Our Imposter Syndrome cancels out our Dunning-Kruger

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L.I. Underhill is a media critic and historian specializing in pop culture, with a focus on science fiction (especially Star Trek) and video games. Their projects include a critical history of Star Trek told through the narrative of a war in time, a “heretical” history of The Legend of Zelda series and a literary postmodern reading of Jim Davis' Garfield.

4 Comments

  1. Daru
    July 17, 2013 @ 9:31 pm

    Thanks for your essay Josh. A really good honest overview of I think a solid, but flawed episode. And the ripples set up in the waters of Trek by the last episode get a mention again – the "excruciating war of attrition" – will be interesting to hear where you go with that, and I have some more theories and responses on that point, bubbling in me I think that can be shared as things develop.

    The main response I have to this story is a memory.

    I can't recall what age I was, but I was young, perhaps early teens. Be interesting to place. It was around a time in the Uk (unsure when!) that the show was being aired or repeated. But what I remember is being freaked out by these weird pancake creatures and was especially scared of imagining them dropping onto me.

    That memory is very strong, as strong as being scared by the TARDIS sound from the Doctor Who exhibition on Blackpool seafront – I recall that day I went to the Star Trek exhibition and NOT the Doctor Who one! These things somehow can touch onto visceral, wordless fears, especially when channelled through the powerful imaginary capabilities of a child.

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  2. BerserkRL
    July 17, 2013 @ 10:23 pm

    I too saw this quite early in my life, maybe 8 or 9, before I was watching the show regularly (which would come around 11 or 12), and the flying omelettes of death scared the shit out of me.

    Reply

  3. Cleofis
    July 18, 2013 @ 8:14 am

    I similarly remember seeing this one on TV as a kid and being rather vaguely creeped out by the flying death omelettes; ridiculous concept but effective design.

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  4. Daru
    July 29, 2013 @ 1:02 am

    Hi BerserkRL & Cleofis – Thanks for the messages, yeah they really did freak me out! Even though I can see nowadays there is something faintly rubbish in the execution!

    Reply

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