StillPaisleyCat

joined 3 years ago
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How IMDB Users Rate Season 4 of SNW in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 19 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I find it interesting how much attention franchise fans give to crowd-sourced ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes when we know that they are brigaded. Why give any credence to manipulated data?

As I have been watching more content from China recently, I have learned that the manipulation of social media and streaming audience data, especially ratings, is a very high profile public discussion outside North America.

In fact, there have been repeated attempts to develop and patent algorithms in China to detect manipulated ratings and streaming audience data and correct for them. None have successfully proved they can clean up brigading and manipulation to the satisfaction of national authorities.

Preview ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Puppet Episode With 13 New Photos From “Level-Five Transporter Accident” in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think that I can almost enjoy how much people are getting bent out of shape by this on other social media. (I confess to scanning a few of the comments under that TrekMovie article.)

Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 4x02 "The Griffin Incident" in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 2 points 1 week ago

Dropping in belatedly to say that my partner and I felt this was an improvement over the season premiere, and we felt it got things back on track.

STLV/Prodigy discussion in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 1 points 2 weeks ago

The continuance of Paramount+ as a standalone streamer is entirely dependent on the delay of the merger. I would take anything the current management says with a certain amount of skepticism as they are having to carry on while the antitrust challenge is ongoing.

Ellison has been transparent that he is looking to consolidate the WB and Paramount streamers or at minimum restructure and retarget their content and audiences. He’s looking for synergies and in his justifications to investors regarding the merger, he’s specifically cited the intention for Paramount and WB to use Skydance’s animation studios.

I actually wonder in hindsight to what degree Paramount and Nickelodeon proactively shut down renewals with animation houses in anticipation of a deal with Skydance.

STLV/Prodigy discussion in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It’s interesting that they believe that they have leverage — and that it just might be the case.

Ellison suffered a setback that should not be underestimated when Taylor Sheridan unequivocally rebuffed Paramount’s offer to renew his first look contract. He has been Paramount+’s biggest content producer but flatly rejected a renewal, despite extensive personal courting by David Ellison and one of his senior people brought over from Skydance.

So, it’s not obvious that the kind of creatives that Ellison wants to work with will actually be willing to sign on with him. The Hagemans are significant creators in animation and Skydance’s animation studio is a major part of its business. They really are in a position to insist that on Prodigy renewal as part of any deal.

Favorite Trek episode that's not in the usual top 57 lists? in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The choices in this list are an odd mix of ones that almost everyone acknowledges as top ranked and others that are likely not.

A Mathematically Perfect Redemption as the only standalone Lower Decks episode to make the cut?

No TAS classics such as Yesteryear, The Slaver Weapon or the Counterclockwise Incident?

TNG Qpid but not Q Who?

Nothing at all from Prodigy — the best effort and most successful landing of a serialized season the franchise has achieved?

Thanks for the thought experiment OP.

Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 4x01 "Valles Marineris" in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 3 points 1 month ago

My spouse and I found this season opener disappointing, if for different reasons.

My partner couldn’t get past the bad science. More, something made them feel like they were watching low budget mid 20th century scifi.

I found the performances/acting off across the board. Given the strength of the cast one has to wonder why they were overwrought and unconvincing. The pacing and rhythm of dialogue definitely was part of it. The direction has to be part of it but the episode director has done a lot of better episodes in the this era.

I’m usually pretty forgiving on science and engineering as long as the process feels right. Without the actors selling it, I just didn’t get into the show in a way that allowed for suspension of disbelief.

The cast is saying they feel this is their strongest season yet. Based on episode one, I am unconvinced.

‘Star Trek: Khan’ Audio Drama Wins Scribe Award in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 3 points 1 month ago

This is good news.

It was well done and might be something Paramount is willing to do more of even if the television franchise is on ice.

Why does Admiral Paris have a picture of Nick Locarno instead of his own son? Is he stupid? in c/risa@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 3 points 1 month ago

It’s not a fan novel.

The Full Circle Voyager series is official tie-in fiction published by Pocketbooks and CBS. Official tie-in fiction is beta-canon. That is, canon until overwritten by something onscreen.

The key thing in this is that the tie-in writer for this series Kirsten Beyer has significant credibility and authority within the franchise. Her research and statements on the legal situation around this are credible and official.

Kirsten Beyer was in the middle of writing the Voyager books when she joined the television writers as of the first season of Discovery. She’s officially got the mandate as the expert keeper of canon in the writers room — even if she’s not always listened too. More, she was made the liaison for the tie-in writers to the shows as of 2017. She’s now a CoExecutive Producer and cocreator of SNW.

When that book was published, and she chased down the history on Locarno/Paris, she had the greatest access to past Executive Producers and internal legal advice and archives. She wouldn’t have claimed that without solid evidence.

Why does Admiral Paris have a picture of Nick Locarno instead of his own son? Is he stupid? in c/risa@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 11 points 1 month ago

I suspect that it had to do with the WGA contract at the time that TNG was in production.

Writers with a script credit got specific residuals for characters they created in a script according to what Beyer wrote. So, taking a one-off character and putting them in a main cast role in a new show would be providing creator credits for the entire show.

Chief Miles O’Brien is a different story altogether. Colm Meany was originally contracted as a background regular as the transporter chief but without a name. These kind of roles are reliable and keep actors eating while allowing them to audition for other roles.

According to what I heard at a Creation Con panel back in the early 90s, the showrunners eventually decided to give the character a name. Colm Meany wasn’t advised, nor was his agent — so Meany actually was raising a complaint that he was being replaced without notice, only to find out he’d been upgraded to a named part.

Why does Admiral Paris have a picture of Nick Locarno instead of his own son? Is he stupid? in c/risa@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 16 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Kirsten Beyer actually is on the record saying that this was confirmed to her when she was writing the Voyager Full Circle novels.

In those books, she has the incident and the consequences as part of Paris’ backstory that gets thrown in his face in a legal proceeding back on Earth.

My recollection is that she printed this in an author’s note in the specific book so it must have had legal clearance for the tie-in literature.

Star Trek Actor Confirms Franchise Return After 7-Year Absence in c/startrek@startrek.website
[–] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, that Instagram post seems unavailable now.

In any event, I would be happy to see both James Frain back as Sarek and Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson.

I was one of those who really liked their performances as those characters.

-12
cdrama idol dreamcasting of classic Star Trek roles (startrek.website)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/40147491

While kdramas having been established in global popularity, cdramas are having a bit of a moment with international audiences.

Pursuit of Jade was recently the first to crack mainland China production to crack the Netflix non-English language top ten, and stayed on it for several weeks.

Outside China, cdrama fans seem to intersect with Star Trek fans more than one might expect. Perhaps it’s the willingness to watch massive numbers of episodes to enjoy a series? cdramas typically come in with 40 episode series, and in earlier years some had 60 or 70 episodes.

So, it seems inevitable that Star Trek cdrama fans would want to fancast reboots of classic Star Trek legacy characters with top Chinese Idol drama actors.

u/universalaxototal created these and posted them on cdramafans subreddit today. Shared with permission.

More are in the works for some of the women characters.

From the original post:

• ⁠Tan Jianci righteously commanding as Xiang-Luc Picard mic drop 🎤

• ⁠Liu Yuning looking so natural in Starfleet uniform. He definitely plays the saxophone […and towers over everyone at 1.91 metres.]

• ⁠Hou Minghao as Captain Kirk, absolutely seducing an alien woman on a distant planet while the away team pretends not to notice

⁠Deng Wei as Spock/Data 🖖

• ⁠Deng Wei also somehow managing the wearing of a hair accessory on his face (it is the future, luxury brands have collapsed, so the House of Chanel has had to pivot into quantum optics and interface technology)

-29
cdrama idol dreamcasting of classic Star Trek roles (startrek.website)
 

While kdramas having been established in global popularity, cdramas are having a bit of a moment with international audiences.

Pursuit of Jade was recently the first to crack mainland China production to crack the Netflix non-English language top ten, and stayed on it for several weeks.

Outside China, cdrama fans seem to intersect with Star Trek fans more than one might expect. Perhaps it’s the willingness to watch massive numbers of episodes to enjoy a series? cdramas typically come in with 40 episode series, and in earlier years some had 60 or 70 episodes.

So, it seems inevitable that Star Trek cdrama fans would want to fancast reboots of classic Star Trek legacy characters with top Chinese Idol drama actors.

u/universalaxototal created these and posted them on cdramafans subreddit today. Shared with permission.

More are in the works for some of the women characters.

From the original post:

• ⁠Tan Jianci righteously commanding as Xiang-Luc Picard mic drop 🎤

• ⁠Liu Yuning looking so natural in Starfleet uniform. He definitely plays the saxophone […and towers over everyone at 1.91 metres.]

• ⁠Hou Minghao as Captain Kirk, absolutely seducing an alien woman on a distant planet while the away team pretends not to notice

⁠Deng Wei as Spock/Data 🖖

• ⁠Deng Wei also somehow managing the wearing of a hair accessory on his face (it is the future, luxury brands have collapsed, so the House of Chanel has had to pivot into quantum optics and interface technology)

6
Japanese man sentenced to prison for posting spoilers (www.theverge.com)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/38527959

Last Thursday, the Tokyo District Court ruled that 39-year-old Wataru Takeuchi was guilty of violating Japanese law that prohibits the creation of “a new work by making creative modifications to the original while preserving its essential characteristics.” Takeuchi worked as administrator of a website that published lengthy, spoiler-heavy descriptions from popular movies and series. And two of Takeuchi’s “articles” — one about Godzilla Minus One and another focused on the Overlord anime adaptation — prompted Toho (owner of the Godzilla) and Kadokawa Shoten (the publisher behind Overlord) to file joint lawsuits through the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA).

6
Hollywood Reporter | Breaking ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Reveals First Trailer as the Kaiju Targets New York City (www.hollywoodreporter.com)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/38193355

The THR article has details but no link to the actual teaser-trailer.

There are unconfirmed reports on YouTube that the official first teaser-trailer should be posted within the next hour ~ 7pm EDT.

26
So, how many of us see Moopsy when we look at the Artemis mascot Rise? (www.nasa.gov)
 

The Artemis NASA

mission has a mascot named Rise — a stuffy that acts as a zero-G indicator.

At a certain angle, it’s face looks a lot like a favourite bone-drinking horror called Moopsy.

3
Salon | The useful rage of Godzilla (www.salon.com)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/37765690

This Salon feature from two weeks back provides a good overview of the 70+ year Godzilla franchise and its relevance to current audiences. There’s an analysis of where Monarch: Legacy of Monsters fits in the franchise’s themes.

Our relationship with Godzilla changes from movie to movie and age to age. Some films cast the King of the Monsters as a protector unconsciously joining humanity – and occasionally, King Kong – to fend off some mammoth existential evil. More often, he is a reckoning, reminding us of how puny we are in nature’s schemes...

…each springs from the same mutated DNA, mapping the source of Earth’s monster problems to mindless warfare, along with the intellectual vanity compelling man to seek an upper hand over nature instead of figuring out how to coexist.

Godzilla and the other Titans stampeding in his wake are post-World War II creations; Ishirō Honda, who directed the OG “Godzilla,” was a veteran of that war marked by his travel through the ruins of Hiroshima after the United States bombed its civilians and Nagasaki to force Japan’s surrender. The Geneva Conventions’ protocols made such acts illegal, but as we’re discovering with alarming frequency and force these days, laws are only as effective as our willingness to abide by them…

12
70 Years Ago, Steve Martin Brought Godzilla To The US (www.inverse.com)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/37747635

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/37747581

An interesting and thorough reflection on how the original Godzilla (1954) was adapted to make Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956), with a framing story starring Raymond Burr, for the franchise’s introduction to American / English language audiences.

85
New from Grickle | Canine Kaiju (startrek.website)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/37655947

Mastdon post on creator’s account.

Not available yet at gricklemart.com but, his earlier Godzilla ones are there.

15
Monsterverse — Welcome to a new StarTrek.website community (startrek.website)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/35903845

!monsterverse@startrek.website has been live for over a month. Please be welcome to join the discussion.

One of the oldest screen franchises now has a home on Lemmy!

Are you a Monsterverse fan? Or, perhaps just Monsterverse curious.

Whatever your degree of love for or interest in kaiju and all things Monsterverse, this community is intended to be a welcoming place in the fediverse for you.

Join us to discuss the new television franchise on AppleTV with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and the spinoff Coldwar spy thriller prequel going into production this spring.

Or, share your thoughts about the more than 70 years of the movie franchise that started with Godzilla (1954).

44
Petition update | Petitions to continue Starfleet Academy break 30,000 signatures (www.change.org)
 

The first change.org petition to Renew “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” for a third season hit 30,000 signatures today, and is over 31,000 at the time of this post.

The one at the post link is the one launched from the UK with the regrettable, unofficial (likely AI) image. But it was up first and has been getting momentum.

There’s another one Renew Star Trek Starfleet Academy for a full season three, with the official key art poster that is about to break 5,000 signatures.

Between these two, Starfleet Academy now has more signatures than did Prodigy when Netflix picked up its second season.

Clearly this is causing consternation among some of those who have opposed the show from the outset. There are now opposing petitions Urge Paramount to shelve Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season two; Keep the Academy series permanently cancelled; and similar. None of these has significant traction.

4
5 Years Ago, A Silly Sci-Fi Movie Sneakily Saved Hollywood (www.inverse.com)
 

cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/37528189

An interesting analysis of GvK’s place in the industry’s recovery as the COVID-19 pandemic emergency wound down sufficiently that theatres reopened.

Godzilla vs. Kong eventually earned $470 million worldwide, making it a true, unqualified success. It was the first sign that en masse moviegoing could still exist in whatever our new normal would look like.

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"It's gone baby... it's all gone"| Sigh .....‘Project Hail Mary’ Author Andy Weir Says Paramount Rejected His ‘Star Trek’ Pitch: Their “Shows Are Sh**” (www.hollywoodreporter.com)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website to c/startrek@startrek.website
30 comments fedilink
 

The sigh from me is wondering why Andy Weir felt it necessary to use a platform like ‘criticaldrinker’ to go out of his way to trash recent Star Trek.

“They didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, fuck ‘em,” doesn’t really sell me on putting my dollars and eyeballs towards the success of his movie — no matter a great performance by Ryan Gosling or great production values.

Rather tells me why all Weir’s heros are lone-guy-saves-all-on-his-own tropes.

Quoting Weir in the interview:

Later, Marsden brought up the divisive Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which Paramount+ recently confirmed will end after its already-shot second season.

“I think we can probably safely never talk about it again,” Marsden quipped. 

“It’s gone baby!” Weir cheerfully agreed. “It’s all gone.” 

Marsden said his advice to Paramount is to de-canonize everything Star Trek from Enterprise onward.

“Okay, you’re a little more severe than I am,” Weir said. “I’ll give you my opinion and I’m just a consumer. I like Strange New Worlds. I think it’s pretty good. I didn’t hate Enterprise. I thought it was kind of weird. Lower Decks I thought was entertaining and fun. All the others, they can go. And here’s another thing: I pitched a Star Trek show to Paramount and I was in Zoom with the showrunners with all the shows and spent a lot of time talking to [executive producer Alex Kurtzman]. I don’t like a lot of the new Trek. He, as a person, is a really nice guy. But at the same time, those shows are shit. He is a nice guy. But they didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, fuck ’em.”

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