[video]
Session:
Commentary by:
00:00:00: We begin with a text introduction detailing the extended cut of the episode. As a fan of this extended cut, I’m excited that TNG’s first BluRay commentary track will be done on the extended edition. Let’s enjoy!
00:00:10: Denise Okuda opens up the commentary with introductions and Mike introduces us to Melinda.
00:00:25: First question for the writer of the episode, why Poker? Turns out that the Poker game was originally meant to be about Data learning how to swim, and the producers said they couldn’t afford a pool. It’s a pity that didn’t happen because than we would have been spared the “emergency flotation device” scene from Insurrection. Turns out the Poker game itself stemmed from Melinda’s love of seeing the original series crew during their recreational periods. Also, anyone writer who doesn’t want to deal with the holodeck always gets a + in my book.
00:02:26: Mike just brought up the fact that the Poker Game would become such a staple for the show and it’s characters that it was used as the last live action shot of the entire series. I find Melinda’s reaction quite since it sounds like she never watched the episode. Guess when writers leave the series, they never catch up with it. Bummer.
00:04:04: Maurice Hurley taught Melinda while she was writing the back stories to the characters that “You can’t play the back story. You don’t want to bring that forward. You’ve gotta play it, what’s happening in the moment.” Ironic since Maurice Hurley wrote “Shades of Gray”, an episode that had little to do with the present moment and consisted mostly of flashbacks to previous episodes. Oh, Maurice.
00:04:46: Mike just called out Melinda’s attempt at a “Mary Sue” with the character of Phillipa. Don’t worry, she’ll write a much more obvious Mary Sue in the season 3 episode “The Ensigns of Command” with Ard’rian.
00:07:44: Melinda was just talking about her working relationship with George R.R. Martin, and Mike interrupts her to bring up the fact that we are now watching an extended scene. Mike, you don’t need to bring up what we already know. Anyone who actually cares about the extended footage knows where it is and you don’t say anything but “This is new.” Let the story tellers finish their stories!
00:11:36: Melinda just said she’d sacrifice small animals to make her computer happy. :)
00:12:01: Points to Denise for bringing back the George R.R. Martin story that Mike interrupted.
00:12:53: Mike almost interrupts Melinda again but thankfully she finishes her sentence before he cuts in.
00:15:37: Mike just said “Maurice Hurley is one of the unsung heroes of Star Trek.” Just to give you an idea on what kind of a show runner he is, he got Gates McFadden fired from the show and wrote an episode where Troi gets raped by an alien. The only positive thing he ever did for Star Trek was giving us The Borg. That’s it. He left the series after this very season.
00:23:45: The editors of Star Trek actually made an extended edition of the episode on video tape for Melinda since a lot of the footage would be lost in the final cut, and the reason we have the extended edition in the first place was because she kept it! *thumbs up*
00:29:03: Picard’s line over the com system “Number One, meet me at Transporter 3” was pieced together from other episodes of the series since Patrick Steward didn’t record the line since the scene was cut out early in editing.
00:32:30: Melinda is talking about how she made a “rookie mistake” in writing for this scene and was surprised how Maurice didn’t catch it. You’re giving him too much credit Melinda.
00:34:54: Hehe. Mike claims to have used studio money to make a Starfleet Graduation Certificate for his wife. The guy sure had heart.
00:39:55: Mike just pointed out a continuity error involving a bent bar prop. I wonder where that bent metal prop is now….
00:46:40: Melinda is now talking about Gene’s dreaded box. “He once told us that by the 24th century that people were perfect. He said “MY” people are perfect. I think that was a weakness of the show.” She also talks about standing her ground to Gene by countering his arguments with “Than we don’t have a script”.
00:51:27: Denise asks the question that I would have been scared to ask. “Why did you leave Star Trek?” Melinda’s response:
“I…*sigh* It was a hard show. Um, there were.. there were a lot of issues in terms of writers control over their, over their vision. I’m a very emotional writer. Um, some people think that’s not so good, but you know I want to write passionately. And there were some people who were uncomfortable with that. And so a lot of overt emotions and humor especially was stripped out of Star Trek. Um, and I ultimately felt that it was not a place I could keep working and doing the kind of thing I felt I was really good at. And so I decided it was time to move on.”
00:55:11: Denise asks Melinda if she has any advice to aspiring writers.
“Going to go back to George Martin’s advice to me, which is never hoard your silver bullet. Write something that you care about passionately. Write the best vision, the best idea you have and believe in it and go with that.”
00:56:35: ”And with that, we wrap up this commentary”
CONCLUSION: A very well done commentary track. Melinda comes off as very sincere and full of stories. The fact that she mentions how much of a hinderance Gene Roddenberry was to the whole writing staff is a very reassuring moment in that commentaries have not been watered down to just film makers praising each other left and right and talking only about what we’re seeing on screen (George R.R. Martin does that all the time). The best part has got to be when Denise asks Melinda why she left Star Trek. You can tell from the moment she tries to answer this question that it was quite an emotional moment for her.
[video]
“That isn’t helpful.”
But it’s fun!
(via tulabear)
kevin w murphy: Ray Harryhausen and the Theater of my Kid Mind -
So. I heard about the passing of Ray Harryhausen, and my mind immediately spun back to 1963.
It’s the first year of my life I remember with any clarity, the year that my Dad would move us out of the elm-lined avenues of River Forest and into the corn-and-soybean-surrounded spankin’ new…
Thank you Kevin. That was a spectacular tribute.
“
People who hate this film. The affection for this film is not because those who disagree are low brow sheep who are distracted by the flashing lights. The film has plenty of action, energy, palpable enthusiasm and an intense push forward. It may not be a cerebral con, but it’s still a fun film even discounting all the special effects.
People who love this film. The hatred for this film is not because dorks won’t settle for anything less than an old school snore fest. Even ignoring any previous knowledge of Star Trek, the plot is stupid. Some of the characterization is shoddy, many actions and events are absurd and any science mentioned is laughably wrong. And it all leads up to a face palming conclusion. It is a film where the spectacle is outweighing the substance.
” — SFDebris
Maleficent junior-eskape by *Altena21
Daaaaahhhhhhh. If this was animated and Maleficent was doing something intimidating and all of a sudden that little thing crawls slowly up her back all the way up to her head, I think I would die.
[video]
Mass Effect 3.
http://www.vgfacts.com/trivia/1826/
It’s really hard to justify that the Illusive Man’s weapon is his intelligence when he’s been indoctrinated by the Reapers since DAY ONE. And I’m sorry, but building a teleportation beam that is always on does not reflect any kind of intelligence.
Also, “EDI needed to be sexy.”
GIF #3! Went to an online gif maker http://gifmaker.me and that seemed to do the trick.
