Zine review by Darin
In the Spring of 1990 Los Angeles
area resident Joshua Chapman completed a zine like object as a participant of a
seventh grade English class. He and his mother survived the loss of his dad.
His mother would otherwise have seemed to be effected by prolonged grief
disorder, and / or the possibility is also that she may have had other problems
as well, such as poverty, or other kinds of class, gender, economic [etc.]
issues as a consequence also, maybe other mental health issues, but that is not
indicated. What is clear however is that Joshua was encouraged to complete the
assignment and continue it by his Junior High School Councilor, likely his
English teacher, and perhaps others also as a cathartic process. Seasons two
though seven were not necessarily educationally related, although he expressed
distress and hopelessness towards Season Seven as he was anxious regarding his
future and life after high school.
Unfortunately other than complete
his zine project he also seems to have taken up self-harm, which as the time
was diagnosed as a mental health disorder known as self-mutilation. He has
thoughts of death and suicide. What is clear is that he hates his mother. This
is a recurrent theme in the work, and the most unattractive.
Personally I have some relation to
this on a few different levels. In terms of my own catharsis, and also my own
research in the science of science fiction, a field known as Roddenburyism.
I feel like my own mother, although a pioneer in the workplace of her day,
essentially became a heartless capitalist. I love Star Trek, and although I was
about four years older than Joshua and watched from 1987 on-wards, in my case
beginning in very early high-school, recently I have also been harboring my
inner child for answers in hopes of self-resolution and whatever possibility of
science fiction writing I can observe for myself. I hope today's Joshua is
getting as much out of the process for himself also.
Joshua maintains at least some level
of honest unadulteration in his depiction of aliens through-out the body of
work. His analysis is often at least rivaling that of startrek.com, memory
alpha, and beta, and startrekonline/wiki. [His views are
often quite hilarious.] A least in that he amazingly and often enough times has
an innocuously accurate if simple consideration. Later on especially however
there are more rants and less humor. When he isn't angry at his mom, I tend to
agree with his analysis, however it must be understood that there are
furthering socio-dynamics at work with these episodes, and sometimes he simply
would seem to be otherwise unaware or uncaring of the larger issues of the
science as depicted given their complexity, and the complexity of
adolescence/post-adolescence in the later 20th century. He gets it pretty well
more than half of the time I would say, and it is difficult to compete with
cartoons, punk rock, anarchism, dungeons and dragons, video games and hormones.
Through-out he essentially rates the aliens as a viewer. This can be very funny
and interesting, and frankly even if relatively an unscientific analysis, a
very informed viewpoint. I'll try to range my findings to give a broad enough
interpretation of his efforts.
The Android Data, The Vulcan
species, and The Borg [sentients zombified by a augment
technological hive/mind,] are the only ones to receive five stars. [5*.] Joshua
had a very tough time and clearly was enthusiastic in any enhanced abilities,
especially emotionlessness, and showed some respect for logic. Cats are very
high on his list. Data in his efforts to seem or become more humanlike had a
pet cat which also receives a very high adoration by the young Joshua. Joshua
loves his cat, but later in a stressful episode of angst lashes out at his cat,
and then unfortunately, Joshua begins or continues self-loathing.
I have to wish that Joshua could
have enjoyed the video game Star Trek Online, especially due to the fact
that the felinoid species [plural,] Ferasan, and the Caitian,
with their conflicting history and the eugenics committed to the Ferasan,
by the Caitian could have been some kind of point of resolution for him.
Yet possibly he still can if he so chooses should need be. In this case critics
would argue either that eugenics is too mature a subject for children, and/or
that a violent resolution is counter intuitive. Ferasan, largely siding
with the Klingons in the 25th C. enacted revenge upon Caitian eugenic
scientists, despite the results being the harboring of their more instinctive,
tribal, and animalistic qualities, as designed as a hope for the longevity of
the species. There were likely more side-effects and that fact was not given
enough detail in STO in my opinion. Revenge is a dish best served cold,
yet even Klingons must observe diplomacy. Joshua actually disliked
bullies and the popular kids, and that is another theme in his writing.
Cardassians. Home Planet: Cardassia
Prime. Episode: The Wounded. Rating: 4*. These aliens seem
pretty sneaky, but overall they basically act like humans. It's not like how
the Klingons are always super
aggressive or the Ferengi are really greedy or the Betazoids are
annoying losers.” He doesn't like empathy or empathic self-expression. His
mom-hate gets pretty tiring.
Even though obviously European /
seemingly providential Grecian/English actress Marina Sirtis who plays the Betazed
empath and ship councilor on the Enterprise, it's type casting in some sense
probably. Diana Troi, half-human, and Betazed is the daughter of a
diplomatically relevant household. There is a sense of prominent
socio-economics, just the same I can't imagine the Sirtis family is very amused
by austerity in Europe, and they likely have a ton of sympathy for their fellow
citizens. Honestly Marina has a humble background. Just the same Joshua hates
her character considerably. The 'mother of Science Officer Diana Troi,' is
actually a kind of obnoxious character [although its kind of funny,] played by
Gene Roddenbury's wife, Majel Barrett,who is actually amazingly cool on so many
different levels.
In this case what Joshua's animosity
reminds me of is the episode when Dr. Beverly Crusher and Diana are talking
about promotions during morning Yoga, and Diana decides to go for broke and
become commander. The Lt. Commander is really going to have to work on it.
Later in the episode, when Troi is doing the late shift on the bridge in order
to have more command acuity, Commander Riker is leaving the bridge as she
arrives and is rather dismissive; she's his long-time lover and future fiancée.
So that's pretty troubling and that instance leads to another Yoga discussion.
Riker has to keep a professional distance so that Troi can discover her own
command structure / methodology [Prime Directive,] on her own terms
[equality,] in accordance to the command structure guidelines of fleet activity
within the United Federation of Planets' acclaimed Starfleet.
Equality is a behavioral guideline [a kind of rule,] not an option.
Riker later in said episode would
confide to Troi that he was actually troubled for the same reasons she was, yet
he still had to act like a commander. Eventually they would both be commanders,
at that point in the series Riker had given up on command opportunities to stay
on the Enterprise. Eventually, they would both be Captains of their own
command. The future is uncertain and who knows what a deep space long distance
relationship must be like.
So yeah, to say the least young
Joshua is missing points on contextual ratification. Most of the rest of these
I derive from Joshua's Season six and seven. If you haven't noticed yet the
alien briefs I'm transcribing from Joshua are going from best to worst first,
then order of appearance, to the best of my ability.
Cairn. Home Planet: ?
Episode: Dark Page. Rating 3*. A Cairn telepath is mind
bending Troi's mom, Lwaxana. This is the episode where Joshua is making a
breakthrough about his mom. Even though he doesn't admonish the mind-fuck, he
explains the circumstances and in other species descriptions DOES acknowledge
shitty rape cultural dogma and calls the species out on it. The complexity of
this episode is that Troi is somehow psychically in Troi's mom's mind trying to
find out why she is injured or whatever. Cairn aren't good at speaking because
they are constantly telepathic. Lwaxana was supposed to help the Cairn with
speech, but PTSD regarding her child who had died proved too much. In this description
it would seem that Joshua could use the lame calamity of Troi in Lwaxana's
brain as a physical metaphysical manifestation as a way to identify with his
own problems with his own mom. His lesson is that women [I guess he supposes,]
don't take care of bullshit. I'm paraphrasing. So the bullshit keeps getting
worse. He's beginning to see that there is really some serious bullshit he
needs to deal with in order to prevent more bullshit from happening.
Naric. Episode: Gambit
Pt. 1. Rating 3*. “This guy is a mercenary on Arctus Baran's
ship.”...“In general I think the darker a show is, the better chance it has to
being awesome, which is why all the best episodes of Star Trek are ones
like Picard being turned into a Borg, or tortured by Cardassians,
or stuff like that.” Joshua likes pirates and talks about cartoons to make a
comparative narrative.
Herkarans. Home Planet: Hekaras
2. Episode: Force of Nature. Rating: 3*. “These aliens have
really weird forehead creases that make me uncomfortable. I don't know why but
they remind me of vaginas. I know that's not what a vagina actually looks like,
but still. They seem kind of sexual shaped to me.” There is an ecological
concern regarding what might seem like conflict of interests regarding
Starfleet's broad objectives. Josh sees a classist seeming overview. Another
point of view is more relative to a strict adherence to the structural policy
of the prime directive.
Atreans. Home Planet: Atrea
4. Episode: Inheritance. Rating: 3*. “These are aliens that have
giant ears and are weirdly racist against Data.” He loved this show as a kid,
but it seems like every show struck a nerve somehow. He loves Data, so A.I.
discrimination is damning. It wasn't entirely clear if it was jealousy or
admiration, or suspicion of technology or some kind of weird combination, based
on how Atreans sound from what I can remember. In fact it might as
simply be the Atrean’s way of taking Data seriously. [Or what is serious
to them.] However xenophobic the Atreans, again Josh pits against his
mom, by hating on Data's mom who in this episode is married to an Atrean.
It could very well be that Data's Atrean step-father doesn't want
trouble or something. Data is the only one originally that discovers that she
is an artificial life form.
Boraalan. Boraal 2.
Episode: Homeward. 3*. “Borallans are primitive aliens who
lived on a planet that was about to be destroyed because their atmosphere is
going to disappear or something.” Worf was sent to investigate the planet, and
his brother Kurn ends up marrying a Boraalan. Josh has a tiff about how Klingons
don't seem to be observing the Prime Directive, and are showing
favoritism. Kurn saves the tribe of his wife, but cannot save the rest of the
species. So scientifically speaking this is an interesting episode because of
trans-xenological corporeal genesis / sexual trans-xenological genesis.
However, “The most fucked up thing though is that [Kurn] was spying on this
woman for a long time before he had sex with her, and also that he is supposed
to be a super genius, and she believes in magic and probably has never seen a
toothbrush.” Observation of species is an important factor in the Prime
Directive and first contact circumstances.
Corvallen, Episode: Face
of the Enemy. 3*. “These aliens look like weird rock creatures.” Here
Joshua is contextual and descriptive, even going so far as to incorporate Dungeons
and Dragons and Choose Your Own Adventure Books. Joshua is also
interested in magic and differentiates between spell casting and something more
occultish.
Nara. Episode: Eye of
the Beholder. 3*. “This alien has a weird looking forehead, but it's
not nearly as fucked up as her nose.” I don't know why Joshua wants to go right
back into sexist body shaming, but for the peaks of his humor of which I
clearly haven't showcased … I mean he then seriously goes on to say that Troi
imagines having sex with the Klingon Worf during the episode, and that
is the least likely thing that would ever happen and then disses Troi again. My
experience with Klingons is more like, “Let the Wookie win.”
Joshua was clearly suicidal. The Klingon House of Mogue had not yet been
granted honor...still, let the Wookie win. Daahmn....kid!
Barkonians. Episode: Barkon
Twine Own Self. 3*. “The Barkonians are sort of a midevil times
type of alien.” Data is the hero of this episode, but Joshua is not happy with
the results of Data's away mission to Barkon 4. Like the Boraalan,
the Barkonians are a Prime Directive sensitive species of
empirical interest. Here I cannot help but think of comparable socio-historical
archetypes. Just the same Joshua manages a descriptive and accurate
consideration of the episode, up until a point of course. Here he seems to have
a nervous breakdown of anxiety. “It can get worse. It never stops getting
worse.”
Talarian. Episode: Suddenly
Human. 2*. “These aliens are sexist and warlike, and even though they
are constantly talking about how strong they are, when they are worried they
make this really annoying whining noise like they are a bunch of stupid diaper
babies.” A well-deserved two stars.
Maturin. Episode: Sub
Rosa. 2*. Joshua has a wonderful description here of the neo-Scottish,
neo-patriarchal, neo-colonialists. Solid fucking gold kid! Instead of ragging,
he makes comparable suggestions for a better interstellar neo-colonialism. He
also modestly disses the Maturin [criticism,] without causing any
interstellar diplomatic complications. That kid had a future in Starfleet!
It's nice to be proud of Joshua during a difficult time in his life rather than
be concerned and frustrated.
Darsay. Darsay System.
Episode: Masks. 2*. “...I think that once a civilization gets smart
enough they should probably stop thinking the the sun is a god, especially if
they have spaceships.” Data has a metaphysical journey in this episode, and
works with Geordi to problem solve. Data becomes possessed by an ancient alien
library of a former species that appears as a comet and takes over the
Enterprise. Joshua has thoughts of atheism, paganism, and a separate
consideration on schizophrenia / multiple personalities. Data did get five
stars. It is enough for Joshua to admit that he thinks about schizophrenia,
anxiety, and talks about self-harm. He is particularly lucid here.
Lumerians. Episode: Man
of the People. 1*. “This dude is an asshole.” Lumerians channel
their thoughts in certain ways. When the leading Lumerian channels
negative thought to Councelor Troi, she gets bitchy. He talks about his
passions for magic. He is interested in Wiccanism. He makes a comparison
analysis with the comic The Sandman, and can appreciate the captivation
of arcane imagery. He believes magic may be a catalyst for catharsis. He then
goes on to say that the leading Lumerian had basically done just that.
Joshua was so backwards sometimes. He was sooo right, and then sooo wrong. It
is frustrating.
Haliian. Home Planet:
Halii. Episode: Aquiel. 1*. “This lady is awful. I don't even
understand how she got accepted into Starfleet. She is boring and annoying and
irrational and the special effects makeup that lets you know she is an alien is
just two tiny bumps on her forehead. [Engineering Commander,] Geordi falls in
love with her, but whatever, Geordi falls in love with computer women all the
time. That is basically his thing. Plus she tries to have weird crystal sex
with him which is obviously a horrible idea because we JUST SAW the weird Lumerian
dude cast spells this way like ten episodes ago.” [Like scared of a bad voo-doo
result.] This time I have to agree completely with Joshua. It's been a long
time since I've seen the episode, but a pretty big bell was ringing. I sort of
just think that I can only hope for the longevity of the Haliian species
after that. With the Haliian I have to wonder if this psychology is
unique to the individual or the species as a whole. I hope she does okay, Starfleet
always is recruiting new member species. The needs of the many, outweigh the
needs of the few. Live Long and Prosper!
Kes/Prytt. Home Planet: Kesprytt.
Episode: Attached. 1*. “At first we think the Prytt are going to be
assholes and the Kes are okay, but then you find out that both of them
are fucking stupid.” … “They just constantly shoot themselves in the foot
because they are unwilling to let go of their paranoia, and anxiety, which is
like the dumbest thing ever. All they have to do is not be paranoid and both
groups would be fine, but they can't. They are assholes, and people almost die,
and they can't even own up to the fact that it is their fault and maybe if they
tried a little fucking harder things wouldn't be so bad, but instead they blame
everyone but themselves. They just make things worse and then say it's the Federation's
fault that this happen, but it was them. It was them and their fucking immature
behavior that ruined everything.” With first contact there is no outlying guarantee
that diplomatic successes will withhold. Joshua nails it with his somewhat
juvenile rhetoric. I'm only leaving bits out of this one, but it is worth it if
for the outside viewpoint of a frustrating and unsuccessful first contact
mission. That's the thing though, there is no such thing really as long as the
data is recorded and an honest attempt is made for the purpose of outreach.
Again, 'keep it simple stupid,' is one thing, but 'stick to the science,' is
also relevant for its similarity to simple, and purpose.
I know this is what you've been
waiting for. It’s the worst alien on Star Trek Next Generation! Ronin
the Sex Ghost. Episode: Sub Rosa. 1*. “There are a lot of things
going on with this alien. His name is Ronin, and his is at least seven
hundred years old, and he lives in a candle, and his is made out of anaphasic
energy but sometimes he can take human form, and the way he gets food is by
having sex with the women in Dr. Crusher's family.” This one has
trans-xenological consternations regarding rape and rape cultural phenomenology
/ sexism. As interesting as Ronin's metaphysical behavior might be,
Joshua condemns him for hundreds of years of rape and misogyny. I felt
similarity about this episode.
Although I’m making a critique of
the work of a young adult who lived in the past, there are some interesting
considerations still to make. I’m hoping that an interview with the now forty
year old Joshua will be enlightening, and my hope is that he continue the ‘zine
to cover his now matured thoughts on all of the other Star Treks. The
reason being is simply that his more juvenile activity was actually thought
provoking and cathartic in some ways, and that that would be the point of Star
Trek today. It helps us propel our imagination into new places for whatever
good, for whatever reason. I want to end my critique with a look on where he
may or may not have been descriptive enough in his body of work. His critique
of Star Trek was bad or good overall. Young Joshua was either
brilliantly descriptive if simplistic, or simply inadequate and lacking depth.
I have three examples. A good point to make is how much better he was at it by
the time he was preparing to exit high school, although at times to the loss of
an unadulterated sense of humor. It can be assumed that overall his situation
had not improved.
Amarie. Episode: Unification
2. 3*.
“This alien works in a bar. She is sort of freaky looking,
since there is no front to her nose, and she has weird things sticking out of
her head. Also, she has four arms, which is probably why she decided to become
a piano player. I think it would be pretty useful to have four arms, because
then I if I broke one of my arms I would still be able to play video games with
the other three. Sometimes I practice playing video games with my feet in case
I do break on of my arms, that way I won’t have as much of a learning curve,
but it hasn’t come in useful yet.” I was and still am way more into Klingons.
I would have gone on and on about how she knew some Klingon tunes and how
Worf has a good baritone, but overall Joshua was excellent enough in under
embellishment in his description of Amarie the barroom pianist.
Bajoran.
Planet Bajor. Episode: Ensign Ro. 4*.
[Circa 1994.]
“Bajorans were aliens that had built impressive
cities tens of thousands of years ago.” This is a Yes / No, as far as
descriptive critique is from the younger Joshua that we by now must have some
empathy for. Here he was both descriptive, and not descriptive enough. Ensign
Ro is a rebel, and she eventually secedes from The United Federation of
Planets, and joins The Maquis. This didn’t occur until later. There
would be three episodes in STNG with this involvement. The Maquis are
extremely relevant to the development to the later series, Star Trek
Voyager. However, Voyager had not yet become a series, and would not be
released until the following January.
The previous January Deep Space Nine had been released. For some
reason Joshua did not relate the importance of their ancient spiritual beliefs,
and how that relates to Bajoran bureaucracy. He did describe in a fairly
well manner the fact that Bajor had been de-occupied from the Cardassians, and with a lot of help from
the Federation. Here there are series of cross overs that he did not
approach or for some reason didn’t bother with. There is a species etymology
here that is incomplete and although I at first wonder why, despite his love
for Ro [he mentions that she is a badass,] it becomes clear. After describing the
occupation of Bajor, he makes a comparative analysis of The Crucible,
where the Wizard decides there is no explanation worthy of the early American
colonists, so as the Crucible Wizard is pressed to snitch or admit something,
the Wizard simply tells them off, and is pressed by stones, more and more every
time. [I hated the Wizard, and thought he was just another sad Patriarch, until
the end,] The sad thing is [this is Episode Five, there are two more seasons
and one more zine at this point,] is that this analogy is contiguous with the
pressures that Joshua must tolerate as he accelerates into post-adolescence.
About sixty percent of the review is his own analysis comparatively, and the
rest is Ro or Bajoran. His critique of his mother might otherwise turn off
the observer to his abilities as a writer and to any positive acclamation that
he may have gained by following the series.
In these ‘zines Joshua somewhere
shows a normative tentative young adult consideration regarding sexuality.
There have been a few in my critique, this is likely another. In his first
school assignment that started his zine process [the first was hand written,
and at least another had use of a dot matrix printer,] Joshua described Data,
but more importantly the relationship between Data and Lt. Commander Natasha
Yar. Yar died. The alien that killed Yar is likely tied with the rape monster
[‘Sex Alien,’] in his ratings. Joshua was mad. Data and Yar would have been the
all that couple of the galaxy in Joshua’s mind at the time. However he is
unable to acknowledge that a Yar/Troi coupling would have been just as good, if
not completely better in a unilateral manner. [Horizontalism,
intersectionality.] It is at least clear that Joshua put a lot of effort into
this and had a lot going against him, he might not have been capable of
thinking of all the angles, no one is.
Josh, if you are out there anywhere,
please contact me!
No comments:
Post a Comment