From Larry Crowne

There is no version of Star Trek I do not like. None.

For Cardassia!

Garak's last conversation with Dr. Bashir is an important one to understand the Cardassian character. He laments the fact that the Cardassia he knew is gone forever and that their status as "second to none" is as gone from the alpha quadrant as th Dominion. Bashir reassures him that the Cardassians are a strong people and Cardassia will survive but this does nothing to help Garak. What is really bothering him is that "so many of their best people" have had their lives unjustly cut short.

I think we can see here a contradiction in the Cardassian, perhaps from being influenced by humans for so long. Cardassians would typically be the type to worry about the greater glory of their homeland rather than the death of their fellows. After all, what is an individual to the might and glory of the State? But here, I think, we can see that the real sorce of Garak's angst is the loss of so much life. The death of each Cardassian eats at his soul, whether they be the best or the worst the planet has to offer. Of course, a true Cardassian would always cover this emotion behind a viel of patrioticism, as Garak attepts to do, but I think we, as viewers, are called to see beyond this viel. We are called to the the suffering of every individual Cardassian, rather than that of greater Cardassia.

Benjamin Sisko Lives!

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The End Draws Nigh...

Well folks, the time has come. The time for me to sit down and watch the finale to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The series has been a blast so far, with its intricate story archs (which are much more believable, given the station setting, than the star ship rolling through space) and intense romances. These archs and the sense of community on DS:9 was something Trek was unable to ressurect for Voyager (Not to deny that Voyager was an awesome series as well). It seems that throughout much of Star Trek the Federation acts as a sort of galactic peacekeeping force, rolling in and solving a planets problems, but DS:9 went much deeper than that, which is probably why I respect the series so much.

Thanks to both of you, dear readers, for you consideration. And thank you SpacerGuy, for your comments and feedback.

I will not abandon this blog. I plan on keeping it my place for Trekkie insights and thoughts as I go boldly on into the future.

May the Prophets Guide your Paths.

Meditation Time

Medication Time.

Medication Time.

Meditation Time?

Louise Fletcher as Kai Winn and Nurse Ratched. Two very similar high priestesses; one for the Cult of the Prophets, one for the Cult of Psychiatry

Ivan Karamazov and the Pah-Wraiths

I just couldn't watch the episode "The Covenant" and listen to Gul Dukat lecture (now colonel) Kira on how the Prophets have abandoned the people of Bajor without thinking of the chapter "The Grand Inquisitor" from Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov".  Ivan, one of the Karamazov brothers, tells the story of an inquisitor who denies Jesus Christ because he believes that, though God is most definitely real, he has done harm to mankind.  He comments that though God wishes men to live not by bread alone, most men are not strong enough to live without bread. The Inquisitor takes the place of God in building a future for mankind and is motivated, not by power, but by altruistic love.

In this way, Dukat may be something like him (although Dukat's intentions are not quite clear at the point I'm at).  Kira mentions that she believes he has changed. He longs for the Bajorans to love him for what he did to their planet and people; a longing that will never be satisfied.

So he has allied himself with the Pah-Wraiths against the Prophets, as Nimrod challenged Abraham and the Grand Inquisitor challenged Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is because he believes the universe is unjust and sees the Pah-Wraiths as a source of hope. Perhaps, like the Grand Inquisitor, he is truly motivated by love. Or, more likely, he is motivated, like Nimrod, by his own insatiable lust for power. He would rather all men turn to bricks for him to build his own monument with. It matters little to him, as we saw in the occupation, whether or not their bellies are full

Beginning of the End: A few thoughts.

Well, this is it. I've just watched the end of the second to last season of DS:9 and I'm starting the beginning of the last. While I haven't gotten too in depth with the series on this blog (I've been sticking to a journalistic theme) I do want to lay down a few feelings about this transition.

1. DS:9 has done what Lost tried, and failed, to do. Both series became increasingly involved in the surreal (one might say magical) towards the end. The problem with Lost is that it had previously been a very character driven show and as soon as good character-building was compromised by mysterious trips into the future, the show lost its lustre. DS:9, conversely, becomes entrenched in the celestial battle between Prophets and Pagh-Wraiths, between a struggling writer and reality, without losing any of it essential character building. Whereas Lost would throw in a few random characters when they didn't know what to do, DS:9 gives an old character a new face.

2. Which brings me to Dax. Yes, she's dead. Well, Judziah is but Ezri is welcomed onto the stage. I really didn't see this coming, but then again I didn't see Yar dying off during the first season of NextGen either. This completely sets afire the love situation between Dax and her many admirers (Hey, the girl is pretty. Ezri Dax and Kes from Voyager are my favourite Trek girls. It's something about the short hair).

                                              

3. What's up with Sisko? Is he really a writer in our universe? Star Trek could never do that, could they? That would make every single other character simply a figment of his imagination. I certainly don't believe that could ever happen but I'm anxious to see how it turns out.

I'm sorry about how sloppy this writing is and I've kind of been neglecting this blog lately (I've been focusing on my political and philosophical blog "Der Kaiser is Put"). I can't take the time to iron out these ideas into something more coherent when my Netflix is begging me to press play and watch the drama unfold. I don't have any idea how people who had to wait a week for each episode survived!

Peace, my fellow Trekkies, and may the Prophets guide your path.