The Amazing Pitsville and The Beggar's Invisible Railways Book Reading & Talk

Calling all Sci-Fi afficionados, book-worms, and fantasy lovers and especially if you like modern day magic stories along the lines of Harry Potter! Be at Getsome Coffee tonight on Trenton Road at 7:00 p.m. for Gabe Redel's Book Reading & Question and Answer Session of "The Amazing Pitsville and The Beggar's Invisible Railways!" Beyond the Vortex is sponsoring the event and there will be door prizes for the general public (4 doorprizes) and a few doorprizes for existing members as well. (A free volume of the Unwritten and a Doctor Who iPhone cover to be given away later in December or possibly hand delivered to your doorstep but are only available if attending tonight's event)


Summary:
When McGavin gets knocked from the clouds, he crashes into the
amazing land of a humble lumberjack, a weeping butterfly, and a
high-strung, grub eating, goofy fuzzball named Beagle. There, in
Pitsville, he finds a wife and begins to learn how to be everything he
is not, until Kemp The Beggar conjures up a plan to steal Pitsville
and exile its people into his own evil alternate world. McGavin and
team find help from a lazy critter and a careless Army tank driver to
take down The Beggar by learning the secret of The Invisible Railways,
befriending powerful enemies, and convincing a world of stolen people
that their only way home is through the belly of a raging volcano.

Author Bio:

Gabe Redel is a poet of literary nonsense, acclaimed by none other
than himself. His first gig was as the "Glad You Asked" writer for a
local paper. Since then he has had his hand in an array of projects,
some successful and some that crashed and burned. He was born in
Racine, WI where he grew up a "cheesehead" cheering on the Packers,
working on stables, and acting in theatrical performances. Currently,
he resides in Clarksville, TN, where he enjoys the wilderness and
training in kickboxing. The Amazing Pitsville and The Beggar's
Invisible Railways is his first novel.

When: November 29th, 2012
Where: Getsome Coffee at 3862 Trenton Road
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sponsored by: Beyond the Vortex Science Fiction & Fantasy Club

Beyond the Vortex Star Trek: TNG 25TH Anniversary Week

Shields up! Red alert! Computer discontinue simulation. Beyond the Vortex Sci-Fi Club of Clarksville, TN will be hosting a Star Trek week in honor of Star Trek: The Next Generation's 25th Anniversary. On July 21st at Beyond the Vortex at 7:00 p.m., we will have a prequel event where the group will watch the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies at Freedom Deli.

The festivities officially begin on Monday, July 23rd with a lead up to the event at Get Some Coffee at 6:00 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m., we will head over to the Great Escape for the screening of Star Trek: The Next Generation specials, which will start airing at 7:00 p.m. Get Some Coffee is located at 3862 Trenton Rd., Suite C, Clarksville, TN.

The following Saturday, July 28th at Freedom Deli at 8:00 p.m., we will be watching miscellaneous Star Trek episodes and / or movies. Some fan based movies may also be available for the group to watch. Beyond the Vortex looks forward to seeing you during Star Trek: The Next Generation event and for Star Trek week in July!

Star Trek: TNG 25TH Anniversary and Blu-ray

Last month, the theaters were announced for the Special Star Trek: The Next Generation High-Definition Events, which will be screened across the country at various theaters on the evening of Monday, July 23rd.

The pomp and circumstance for the 25th Anniversary screening of Star Trek: TNG will be nothing less than magnificent for the long awaited release of the series onto Blu-ray. Special theater screenings are being held to commemorate and promote the release of Star Trek: TNG's Season 1 Blu-ray, which will be released the following day on July 24TH. Bonus featurettes are said to include never-before-aired scenes, photography, interviews with main cast and crew members, and behind-the-scenes footage of how the Special FX were made for the original Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. 

Futhermore, The Star Trek: The Next Generation fan audiences will be able to see an exclusive preview of the upcoming, "Measure of a Man." Tickets will be $12 for the two to two and a half hour plus extravaganza! Great Escape theaters will begin selling tickets on Friday June 8th and As an added perk, naturally, StarTrek.com members who have registered were allowed to purchase tickets in advance of that date. Being a fan has it's advantages, eh?

Ready or not, here it comes: the first ever Blu-ray of Star Trek: The Next Generation Season One, which features every episode digitally remastered in Hi-Def! The release date is scheduled on the 24th of July. Rabid Star Trek: The Next Generation fans can't wait to get their hands on the six-disc set that will be in 7.1 audio (DTS) and at 1080 pixel resolution. The retail price has been set at $118.00 officially by CBS in the USA, according to StarTek.com.

Believe it or not--that's actually a little less than the retail price of the Blu-ray disc of season one for Star Trek: The Original Series. Ultimately, Amazon.com has the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation available for $40 off with all pre-orders, which is not bad at all! Until then, we'll all be eagerly waiting this epic release!

Sci-Fi Movie Heroes (Including Superhero Thrillers) Played by Bruce Willis

Aside from predicting an African-American Commander-in-Chief to insane fashions being all the rage like Lady Gaga's fashion sense--both were predicted in The Fifth Element. Even in 1997, The Fifth Element was way ahead of its time.

After watching Twelve Monkeys, a group of my friends and I were trying to remember all of Bruce Willis' movies in the SciFi genre, with The Fifth Element being an easy one as we had just finished watching the critically acclaimed French movie. The Fifth Element holds up against the test of time exceptionally well. Also, we have a new movie to add to this list later this year: a new SciFi flick coming out this September called Looper, which will also feature Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the main antagonist. Gordon-Levitt is supposedly a hit man who will be up against Bruce Willis' character who's on the run. The speculative fiction aspects of the story in Looper will revolve around time motifs. So, for those who liked Bruce Willis' portrayal of James Cole in Twelve Monkeys, Looper will be a must-see movie. Enough about that for now as this post shall remain major spoiler-free!

Sci-Fi Movie Heroes (Including Superhero Thrillers) Played by Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper, in Armageddon (1998).

• James Cole, Twelve Monkeys (1995)
• Korben Dallas, The Fifth Element (1997)
• Harry Stamper, Armageddon (1998)
• Dr. Malcolm Crowe, The Sixth Sense (1999)
• David Dunn, Unbreakable (2000) 
• Hartigan, Sin City (2005)
• FBI Agent Tom Greer, Surrogates (2009)
• TBD, Looper (Coming out September 28, 2012!)

Countdown - Only Two Episodes of SG-1 Left

Shortly, the second to last episode of SG-1 will air on the SciFi Channel--the ending of an era, and the beginning of a new one. However, there are great hopes with Atlantis being the next generation of StarGate. Tonight we will find out how Ardia survived, and the confrontation occurs between the Orici and StarGate SG-1 as Vala's heart hangs in the balance.

SG-1 Discussion Questions on Forum

For everyone who is going to miss StarGate SG-1 or who wants to muse over possible outcomes of the show, there are discussions going on over at mylot. No spoilers, please. Just click on the links below! ;)

1. Countdown: Only Two Episodes of StarGate SG-1 Left
2. StarGate SG1: Post Your Farewell Messages
3. StarGate SG-1: Who Will Live and Who Will Die?

P.S. : Please forgive any typos there as the forum hoster won't let me edit my discussion posts, or at least I haven't figured out how to do so yet.

Family Ties (StarGate SG-1 Review)

Airdate: 06/08/07

Written by: Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
Director: Peter DeLuise

In "Family Ties," Jacek, Vala's father played by Fred Willard, special guest star, claims to have heard that Earth is in danger from his source, Robak. The episode sub-plot involves Dr. Caroline Lam, General Landry's daughter. I love the way this episode starts off. It reminds me of a story from the Classic X-Men comic book between Jean Grey and Storm (But, of course the friendship between Ororo and Jean is played down in the movies to a mere co-worker status). And of course the klutz, from Episode 200 fame, has to stumble into something. It's good to see some more character development in SG-1, though SG-1 rarely disappoints.

Of course, from the look on Vala's face, we can tell that there is going to be trouble between the daughter and the father from the start. A flabbergasted Vala tried to get SG-1 and General Landry to not authorize Jacek's meeting regarding Arkad's plot to attack Earth. After Dr. Lam treats Sgt. Klutz, she speaks with her own father, General Landry, who has come to pay her a personal visit. Lexa Doig did a good job acting-better than usual, but of all the StarGate characters, we've spent the least amount of time getting to know her, which is why it's good that she is part of the sub-plot in this episode.

When Daniel asks Vala what she got from her dad, and she said, "some minor food allergies,"--it's hilarious because we immediately recall the "other" skill sets she could have gotten from him. Jacek, of course, wants to tell them everything he knows about the Jaffa attack in exchange for full sanctuary on Earth as only he knows the location of Arkad's planned attack. From a high orbit, SG-1 detects a load of Naquadah on the planet Jacek gave them, thus ensuring the deal. Jacek arrives, though Vala would rather see him in a penal colony, which says a lot. It is surprisingly tender that Jacek spent everyday for three weeks trying to reach Vala. But, until General Landry gives her a little fatherly advice, she isn't interested. Of course, we're thinking pot-kettle. It is interesting to see the changes in Vala's character in a role reversal for her character juxtaposed next to Jacek.

Of course, we should know by her calling Jacek by his first name, that there is turmoil between them. But scamming old ladies during a Bingo game is just atrocious even as Jacek claims to be attempting to change his illegal ways (and we won't even mention Pepitito). Oh, and then there's the "stardust" scam, which was funny as hell, undercutting the $19.95 ads. Fred Willard gives a dazzling performance as Vala's father, and is as funny as a tea party on a turnpike. Teal'c gives Jacek the advice: "Be less annoying," just before Jacek tries to get Vala to go with him to the "Virginia Dialogues," but instead gives the ticket to Teal'c. Of course what happens when aliens try to understand Earth culture is a complete mix-up. Poor Teal'c ends up watching Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues." Poor Teal'c!

Vala has not lost her lock-picking locks--this is good for SG-1. Jacek makes a deal with the renegade Jaffa to buy and sell the Naquadah, and had a Jaffa com-patch in his personal effects. Unfortunately, no one can find the cloaked cargo ship and with one dead Jaffa, SG-1 has to stop them before they detonate the Naquadah. Jacek asking Colonel Carter to dinner is hilarious, as is Carter putting him in his place. Finally, we see some real character development between Dr. Lam, General Landry, and Dr. Lam's mother. Vala telling her dad he's sloppy was a nice touch too; great character development for Vala. I love the way Vala signals SG-1 with the insulting phrase to her father. To be honest, I thought it was bad having Vala on the show initally until I realized what great depths Claudia Black could bring to the show as an actress (Not to mention the fact that I've fallen in love with the character).

Did Jacek really get away with his ultimate scam? Jacek is almost endearing when he gives Vala the necklace, and clicks his tongue, but somehow we know better, but not when it comes to Vala. The ending is perfect. Had no idea that "Jibbaran virility enhancers" were so tasty--Jacek is such a master scammer.

Though we can tell Vala lied to him about the box, it is a good ending except for the Sci-Fi channel voice problems. The talking was out of synch during one of the final conversations and during next week's preview with the Orici, Adria, Vala's daughter. During all the final female parts, the sound being off was the fault of the Sci-Fi Channel. Rather annoying for a perfectly humorous episode.

Spock's Disembodied Brain

After some apprehension, I decided to review possibly the worst episode in history of Star Trek: The Original Series(ST:TOS) entitled, "Spock's Brain (Episode 61)."

The Enterprise stumbles upon a small, highly advanced vessel, but is unable to communicate with it, and thus the episode starts off not too out of the ordinary for Star Trek, but true believers had no idea what was to come next--back in the day. My spouse and I sat down to watch the usual Sunday night digitally remastered Trek--both of us being avid Star Trek fans. The only reason my spouse gave was this: to see the remastered version.

Little did I know that the woman in the skimpy purple outfit transporting onto the Bridge would signify the beginning of the most ludicrous Star Trek episode ever made. I mean ludicrous in the sense of being uproariously funny, and altogether bad at the same time. At first it looks like Captain Kirk's new fling, but we quickly see that the Brunette Barbarella bombshell has other plans--none other than stealing Spock's brain. Her spaceship does look impressive with the new effects. This "Barbarella" has had way too many drugs, for she is far too happy for words (You have to see it for yourself). Kara's purple outfit was vintage if not cool. The "Boing" waves knock out the crew by the push of a button on her wrist that makes you wish Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie" were guest-starring--at least she could have knocked out the crew at once and not have had to merrily go deck by deck.

When they all wake up, we hear McCoy tell Kirk, "Jim--his brain is gone." You do have to give the actors credit for taking this so seriously because it must've been hard to keep a straight face, and Kelly's classic eye wrinkle is so convincing--if only the episode were. Here, we see Kirk facing a Kobayashi-Maru, a no-win scenario for Spock again, and he fights Spock's fate. The Class M planet they were supposed to go to was Sigma Draconis Six, with sapient life, but later in the episode, it is referred to as "Sigma Draconis Seven." This error in the plot makes me feel sorry for the writer, Lee Cronin--hope he had work after this episode was over. As always, Kirk, the luckiest Captain ever, makes the right guess of which planet Spock is on due to the energy bursts emanating from it in regular intervals.

Once on the planet, we learn that the men are called Morg, and they fear the "Givers of Pain and Delight," the Eymorg, as well as that the men have no concept of the word "woman." You might wonder how these people reproduce at first, but luckily, the Eymorg have the apish male slaves for that. Again, Kirk's luck holds up as the trap doesn't go off the first time they enter the cave, but you're going to wish that it did because of what happens next: we see Spock in the "Brain Body Movement Device," which clicks around like winding a mechanical clock. The away team meets Luma, and later Kara, the woman who took Spock's brain--both of whom possess the minds of children. Gosh, it is so cheesy even saying that.

Once they hear and trace Spock's voice on their transmitter, Spock chimes by attempting to crack a joke. The frightening consequences of being captured by the "Givers of Pain and Delight" that Kirk is so concerned about appears to be turned into sex slaves such as the other men the women provocatively were feeding. We learn that Spock has become "the Controller," and thus controls their sprawling, underground complex built by the ancients. Shatner is so good at those throes of pain! We cut to Lieutenant Sulu for an update on "stating the obvious." As Kirk points out that the delightful aspects are strictly under the control of the women, we learn that this is, of course, a perplexing issue to him--what a womanizer! As a commentary on a society domineered by women, this episode fails miserably. McCoy gets denigrated by Spock, but points out that "the skill to replace a brain does not yet exist in the galaxy."

Next, we see Spock (let's just rename him Creepy Nimoy meets Jason. shall we?) clicking around in Barbarella-land. Of course, when this was aired, the notion of a society ruled by women was apparently treated as some male fantasy land, yet speaks to a parallel between the pain and pleasure involved in all relationships on a universal scale. And last, but not insignificant, we find that Spock is in a black box tied with light rays into a futuristic machination.

This episode has brought me to a startling conclusion: Trek is Trek. However futile this episode may seem, the concept of "The Teacher" is a science fiction concept that has been revisited time and time again--from the quagmire of this episode, a gem of science fiction emerges.

Though the teacher looks more like a modified hairdryer prop with no special effects, the concept was revisited in StarGate:SG-1--first with Colonel Jack O'Neill, and then with Daniel Jackson. Like "The Teacher" in "Spock's Brain," the knowledge of the ancients does not last--a kind of flash drive of downloaded knowledge. Hello--anyone ever heard of "The Matrix?"

A moment of foreshadowing of the greater concepts of Star Trek II and III occur in this very episode. Spock believes they should not have risked so much for the one(himself), and likewise, Kirk risks everything to save him. Then, the cheesiest part of the episode is when Spock gets right up after McCoy finishes operating and when "Bones" starts to forget the ancient knowledge--even if he saved Spock--the following part where they reconnect Spock's vocal chords is so utterly implausible. The first time I watched this, I burst out into loud laughter. And of course, there is no sign of the surgery, as Spock himself is as if nothing had ever happened. "Truly terrifying, Captain, . . ." as Scotty would say.

StarGate SG-1 Preview of Dominion - Only Two Episodes Left!

I can't believe that there are only two episodes of StarGate SG-1 left to watch ever! It's the end of the show we thought would never end, and apparently, the SciFi Channel is in disbelief as well. As a tribute to the series, the SciFi Channel is hosting a Grand Finale Countdown Celebration at SG-1 central: http://www.scifi.com/stargate/. Also available for scrumptous consumption are: Top ten Moments, Character Moments, Cast Farewells, and the Forum for discussions and such. And don't forget to vote for the "Best Episode Ever," while you surf the site.

Watch the preview to the next episode entitled, "Dominion." From the preview on SciFi.com, SG-1 somehow learns that Adria, The Orici, is alive (Yes). Check out the promo video here: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=117363.

Next Episode of SG Atlantis With Michael

Watch the preview to the next episode entitled, "Vengeance." Apparently, Sheppard's team search for missing civilians leads him to Michael. What has Michael created that is so devastating? Check out the promo video here: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=116481.

Submersion (SG Atlantis Review)

Airdate: 06/08/07

Writer: Ken Cuperus Director: Brenton Spencer

The Atlantis team docks the puddle jumper at a Atlantean geothermal drilling station(platform), looking for an unlimited power supply from the thermal power. And even after the last five-star episode-one thing hasn't changed: McKay is still a whiner.

By the way, what is "Oh, zing" besides Mckay's favorite new catchphrase?

The team has spent hours together in similar situation to that of the space shuttle crew all cramped up inside. Their mission: to power up the station, and find out why the project was abandoned by the ancients.

Teyla senses a Wraith presence nearby the drilling platform, but it's not on the life signs detector, thus they believe it is the pressure affecting her mind. Dr. Weir and Teyla agree for Teyla to check via establishing a mind-link to the Wraith, but the Wraith ends up being too strong for her, thereby remaining undetected. Got to love the references to "The Abyss." Finally, we get to see Teyla in action, though more in the telepathic sense. The station looses power and the force fields lock down the grid sections. Dickinson and Graydon are red shirts if I've ever seen them. Interesting that Rodney hired the wrong guy after all and that if Dr. Grayson had gone on this mission, then he most certainly would not have survived.

An experienced queen centuries old is their foe. By the way, why didn't the life-signs detector pick the Queen up? The reason the episode gives us is that she was not on board yet, but don't they run the life-signs detector again while she is on board? Theory: the ancient Wraith queen is so powerful that she is able to mask her presence in their minds. ---mask the minds of all who check the life-signs detector with an illusion.

You have to love the occasional science fiction references to Star Trek. In a past episode, John Sheppard is compared to Captain Kirk by McKay for being a lady's man. In this episode, Dickinson threatens to call Dr. McKay, Dr. McCoy, which he should have. One of the micro-morals of this episode is to say what you think because you might not get another chance. And McKay refers to Teyla's gift as "Teyla's spidey sense."

Teyla opened her mind to the Wraith queen. Rachel Luttrell's acting was brilliant and everyone at our Sci-Fi Friday gathering was impressed with how she was able to portray herself as possessed by the Wraith. Others commented that even the way that she walked and spoke was different.

This queen is so powerful that she can control another person's mind-even Colonel Sheppard's. The costuming choice for the Wraith was exquisite and this queen is the most distinctive queen ever as we see her personality through how driven she is; we know how far she will go, and that she will stop at nothing short of her goals. The Atlanteans faced in her a fearsome foe-ruthless.

The Wraith queen tells them that they are, "All about to die." They find that they didn't notice a Wraith cruiser completely buried in silt because it was emitting a low EM field. They theorize that she swam over through the crushing depths, constantly healing herself (I'd hate to see this queen at full power).

And why doesn't she have a name? She led the first wave of hive ships against Atlantis in the great war, and was the Queen of a great alliance. This earmarks her as important, and we should know her name.

The queen fed on her crew, and cyclically woke and slept like a bear in hibernation. Yet after millennia, she is foiled when she gets to the only means of her escape-the jumper- and doesn't possess the gene to fly the Atlantean ship.

Did anybody notice Teyla's eyes going white while she was trying to read the queen's mail?-Neat effect-even if it is reminiscent of Storm. Again, what is this queen's name? Not that they care, but if Teyla's reading her mind, then it shouldn't be that hard to figure out for Teyla, and would have fit nicely in right before the "Queen of a Great Alliance" bit. Was this an alliance of only Wraith factions, or did other races join up with them that we have yet to encounter? After a while, with only "Wraith Queen" to differentiate them, it can be confusing talking about them, and unlike Borg Queens, I am sure that Wraith Queens actually have designations.

Poor Ronon-the guy has to have a high pain-threshold. Ronon sure is gullible in this one, but I don't blame him the first time. But the reason he probably left them together was him hoping that Teyla would kill her.

They lose the control room, and with no time for a rescue jumper, we sure are lucky that these ancients were not all super telekinetically endowed with power, and that some of them needed mechanical devices to explore the depths. If the Wraith vessel blows, Atlantis and the geothermal platform both go out. Teyla basically tells the Wraith Queen, "Bring it on Bitch," in her own unique way.

The wraith cruiser was covered in silk, which is why they didn't see it on the way down. Wraith technology must be superior to maintain an atmosphere for so long. The queen activates the self-destruct sequence on her cruiser, and the Atlantis team must find a way to stop it from creating a chain reaction at the power station and destroying everything that we care about on the Atlantis planet. I won't tell you how it ends, but I will tell you this: this episode is great sci-fi.

Will we see this queen again? It would be nice to have named Queens and Wraith characters that return from time to time--this is what makes Michael such a unique character. Atlantis is in need of more villains currently--villains with names. By developing each Queen or high ranking male Wraith, we get to see the boundaries and the extent of Wraith culture.

For examples of a good Wraith enemy, Atlantis writers can turn to "ST II: The Wrath of Khan," or the traitor-ess in "ST: The Undiscovered Country." The head Replicator was a good enemy for Atlantis as was the past two Genii leaders. Atlantis should really remove the power device from the Wraith cruiser if it really poses such a great threat to the station-seriously-this would make a good future episode.

The Wraith, like the Ori, go back to StarGate having its own mythology to pull from though some could argue that the Wraith are much akin to vampires--it is a rebirth of mythology for a generation without any mythology of its own as Joseph Campbell said in "The Power of Myth."

This is Your Brain on Spock's Brain

Parents-don't let your kids watch this episode of Star Trek: The Original Series(ST:TOS) entitled, "Spock's Brain (Episode 61)." Your ability to think logically will become greatly impaired. Though, what I'm not kidding about is how bad the medical science is in this episode-- even for an ancient civilization. Thank heaven that Spock was practically reincarnated from the Genesis planet; he may not have lived too much longer with Dr. McCoy's patchwork job on his neurons. This episode has been touted by some as the worst Star Trek episode ever, which could be arguably compared to certain Enterprise episodes by critics and fans alike. Such episodes may be funny but make for a debacle that beggars description.

Submersion (SG Atlantis Preview)

Air Date: 06/08/07

According to SciFi.com, the new episode of StarGate Atlantis is to have a Wraith queen who awakens from a long, deep sleep under the ocean where she has been for ages. Apparently, the Wraith queen tries to destroy Atlantis, and use Teyla as her pawn. This episode looks pretty good from the promotional clip.

StarGate Atlantis Season Two

Only the Second Season is Available now! :(

Can't wait for the Atlantis - Third Season DVD to come out, and the season's not even over yet.

Deep Forest

Ahhh. Music to relax to. Anyone like them?

StarGate SG-1 Season 10

The Tenth Season with Ben Browder! :)

Can't Believe there's only going to be one more DVD for this series ever.

Hmmmm

Funny. Another advertisement for "Painkiller Jane." Is anyone a big fan of this show? Dark Angel had more clout.

Blogger Widget a Smash!

Testing . . . 1, 2, 3 . . . I've been testing the new blogger widget interface by Daniel Radtke. After doing some homework, I've been able to get it to work no matter what my isp is, since we just switched from BellSouth to Charter. "When you just don't want to open a web browser" is the blurb Radtke promotes the blogger widget with, and I have to say that it's a handy blogging tool. But, you had better hit Control C first after selecting the body copy, or else you could lose your work once in a rare server lapse. Check it out for yourself at: http://widgets.yahoo.com/gallery/view.php?widget=36585

Star Trek VI

Trek has long been a fascination of mine, and I have followed it through all of its incarnations and series, though with a differing degrees of loyalty. I have become more of a Trek fan as time has progressed, but I fell in love with "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" because of its theme of racial unity and harmony. The ideals presented in Star Trek VI were ideals that hit home. Living in the South, one sees a great deal of racism and bigotry, and the opportunity for change. Star Trek VI sends out a call that we can all strive to overcome our hatreds, our prejudices, and even our own fears.

The Yellow Wallpaper

In the short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, we see how women are treated in the Nineteenth Century. If you read it, you'll understand what quacky mental illnesses they came up with to keep women from being creative. Both DeAnna Troi this blogger would agree that such practices amounted to insanity and execrable sexism.

Why Can't We Get Along?: Counseling in the Twenty-First Century and Beyond

I was at the UPS Store the other day getting some price quotes on my new e-bay art business when I noticed the customer at the desk next to me was beginning to get irked.


"I need this to go out today!" He demanded.


When the kind lady told him that their store shipments had gone out for the day at 2:30p.m. (it was 3:25), then his voice rose over everyone else's voice.


"If you can't get this out today, then I'm canceling my order. Do I owe you for the cards?"


"No, sir. I'm cancelling that order for you right, now. I apologize for the inconvenience about this," the young woman told him.


"What's happened to me in the last few days has caused me to lose faith in humanity as a race."


He grabbed the items he walked in with and stormed out, vowing to tell others not to use the UPS store's services. By this time, the clerk assisting me just looked at me, and we wondered, what was that man's deal? After shaking our heads, the day slowly crept back to a normal pace as I finished getting my price quotes, and headed to pick up my partner at work. But as I plodded along in the dilapidated Lincoln towns car, I began to wonder what could have happened to the man in the last few days that could have devastated him so?


Perhaps he had lost a loved one, and lost a job all in the same short time span? Losing faith in the human race is a pretty drastic statement to make in front of a store full of people. I don't know the answer of course, but I do know one thing: we all have choices. That man made a choice to unleash his emotional anguish in a negative way. When people need help, sometimes they keep too much inside and stuff and then explode. In the end, the results are usually horrid, and the person who emotionally explodes is no better off.


There are several ways to lessen the situational stress crises bring us:

1. Talk to Your Spouse.

2. Talk to a Friend.

3. Journal about your feelings and thoughts on paper.

4. If you are more comfortable online, or on a computer, then try journaling at LiveJournal.com. You can set each post individually to your desired privacy level.

5. Seek professional help via therapy. Counselors aren't just "shrinks" anymore.

Even among the crew of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, we do see a counselor in the crew's vaulted ranks. Why? Because it's a necessity.

Furthermore, the American Psychological Association has proven standards and practices that have been well honed and established, unlike the counselors in centuries past with such horrors as shock therapy and imaginative illnesses as witnessed in the short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. As we've moved into the Twenty-first Century, even our government understands having counselors on hand during a crisis. There is no shame in going to see a counselor or therapist on a regular basis. If everyone was in therapy, then the world would truly be a better place.


In closing, I would like to remind everyone of Counselor Troi on Star Trek:TNG. Even though there were a few super-sappy episodes, most of the time, she provided invaluable support and mental health support for the crew. Luckily, in real life, we don't have to deal with aliens possessing our minds and bodies, but we do have to address our needs. Talking through our problems with a friend, or another qualified individual can only help us. I am personally testifying that counseling has greatly improved my quality of life. After all, I, like Seven of Nine, have been able to be de-Borgified. The Post-modern world tends to make us more Borg-like and logical in the fast-paced environment we live in. Everyone has emotional needs, and needs to de-Borgify themselves.

The next time you feel that all faith in humanity is lost, then stop and talk with someone you can trust about the things that are bothering you. Ninety-nine percent of the time, you will leave with a small granule of faith intact, and it's that small granule that we all need to keep alive.

Echoes (SG Atlantis Review)

Air Date: 04/20/07

Written by: Carl Binder

Directed by: Will Waring

This episode had great potential, but fell short due to the science behind sci-fi. Flying into the sun was not a popular move with science fiction afficionados at our usual sci-fi Friday gathering. My chemistry major-physics expert lunged at his head in throes of pain at the very notion of being so close to the sun during an extinction level event.

It would have been more plausible if a number of other possibilities had merged: the whales saved the planet; an ascended being saved Atlantis and the whales; or they got two more Z. P. M.'s.

Though it was fun to watch, as I love the series, this episode loses major science points for flying into the sun during a coronal mass ejection. This also begins a trend of Teyla not seeing a lot of action in the latter part of this season. Even though StarTrek IV has been criticized, it has been a fan favorite to enough people to warrant a collector's edition/director's cut. It would have been better even to nod to ST IV by having a sentient whale space fleet block the coronal ejection with a space whale song functioning as a shield.

The sun wasn't the only thing ejecting--in this episode, science was ejected out the window.

Science Fiction is a careful balancing of the implausible with the plausible.

Even though this is not a hardcore piece like something Isaac Asimov would concoct, it should err on the side of treating extinction level events as serious threats--especially considering the time period is Twenty-First Century Earth--even with Atlantean technology.

There were plenty of other ways to resolve this plot without compromising the science. Sure, people could still complain, but not nearly as much as they are complaining now. The science issue in "Echoes" puts this episode at a 1 on a scale of 5. I hate rating systems; if you are dedicated to a show, however, you watch, and to some degree enjoy, all of the episodes. The problem is that now I have to convince my friends that the show is worth another shot.