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eBook – The Empire Striketh Back

eBook –  The Empire Striketh Back Full title :  William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back By : Ian Doescher  Iillustrations :  Nicolas Delort Score : 9/10 Year : 2014 Publisher : Quirk Books  eISBN :  978-1-59474-716-8 Based on  978-1-59474-715-1 (hard cover) Pages : 176 *  Language : English From Goodreads : Hot on the heels of the New York Times best seller William Shakespeare’s Star Wars comes the next two installments of the original trilogy: William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back  (and not reviewed as yet,  William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return.) Return to the star-crossed galaxy far, far away as the brooding young hero, a power-mad emperor, and their jesting droids match wits, struggle for power, and soliloquize in elegant and impeccable iambic pentameter. Illustrated with beautiful black-and-white Elizabethan-style artwork, these two plays offer essential reading for all ages. Something Wookiee this way comes!  *** As he explains at the end, Ian Doescher

#threadtrek #monthlytrek 2022 Part 6

 


I continue threadtrek's catch-up, with days 18- 25.


On  day 18, the prompt was War. I was too tired to gather anything so had reused a previous post where war was also a topic, and thought I was done with it. But, the next day, I decided to come back with another one but with no images...In this example, I want to discuss a character who gets wounded DS9's Siege of AR-558, praised for heroism,  but suffers from ptsd. This arc continued mainly in It's only a paper moon, where the very definition of life, trauma, and healing are all in focus.

The end of that episode's scene : 

"Are you OK?"

"No… but I will be."

The hopeful end note, in waiting for healing and being ok once more - but, that's in the future, with better, more humane treatment, independent of money, contrasts current days of mental health treatments. Where so many war veterans, soldiers, but also others who witness, suffer and get far too little help, after far too many unnecessary, unjust wars.


Day 19 :  Section 31

They were 1st introduced onscreen in DS9. I love most of that arc, with a couple rare exceptions of stylistic choices in a scene or two. It made sense that, when an idealistic Federation, can't really face some reality of dangerous space, deceitful aliens, and lacking in security (look how many times TNG security messes up), that some citizens would take matters to their own hands. 

After that, we saw them in Enterprise, a prequel. Where there was even more danger, so, although I felt some of their introduction into the prequel was clunky, it also made sense. 

In an increasingly real world issues, particularly the dark years in the USA, I expect 31 in 'NuTrek'. But, I had to stop watching DIsco (ep 2) & PIC (ep 6), so if you know the answer, please don't tell me. Indeed, I may be able to watch Disco now with my CBT progress, so, PLEASE, NO ONE SPOIL it to me if they're back somewhere. Most of NuTrek either out of my graphic content reach..Or not available in France (hell, Disco can be only seen if you buy the discs here atm - and this is what I just did a few weeks ago).


Day 20 : Man V technology 

Before I talk about it, a bit, I'll exceptionally start with a thread of photos. 





We can now start discussing the topic at hand. 

Current humans have an abundance of technologies, it's part of our evolution, and possible dangers - if misused, misunderstood, can and do occur. Some tech are more than useful than others. 
Star trek as a whole is an extension of what we can do, and what Roddenberry and all the writers imagined. 

From propulsion and energy, we have starships. There are food replicators, R&R at the Holodeck...
Many medical advances, from tricorder to scan and make a diagnosis without invasive procedures, and so on.

But with great possibilities, come dangers, small & big :
mishaps, dependency, accidents, sterility, over/under population, radiation and so much more. 
In Star Trek, there are numerous transporter accidents, issues on the Holodeck, the food replicators going haywire... some aliens have had radiation and couldn't have children...
Others had forgotten the machines they had followed as guides, to become deities and absolute laws, or simply didn't know how to fix their broken machines, or live without them.

The worst dangers are those of total destruction : how many episodes do we have about doomsday machines, total wars, and utter desolation ? & with that, the ultimate danger of total dependency : the Borg. They are indeed the embodiment of all the possible dangers, combined. Part organic, part machine, they are a force that destroys so much on its passage. The ultimate fear of us humans should remain that of losing humanity.




As a counterpoint, Star Trek also explored societies and individuals who wanted to live simpler lives, without  tech, or at least, with less of it : The Essentialists, people who prefer to cook "real food", not depending on weather control and so on. 


Day 21 : Romanticizing space travel

Jonathan Archer. His father offered his 1st astronomy book + they built models to fly as seen in that scene... the quote shows romantic views.





Day 22 : Borg

in TNG Q Who Q throws the Enterprise 7000 light years away to prove to Picard that he must add him to the crew... in the face of a destructive race with whom it's impossible to reason... the arc continues in TNG, Voyager & Enterprise.






Day 23 : Spock

From TOS to 6 TOS movies to guesting in TNG, Leonard Nimoy incarnated the semivulcan Spock for decades. He helped shape his personality & added valuable, enduring aspects of Vulcan lifestyle, logic & nonviolence, Fascination & science. 





He brought so much that at 1st, when new Spocks came, I was leery & afraid of changes, but... Quinto did a great job being both faithful & yet very different Spock, and SNW's Spock (Peck) was very Spock-y in the first couple ep i got to see thus far.




Day 24 music inspired me nothing to share , so i move to 25 : Romulan Supernova
Nero showcases what I think of almost every single Romulan out there : not to be trusted, they're always arrogant & violent. Even when they should chill the f down.


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