What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Seems that the solution to all trek problems is to either reverse the polarity or run a level 3 diagnostic.
What the hell is a level 3 diagnostic? What happened to levels 1 and 2?
How do you reverse the polarity of a chronoton / tachyon burst? Which polarity are they reversing?

Why is it that when I watch any episode of ST I think that my brain is being hit with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick?

All these questions and more will be evaded at all costs..... tune in next time for another exciting episode of PIGS IN SPAAAAAAAAACE!!!

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

They also forget about tech they have devoloped, such as the multi-phasing shields that allow them to hide in the sun's corona.

Also if you have a single frequency for a shield, as in NG movie were they crashed onto the planet after the fire fight with the Kligon sisters. Why can't you send a low power beam to the shield and then reading the reflected energy back, ie when it is on. then attune your weapons to that frequency and skip the shields all together.

ST really ****s me that they don't have a continous tech story line.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Does anyone have a copy of the rules for Star Trek : TNG : The drinking game?

I remember some of the rules:

Drink whenever anyone interrupts Data.
Drink when Captain Picard straightens his uniform.
..when someone travels through time
...when someone mentions the name of the episode.

We ran out of beer during the episode called The Pegasus:

Oh? So, you served on the Pegasus? -drink-
Yeah, I served on the Pegasus too. -drink-
That was some ship, that Pegasus. -drink-
What ever happened to the Pegasus? -drink-

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jimbob55:
Seems that the solution to all trek problems is to either reverse the polarity or run a level 3 diagnostic.
What the hell is a level 3 diagnostic? What happened to levels 1 and 2?
How do you reverse the polarity of a chronoton / tachyon burst? Which polarity are they reversing?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Who knows why they reverse the polarity. It's Treknobabble, it doesn't matter if it makes sense or not. At least I don't think they've tried reversing the polarity of a neutron beam/wave/effect. That would be funny.

As for the Diagnostics (opens TNG Tech Manual):

Level 1 is a comprehensive diagnostic that requires the crew to physically verify system operations. This can require the complete shutdown of a system and can take several hours.

Level 2 is similar but less extensive, taking about half the time.

Level 3 only requires crew verification of mechanics and system readings, and can take less than 10 minutes.

Level 4 is an automated test that just kinda looks for trouble (like scanning your hard drive for a virus). Can take less than 30 seconds.

Level 5 is automated and is used to verify system performance. Usually done daily and takes 2.5 seconds.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Noble 713- Pick the Trekkie/ Trekker or what ever they are called. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif
Don't get too upset I watch all the originals and NG/ DS9 and most of Voy series.
So I am a fan as well.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Ya, I watch Star Trek too, and for the most part, I like it but I must admit all this techno gargon sometimes just doesn't make sense. I've had to constantly look up tech manuals to tranlate what they said into plain english and see if it corresponds in reality or even it in "Star Trek Reality" or whatever that means. Anyway, for the most part, it think it hurts the series more then it helps because it confuses the audience (well.. at least for the idiots out their that can't add 2 + 2) and opens up possibilites of writers creating inconsistancies (which I really hate!). Kinda part of the reason why I like B5 a little better. They try to avoid a lot of the problems ST gets into.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

yeah, i prefer B5 too, because it focusses more on the politics / relationships of the future than the technology.

I also like farscape, because I get sick of all these super-clever, ultra-professional squeaky clean Trek/B5 uniform types agreeing with one-another and getting it right all the time. It's nice to see the main characters *****ing and arguing and slipping off the moral tightroppe once in a while=-)

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Since Anything with a charge has a polarity, then You can reverse the polarity. We do this to magnets and charged Copper coils every day.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Um. Where did i put my sonic screwdriver....

Space opera using 'science' should at least try to remain consistent. ST:TNG would be a lot easier to stomach if they didn't rely on 'the quantum string in his bootlaces is disrupting our crapion array' in order to generate a plot.

"Captain, we appear to have been sucked in by a recurring plot line."
"What does this mean Mr data?"
"It means we are doomed to repeat the plot from a first generation star trek episode using different technobabbel."
"Gawd help us all, go to red alert."
"Are you sure sir? It does mean we'll have to change the bulb".

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Maybe they should hire the writers from the 3 Stooges. I read that they only had ~4 basic plot lines.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Star Trek, B5, Farscape, Star Wars, they are all Science Fiction, with a capital FICTION and a lower case science.

So the writers in Star Trek always fall back on a few tried and true plot devices. That is the problem with having a franchise like this. You can't really kill off anyone (unless they wear a red shirt of course) but you have to come up with some sort of drama for the stories to be compelling and get peoples interest.

Star Trek is like your Uncle Gene, everybody's got one. He always tells these fantastic stories about places he's been and things he's done. You've known since you were 12 he was full of crap most of the time, but they are great stories so you keep coming back for more.

B5 doesn't use the techno babble as much, but they have their plot devices for sure. The good guys are always about to get wiped out when suddenly a new race arrives that turns the tide. Can anybody say "Cavalry Charge"? http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

B5 also has longer story arcs so it's not quite so obvious as in star trek. They don't have to wrap up the story at the end of every episode like TNG and VOY. I think that is why Ds9 was probably more popular with non-trek fans than any of the other series. But it also bothered som hard-core trekkies.

Geo

[This message has been edited by geoschmo (edited 16 May 2001).]

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jimbob55:
Um. Where did i put my sonic screwdriver....

Space opera using 'science' should at least try to remain consistent. ST:TNG would be a lot easier to stomach if they didn't rely on 'the quantum string in his bootlaces is disrupting our crapion array' in order to generate a plot.

"Captain, we appear to have been sucked in by a recurring plot line."
"What does this mean Mr data?"
"It means we are doomed to repeat the plot from a first generation star trek episode using different technobabbel."
"Gawd help us all, go to red alert."
"Are you sure sir? It does mean we'll have to change the bulb".<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep, this is why I finally got sick of Trek. NO consistency in the technology/imaginary universe. TOTAL consistency in the recycled stories. Bleh... At least with B5 they take more than one episode to resolve a crisis so the course of a given episode is not so utterly predictable. And, hey, the limitations and advantages of their technologies don't change from one episode to the next!

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dogscoff:
yeah, i prefer B5 too, because it focusses more on the politics / relationships of the future than the technology.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

They *did* do some technobabble of a sort in "A Spider in the Web", or at least Garibaldi tried to reconfigure the internal sensors so they could detect this assassin running around the station. Garibaldi's efforts resulted in the door to the room opening and closing repeatedly.

["Guess it's harder than I thought."]

They do show reinforcements coming in at the right moment more than a few times on B5. Good thing is it looks cool.

["If you value your lives, BE SOMEWHERE ELSE!"]


------------------
--
"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>They do show reinforcements coming in at the right moment more than a few times on B5. Good thing is it looks cool.

["If you value your lives, BE SOMEWHERE ELSE!"]
[/b]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Awesome B5 episode!

I love Star Trek. But I don't think there will ever be a Sci-Fi series that comes close to B5. JmS put in a heck of a lot of work writing every single episode of the show for those many years. I think Babylon 5 will be the standard to which all Sci-Fi series will be compared for many years to come.

Another thing I really liked about B5 was its (to me) much more realistic view of the future of mankind. Instead of this incredibly happy, positive image of a mankind that doesn't use money anymore, you have the same rat race in the future but with cooler technology. Do you remember the episode where Sheridan and Ivanova were going to be kicked out of their large quarters if they didn't pay the difference in price?

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Love B5... have to get all the episodes togther somewhen, take a week off work, invite my brother round and see if we can get from start to finish in on sitting=-)

Quote:
I read that they only had ~4 basic plot lines.
/Quote

I once tried to create a "scifi plot code website" but it was too hard. The idea was that there are only a few scifi (read: star trek) plot elements which are jumbled around to crate the plots. Thse elements could be represented by a short code, summarising an entire episode in a line or two of text.
For example, that episode in TNG where Troi has her mind taken over by aliens (again):

Aptl - CMp - Rp

which translates as
Alien: powerful, tinkerbell, learning - Crew Member: Posessed - Resolution: pyschobabble

Or, "All powerful, Tinkerbell- like (ie little balls of light) aliens who wish to learn about the Enterprise take control of a Crew member. Everyone sits down and talks about it and it's all OK"

That one where Lore had an army of Borg and then took control of Data, on the other hand, might be

Ede - CMp - Rr

Enemy: duplicate, evil - Crew Member: posession - Resolution: revolt

Or, "An evil duplicate of a crew member takes control of a crew member. The problem is resolved when the Enterprise crew inspire popular revolt in the enemy's oppressed underclass."


It was all too complicatd in the end, but you get the idea. Trouble was, there was an exception to every rule.


(BTW I know those plot lines might not be accurate, it's a while since I watched it.)

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Various people have claimed that all of literature has only a limited number of plots. Here's a FAQ with several of the classifications people have come up with:
http://www.ipl.org/ref/QUE/FARQ/plotFARQ.html


------------------
Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

I am not afraiid to admit I am a Star Trek fan, although I have never dressed up like a Klingon and gone to a convention. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

There are some reasons that trek has continuity problems. It has been written by dozens, if not hundreds of different writers over the years, where B5 is basically one mans idea.

Also the ST foundation was laid in the 60's and they have had to find a way to update it, without throwing out the basic ideas laid down in the past. It wouldnn't make sense for exammple, if the TNG warp drive was different than the TOS warp drive because of some discovery made in the 1990's would it?

Yeah they have an annoying habit of coming up with technobabble ways to get out of situations, and then convienently forget them the next week when they are in a situation where the same idea could have applications. No defense for that one really.

Star Trek for me has always been about the characters and personalities. The tech is just there to move the story along. To add drama, and sometimes to end it, so that we can get a sense of how these people react in stressful situations.

At its worst, it's admitadly very bad science, and even very bad fiction. But at its best, it's inspiring, uplifting, and very entertaining.

If you culled out the best 100 episodes of ST out of the hundreds that have been aired, they hold up very well against any other sci-fi series I have ever seen.

If you ask the real life scientists, astronauts, and those types, I believe you would find more than a few who would say Star Trek is one of the big influences in their lives that got them where they are today.

Geo

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Also the ST foundation was laid in the 60's and they have had to find a way to update it, without throwing out the basic ideas laid down in the past. It wouldnn't make sense for exammple, if the TNG warp drive was different than the TOS warp drive because of some discovery made in the 1990's would it?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>OTOH, that hasn't stopped them from changing what the warp speed numbers mean from series to series. That was a deliberate decision by someone, not a continuity error.

------------------
Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

What was it they called in the the 'cage' pilot episode..."Time wrap factor" I think.

At least we didn't have to put up with that for 30 years. lol

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

I'm curious, has anyone seen the new show Andromeda... if so what do you think about it? Personally I like it quite a bit, it seems "up-to-date" on tech (although still sci-fi), armor not shields... missiles are kings & you better have point defense... nanotech everywhere... lots of genetic manipulation, etc. I'll admit the "slipstream" is a bit hokey, but o'well.

I watched TNG, I liked DS9 best but Voy is decent. B5 rules though!

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Who is your favorite arch-villain from the four ST series? Trellane (sp?) certainly had flair. Holo Moriarty was good. But my favorite is still omnipotent Q. Do you remember the episode when Q causes the warp core breech just to test if the child of two Q has their powers? When they asked Q what would have happened if she hadn't contained the explosion that would have destroyed the entire ship, Q replied,"Well, then I would have known she wasn't a Q"

Of course, the ultimate villain was whichever writer ignored the pleas of all of us asking for the death of Wesley Crusher and instead deified him... *sigh* http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Yeah, I likd Q as well bcause he wasn't so much evil, just Subscribed to a whole different set of priorities.

Lore was pretty good as well- nothing like an evil doppleganger to mix things up=-)

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by raynor:
Who is your favorite arch-villain from the four ST series? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


would have to be that danm singing hologram Vic Fontaine, or perhaps that dingle Rick Borman who gave him so much air time and is ARSING UP all things trek-ish.


anybody watch space above and beyond? was that one mentioned earlier?

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

My fav is Harry Mudd.....

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

I'm thinking... Wesley Crusher.

Oh... You said favorite villian... How about just a villian, or vile entity? There is nothing favorite about him.

[This message has been edited by GruelThePurple (edited 22 May 2001).]

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by raynor:
Who is your favorite arch-villain from the four ST series<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ceska (sp?) from STV was pretty good. Such a slimey traitor. Unmatched deceitfulness.

The power politics of the two Klingon sisters from STTNG & STDS9 was pretty good, too.

Q didn't make a good villain for me. He wasn't really mean or even unfeeling. Wouldn't have been such a bad guy at all if he weren't so powerful.

IMHO, the best short-term (one episode and a movie) villain was Khan, and the best long-term villain was Gul Dukat. Each of them had admirable qualities, but their lust for power and revenge drove them to extreme evil.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

My vote is on Gul Dukat, esp in junction with Kai Wynn (sp?), made a good evil duo.

And on another note, for all the grumblers about Captain Janeway (not so many here, but lots elsewhere) just remember who else was in the running for the position, Lesley Wagner, (the Bionic Woman), personally I like the current Captain.

------------------
"The Empress took your name away," said Chance.
Owen smiled coldly. "It wasn't hers to take. I'm a Deathstalker until I die. And we never forget a slight or an enemy." -Owen Deathstalker.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

I liked the basic premise behind Wesley Crusher (boy supergenius), but he was SO poorly written. No angst, no frustration, no anger, no failures, nobody who didn't like him (nobody on the show, I mean). But then, a LOT of the early STTNG characters (ALL of them?) were poorly written. For instance, Worf's character was horrible at first, and Tasha's lines were so bad that she was unrecoverable so they had to kill her off.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Actually, Tasha was killed off because Denise Crosby wanted out, because she wasn't getting much to do besides look good. She was a lot happier coming back as Commander Sela.

I was just starting to get fed up with Wesley when the Traveler declared him the Mozart of warp engineering; for some reason I found him easier to cope with after that. But I stopped following the series relatively early in its run, because I moved to a place where I couldn't get the station it was on, and can't afford cable.

------------------
Cap'n Q


The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Puke:

would have to be that danm singing hologram Vic Fontaine, or perhaps that dingle Rick Borman who gave him so much air time and is ARSING UP all things trek-ish.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey - I LIKED Vic... yeah, the episodes were just filler-fluff, but think of them as palate-cleansers. You know, to get you ready for the next "serious story" episode.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

The obvious fave: da Borg! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon10.gif

Although I think they were much more menacing when introduced and throughout TNG... Voyager has reduced them to simple plot devices. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/tongue.gif Although the sheer alienness of Species 8472 was also quite cool.

zen

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dmm:
I liked the basic premise behind Wesley Crusher (boy supergenius), but he was SO poorly written. No angst, no frustration, no anger, no failures, nobody who didn't like him (nobody on the show, I mean). But then, a LOT of the early STTNG characters (ALL of them?) were poorly written. For instance, Worf's character was horrible at first, and Tasha's lines were so bad that she was unrecoverable so they had to kill her off.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

i guess you prefer the seaquest DSV Version of the boy genius? (not a flame, just curious)

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dmm:

IMHO, the best short-term (one episode and a movie) villain was Khan, and the best long-term villain was Gul Dukat. Each of them had admirable qualities, but their lust for power and revenge drove them to extreme evil.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree that Khan was my favorite villian, (thank god I saw the Wrath of Khan episode before Fantasy Island came out), but I must heartily disagree with that "lust for power and revenge" part.

At least in the first episode, Khan and his people were the Last remnants of a race, fleeing a genocidal war of extermination. What were they supposed to do, lay down and die? Even the lowest of creatures has a right to self-defense.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I agree that Khan was my favorite villian, (thank god I saw the Wrath of Khan episode before Fantasy Island came out), but I must heartily disagree with that "lust for power and revenge" part.

At least in the first episode, Khan and his people were the Last remnants of a race, fleeing a genocidal war of extermination. What were they supposed to do, lay down and die? Even the lowest of creatures has a right to self-defense.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hmm, as I remember that episode, Khan was the leader of the faction that triggered the genocidal war, and was fleeing to avoid prosecution as a war criminal.


------------------
Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft

[This message has been edited by capnq (edited 24 May 2001).]

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Heeeey...weren't they genetically bred to be superior? Ah well, at least the Nietzscheans got to strike back.

Oh, wait, wrong series. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

zen

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Puke:
i guess you prefer the seaquest DSV Version of the boy genius? (not a flame, just curious)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I've only seen half of two episodes of SQDSV, so I can't answer that. What's he like?

A boy (or girl) genius should be troubled, and resented by his peers and adults alike, because he sees things from an adult perspective (mentally) without the benefit of adult maturity or prestige. Actually, from more than an adult perspective, because a boy genius by the age of ten is smarter than most fully-developed adults. Except that he only has the "common sense" of any ten-year-old (i.e., almost none)!

So, in the midst of doing super-genius things, Wesley Crusher should have been doing idiotic things, and making the adults around him annoyed, frustrated, nervous, and even scared.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

...And you say you haven't watched much SeaQuest DSV? http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Your description fits that shows boy-wonder much, much better than it fits ST:TNG's Wesley Crusher. (IMHO)

Interesting. I always regarded the ST:TNG characters as much more three-dimensional than the ST:TOS characters. But I can't remember young Wesley having as much depth. I dunno. I may just have forgotten most of the ST:TNG episodes while I've seen most of the SeaQuest episodes in syndication on the Sci-Fi channel. It will be good to watch TNG again this fall on TNN.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

re:So, in the midst of doing super-genius things, Wesley Crusher should have been doing idiotic things, and making the adults around him annoyed, frustrated, nervous, and even scared.

Isn't that what's Wezley is all about ? No one really likes him - a stupid pre-puberty boy who makes wonderous toys ...
No one likes that guy - neither his look nor his brain ... he's kind of the ST:TNG Teletubbi boy ...

murx

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

IIRC, Ashley Judd in the form of Ensign Robin Lefler didn't mind him so much. Now THAT'S acting ability. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Boy, hard to believe that was 10 or 15 years ago. I'm geezin'. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/tongue.gif

zen

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Mmmm... Ensign Robin Lefler...

Good points well made. The trouble with Wesley was that he was created not primarily as an exploration of the child genius but as a cynical act of tokenism, hoping to give the show appeal to a younger audience. The boy genius bit was more of a plot device than a part of his character. After all, how could they justify his presence in the show if he wasn't allowed on the bridge?

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

And whatever did happen to Picard's standing order of no children on the bridge? Ah well. At least he's not a Daggit or a Twiki. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

zen (geezin' again)

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by zenbudo:
And whatever did happen to Picard's standing order of no children on the bridge? Ah well. At least he's not a Daggit or a Twiki. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

zen (geezin' again)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Kriten (I think that's the spelling) was far worse than Twiki - especially since Kriten showed up in the Last season or so of Buck Rogers, which was definitely the weakest set of episodes... ah, whatever happened to Gil Gerard? Did playing Buck end his career?

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

According to the Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/

Gil Gerard has appeared in eight TV movies, five TV series, four theatrical films, and one direct-to-video since Buck Rogers. Of the eighteen listings, I think I've even heard of five of them.

------------------
Cap'n Q


The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

OMG...DirectorTsaarx, you're right! I had almost totally blocked out the...what was it...Searcher? Where they took out a ship to explore the universe or something with his friend Tonto...er, I mean Hawk. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif Kriten was that little talking flashing box, right? Wasn't there a whole council of them? You're Evil for dredging up these unholy memories. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/tongue.gif

About the only good thing that came out of that was Wilma Deering. It's nice to think that in this day and age, if that show was around, there would have been a spinoff by now. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

zen

P.S. All those talking boxes remind me of the pickled heads in Futurama now that I think about it. heh heh

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

That's probably where they got the name Kryten from, for the android on 'Red Dwarf'

add: red dwarf --&gt; a TV comedy show on showcase sometimes. Features Lister as the Last human alive in the universe (during most episodes).

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 29 May 2001).]

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

I don't remember the talking boxes; Kriten/Kryten/whatever was the tall robot that always sounded pompous. I specifically remember an episode where they had to rebuild his "positronic brain", and he quoted the three Asimov robot laws when they finally got him fixed.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Zenbudo: Wilma Deering... anyone remember "offthink" "offthink"... that had profound effcts on my fragile boyhood=-)

S_J - Red Dwarf UK Version or US Version? Nevr saw th US vrsion but I heard they screwed it up big time.

Tsaarx: I think (Could be wrong) that the tall pompous robot was just a robot to carry around the flashing box.
Thinking about it though, I seem to remember th box being "professor" or "Doctor" something, and I'm not sure it was Kryten / Kryton / Crichton... Ah well.

I think that name might actually predate even Buck Rogers - i think it might have been used in some classic scifi i once read - Aasimov or somone like that. Anyone with a better memory than me care to enlighten us?

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"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

The IMBD cast list for Buck Rogers shows Crichton and Dr. Theopolis. The robot in Red Dwarf was Kryten.


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Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by suicide_junkie:
That's probably where they got the name Kryten from, for the android on 'Red Dwarf'
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The name comes from J.M.Barrie's play "The Admirable Chrighton". A Jeeves-like butler who becomes de facto leader of a shipwrecked family.

IIRC Buck Rogers just used the name as a generic butler/servant name. In Red Dwarf the use more closely matches the spirit of the play - vastly more competent servant doomed by programming/class system to serve ignorant and ineffectual masters.

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Resistence is futile.

Re: What polarity can we reverse today?
 

Ah, very informative! Sounds like a very interesting play. Well-written, I take it? My gf is a HUGE Red Dwarf fan. I think she has all but one season on tape or something.

dogscoff: Okay, you've piqued my interest... what's 'offthink'?! http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif. My Buck Rogers memories are very hazy, as I was still in the single-digit age when it was on. All I remember is I was pretty excited when Gil Gerard started up 'Sidekicks' with Ernie Reyes Jr. heh heh

Back to the Star Trek angle, though... is anyone else disappointed that they're taking it BACK 150 years or so? And here I was looking so forward to this whole universe they've created to be explored further. Then again, maybe this'll be a good break. At least all the people tired of the pseudo-scientific solutions to everything can look forward to good 'ole-fashioned fisticuffs to resolve things again. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Although I wanted more transphasic torpedoes! (Oops, wrong thread. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif)

zen