An Explanation in the Field of Brent Spiner-ism

It’s been very quiet on this here blog for a few days. I was very busy with the preparations for the upcoming Dragonboat day for which I do the time and qualification registration.


Anyway, posting here to address, or explain something. Not that I feel there’s any explanation necessary, but here it is anyway. It’s mainly an answer to this vid:

http://www.blastr.com/2011/07/wtf_video_of_the_day_bren.php

Here’s my explanation based on my extensive experience in Brent Spiner answering fan questions or interview questions, or just questions in general:
“He hardly ever answers seriously.” Or “He tends to play with you.”

Star Trek Fanfic

You know what, I actually started writing Star Trek fanfic.

I've been looking sideways at all the Star Trek series. That means, I've been making notes about the other Star Trek series while watching TNG. I've also been looking at the timeline, the real one, in which Star Trek is just a (very big) franchise. I've been doing some calculations, and like a good human (tribute to the 8th Doctor), I've been applying patterns to it. By my calculation we'll have five more years of Doctor Who. In the meantime there will be at least one other Star Trek movie, maybe two before a new series of Star Trek starts. Doctor Who will end sometime in 2018, there will be a Star Trek movie in 2015, in 2017 a new series of Star Trek starts and one or two more movies will be made. That's my calculation.

Then I started thinking about what a new series of Star Trek would look like. Here's my idea:
1) It will be set in the 25th century;
2) We'll return to the Enterprise. Actually, there will be a new Enterprise with a whole new crew. We'll see it from the start this time.
3) The new Enterprise crew is very aware of the Enterprise's legendary status/image and that will be a battle on it's own.
4) Some small references to TOS, TNG and ENT, etc to indicate how big the name "Enterprise" has grown.
5) The crew has to get used to each other as well.

Because there is a completely new crew, and because they're new to each other as well, there are a lot of oppertunities to study their relationships to each other, and to establish and develop relationships.

I have already started with defining the characters. I'm not quite sure yet, it still needs a lot of work. What I do want to do is striking the balance between men and women. So far I decided to go for a crew of five men and five women. The captain and the first officer roles I'm already filling in. With filling in I mean filling in their characters; I have no names yet. I do know their gender, both will be male. The second officer will be a female as well as the counselar. The counselar is a better version of me, obviously (I'm not gonna pass a chance to work on the Enterprise), though I need to work her character out a bit more.

Other ideas for the crew: I want a female chief of Engineering. Probably a male security officer. The rest of them I have not yet decided.

List of characters so far:
Captain: male
First officer: male
Second officer: female
Counselar: female: might change this to male which will place my character somewhere else.
Chief engineering: female

Just ideas, nothing set in stone.

Sorry

I still feel sorry the whole Jason Mraz period, and everything that compassed it for me, is now behind me.

I know I could have just tweeted that, but I tend to find logging into twitter something I don't enjoy. Then I find that twitter still confuses me and that I still don't like the convoluted mess that is twitter.

Still, the revelation was significant enough to deserve it's own blog post.

This is Jason Mraz. (To remind you....and myself)



Powering Down

In the space of one month, it seems I’ve said all I wanted to say about Star Trek in general and Data in particular. I’m still fascinated with my own fascination and with Data’s popularity. Talking some more about that will have me running in circles and repeating what I’ve already said about a hundred times already.

My fascination with Alexander hasn’t diminished; I was just done talking about him as well. Like I said before, there’s only so much you can say without repeating yourself. I always knew it wouldn’t last long. Turns out it lasted three months.

I could start talking about Doctor Who again, but there’s not that much happening. Yes, the DW proms, a second one this year, is coming up. Obviously, I won’t be visiting it. Maybe it’ll end up on Youtube. Catch it there.

My interest in Jason Mraz and John Mayer did diminish somewhat, though I’m still listening to their music. John is about to release a new album. I haven’t ordered it yet. I have no clue what Jason is doing.

Oh, yeah, and then there was Jake. Movie making takes so long, I’m still waiting for Prisoners to be released and the other movie in which Jake plays the two main characters (forgot the title). Other than that, not much happening there either. Not that I’m paying attention.

Maybe if Take That does something again..Oh well….

My spare time is filled mainly with watching all the Star Trek TNG episodes. I started on the fourth season yesterday. According to ST fandom it’s the best season. Nice….

Who knows what comes up next. Things seem to be slowing down. Fantasies still running wildly. Not as obsessive anymore. Powering down…

Just read this:

"Soong was played by Brent Spiner (who also played Data, Lore, B-4, and Arik Soong)."

Here: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Noonian_Soong
Brent played almost a complete family. In other words, he is his own family.

Spiner and Frakes...Between Takes...

Didn't want to keep this from you:

We must conclude this is not Data, but Lore. Data does not smile...not ever.

DataLore

This is actually an interesting discussion, or rather a sharing of loving one actor’s work. It brings me back to my wonderings how and why Brent as Data and also as Lore struck a chord with me. I’m pretending Brent never did anything else but Star Trek, and it still leaves me with an impressive catalogue of characters Brent played. Anyway, Data and Lore, this time especially Lore.

Data and Lore, in that exact order

There’s one scene that resonates most with me. It goes something like this: Data: I am not less perfect than Lore.
Lore: *babbling and complaining to Soong about how Data is Soong’s favourite and so on and so forth…*
Data: I am not less perfect than Lore.
Lore: *turns to Data and mimicks Data mockingly and with mocking voice* I am not less perfect than Lore.

It was then that it struck me how Lore felt. I love the beauty of his anguish, his brotherly love and envy at the same time. What also stuck in my mind was Lore’s reaction when Soong told him he might not be able to ask him anything anymore since he was dying. Lore was sincerely shocked saying things like: “You’r e not that old” and “You look fine”. Lore’s complexity, the fact something in his source code and possibly some external interference have caused Lore to be the “evil twin” brother fascinates me. The way Lore is, miserable and misguided, sensitive and vulnerable, makes me want to look at his source code and see if I can stabilize him. He does deserve that much.

My loving for Lore is a combination of my fascination with what I desribed above and Spiner’s performance as Lore. Very recognizable, maybe Spiner drew from his own brotherly feelings. I know for a fact he has a brother.

Dr. Noonian Soong at old age. In fact probably about a few
hours before his death. Just guessing here.

What always puzzled me was Spiner saying it was easier to play Lore (compared to Data) because he was closer to him. I can see that and yet and can’t help but feel a little worried.

I said this to my bf not too long ago. If I was on the Enterprise I would put a lot of time and patience in exploring and explaining emotions to Data. What I did not mention to him was I would probably also get into cybernetics to try and fix Lore. To make the story complete, I would become just as mad and obsessed as Dr. Soong. I could actually write that story; bits and bops have already taken shape in my head.

This is a discussion about Brent, Data and Lore and why they're attractive: Discussion

Lot Not Mine

There’s a lot to say, but the words are not mine today. That’s why I’m leaving you with this: "How Someone Got the Most Awesome Brent Spiner Autograph" . I love these stories so much, because I understand them, because I’ve been there.

This one I found rather interesting: "People You Forgot Were in Woody Allen Films" . It also reminded me of the game six degrees of Kevin Bacon and of Brent bringing it up and saying he was at a maximum of four degrees away from a lot of people. When you take the list I just posted the URL to, yes, that would be true.

a very young Brent Spiner. I'm sure this one is taken from the musical
"Sunday in the Park with George". Spiner plays two characters in this musical;
a servant called Franz in the first act and a guy called Dennis in the second act.
This is Dennis who is much more friendly and less funny.

This is glorious: Star Trek Season 4 Gag Reel

Smiecht

Today I want to tell you about the word “smiecht”. It’s a word we used, mockingly more than seriously, where I grew up. I just looked it up and it is in the Dutch dictionary. When a person is called a “smiecht”, it means it’s a mean person, a cheat, crook, rogue. I never heard it used much where I live now. It certainly never is used the way we used to use it.


That’s the word “smiecht”.

Now here’s the lyrics to the song I’m addicted to, which accompanies a fanmade video tribute for Data.

Take Me to the Hospital – the Faint
Hold my hand, it's shakin' bad
I'm going to the doc
I pay him to fix me up
I think I've got enough
No no an ambulance would cost too much
We'll take a van
If they can't fix me no one can
If they can fix me no one can't

Want you to take me to the H, take me to the O
Want you to take me to the S, take me to the P
Want you to take me to the I-T-A-L
Want you to take me to the hospital

Hospital
Now I'm losing blood from my veins
They're slowly emptying
I'm bothered by this crimson red
To the color of blood

To the color of a be, color of a L
To the color of a O, color of O
To the color of a Deep crimson red
From a little-bitty accident

Accident
I scraped up my face
Bounced my cheek on the floor
Cause anything worth doing's worth getting hurt for
I made no mistakes
I'm never learning from that
I've got no regrets
I want to do it again
With the A-G-A-I-N

So you can take me to the H, take me to the O,
Want you to take me to S, take me to the P,
Want you to take me to the I-T-A-L
Want you to take me to the hospital
Cause it's the color of a be, color of a L
To the color of a O, color of O
To the color of a Deep crimson red
From a little bitty accident

[Repeat x2]
Want you to take me to the hospital

the Science of Popular Characters

What kind of characters work? Do they really need to be relatable?


Relatable is a fairly easy term to use, you can actually define what makes a character relatable. But I don’t think that’s the reason characters get popular, or do they?

What’s relatable about Data? He’s not from the 21th century, he’s not even human, and yet he’s very popular. What might be relatable in him is his search for human emotions and how they work or don’t work. I’m not convinced it’s his search we identify with; his search is much more basic than ours would be. Same goes for Dr. Spock btw, but I don’t know the guy well enough, so I’ll stick to Data.

Jamie & Leela could make an interest companion combination

It’s just like in a love afair, or the reason certain people are friends. Why do we like some people more than others? Why are some people more popular than others? You can ask the same questions for characters in books, plays, films and sci-fi TV series.

Often about the Doctor Who companions it is said they are there to ask the questions to clear up the plot. Someone on Digital Spy said, therefore their level of knowledge should be like the viewer’s. I don’t agree. There are several ways of clearing the plot up. It can become clear in the story, though in sci-fi that’s tricky, because often you have to assume the viewer’s have a certain feel for typical sci-fi stuff and in some cases that’s just not possible, what with all the techno-babble. Some character could also compulsively explain everything. Yes, asking questions is the easiest way to have things cleared up. Unfortunately, this resulted in companions being unnecesarily stupid (and/or bratty).

So why are certain characters more popular than others? Why did Data become such an icon for the Star Trek franchise? Why is Rose still one of the most popular companions of the Doctor? What sets them apart from all the other characters who appeared on a regular basis in their respective franchises?

I’ll start with why I do like Data and why I don’t care much for Rose. I’ll start with Doctor Who, Rose first, then another companion I do like.

Rose Tyler

When Rose started out in 2005, she introduced the series to a whole new generation who, before that, never really had the Doctor. It was a reintroduction. Together with Rose we met the Doctor, got to know him and find out what it was like travelling with him. I can see how that is a bonding factor between Rose and the viewers; we went on an adventure together.

She was normal, cool, the girl next door, learning about the Doctor and about what the universe had to offer. She was not exceptionally smart, nor exceptionally dumb. She didn’t have any exceptional talents. She was just a girl becoming friends with the Doctor.
Later, after the 9th Doctor made place for the 10th, not only the dynamic changed between the Doctor and Rose, but also Rose’s overall behaviour. Suddenly the Doctor became a love interest. Suddenly she went from being normal and okay around the Doctor to possesive and jealous. Not only that, she also became more whiney. I specifically remember her reaction when Sarah Jane suggested Mickey should travel with the Doctor as well along with Rose. It was obvious Rose didn’t want that.

For me Rose’s possesiviness and jealousy was a turn off, as well as her whining. Neither did it help they brought Rose back after she left the series. It certainly didn’t help she was insanely jealous of all the other companions being in contact with the Doctor while she was not. Sure, I understand that’s annoying and in her situation frustrating as well. But the insane jealousy….

I do find Billie Piper (who played Rose) fascinating. She’s quite a remarkable actress and has a remarkable appearance.

Now, someone from DW I do like. The obvious reason would be Rory, wouldn’t it. I think the reason I like him is, he’s humble and he’s bumble, but he still kicks ass. He also came a long way. Unfortunately, he was the fifth wheel and ended up sidetracked a lot of the times, and sometimes he wasn’t even there (because he was dead or something).

Sarah Jane Smith

So what about another favourite of mine? What about Leela? I like Leela. She’s savage, yes. She’s also a bit violent. Opposite those traits stand honesty and eager to learn. Neither was she stupid. Streetwise, yes, but overall fairly smart. She adapted well and had an interesting innocence about her; she would always follow up the Doctor’s instructions, because she trusted his judgement. Once the Doctor had her play with a yoyo for about an hour. She thought it was important for keeping the TARDIS running, or something. With Leela you always know what to expect.

What about Sarah Jane? Sarah Jane is the ultimate DW companion. She’s very popular. Why? Possibly, because she’s another girl next door. Possibly, because she’s very inquiring and practical. She’s not particularly smart, but definitely not stupid either. If anything, Sarah Jane was very relatable, as was Rose.

What about Jamie? Jamie was from yesteryear and had no idea about modern technology. He did pick up things quickly; he loved his transistor radio. To me Jamie just seems so sweet, yet he could kick ass.

Now to Star Trek. I don’t know the characters as well as the Doctor Who characters. I do know the TNG regular characters pretty well, but everything outside TNG, not so much. That’s the characters on a shallow level. Data is the only one I paid more attention to, mainly because his popularity still puzzles me a little. I’m not surprised, I’m just trying to understand why. I want to put it into words, if you will.

So, Data…. He’s an android. I like to refer to the episode “the Measure of a Man”. In this episode some researcher whos name I do know wants to disassemble Data so he can study how he is assembled in order to be able to create more androids like Data. Data refuses cooperation, because he finds the research ill-conducted. Because of his refusal a discussion starts about if Data has the right to chose. That harkens directly back at the fact that he’s a machine. The judge in the story even refers to him as a toaster. To settle if the researcher is allowed to take Data away to disassemble him a court is opened in which Captain Picard defends Data and his right to chose for himself. In the same court Commander Riker is appointed to represent the researcher. Unwillingly Riker accepts, because the Judge would other wise rule against Data.

Data in a turned off status ("the Measure of a Man")

This is how Riker defends the researchers request:

“Data is a physical representation of a dream, an idea conceived of by the mind of a man. His purpose? To serve human needs and interests. He is a collection of neural nets and heuristic algorithms. His responses are dictated by an elaborate software program written by a man. The hardware (slapping the hand against his palm) was built by a man.”

Riker has been preambulating around the courtroom, each step bringing him closer to Data. He is now at his side, and without warning he leans down, presses the switch, and turns him off.

“And now a man turns him off.”

Data collapses like a broken toy.

Not exactly as it appears in the script, but darn close. This gives a nice description of the epside, better than mine anyway: http://catherinetjhill.blogspot.nl/2013/03/measure-of-man.html

The set up was much longer than I intended to. So long even, I forgot the point I wanted to make. It’s the love for a machine. Just like how some people love their car or boat, or whatever other inanimate object. Accept that it’s not exactly like that. Data is more than a “glorified” toaster. He behaves like a lifeform. He interacts with lifeforms all by himself. He comes across as very human minus the emotions. He has a character, or a soul, to go by the words of the beforementioned judge. A character is not something a car or a boat has, those objects only have traits caused by how it was built and with what materials. The object doesn’t chose, situations happen to it, because of external forces, and object can never force itself on situations or persons.

This is becoming a much more complicated piece than I intended to. Let me get back to my initial intent. Why is Data as popular as he is? Because he does come across as a lifeform. He’s even human like. He has a character that speaks to people. He’s the perfection people like to see in humanity. He’s fast in (nearly) everything he does from calculations to more practical duties. He has no character flaws except that he’s emotionless. He knows much more than regular people and he has an expansive memory bank. He’s very polite, innocent. He’s childlike; curious and naïve. That’s Data. And it doesn’t take away the love for a car, or a boat, or any other object.

The man who wants to disassemble Data

I think if a character is going to be popular depends on a combination of factors. They can come in all kind of combinations. That’s why the differences between the popular characters are very broad. I’m not sure popularity can really be brought back to one single factor.
I think it’s not only the writing for the character, but for a great part the actor. It’s in the performance and that’s very closely related to the actors skills and/or to who the actor is him-/herself. I think when an actor sparkles, beit because they naturally sparkle, beit because the part makes them sparkle, it’s that which sets the character apart from all other characters. It’s what I think sets people apart from anyone in any situation. It’s that what attracts the most people. It’s people liking the character that make them popular.

Not entirely happy with this piece; I might revisit later.

Crimson Red

There’s this strange side effect to YouTube. Not only can you waste seas of time with no effort at all, it also fuses strange connections in my head.


I associate Damien Rice‘s song Volcano with Alan Rickman. I associate Vampire Weekend’s Giving Up the Gun with Jake, as well as the Shoes’ Time To Dance. These connections are easily explained.

I once found a fanmade tribute to Alan Rickman on YouTube. The little video was set to Volcano. Jake appeared in both Giving Up the Gun and in Time To Dance. And now I’m sort of addicted to a fanmade video tribute to Data, or to be precise: Data’s Ouchies. She, the video maker, timed the frames perfectly with the music having the bass in the song compliment what you see in the video. She’s done this well, it got me hooked. I really like the bass in the song.

I’m also fascinated by Data getting damaged and/or turned off. For some reason, half of the time, it makes me laugh. It gives him a vulnerability.


Part of the video in which the bass is very prominent.

 The video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN1b4zWn5PY

The title of the video can be derived from the song’s lyrics. It’s also almost the only bit of the lyrics that finds it way into my brain. All the rest of the words are just sounds to me.

The song is Take Me to the Hospital by The Faint.

Also the word is out: My manager walked passed me and noticed I had a YouTube vid on. He took a step back to check what I was watching. Then he remarked something about Data, something like me having a crush on him. It made me laugh.

Seriously, from a dead prince to a fictional android. Even I’m impressed.

Ol' Yellow Eyes and the Mystery of his Skin Colour

Another reason why Roddenberry's excuse doesn't work:
A very simple solution would have been to make Spiner wear a mask from the beginning. I wonder why they didn't think of it. They make LaForge wear that hair clip thing, which surely must be much more uncomfortable. I hate it when they show closeups of Data and I can see all the wrinkles, pimples, etc, and yet Soong couldn't give him a realistic color.

Source: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.arts.startrek.tech/4s8pRxW0Rp0

If you want to know what I'm on about, read this post: http://wiwipedia.blogspot.nl/2013/08/that-just-not-do.html

Don't read the rest of that discussion. It's your typical geek freak nerdish sci-fi, we're taking this too serious, kinda bollocks.

Fresh Hell

One ) Because I think it's actually really funny.
One and a half ) Levar Burton appears at some point.
Two ) Because it doesn't take up much of your time.
Three ) Because it has a lot of (jaded) Brent.
Four ) Because reading this was a promise to me, and indirectly to Brent, you were going to watch it.
Four and a quarter ) It's got other people in it as well.
Five ) Because I like this promo for it.

What is it?

It's Brent Spiner's webseries. He calls it a comtrag or somesuch sad thing....Don't ask me, he seems rather proud of that word.

What's it about?

It's about Brent's jaded life after he lost everything, that includes work, family, and most importantly, his dignity, because of "the incident". It's about Brent trying to get his life, but mainnly his career, back on track.

Where can you see it?

Here: http://www.freshhellseries.com/

And here: http://www.youtube.com/user/freshhellseries#p/c/5AE470FE19A1CE8C/0/gW_fdRrFGbk

I hope I did it justice, I don't want Mr. Spiner to come after me for putting it wrong; Androids are rather strong and fast. All things I'm not.

Where to Draw the Line?

Marina Sirtis (Counseler Deanna Troy in STNG) and Brent

This is a subject I have touched before, also because a lot of times I have found myself right in the middle of those typical fan-meets-idol situations and because I come across a lot of fans…online.


This time the trigger was the question why Brent is so distant, especially on conventions, towards fans. The answer is, some fans have behaved badly around him and towards him in his personal life, like stealing roof tiles and making threatening calls to his girlfriend. Yeah, I can understand perfectly well why that made him cautious. Of course it’s true it’s only a small group of fans who behave badly, but how can you tell the bad apples apart from the rest of the apples, especially when they turn up in droves? So yeah, I think Brent’s kept distance and his refusal to do certain things, are justified.




I can climb on my soapbox again and whine and protest like I’ve done many times before. I choose not to do that. Instead I like to tell you about one of my own fan-meets-idol experiences. Actually, it wasn’t a fan-meets-idol situation, rather a fan-goes-to-idol’s-privat-house situation. The year was I think 2000. I was not alone, two other fans were with me. I was in London for the first time. Let me start at the start.

It was in the year the Queen musical had its first run. Because I was a much more devoted and active Queen fan at the time I signed up to join some other fans on a roadtrip to London. It would be my first time in London.
We booked three seats on a coach which went from Rotterdam to Calais. In Calais the coach would go on a ferry and cross the North Sea to Dover. In Dover we would board the coach again and continue our trip towards London. We left from Rotterdam in the evening and we’d be traveling all through the night. Arrival in London would be some time around 5 or 6 in the morning.

Not Freddie's house, but the entrance
to the Dominion

When we arrived on Victoria coach station no shops were yet opened and there was hardly anyone about. We had to kill the first two hours on the station, hanging sleepy in the uncomfortabel plastic chairs. Boredom soon drove us out of the station and into the city in search for the first Baker to open his doors and offer us fresh bread and coffee. I remember my first contact with London being smelly. I remember Victoria coach station very well, also since it didn’t really change in between then and now. I remember there being a vague plan that included getting the musical tickets which one of my fellow travellers had not managed to get beforehand. I also remember the plan to go to Freddie Mercury’s house where his good friend Mary (forgot her last name) still lived.

We went for breakfast and coffee first since the ticket booth at the venue didn’t open until 10 am. I vaguely remember arriving early for the tickets and managing to get tickets for the afternoon show around 3 pm. It would be possible, but it left us very little time to get back to the coach station to accept the travel back home. Yes, we only stayed one day, we had no hotel reservations. Anyway, we got our ticket and decided to travel to Kensington and find Freddie’s house. There’s really not that much to tell about, mainly because there is only one thing I remember. That one thing was for me the reason to write this blog post.

Here it comes:

We arrived at the house late in the morning or early in the afternoon. I don’t quite remember. There was a wall all around the house. Looking up, I could only see one window and nothing much more. On the brick wall there was writing; I could tell the wall had been repainted many times to cover all the writing. I realized that would never really stop. One of my fellow travellers produced a pen or sharpie, something to write with. They proceeded to leave a message on the tiled ground. God knows to who, Freddie had been dead for nearly 10 years and I’m sure they didn’t give a freakin’ damn about Mary. Both my travelling companions left their messages on the ground, then the writing implement was handed to me. I refused. I’m a decent person who doesn’t write on other people’s belongings, no matter how important or famous they might be. They tried to convince me it was all right, everybody did it. I refused again arguing that I found it impolite and indecent. They egged me on and on….I’m proud to say I stood my ground; I never signed the…uh….ground.

You see, I’ve got my principles. They’re only human. They got their talents, I got mine. I really don’t see why they should be more celebrated for being able to play an instrument, sing or for pretending to be someone else. I don’t see why their belongings should be covered in ridiculous writings or stolen because of who they are. I don’t have my picture taken with them, I hardly ever ask for autographs and I’ll hang back while they’re handling their more insisting fans.

Promo for Fresh Hell. Read next post if you want to know more

I’m a fan of their work. That is what I want, that is what I’ll take (I do pay for it). That is what I appreciate them for, but it doesn’t make me think they’re more worth because of it. They can’t put me down, because I don’t play an instrument or because I’m not a good singer or actor. They might contribute more to culture, but I contribute more to society. In the end, it all goes hand in hand. We should respect them and their privacy as much as we like ourselves and our privacy be respected. I know there’s a price to pay for being famous, but does that really mean that we can pull any string to have them dancing to our demands anyway we want? I don’t think so.

Respect were respect is due.

I would still like to meet Mr. Brent Spiner. I just want to be able to look him in the eyes and see for myself. It’s up to him how he wants to deal with me. I can only hope we will be equally respectful to each other.

This is funny:

>He was walking in my directions and I commented to those in the car
>that it looked like DATA (the walk was unmistakable). As I pulled the car out to
>finish the U-turn, he passed us and got into a small, compact car (like a Toyota)
>and pulled past me. I laughed so hard to see it *was* DATA! :-)

I don't know what would have amused me more ... seeing Brent Spiner on the street or seeing Data in a Toyota!

As a Star Trek fan, I appreciate this one as well:

Well, if that is how he feels then I guess it might be time to hang up the

Ol' Yellow Eyes and head on to other places where no man has gone before.

Source: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.tv.star-trek.next-gen/4MZi-IHoHPM

Still Baffled

It seems a normal reaction for me these days.

10 Things I Hate About You – Or 10 Things That Puzzle Me About You

1) His total change into Data, that includes yellow paint, yellow lenses and voice work;
2) His protrayal of an emotionless robot while he himself is one of the most expressive actors I have ever seen;
3) His blue eyes;
4) His voice;
5) His aging process *shrugs*;
6) His physical appearance;
7) His boyish charm;
8) His talents and his use of…;
9) His quiet demeanor in group interviews;
10) His extravert demeanor on panels in conventions.


1) I talked about my puzzlement of his complete transformation into Data. I will only say this: “I suppose that’s acting”.

2) I watched his face, mainly his eyebrows, during interviews. He’s very expressive, he uses his facial muscles a lot when he talks. When he’s playing Data, most often, his facial expressions are limited to confusion, all other emotions don’t appear.
There is one scene were Data is in charge, because Captain Picard and Commander Riker are absent (episode: Gambit). Luitanent Worf keeps questioning Data’s orders to the point where Data tells Worf to come to the readyroom with him. He tells Worf off sharply. While doing so only his mouth is moving, the rest of his face stays completely still, he even doesn’t blink. I was very impressed and a little scared.

3) As Data he’s got very yellow, weird eyes. As himself he’s got remarkable blue eyes. It gaves him a totally different look. It never fails to throw me.

4) I don't like his speaking voice when he's speaking as any character other than Data, including Brent Spiner. I like the way Data talks.
I don't like the fact that he's a fairly good singer, nor his range. It continues to throw me how high pitched his voice can get when singing.

5) He looks nothing like he did when he was young and yet he does. He was really skinny and looked like a twelve year old for a very long time. When the aging process finally caught up with him, his face got fatter and that keeps throwing me. Yet, when his face is covered in Data's gold powder he looks, sort of, still like a twelve year old boy.

6) He's still fairly skinny. Not as skinny as he used to be.

7) His boyish charm, that self contented grin that seemed to be plastered on his face a lot, his humour and how he manages to sweep a room with his humour....Welll.....it keeps flooring me.

8) At this point I was running out of steam when I made up the list. But here goes anyway. I never thought much of his work. For a great deal because I wasn't really paying attention. For another part because I wasn't expecting it from him. Turns out that what he does in entertainment, he does fairly well. What annoys me most is his brilliant performances in Star Trek, be it as Data, as Lore or as any of the Soongs, or Sherlock Holmes or whatever other characters he got to play. The writers/showrunners gave Brent a lot of oppertunities to stretch his acting muscles and he grabbed the chances. Not always as succesful, but mostly quite succesful. Succesful enough for me to have noticed.

9) I noticed when there are seven of them on stage, he tends to be quieter, leaving others to answer most questions. Whenever it is his turn to say something, he makes it last. I'm quite impressed with his playing audiences skills.

10) When there is only four or three of them, Brent tends to dominate somewhat. Might also have something to do with him being the best at amusing the audiences. I also suspect he does enjoy it.

And what is it about Brent’s obsession with Rutger Hauer?

The name "Spiner" is tricky to type for me. I don't think I once managed to type his name propperly in one go. Variations so far:

• Spinter
• Sponer
• Spinner
• Spnn (I retyped before I finished)

Mayhem is Beautiful

As it should be: Doctor Who causes social media mayhem

Spiner's Talents

A few days back I claimed Brent Spiner is like Jake Gyllenhaal. With my brain in a state of decay


I forgot why I thought so. I remembered in the metro.

For Star Trek he delivered brilliant work while he fails to impress me in other projects. For Jake it went like this: He delivered brilliant work in Brokeback Mountain, but failed to impress me in other projects.

That was a few months back, before End of Watch came out. In End of Watch he managed to impress me again. It also provided me with the answer why he never impressed me in other projects. I’ve written that blog a few months ago, so I’m not going to repeat it here and now.

One of Spiner's musical efforts. Not sure you can still buy it

Still concentrating on Mr. Brent Spiner… Okay, well, here’s a confession. I found a little clip of a play in which Spiner turns out to play two different characters. He was really good at the cheeky one. Very funny, very skillful, definitely not as lovable as Data. That was in the character, not Spiner’s fault.

The play was called “Sunday in the Park with George”, a Stephen Sondheim play. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T03SVaQH6cE

He looks very young in it, he was 37 actually. He also sings in it. Hmmm, I should also say something about his music efforts.
Making of Dreamland

For not so updated information go to www.therealbrentspiner.com. You can also listen a bit to Dreamland which is, to my annoyance, really good.

Looking In on Fandom

Today I was reading a Brent appreciation thread (don't ask me why; he seems to have a firm grip on me). The thread is here: Brent Spiner Appreciation Thread.

The girls, I assume they are girls, were gushing over him like only fangirls can. I thought: "So that's what it is like to look in on fandom". They all struck me as sensible beings with an unhealthy interest in Brent. It was a bit too much for someone from the outside.

The reason I post this is, people must have looked and still look at me like that, because I am the bat crazy fangirl. Only this time, I see it from their perspective.

WEIRD!

Hilarious side note: the moment I logged onto Brent world (that's not a forum or something, but a made up phrase), he logged off. I mean, he stopped tweeting. *shrugs* As if he doesn't want me to be updated. I bet you he'll return the moment I log off.

Cross Over - Inspire Me

Anyone care to help me write a Star Trek TNG/Doctor Who (11th Doctor with Clara) cross over? I’m a little stuck. If so, here are a few things to start out with. First we have to decide the backbone, meaning enemie(s), general story and plot (if you can take that apart).


Surprise and for once, leave me comments. Or else there will be no cross over.

A Demonstration of Wasting Time

Like some fans I could study my fandom extensively. I could try and memorize all episodes, or complex lyrics. I could study Klingons or Sontarans, learn their language. Or I could become an expert in the engineering of the Enterprise or the TARDIS.


Or I could do something useful with my life.

I choose to do neither of the above. I choose to sum up the things mister Spiner tends to repeat. Some occurences involve other Star Trek TNG alumni.

One such typical pose

1) His posing on stage in different positions after he’s been announced during conventions;

2) Answering that…”it was like swimming in a rainbow with beautiful naked babies…” or something to that effect;

3) The yesterday mentioned “you can’t argue against that” reply on why Data was gold/yellow;

4) That Spot (Data’s cat) only once did something in the first take as was described in the script: Eat;

5) Patrick Stewart imitation;

6) That Gates McFadden (who played Doctor Beverly Crusher) discovered Brent’s on button. Yes, Brent’s on button, not Data’s off switch. This one is usually initiated by Gates;

7) Heckling his cast mates when they’re on stage on conventions;

8) Calling his web series a “com trag”; edited 25 Sept: It's actually "sit trag". It annoys me so much, I didn't even bother to get it right.

9) Telling about the one time he couldn’t get to say his line without laughing. He had to say: “Can I speak to Geordie?” The reason he couldn’t get the line out was, he could see him lie on a table behind the Doctor, very lifeless. Apparently, that was hilarious.

One short of ten. Still quite an impressive list. A good demonstration of wasting time.

Sorry for the cynism. I envy his talents.

Prince Friso died

Friso, King Willem-Alexander’s brother died this morning. About 1,5 year ago he got covered in an avalanche. It bothers me.


It doesn’t bother me he died, it bothers me he only died now. I know how that sounds, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around the fact they kept him alive for 1,5 years. It bothers me. It was like they were trying to turn back time, which we can’t. It was like they tried to bend the rules of nature, and that bothers me.

But it also bothers me only two of them are left now; the King and his younger brother Constantijn.

Maybe it still bothers me that none of King William III’s sons survived their father. Or maybe I’m just in a stupid mood.

Anyway…

Rest in Peace, Friso.

That Just Not Do

He’s not my type at all. He’s a bit like Jake; charming, funny (funnier than Jake), lively and also a bit annoying. Yet, I’ve gone out of my way to see and read interviews with him. I have an idea of who he is, or at least the way he generally presents himself.


Irritation #1: Brent claims he couldn’t argue against Gene Roddenberry concerning Data’s colour. This is what he usually answers when asked:

Brent: “Don’t you think that by this time in history, they would’ve figured out how to make skin look like skin?” And he said, “What makes you think that what you have isn’t better than skin?” And I went, “Um, okay.” [Laughs.] Can’t argue with Gene Roddenberry.”

Sure you can argue with him. Or at least when he gives that answer. If you’re in the proces of making an android as human-like as possible, even go out of your way to create a effin’ emotion chip, why not make the skin more like actual skin?

[no picture: you know by now what Data looks like. He's got yellow/goldish skin and yellow eyes.]

Had Roddenberry answered: “Gold/Yellow is funnier,” I would have accepted that. However, he didn’t, and that makes me a little unhappy, because his answer doesn’t make enough sense.

There are other things that annoy me about him. I should not complain. Don’t know the man. Never even met him. Fact remains; he’s not Data.

Right now I'm listening an audio interview and I swear, Brent dished out this story again!!!

Irritation #2: Levar Burton telling about how in the audition, blablabla, Geordie and Data were the only ones seeing the uninverse at it is. They wanted to form a team called the Perceivers. Quite glad that didn't happen. It sounds awefully tacky.

And I swear, in the same audio interview I'm still listening, Burton dished that one out again!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!

What I Remember

You know what I realized, beside the fact I’m so distracted I didn’t fully realize at first? I actually sort of grew up with Star Trek the Next Generation. It was one of these shows I used to watch regurlarly. Another show was Friends; it always seemed to be on. Other things I watched were more music related, like the top 40, a lot of MTV and later TMF. I remember being quite fascinated by MC Hammer. In some daily top he featured every evening with “You Can’t Touch That”. I thought it was highly amusing.


In that same period I started to educate myself more in popular culture. I started to check out pop music. I started to check out classic comedy shows like M*A*S*H and Blackadder. I remember being a bit at a loss with music. I had just lost my childhood love; Take That. I started to watch films, on which I’m still hopelessly behind. If only they stop making them for a while. I educated myself in Dutch pop culture skillfully avoiding certain genre’s and the Dutch comedy scene. Then I focused on British entertainment with Queen as my favourite band and Monty Python as comedy group.

That was all very entertaining and I’m finally getting a sense of what’s out there, in popular culture. Strangely, I’ve been systematically ignoring the things I used to watch when I wasn’t consciencely trying to satisfy my hunger to explore entertainment. A great deal had to do with influence from my family. Because I wasn’t stimulated to watch certain things (things being sci-fi), I didn’t realize I really enjoyed it. Yes, I left it on when I zapped by, but nothing told me I did so, because I really enjoyed it. And I certainly didn’t realize I had grown attached to the Enterprise’s crew. Revisiting I found myself feeling glad the cast was as I remembered. Hell, I didn’t even know I made an effort to remember all of them.

Geordie LaForge without and with VISOR!

I never had that with Doctor Who. Doctor Who wasn’t broadcast when I was growing a conscience. (Stupid question: when I didn’t realize I was alive, did that mean I wasn’t sentient?) I have a feeling I once watched Doctor Who, but I can’t actually remember it. I was probably too young to remember (and I was clearly not impressed). I do have memories from watching Star Trek. I do distinctly remember Riker being pulled into (what later turned out to be) black printer ink. I also distrinctly remember LaForge finally getting rid of his visor and being incredibly distracted by his eyes thinking it was not an improvement. I was glad when the visor went back on. Now I feel bad for Levar Burton; his sight was reduced for 75% when he had the thing on. And of course I remember the Captain; Captain Picard. My brother once had a teacher called Picard. I thought that was awesome, weird and funny in equal measure.
I don’t remember specific things from the others, I only remember who they were. Oh, no wait, I do remember watching Independence Day because I was curious what Brent Spiner looked like without all the makeup.

The weirdest memory is that of Galaxy Quest. Weird, because I can’t remember what happened in Star Trek, but when watching Galaxy Quest I did recognize all kind of things to my delight.

Yeah, I don’t know. I’m just sentimental.

Random Comments

A short work day yesterday; I had to go to vet with cats. One cat had a bladder infection, the other was too heavy. Nothing too serious, but starting with new diet today of less very wet food.


I’m slowly recovering from two days off + two days weekend. Looking forward to the weekend in which I won’t do anything. Except for cleaning the house.

I have no idea what to write for the blog, so I come up with this.

I want to have a bit more variety in subjects on this blog. Subjects will remain my interests only….obviously.

Maybe I should do another update list. Freshness of it has gone though.

I hate it when people post things online for fact when it’s only opinion, make belief or rumour.

A few minutes ago I had no idea how to write “determined”. Turns out my first guess was right.

Tonight watching Star Trek, like yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.

I went from having a crush on a dead prince to having a crush on a fictional android. My life is sad.

What would Alexander think of Star Trek? Or Doctor Who?

Should I get myself institutionalized?

Anyone care to clean my house?

I bought three books about the first three Dutch Kings. I'm getting some interesting insides I will share with you. I do need to order my thoughts though. Maybe I even get to a proper analysis of the third King, Alexander's father, William III. To be continued.

Here's the Twelth

Oh yeah. I especially like 19:
"Fantastic!"
"Allonsy!"
"Geronimo!"
"Fuck!"

http://www.buzzfeed.com/sedem/the-internet-reacts-to-the-twelfth-doctor-cjrb

And 20:

Random Thoughts About Data

Data is an android. He doesn’t feel anything, he doesn’t experience emotions and he’s fictional. Then why does it bother me when La forge is working on him and there are cables hanging from a socket in his head. And why does it bother me when Riker turns him off in court and why do I feel the need to request to turn him back on? What’s worse, Data himself is completely unimpressed. But then again, that’s no surprise.


Note: second viewing resulted in a different reaction; I was laughing at the sheer abruptness of Data’s turned off status.

Watching the crew manhandling a very inactive Data is also always a fascinating sight. You know what, I want that doll. I have a house that needs cleaning. I’d like an android, or an Ood. I’m not fuzzy.

And why does a straw sticking from Riker’s head not bother me at all? That actually made me laugh. And why did it leave me absolutely indifferent that people were eating from Troi’s cakey body? It looked really spongy. Not so sure about the icing though.

Is Data hollow on the inside? Could he actually carry a phone inside him? Seems a little weird.

Boy Geniuses - Blah!

Adric

< soapbox>


Just a short rant since I don’t really have anything useful to say today (as if ever).

It occurred to me that Wesley Crusher is in the same category and level of annoyance as Adric was. It doesn’t take much nor long to grow an instant dislike for both characters. They’re both supposed to be super intelligent and promising youngsters. If that equals being highly irritating and snotty, mischief accomplished.

It just doesn’t work, especially when the actor bears no super talent for acting, nor is actually close to being above average intelligence. What do teens know anyway? They’re brains are muddled with lost hormones and general confusion and the required experience is still absent. It’s not they’re fault, it’s the writers fault and also their parents’ fault. They should have protected them from pratfalls and inane bable in highly pubic tv-shows. It doesn’t work, because geniuses are only as smart as their writers who never turn out to be Albert Einstein. I can imagine it’s hard enough for grownups to play geniuses while saying stupid lines. For teens it’s even harder because they lack the beforementioned experience and writers tend to put them in embarrassingly stupid situations usually brought on the character themselves.

Wesley Crusher

I do want to like both Adric and Wesley.

…

No, that was a lie; I hate Adric with a passion and Wesley can disappear into the Academy for eternity for all I care.

</ soapbox>

Cross Over

My gawd, is it hot in here, or is it just me?

This: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation/Doctor_Who:_Assimilation2

"First Contact (movie) being all the Doctor's fault!

I want to see a prequel with Kirk, the Tenth Doctor and an alliance between The Daleks and The Klingons (both unite over their hatred of Tribbles of course!)

Or The Master and Q,.....oh the possibilities are endless really"

Source: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1818686&page=2

I must admit, the last three sentences did it. Yes! The possibilities are really endless. Can you imagine, an alliance between the Daleks and the Klingons to fight of? Oooh, and the Master and Q scheming together. Of course Q will eventually zap the Master something fierce, because he's omnipotent. What about a little competition between Q and the Black Guardian?

Okay, now it's time to stick my head under a cold stream of water.

This sounds a little like me:

"It was impossible to see him otherwise. i didn't even think about star trek while watching it. (Which for me is saying a lot, seeing as i think about star trek almost any time i'm not thinking about doctor who. Lol )"

Source: http://www.startrek.com/boards-topic/33351148/who-s-the-best-actor-in-tng?page=4

Look At His Smile

This should fill you with confidence in the Whonivere's future.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgalymxqHlo



Real Life Fictional Characters

In the announcement show Peter Capaldi said when he looked in the mirror the Doctor was already looking back at him, but he was not quite yet the Doctor.


Funny he should say that.

Since my Star Trek love has returned I’ve been looking sideways and weirdly at Brent Spiner who played Data the android. As Data he has his hair slicked back, his face covered in gold powder and he wears yellow lenses. It gave him a completely different look and with that he changed into a different person; Data. It was not only the actor making the character, it was the character partly taking over. Something changed in that man when gold with yellow eyes. In Data I can’t see Brent and in Brent I can’t see Data. Even his voice is different and the way he speaks is different. I can’t hear Data in Brent, nor can I hear Brent in Data.The contrast is especially clear when he’s playing opposite himself as respectively Data and his creator Dr. Soong. There’s a moment in the episode Birthright where Soong and Data are practically standing nose to nose and the camera is taking a close profile of both. That’s the same man staring (at nothing in reality) at himself. Blue into yellow, skin against gold dust (don’t know the material Data’s face is made of). Every time I’m baffled how different he is. Data even seems to be a bit taller than Soong.

Back to Doctor Who.

Yesterday I already remarked how every actor who played the Doctor has put something of himself into the Doctor. What can I say? I don’t know Peter Capaldi well enough to say something about how he’s going to play the Doctor. Steven Moffat did remark they’ll go a completely different direction with Peter compared to Matt. If we base our speculations on roles Peter has played in the past, this 12th Doctor could become a much darker personality. That’s an avenue I’m very interested in. Who knows what dark secrets the Doctor has to hide.

It seems a little ironic to me. Yes, Matt’s Doctor was a bouncy Doctor. I believe under all that bouncing and running the Doctor is hiding very dark secrets. To the eleventh that was the way to hide, and maybe even forget, about all the dark secrets he’s hiding. That gives Matt’s Doctor a certain dark edge. Who knows what we’ll find out in the 50th anniversary special.

Let’s see what happens. I’m sure the Doctor will inhabit Peter Capaldi soon enough. He is reaching out already. I’m already greeting Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, so that’s a good sign.

the Trouble With Companions

In the Doctor’s history he has nearly always travelled with a companion/assistant/friend. His first companion was his own granddaughter Susan. His first none family companions were Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright. His first none family companions he kidnapped; they could only return to their own time and location after travelling two years with the Doctor and after confiscating the Daleks time machine. The trend was set. The companions became a very important ingredient of the show. They talked to the Doctor, asked the viewers’ questions and got in trouble. Everything needed to make the show not only exciting and relatable, and not in the least understandable.

Barbara & Ian

There is a maximum of how many we can take at a time. Experience learns that a total of three companions is a bit much. Let’s take the most recent threesome to accompany the Doctor on a regular basis. It’s been back in the Christopher Eccleston time. His companions were, listed in order of importance, Rose, Captain Jack and Mickey. In School Reunion, not even the worst example, Sarah Jane was added including K9, which made Mickey realize he was the tin dog of the group. He was left behind, with K9, in the car to wait for what was to come or for the Doctor and his other companions to finish. I must note, Captain Jack was not there. Luckily or fontunately, Mickey got to drive the car through a glassed door to release the school kids out of the building. Fates of the third companion could be worse.

Rory, Amy’s Rory, is the most recent victim of bad or absent story lines for him. He ends up dead a lot or useless in the background. There have been loads of stories where he wasn’t even present. That reminds me of a Peter Davison story, Kinda, in which Nyssa is not feeling well and stays behind in the TARDIS to rest while the Doctor, Tegan and Adric go off having an adventure. We only see Nyssa in the first and last episode of the story. A fate worse than…?

It seems a little bit strange and silly to me. Looking at Star Trek I see a much bigger regular cast. Some might be more popular than others, but the whole cast is fairly well served over the series’ life. It must be noted the ladies are worse off. Natasha Yar dies and the involvement in stories reduces. Lt. Worf is in a lesser extent a victim. It seems however, the least popular characters have reduced roles to play over time. A sensible choice. In case of Doctor Who, that’s not always the case. Let’s take Nyssa once again. She could have been quite interesting. She’s a very developed and sensitive alien girl with a lot of potential. That potential is never really exploited, rather ignored. Hardly any writer wrote or knew how to write for her character and therefor this character got neglected. This makes Nyssa one of the least interesting characters in Who history. A shame. Rory at least developed from an awkward, bumbling boy to a kickass last centurion.

Mickey and Rory; the tin dogs. They did redeem themselves.

The problem might also lie with the presence of the Doctor. He is the hero and has to save the day. His companions almost automatically end up in lesser roles in which they get in trouble and have to scream. It must be said the role of the companions has changed. These days the girls have to be streetwise tough girls who do stupid stuff and still get themselves in trouble. It’s a shame, because of that, they don’t come across as likable. They’re no Sarah Janes, though Rose was and still is very popular.

What I like about the Star Trek cast is the equality among the cast. Even the less popular cast members are very popular. However, Captain Kirk and Dr. Spock are much better known than the rest of the original Enterprise cast. I suppose that goes for TNG as well, with Picard, Riker and Data being best known. As for the other Star Treks, here the best known characters tend to be the captains.

The conclusion must be that in stories we can only deal with a maximum of three main characters. And less is more.

The Oncoming Storm

Here's the BBC site on which the official announcement is right on this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01dpxh4

I'm a little excited. Reading and lapping up everything Doctor Who at the moment. Here's Peter Capaldi introducing himself as the new Doctor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDGzzGRKukE I love his smile and look at the end.

The Doctor Is Dead! Long Live the Doctor!

It was an unexpected exciting evening. My returning home (nearly) conincided with the announcement of the new Doctor. Peter Capaldi is the Doctor!


I’m impressed with the speed the announcement appeared on Youtube.

Of course this announcement sparked new old discussions, like the actor’s age and what kind of performance to expect. There’s one big difference in reaction to the announcement; the reaction is mainly positive. When Matt Smith was announced back in 2009 a lot of people found him too young. Also because Matt was not very well known people weren’t sure about his abilities or what to expect at all. Matt convinced most within one episode. Now it’s Peter Capaldi’s turn (nearly).

There are a few differences in the situation. Capaldi not only has to go in the footsteps of two great former Doctors, but three. Then there is his own reputation; people have high expectations of him. So there are two hurdles to take. It’ll make mind blowing harder. However I know he’s up for the job.

A new Doctor is always exciting. What’s the new Doctor going to look like? What will he wear? How will he act? How will his relations be to companions? Not only are the differences and hurdles many, but so are the possibilities.

According to some people his age might be a problem. In my opinion saying Peter Capaldi might alienate younger viewers because he’s too old is like saying children can’t like their grandparents as much, because they’re too old. Children are usually much more adaptable than grownups. If Capaldi plays it right, he will attract the children, like William Hartnell did back in the days. And it’s not necessarily a problem if children are a bit scared of the Doctor; it has happened before with William Hartnell. In the end he was really very popular with the youth.

As for all the potential running he might have to do. On Digital Spy I read he was very fit; he runs marathons. He looks fit and even if the running is toned down, I’m not bothered at all, maybe even a little relieved. I was never a big fan of all the (corridor) running. To me it always feels a little like padding and taking away from the story. Neither do I believe all the running is necessary to make the show a succes. I don’t think times have changed so much that children can’t enjoy a good story anymore and need all that running. I’m not worried about Peter’s age.

The age issue can however bring us to the following question: “Will there be a male companion for all the running and action?”
With Capaldi’s good shape I don’t see the need. Also, Clara, who will stay on, can do a lot of running. Other than that, Capaldi is able enough to do much of the actions. So no need for a male action companion.

Another companions question was: “Will the companions be older now?”
Why would they? Occassionally, sure I can see that. In this case I am pro variation. I do understand the awkwardness about him asking an eleven year old girl onboard. I thought that was already dubious when Matt’s Doctor did that. But I believe in the Doctor’s good intentions. 


The eleven known faces of the Doctor

 In light of the upcoming (storm) new Doctor automatically this question rises: “How will he play the Doctor?”
It’s a question I don’t want to talk about too much. I don’t want to spoil things by having expectations and then getting disappointed when he does it completely different. And I like the surprise too much.

Who’s a good Doctor, though?

Tom Baker once said it’s not really an acting job. Read this article: "The Right Man for the Twelfth Doctor Who" in which his words are challenged.

I think I understand what TB meant with that. He also added he was himself; he turned Tom Baker into the Doctor. In other words, they became one. I still think that’s true. Yes, I agree what the author said is true; you have to have the ability to play opposites in one character. However, looking back at all the Doctors, they all put something of themselves into the Doctor which made their Doctor unique. They all eleven did it without taking away from who we recognize as the Doctor. He was in every incarnation completely differently the same. My favourite self made up companion quote remains: “For someone who changes so many times, you have changed so little”.

Some of the previous actors are mentioned in the article. About Jon Pertwee I do want to post this: When Jon Pertwee was asked for the role he asked how they wanted him to play the Doctor. Eventually he choose to play the Doctor as Jon Pertwee. So, pretty much what Tom Baker did after him. William Hartnell was the same. Some people, I think it was Verity Lambert (then producer), said Hartnell’s Doctor was grumpy and cantankerous because William Hartnell was. So, will we see something close to who he is, or closer to other characters he has played, or maybe something completely different?

Time will tell.

Be Ready

Back after nearly a week not online. I had some days off. In the meantime things happened. Luckily the most important thing of all those things happened yesterday. All I can say is:  "Expect some Doctor Who related posts".

So....

"Expect some Doctor Who related posts"