Valjiir

[Buster's Uncle]

This is another example of something that seemed implausible (if not plain impossible) during the 1960's, which has proven to be possible through scientific discover years later.  I love the 'science' in science fiction!

It's an example of not getting 1968 science right.  All known quasars at the time were intergalactic distances away, more common the further away, and therefore further back in time.  Their distinguishing characteristic was being pinpoint sources of as much or more radiation as/than whole galaxies.  Nobody knew whether they were white holes from another universe, leftover pieces of the Big Bang, or what.  I knew it couldn't be a quasar when I was still in high school and we still didn't have the foggiest what quasars are.  We are saved by new terminology in this case. 

It is a fun game to make sense of these things.  Now, if only I could think of a better handwave for Spock claiming the Doomsday Machine was made of neutronium...

[Valjiir1]

Give it another 2-3 decades, and even what you guy's call 'fake trek' might seem plausible.

Hey, BUncle calls it "fake Trek"  I just call it not the original - which is IMO the best. 

[Valjiir1]

Never.  Science advances a lot faster than people do - and it was never the bad science that we primarily objected to.

Tru dat!

[Valjiir1]

This is another example of something that seemed implausible (if not plain impossible) during the 1960's, which has proven to be possible through scientific discover years later.  I love the 'science' in science fiction!

It's an example of not getting 1968 science right.  All known quasars at the time were intergalactic distances away, more common the further away, and therefore further back in time.  Their distinguishing characteristic was being pinpoint sources of as much or more radiation as/than whole galaxies.  Nobody knew whether they were white holes from another universe, leftover pieces of the Big Bang, or what.  I knew it couldn't be a quasar when I was still in high school and we still didn't have the foggiest what quasars are.  We are saved by new terminology in this case. 

It is a fun game to make sense of these things.  Now, if only I could think of a better handwave for Spock claiming the Doomsday Machine was made of neutronium...

Well, if you want a scientific explanation... " from the last half of the 20th century onward it has been also used legitimately to refer to extremely dense substances resembling the neutron-degenerate matter theorized to exist in the cores of neutron stars; henceforth "degenerate neutronium" will refer to this. Science fiction and popular literature frequently use the term "neutronium" to refer to a highly dense phase of matter composed primarily of neutrons."

This is from the Wikipedia page on "neutronium", so take it with a grain of salt - but there's more than a 'handwave.' 

[Buster's Uncle]

Nah.  I don't read all the latest physics journals, but the wikinurd who dashed that off was talking out his wikibutt.

Hey, BUncle calls it "fake Trek"  I just call it not the original - which is IMO the best. 

I actually object to people calling Star Trek TOS, let alone saying Star Trek and meaning any other version.  There is Star Trek, and then there's everything later, which have to append a qualifier.

[Valka]

I got used to using TOS, since there are so many spinoffs discussed at TrekBBS. It just means The Original Series - the real one. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Yeah; that's part of what I'm complaining about - I resent the brand confusion.  I just don't think it's fair to treat the original the same as the inferior variations.  I say Star Trek when I mean Star Trek, TNG when I mean TNG, and ************ when I mean the Mistake movie of about four years ago, y'know?  They are not equal.

[Valka]

I know what I mean when I type TOS, and it's convenient to use the abbreviations TAS, TNG, and DS9. But I always type out Voyager, and I try never to type the abomination that was Enterprise. As for the Abrams crap, when I'm being polite about it over there, I call it "nuTrek" - meaning that fake crap that pretends to be Star Trek.

[Buster's Uncle]

Yah, I just feel like being a crank about it around my friends.

As I've mentioned a number of times, I liked all the fake enough to watch it -even Enterprise- excepting that thing last year.  I just have felt since always that they took this most excellent and treasured thing that I prized as I do little in the entire world, made parodies inferior imitations, and peed all over my personal treasure.

[Valka]

Okay, let me ask you this:

Let's say that one of us got immensely wealthy and persuaded the authors and artists - everyone holding any sort of copyrights to the Valjiir stories - to allow a series to be made. Assume a great cast, well-written scripts, and enough funding and competent tech people to really do it justice.

Would you go for that?

[Buster's Uncle]

Dunno.  I'm not the audience for Valjiir.  I mean, I couldn't be less interested in Spock's love life, for example.  God bless everyone who is interested, but they didn't make it for me.  The actual episodes that had that sort of thing heavily featured are not my favorites.  For one thing, I can never watch any of it for the first time as an adult, and when I did at five, they made me uncomfortable. [shrugs]

I would be ALL over a chance to WORK on such a show, mind, but that's nothing to do with your question.

[Valka]

Why wouldn't it be part of my question?

Many years ago, I read the Stephen G. Whitfield book The Making of Star Trek. All the backstage technical stuff fascinated me, especially the props-making. Many years later, I got interested in musical theatre. When I found out that some of the people working backstage were even younger than I was (I was in Grade 11 at the time), I decided then and there that I would be part of it too.

So the following spring I applied for a job backstage, and got it. For the next 12 years, I worked on the props crew, the costume crew, the stage crew, and front of house crew. I've made fancy stuff, crappy-looking stuff (it was supposed to look crappy!), unusual stuff, and had some technical things I had to do with some of the props that were part of the play.

I can't dance or sing to save my life. Even my cats hate it when I so much as hum a tune. But I love listening to musical theatre, memorizing the songs, and learning to play them on the organ. And when you're immersed in a play for 3-4 months continuously, you pretty soon know the lines and cues quite well.

I especially enjoyed the Valjiir story where the crew performed Jesus Christ Superstar for the ambassadors. I worked on that play back in 1981, and it was the most fun time I had in my life. I had that play so thoroughly memorized, to this day I can replay parts of it in my mind, hearing the singers, the instruments, even some of the sound effects as they were done in our production.

The night I had off, I sat in the audience to see the play for myself. It was a magical experience.


So you can work on a show and still appreciate the performances - even moreso, since you know some of what went into them, and all the technical things that enhance them.

[Buster's Uncle]

Okay.  Have I mentioned my broadcasting degree and professional performing background?  Heck, if I lived within an hour's drive distance of where they shoot Phase II, they'd have to post guards to keep me from pitching in - and I prefer Continues.

My sole reservation would be having to work with show people to work on a show.  There's a reason I stopped doing that, and it wasn't because the money sucked.  But I would love, love, love to dip my toe back in showbiz, if only I could work with mature and trustworthy people.  And I still don't know why you're asking. 

BTW, I know a lady who looks like Lalla Ward; I wonder if she can act? 


(And if we ever happen to meet in analog, we GOTS to pop in the Superstar soundtrack and rock out.  I could totally kill all Mary's songs before the renfairs ruined my falsetto.)

[Valka]

I'm asking because I'm honestly curious. And in case you're wondering, this is all hypothetical, since I'm not rich and have no idea if there's anybody in the world who might be interested in such a project except me.

As for Lalla Ward... I've been told I resemble her (as she was back in the late '70s/early '80s); my nickname then was "Romana."

I wouldn't know about the person you're referring to, but my acting skills are dismal.

[Buster's Uncle]

That's okay; I'm not dismal, but I'm a big husky hippie in appearance, and don't want any part bad enough to cut my hair, so I have trouble imagining getting to perform on our hypothetical show much, either.

Actually - it might be fun to hypothetically kick around what Star Trek: Valjiir might be like, as if it was possible.  Casting might be a place to start...