To Boldly Split Infinitives Where No Infinitives Have Been Split Before!
So recently I've been on something of a Star Trek kick, specifically DS9. For those of you not in the know, DS9 is sort of the red-headed stepchild of the Star Trek family (not that there's anything wrong with red-heads. I've fallen for the occasional red-head, but that's not the point). Whereas all the other contemporary Trek shows were basically controlled by Rick Berman (TNG, Voyager, Enterprise), DS9 was off doing its own thing, helmed by Ron D. Moore (the new Battlestar Galactica). While Berman's shows were dictated by the apocryphal Roddenberry doctrine, which ruled that characters were not allowed struggle with moral dilemmas (given that humans had sufficiently morally evolved by the 24th century that they wouldn't make mistakes), Moore's DS9 featured characters with rougher edges. While the Berman shows basically followed a planetary-encounter-of-the-week, DS9 spent its time developing the characters on the station as they dealt with internal difficulties. Furthermore, DS9 was a show that was not afraid to make long-running story-arcs that tied the whole series together. Voyager sort of did that, but the whole "get home" thing kind of got lost between the Borg and all the other mishaps. DS9 also gave us the chance to see characters grow over the course of the show. My personal favorite character arc is that of "plain and simple" Garak, the tailor. When the show first started, Garak was just a Cardassian tailor who decided to stick around on the station at the end of the occupation. As the show progressed, it became clear that something more was going on. Turns out Garak was actually a member of Cardassia's Obsidion Order, which is basically like the KGB of Cardassia. Though Garak occasionally uses his connections to help the crew, we seldom believe it could be for a purely altruistic reason. As the series progresses, Garak becomes something of a hero, risking his life for greater good. Next time, we'll look at Garak's foil and parallell, Gul Dukat. Yes, I am a geek.
3 Comments:
Oddly enough, I happen to agree with you. I do, however, like the orginal series with Captian Kirk better. What concerns me more is that we are capable of such intellectual talk on the topic of Star Trek! For instance, the whole Dax issue brings quite a few questions. Does the simbiant have problems with switching genders? Could a simbiant be imprisoned for the rest of it's natural life? Not to mention the whole moral quandry with Dax and the Klingons going on random killing sprees. You don't really get any of these cool issues with a normal star trek series.
What amuses me is how much of a TV freak Wyma is! All the WhitEworth proffs are pretty normal... as far as people with PhDs go... and then you get to Wyma. The stuff that he remembers is truly amazing. That and the fact that he likes watching Buffy. I like Buffy, but that goes to my love of movies with the undead in them. But Wyma and Buffy...? Thats a dark horse!
How geeky are we? Well, a lot less normal than somebody who has an encyclopedic memory of "Will and Grace" or worse, "The OC." Just tell me you haven't been to a Star Trek convention Will.
Oh yeah, one other thing. Time permitting, you should check your comments in the afternoon Spokane Time. I get out of school at about 11 AM your time so a post will probably be there (if ever) around 1130-1200
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best shows ever.
Buffy is cool, but I prefer Angel myself. I haven't been to a convention. I feel that there are better things to do than go to a convention center filled with sweaty overweight males dressed as Klingons and watching has-been actors talk about a long-dead show. That said, onto our more serious issues.
The Dax issue (actually the Trill issue in general) is one that I have been trying to piece together myself. From what I can tell, the symbiont and host blend to form a unique entity. The result is a little bit of host and a little bit of symbiont. The symbiont grants all the knowledge and memories of its past hosts to the mix, while the host provides his or her personal memories, abilities, talents, and quirks. As to who is in control, that is another matter entirely. The mix only seems to work if both parties are in harmony. Thus, the symbiont can't force the host to do something against his or her will (at least, not without risking rejection), and the host has similar limitations. The result is two separate life-forms with one shared consciousness. As to whether one host can be held responsible for the actions of past hosts, that's another question entirely, though I am inclined to say that the responsibility lies with the unique blend of host and symbiont that did the deed. For instance, if the symbiont's previous host was a serial killer, technically it is the unique combination of symbiont and serial killer that is responsible for the act. As established before, when the symbiont is transferred to a new host, the result is a new and unique entity, and is therefor not responsible for the sins of its precursors.
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