Dirty Laundry...

Greetings...

I was a Sci-Fi day here at the House of Kahless with lots of activity.

The day started pretty early this morning.  We had started decorating the house for Christmas last Saturday, but after all the Thanksgiving revelry and Black Friday activity (by Mrs Kahless, not me though), we ran out of decorative enthusiasm pretty quickly.  So we did finally finish today and I thought I would share what makes Christmas decorating fun for me.  I have a small collection of Star Trek, Star Wars and other Hallmark collectibles and I thought I would post a few pictures here for you...

These are all hanging on the tree.  This year's featured collectible was the one in the bottom right corner of Dr. McCoy.  It's funny that when it is time to take down the tree, the Death Star and the Star Destroyer are so small that I probably will not be able to find them.

The Shuttle Craft in the upper left corner is the first ornament I got.  That one and the Enterprise-D at the bottom both have to be plugged into a string of lights.  If they ever quit making the miniature incandescent lights, I'll be in trouble putting these up.

So, the Kahless household is ready for Christmas.

It was also "Star Trek and Laundry Day."  It is just what it sounds like.  While I do the laundry, there are episodes of Star Trek on the TV.  I am currently going through Voyager.  

Intrepid Class USS Voyager

 It always seems that when I listen to others talk, there isn't a lot of love for Voyager.  That's too bad because I really like that series.  I even like Chakotay.  Yes, I saw the YouTube video where he talks about how stupid he thinks all Trekkies are, but so what, he did his job on the series and that's what really counts.  I especially like the Native American spirituality that permeates the character in the first couple of seasons, and was very sad when they got away from that aspect of his character.

Robert Beltran as Chakotay

 One episode that I have always really liked is the season five episode, Counterpoint.  For me, it is one of the best of Voyager.  While passing through a region of the Delta Quadrant being controlled by a race of people known as the Devore, the Voyager crew finds itself being compelled to stop at irregular intervals so the ship can be inspected for any passangers or crew with telepathic abilities.  So a team of inspectors led by Kashyk goes through the ship scanning for telepaths.  As we know, Tuvok, as a Vulcan, is a telepath, and we learn a little later in the show that Voyager is indeed transporting a group of telepathic refugees out of Devore space. Kashyk's crew never finds any telepaths to arrest because they are being hidden in the transporter's buffer during the inspections.

Kashyk is played by Mark Harelyk who also appeared in Jurasic Park III, and Big Band Theory.

 When the Dvorans leave Voyager, the telepaths are beamed out of the transporter and Voyager continues on its way.

 Not long after an inspection, Kashyk arrives at Voyager in a shuttle and explains to Captain Janeway that he is tired of being a bully and wants to start a new life by joining the Voyager crew and helping them get through Devore space with a minimum of hassle.  He further tells Janeway that he knows all about the telepaths that are on board and that he is also aware of her plan to get the refugees to a wormhole in a nebula to help them escape, but Kashyk also tells her that there will be an ambush when they reach the wormhole resulting in the capture of the tlelpaths and internment for Voyager's crew.  Janeway cautiously takes Kashyk in and listens to his advice.  She also seemingly falls in love with him.

Kashyk thinks he has gained Janeway's confidence, but to the contrairy, while he thinks he is playing her for a fool, it is actually he who is getting a game ran on him.  Anyway, the refugees escape, Kashyk figures out that he is the one who is the fool, and cannot take any action against Voyager because then he would have to admit to his superiors that he let the refugees get away.

I like this episode because Kashyk comes across as very convincing, and all the while it seems that he is going to actually pull the wool over Janeway's eyes.  Great plot twist there.  I also like the music that accompanies the inspections.  Kashyk has the computer play the second movement of Mahler's First Symphony to help keep the crew calm while his minions scan for telepaths. (By the way, Memory Alpha lists that what is played is Tschaikowski's Fourth Symphony.  If you are familiar with music, you would know that one could NEVER mistake Tschaikowski for Mahler for many reasons I will not go into here.)

I streamed two episodes of Fringe from Amazon last night and am still liking this show.  The Sci-Fi quote for this week is something I have been laughing about all day.  I haven't quite figured out what the story arc is in this series, but I did catch a few clues as Peter has been accepted as an official consultant and can now enter the Federal Building without an escort.  It took getting some nasty electrodes shoved up his nose and a realization that there is more going on in the world than meets the eye.

At some point tomorrow, when the house is quiet, I will be recording comments for the SciFi Diner Conversations show, which I think will be #71 and also for the Christmas show.  Scott has called for listeners to send in their top five geek Christmas wish list.  I think I came up with a pretty good one.  If you want to know what I have chosen, you'll have to tune in to the Diner to find out.

Well, there it is...

Q'aplah!

Hello Everyone...

Welcome to my Sci-Fi Blog. My name is Jim and I have been thinking about doing this for some time. Professionally, I am a music teacher at Kenesaw Public School in central Nebraska. I enjoy most things that are science fiction, but mostly those things that are related to space. I also enjoy learning about science fact as well, again mostly things that are related to space. I frequently watch the NASA Channel. As you might guess, my love for sci-fi stems from a love for Star Trek. I am a Trekkie, through and through, and am very proud of it, even though it is often a source of ridicule for many people I know and work with. With this in mind, I really want to connect with others that share my love for Star Trek, Star Wars, or Star-anything. Thanks to the Internet and the advent of podcasting, I have been able to do just that.

So I will start this first post with a few facts about myself. I own every episode of all of the Star Trek series (including the animated series) as well as all of the movies. I love them all, including Voyager and Enterprise. And yes I do like the opening song for the Enterprise series. I also collect other series as I find deals on them. So I also have Firefly, Space Above and Beyond, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, and Starhunter. I also have some that are not really sci-fi like the Highlander series and Alien Nation. I cycle through all of these in no particular order over and over again and never really get tired of them. Much of what I plan to blog will deal with these series. I also have a number of movies on DVD and Blue Ray, way too many to go into right now. After all, this is a blog, not a dissertation.

I also enjoy reading books on my Kindles and listening to audio books too. Not all of what I read and listen to is sci-fi related. For instance, I am currently listening to Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. But I have also just started reading another Star Trek novel by Peter David. It is one of his New Frontier series of novels entitled Missing in Action. If you're looking for something fun to read that is set in the Trek universe, but with fresh new characters, the New Frontier series is a good place to start.

I have to give credit where credit is due, and that is the inspiration for doing this blog. Thanks to the people who produce the podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis including...

The Sci-Fi Diner Podcast: Scott and Miles host this podcast that appears on a mostly weekly basis. They talk about all things sci-fi, have some fantastic interviews with some major figures from the sci-fi world, and review a number of movies and television shows. They have a main show that is up to episodes numbering in the 150's at this point. But that's not all! They also host a separate show called the Sci-Fi Diner Conversations where they welcome comments from listeners and offer feedback to the feedback from those of us who listen. I have been privileged to appear on the Conversations show a number of times as my alter ego - Kahless. But wait, there's more. There is also the Sci-Fi Rewind show where Scott, Miles and a guest host take a single movie and pick it apart. These are some very interesting shows and have the potential of giving one a new way to look at films. Some of the more memorable Rewinds include Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, Logan's Run, Starship Troopers, and the one that I was honored to be included in as a guest host for the Rewind of Total Recall. They also put out the Sci-Fi Diner Classic in which they replay interviews they have had in the past. Where Scott and Miles find the time to do this is beyond my comprehension, but thanks to the love they have for the genre, they continue to find the time and put out a very high quality and professional sounding show.

Colin from England produces the Trek News and Views podcast. This podcast, devoted to Star Trek has a variety of fascinating things happening. Recently, Colin turned over his show to the girls and they scored an interview with none other than Robert Duncan McNeill, aka Tom Paris of Voyager. He also produced an outstanding show from his Star Trek London experience and played clips from talks given by several stars of Trekdom. Colin and his guests, which are many, do show reviews and discuss numerous aspects of trek such as time travel. Trek News and Views is an intelligent and well thought out show that I look forward to hearing every week.

David, Daren and Alicia produce Trekcast: The Star Trek Podcast Which I can only describe as the Star Trek Rock & Roll Podcast. These guys and girl are a scream to listen to and you never know what you will get next. They have recently returned to podcasting from a one year hiatus from podcasting as real life got in the way. This is a high energy show full of passion for Star Trek. You just have to listen to understand what this one is about. It is more fun than should be legal!

Captain Pyke and Crewman Becky host their blog Subspace Communique which touts to be a source for "Trek Culture Served Daily."  There is always interesting news on this blog and it is also a way to find their podcast called "Life After Trek."  It is a collection of some of the best interviews with former Trek cast members you'll ever hear.  This one is just what the title says it is, what is happening with the stars of Trek since the shows have stopped airing.  You get some interesting insight on the personalities they interview.

Last, but most certainly not least, is the crew of Starbase 66.  Rick, Karen, Kennedy, and most recently UNKK take a look at many things from the sci-fi and fantasy world.  This was the first podcast I started listening to and has been one of the best.  If you are looking for a unique perspective on movies, comic books, and many, many other subjects, I urge you to check this one out.  By the way, that UNKK guy is a NASA employee and occasionally he will give descriptions of what is going on at the Kennedy Space Center that are so vivid, you could almost picture them.

So, there it is, my first sci-fi blog ever.  I hope it isn't my last.  As always, please feel free to leave comments.

Q'aplah!