Chris Farnell
LightNews LightNews
banner
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Chris Farnell
@thebrainofchris.bsky.social
2.4K followers 710 following 9.2K posts
I've written the Crew Handbook for Star Trek Lower Decks, the Prospectus for Life is Strange's Caledon University, the joke book for Doctor Who and the continuing misadventures of the deadly starship Fermi.

https://chrisfarnell.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Personally I've been fighting the good fight in the family group chat.
A group chat screenshot of Six from BSG and 7 of 9 from Voyager, captioned "Only kids who are coll and with it get this meme". The first reply is "Let's bring back bullying."
November 20, 2025 at 8:42 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
They do!
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
You know what Deep Space Nine did wrong?
They gave us the dream - a shuttlecraft with its own conference room, and yet we rarely, if ever, saw people having Runabout conferences.

Biggest missed opportunity in Trek.
An after viewing of a Danube class Runabout from Star Trek Deep Space Nine, clearly showing the small ship's conference room.
November 19, 2025 at 7:17 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Only Zoomers will get this.
Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy together in their Doctor Who outfits.
November 13, 2025 at 5:12 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Is this the real Rod Stewart?
I suppose the real question is, do you have faith that it is?
The Rod Stewart account that just started following me. It has one follower. Its name is @rodstewartprivate.bsky.social (so that you know it's his private account)
November 13, 2025 at 2:18 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Frame from season 9 episode 12 of The Simpsons where a father's telling his "Well, there's no shame in being beaten by the best..." And the son responding "But he didn't seem all that..." "We were beaten by the best, boy."
November 13, 2025 at 12:10 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Convincing you to read my novel by the first sentence. Share yours if you want.

FERMI'S PROGRESS opens...
November 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Guys, I've got a plan *does massive bong hit* hear me out *snorts a Scarface-sized pile of cocaine* I've sorted this. What will really fix us up *rubs ketamine into my eyeballs* What we need *chugs an old White Lightning bottle refilled with LSD* is a candidate who can be "the grown up in the room".
Post from Politicshome above a picture of Wes Streeting holding a red umbrella: "Labour MPs say Wes Streeting's stock has risen within the party after extraordinary No 10 briefings against him on Tuesday night "They've managed to create a situation where Wes is the victim/the adult in the room"
November 12, 2025 at 10:40 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Just in case you need some credentials for that biggest continuity wanker claim, here is the correct chronological viewing order for the James Bond movies.
Casino Royale Live and Let Die Moonraker Diamonds Are Forever From Russia with Love Dr. No Goldfinger From a View to a Kill Quantum of Solace For Your Eyes Only Thunderball The Spy Who Loved Me The Living Daylights On Her Majesty's Secret Service You Only Live Twice The Man with the Golden Gun Octopussy Licence to Kill Goldeneye Tomorrow Never Dies The World is Not Enough Die Another Day Skyfall Spectre No Time to Die
November 11, 2025 at 10:32 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
This is my opinion that has me like
That guy from Tangled with all the swords pointed at him.
November 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
A Jurassic Park logo but the T-Rex is replaced with a silhouette of a flea and the sign says "FLEA CIRCUS". Underneath it the tagline reads "Can you see the fleas, Mommy?"
November 7, 2025 at 10:34 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Iain M Banks: I created the Culture as a queer communist techno utopia.

Musk: At last Capitalism has created The Culture from Iain M Banks's famous series "Capitalism Will Never Make a Queer Communist Techno Utopia".
Posts by @niedermeyer.online: Optimus will be built at a rate of a billion units per year and eliminate poverty Optimus robots will just kinda follow criminals around and make sure they don't commit crimes again, so we can eliminate prisons. These are all things Elon Musk is literally saying. Optimus will overturn the fundamentals of economics to an extent that we may not even need money in the future, Musk says, and yet he still recommends people "hold onto your Tesla stock," which seems like a kind of mixed message.
November 7, 2025 at 9:23 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Did some writing today.
November 6, 2025 at 3:38 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
www.msn.com/en-gb/news/u...
She explained that she was just a month away from filming The Namesake when Warner Bros. reached out to her. Nair said she felt compelled to attend the meetings with the studio because her son had learned to read through J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. However, she didn’t want to give up on working on her own film, so she asked her then-14-year-old son what to do. “He said to me, ‘Mamma, many good directors can make Harry Potter, but only you can make The Namesake,’” Nair recalled. “And it was such a liberating and clarifying statement, and it kind of is about how I lived my life. Like, what can I do that is so specific that you cannot do? How to make my distinctiveness my calling card.”
November 6, 2025 at 9:01 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
TFW it's the Masque of the Red Death and the beat drops.
(hat top to @musicologyduck.bsky.social)
A woman with a crazed look on her face standing next to Cuomo in a crowd
November 6, 2025 at 7:15 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
You might wonder why @mrjalco.bsky.social has never drawn the Fermi from this angle before.

It's because as a rule everyone who sees the Fermi from this angle is already dead.
chrisfarnell.com/fermis-progr...

scarletferret.com/fermis-progr...

www.amazon.co.uk/Fermis-Progr...
November 4, 2025 at 10:35 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Just saying.
Gary Oldman in a tuxedo for a publicity shoot for Bram's Stoker's Dracula (1992).
November 2, 2025 at 10:22 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
I stand by the Lower Decks Handbook's description of the Ferengi.
One of the noblest cultures in the galaxy, the Ferengi represent one of the few societies to achieve interstellar civilization without going through the bloodthirsty periods seen in the histories of Humans or Vulcans. Perhaps this is because the Ferengi are one of the few species advanced enough to build an economy based on commerce and the accumulation of capital without resorting to slavery or genocide.
October 30, 2025 at 10:09 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
"When"=1642-1651
October 29, 2025 at 9:27 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Tweet screenshot: "My Mechanical Turk might seem like a sideshow now, but in a few centuries it will vastly grow in capacity!" "You mean the mechanism might grow more sophisticated to the point where it rivals the intellect of a man?" "No sir! I mean we'll be able to fit even more guys inside!"
October 29, 2025 at 7:44 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
As Halloween looms, the Fermi crew consider why humans subject themselves to stories of horror...
scarletferret.com/books/fermis...

www.amazon.co.uk/Fermis-Wake-...
“When we tell stories about ghosts, and monsters, and demons, we use those stories to hold up a mirror to the parts of ourselves we don’t like. Didn’t you have stories like that on your planet?” Applejack shook his head. “No, when we told stories about monsters it was always the monsters who were bad,” he said. “Why would you tell stories to make you feel bad about yourself?” “The same reason that you tell any story,” the World said. “For comfort.” “Oh that’s crap,” Naomi said. “I know you love doing your ‘robot taking a wry look at humanity from the outside’ bit, but that is the most horrendous reductive bullshit.” “I have read, viewed, listened to and fully comprehended the entire media library of your ship,” the World said. “My observation stands.” “Humans tell stories of horror, war, abuse, and tragedy,” Naomi said. “We have documented our greatest atrocities and our most vulnerable, intimate fears in fiction. We tell stories specifically designed to discomfort, or to bring ourselves face to face with unpleasant truths. I have read about genocides, poverty, and mental illness. It wasn’t comfortable.” “I see,” the World said. “You must be a particularly sensitive, empathic and insightful individual to subject yourself to such narratives for no material reward.” Naomi pointed at the World and said, “I can see what you’re doing, and it’s not clever.”
October 28, 2025 at 12:55 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
I know we like to think that bsky users are the only ones who read the news, but I don't think the demolition of the literal White House is the kind of story that has "containment".
Text: A very offline cousin sent this to fam group chat. This story is breaking containment. Picture: Photoshop of a deathtrap under construction on the WH grounds.
October 25, 2025 at 6:21 AM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
My personal favourite from the Alphablocks.
October 22, 2025 at 3:11 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
Just been alerted by @hannahchutzpah.bsky.social that the streaming version of Ghostbusters: Answer the Call has changed the stripes on the uniforms from orange yellow fluorescent (practical workwear for people operating in hazardous environments) to red and white (brand congruent, hideous). WHY?
The Ghostbusters (2016) in uniforms with stylish and practical orange and yellow fluorescent stripes. The Ghostbusters (2016) with dull red stripes that look "a bit like the logo" but are just rubbish. Ugh. Horrible.
October 22, 2025 at 1:05 PM
thebrainofchris.bsky.social
If we are all going Heist Mode today, it seems like a good opportunity to remind everyone we still need a movie based on the failed heist that gave us this sign.
A taxidermied Black Rhino head in a glass display case. There is a sign at the bottom of it. A close up of the sign reads "Although this is a real Black Rhinoceros head, its horns have now been replaced with replicas."
October 20, 2025 at 9:44 AM