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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.

5 Comments

  1. BadCatMan
    December 19, 2013 @ 11:32 pm

    The novelisation in Log Two puts a different twist on the story. It goes into more detail on Carter|Vendorian's relationship with Carter Winston, describing its role as a healer assigned to treat him, their growing friendship, how it enjoyed taking on his form, how it came to feel what Carter felt and know what he thought, and its attraction to him. It's love, basically (though I don't think the word was used). And then how the other Vendorians shunned Carter|Vendorian for these feelings and behaviours, which they considered perverted. It read like a homosexual relationship (with "homo-" meaning same, and them having the same form), and Carter|Vendorian was outcast for it. So, Carter|Vendorian can't love Anne any more, because he's come out (as a squid). Carter|Vendorian is a much more sympathetic character as a result.

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  2. FlexFantastic
    December 20, 2013 @ 7:38 am

    You've touched on this trend a couple times, but what's great about The Survivor is how watchable it is despite being a lowpoint of TAS. Given the worst of TOS, if this is as low as the bar gets (I think it is? I don't remember every episode of TAS), we're in good shape.

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  3. Josh Marsfelder
    December 20, 2013 @ 11:05 am

    That is actually quite similar to the way it plays out onscreen IIRC, the book just seems to take a little more time with it (where it diverges seems to be Carter!Vendorian being shunned by his people because of his connection to Winston). Still a very interesting take.

    And it's not like he's totally unsympathetic in the episode. He's very likable, it's just they save all of his character development for the last five minutes or so and there's too much Romulans.

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  4. Josh Marsfelder
    December 20, 2013 @ 11:08 am

    Well, it's no "The Lorelei Signal", that's for sure.

    I do have a terrible suspicion "The Practical Joker" is going to be godawful. And "The Ambergris Experiment", because that's Margaret Armen again.

    But the thing is episodes like this definitely seem to be the rare exception rather than the norm now. And that's absolutely a good sign.

    Reply

  5. BerserkRL
    December 22, 2013 @ 5:11 pm

    I'm finally caught up reading this blog! That was fun.

    Reply

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