Star Wars and Star Trek: That Time Ensign Kim Almost Killed Han Solo

Garrett Wang, who is best known for playing the eternally low-ranking Ensign Kim in Star Trek: Voyager, disclosed in the Delta Flyer Podcast that he creates with fellow Voyager alum Robert Duncan McNeill, that back when Voyager was in production in the 1990s, he almost ran over the legendary actor, Harrison Ford.  

In recounting this near-disaster, Wang described  driving through the Paramount Studios’ parking lot, he recalled speeding around a bend and Harrison Ford appeared out of nowhere, right in front of Wang’s car ‘I’m actually speeding around the parking lot, and I come around this one bend and this guy in a suit walks between two cars, right in front of my car, so I slam on my breaks,’ Wang said.

Ensign Kim

When he realized who the gentleman in the suit actually was, Wang’s first thought was “Oh my god, I almost killed Han Solo!” I would have been hated by nerds everywhere.”

Thankfully, no one was hurt in this parking lot episode, but think about this for a minute in a geeky nerdy way…had Star Trek’s Ensign Kim actually hit and harmed or killed Star Wars’ Han Solo, the eternal debate between fans of the two franchises could be decidedly more belligerent.  As it is, many fans debate on social media which fictional universe is better, Star Trek or Star Wars.  That debate is, and should be, ongoing and be both passionate and logical. 

Han Solo

This reminds me of a comment made by George Takei (Hikaru Sulu from the original Enterprise) some years ago, where he said, in effect, that Star Trek and Star Wars fans should unite in a grand Star Alliance to fight the real enemy: The Twilight Franchise!  I thought that was a hilarious comment, especially as, having seen the first of the Twilight movies, and going “ugh, glittering vampires?”  

Regardless, it is a good thing that Ensign Kim did not run over Han Solo and Indiana Jones.  The fictional movie world is a better place with Han alive.  BTW, have  you seen the recent Star Wars movies…?

Pandemic Quarantine Reads: Zone One

While looking for good pandemic/lockdown reads, I stumbled upon Zone One. Here are my thoughts on this book.

Zone One: A Novel, by Colson Whitehead

Several articles on books these past couple of months mentioned that sales of pandemic and virus-related books, both fiction and nonfiction are up. People are reading about past epidemics as well as fictional ones.  After seeing a list of recommended pandemic fiction reads, I decided to dive into several of these plague-ridden dystopian fictional worlds. Here are my thoughts on one of these pandemic-themed books.

Zone One, by Colson Whitehead, is a zombie apocalypse novel written in 2011, is the first of those books listed in a New York Times piece on this genre.

When reading an author who is new to me, I usually do not read up on his or her background, intentionally choosing to learn about their writing style and their world view through the eyes and experiences of their characters and their stories.  This habit of mine led to a bit of a surprise about half-way through this book.  A bit of a disclaimer: I like zombie books.  

I read the first several volumes of the graphic novel version of Walking Dead, (you DID know it was a comic book before it was a TV show, right?).  A couple years ago, I read World War Z which was remade into a Brad Pitt movie with much faster zombies, but basically the same plot (yes, the movie is worth watching).  So, when I decided to start my virus-inspired quarantine reads, after reading a New York Times Book Review listing of virus/pandemic related books, I thought Zone One sounded interesting.

Whitehead’s writing style took a bit getting used to. His transitions from his main character’s present-day life, to the character’s flashbacks to the past are sudden, and at first a bit confusing, but the overall quality of his writing, and the life his character led during the virus that, yes, turns people into zombies, or, as the survivors call them, “Skels”, definitely grabbed ahold of my attention by both lapels and refused to let it go.

About halfway through this book, the main character, whose real name we never learn, but who is called “Mark Spitz” throughout the book (the explanation comes about midway through), is revealed to be African-American.  Now, this was a bit of a surprise, as, I assumed, with no descriptions to the contrary, Mark Spitz to be white.  His nom de guerre of Mark Spitz, a famous white American Olympic swimmer from the 1970s, helped lead me to assume he was white.  Well…not!  At that point, I started wondering if the author was also black. Breaking my informal rule, I looked him up, and yes, he is African-American. In addition, he is not just some pulp fiction, dime-a-dozen sci-fi author, but he is a real life “literary” writer with actual, real (i.e. non-Sci-Fi) writing awards to his name. From Wikipedia, I learned that Colson Whitehead  won the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In 2002, he received a MacArthur Fellowship, which is a so-called “genius grant” only given to really serious people in various fields of work.  I love sci-fi and fantasy fiction, but I will be the first to admit that most of the authors I read in those genres do not win Pulitzer Prizes for fiction!

In the words of one book review I found after finishing this novel, Zone One is part genre fiction, part literary fiction—a zombie story in the hands of an award-winning literary novelist. Whitehead has stated that the novel was partly an attempt to return to his adolescent fascination with horror writer Stephen King and science fiction icon Isaac Asimov.  What drew me in, of course, was the pandemic connection and the zombie piece, but once I got used to his writing style, the social commentary that he inserts into the story is cutting and very insightful as to the state of American society as he sees it today.  If this story (minus the virus-created zombies of course), is indicative of his other writings, I think I will check out his other books at some point.

The book is worth picking up in my opinion. His character creation is good, and the world he creates is compelling, but sad.  He captures the humanity of the virus survivors and describes the psychological quirks that the survivors live with. This aspect shows that he creates three-dimensional characters who you can believe could be real.

By the way, just as I was finishing up writing this piece, news came out that Whitehead had one a second Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this time for  The Nickel Boys. I stumbled upon a major literary figure, and all I wanted was a book about how a virus turns people into zombies! Lucky me!

Music is a Balm in This Time of COVID and Closure

A Reminiscence of Music Past

Music is a balm for many people, especially in our current Covid-imposed lockdown.  I find myself taking advantage of the newer streaming technology to connect with music that I have not heard, in some cases, for decades, in other cases, songs I go back to every now and then.  Today, I was reminded of some the “origin story” of my love of folky-style music and Americana.

 

Covid took the life of singer-songwriter John Prine the other day, and while I know I had heard of him before, I could not recall hearing his music, despite the ebbulent praise heaped on his talents by a bevy of musicians whom I enjoy.

 

So tonight, I called up my favorite streaming service, and said “Hey, Google. Play John Prine.”  And out of my Google speaker came pure folksy Americana! Some of his music I am now sure that I had heard before, most likely played as covers by others; and listening to Prine’s songs got me thinking about other musicians whom I enjoy playing that style.  I pulled up my Google music account on my phone (see, I mentioned the newer tech for finding music!) and searched my music library and settled on some old songs I first discovered decades ago (yes, I am showing my age).

 

First up was “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman.  I remember when I discovered this song on the radio in 1988.  I was working as a substitute teacher during the school year, and part-time on the night shift at the local 7-11 store in the summer (and on weekend nights, when the school year fired up again).  I probably first heard Chapman’s song on the radio as I mopped the floor in the wee hours at that store (I know that is where I first heard Guns and Roses and the Travelling Wilburys), and when I heard that my all-time favorite, Bob Dylan, would be playing at the new amphitheater at George, Washington (The Gorge at George), and Tracy Chapman as his opening act, I knew I had to go.  

 

The concert was on August 20, 1988 (yes, I had to look up the actual date), and I and my brother drove in my old brown Chevy Cavalier hatchback to Eastern Washington to catch the show.  The amphitheater was attached to a winery, and, of all things, they were selling wine at the show! We did not really know what to expect, since this was pre-internet, and you could not just look up details on the venue like you can today; so when we got there, we ended up sitting on a couple rocks (this was a ‘natural’ outdoor amphitheater).  Dust was everywhere, floating, sitting, wafting in the breeze. Did I mention that this part of east-central Washington is known for being both dry and windy? In front of us were multitudes of old people, or so it seemed, as my brother and I were among the youngest in attendance based on our somewhat biased and youthful observations (I was 23, and he would have been about 19 at that time).

 

Now, keep in mind the time period here.  The late 80s, prime Reagan-Bush years, and most hippy types from the 60s were now in their 40s or early 50s, plus a few years before, Dylan had toured with the Grateful Dead, so it seemed as if every other person we saw wore tye-dyed Dead regalia.  Thinking back, I am pretty sure I was wearing a polo shirt and jeans, which was my interpretation of concert casual.

 

Past the tye-dyed, greying fans with wine bottles and joints in hand, we saw a large metallic structure festooned with huge speakers, and behind that edifice, we then saw the mighty Columbia River, and the cliffs of the gorge.  I wonder if Dylan himself looked upon this powerful river with thoughts of his idol, Woody Guthrie in mind. That folksy troubador of Depression-Era America had at one time been hired by the Federal government to write songs about the Columbia and the large construction projects then under development.  One of those Guthrie songs is titled “Roll on Columbia,” and I would like to think Dylan played it at this show, with the Columbia River rolling on behind him, but he did not. Yes, I had to look that up also. Oh well, so much for what might have been.  Sidenote: As it turns out, this show was part of the first few months of Dylan’s so-called “Never-Ending Tour,” which began in June, 1988.  Dylan himself said the NET ended in 1991, when G.E. Smith left his band, but the Never-Ending moniker has stuck to his habit of constant touring.

 

The show began with Tracy Chapman and her band taking the stage for a short set, and I do recall “Fast Car,” and “Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution.”  She played well, and I enjoyed her music, and, while I cannot recall her last song, she ended it literally as the sun set over the gorge right behind her.  Beautiful sight, and beautiful timing!

Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman

After a break, Bob Dylan and his crack band took the stage.  His guitarist was the excellent GE Smith, best known as the guitarist in the Saturday Night Live band back then, and, from our dusty outcropping of rock, we listened to Dylan and his electric folk energize us and the old hippies around us.  

 

I’ve seen Dylan three times in total: At the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington on July 31, 1986 when he toured with Tom Petty; at the Gorge at George in 1988; and then again in the mid-1990s at the Paramount Theater in Seattle.  

 

I never saw Tracy Chapman perform live again, though, through the magic of Google’s Music account, I can call up her more modern music and give it a listen, just as I did with the John Prine songs.  This musical memoir was originally going to just look at the bevy of songs I listened to after the John Prine tunes, but then I got to remembering Tracy Chapman and Bob Dylan. For the record (are you old enough to see that pun?)  after listening to Prine and Chapman, my random song selection then took me to the Rolling Stones “Salt of the Earth,” U2’s “Van Dieman’s Land” (with Edge at vocals), and several Woodie Guthrie tunes, including “Roll on Columbia,” and Tom Joad Pt. 1 and Pt. 2.

 

Music is an important part of dealing with our currently crazy world, and I find solace in music’s embrace.

Poetry Analysis-The Farmer-Allegory for a Veteran’s Pain

I see poem “The Farmer” as not just a poem about a man literally working the “barren earth,” but as an allegory for his post-war life, dealing with the trauma and perhaps the PTSD that hits many veterans.

After reading W.D. “Bill” Ehrhart’s poem “The Farmer”, the first time through, I looked him up on the internet.  He has written both poetry and prose, and a lot of his writing reflects his experiences in Vietnam, even the poems that, on the surface, do not seem to mention the war.

 

His website, https://wdehrhart.com/biography.html, has some of his prose and poetry available for visitors to peruse, and it makes for interesting reading.

 

One of those poems is “The Farmer,” and after reading it a couple times and from also looking at some of his other work, (and a review of poetry by him and other “Vietnam Vet Poets” at http://worldsofhurt.com/chapter-five/),  I started to see The Farmer as not just a poem about a man literally working the “barren earth,” but as an allegory for his post-war life, dealing with the trauma (and perhaps the PTSD-one of his other poems shows him reflecting on his anger and how it scares his wife and daughter) that hits many veterans.   As a man, depicted as a farmer, who every day has to go out into society, and work the fields of life, despite how he feels as he deals with the emptiness in his soul as he works through “the slow intransigent intensity of need.”

 

Similarly, I see the line “I have sown my seed on soil guaranteed by poverty to fail” as what he sees as his failings as a husband and father (look at his poem The Simple Lives of Cats) likely due to his problems from his war experience.

 

The passage:

 

But I don’t complain—except

to passersby who ask me why

I work such barren earth.

They would not understand me

if I stooped to lift a rock

and hold it like a child, or laughed,

or told them it is their poverty

I labor to relieve. For them,

I complain. 






Can be seen as the experience of a veteran who encounters civilians in everyday life, who do not understand what he does and why.  I have read and heard that the comment people often tell to veterans and active duty military, “Thank you for your service,” is often looked at by many vets as a meaningless platitude by well-meaning people who can’t think of anything deeper to say. The line, “I work such barren earth.  They would not understand me,” I think speaks to this, as anyone who was not in Vietnam (or Kuwait, or Iraq, or Afghanistan) can truly understand what the veteran went though.



“They would not understand me…[if] told them it is their poverty I labor to relieve,” is significant in this context, as the veteran knows those well-meaning people would not understand what is going on inside him and how he deals with the barrenness of his heart and soul, despite the fact that he served in their stead in the war(s), for it is their poverty he labors to relieve.  This goes back to the “Thank you for your service” line, where the unspoken piece of that phrase could very well be…”in our place, since you went to war and we did not.” Again, the non-veteran can never truly know what barren fields the veteran is plowing and working as Ehrhart phrases it “Each day I go into the fields” to try to heal the “barren earth” of his soul.

 

Discovering Star Trek: Discovery

First impressions here without spoiling much, of Star Trek; Discovery, which I began watching from the POV of a long-time Trek fan.

Discovering Star Trek: Discovery

I just began watching Star Trek: Discovery. Yes, I know, for a guy touting himself as a Geek, to just now start watching what is turning out to be a very interesting, very geek-worthy Star Trek show is scandalous.

Before you start slinging bat’leths at me, let me hasten to explain…

You see, I am rather stodgy and old-fashioned when it comes to certain things.  When I first heard that CBS All Access was a paid subscription for the new STAR TREK series, my proletarian sensibilities were upset.  In the old days (and, as you all know, “in the old days” is grumpy old man talk), we could watch Star Trek with only an antenna…and then with a cable hookup…and then through Netflix, and so on.  You see, it took me a while to decide that it was ok, that the Alpha Quadrant would not collapse into a tizzy if I actually subscribed (with money) to the new CBS access to see my new Star Trek show.

Star Trek Discovery-Cast
Star Trek Discovery-Cast

 

Plus, from talking with fellow Trekker fans at the recent Emerald City Comic-Con, and getting-first hand reviews from real people who also shelled out good money to meet George Takei, well, that helped convince me.  I had heard bits and pieces over time from fellow geeks at work, and, frankly, the news that Sir Patrick Stewart himself is getting a new show titled “Picard,” well, that sealed the deal for this geek!

 

So now, I have duly subscribed to the Old Gods of CBS All Access, and am now five episodes into the first season.  My thoughts on what I have taken in so far? Well, WOW!

Star Trek Discovery-GIF
Star Trek Discovery

I had heard that CBS was putting a lot of money into the production values for the show, based on the idea that a lot of Trek fans would pony up money to see it, and you can really see the quality in the props and special effects.  Top notch! Each episode looks like a mini-movie, and the acting is also quite good.

I’m going to give my first impressions here without spoiling much, I hope.  The first two episodes had me scratching my head a bit, since I knew the show is named after a Federation vessel (Discovery-named, as I later learned, from the ship in 2001: Space Odyssey), yet the main ship in the opening episodes is the USS Shenzhou, captained by Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Crazy Rich Asians) as Captain Philippa Georgiou.  First Officer is a woman named Micheal Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green (Walking Dead).  While this show, now that I am into it by five episodes, plays homage to all of the previous Star Trek shows, is unique in several ways.  Our main character, Burnham, is not a starship captain. The show opens with a ship that is not the ship of the show’s name, and the show leaves a few questions in my mind.

Among those questions (again, trying to not spoil things here):  What is up with how the Klingons look? This is at least the third iteration of the physical appearance of Klingons across the various shows and movies.  Will ST: Discovery eventually explain this? Also, we see a lot of advanced tech on board Discovery that was not seen on Kirk’s Enterprise. Now, obviously, the special effects of the mid-late 1960s were inferior to what we have today, but if this new show is supposed to hold onto the continuity and the canon of the overall Trek Universe, we will need to have some explanations. From some brief readings online (https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/10/23/star-trek-discoverys-holodeck-has-fans-freaking-out and https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/18/15658904/star-trek-discovery-klingon) some of my questions and concerns have been alleviated, but I am a continuity and canon geek for my fictional universes, and I want clarity!

Before I go away to watch the next episode, I will say, that the references to historical figures (like Jonathan Archer) and “current” people like Christopher Pike and certain Vulcans and their family members do send the true Trek fan in to fits of geeky ecstasy.  If you are a Trek fan, then this is a series worth checking out. More reports on the show as I progress through the episodes.  

Live Long and Prosper! 

Seattle Mariners: No Joy in Mudville Again…

 

Seattle Mariners: No Joy in Mudville Again…

Those of you who live in the Pacific Northwest, and who are baseball fans (or at least Mariners fans), once again are experiencing a very common ailment around these parts…another disappointing Seattle Mariners season.  With one game left in this season, the Mariners are in 3rd place in the AL West, with a record of 88 wins and 73 losses.  For the first part of the season, Mariners fans held out the somewhat realistic hope that our long playoff drought would finally end with at least a token appearance in the post-season.  

Alas, it is not to be. With the painfully quick fall of former ace Felix Hernandez, along with the shocking 80-game suspension of Robinson Cano, our hopes faded away like a promise of a rainless day interrupted by dark clouds rolling in from the west.  Thinking about this drought, it is shocking in a depressing, geeky sort of way.

The last time the Mariners played in the post-season was literally as the U.S. was beginning the invasion of Afghanistan.  Literally, the Mariners failure to reach the post-season is the same length as America’s longest war!

Many of the kids who are now seniors in high school, were born after the last Mariners’ playoff game.  Think about that…

George W. Bush was only ten months into his first term as president when last Seattle appeared in the playoffs…

Netflix was still mailing out videos then…Amazon was just an online bookstore then…

I didn’t have grey hair then…oops…

One good thing to hang our compass rose hat on though…remember the bad old days when Seattle fans were just praying for a winning season? Well, at least we got that goal accomplished.

Until next season…at least we still have the Seahawks…wait, their record is WHAT?

BowieVision Tribute Band Performs

I had the chance to catch my Brother-in-Law’s band at the Auburn Ave Theater last night. He is the guitarist in the David Bowie tribute band, BowieVision. Wow, is that band good! Watch him and his band perform “Rebel, Rebel” in the video I took. If you like excellent musicianship and a fun evening, go see BowieVision live! 

The show lasted about an hour and a half, and the audience clearly loved the band. The lead singer bantered playfully with the audience in between songs, and the musicianship was tight. This band knows their stuff, and they clearly know David Bowie’s music as if it were their own. The band lets fans take photos and record videos during the performance, as you can see in the video I took below.

 

Rediscovering Lost But Loved Music: Eric Clapton’s Behind the Sun (1985)

Rediscovering Lost But Loved Music: Eric Clapton’s Behind the Sun (1985)

Comic Book Review: Marvel Two-In-One #9

While eagerly awaiting the relaunch of Marvel’s First Family, (i.e. the Fantastic Four), I jumped at the chance to read the new adventures of The Thing and The Human Torch when Chip Zdarsky’s new Marvel Two-In-One series was reborn. I have a history with this title, having read and collected the 1970s version. You see, this was one of those cases where Marvel wanted to feature a particular hero, in this case the Thing, without actually giving him a self-titled book. So they created a team-up book (which was working for them in Spider-Man’s Marvel Team-Up book), in which Ben Grimm/the Thing, teamed with various heroes in his own adventures. Loved that series!

Marvel Two-in-One #9
Marvel Two-in-One #9

Fast-forward to the 21st Century, and we realize we live in a dystopian future devoid of any Fantastic Four books. Long story, not going to editorialize (much) on Marvel’s short-sighted and mean-spirited war with Fox Studios over ownership of the Fantastic Four and X-Men characters, but, suffice it to say, we have been FF-less for a while now. Then, ta-da, Marvel and Fox kiss and make up, and Marvel announces the imminent return of the Fantastic Four.

To prep us for that, they bring back Thing’s Marvel Two-In-One series, where Ben is teamed with (for the whole series) with his buddy Johnny Storm/Human Torch, along with a somewhat reformed Dr. Doom.

Zdarsky does a great job of capturing the personalities of Ben and Johnny, while setting the stage for the actual return of the Fantastic Four. In this particular issue…yes, some minor spoilers here…

We see our heroes duking it out with the Mad Thinker and his most recent lackeys while trying to survive in an alternate Earth where a deranged Peter Parker has set up his own Battleworld. Against this backdrop of plot and battles, we see the series-wide struggle between Ben and Johnny that is at the heart of this series. Ben is convinced that Reed, Sue, and the kids are dead, while Johnny holds out hope that they are alive, and that is why he accompanied Ben on this multiversal journey.

Looking forward to #10 and the new FF series. If you are a fan of the Fantastic Four, you MUST read this series prior to picking up the new Fantastic Four comic series.

Book Review: Stephanie Plum #2-Two For The Dough

As I read this second book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series titled Two For the Dough, my wife would look over at me curiously as I literally laughed out loud (LOL!) at the hilarious antics of Stephanie Plum and her Grandma Mazur as they tracked down a fugitive and investigated the associated crimes of this guy. Without giving away any spoilers, let’s just say that the…ahem…pieces of evidence that came their way are by turns gross, but very funny.

Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, #2)

Evanovich has a knack for capturing moods, facial expressions, and East Coast accents (New Joisey) and setting Stephanie and her support cast (Love Grandma Mazur and Rex!) up in nutty escapades that are close enough to be believable to keep the whole story from going off the rails.

I look forward to reading the entire series. NOTE: My gateway into the crazy world of Trenton’s “Burg” was the Fox and O’Hare series co-authored by Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (Monk TV show and novels).