In Which, Ignoring The Fact That I Haven't Posted Here In Ages And The Crisis Of Confidence Over Whether Or Not Any Living Person Actually Reads Blogs Anymore Or Thinks In Depth About The Original Enterprise, I Recommence Making Comments About Star Trek, Mostly Concerning Captain Kirk
Flipping through The Wrath of Khan Photostory today, I was reminded of Kirk's fondness for what are probably antiquated phrases by the 23rd century. They're old by modern standards. In The Wrath of Khan, they're often directed at Saavik. She must be baffled at expressions like "caught with my britches down" and "sauce for the goose".
I think it's likely that other bridge members are just as confused. I love to think about Kirk rattling these sayings off and everyone silently wondering what the hell he means.
On the other hand, expressions tend to outlive their literal representations. Maybe everyone knows what it means to be caught with your britches down without actually knowing what britches are. Maybe people think it's "caught with your bridges down".
In any case, we know Kirk loves Earth history. He's one of those people who are easy to buy presents for because they
have definite interests. His two best friends both buy him antiques. If he wasn't a Starship Captain, I imagine it would be a full-time fandom for him. As is, I think he seeks out interesting tidbits like old slang. If he's especially delighted by a phrase, he starts incorporating it into his speech.
The name Gene Roddenberry originally had picked out for the Captain of the Enterprise was Robert April. This became Captain Winter, then Captain Pike, and finally Kirk.
I wonder what thought-process was going on behind these decisions. I'm not surprised that it was changed from April. I'm surprised that it was ever April. In my mind, April is one of the girliest names of all time.
Personally, I think April is the perfect name for Jim Kirk because it's so flowery. No one gets to be as universally hot as Kirk without swinging both ways over gender lines.
The only problem is the Robert half of Robert April. I could swear I read somewhere in The Making of Star Trek that Dr. Bones Boyce was to call him "Bob", a name hasn't aged well, and sounds kind of silly for the time being. Just imagine "He's dead, Bob" or "Dammit, Bob..."
But how about Jim April? That sounds like one pretty man.
This afternoon, I was flipping through screencaps of the episode Patterns of Force, and wondering what brand of jeans Kirk wears in the beginning. After some inspection, I determined they're Lee.
So, I cropped out the Nazis and made an ad of it.
I made this vid several years ago. As far as I can tell, it remains the only New Year's themed Kirk/Spock vid in existence, so there's that. Happy 2015!
At the end of The Enemy Within, Spock makes this infamously awful comment to Janice Rand:
"The imposter had some interesting qualities, wouldn't you say, Yeoman?"
This memorable example of Spock's ability to be cruel colors how I interpret the following scene from Miri:
KIRK: Miri? Come here. You want to go some place with me?
MIRI: Sure. (They leave, holding hands)
RAND: That little girl---
SPOCK: ---is at least 300 years older than you are, Yeoman. Think about it.
What does Spock mean, "Think about it"?
Ultimately, Miri is another female Kirk woos for information. But Kim Darby's fine acting combined with Shatner's ability to have chemistry with a wall makes their brief attachment, such as it is, one of the most convincing relationships of the series, right up there with Edith Keeler and the Gorn.
The fact that Miri is a "little girl" makes Kirk's genuinely warm way of saying "I like your name. I like you" a bit unsettling.
And it seems to unsettle Rand too.
When she says to Spock, "That little girl---", she seems to be hoping to confirm that Miri is, despite her technical years and her thing for Jim, a child. But Spock offers no comfort in his answer, and suggesting Rand "think about it" only unsettles her further by her look.
I don't blame Spock's cattiness on anything very slashy, though.
Rather, I think he's simply a territorial watchdog when it comes to the Captain. He doesn't want his favorite superior officer getting up to anything improper, and Rand is Kirk's ongoing opportunity for such things.
That, and he occasionally enjoys being mean.
My fellow Trekkie roommate wonders if the Captain is aware of such Spock/Rand scuffles. I don't think so. The naughty child always hits the other child when mom is looking away.
Netflix autoplay makes it hard to watch just one episode, especially if the preview shot looks as wacky as this:
Last year, I took on a few overnight shifts at my old job. This was at a group home, and my duties were to help disabled residents to the bathroom and guard the big screen TV. What would be on in the wee hours but re-runs of TNG?
I kept the volume extremely low, and so missed most of the dialogue. Not to mention the fact that I was barely awake. But I started to like Picard. His stiff body language indicated someone who delights in his own moral objections to things, like me.
So, I finally started on TNG today. Some on the Internet advise skipping the first two seasons. But there are gems in even the worst episodes of TOS, so I decided to trudge though.
Encounter at Farpoint
Maybe, like Spock, I have a thing for Captains. I got a big kick out of Picard, especially when he was annoyed, offended, or self-righteous---which was often because this episodes features Q.
Q was as much fun (lots) as I've been led to believe, and though I'm not usually charmed by villians, he dazzled me a bit, especially when he appeared in a Starfleet uniform and made it look ominous.
Also, I felt he was a needed force of malice to balance the noble Enterprise crew, whose parading of humanity's worthiness makes you question humanity's worthiness. DeForest Kelley's moment with Data was a highlight, and I wished Admiral McCoy would stay to complain about things.
At first look, TNG appears to give its crew less to complain about than TOS. Men can wear mini-skirts, and there's a therapist on the Bridge. But there are enough cracks in this happy family to make it interesting.
The most noticeable crack is the Captain himself. He's aware of being perceived as "harsh" and "cold blooded", but this only seems to concern him so far as it affects his command. He enlists Riker to make sure he (Picard) "projects an image of geniality", as if it's a terrible but necessary part of the job.
And those reclined bridge chairs may look like Lay-Z-Boys, but don't be fooled! Holding your head up like that will give your neck hell, I guarantee it.
Deanna Troi is a sorry excuse for a character, and I can't wait til they kill her off in episode 6. If only.
Overall, I hesitate to say I liked it. But Picard is too good to pass up, so I'll keep watching.
