Mar 09 2008
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Politreks
TrekToday is one of many daily doses of geekery (or is it nerdality?) I get from the web. They have an interesting post today about politicians who are Trek fans. The latest is one Barack Obama, which is not enough to make me vote for him, but does give him a hair more nerd cred.
Of course, the treasonous Scooter Libby likes Trek quite a bit according to the article, so that muddies the issue. And let’s not forget Jeri Ryan’s ex-husband… though I doubt he’s a Trek fan these days.
I think I’d be more inclined to vote for a Firefly fan; they’d probably have a more advanced concept of right and wrong anyway.
Update: TreKMovie.com has more on this, written by two friends of mine: Andre Bormanis and Carolyn Porco. Kewl.
“I think I’d be more inclined to vote for a Firefly fan; they’d probably have a more advanced concept of right and wrong anyway.”
Without a doubt.
” Don’t let Faux Klingons send real Americans to war!”- Sen. David Wu
Shiny.
Bad Astronomer, I agree with almost everything you say, astronomical-wise.
But please stop making political announcements. I’m not here for that. I’m here for astronomical fascination.
Hey Jens — this is BA’s blog and there’s no reason why he should not post about anything that interests him. Feel free to not read the posts you don’t want to read.
Hi Jewel,
He can make any comment he wishes, as you say.
I just wish he wouldn’t leave political views.
I don’t agree with them, and that’s not why I’m here.
Jens - you’re aware of what this website is about.
BA - please do continue to debunk and criticize any and all anti-science and pseudo science including all superstitious nonsense leveraged by politicians for political control. Politicians distorting scientific findings for corporate and personal gain is not only disgusting, its dangerous for democracy.
Many people appreciated your work and also the astronomy news and explanations as well!
Well of course Obama is a fan of Star Trek. His midle name is Hussein. King Hussein of Jordan, one of the U.S.’s only allies in the Middle East for decades, was the father of King Abdullah, who is a huge Star Trek fan and even had a cameo in an episode of Voyager (”Investigations”) before he bacame king. So, see, clearly, there’s a connection through the name “Hussein.”
Wait, wait, that makes no sense…
Jens - (There should be a “?” at the end of that first sentence.) I’m not sure you have read what the BA states as his primary motivation.
Hey, there’s nothing that says you have to agree with everything on a blog you like. That is perfectly ok and probably to be expected if you have thoughts of your own. You might want to click on the Politics/Religion link in the title bar and give it a read over.
Gees, if not Obama the who? If you beleifvge what you write you won’t for McCain, and that just leaves . . . . Oh, pah-leaz!
Hi Chip,
I’m aware of this website is about, yes.
And yes, please do continue to debunk and criticize any and all anti-science and pseudo science including all superstitious nonsense leveraged by politicians for political control.
Many people appreciated your work and also the astronomy news and explanations as well!
But please stop leaving your political opinions.
They are unnecessary and irrelevant.
Hi Jewel.
You said “You might want to click on the Politics/Religion link in the title bar and give it a read over.”
Sorry, I can’t find that bar. Could you direct me?
Jens — I’m sorry, I meant the menu bar at the top of the blog under the Bad Astronomy logo.
Jens - I think Jewel is referring to this page:
http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2007/07/15/politics-science-me-and-thee/
Dear Bad Astronomer,
Please quit talking about politics as it applies to astronomy-related science fiction on your very own blog, which you yourself write and solely handle the content for.
Instead, please be simply a source of raw information without any personal spin added whatsoever.
And please give me a million dollars.
And a pony, and a train set, and a football, and, and, and…
(sarcasm=off)
Wow, if you didn’t like this post, you’re gonna loathe the next one.
LOL!
Jens, what is the point of reading stuff you already agree with?
““I think I’d be more inclined to vote for a ‘Firefly’ fan; they’d probably have a more advanced concept of right and wrong anyway.”
“Firefly” was OK, but it was clearly designed to appeal to those who believe that the Confederates were the good guys and Jesse James a misunderstood hero. For a show about standing up to the kind of treason we’ve seen from the syphilitic monkey and his handlers for the last seven years, give me “Babylon 5″ any day.
Hi Jens,
I must agree with the other “posters”. This is BA’s blog, and although it is primarily about astronomy, the BA does have opinions about other topics as well. I’m sure that everyone that has posted here does not agree 100% with him on everything, but that is the beauty of free speech. He has the right to post whatever he wants on his blog, and you have the right to disagree, but to ask someone not to post something because you don’t like it is wrong. So, just continue to read, and ignore the things you don’t agree with, or, comment on those things in a spirit of “no agreeing with it, but willing to hear the other side.”
(Hey Jens, I don’t like Hillary either! But, I’m Canadian…
)
Phil, who are you going to vote for? There are no viable candidates running. If Clinton is nominated then McCain will be our next president. None of even my most progressive liberal friends will vote for that lady. If Obama is nominated then people will have some kind of choice albeit not much of one. How did we get stuck with such a pile of pig vomit to choose from anyway? This is by far and away the worst list of candidates I have seen in my 40+ years of voting.
>>>The Bad Astronomer says: “Wow, if you didn’t like this post, you’re gonna loathe the next one.”<<<
I like the post.
I guess that makes me one of them “yes men”. As in: Yes - I want to think critically, be aware of what the politically motivated creationist numb-skulls are up too, follow the explorations on Mars and understand more about evolution, the big bang, dark matter and the universe.
Having been hooked on Babylon 5 - I think some of the shenanigans in Washington mirror the dark side of Psy Corps, Nightwatch and the episodes when the Earth went into a dictatorship.
Treason? Your an ass.
Well, I agree with Jen. Listen up, BadAstronomer: I don’t pay you to give me your political opinions.
> “And let’s not forget Jeri Ryan’s ex-husband…”
And let’s not forget that Jack Ryan was the Republican candidate running against Obama in Illinois when the scandal sank Ryan’s campaign: “On March 16, 2004, [Jack Ryan] won the Republican primary, thus pairing him against Democrat Barack Obama. However, after allegations from his ex-wife [Jeri Ryan], he withdrew his candidacy on June 25, 2004, and officially filed the documentation to withdraw on July 29, 2004.”
Of course Obama likes Star Trek now. Wouldn’t you.
I think that should be “You’re an ass”, papertiger. And I think you should think about whether or not enriching foreigners (especially dictatorships) at the expense of the local populace could conceivably be considered… well, let’s just call it stupid then.
Why did they cancel Firefly anyway? Surely the people who bring you Fox News couldn’t be so foolish?
papertiger writes:
[[Treason? Your an ass.]]
“You’re.” Scooter Libby outed a CIA field agent, which could have led to her death. That was a direct strike at US national security by a US citizen, and therefore, by any sensible definition of the word, treason. I’m only sorry he wasn’t indicted and convicted for that, along with his boss, the Vice President.
“Why did they cancel Firefly anyway? Surely the people who bring you Fox News couldn’t be so foolish?”
To give credit where it’s due, Fox News may be a gang of thugs actively engaged in overturning the Enlightenment, but the Fox Network proper is probably the most consistently liberal on the air. (It is true that they have occasionally been guilty of anti-science glurge, but so has PBS. One set of extremists objects to science because it contradicts the Book of Genesis? Yes, but there’s another set who object to science because it upsets their idée fixe that “there is always some truth in everything,” and half the people who shop in the magick-based aisles of your local pharmacy despise the other half.)
To return to the original point, “Firefly” was canceled because it was expensive to make and appealed to only a few fans, even though those who did like it were wildly enthusiastic.
A little off topic. I would loooooove it if someone would explain to me the appeal of Firefly. I love sci-fi TV shows, all the Treks, Farscape, BSG both 70’s and new versions, and you can tell by my name which franchise is my favorite.
For me Firefly is in the same category as Babylon 5 and Andromenda, as in it’s a show I’ve tried to get into but just couldn’t for some reason. Part of it I know is the opening theme being like sandpaper on my eardrums, and also the whole cowboy’s-in-space thing doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe that’s because where I live people who speak with those accents are not the oppressed but the oppressors. So I need to get over that. And I’m not too keen on getting into something that will stop after 14 episodes.
But beyond that, what is it that people like so much about Firefly? I want to like it. I used to think BSG stood for “Being Somber on Galactica” but now I love that show too, so there’s hope.
Jens, you are a Reaver and I claim my £5.
B.A., I appreciate your enlightening our darkness about the scary way your country is heading back into mediaevalism. Keep up the good work in both that and astronomy.
P.S. Mal’s tatt. is real…
–
John W Kennedy: To return to the original point, “Firefly” was canceled because it was expensive to make and appealed to only a few fans, even though those who did like it were wildly enthusiastic.
It was canceled because Fox was looking for another X-Files to magically appear, while completely botching the homeopathic quantities of marketing there was. If Firefly wasn’t wildly successful out of the gate, it was canned. Like so many other shows on Fox, some good, some not so good.
I have to agree with John F Kennedy and Chip — B5 fandom would be a better indicator of a politician’s quality than Trek fandom, all else being equal.
Mind you, Jerry Doyle (Security Chief Michael Garibaldi) did run for Senate in California. Alas, he did not win.
Of course, I’m the sort of nerd who thinks it’s even MORE important to ask — which of the candidates are Whovians?
Yeah, but is he a Star Wars fan? If not, I don’t know what the other kids see in him?
I would loooooove it if someone would explain to me the appeal of Firefly.
It was fun.
When Firefly first came on, I was sooo ready to hate the show. A space western? A ship running on an engine that looks like a combination washing machine and jet engine? Ha! But then… I watched a little more. The characters, as in most of Josh Whedons work, were hypnotic. Then things started to make sense: this was all taking place in a solar system with hundreds of teraformed planets. No warp drive, no teleporters, no aliens. It was almost the anti-Trek. As such, it told stories about these people who build a life together, and who cherish freedom more than taking advantage of living in an advanced society that curtails your opportunities.
Sure. Tons of scientific errors. Like every other sci fi show on TV. (Except maybe the NASA channel) But they were telling us some damn good stories.
That’s the appeal of Firefly. It was something other than the sensory dully conformity of Roddenberry’s universe. (Same with the much missed and lamented Farscape.)
Thank you Joe Meils for your polite and informative reply. I will give it another try next time there’s a Firefly marathon on the Sci-fi channel.
And thanks to Quiet Desperation as well. I hope it is, in fact, fun.