Game of Thrones, Stark Trek: Picard & Discovery
In case anyone actually still uses
LJ, and less probable if anyone
still reads my entries:
This post will contain spoilers.
Not just GOT, but Star Trek: Picard,
and possibly Star Trek: Discovery.
Just finished watching Game of Thrones.
Thankfully I was prepared, knowing that
many were disappointed in the ending.
It's been a while since I've watched a medieval-style
fantasy show. Even with games I play, I swing between
love of the Fantasy, SciFi, and Horror genres.
Currently, I'm playing a SciFi strategy game called
Stellaris. It was fun at first... but then there was
a moment where one piece of music stuck out, and made
me forget I was playing lol.
Anyway...
Game of Thrones.
Overall, I liked it.
I thought it was well written, and still can't believe
how far the cinematography has come for TV shows in the
last 3 decades. Feels more like an ongoing movie now.
Now, I'm one of those weird people who not only don't
care if I hear spoilers, but if a show tends to take
way too long building suspense (especially for some-
thing bad, like a death), I'd rather hear the spoil-
er than wait forever to be disappointed.
Makes it easier to swallow.
That was pretty much my only complaint - some scenes
just dragged out/on way too long. That's just me, though.
I hate suspense, unless, like a song (i.e. the one above),
it builds and builds, layer upon layer, leading to that
moment when you feel goosebumps all over and a tingle
down your spine.
Anyway... have to say through most of the series, my
favorite characters were Aria and Tyrion. Still were
by the end. In fact, it would be awesome if Aria got
her own spin-off. Could only imagine what adventures
await her as she discovers what lies beyond where all
the maps end.
Daenerys... I liked her until she turned evil.
Her character reminds me of what happens to most who
are abused - eventually, they're pushed too far and
hard, and they break. They reach a point where they
inevitably turn into another oppressive tyrant, tak-
ing their frustrations and personal sense of justice
out on others, no matter the cost, and sparing not
a single innocent, even when the war is over.
The Lannisters... or as Danielle and I call them,
the "Twinscest family". Not just twinscest, but
even getting it on against their dead son's fun-
eral display. I mean... WTF??
Joffrey's death - most satisfying EVER.
Right along with Ramsey.
Circe deserved a much worse death for all the
horrible acts she committed. Some felt for the
Lannisters in the end... I didn't. Except for
Tyrion, though it was nice he continued to be
the King's Hand.
Even as early as the 3rd season, Danielle and
I started calling GOT the "Everyone Dies Show".
Also, from first to last episode, during every
opening credits sequence, we never could stop
hearing South Park's "weiner" rendition.
Now, about the weiners... I don't know why so
many people complained. The boob and bush to
weiner ratio was 3/1 if not 5/1. Seems reason-
able by HBO standards.
The only other thing I have to mention is the realistic factor.
As I mentioned in another entry, if it's one thing I kept
thinking about while watching the worst, most heart-wrenching
and even disappointing scenes, was our own human history.
I have a feeling George R.R. Martin intended it that way, and must
have at least some deep knowledge of medieval socioanthropology.
We were half as human back then. We were brutal, practically animals.
It's important to remember where we've been, that we never forget what
we came from, to know our path of human development. While we have a
LONG way to go toward true peace and prosperity for all, at least we
no longer live in ages where just looking at a King wrong could get
you beheaded... except maybe in North Korea or certain populations
in Africa.
Back to SciFi
While the venture into a Fantasy series was
fun, it's always nice going back to SciFi.
As much as it's important to learn from our past,
what does any of it mean unless we have a future
to aspire to, and fresh new ideas and theories
to realize?
It's how we got out of those less-evolved eras.
Prior to Game of Thrones, we watched the first
(and so far only) season of Star Trek: Picard.
Absolutely brilliant - really looking forward to
another season, though that'll be difficult due
to social distancing. And sad as it may be to
face, Sir Patrick Stewart isn't getting any
younger.
Really love the concept of artificial intelligence
being created from the atomic level, rather than
the more analog/digital version we saw in Data.
Funny thing is, technically, under the right
conditions, silicon-based life is possible
to evolve on its own.
The only reason we exist as we do is the unique
chemical, gravitational, electrical, pressure,
and, well, everything that makes Earth unique,
and all that has happened to it, and all the
species which came before us to make us.
And now, we're starting Star Trek: Discovery.
So far, pretty interesting.
While I'm not a huge fan of rebooting (especially with
an alternate dimension), the execution is pretty good.
However, to quote Voltaire in "The U.S.S. Make Shit Up":
"And what is with the Klingons? Remember in the day, they
looked like Puerto Ricans, and they dressed in gold lamé.
Now they look like heavy metal rockers from the dead!
With leather pants, and frizzy hair, and lobsters on
their heads!".
This is now the third "unspeakable genetic change" we've
seen their species go through. Then again, Romulans, ever
since the 2009 reboot, now look like members of the band
Disturbed. Thankfully ST:P resolved that to ensure not
all Romulans had become early 2000s pop metal fans.
But yes... the modern Klingons... I'm pretty certain,
as much as the fans would love it, that Michael Dorn
will not make a reappearance as Worf, purely due to
the newest "genetic change". Unless, of course, they
were to make some new shit up to explain it, and how
it affected him, too.
Anyway, ST:D, only 3 episodes in so far, but it seems
promising. Really like the sciency-stuff, and how, like
always, they throw in cutting edge modern science on
the quantum level to create/explain the existence of
technology in modern Star Trek.
So... that's all I really have to say.
Now to watch more Star Trek: Discovery.
LJ, and less probable if anyone
still reads my entries:
This post will contain spoilers.
Not just GOT, but Star Trek: Picard,
and possibly Star Trek: Discovery.
Just finished watching Game of Thrones.
Thankfully I was prepared, knowing that
many were disappointed in the ending.
It's been a while since I've watched a medieval-style
fantasy show. Even with games I play, I swing between
love of the Fantasy, SciFi, and Horror genres.
Currently, I'm playing a SciFi strategy game called
Stellaris. It was fun at first... but then there was
a moment where one piece of music stuck out, and made
me forget I was playing lol.
Click to viewAnyway...
Game of Thrones.
Overall, I liked it.
I thought it was well written, and still can't believe
how far the cinematography has come for TV shows in the
last 3 decades. Feels more like an ongoing movie now.
Now, I'm one of those weird people who not only don't
care if I hear spoilers, but if a show tends to take
way too long building suspense (especially for some-
thing bad, like a death), I'd rather hear the spoil-
er than wait forever to be disappointed.
Makes it easier to swallow.
That was pretty much my only complaint - some scenes
just dragged out/on way too long. That's just me, though.
I hate suspense, unless, like a song (i.e. the one above),
it builds and builds, layer upon layer, leading to that
moment when you feel goosebumps all over and a tingle
down your spine.
Anyway... have to say through most of the series, my
favorite characters were Aria and Tyrion. Still were
by the end. In fact, it would be awesome if Aria got
her own spin-off. Could only imagine what adventures
await her as she discovers what lies beyond where all
the maps end.
Daenerys... I liked her until she turned evil.
Her character reminds me of what happens to most who
are abused - eventually, they're pushed too far and
hard, and they break. They reach a point where they
inevitably turn into another oppressive tyrant, tak-
ing their frustrations and personal sense of justice
out on others, no matter the cost, and sparing not
a single innocent, even when the war is over.
The Lannisters... or as Danielle and I call them,
the "Twinscest family". Not just twinscest, but
even getting it on against their dead son's fun-
eral display. I mean... WTF??
Joffrey's death - most satisfying EVER.
Right along with Ramsey.
Circe deserved a much worse death for all the
horrible acts she committed. Some felt for the
Lannisters in the end... I didn't. Except for
Tyrion, though it was nice he continued to be
the King's Hand.
Even as early as the 3rd season, Danielle and
I started calling GOT the "Everyone Dies Show".
Also, from first to last episode, during every
opening credits sequence, we never could stop
hearing South Park's "weiner" rendition.
Now, about the weiners... I don't know why so
many people complained. The boob and bush to
weiner ratio was 3/1 if not 5/1. Seems reason-
able by HBO standards.
The only other thing I have to mention is the realistic factor.
As I mentioned in another entry, if it's one thing I kept
thinking about while watching the worst, most heart-wrenching
and even disappointing scenes, was our own human history.
I have a feeling George R.R. Martin intended it that way, and must
have at least some deep knowledge of medieval socioanthropology.
We were half as human back then. We were brutal, practically animals.
It's important to remember where we've been, that we never forget what
we came from, to know our path of human development. While we have a
LONG way to go toward true peace and prosperity for all, at least we
no longer live in ages where just looking at a King wrong could get
you beheaded... except maybe in North Korea or certain populations
in Africa.
Back to SciFi
While the venture into a Fantasy series was
fun, it's always nice going back to SciFi.
As much as it's important to learn from our past,
what does any of it mean unless we have a future
to aspire to, and fresh new ideas and theories
to realize?
It's how we got out of those less-evolved eras.
Prior to Game of Thrones, we watched the first
(and so far only) season of Star Trek: Picard.
Absolutely brilliant - really looking forward to
another season, though that'll be difficult due
to social distancing. And sad as it may be to
face, Sir Patrick Stewart isn't getting any
younger.
Really love the concept of artificial intelligence
being created from the atomic level, rather than
the more analog/digital version we saw in Data.
Funny thing is, technically, under the right
conditions, silicon-based life is possible
to evolve on its own.
The only reason we exist as we do is the unique
chemical, gravitational, electrical, pressure,
and, well, everything that makes Earth unique,
and all that has happened to it, and all the
species which came before us to make us.
And now, we're starting Star Trek: Discovery.
So far, pretty interesting.
While I'm not a huge fan of rebooting (especially with
an alternate dimension), the execution is pretty good.
However, to quote Voltaire in "The U.S.S. Make Shit Up":
"And what is with the Klingons? Remember in the day, they
looked like Puerto Ricans, and they dressed in gold lamé.
Now they look like heavy metal rockers from the dead!
With leather pants, and frizzy hair, and lobsters on
their heads!".
This is now the third "unspeakable genetic change" we've
seen their species go through. Then again, Romulans, ever
since the 2009 reboot, now look like members of the band
Disturbed. Thankfully ST:P resolved that to ensure not
all Romulans had become early 2000s pop metal fans.
But yes... the modern Klingons... I'm pretty certain,
as much as the fans would love it, that Michael Dorn
will not make a reappearance as Worf, purely due to
the newest "genetic change". Unless, of course, they
were to make some new shit up to explain it, and how
it affected him, too.
Anyway, ST:D, only 3 episodes in so far, but it seems
promising. Really like the sciency-stuff, and how, like
always, they throw in cutting edge modern science on
the quantum level to create/explain the existence of
technology in modern Star Trek.
So... that's all I really have to say.
Now to watch more Star Trek: Discovery.