Nerd Life: StarGate.

I had a long thing explaining StarGate... but it was too messy so I decided to delete it all and start over because I can't figure out how to explain this show because IT'S JUST TOO AMAZING FOR WORDS!!!!!!
So what exactly is StarGate?
Well, first it was a movie in 1994. The StarGate, a circular ring that, when the right code is punched in, will open up wormholes to other planets, is found in the movie (titled 'STARGATE') and the first trip though it is taken.
After that, StarGate was made into a ten seasons long TV show (with several spinoff shows) with the same characters (though not the same actors) as the movie. It follows the team SG-1 as they travel through the gate to make friends - and enemies - and to find more knowledge.

 

(The poster for the movie)

This is a show like no other sci-fi show out there. For one, it's set in modern days. Also, it isn't all spaceships, aliens, must-blow-things-up. It's kind of like space-travel-meets-archaeology.
I really love that the primary means of travel in this show is not spaceships. The SG teams have to gear up and walk through the wormhole to get to the other planets. Not until much later do they figure out how to make a spaceship (with the help of alien technology and help from the Asgard's). In this show, the humans aren't the rulers of the galaxy - we're just starting to get out there in the universe, and there are a lot of people out there that want to take advantage of our planet.
Which is bad, because, besides the president and all the people working for the StarGate program (which is run by the Air Force), no one else knows about it! The rest of the humans on earth no nothing about all the enemies out there and it's up to SG-1 to save the planet over and over again! Which they do, of course.
Another thing that I love about this show is that it is SO WELL MADE! Watching it makes you think that it really is happening because the writing is so superb (as is the acting). And I LOVE how they include so much archaeology and Egypt and pyramids (which are actually alien spaceships) and even the Arthurian legend. They make it so it all seems real. Oh, it's just so amazing.
I'm gonna talk about the characters because they are so lifelike and likeable that really, anyone should watch the show just for them:

Colonel Jack O'Neill (played by Richard Dean Anderson).

 

He is an Air Force colonel who leads the SG-1 team through the first eight seasons of the show, before being promoted (and, subsequently leaving the show. I believe it was because he wanted to spend more time with his daughter).
He is a gruff man, very sarcastic, but a great leader. He has some personal baggage - his son accidentally killed himself with Jack's gun, and as a result, Jack's wife left him. Jack is a very lovable character and very funny. It's sad to see him go at the end of season eight, but he has a recurring role, so he shows up again.

His best friend is Teal'c, he watches hockey, he's never seen Star Wars, and his favorite show is the Simpsons.

Samantha "Sam" Carter (played by Amanda Tapping).

 

 

AKA one of the most well done female characters on TV. She's part of the Air Force, carries a gun (and uses it) with SG-1, can hold her own against men, but still remains feminine. She's a bit of a geek, in terms of computers and stuff. She's an astrophysicist. Sam is very down-to-earth and kind. She's a really great character.

Teal'c (played by Christopher Judge).

 

Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior. The Jaffa are kind of like guards to the bad guys (the Goa'ulds) but Teal'c defects from them in the first episode and spends the series trying to free his people from the slavery that their false gods (the Goa'ulds) have put them in.
He's pretty cool. He doesn't speak all that much and hardly ever smiles.... But in a cool way. That's the way he was raised. He does enjoy an occasional hockey game ("The Canucks of Vancouver are superior warriors"), though, and has seen Star Wars, what, eight times? Nine.

His catchphrase is "indeed" which he says all the time.

And now my favorite character... ever. In the whole wide world. Okay, maybe not. But he's right up there with Julian from Star Trek and Sherlock Holmes and Tintin. I mean, seriously. He has got to be the best character....

Daniel Jackson (played by Michael Shanks).

 

AHHHHHHHHH! I LOVE HIM!
Sorry....
Anyway, Daniel is the nicest guy in the whole wide world. He's kind and compassionate. Plus he's an archaeologist which is super cool. And he knows a whole bunch of languages. He also dies, like, ten times in the show. Most of the time it's his clone or the version of himself in an alternate reality. And he makes the WEIRDEST faces. Seriously, if you were take a screencap of all his weird faces, you could laugh your way through life.
His first three seasons are spent trying to find his wife, who was kidnapped by one of the Goa'ulds to be his wife.
He's just such a good guy. It's kind of sad in the last two seasons when his character changes from nice guy to gruff guy.

Those four, Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Daniel, are the primary characters for the first six characters. Then, in season seven, Jonas Quinn joins them just for one season.

 

He's a pretty nice guy as well, though is he kind of a filler character.... But he's cool. I like him. He's an alien. And he likes to watch the weather channel.

In season 8, Jonas leaves and it's just Jack, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c again. But then in season 9, Jack is promoted to General and leaves the show.

Colonel Cameron Mitchell take his place (played by Ben Browder).

 

After the amazingness of Jack O'Neill... It might annoy some people to have a new leader.... But I LOVE Cam Mitchell. He is so cool. I realized the other day that he's a totally geek. He makes all these Star Trek references, even if people don't have a clue what he's talking about. And there's this one episode where he meets an alternate reality version of himself and they are talking and making jokes and they're like best friends.

 

That's how he is, but with an alternate version of himself.
He's a really great character. He's so cool.

And the last character... Vala Mal Doran (played by Claudia Black).

 

Vala is a bad girl. She shows up a couple of times and then becomes a pretty regular cast member during seasons nine and most definitely ten. She's not a character that most people would like, but she grows on you. She is sneaky and manipulative and only does stuff for others if she gets something out of it. She's gone through a lot in her life... abandonment and being a Goa'old host and lots of other stuff. She likes to seduce people and have fun and is kind of childish.
Despite all her faults, though.... She does grow on you (at least, she grew on me). She grows a lot in her two seasons for the better and eventually joins SG-1.

So, all in all, this is a very wonderful show. If you like sci-fi and archaeology this is definitely the show for you. It is so intricate and well done. The acting is superb (there's an episode where all of the characters switch personalities with each other and they do brilliantly acting as each other. It is so totally amazing) and the writing is superb. This show is definitely a 10 out of 10!

Live long and prosper!

Little disclaimer thingy... Like all TV shows, this one definitely has it's faults in language and sexual content. If you start watching this show, BEWARE of the first episode. The made-for-TV version of it is just fine (I believe) but if you watch the extended edition/feature length version of it has a full screen image of a naked lady.... So, just watch out.

A quick post on how absolutely amazing the Tintin movie is.

Watching it at my friend's house today further inspired my love for this film and Tintin in general.

 

This is one of those movies where every time you watch it, you notice something different (especially if you are a fan of the books and can catch all the references).
If you look carefully... there is actually a mini-side-plot during the whole Bagghar scene. If you aren't watching closely, you can easily miss it. And I think that this little side-plot thing perfectly captures Herge's writing. It's something he totally would have done in his books.
It starts out when Tintin and Captain Haddock are walking through Bagghar.... You see these signs in the background:

 

The people of Bagghar are suffering from a water shortage. Yet, later on in the film, you see this outside the home of Omar Ben Salaad (their wealthy leader):

 

A big, beautiful lake! Soon after, Captain Haddock shoots the dam that was keeping the water from Ben Salaad's people.

 

The people of Bagghar are very happy to have their water back.

They are so happy, in fact, that they don't even care that Tintin and his friends are destroying their city (something that I hate in movies... they did that in National Treasure to - destroy London and then leave without taking care of the damage).
It's kind of fun to watch the water in this scene (and all the different people trying to collect it)... In the background (right before Tintin rides through the spices and makes everything orange and dusty) you can see the water, which has been travelling through the city, down towards the ocean, pop up out of a fountain (showing that it is still, indeed, travelling down towards water, just like Tintin and his friends. They are all going down and end up in the same place. So does that one tank that is stuck in the hotel).

Herge deals with a lot of political things in his books, and a lot of morally unjust things. This little background plot in the movie fits with both of those criteria, and I think that Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and the writers did an excellent job of portraying that part of the Tintin books - and all in the background as well! Not one comment was made about it by the characters. I think that's pretty cool.

Live long and prosper!

"Treat her like a lady.... and she'll always take you home."

I told you that you were in for some posts about Star Trek... This is the first one. I'll give you a couple blank paragraphs to prepare yourselves.





Today I'm here to talk about The Enterprise. Not just The Enterprise, though. All the Enterprises. At least, all the ones that are in Star Trek.

There have been several Enterprises in real life.... Including a 19th century ship (which is replicated in the Next Generation movie Generations.... although I think it's just a replica of a typical 19th century ship, not actually one named Enterprise), an aircraft carrier from World War II, and another ship that has been in service from the 1960's-2012!

 

 

The next Enterprise that came around is a pre-warp space vessel.

And after that.... The first Enterprise. It isn't the USS Enterprise, though, like all its predecessors. This one is just Enterprise.

 

 

 

 

It's the ship from the fifth series of Star Trek, also titled Enterprise... It is the only Star Trek show that I do not recommend.

 

Now we're back to USS Enterprises again.... And this is where I start to dig deep into my nerd knowledge. A.K.A. I build up what I already know about the Enterprises by looking on Memory Alpha (the Wikipedia for Trekkies) what I don't know.

 

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701

 

 

 

This is the Enterprise that people are most familiar with. It is the one that carried Captain Kirk, Spock, Doctor McCoy, and the rest of the crew on their five year mission to explore strange new worlds. It's a Constitution-class ship and was in service for forty years until Klingons destroyed it in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

 

Next came the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A, which looked pretty nearly identical to the first NCC-1701. After cruising back and forth in time in a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey to save some whales, Starfleet decides to honor Kirk and give him another Enterprise. The Enterprise-A takes Kirk and his crew through the last two Original movies. It was decommissioned at the end of the sixth movie.

 

After that came, you guessed it, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-B! This one is an Excelsior-class refit. In the first few scenes of Star Trek: Generations, the ship is taking its first trip, a short one... just around Pluto and back. It has a number of honored guests on board... Captain Kirk, Commander Chekov, and Scotty. But something goes wrong... And you'll have to watch the movie to find out what (it's worth it, especially for those Original Series fans).

 

After that came the NCC-1701-C... which I don't know too much about, other than it was destroyed.

 

Then comes the U.S.S. NCC-1701-D. Also known as... the ship that carries Captain Picard and his crew through the seven seasons of the Next Generation and their first movie!

 

 

 

This ship is a Galaxy-class ship that carries 1014 passengers. It is capable of saucer separation (a feat that the writers never let us forget) and is altogether a really cool ship.

But, of course, it gets destroyed.

 

And the Enterprise-E is created! For the remaining three Next Generation movies, the crew rides in the NCC-1701-E.

 

Evidently there is a Enterprise-J sometime in the future as well.... but it only appears in one episode.

 

So there you have it! All the Enterprises! I'll leave you with this quote that sums up all of the Enterprises:

 

"New ship.... but she's got the right name. You remember that now, y'hear? Treat her like a lady... and she'll always take you home." - Doctor Leonard McCoy, from the first episode of The Next Generation.

I can't believe it's July!

This year is moving by too quickly....
Sorry I didn't have a Top Tuesdays up yesterday. I'm under the weather... sort of.  My body can't decide if it's sick or not - or if it has a cold or allergies. So I've been lying on the couch resting and reading. Yesterday I also did a lesson of math which used up all my brain power, leaving none left for a Top Tuesdays.

Hopefully today's post will make up for it... I have a number of things to talk about and June wrap-up updates.
So, without further ado, let's get started!

1. Miss Jack Lewis Baillot over at However Improbable interviewed me! Check it out HERE!

2. Writing update. I had to change my writing plan slightly to accommodate the fact that instead of Two Parts, I now have Three Parts to After the Twelfth Night.
My June goal was to edit Parts Two and Three... But I changed it to just Part Two because Part Three needs some going over before Mom and I attack it.
Which brings me to my July writing goals...
In the near future (like, in the next week) go over Part Three and add scenes that need to be added. Then go over it with Mom. Hopefully finish by the end of the month... But if not, the world won't explode.

3. Reading update.
I finished ten books this past month! Including The Two Towers! Wooohooooo!!!
How am I doing on my summer reading list? I've got a few of them read....

• The Future Door by Jason Lethcoe - finished today!
• Crater by Homer Hickam - hoping to start in the next few weeks!
• A bunch of random Agatha Christie - I got one read! Murder at the Vicarage, the first Miss Marple mystery.
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - Haven't started it yet, but plan to soon.
• Emma by Jane Austin - I'm currently reading this one and loving it!
• Sew, It's a Quest and Do You Take This Quest? by Kendra E. Ardnek - check! These are great books. I especially liked the second one.
• Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - this is one of the questionable ones... I might read this one next month.
• The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss - another questionable one that I might read next month.
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll - I'd really like to get this one read soon.... especially since it's so short!
• Assignment: Eternity by Greg Cox - I exchanged A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court for this Star Trek novel.
• The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien - now that I've finished with The Two Towers... I want to take on the final part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm planning on reading this one next month.

And the other books on the list I took off because I either haven't got them anymore (they went back to the library) or I've lost my interest in them for the present.

4. Nerd Life.

 

Claire at Working Title is doing a nerd marathon this month called Nerd Life. Here is the link. You can go there for the information. I'm going to take part! At least partly. There's two parts to this marathon... During the month of July you challenge yourself to read as many books as you can (that you've never read before). Also, during the month of July, you can post about nerd/geeky things such as Star Trek, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, etc. etc....
I'll start off with my goals for the reading quest (which I'm gonna take from my list up above). This month I plan to read and blog about....

• Crater by Homer Hickam.
• And Then There Were None (or, Ten Little Indians) by Agatha Christie.
• Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie.
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
• Emma by Jane Austin (even though I've already started reading it.... I want to finish it this month - that's my goal).
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll.
• And finally... Assignment: Eternity by Greg Cox (the Star Trek novel).

We'll see how far I get!
As for the other part of the Nerd Life... I'm going to use it as an excuse to ramble on and on and on and on about Star Trek! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! *ahem*
Maybe not. But look out for posts about Star Trek, Doctor Who (because I fully intend to do a DW-episode-watching-marathon-thing this month), StarGate... and books, I suppose.
I think it will be fun. If you want to participate, just head over to Claire's blog (links up above) and tell her you'll be participating! And if that's not enough incentive, participants get a picture drawn by Claire at the end of the month (she's a fabulous artist!).

That about wraps up everything I wanted to say...