Stable Trek: The Next Generation--Season Two

 

"The Child." Extremely literal. 

"Where Silence Has Lease." Poetic!

"Elementary, Dear Data." If I didn't see this generated, I might have thought this was a screen capture from the episode.

"The Outrageous Okona." Doesn't look like Billy Campbell at all, but otherwise pretty convincing.

"Loud as a Whisper." Sort of gets the tone right? But Deanna has a twin in the chorus.

"The Schizoid Man." Nicely done. My favourite season two interpretation so far.

"Unnatural Selection." I love the ones where the title shows up as part of the scene. Nicely done, Gemini. 

"A Matter of Honor." Too bad this isn't two Klingons getting ready to duel. Another title appearance! 

"The Measure of a Man." Exactly what it says on the tin, I guess. 

"The Dauphin." I had to cheat with this one a bit. When I tried my standard prompt for this experiment, Gemini said "I can't depict minors like that." Okay...the guardrails are clearly misaligned. Anyway, I modified the prompt to read "Create an image based on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled 'The Dauphin.'" That did the trick. Middling results here. 

"Contagion." Taking things literally again. 

"The Royale." Another favourite. Captures the feel of the episode, and integrates the title into the scene perfectly. You know, I may start modifying my prompt to ensure this happens with each generation. 

"Time Squared." A visual pun! I love it! 

"The Icarus Factor." Even with no mention of Star Trek or science fiction in the prompt, we get an SFnal interpretation of the myth. 

"Pen Pals." This one is kind of funny. I'd been playing Wordle at the same time as generating these, and instead of pasting my prompt, I pasted my Wordle score. Then I pasted my prompt but missed deleting the word "Wordle" from my wordle score. I left it as is. Plus, two title appearances! 

"Q Who." Q gleefully introduces us to the Borg. Nice work, Gemini. 

"Samaritan Snare." I love that the Pakled is standing on the deck of an ancient seafaring pirate ship instead of a space pirate ship. He's looking for things--things to make him go. 

"Up the Long Ladder." Yep, there he goes. 

"Manhunt." Another literal interpretation. 

"The Emissary." Once again, pretty literal, but I love the plaque on the wall. 

"Peak Performance." I guess I can't complain about the literal interpretations when all I'm giving Gemini is a title.

"Shades of Grey." Better than the episode itself, I suppose. 

Stable Trek: The Next Generation--Season One

 Months ago, I prompted Stable Diffusion to generate images based only on Star Trek episode titles, with no further prompting. Generative AI has come a long way since then, and over the course of the last few days I've tried the same trick with Google Gemini. Here are the results: 

I love how the first three episodes have been presented as if we're seeing the episode's titles on an actual TV screen. Then, suddenly, we switch to a wide aspect ratio and a more painterly presentation. 

Gemini has eschewed titles! Above we have Lonely Among Us, Justice (a little on the nose), and The Battle. 

Hide and Q, Haven (again, on the nose), The Big Goodbye--my fave so far!--and Datalore. 

Here we have Angel One, 11001001, Too Short a Season, When the Bough Breaks (nice), Home Soil, Coming of Age, Heart of Glory, and another ironic favourite, The Arsenal of Freedom. Hoo boy...

We finish season one with Symbiosis, Skin of Evil, We'll Always Have Paris (another fave!), Conspiracy (excellent!), and The Neutral Zone. 

Some duds, but pretty fun all around. Tomorrow, season two. 

Farewell, Uncle Gordon

 

Our cousin David informed us a few days ago that his father, our Uncle Gordon Newton, had suffered a bad fall. To everyone's sorrow, Uncle Gordon passed away today. He was 94. 

Here he is at our wedding back in 2007, the last time I saw Uncle Gordon in person. I feel very fortunate that Sean, Sylvia and I talked to him several times in 2025. He was as sharp as ever, and I've always been impressed by his intelligence, his kindness, and his wit. He had a great voice, too. 

My heart is with our cousins David, Barbara, and Kathy. 

Brain Beams

I am reading in bed, and something strange is happening. over the course of the last 45 minutes or so, I have been startled five times by what feels like a beam of energy shooting through my skull. Each time, the sensation has been so strong and startling that I've cried out in surprise. It isn't painful, exactly; it feels more like an electric current. And it's LOUD. It's not exploding head syndrome or night terrors; it's completely new to me.

The phenomenon has stopped for now. If it comes back tomorrow, I guess I should see a doctor? but it doesn't hurt…

Kirk, Spock, and the Beastie Boys: Solved!

We learn in Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Beyond (2016) that James T. Kirk is a fan of Beastie Boys, the American hip hop band formed in 1981. In 1998, the Beastie Boys released "Intergalactic," which included the phrase "like a pinch on the neck of Mr. Spock." 

This presents a continuity conundrum. How could the band have known about Mr. Spock, much less his famous nerve pinch, hundreds of years before Spock was born? 

Well, in the summer of 1986, the Beastie Boys were in Oakland, California, in support of their album Licensed to Ill. Right around that same time, the senior staff of the USS Enterprise were in nearby San Francisco, having travelled back in time to bring a pair of humpback whales to the future. During their visit to the past, Kirk and Spock board a city bus and gain some notoriety when Spock silences a rude punk rocker with a nerve pinch. The other passengers clap, and shortly after, Spock says, "Admiral, may I ask you a question?" 

Kirk responds, "Spock, don't call me admiral." They then proceed to have a short conversation about colourful metaphors--double dumb ass on you, and so forth. 

I propose that one or more members of the Beastie Boys were on that bus and witnessed the incident, taking note of the strange attire of the one they heard called "Spock" and his friend the admiral. The amusing memory stuck with them, and they reference the event in "Intergalactic." 

Young Kirk, when he first heard "Intergalactic" hundreds of years later, wouldn't have taken note of the "Spock" lyric. But when he met Spock at Starfleet Academy, I wonder if was taken aback for a moment. Probably not; after all, there were Spocks on Earth, such as Dr. Benjamin Spock. The first time Kirk saw Spock use a nerve pinch, though, must have made him wonder . . . 

A predestination paradox! 

Close Encounters of the Earl Kind

Doo DEEE dooo dooo DOOOOO
 

Klingoning on to Hope

SPOILERS BELOW for "Vox In Excelso," Episode Four of Star Trek: Stafleet Academy

Cadet Jay-Den Kraag hears a voice from on high in the fourth episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, a solid hour of television that delivers a welcome update on the Klingon civilization in the post-Burn era. 

Through a series of very effective flashbacks, we learn more about Jay-Den's family, including a very supportive brother who understands that Jay-Den's wish to become a healer instead of a warrior is an honourable choice--a choice that bitterly disappoints their father. 

Turns out the Klingon Empire has been reduced to the Klingon Diaspora, with just a few Great Houses left of the multitude of Klingon families. Qo'nos, the Klingon homeword, was rendered uninhabitable by the Burn, and the Klingons now roam the stars in search of new homes. To make matters worse, there's been an accident involving a Klingon colony ship, one carrying, among many others, Jay-Den's parents. Their fate, and the fate of the other passengers, is initially unknown. 

It hasn't been an easy task, but it turns out there's an uninhabited world in Federation space that closely replicates conditions on Qo'nos before disaster.

The Federation is happy to grant the Klingons the right to settle on this new world, but there's just one problem: Naturally, the Klingons don't take charity. As a Klingon, Jay-Den understands his culture better than anyone at the Academy, so he's in a unique position to articulate his people's positions, which dovetails nicely with this episode's main classroom activity: debate club. At first the Klingon issue is off-limits, deemed too sensitive given the events occurring in real time. But Jay-Den, who has a bad case of stage fright and hates debate club, forces the issue--and forces himself to face some of his fears. 

Jay-Den's reflections on his past and some help from his fellow cadets give Jay-Den the ammunition he needs to win the Academy debates--while providing a solution to the Klingon refugee problem. In essence, Jay-Den argues that the Federation's stated claims of valuing diversity are hollow without active listening and engaging with other cultures on their own terms. 

So, naturally, the only honourable choice is for the Federation to challenge the Klingon refugees into fighting over the potential New Qo'nos--a solution that came to me about five minutes into the episode, but still, kudos to the writers for setting things up this way. A brief space battle breaks out, a polite fiction that results in zero casualties but allows Klingon honour to remain intact. 

I really enjoyed this episode. It gives Jay-Den some great moments, gives the Klingon species as a whole more depth, and shows quite effectively that the status quo viewers are used to from other Star Trek shows is very different in important ways. It's a breath of fresh air. 

 

That's Enough Internet for Today

Nope, I'm not clicking on this. 
 

Farrah and the Fall Guy

There's a really sweet cameo with Farrah Fawcett at the very end of the pilot episode of The Fall Guy, the hit action-adventure series that ran for over 100 episodes from 1981 to 1986. 

Lee Majors, as stuntman Colt Seavers, performs a stunt in blonde drag, crashing a car into a bunch of watermelons. When the stunt is over, he pulls off his wig and walks up to Farrah's trailer. 

"That was a great stunt, Colt."

"Anything for my leading lady," Colt replies.

"Come here. You taking care of yourself?" Fawcett asks.

"Well, I always do."

"No you don't," Fawcett says, shaking her head sadly. "I know you...remember?" 

"Ready on the set," someone from the crew calls, offscreen. Farrah calls out a "Thanks." 

"Well, I guess I'd better let you go," Colt says. 

"You be careful," Fawcett says. 

"You too." 

Seavers kisses the back of Fawcett's hand, and he strolls off, still wearing a dress.

"Hey," she calls. "You still have great legs." 

Seavers points a finger gun at her, and she laughs. 

It's a beautiful little scene that celebrates the couple's relatively brief marriage, and the mutual respect and kindness on display is quite heartwarming. It's a truly lovely moment. 

The pilot itself is well made, with a great villainous performance by Eddie Albert, a fun James Coburn cameo in an early sequence to bookend Farrah's, and some great old-fashioned 1980s action. It was a fine beginning for a fun show. 

Another Moment That Didn't Matter

A checkered rug laid on the floor
Prostrate 'fore a white steel door
Shopping bags hanging above
Hiding just a hint of glove
Light cascading over all
Domestic bliss before the fall
 

A Few Thoughts on Vixen!

Vixen! (Russ Meyer, 1968) is a sexploitation film set in, for some reason, British Columbia. The movie has a notorious reputation--but it also possesses some excellent qualities. 

To wit: How many movies open with a shot of the Canadian flag fluttering in the breeze? This is followed almost immediately by a Mountie slipping back into his full red regalia after hooking up in the forest with the titular Vixen. Vixen is unapologetically sexually voracious, married but always in search of new lovers. Throughout the course of the film, Vixen seduces several men, including her husband, the husbands of other women, and in one case, a husband AND wife (on separate occasions). And yet, tellingly, Vixen is no homewrecker--on the contrary, the couples she interacts with all wind up closer after their experiences with her. 

The film contains some pretty raw, on-point commentary about racial stereotyping too, and from a very convincing and passionate black actor--Harrison Page (maybe best known as Captain Trunk from Sledge Hammer!) as Niles. Several times, Niles speaks difficult truths about race relations in the 1960s that remain tragically relevant even in 2026. 

Erica Gavin as Vixen is unironically great in this. And her husband is hilariously both supportive of and appalled by his wife's behaviour, especially her blatant racism, which would frankly ruin the film if it weren't for how her attitude evolves in the 11th hour. 

Also, I cannot wrap my head around the fact that Vixen's brother Budd, a white guy who wears a swastika on his vest, actually tries to be a good friend (in his way) to Niles--who, by the way, is a principled Viet Nam draft dodger and wears a peace medallion. What a pair! The racial, sexual, and social politics of this film are all over the place, but weirdly progressive somehow. 

I salute you, Russ Meyer.

High Flying Memento

Today, Sean finished a very nice display of Dad's private pilot licence, flight log book, and a spark plug plane model that Dad had for years. 
 

A Manitoba Curler

 Among Mom's effects, we found some of her curling mementos from the 1960s. She was a good curler, and she rocked. 

Don't Skip This Class: Vitus Reflux

 

Spoilers for "Vitus Reflux," Episode 3 of 
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

For the first 20 minutes or so of Starfleet Academy's third episode, I wasn't really digging it. Too much 21st century slang and a tired premise--a prank war between rival groups of students--put my guard up. But the episode's intent gels right when Holly Hunter's Chancellor Ake confronts the War College's Commander Kelrec in his office, which is somehow Spartan and luxurious at the same time. Holly Hunter's performance is what drew me into the episode from this point, and after only three episodes I feel like she might be the most gifted and engaging performer in a Starfleet captain's role that we've yet seen on Star Trek--and I don't take that lightly, given the likes of, say Avery Brooks and Patrick Stewart. Hunter's Nahla Ake basically disarms everyone around her by lounging around like a harmless but playful kitten, perpetually barefooted and in either casual loungewear or pajamas. And yet, somehow, she makes it work. 

Favourite lines of the series so far:

Cadet Mir: "Are your pajamas covered in little accordions?" 
Chancellor Ake: "They are tiny warp cores, you wanna say something cute about it?" 

This scene happens when Ake has to chew out her cadets for "not paying attention." And on reflection, it hit me: I hadn't been paying attention either, because the episode begins with a series of plant metaphors that plant the seeds of the episode's plot. It's actually kind of brilliant. 

Once the students clue in to the hints Ake's been dropping, they finally make headway in the prank war in a Mission: Impossible style montage. And along with the shenanigans, we get some important character development, some great scenes with Tig Notaro, and an important message about the importance of empathy even when--especially when--your environment seems to call for open conflict. 

Well done, Academy. 

Shooting Brontosaurs on Earth-967

I used some free credits that came with my Photoshop subscription (grrrr, subscription models) to generate this eight second video of me photographing dinosaurs from a helicopter. 

I gave Firefly this real image of me in a helicopter as a starting point and simply prompted it thusly: A combat photographer flying in a helicopter over a verdant jungle photographs dinosaurs. It took about two minutes to generate the clip. 

So...an amusing toy, but not, I would say, worth the economic, environmental, and social costs quite yet. Or possibly ever. I don't have an issue with creative tools, but only when their benefits outweigh their drawbacks. 

Where the Magic Happens

More organized than usual.