Week that was

[altariel]

So far this week I've watched 32 episodes of Deep Space Nine. And do you know what? I bloody love Deep Space Nine. I thought I was falling out of love with TV SF. In fact, I just really dislike Battlestar Galactica.

Because I have been having such a good time, I am feeling bountiful, and therefore all of you who have consistently voted WRONGLY in my polls have a chance to get yourself safely onto the Right List For When the Revolution Comes. This poll is EASY.

[Poll #1258368]

Meanwhile... Thank you to nhw for pointing me towards BookMooch, a community where you earn points by giving books away, and then use those points to get people to send you books that you want to read. It looks like a good way of getting hold of mass market paperbacks that you want to read but for which you don't want to fork out upwards of six quid. I am here.

(the_wild_iris, if you're not there already, you might want to take a look: there's a list of Lloyd Alexander books available.)

Comments

[lonemagpie.livejournal.com]

So far this week I've watched 32 episodes of Deep Space Nine. And do you know what? I bloody love Deep Space Nine.

Which is just as well, all things considered!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It's not a bad life.

[kerravonsen]

Romulans.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Not on offer!

[muninnhuginn]

Both... and Romulans too.

Bookmooch is only really useful if you're actually prepared to part with books. Not one of my talents, I'm afraid.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I have lots of contemporary fiction that I'm never going to reread, so I may as well use them as tokens for getting hold of other similar books.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I confess I've never quite understood the thing some people have about Cardassians in general. I like one Cardassian very much, but en masse they don't do much for me. Not that Klingons do either; I quite like... um... Martok? or his wife? But not that much. I'm trying to think of a race I like as a race. Ferengi? Well, mostly Quark and Brunt. Bajorans? Kai Winn's wonderful, but again it's down to the occasional individual. Vorta? Pah Wraiths? Winn finally rejects them, so they can't be that good.

The thing I like about DS9 is that, instead of the Federation view shrugging off all petty challenges, there are lots of world views, or galaxy views, all arguing away with equal conviction. But I can't think of one with which I actually identify; I appear to enjoy the cacophony.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I do dislike Dukat, but this time through, I'm finding him increasingly fascinating. Damar is the other reason I started writing DS9 fanfic, so I have to love him. And Ziyal is wonderful.

As Klingons go, Martok is indeed a sweetie, and his wife is fairly awe-inspiring.

But you're right that the best thing about DS9 is all those different exiles stuck on the station together.

[trixieleitz]

I'm on Bookmooch, too, after some arm-twisiting by my SiL. Am not going to put my BM username here, in the interests of preserving some illusion of meatspace/LJ separation, but I have just friended you there :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Found you!

Sylvia Engdahl's Children of the Star jas just been released as an ebook: see here.

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

Do we get extra points if we CONSISTENTLY vote correctly? And by points I mean, positions in the new regime?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ooh, interesting point. Yes, those who consistently vote correctly might well be the most useful and trusted advisors. They will have demonstrated Right Thinking.

*hearts your icon*

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I checked on your voting record (all polls now tagged under 'come the revolution'). You have performed extremely well. I see a important lackey post in your future. Just don't make any mistakes when you choose between The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness.

[telperion1.livejournal.com]

Do we really have to choose? ;-)

Actually, it depends on the season. I liked the Cardassians in the early seasons; something about them made great villains. In the later seasons I still liked them, but the Klingons really came into their own as a race, with the whole investigation of honor and the wanting to continue the war even after the changeling had been revealed. And the whole concept that Worf could have honor restored just because some so-called honorable Klingon (Martok) said, "Come, be part of my house"... philosophically, it's intriguing.

Really, though, it's kind of like a ying and yang thing. Sometimes you want a little Spock, other times a bit of McCoy. They're like that for later series.

(I will admit: there are more disasters of episodes set on Klingon ships than probably any other environment...)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That icon is so adorable!

I think you might be onto something when you say there are more disaster episodes with Klingons. When I see it's a Klingon episode, I groan and go on to the next one. But I do like individual Klingons: Martok is great, and Worf when he's with Jadzia.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

C'mon, you knew how I was gonna vote............

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I still thought you deserved a chance...

This is like that party game about who would beat who: Pirates or Ninjas? Spacemen or Cavemen? Cardassians or Klingons? (Er, leaving aside that we already have the results on that one...)

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Oooh, ooh, ooh, I know the answer, I know the answer to this one! *preens*

I like your research. It sounds good. Our current rewatch is X-Files which is not anywhere near as good as DS9 but it's better than Bonekickers. And Battlesta Galactica.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

You, my dear, will be part of my High Command when the revolution comes.


it's better than Bonekickers

Altogether now: what ISN'T?

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

I too am rewatching X-Files! Why is everyone rewatching X-Files, suddenly? Is it because of the film? It is certainly better than Battlestar Galactica, anyway. And, I must assume, Bonekickers.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Cardassians or Klingons?

There must be something of Data in my character, as my immediate reaction was: "Insufficient data. Cardassians or Klingons to do what?" :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

:-)

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I've always preferred Cardassians. I agree BSG is very hard to watch, and oddly for exactly the same reasons that made DS9 so great: the big sweeping political story. I'm all for darkness, really. Space is dark. But day-um, that BSG is just dire.

Still...Season 2.5, disc 1 is at home waiting for me and I'm gonna watch.

I shall have to put DS9 into my queue. I haven't seen it since it aired.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

BSG was a massive disappointment for me. It made one critical mistake: it was dull.

Also, there's dark and there's dark. But BSG is all posture, no real darkness at all.

And the politics were dumb.

No, I really didn't like BSG.

Enjoy your DVD ;-D

I'll be on the wrong side come November anyhow

[(Anonymous)]

So hell with it. Klingons. Not because of the obvious candidates either - I'm voting on the strength of Grilka. C'mon, it is not possible not to like that story!

(Otherwise, Romulans, solely because of "Face of the Enemy" and "Unification." And the other one where there's the black hole creatures nesting in their engine and things go wonky. They never got domesticated - they just brood on the frontier and do stuff to mess things up.)

Dwim

Re: I'll be on the wrong side come November anyhow

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Hah, another of Quark's unlikely girlfriends! I'll give you brooding Romulans, although brooding on the frontier and doing stuff to mess things up is a good description of Garak in exile!

[owl]

I loved BSG at the beginning, but it started to wobble for me in s2, and has never really fully got it back since.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Yes, I thought the miniseries rocked. And then - nosedive.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Belated thanks for the heads-up about BookMooch! I'll have a look around.