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Subcommander Tal

@subcommandertal.bsky.social

1.1K followers 230 following 600 posts

Mostly here to riff on Original Series Star Trek.

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · Nov 11

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

#StarTrek

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 1d

Finally, the world of Earthsea is palpable, with its hinted mythos, its sparkling seas, its many islands with their contrasts, and its dreamlike dragons skirting its edges. In a slim two hundred pages LeGuin created a masterpiece. Sometimes less is more!

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 1d

The story is profound, but also simple. Ged’s arc is well-crafted and holds you from page to page. The characters are archetypal rather than realistic, as though they emerge from a folktale, and that arms’ length distance works for High Fantasy. But the emotional content is vivid and relatable…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve been rereading A Wizard of Earthsea with a friend who’s reading it for the first time, and it’s just such a marvelous example of High Fantasy. It’s not easy to write in formal and somewhat remote language without become stilted, but LeGuin does it…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 1d

Is that someone riding a bike in the first pic??

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 4d

One of my favorites

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 5d

It’s no surprise that the Golden Age of Science Fiction began in the 1940’s… man’s technology had reached a certain point; so, too, had man’s malevolence. No wonder then that writers cast their imaginations away from this planet with its baggage and limitations, and sent their thoughts to the stars…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 5d

A guilty pleasure, and a very Roddenberry-esque episode!

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 6d

It’s such a solid story beat whenever it occurs… Spock looking up, the light glowing on him, as he delivers critical information to Kirk…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 6d

I was up late last night but I instead of going to bed I was thinking about how cool it is that Spock’s viewer in Star Trek II is lit with blue light just like it was in the Original Series…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 6d

“Happy Birthday” that’s perfect, it’s the exact word!

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 6d

going to get the mail—but make it fashion

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 11d

I mean, I don’t mind a little content moderation on my feed for explicit stuff but the algorithm can clearly be a little over-eager…

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 11d

Oh for goodness sake! 🙄

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 11d

Thanks for your perspective!

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 11d

I think about it a lot

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 11d

Interesting! I think that TRW’s Space Park campus appeared in The Outer Limits episode “Cold Hands, Warm Heart” (with Bill Shatner)

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

I hear you! And of course, we all hold most dear those things to which we were exposed at a young age. For me it’s the cover art below. I was hugely influenced by Tolkien as a young person and still adore those books.

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

The show was not a hit in its day and the culture moved on. In some ways, I’m glad Star Trek missed the 70’s. But, amazingly, time vindicated all the creative work of that interesting period of the mid-sixties.

/end

Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

Imagine all the creativity, energy, and hard work going into the writing, set production, costuming, lighting, and acting: imagine being involved in something that had never really been tried before at a time when new things seemed possible…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

(Not saying that rebelliousness was wrong! Just saying the vibe of 1965 is very different from, say, 1969). Imagine being a working actors on a show like Star Trek in those days…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

After a fairly buttoned-up and stodgy cultural period there was a freshness in fashion, music, and filmmaking. A sense of possibility and pushing against traditional barriers, but in a grounded and optimistic way, before things spiraled into decadence and rebellion…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

LOS ANGELES, 1965
It was before my time, but I think it would've been so interesting to be living in Los Angeles in the mid-60's, and working in the arts or entertainment…

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

Interesting selection! Not a huge fan of the cover art on that edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, but of course the book is wonderful

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Subcommander Tal @subcommandertal.bsky.social · 12d

I love this picture! And of course Shatner is there in the background jawing with somebody…

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Reposted by Subcommander Tal

Kath @interwebkath.bsky.social · 14d

"Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies."

This month's prompts (created by @shelfnerds.bsky.social) is all about connections and alliances in #StarTrek. Use the day's prompt and play along with #InterspeciesTrek

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