Persistent, Niggling Questions

[Nate the Great]

A size comparison of movie monsters


Which led me to wonder...


PNQ: What is a uniform definition of "monster"?


1. Are all magical creatures "monsters"?
2. Are all aliens "monsters"?
3. Re: Joker and Voldemort: does a human have to have magical powers to be a "monster"? While I have no problem calling the Joker a monster in a figurative sense, he certainly isn't one in a literal sense (unless he's juiced up on Titan or Venom, of course).
4. Can Transformers really be called "monsters?"


Personally I think at bare minimum a monster has to be organic and of this Earth. I also think that anything with continual access to magic should be pushed into the "demon" category rather than monsters (with vampires possibly getting a grandfather clause). Just being created by magic (like a lot of Power Rangers baddies) is okay for "monster."

[Nate the Great]

So we know that Klingons have red blood except in STVI when it was that ugly Pepto-Bismol stuff...


PNQ: If they had known back in the TOS days that eventually they'd need Klingon blood to be a color other than red, what color do you think it should have been?


Personally I think black would've been a great option.



To me yellow is more of an insect/shellfish color. Perhaps one of the Xindi races.


Blue of course is for Andorians. Orange for Tellarites.

[Nate the Great]

So my mind was wandering and the following occurred to me...


PNQ: We know that the four big romances of Kirk's life are Carol Marcus, Miramanee, Edith Keeler, and Antonia, but who's fifth?


If we go by dialogue alone I think it was supposed to be Janice Lester, but I just don't buy it. Rayna Kapec is another obvious candidate, but I just don't see Kirk falling in love that deeply that fast. If push came to shove I'd almost pick Areel Shaw if only because she seemed strong enough to fight for a more equal balance of power in the relationship. As Meridian Chase says in Batman Forever, "You like strong women. I've done my homework."

[Nate the Great]

So I'm watching TWOK again on YouTube...


PNQ: What differences can you see between Alley's and Curtis' portrayals of Saavik?


For instance, in the novels Saavik is half-Romulan, having a harsh childhood before being rescued by Spock and sponsored for Starfleet. This is plausible for Alley's Saavik, not so much for Curtis who seems to be 100% Vulcan.



Then there's the novelizations which state that Saavik had started a sexual relationship with David Marcus during the preparations for the Genesis expedition. Again, this would fit Alley's Saavik but not Curtis'.


Then there's Saavik's marriage with Spock and her other miscellaneous 24th century exploits in the novels. This time the Curtis Saavik is a better fit.



Personally I wish Saavik's Romulan heritage was made more explicit, since Saavik in TWOK is simply too emotional to be a Vulcan that Spock would respect. But what about you guys?

[Nate the Great]

According to Facebook today is Keanu Reeves' 60th birthday...


PNQ: Favorite Reeve's role?


I never watched Bill and Ted, or the Matrix movies, or John Wick, so I'm sort of limited to two: Much Ado About Nothing and Babes in Toyland. I suppose he did a better job in Much Ado, for Babes he was still too young.

[NAHTMMM]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

So I just read an article saying that it was Mulgrew who torpedoed the Janeway/Chakotay romance...


PNQ: Would this have really worked?


Upon reflecting on it for a bit, I don't think it had any chance of working. Chakotay did a good job of playing a role that would attract her, but it wasn't feasible in the long term. For Janeway to be able to truly connect with him she would have to willingly remove her armor, and I don't think she's capable of that while commanding a ship.

I haven't watched Voyager much but it just feels like a forced romance between the male and female leads to me.

I agree she would have had a hard time lowering her armor to have a proper relationship.

[Nate the Great]

Today on Reddit I found an interesting fan theory to explain how the NX-01 could be called Enterprise without messing up prior continuity...


In the timeline before the Borg or E-E went back in time, the NX-01 was not the Enterprise because there'd be no reason to use the name, it wasn't that special. So Dulmer and Lucsly were right in saying six Enterprises.



But then the crew of the E-E introduced Cochrane and Lily to the idea of a "starship Enterprise". So in the Post-First Contact timeline they decided to use the name for the NX-01.



Have I mentioned lately how the Mirror Universe exists because Beverly's attempts to wipe Cochrane and Lily's memories of the Borg and TNG crew failed and he flipped a coin?