planned, and it’s on it’s way to being another Game of Thrones but for scifi fans, so there doesn’t seem to be a cancellation in sight!

5) Battlestar Galactica - 1 Miniseries and 4 seasons - Hulu

In this series we follow a human battleship in deep space known as Battlestar Galactica. The ship is fleeing a relentless attack to wipe out the entire human race implemented by their own created AI beings known as Cylons. The Battlestar accompanies and protects what they assume to be the last 50,000 people in existence after a quickly executed genocidal attack on all 12 human colonies, in which the Cylons were almost completely successful. They occupied all colonies and killed any found survivors. With low supplies, no allies, and little hope, the entire convoy ventures into uncharted space to flee the onslaught in hopes of finding refuge among the stars. Their destination is the fabled 13th Colony of Earth, founded by a tribe said to have left the human origin planet of Kobol "early on" before any other tribes or the founding of the 12 colonies.

Notes:

Another Robots vs Humans! This show has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing on who’s a robot and who’s a human. Loyalties are tested and unlikely bonds are formed. It has a shocking ending that gosh if you watch this, I wish I could see your face for the big reveal. Make sure to watch the mini series (two tv movies, totally about 4 hours) first, which is the prelude to the actual show.

Honorable Mention: (only an honorable mention because I haven’t watched it myself, but it sounds like Detroit: Become Human but as a tv series)

Humans - 2 seasons (renewed for a 3rd season!) - Amazon Prime

Set in suburban London, the story takes place in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a Synth – an android robot eerily similar to a human in nearly every respect. Based on the swedish show, Real Humans.

And one Awesome Movie!: Next Gen - Netflix

Next Gen is about a 13-year-old girl who hates robots when her father lost everything. Her world was surrounded by robots and she denies everything around her, including her mother who loves robots more then her daughter. Her life changed when she encounter 7723, a secret robot whose weapons are overpowered and is known to be theorized as the strongest bot in the world. They both must face a evil menace who threatens to destroy the world.

Notes:

Yeah this is a movie, not a show, but the main character has a distaste for robots, much like John Kennex, until she learns to love her one of a kind robot, kinda again, much like Kennex. It has hilarious moments and tense scenes. A cute fun movie that is all around, enjoyable.

Want to watch these shows but don’t have Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime? I can give you links to some, uh, other sites. Just send me a message and I’ll back to you as soon as I can.