L.J. Writes

Sneak of lb_lee asked:

How did you get into Avatar, originally? What did you love most about it?

I first watched the show in 2010, a couple of years after it ended.(1) My then-boyfriend Mark got me into it by telling me it was a cool show with Asian-style cultures and protagonists, and after I watched the show on any online source I could find I married Mark so I could get my hands on his DVDs.(2)

( DS9 parallels, moral clarity and complexity, mild Trek & LotR criticism )

After finishing Deep Space Nine and marveling at the story (not that my progress on the reviews in any way reflects that), I heard from fairladyz2005 about the "relaunch" books that continue the story. Since they were on Kobo Store I figured hey, why not. I bought Twist of Faith, which collects several of the DS9 continuation novels including Avatar books 1 and 2 and Demons of Air and Darkness.

I am on Chapter 13 of 20 in the first book of Avatar, so I'd say I'm a bit more than halfway through. The story and characterization are good, but the writing is irritating me so much it's impeding my ability to continue.

( Am I the only one who's bothered? )

(06/14/13: Updated with synopsis. Spoilers and some bad language.)

I've started watching Deep Space Nine on fairladyz2005's recommendation, and it is certainly worthy of high praise. I've finished the first season and like it so much I've decided to write a series of posts talking briefly about my impressions.

One-line summary: Sisko falls into a hole and must dig his way out.

( Comments )

Overall "The Emissary" does what a pilot episode should do, setting up a premise for the whole series that will be a source of new conflicts and stories. The episode gave me high hopes for the show, the first season of which was a mixed bag with some real highlights. More on that later; for now, Luna out.

Another Trek episode, another game-breaking alien species. This one was mainly interesting for the new depth it added to Quark's character in his pivotal scene. It was sort of a bummer that this game-obsessed species don't show up anymore (at least not as of early Season 5, which is where I'm at), there seemed to be some interesting statements in their story about gaming and honesty and stuff. And Jesus, it was a shock to come back from Season 5 and see Jake Sisko as a 14-year-old boy. They sure change in four years, don't they.

The awesome fairladyz2005, who introduced me to DS9, also sent me a list of TNG episodes that were relevant to DS9. One of them was "The Host," a Season 4 TNG episode that first introduced the Trill. The DS9 episode "Dax" is in many ways an inversion of "The Host." Where the Trill character in "The Host" had to prove himself to be the same guy as a previous incarnation in order to gain the trust of warring factions, the titular Trill in "Dax" must prove herself a different person in order to get away from the crime a past self is accused of committing.

That question, the meaning of identity, is the central subject of "Dax" much as it was in "The Host." However, the understanding of that question, along with the setting information on the Trill, has become a great deal more sophisticated since TNG. Much like the changes in the Ferengi since their first appearance (TNG 1.05 "The Last Outpost"), it shows the evolution of Trek writing.

( On the law, and what really matters )

"Dax" may not have had the most original or unexpected resolution, but the abovementioned subtlety in the writing still drew me into the story and made me think. The episode was also a smart legal drama with an appealing sense of humility that a court is not always the final arbiter of truth, and the real story happens with the choices of men and women in their lives. The courtroom is a forum where some very interesting issues are laid bare, though, and the courtroom scenes were worth it for that reason.