IntenseDebate - dragonmagelet

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 0 replies · +3 points

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6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 0 replies · +7 points

Spock, Sarek and Tovok all performed mind melds, but perhaps they were the only Vulcans in this franchise who could.

Vorik also performs a mind-meld on B'Elanna in "Blood Fever," and Sakonna (the Vulcan member of the Maquis on DS9) also attempts a mind-meld on Gul Dukat. So.... it's pretty much every Vulcan we really spend time with, yeah. I agree that the ret-con is absurd.

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 0 replies · +5 points

I agree with Ruch about T'Pol's role in this episode being problematic. For one thing, I don't want to ever give brownie points for anything building on a main character getting raped as a plot point. For another, T'Pol's rape in the context of this allegory implies that rape is the only way a heterosexual person would become HIV+, which is yuuuucky.

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 0 replies · +8 points

Another possibility: It was created by a warp-capable species who were unaware of other intelligent, space-faring life forms in the galaxy. The AI was designed to identify and repair damage to their ships as they developed them, so it had to be adaptable and self-sustaining.They designed it for their own use without considering that the AI would need more processing power in order to cater to the dozens of alien technologies it would encounter.

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 1 reply · +5 points

Is that why the show insists that Reed is stoic, closed-lipped, and hard to get to know while having this gross bromance with Trip where they make lewd comments about women every time they're alone together? To prove how super hetero Reed is?

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 0 replies · +4 points

Fair enough. There is a cut between the initial "You're pregnant," and when Trip makes the statement, "There's got to be some way to get this thing out of me without hurting it," so I suppose the abortion conversation could have happened off screen, between the cuts. Everyone's attitude makes it seem to me that Trip has zero choice in the matter--but, again, that might be because to him there's only one choice.

I would personally hope that by the 22nd century, let alone the 23rd century, that terminating a pregnancy would be NBD, rather than (as I think you're suggesting) every unwanted pregnancy being moved to a surrogate incubation chamber. There are plenty of reasons besides the discomfort/inconvenience of pregnancy to decide to terminate. Having a biological child is a big responsibility, even if you don't raise it yourself (also who exactly would be raising all these surrogate-chamber babies?), and for many people it's an ethical consideration as well.

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 0 replies · +8 points

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was like, "UHHH IS ABORTION NOT A THING IN THE 22ND CENTURY?"

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 2 replies · +11 points

I completely agree.

I wanted to add that this episode is really troublingly anti-choice. Abortion is never even considered, even though (unlike a conventional human pregnancy) the embryo Trip is carrying is literally not his child, carrying none of his genetic material. I wouldn't mind if Trip chose not to terminate the pregnancy--because, yanno, CHOICE--but it's not even suggested, despite his obvious dismay and discomfort. I mean, I get it: in the GW Bush era United States they would have been crucified for even suggesting abortion, but that's just another reason why they should have left this idea on the cutting room floor.

Similarly, the whole "moving the embryo to a new host" thing is totally glazed over, as if it's NBD for Ah'Len to find another male to bear her child. Imagine if the whole scenario were reversed, and Trip suddenly had to find a female host for the baby he accidentally made with some alien. Ya think Crewman Cutler or Hoshi would just be like, "Sure, bro, no prob"? YIKES.

6 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Enterpri... · 0 replies · +9 points

You guys have come very close to making me like the dreadful dreadful theme song of this show. I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse your names.

7 years ago @ Mark Watches - Mark Watches 'Voyager'... · 1 reply · +17 points

Tom's inability to immerse in the story reminds me of my own struggles in roleplaying. Tom doesn't want to LIVE the story; he wants to WRITE it, craft it, edit it and perfect it. I feel this way often both as a writer and as someone who throws parties and puts on events: we don't really get to experience the thing we are making, because we are making it, so it might seem like we are missing out or missing the point. Au contraire: there is another point entirely at play here.

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