Live long and prosper, to all:)

Kirk and Spock off to uncharted worlds in search of excitement, adventure... alien sleepovers...:)

How can anyone not know what I speak of?

Yes, of course, the wonderful series that is Star Trek:)
(I'd better qualify that this post will only deal with the original Star Trek series)

Publicity photo of Leonard Nimoy and
William Shatner as Mr. Spock and
Captain Kirk.

Well, how on earth can I possibly summarise such an excellent, excellent series in a single post? I guess I'll begin by saying that Star Trek is a science-fiction feast for anyone who's remotely discovery-inclined.

The series is premised on fascinating journeys by the crew of the Starship Enterprise into previously unexplored galaxies, searching for anything and everything that exists out there.

And if the plot isn't enough to make one salivate (remember, it was the first of its kind; Star Wars came just a bit later), the characters are brilliant.


Publicity photo of
William Shatner as
Captain Kirk.



First off, there's the Captain of the Starship Enterprise, Captain James Tiberius Kirk.

The original Kirk, played by William Shatner, was brash, impetuous, entirely woman-ogling, and always humorous; oh, and he could kick some mean alien and human butt when he had to.

Kirk's charm lies I think in how human he is, not too smart, not too dumb, and above all, a fine counterpoint to his second in command, Spock.

Leonard Nimoy speaking at his
panel at Emerald City Comicon
March 13, 2010, taken by Kelly Walker
(from Wikimedia Commons)

Ah, what can one say about Spock? The First Officer of the Enterprise, he's by far my favourite character in the whole series, played beyond excellence by Leonard Nimoy.

With pointy ears and a logical disposition, Spock is a mixed Vulcan-human who looks remarkably like an elf (the Lord of the Rings kind) lost in space; an elf with a phaser instead of a bow and arrow, and an uncomfortable suit instead of uncomfortable LOTR elf clothes:D.

Spock's attraction lies in his unthinking elegance, his faithfulness to logic, and his constant struggle to live up to his logical Vulcan ideals despite his capacity for human emotion, something brought out most of the time by Kirk's obvious influence on him. Being half human and half Vulcan left Spock some scars, carefully and logically supressed. But it's Spock's traumatic past and unusual roots that ultimately help him to mix logic and emotion together whenever it's necessary (read: whenever it suits him and saves Kirk/the Enterprise).

There is an endearing sweetness to Spock, a sweetness that somehow contradicts not at all with his enigmatic expressions, incredible strength, the Vulcan mind meld and, of course, the split finger salute that I am now programmed for life with ('Live long and prosper' is equal to 'May the Force be With You' in my mind).

Hmmmm, this post is getting too focused on my favourite character, isn't it? Okay then, on to the others ...

Walter Koenig played the Russian officer Pavel Chekov, no doubt a chracter introduced (during the Cold War) to signify a united world on Earth, where the US and Russia now work side by side to explore the world outside this planet.

Hmmm, speaking of unity, I've always found it particularly cool that Star Trek helped to shatter both racial and gender boundaries for American TV. Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols, was one of the first black characters on American TV, and one of the first black women on American TV. And of course, she and Kirk shared TV's first interracial kiss.

Right, I can only make a mention now of the ship's Dr McCoy/Bones (played by DeForest Kelley). He was Spock's main nemesis on the ship, and his presence made Star Trek reruns so worth watching.... simply to witness the many humorous, sarcasm-filled conversations between these two characters.

Moving on... George Takei played Hikaru Sulu, a representation of Asia and Asians in the crew. Reading up on Sulu's character, I discovered an explanation of how his surname was arrived at by Star Trek's creator, Gene Roddenberry - seems Roddenberry wanted to represent the whole of Asia in Sulu's character, and (looking at a map) noticed that the waters of the Sulu Sea touched all shores of Asia. Am unsure whether this geographical tidbit is true technically, but it's still an inspiring way to find a name methinks.

Lastly, who can forget Scotty (full name Montgomery Scott, played by James Doohan), the ship's aptly/strangely named engineer (apt/strange because he actually was Scottish, with a Scottish accent to boot hmmmm).

There's nothing much to add, I think. Star Trek was one of the most visually, intellectually and emotionally satisfying rides on TV, if one could suspend disbelief at the thought of pointy-eared aliens and warp speed, something I managed to do with no effort at all. The show was simply brilliant in so many little ways that many people would be unaware of perhaps until they start thinking of the world as a kind of universe to be explored with our very own danger-courting starships

Man, I loved - still adore - Star Trek so, so much, despite having apparently 'grown up' as they say. Can't thank Gene Roddenberry enough for creating a series which feeds the mind and heart so generously.

I'm just glad that most of the follow-up series' and movies - though unable to top the original series, in my mind - have for the most part given a realistic, believable take on an imaginative world beloved by so many, and done justice to the spirit that Star Trek embodied: the enthusiasm and courage to go where no man has gone before.

Live long and prosper, all:)

Live long and prosper, to all:)

Do You Do What You Are?

The Muses Urania and Calliope by Simon Vouet
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

First off, apologies for my short hiatus from my blog!:) It's not blog fatigue, I assure you, that's prompted my virtual absence. The world outside this one simply called more fervently than usual these past few months; I had to take a break until things quietened down a bit.

So, what had me running over to post my thoughts today? A small movie called 'Along Came A Spider':)

A suspense/mystery film based on the James Patterson novel of the same name, 'Along Came A Spider' is a movie that I've watched umpteen times through the years. Can't quite tell you why it tickles my movie-watcher's taste buds....

Maybe it's the superb Morgan Freeman (who plays profiler Alex Cross). Who could resist staying glued to the sight of Freeman as he walks or talks or stares thoughtfully into space?:)

Or maybe it's the classic game of cat and mouse that ensues once all and sundry attempt to trace the whereabouts of Megan Rose, the kidnapped daughter of a senator in the movie.

Or maybe 'Along Came A Spider' is simply a movie that's skilfully crafted, in all senses of the word.

This time though, it wasn't actors/plot/craft that made their usual impression on me. No, it was a piece of dialogue that stood out.

I hadn't noticed this bit of dialogue in my previous viewings. I must have heard it a thousand times by now, but I probably wasn't really listening, if you know what I mean.

Alex Cross and Special Agent Jezzie Flannigan are having a casual conversation in the middle of the kidnapping investigation. And here's the bit that made me perk up:

Alex: You do what you are Jezzie.
Jezzie: You mean you are what you do.
Alex: No, I mean, you do what you are. You're born with a gift. If not that, then you get good at something along the way. And what you're good at, you don't take for granted. You don't betray it.
Jezzie: What if you do, betray your gift?
Alex: Then you betray yourself. That's a sad thing.

'You do what you are'. Hmmmm, I'd never really thought about it that way before. 'You are what you do' is the more common understanding, isn't it? Seems to make so much sense too. But it often felt like a false statement to me! I just could never put my finger on why it rang false. What Alex Cross said put everything into perspective.

You do what you are! There is an intrinsic, real, utterly you 'you' that finds its way into a career/life path! If you flip this somewhat: there is a career out there that is made for who you are, if you have the conviction to find it and stay true to it!

You know, I wish I'd gotten my head around this concept way, way back when. I'm sure I would have had a lot more conviction in pursuing my passions if I had been encouraged to not only find out who 'I' was, but also find out what 'I' was gifted to do, and actually stay loyal to my 'gifts'.

I guess the point of confusion though lies in finding out who you really are to begin with. How do you do that? Through life experiences? The help of those you meet along the way? The devotion to a path of faith?

Life's full of variables, isn't it?

Despite the mix of everything external that can bombard and mold our inner selves however, it becomes clearer and clearer to me that each of us have individual natures. Personalities that are uniquely ours. Personalities that come with their own foibles and eccentricities, but also their own truths.

And the older I get, the more I believe that our passions are a reflection of these truths.

Passion may not be an exhaustive indicator of who we are, for sure, let alone a consistent one. But when we do know we're passionate about something - know in our bones that it's a big part of our very nature, a huge contributor to our joy in life - Alex Cross's bit of dialogue becomes pretty relevant, doesn't it?

It openly advocates us giving our inner passions a vote in deciding what any of us want to do for a living.

Not all the votes. Just a single vote. A small, marginalised but hopeful voice in our decision-making processes. Quite a fair, reasonable idea, isn't it?:)

Ack, but who said life's fair? Or reasonable! In the grand scheme of things, giving your passion a legitimate voice seems almost revolutionary! That I - and no doubt many others - could feel this way about our dreams says a lot. I reckon most of us have so many obligations, you see, that our voice of passion gets drowned out very quickly; obligations beyond our control that are strong enough to push us off the platform of our passion along the way. At the risk of sounding cliched, I must say that holding on to your dreams can be a difficult thing to do if it risks your ability to put food on the table every day.

But, you know, life's often far too short. And security can never really be guaranteed, can it? Not in any meaningful way.

If one sees security as something inconsistent/unpredictable in its own right... Well, somehow passion isn't such a disadvantageous commodity to cultivate anymore! To allow your passion some leeway to push and prod you, infiltrate whatever you're doing (secure or not) and make it all the better for such infiltration... this is surely one of the more enjoyable secrets to 'success' in our far too unpredictable world, don't you think?:)

When I mix working and writing, studying and working, writing and studying - basically any two things that are secure or passionate in their own right, often to the point of mutually exclusivity, things can get complicated. You don't sleep much. You become an insomniac writer, in effect. You sacrifice nights out to ensure you're able to pay the bills and indulge in your writing life at the same time. You sacrifice time that could be spent with friends and family, watching a movie or simply sleeping, all to keep up with warring worlds of reality and imagination, trying your best not to tear in half along the way.

It all seems very messy at the best of times. And the rewards for leading the 'double life' of an insomniac writer can seem a long time in coming.

Sometimes, you wonder if it's worth it at all.

But the more I think about it, if one strategises hard enough, prays hard enough - and yes, crosses one's fingers often enough:) - maybe security and passion can co-exist somehow without jeopardising each other's existence.

What say you? Is that possible? Especially for those dreaming of making it in the world of the creative arts without sacrificing a comfortable life for ourselves and our families?

I sincerely hope, pray and cross my fingers that it is:)

On that note, here's to chasing dreams, staying true to oneself, and maybe - just maybe - being given the opportunity to successfully do what you are, wherever you might be in this mixed-up, unpredictable world of ours, without sacrificing life's precious, memory-making moments along the way:)

Do You Do What You Are?