Mav

I keep to myself around these parts. I lurk, read stuff, occasionally post obviously. But this is a rant. If you want to flame me, or my opinion, go ahead, I really don't care. If you want to discuss it in a logical manner, after I myself have "vented", by all means let's converse. Reading slashdot last night, round the old 2am bend, they happened to post a story on the latest abomination Paramount has managed to produce, The "Ultimate" Star Trek Collection. I don't question it's "completeness" or how thorough it is in having it all organized and whatnot. No no my beef is, yea you guessed it, the mother frakking price. This in specific, is at the $2500 mark. Doing some thinking, along with a little input from some others, we figured out a few figures. (*note* very rough figures that obviously are not 100% accureate). The "collection" chimes in at 212 dvd's total. You figure each series of Star Trek had around 100+ episodes easily (TNG and forward obviously), more so closer to the 150-200 mark, you're looking at over 200 hours of ""content" per series (with obviously The Original having less since it was only 3 seasons). Each movie, we'll round up to an even 2 hours per movie, and extras between 30 minutes to 1 hour each on average. So within a ballpark figure, you're looking at 1000+ hours of "content" right? Sounds like a great amount of entertainment for a fan of Trek. Now let's use one of our rough estimates, which was at $2500 for the entire shebang, it's around $2+ per each "hour" of content right? Now, total, that does "add up". Meaning for the money spent, you are getting an equal if not slightly less or slightly more amount of "content" right? The entire thing, just took a big $hit, on the "little guy". Think about it, not your every day fan is gonna be able to dump $3000 on this. Sure if you do, you are technically, and boy do I mean technically, coming out "ahead" in terms of money spent, as said above. However, those that buy, by season, just got screwed. Let's use the most recent series, as an example. Star Trek: Enterprise Season 3 retails (on amazon, for example purposes, as it's roughly the same in most places) for $97.49 USD. Now, again granted, Season 4 is the most recent and is now on DVD. However, stuff that is real "new" is often slightly cheaper, anyone that buys new release movies at Wal Mart can contest to this. So we go with one of the other Seasons (season 3) that is at normal price. Each season is 24 episodes of Enterprise. That's roughly 24 hours (less since each commerical-less episode is around the 45-50 minute mark). So at the price of $2 an episode, that's $48 right? Now, look at the "Extras" # The Xindi Saga Begins # Star Trek Enterprisemoments: Season 3 # Star Trek Enterprise profile: Connor Trinneer # A Day in the Life of a Director: Roxann Dawson # Deleted scenes, outtakes, and photo gallery Ask yourself, is the above actually worth an extra $49.47 USD? That's what you're paying, since the full cost (before taxes) is $97.47 You are paying even more, per extras than you are for the actual season of the show, at $2 an episode. Obviously, let's get the obvious things out of the way; - Yes, Paramount (the owners of the Trek license and copyrights and all that good stuff) are a company and a company wants profit profit profit - Yes, the American economy is based on supply and demand. If fans are willing to pay the same amount they could get a very nice used car, for the entire "collection" (or even season by season) then thats the way it "works. - Yes, it's their intellectual property, they can charge "whatever" they wish. In retrospect I say let's look at some of the other things to consider (some will be pasted from IRC which this was discussed with some already); - Treks like the one fail safe in a geeks life. you can lose your job, wreck your car, you name it but trek's always there for you. until ya know you can't frakking afford it - By "fail safe" I mean, "vice". Most Trek fans, are not alcoholics, or drug addicts, or violent people, or anything of a bad connotation. - Roddenbury himself, would probably die a second time, if he saw this happening. Arguements aside about how any of the series past The Original evolved without him around, anyone that knew about Gene's personality and thinking would know he would never allow such price gouging to go on. So you're thinking "well gee Mav, those maybe quote unquote reasons but that still doesnt mean a company has to do whatever" You're right. I'm simply pointing out how sad it is. You take a typical fan, maybe they have a family, maybe not. They probably go to work, or school, come home, pay their bills on time, have good credit, save money when they can, and yet most still cannot afford one of the things they treasure most. And it's not like, some "typical" thing that really means material possession. Case in point, we all love things like Gold and Diamonds and rare valuables right. If we cannot afford these things, that's fine the average person doesn't just aquire them all for the sake of getting them. Buying Trek however, is like an involuntary response to a fan. It's like "ok new season is out, should pick it up". If that makes sense, I dunno. But some will understand. Does this label us, fans, as even more obessed fanatics than we are now? Maybe. I think it paints us in a light that shows we love something, and yet cannot bear to sacrifice so much for it at the same time. Kinda like knowing if you had a child but could never afford to send them to a college when the time came. Not so much agony as it is, simple dissapointment. /end rant

ty ;)

I know it's not exactly related material, but it is technology related (to a certain point) http://p2pnet.net/story/6485 It's the same 12 year old, now 14 two years later, who downloaded Britney Spears songs (amongst others). The RIAA went after "her" the first time, the appropriate way; by suing her mother whom is her legal guardian since she is a minor. Summary of the article is, they failed to do so before (what it didn't mention was several corporations like Pepsi stepped in to pay their legal fees), so now they are directly suing her. What I don't get is two things, A) how can they actually manage to sue a minor, one so young as barely 14, and B) how can the courts force a ad litem (an appointed legal guardian) when she has a mother whom is her legal guardian and whom has not been deemed insane or unfit to care for it? (she is proven to provide a good loving home, supportive income and never abuses her daughter). One guy replied on p2pnet, that didn't really make me "laugh" so much as it simple made sense: I mean, when ya think about it, it's gotta be a unfair case. Who is going to be the "ad litem"? Just some random court appointed person? How much are you willing to bet this fair and justful random person, happens to side with the RIAA and as such "loses" in court "for her"? Ya know, not evne put up a proper defense, or speak in her defense properly just so the RIAA can win? She can't legally be in a contract, or anything, hell she can't even drive. What on earth can the sue her for, garnish her for her future wages when she hits 15-16 and can legally obtain work in the U.S.? Hell I'd be willing to bet the RIAA tries to push for the whole "try her as an adult" thing, ya know how they do with alot of teenages that go apeshit and kill people? She downloaded some freakin music, she didn't go out and deal kilos of cocaine or ya know kill people then eat them Jeffery Dalhmer style... She's 14, while I'm sure she's old enough to make a decent amount of decisions for herself, I doubt she knew the legal ramifications would go this far when she was 12 and original "committed the act" of illegal downloading. I know some are aganist pirating, and I can understand the reasons why (and I also respect those reasons and opinions why) but even those who are of the utmost resolve aganist digital theivery, can attest to this being pretty "low" even for the record industry. Which is the funny part, the RIAA isn't the record industry. They are just the hired hitmen lawyer squad in charge of protecting the copyrights of the actual record companies. Those companies just hide behind these schmucks and let them do the dirty work, as you can see from the above. It's happened folks. The day a song literally worth a few American dollars at most, is the deciding factor for going over a parents head, and taking not only a minor, but a 14 year old girl who originally did such a thing at the age of 12, to court. Coming up next, live executions on your local tv stations for Jaywalking, hosted by Jerry Springer, but stick around for a word from their sponsers, the RIAA.

Oh I how miss that show. Bruce Campbell at his finest aside from being Ash ;) I always wondered how it ended, with those damn time traveling orb things

Like I got to thinking. All the cylons so far, haven't really feared death. The captured one in mid-late season one, didn't fear it. The original Sharon-cylon, didn't seem to mind "walking into the lions mouth" and shooting Adama, etc. Combine their more stronger resolve and faith, with their sheer numbers, why don't they just mass zerg rush Galactica and do like they did in the season 2 opener; either massively raid the ship or just crash into it with nukes? They have large quantities of copies of the human versions, and the Centurion versions seem to be easily replaced or produced. Their "religion" might come into question, if they really do believe in god. But at the same time if that were true, they wouldn't have ya know, bombed colonies of innocent people (women and children included). So if they have little to no remorse at all for the sanctity of human life, why not just bum rush us? Send every Centurion style ship they have, including crusisers and just lambaste the hell out of Galactica? I mean in a 1v1, sure Galactica can sometimes hold its own and even drive them back. But as 1.5 worth of seasons has gone by, they've run low on pilots and eventually on Viper Mark II's (unless Chief could rapidly mass produce Blackbirds, in which case they'd still need pilots) And anyone else wonder, on a somewhat related tangent, they had to stop to resupply water, maybe some food (don't think they got food, cant remember) but so far the Vipers are always stock full of ammo. How long can 1, hell even 2 Battlestars hold out on their ammo? Their still using standard style projectiles which means a limited round clip, not energy based that can recharge over time (though that'd be a damn good idea at this point..). I'm sure both of those might be addressed at some point in series, hell they might have been already and I just missed it. Lack of sleep gets the nickpicking geek going on in my head ;p

astronomy isn't a big thing in my city. damn backwards southern town

Simple: past (or prequel) = easy Look at it like this; For Trek you have 5 series, set in 5 time periods (in order or close to each other). The first 4 went in basically a consecutive linear order, from the past into the future as time went on right. So a new series comes up (Enterprise). Now, it started in 01' so for arguements sake we'll use the most current 24th century time period which was shortly after the events of Nemesis (Janeway's admiral, Data dies, etc). The writers and all have a choice: take that current point and go from there, thus requiring a new base plan of who/what/where/why/how OR go "back" in time to something that is technically already written: early warp civilization They chose the latter. It's just easier. They had the story of warp being made, and it was known that at some point an early warp ship was built, so it just takes on that and builds. Star Wars prequels are a huge example of this. Instead of continuing with episodes 7/8/9 they just tell the story of 1/2/3 that we already "know" it just wasn't made to fruition.

if you mean pen and paper rpgs like AD&D, they had their share. Shadowrun, Netrunner, Warhammer (small offshoot of the table top), etc I wish they'd hit us up with a nice MMO game. Theres a good trek one coming in like, 2007 but nothing anytime soon really. But going back to pen and paper might be fun. Been a long while since I did that. Could you imagine LARPing a Trek style rpg? Maybe get a group together in a laser tag arena so you can have "phasers" or something goofy ya know (those glowing backpacks would so go well with some cheesy borg situation).

As would I. Granted we have a small niche community, I think it would help. I'd gladly leave stuff seeding for days and weeks at a time to keep a good ratio, and to ward off leechers in the end. Nothing sucks like 300 peers on a torrent, with 0 seeds, for over 3 weeks time..

The "list" was of tv shows, or mini series. I'm sure they coulda included the "new" Clone Wars cartoon series, which people seem to like alot. Some things obviously need not be on that list.

A few things: - A, I didn't want the Who is the best Doctor? discussion to be cluttered offtopic with this, so I figured it'd be an ok discussion piece for a new thread. - B, while some say "The Doctor" shouldn't ever really have a name, since he is who HE is not a name, or he just grew into "the Doctor" over the years, I think he shoulda had a name. - C, my choice would be something simple, like "Doc". Choosing a name, as he even put it, can be quite a challenege. That or maybe name him after his proverbial father, Zimmerman (maybe his first name, which escapes my mind atm) Discuss and toss in suggestions ;)

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/gallery/topscifishows/ Some of these don't even need to be on this list Tales from the Crypt is one. If anything, that is pure "horror" (if not campy horror). How it falls under "science" fiction I'd like to know. Xena: Warrior Princess? Come on. I enjoyed it myself, but it's about greek/roman mythology..if anything this falls under "fantasy". I love also how they include Voyager, TNG, and TOS but no DS9? DS9 was far superior to Voyager but doesn't even make the list, at all. Nor does Farscape (if they can't recognize Browders acting ability their list is complete dren in my book).

dibbs on either security chief or chief engineer ;p but yea ST:O will be awesome. can't wait

"The Doctor" easily. A unique method of the doctor role that actually gave him a purpose, or at least a plot theme. Robert Picardo is frakking brilliant, nuff said.

ok saying "Niners" is offensive is a little far I mean, its what fans of DS9 generally call themselves. Thats like saying "i find the term trekkie or trekker offensive", we like Trek it's what we are, no matter how it may or may not relate to something else even if obscure or not

the last book I read was the grapes of wrath, back in 1998, in high school i'm not big on reading books. used to be, that was till i got into gaming and online shit. now i prefer just to get my stuff through tv or movies. no patience to read these days.

would have never in my life guessed that never heard of the author or book either ;o

Defining moments.. Hmm I was maybe, 11 or 12. TNG was ending, and I had followed it since like season 3. All Good Things aired and it was good yet mediocre. (in hindsight). It was cool to see them go out with Q in the finale as they began with him. Yet in the movies we never got Q. This was also the time period where I switched over to DS9 and also began watching Voyager. One of my favorites? I believe it was either season 6 or late season 5, when Sisko and the Alliance of the Alpha Quadrant come back with the biggest fleet ever assembeled, to retake DS9. Romulans, Klingons, Humans, Vulcans even Ferengi. It was just a jaw dropping episode. Space battles aside (which were awesome) this was just a two sided coin, that I loved; On one hand, Gene hated the idea of War and killing. Were he alive when this was wrote, I'm sure he'd have been aganist it. But at the same time, it was awesome to see all these races that were either tedering on the edges of peace or enemies rally together in a common cause. The Klingons honoring Humans in combat, the Romulans putting aside their arrogance to help, even the Bajorans who were still recovering from a 50 year occupation of their planet and race were there to lend everything they had. And then there's First Contact and Enterprise. Borg stuff aside, watching Humanity's first Warp flight was great. Poetic that it was invented by an alcoholic womanizer hehe..Still, achieving something that within a hundred years would free us from disease, poverty, war, racial hatred, etc was a huge thing And thats why I loved Enterprise (though it got a little far out there at times with the whole Xindi thing); the fact that it was our first ship out there. Exploring, meeting new races learning new things. theres many more moments I can recall but I don't wish to bore people to death ;o

Question, since you included the Prometheus (my vote), which was an experimental prototype and hadn't yet been made into a full scale vessel type, would you also consider adding the Future Enteprise from TNG? The one that could go to like Warp 13 and had three Warp nacelles instead of just two? I'm sure it's also a galaxy class ship but still that thing was pretty frakking sweet. I also loved the Defiant class, small but they pack a punch

from what I know of trek lore, Trekkies were fans who began being fans when TOS was around. And Trekkers started in with TNG or beyond (DS9, Voyager, etc) I've heard people use the phrase Niners before, in reference to DS9 fans but I still call'em Trekkers and I still refer to myself (when talking about being a trek fan) as a Trekker since I grew up with TNG.

It's a stargate. It activates, and shows a yellow smiley (SGC marine) running away from some gu'auld (blueish smileys) and a death glider flying by Not the greatest but I figured it was clever

i rotate wp's with zepsofts Wallpaper Calender 3 unfortunately I can't ever find decent wp's of the shows I like. occasionally I'll stumble apon a good one. so i just mainly stick to these three Angel Farscape (generic) shot of the planet Earth I'd love to get some good Trek, BSG, Stargate, B5 etc wallpapers. I know, google probably would be the best place to hunt but we all know theres a gajillon fansites out there for just about any series with every kid who has a copy of photoshop trying to make a wallpaper (no offense, but I want something really well not just cheesey lens flares or blinds)

Well, I wasn't sure which season it began. I mean if you look at it the ground work is laid fairly early as you find Odo always wondering about his species and the whole finding out about the Jem'Hadar. But also note that despite the Founders not going to war with the Romulans they did join up with the Alpha Quadrant Alliance (note not sure if that was an official title or just a working one), and did fight along side them. But that was much later on. If any of the treks could be labeled a video novel like B5, it would have been DS9, of any series it aside from Voyager had a running backstory to it. TOS, TNG, Enterprise, all generally the same thing: Federation flagship on a typical mission of exploration and diplomacy. B5 was similar to DS9. I do think DS9 did take it's time though. I got caught on around season 3, watching on tv that is but between season 3 and 7 I only caught a handful of episodes each season cause personally I thought the plotline built slow and the generic trek "filler" episodes were too bland (like the one where the current Kai goes on a shuttle trip with Sisko n gang into the Delta quadrant only to land on a planet and die but come back to life and be stuck there?..). So when I did download the seasons many many years later, I started around late season 4 and got season torrents from 5-7 as 1-3 weren't doing much for me. Seasons 5-7 were pure gold though in my book, once the story had been laid. Which is ironic when you think about it. DS9 took their time, but B5 told their story by the time DS9 was just getting a good start on theirs. Plus, their stories are vastly different. Instead of a war between species fighting for dominance in a large sector of the universe, you had two very ancient races fighting for who would watch over and guide the younger races in the coming centuries which inturn gave way to a new arch in a story; civil war with the human home planet (Earth). B5 had trek beat there in terms of originality (then again Trek didnt need a civil war, that'd kinda defeat the whole purpoe of Trek). Personally when it was said and done, if either show creators borrowed/stole/copied from the other, I didn't care. Both were enteraining shows, leaving me wanting more more more, and had great moments, great characters great everything.