Depending on how long you’ve been following, you may or may not remember that we raised money to get me into a bikini like the one Princess Leia wore in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
The donations came in and the costume was purchased. It took a while to line up the photo shoot but it happened this past Sunday. Consider this a late Valentine’s Day Present from your favorite Hot Nerd Girl. A big thanks to my friend Jessica for doing my hair and taking the pictures and an even bigger thanks to everyone who donated!!
If you have any suggestions on what the next costume/photo shoot should be, let me know.
I attended a friend’s birthday party over the weekend that had a 1930’s theme. Next thing I know, I’m in a room full of gorgeously dressed gorgeous people in authentic 1930’s formal attire.
Naturally that got me thinking about time travel.
Time travel via giant donut
Because, really, what nerd brain wouldn’t go straight to Captain Kirk in City on the Edge of Forever or Captain Picard on the holodeck in The Big Goodbye or Vic Fontaine crooning to the crew on any given episode of Deep Space Nine? It’s only natural.
Time travel is a common theme in science fiction. It’s a convenient story line that can take up an entire episode or movie and be self-contained or expanded into a multiple episode story arc. The possibilities are endless and the hardest part is making up some kind of space-time fluctuation to get our heroes to the time period needed.
Back when Gene Roddenberry first envisioned his “wagon train to the stars,” he got together with some of the greatest scientific minds of the time to hash out all things science-based on his show. He wanted to know exactly what could be done and how it could be done that was accurate and feasible. In other words, he asked these scientists to look into the future and dish the dirt.
The result has been the precursor to the cell phone, the hypospray, the modern computer, and so on and so forth. Their predictions were so accurate that NASA named one of its space shuttles Enterprise to acknowledge the fact that Roddenberry and his cohorts were far ahead of their time and deserved to be recognized for it. Every time I read an interview with an astronaut they claim to have been inspired by Star Trek.
Fake astronaut, meet real astronaut. Real astronaut, meet fake astronaut.
But what about their ideas on time travel? Some of the earliest evidence of exploration on the topic comes from the 700’s BCE with the Sanskrit Epic Mahabharata. In it, King Revaita travels to the heavens, meets God, and returns to discover that many years have gone by on Earth since he left and everyone he knows is long dead. The Japanese tale Urashima Taro and Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle contain the same basic storyline of a lone traveler leaving and returning to find themselves in the future. Even A Christmas Carol is a study of time travel.
Time travel in science fiction is often a paradox, a confusing mess of “what if’s.” If I step on a butterfly in the past, will I alter human life in the future? If I altered human life in the future, how could I have stepped on the butterfly in the past? It’s a classic chaos theory or “butterfly effect.” I’ve seen wormholes, time dilations, subspace temporal distortions, a transwarp corridor and a temporal casualty loop all used in the name of story telling. But is time travel real?
That'll do Scott Bakula, that'll do.
Time travel does exist, just not in a way that is convenient for us to go back and tell our 20-year-old selves not to get drunk and sleep with so-and-so. According to the theory of relativity, if I board a spaceship and start traveling away from Earth at a relativistic speed and then turn around and come back after a few years, more time would have passed on Earth than did for me on the spaceship. Therefore, technically, I would be traveling into the future. Einstein also theorized that it would be possible to travel into the past using specific types of motion in space. Folds in space time are another popular theory. If space folds in on itself, then why can’t we skip from one fold to another? One of my favorite books, The Last Legends of Earth by A.A. Attanasio goes into this in depth. Ancient magic has been the inspiration for many time travel stories as well. From Claire Randall going through ancient Druid standing stones in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, to Hermione’s Time Turner in Harry Potter, the possibilities are endless.
It's true.
Physicists all tend to have their own theories of what is and isn’t possible. Stephen Hawking has been one of the biggest naysayers of most time travel theories. Ironic, since science fiction writers like to use black holes as a time travel source and Hawking is the world’s leading expert on the phenomenon.
If I could go back in time and attempt to change something, I’m not sure that I would. I would love to have prevented some deaths I feel were unnecessary, but who am I to make that decision and change the course of history ala Quantum Leap? Is it even possible to change it? Maybe it would simply result in fate finding a way like in Final Destination. Given the choice, I would much rather travel to the future. I would love to see what the human race is able to accomplish 100, 200, 300 years from now.
So my friend Hayden is slightly (and when I say slightly I mean majorly) obsessed with Ghostbusters.
Ecto-1 ftw!
We once drove all the way downtown to a tech convention just to see Ecto-1 parked outside. We stayed just long enough to take pictures and chat with the owner and then left.
Then we got up early and headed to Costco to meet Dan Aykroyd and buy bottles of his Crystal Head vodka a while back.
So when Hayden found out that there would be a special showing of the film at Arclight Theatre with Ernie Hudson and William Atherton showing up for a Q&A session, it was pretty much mandatory that we attend. Events like this are one of the few perks of living in Los Angeles. You’d think there would be more perks, but nope, this town pretty much sucks.
It also happens to be Hayden’s birthday so it was a total score for me since it’s quite possibly the easiest birthday present ever.
Hayden and HNG at it again
I showed up before Hayden did and just happened to run into William Atherton in the Arclight gift shop. This was not my first time meeting Bill (we’re on a first name basis now). I had met him once before in 2005 at the Whole Foods Market in Woodland Hills. We were both grocery shopping and our eyes met. We introduced ourselves, chatted for minute and then parted ways. It was a moment, surrounded by organic, cage-free brown eggs, that I will never forget. Hayden showed up a minute later and we took pictures with him and scored autographs. I had Bill sign my crystal skull which he found highly amusing. Amusing enough to write his note to Dan Aykroyd instead of to me. A note that Danny (we’re on a first name basis now) will probably never, ever see. But whatever. Bill’s an awesome guy and not nearly as dickless as Venkman would have you think.
A girl and two pecks
Watching the movie on the big screen was epic. Let’s just say that I was not old enough to watch it when it was originally on the big screen *ahem* so this was a real, if slightly fuzzy, treat.
Then came the moment we were all waiting for: the Q&A with Ernie Hudson (Winston), William Atherton (Peck), Joe Medjuck (Producer), Steve Johnson (Slimer, Visual Effects Artist), and Billy Bryan (Stay Puft Marshmallow Man). Oh, but wait, Ernie Hudson decided not to show. Or even call to say that he wasn’t going to show.
WTF ERNIE HUDSON???
Ernie, you are dead to me
I know you’re so busy with your thriving acting career and all but really? You didn’t even have the manners to call and say that you were so sorry that you couldn’t grace us with your presence?
Ugh. Whatever. My crystal skull didn’t want your signature on it anyways.
The Q&A sans Ernie went smashingly with one exception: the host decided that his questions were far more important than fan questions and only left enough time for TWO questions from the audience. Douche. As my friend Kate would say “That’s soooooooooooo LA…”
All in all it was a great night. And although the kid next to me made a strange clicking noise when he yawned EVERY 30 SECONDS, I had a great time hanging out with the people behind the magic. If they ever do one of these for Star Trek I might just have a joygasm.
I'm a nerd…in case you didn't know
Some fun facts learned:
Exploded Stay Puft was actually shaving cream. Bill found out they were planning on dumping 100 lbs of the stuff on him and insisted they do a test run. The test run knocked the stunt guy flat. Oh, and they accidentally used mentholated shaving cream instead of regular. Ouch. Needless to say, all was rectified for Bill’s shot.
They filmed at all hours of the night and really pissed off the New Yorkers living in the neighborhood. At one point Isaac Asimov came running out. Dan Aykroyd got all excited and ran up to him and started telling him how huge a fan he was. Asimov just stared and him and yelled “Are you the one responsible for all this???”
Francis Ford Coppola was filming The Cotton Club around the same time so when people got upset about the lights and noise the Ghostbusters crew started blaming it on Coppola.
They sometimes filmed without permits. In the montage where they are running around New York catching ghosts, they are, at one point, really running away from a pissed off security guard.
The part of Venkman was originally written for John Belushi. When John Belushi Graduated they brought in Bill Murray to replace him. They had already created Slimer but completely revamped him as an homage to Belushi in Animal House.
Stay Puft is missing his tie in the scene where he explodes. Billy Bryan realized this in the middle of the night after shooting and woke up in a panic. Since no one in the screenings ever noticed, they left it as is.
Stay Puft is the only aspect of the original script that survived.
So, it turns out that a lot of people dig Linda Hamilton. Either that or they just search for her a lot. Ms. Hamilton has consistently been one of the top searched for people on the Hot Nerd Girl Blog.
I’m not gonna lie, this perplexes me just a little.
Not because I don’t think she’s awesome, obviously I do as previously stated in my 10 Hottest Babes of Sci-Fi post. It’s just that it’s been a little while since she was a headlining actress in a major motion picture.
Our relationship is fine! We swear!
Maybe it’s because her ex-husband, James “Jimbo” Cameron has been in the news thanks to Avatar? He was competing with ex-wife #2, Kathryn Bigalow, during all of the awards ceremonies….so why shouldn’t ex-wife #3 Linda Hamilton come up?
However, I lean towards the notion that it’s because there’s more to this tough girl than meets the eye.
For example, did you know that Linda Hamilton auditioned for the role of Kathryn Janeway? Genevieve Bujold got the role and then infamously quit after one day of filming, handing over the part to Kate Mulgrew. Hamilton was also considered for the role of Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, a role that ended up going to a not-quite-uber-famous-yet Nicole Kidman.
Linda is somewhat of a sci-fi goddess and has been since the start of her acting career. In quick succession she went from Children of the Corn to The Terminator. James Cameron loved her so much that he changed Sarah Connor’s scripted age from 19 to 27 just for Linda. Her most famous TV role was opposite Ron Perlman (Can I just say how much I LOVE him??) in Beauty and the Beast. I totally remember watching that show as a kid and thinking she was the prettiest lady alive.
Mmmmmm…..codpieces…..
Of course, she then became the most bad ass lady alive when she went crazy training for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the movie she is most famous for and arguably one of the greatest movies of all time.
So what is Linda up to these days? Besides lamenting her marriage to Cameron and discussing her bipolar disorder, that is.
She’s back in action as the mother of Chuck. A neglectful mother and CIA agent who is still kicking ass and taking names.
There is nothing quite like seeing a hot chick in a hot outfit kicking some alien ass. Maybe it’s the funky hairdos, or the skin tight outfits, or the technobabble being spoken by a pair of ruby red lips. I don’t know, but can you honestly tell me that there’s anything greater? Honestly.
Honestly.
I didn’t think so.
So in honor of these bodacious, bad ass, and brilliant babes (cause brains are important too), here’s my list of the top 10 hottest babes in Sci-Fi.
You’re welcome.
10. Nichelle Nichols
She wasn’t the first sci-fi babe but she’s the earliest one on the list and she has the distinction of having broken down several racial barriers as Uhura. Not only was she a main character on a television show who was black (and a female), but she participated in the first ever inter-racial kiss on television in the Star Trek episode “Plato’s Stepchildren.” Of course, they had to make the kiss forced by aliens to get it past the censors but it was a step in the right direction. When the pressure became too much and she was tempted to quit, none other than Martin Luther King Jr himself convinced her to stay on the show. On a personal note, I’ve met her and she’s AWESOME.
9. Carrie-Anne Moss
She wears skin tight leather while kicking some serious ass. Having worn skin tight leather I can tell you exactly how difficult that is. Her main claim to sci-fi fame is the Matrix trilogy (we’ll stick with the first one, shall we?) It’s a movie that revolutionized film making, CGI, story telling, you name it. Some people dig Neo, I dig Trinity. I even dig her slicked back hair which is not something I usually go for (*cough* Jamie Lee Curtis *cough* True Lies *cough) I can think of a couple of trinities involving Carrie-Anne that I wouldn’t mind being a part of.
8. Linda Hamilton
Holy craparoni Batman, talk about ripped. The then Mrs. Cameron worked out like a maniac to prep for her role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day showing a grit and self-discipline totally befitting her character. Any woman who can break out of a maximum security facility with a broom stick and a hypodermic needle deserves kudos in my book. And a giant underground storage bunker full of weapons? Yes please! Very few women look hot with a cigarette hanging out of their mouths. Linda Hamilton is one of them.
7. Sigourney Weaver
From ripped to Ripley, Sigourney is another bad ass chick with a chip on her shoulder. She may fight aliens instead of robots but, like Sarah Connor, Ellen Ripley keeps coming back for more. She’s also managed to solidify her place in sci-fi history with a couple of other franchises in the form of Ghostbusters and Avatar (personally my favorite character in the movie). After all of that, how could she possibly endear herself to me even more? Oh, I dunno, maybe by starring in one of my very favorite movies ever, GALAXY QUEST. Never give up, never surrender Sigourney. We need you.
6. Famke Janssen
Genre-wise most people automatically think of X-Men when they think of Miss Famke and I know I’m walking a fine line here since technically X-Men is a comic book movie, not a sci-fi movie *semi-colon however comma* she’s got some sci-fi cred of her very own. Ok, yes, she is a Bond girl but I’m not referring to that either. Let’s go back about 18 years and remember a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called “The Perfect Mate” in which Famke played Kamala, an alien that looks kind of like a Trill before we knew what Trill’s were. Kamala is biologically created to become the perfect mate for the person she bonds with. As in, loves football and beer and giving blowjobs. You name it, she’s on it. The perfect woman. For this role alone she deserves a place on this list.
5. Milla Jovovich
Another ass kicker. God I love a woman who can kick some ass. In The 5th Element, Leeloo wore little more than some first aid tape and a bright orange ‘do. It matched Bruce Willis’ bright orange spandex wife beater and I’m pretty sure he saw that as a sign of fate. I know I would. Resident Evil has zombies in it. I may have mentioned once or twice before that I don’t much care for zombies (stoopid nightmares). I’ve seen the first movie but none of the sequels. Anyone who kills zombies is a-ok with me.
4. Marina Sirtis (see also Gates McFadden, Terry Farrell, Nana Visitor, Jeri Ryan)
The Sexy Sirens of Star Trek television. There are many of them and they are all pertiful. However, we’re going to focus on the utterly divine Deanna Troi for the purposes of this list. Originally introduced wearing a traditional lady’s uniform complete with a short hemline (ala Uhura) it was decided after oh, about 2 episodes, that her best assets were a little higher up on her body. Therefore, she became the one and only Starfleet officer ever permitted to not only ditch the uniform but wear cleavage-tastic outfits in lieu of said uniform. Much as it would inspire the troops, I just can’t see the USMC permitting such a thing. Only for Troi was the rule book thrown out. Plus I’ve heard that she cusses like a sailor with her awesome British accent. LOVE her. On a personal note, my brother married a girl named Troi which automatically knocked him up a few notches in my book. Jealous much? You should be, cause she’s AWESOME.
3. Zoe Saldana
I danced for 15 years, and really, it’s how the “Hot” in “Hot Nerd Girl” got there. So I first fell in love with Miss Zoe when she was in the movie Center Stage about a ballet school in NYC. Since then she has become something of a sci-fi “It Girl” with her roles in the new Star Trek movie (soon to be franchise) and Avatar movie (soon to be franchise). An admitted sci-fi geek, she’s not afraid to challenge herself and take on larger than life roles. Oh, and she’s HAWT. She’s got that going for her.
2. Olivia Wilde
The sci-fi “It Girl” of the not so distant future. Here’s a girl who has yet to be seen on screen in a sci-fi film. All of that will change on December 17th when Tron: Legacy comes out. In a way she’s replacing Cindy Morgan’s Yori with her Quorra and that’s just fine with me. She gets to sport a normal (if slightly Mia Wallace-esque) hairdo instead of a day-glo bald cap which I’m sure she’s pretty dang stoked about. But that’s not all folks. In the works are Cowboys & Aliens with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and Now with Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy, both of which look extremely promising. Sci-fi “It Girl” of the future. You heard it here first.
1. Carrie Fisher
If I didn’t put Princess Leia at the top of the list I’m pretty sure there would be a nerd uprising and I would have my HNG status revoked. If there’s anyone on this planet that can pull off a bronze bikini better than Carrie Fisher circa 1983, I have yet to see them. Star Wars is an iconic film, one that I watched over and over and over again growing up. Part of it was the Ewoks (soooo cute!) and part of it was the fact that I would have given my left pinkie toe to be Princess Leia, cinnabon hairdo and all.
And here’s how you can make it happen! A basic Princess Leia costume goes for about $50. If I can get enough people to donate up to that amount, I’ll do a photo shoot and post it on the site! So donate below and let’s get this photo shoot happening!
My Sarah Connor impression…uh…if she were to wear heels…which she would never do…meh.
I know I’ve made a big to-do about how Zombies freak me out and how I’ve had to institute a self-ban of “The Walking Dead” and all that fun, f’d up stuff. But they really are the only thing that freaks me out (ok, that’s a sort of lie, I’m a little freaked out by The Violator…but that’s a whole ‘nuther post). To help prove my point, let’s talk ghosts.
I just saw Clint Eastwood’s latest talkie “Hereafter” about a psychic, a near death experience and a lost soul mate. The following post was inspired by that movie and by recent events in my own life…
Ghosts are one of those taboo topics that fit into the conversation lexicon somewhere between “religion & politics” and “Uncle John was a serial killer with a lovechild.”
So, naturally, I’m going to bring it up 😉
It really isn’t spoken about, especially amongst non-believers and those of certain generations. But 100 years ago that simply wasn’t the case. Manufactured séances were a dime a dozen. Sarah Winchester fell victim to them, going so far as to follow a medium’s advice of constant construction on her San Jose mansion. That lasted 38 years until her death and resulted in a house designed to confuse the ghosts of those killed by the Winchester Rifle.
The original “ghostbuster,” Harry Houdini was passionate about exposing these frauds. A mission that cost him the friendship of none other than Sir Francis Conan Doyle. Ironically, after his death, his wife held séances every Halloween (he died on October 31, 1926) for 10 years, anticipating the moment he would return in spiritual form and whisper the agreed upon phrase, “Rosabelle believe.” She gave up after the 10th attempt proved fruitless. Others are still trying though, with his wife’s permission, of course.
There have always been and always will be those who prey on the desperate loved ones of those who have passed away. Here in Southern California there is a psychic on every block, most of them from a few gypsy families that operate very much like the mafia: http://www.10news.com/news/17967709/detail.html There is an entire website devoted to exposing them: http://www.gypsypsychicscams.com/realstories.html
Oh wait, wrong Gypsy…
Having descended from Bohemia (modern day Czech Republic) on my mother’s side, it’s a little disheartening that these people give genuine psychics a bad name.
You heard me right. Genuine psychics. They are out there. I’ve known some of them for years. They keep quiet about it and are very weary of anyone knowing about their abilities, which vary from person to person. I have never once met someone who can predict the future. What they can do; however, is communicate with and sense the dearly departed. Some of these people feel a moral obligation and assist with criminal investigations. Others are horrified and do everything they can to push away what they see as a curse. Most are ambivalent and accept it for what it is and never do much about it. One thing they can all agree on is that spirits are all around us. Most believe in reincarnation. All believe in heaven and some form of afterlife.
There’s really no way to prove any of this or that ghosts exist and wander among us, but it’s food for thought and a source of comfort for those of us who have lost a loved one.
Except, of course, when you’re knocking boots in the bedroom. Then, notsomuch.
It was neck and neck between the Star Trek Starfleet uniform and Rafael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but ultimately, Star Trek edged out TMNT. Which is apparently a good thing after reading this article:
I know I said I was thinking about getting the new/old uniform but, well, time is short and I ran out of it. So I went with my classic TOS old school uniform made famous by Lt. Uhura and Yeoman Rand (who I met about 6 years ago and is a crazy psycho bitch).
Here are some pictures (as you can see, I have way too much fun playing dress up):
Hope all you nerds had a fantastically fun and nerdy Halloween. Send me pictures of your costumes!
My friend and fellow nerd, Hayden, is probably the biggest Ghostbusters geek in California, if not the country
Ghostbusters 3 is really starting to make headway
There’s a chance he’s going to put Hayden to work
His vodka, Crystal Head, is based on the Legend of the 13 Crystal Skulls (which, sadly, George Lucas managed to make ridiculous in Indy 4)
Ghostbusters 3 is really starting to make headway
H-Dogg was a little starstruck
First off, let me just say that Dan was super nice (that’s right, we’re on a first name basis now). Hayden and I hiked over to Costco (!!!) to meet him and get some stuff signed (he was there to sign bottles of the vodka). He really dug Hayden’s kickass custom made GB hockey jersey (he’s Canadian, it would be illegal for him to NOT like hockey) and Hayden just about passed out when Dan asked him for his business card. We were the only people he stood up to take a picture with. Probably because we were the only ones who didn’t try to kiss him on the lips (!!!) I almost wore Hayden’s GB uniform (complete with a utility belt featuring blinking lights) but, alas, it was just too big to be comfortable so I opted for a t-shirt in Slimer green. I would not have been the lone person in uniform (there were many); however, I would have been the only girl which would have almost been worth it.
Those ghosts won't know what hit 'em!
One of the perks of meeting famous people at Costco is the type of people you end up in line with. The family in front of us were there shopping, oblivious to the fact that Dan would be there and the husband just happened to wear his GB shirt that day. He was both excited to get it signed and bummed because he wouldn’t be able to wash or wear it again (although I’m skeptical about the last time it had been washed anyway). The child, a boy around 3 or 4 years old was so excited to be The Incredible Hulk for Halloween that he told us about it. Repeatedly. As in, every 30 seconds or so. Which would have been great if he had actually known anything about The Incredible Hulk. But he didn’t. Hayden and I taught much to this young padawan. He was also very fond of death-defying shopping cart stunts and pulling electronics off of shelves. I kept about 5 feet behind him at one point for fear I would end up with pink lemonade all over me.
Oh Dan, you couldn’t have done this at Whole Foods or something? BevMo would have been good!
Venkman's back
You may have seen Bill Murray decked out in GB gear at the 2010 Scream Awards. He was the last piece in a puzzle that Aykroyd has been working on for over 20 years. When asked, Dan brightened up and was visibly excited about the GB3 wheels being set into motion. It is his baby after all. Supposedly the script is written and the 2nd draft of it is being worked on which means that the soonest it will be released is sometime in 2012. It will be interesting to see how they incorporate the advances in special effects and whether or not Hi-C will bring back Slimer Juice (aka Ecto-Cooler), which was quite possibly my favorite beverage as a kid.
$40 and change later I went home with a glass skull full of mediocre liquor and Dan Aykroyd’s signature plastered across the forehead. I haven’t decided if I’ll crack it open or if it will make friends with the not-to-be-opened-for-fear-of-death-and-dismemberment Romulan Ale and Klingon Blood Wine. I guess it depends on how long my bottle of Grey Goose lasts. But if and when I do open it, I will certainly say a toast for Dan and his contribution to nerdom.
I’m inspired by last week’s news of the “Goldilock Planet” to write about extraterrestrial life and my absolute certainty that we are not alone in this universe. If you haven’t read about it you can find it here: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/29/5202633-alien-planet-looks-just-right-for-life
In another news story out this week, more than 120 ex-Air Force personnel claim to have seen UFO’s around their base in Montana. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/28/national/main6907702.shtml
During these sightings their nuclear weapons would become deactivated. A co-worker of mine who lived in the same area has testified to the existence of these mysterious lights and objects and claims to have seen them on multiple occasions. Now, I don’t know if you know many people in the military. My family happens to be full of them. The ones I know are very by the book and honest to a fault. They would never dream of saying something like this unless they believed it to be true. Shit, they won’t even tell me most of what they did while in the service period. The point being that these are most likely trustworthy fellows. We’ll just ignore that whole Roswell debacle, shall we?
My argument has been echoed by many over the years and is not nearly as original or revolutionary as I would like it to be, but here it is anyways:
With a universe so vast, so filled with countless stars and planets, how is it possible that we would be all alone in it?
What a terrible and lonely idea.
There are many who believe that life on other planets is possible but is most likely microscopic. If a planet can sustain water (even if frozen), it can sustain life, even if that life is smaller than the eye can see.
There are others, like Stephen Hawking, who believe that other sentient beings are out there and will most likely destroy us when we come in contact with them. Much as the settlers of the new world destroyed the indigenous peoples already living there. As he so pointedly puts it, that “didn’t turn out very well” for them. I think HG Wells and President Whitmore would agree.
Professor Hawking soon learned his fears of aliens was unfounded once he met the women from Planet Amazonia…
If we get lucky our first visitors will be like the Vulcans in Star Trek: First Contact. Indifferently interested and willing to hook a brutha up with a tidbit of technology or two. Some cosmic rims, if you will. They will hold their superiority over us but that’s ok, we’ll form the United Federation of Planets and show them who’s boss.
Who photobombed first contact with an alien race? Hot Nerd Girl photobombed first contact with an alien race.
Of course, there’s always the option that we’ll destroy them. Or at least persecute them a la The 9th District. Or to a lesser degree, Alien Nation (hey, we let him become a cop, didn’t we?)
So what are we humans to do when and if alien visitors arrive? Hide, welcome, or destroy?
I’m in the “let’s hope they’re friendly and welcome them but kick their asses if they’re mean” camp. But mostly, I’m in the “of course they’re out there” camp, whether we ever come in contact with them or not. I just can’t bring myself to believe that we’re alone and if you do, that’s your egotistical and close-minded opinion and you have every right to believe it.
Just don’t look at me when Mars Attacks! And you weren’t prepared bee-yatch.
If I was a gal going in to Starfleet Academy in the year 2267, I would request a job that required a blue or gold uniform. Why were the redshirts always the first to go? I could give you the technical answer about how red uniforms are worn by Engineering and Security personnel and one or more of them would be required to go on away missions to protect the Captain or go in first to investigate. But let’s be honest. It’s the “black dude dies first” rule but since Star Trek is so enlightened they had to find another way of going about it.
You know it’s true.
At my first Star Trek Convention in San Francisco we were treated to some short films produced by fanboys. One of them (and by far the most popular) was one about redshirts. I don’t know if this was the exact one but it is equally as humorous:
The term “redshirt” has embedded itself in pop culture. Anyone expendable is now a redshirt.
Personally, I like to think about how Ensign Ricky would have felt about all this. I’m sure his mama would be proud that her brave young son will always be remembered for taking one for the (away) team.
By 2364 the red and gold uniforms had been swapped. I think this was a good move. Red is more regal and commanding than yellow is. It demands respect. The Next Generation understandably didn’t want to become a joke by continuing the redshirt joke. But they still needed a way to show that the bad guy was bad without killing off the main characters (Tasha Yar being the exception, but hey, she wanted out).
*bitch slap* "Don't you know who I am? I am the borg! Resistance is futile, A**HOLE!"
This is where The Worf Effect comes in to play.
Worf is the biggest and most badass of the good guys so if a bad guy can throw Worf across the room (which they often do) they MUST be really bad! Of course, Worf is a Klingon so he never really gets hurt (they leave that to falling cargo containers – far more deadly than the Borg apparently – but wait! He’s got back up organs!)
So the goldshirt never really took off like the redshirt did. Which is probably for the best.
The blue uniforms have always been for Medical and Science personnel. Let’s face it. They are far less interesting. Sure Dr. Crusher and Councilor Troi were hotties but Crusher covered hers up with a lab coat and Troi ditched hers altogether after the first two episodes in favor of cleavage. If it wasn’t for Spock, the blueshirt wouldn’t even be purchased by fanboys for ComicCon and Halloween. It’s a fact.
And lastly, the no shirt. Made famous by Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Whichever Orion slave girl made his uniforms had an ulterior motive because there is no reason for his uniforms to fall apart at the seams during every episode while everyone else’s stay intact. Even while battling Spock in “Amok Time” Spock’s uniform manages to stay in one piece while Kirk’s is ripped to shreds. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying that shirt shredding should be equal opportunity amongst all of the handsome men…