The Brandenburg Gate on Books

Working in a library I see a lot more books than I read and there are certain cover trends that become apparent.
If you ask most people to name a famous landmark they'll probably name one from their own country, or else one they've seen detroyed by aliens or a meteor in a Hollywood film. However in the world of book covers it's a different story. In the 6+ years I've worked in libraries the one landmark I see again and again is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Now I can't remember the Cold War myself, but I understand that the distant view of the Brandenburg Gate was a major symbol of divided Berlin (as much as the Berlin Wall itself) and the power of Soviet Communism in Europe.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 

by John le Carre

 A black and white picture of the gate is obscured by tangles of thorn-like barbed wire. The sense of peeping into dangerous territory is strong, emphasised by the off-centre shot of the gate.

 Barbed wire again and everything in blue tones, the picture is surrounded by clouds or fog, which I guess is meant to suggest mystery.

 This version has the gate in dramatic silhouette against the sunrise and is the only cover I've found where it's actually a sunny day, though it looks a little misty too.

Day of Judgement 

by Jack Higgins (the Legend)*

 I like the jaunty angle and the sense that the sun is about to rise behind the chariot statue.

I'm more familiar with this cover, which focuses on the iconic chariot statue. Here photographic trickery makes it look glowing and ghostly so it stands out starkly against the black cover. 

Agent of Deceit 

by Chris Morgan Jones

This one has gone for an umbrella, rather than barbed wire as foreground detail. It's clearly a cold and snowy day in Berlin, the black and white picture adding a grim tone.

The Arms Maker of Berlin 

by Dan Fesperman

 The cold green-blue makes it look like it's underwater, though I suspect it's to blend in with the storm clouds massing behind.

 The more life-like yellow tones of the gate here contrast with yet more inky storm clouds. It doesn't look much warmer or friendlier than the previous cover and shares the dramatic uplighting.

The quote on the copy we have at work claims that Fesperman is "the closest thing the US has to le Carre". This struck me as an ambiguous statement, and possibly suggests a cloning attempt that didn't entirely work. (Begging the question what DNA was used to fill in the gaps in the le Carre genome?)

Brandenburg 

by Henry Porter

 Like Higgins this one goes for white on black, bleaching the whole structure to a white not even marble can realistically achieve. It looks as though the picture was taken from one of the porch sections to the right of the main gate.

Another picture that seems to be taken from the right. The focus is on the horses and the top of the gate, and the colours haven't been altered that much.

The barbed wire is back, along with making the whole thing blue and lighting it from behind. At least this barbed wire isn't obscuring the shape of the gate itself.

Berlin Game 

by Len Deighton

This is actually the cover of the 1991 audio cassette version of Berlin Game. The book covers don't have the Brandenburg Gate on, although some have bits of the Berlin Wall (or a wall anyway). In this version it's Big Ben that's more identifiable, where the Gate is only partially shown and is recognisable by it's position in relation to the Berlin Wall, which isn't pictured on other covers (unless you count the barbed wire). I guess the Wall isn't as photogenic.

Declare 

by Tim Powers

Again there are storm clouds and everything is blue, though the Anhk and the mountains are individual to Declare.

This is the only one of these books I've actually read, though the earlier edition I read had a cover that was split between the Eiffel Tower and the Kremlin (there are a lot of places featured in Declare).

Two Brothers 

by Ben Elton

This is a new book, not published yet as far as I'm aware. The giant children's faces are different, though the hint of barbed wire in the background has us in familiar territory. The swastika banners very strongly suggest that this is set in Nazi Germany. All the colours, beside red, have been bleached out and the day looks clear yet cold.

From the evidence of these covers you'd be forgiven for thinking that Berlin is rather cold, prone to bad weather, and perhaps inhospitable. I went there three years ago and can assure you that isn't the case. It was an interesting and vibrant city with plenty to see and do, and really hardly any barbed wire. It was also really sunny and warm for almost the entire time I was there.

The Brandenburg Gate on a clear, sunny day in Berlin - photographed by me, September 2009.

* I noticed a couple of years ago that all the new and reprinted Jack Higgins books had 'The Legend' printed before his name. I assume this is an official epithet.

Lonely Among Us

Episode: s1, ep 7
In this episode we learn just how powerful a starship captain is and that Troi might as well be somewhere else. Saying that the episode is fairly fun, Data is amusing and there's minimal Wesley, so things are looking up.

What Happens

Enterprise is picking up delegates from warring species that both want to join the Federation, in order to take them to the negotiation/peace-making planet called Parliament.* The delegates loathe each other and try to start a tiny war in the corridors. There are various wacky alien shenanigans for Riker and Lt. Yar to deal with.

The Enterprise passes through a strange space cloud and Worf is attacked by blue lightning. The blue lightning goes into Dr Crusher, then the helm, where it causes various malfunctions. The senior officers assume there is a saboteur and Picard starts talking about crime fiction, especially Holmes. Engineer Singh is killed by the blue lightning and Data starts pretending he is Sherlock Holmes.

Troi realises Worf and Dr Crusher were possessed and reports this. The blue lightning possesses Picard and takes the ship back to the space cloud. The senior staff discuss the Captain’s odd behaviour and dither. At the space cloud the blue lightning lifeform reveals that it wants to go home and it’ll be taking Picard with it. Picard disables the bridge crew by blasting them with Force Lightning from the consoles, then transports into the space cloud.

After an hour of searching, Riker is about to leave when Troi senses that Picard wants to return. Picard is saved from the space cloud because his pattern was still in the transporter, but he has no memory of being outside the ship.

Riker: lover, adventurer, middle-management

Riker tries to keep the peace between the robed lizard aliens and the furry-faced, bulbous-headed aliens. Along with Lt. Yar he ends up babysitting them including taking away their weapons, telling them off and trying unsuccessfully to get them to stay in their quarters. Basically he’s the straight man of the comical B-plot.

Does Not Compute

Data is told about Sherlock Holmes in one staff meeting and by the next one he’s found out everything there is to know about the fictional detective and has adopted a Holmes persona. This includes smoking a pipe, saying ‘elementary’ and being both hilarious and annoying. No deerstalker hat though.

Counsellor Pointless

Troi’s job is to sense when stuff is weird. This is why she has a chair on the bridge rather than being in her office ready to counsel people. So far she’s able to tell when stuff is weird, but is absolutely no use in actually coming to any conclusions based on this info. In this episode she senses something’s up with Worf and Dr Crusher, discovers they were possessed using hypnosis, and reports this to the senior staff. Then Picard is possessed right in front of her and she doesn’t notice a damn thing.

Poor O’Brien

O’Brien is failing to escort one of the furry-faced, bulbous-headed aliens back to their quarters, when a robed lizard alien comes into the corridor and they end having a fight almost on top of him.

Security Breach

Captain Picard, Sith Lord

If you’re the Captain of a starship, or you’ve possessed the Captain of a starship, you can do whatever you damn well please. Including going completely off mission and turning a ship around just to satisfy your ill-explained curiosity. Awesome.

Future Prejudice

While discussing the possibility of sabotage the senior staff assume that one of the troublesome alien delegates could have done it, and therefore must be in the pay of the Ferengi. I’ve not seen any evidence to suggest that the Ferengi would do that, where’s the profit?

Staff Meetings: 6

1. Geordie reports to Picard about Worf’s accident.

2. & 3. Officers meet in lounge to discuss mysterious malfunctions. The difference is whether Data is being Sherlock Holmes (and whether Engineer Singh is alive).

4. Troi reports her theories about crewmembers being possessed.

5. Senior staff discuss Picard’s weird behaviour, then fail to do anything.

6. Riker and Dr Crusher express their concerns to Picard, but don’t take any action, thus alerting the lifeform possessing him to their suspicions. This leads to the bridge crew being Force Lightninged.

Death by Space Misadventure

Engineer Singh is killed by the blue lightning lifeform. I’m not sure why he dies since it had already possessed 3 people without harming them and later says it didn’t mean to kill Singh. It certainly didn’t seem to gain from his death in any way.
At least Singh's family can be comforted by the knowledge that his death led to an android adopting a Sherlock Holmes persona in order to (barely) investigate his death. That’ll make the funeral easier for them.

The End

This is the first episode in the series which doesn’t end with Picard or Riker ordering the ship to it’s next destination accompanied by the uplifting sound of space trumpets. 

Instead Picard humorously decides to let Riker remain in charge for now after hearing that one of the alien delegates may have been killed (and is soon to be eaten) by other alien delegates. Apparently this very amusing.

*It doesn’t sound like any version of Parliament I’m familiar with.

Recent Reading

Earthquake Weather by Tim Powers

Sid Cochran lost his wife in a strange incident on New Years Day, a couple of weeks later he checks into an asylum. There he meets Janis Plumtree, a woman with multiple personalities and a strange fondness for him, who claims to have killed a king on New Years Day. After an earthquake coincides with strange events in the asylum Cochran and Plumtree escape from the clutches of a doctor who doesn't seem to have their best interests at heart. Meanwhile Scott Crane, deceased King of the West Coast, is taken by his old friend Arky to the supernatural household of Angelica and Pete Sullivan, and their gifted foster son Kootie. When Cochran and Plumtree are drawn to the others a plan is formed to seek the goodwill of the God of the Vine and resurrect the dead king. However their is mistrust among this group and various supernatural dangers lie ahead.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did The Anubis Gates and Declare, which is not to say that it isn't an excellent book, I just thought the overs were better. Set in and around San Francisco in 1995 it has many of the hallmarks of Powers' other books; magic existing around everyday life, powerful beings with their own rules, antagonists who amorally use the supernatural for their own ends, and protagonists who are simply trying to set something right. In this book the supernatural is brought up and discussed much more matter-of-factly than in his other works that I've read. All the characters besides (apparently) Cochran have well-established backgrounds in dealing with magic, ghosts and the supernatural. The magic in this book is much to do with ghosts, which are not only spirits of the recently deceased, but also parts of people's consciousness. The magic seemed weirder and more freaky than in the 3 other Powers books I've read, but those were all historical so there was already a sense of a world at a remove. There is also a powerful background being of the type seen in Declare, it is Dionysus, come to America with the Californian vines. There are many references to Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, and types of wine; I'm not familiar with any of these things but still found the book intriguing and enjoyable.
I quite liked the characters and was glad that Plumtree (or parts of her, at least) proved to be a major player in the plot. I'd noticed that the main female character in On Stranger Tides was really passive and even in Declare Eliza was mostly a love interest.

Warrior's Bond by Juliet E. McKenna

Ryshad (whose sections are told in first person POV) has just been made a Chosen Man of the noble house he serves, but isn't used to the change in station and continues with a hands on approach to his duties. Temar has come to the capital of the Empire he left many generations ago and finds that he is a stranger in this new world of gossip and fashion and plotting. However he must take on new responsibilities and adjust to the modern ways of doing things if he is to protect his people in the distant colony.
This book takes place at roughly the same time as the previous installement (The Gambler's Fortune) and follows Ryshad and Temar as they try to figure out how to live with the new paths their lives have taken. From a geographic point of view it's the least ambitious book as it takes place entirely within Toremal, the capital city of the Tormalin empire. There's no travelling or questing in this installment, but there's still plenty of peril, intrigue and challenges facing the heroes. The social and political positions of the characters are examined and though there is plenty of combat and scheming there's a greater sense of being amidst wealth and civilisation than the travel-heavy stories in previous volumes.
I enjoyed the different tone of this book. Instead of seeing several different nations and peoples the story is focused on the Tormalin Empire, especially the nobility. It is interesting to see the modern nobles through the eyes of those who lived centuries earlier. I admire the author's way of adding depth of history to her world, and here it is more evident than in previous volumes.

Where No One Has Gone Before

Episode: s1, ep 6
This episode takes what would've been an interesting look at the edge of the universe and metaphysical ideas, if it hadn't been a vehicle for confirming Wesley's Mary-Sue status.

What Happens

The Enterprise is having a series of Warp Drive Engine tests from the arrogant Mr. Kosinski (and his alien assistant) despite Riker's misgivings. Wesley watches what Assistant is doing and even suggests changes, the alien is impressed by this. The Enterprise goes really, really fast, and Assistant starts phasing in and out, something weird is happening. The ship goes impossibly above Warp 10, so Picard orders a full stop. The Enterprise has left the known galaxy and arrived in the galaxy of sparkly objects. It would take 300 years to get home at normal speeds.

It's soo shiny!

There is much discussion and though exploration is tempting Picard orders Kosinski to try and get them home. Something similar happens this time and there is much shiny zooming. It’s clear (to Wesley and the audience) that Assistant is really running the show, but the effort exhausts him. When the ship stops it’s in a blue place with floaty lights, which seems to be the edge of the universe. The crew start having hallucinations, often to do with childhood memories, dreams or fears, which become real. Wherever they are it’s clear that thought and matter are closely related.

Wesley convinces the adults that the exhausted Assistant knows what is going on. The alien explains that he is called the Traveller and he was going from ship to ship exploring their reality. He didn’t mean to bring them so far and though he’s ill he will help them return. In private the Traveller tells Picard that Wesley is Very Special and must be encouraged. The entire crew thinks good thoughts at the Traveller so he’ll be strong enough to take them home. It works, but the Traveller phases out during transit. Picard orders Wesley to the bridge and makes him Acting-Ensign.

Fringlish

In a corridor Picard sees his dead mother drinking tea. She is clearly French, with an accent and everything.

 

Management Technique

Picard seems to think he can order the crew’s thoughts. When he sees a crewmember has created fire he impatiently tells him to put it out in his mind. Calmly talking about water would’ve been more helpful and reassuring.

The Boy/Mary-Sue

Don't let the gormless expression fool you.

The Traveller identifies Wesley as a savant, apparently he is to propulsion and space travel what Mozart was to music. This is after Wesley both understands the alien's Warp Drive techniques and is the only one to notice that the Traveller is doing all the work. When they arrive at the edge of the universe Wesley swiftly comes to a metaphysical conclusion about time/space/thought that the Traveller tells him is dangerous. Wesley says he is friends with the Traveller and protests when Picard orders Dr Crusher to keep the alien conscious. He also shows some moxie and points out that he has a name, and isn't just 'the boy'. This actually impressed me.

The Traveller secretly tells Picard that Wesley is special and needs encouragement, but he doesn’t want Wesley or his mother to know yet, as that could change how he turns out. Picard makes Wesley an Acting-Ensign and orders him to learn all about the ship before he goes to Star Fleet Academy. Wesley's dreams have come true and the audience groans.

This episode explains why Wesley knows more than trained engineers, why he’s so interested in space engines, why he probably has trouble relating to people his own age, and why he gets special treatment. I’ve been thinking of Wesley as highly functioning, and it looks like that was a fair assessment. Of course knowing the reasons doesn’t make him less insufferable. At some point could this programme for grown ups be less about a teenager who is automatically better than everyone else?

Klingon Differences

Worf hallucinates a hairy, spiky warthog-thing, which is apparently the Klingon equivalent of a housecat. It's kinda cute.

 

Random Crewmembers

The hallucinations seem to affect the whole crew, and we see a few interesting ones. There’s the Georgian string quartet in the canteen, a crewmember being a ballerina in a cargo bay, and 2 crewmembers running in terror from something we don’t see.

Apparently Geordie isn’t Chief Engineer, despite being on the bridge and going to the staff meetings. The Chief Engineer is a Scotsman called Argyle, do they have to be Scottish, is that a rule?

Humans aren't so great

The reason there aren't any historical reports of encounters with the Traveller or his kind is that humanity (and presumably other Federation races) have only recently become interesting enough to bother visiting.
Well that's us told.

Future Fashion

Wesley is wearing what appears to be an orange jumper that once had aspirations of being a poncho, but it didn't quite have the nerve to really go for it, so settled for being a jumper.
Hopefully once he's Acting-Ensign he can wear some sort of uniform and look like less of a twit.

No Magic Here
The edge of the universe is where magic comes from!
Mr Kosinski doesn't believe it at first 'you're asking us to believe in magic', but what you think becomes real. Magic!

Space Trumpets

The first time the Enterprise goes above Warp 10 (which doesn’t make everyone turn into strange little creatures because that Voyager episode apparently doesn’t count) the displays flash and the engine lights go crazy but we don’t actually see the ship going fast. Luckily the music is there to tell us that it is all very exciting.

Staff Meetings: 1

Bridge crew and Kosinski discuss the situation and how to get home.

The End

The Enterprise returns to where it was and very little of substance is learned about the sparkly galaxy, the edge of the universe, or the Traveller. Wesley is made Acting-Ensign, so we can stop questioning why he's hanging around in the operational parts of the ship and simply be annoyed by his presence. But it's OK cos he'll be sent off to the Academy soon ... Right?

Recent Reading

Teen Inc. by Stefan Petrucha

Jaiden Beale is the first child in US history to be adopted by a corporation, a PR stunt after his parents were killed by a faulty gas valve. 14 years later Jaiden has had a very odd upbringing and is trying to negotiate the tribulations of teenage life while being raised by a committee. His bedroom is a converted office in NECorp's headquarters and gets his breakfast from the cafeteria. Since attending public middle school he's manged to keep his strange background quiet, but his anonymity is threatened when he invites his pretty lab partner over to his 'house'. Jaiden soon has to confront the way his parent corporation operates and the dangerous people that work within it.

This book is interesting if very unlikely. Jaiden is portrayed as a normal teenage boy trying to negotiate an unusual situation. As with most teenage books it's written in first person* and the voice and thoughts of the main character are the reader's window to the world. There are various times when Jaiden does stupid things, but these are not surprising, though he has a tendency to repeat himself. The last third of the book has unexpected twists and the whole situation turns from teen sitcom to weird action film, with unlikely espionage and actual, serious danger changing the tone, but not the expected outcome. It was fun, but the action bits were pretty unrealistic. It's clear the author has an anti-corporate message, but if anything this didn't go as far as I'd expected it to. In the end the situation is improved but the status quo doesn't really change.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Lennie (Lennon Walker) has just lost her older sister. Bailey, a healthy young woman attending drama college, died suddenly and now grief has filled her household. Lennie lives with her grandmother and uncle, her mother simply left when she was a baby, in a rather bohemian town in Northern California. Lennie is unable to come to terms with her sister's death and has surprising feelings for Bailey's boyfriend Toby. When she returns to high school she meets Joe, and soon falls for him, though her grief could destroy her happiness all over again.

I really liked this book. I wasn't sure if I would but despite the subject matter it was actually pretty life-affirming and romantic. The characters were all well written and believable, another first person book,* but one where other characters feel as authentic as the narrator. The grief of Lennie and her family is palpable, but understandable and not overplayed. The distraction and joy of Joe's presence is great and the relationship between Joe and Lennie is excellent, a great cure for the ridiculous pining and overly-complex love triangles that crop up in so much teenage fiction. Joe is a wonderful character, a great boyfriend for a teenage girl, but not idealised to the point of unbelievability, he has flaws but doesn't play games.
Each chapter is preceded by a picture of words scrawled into a wall, cut into a tree or written on rubbish, found around the town. These are the thoughts and poems that Lennie writes and hides to express her feelings about Bailey's death. They are nicely done and provide visual interest throughout the book, as well as allowing the reader to understand Lennie's feelings and her relationship with her sister without clogging the narrative sections.



* I think all the US teen books I read in the last couple of years are written in first person POV. Most of the UK ones are too, but I can think of exceptions. Has it always been this way and I only just noticed, or is it a new(ish) rule? I can think of several in diary format, but actually that seems to be less popular now than simply having the characters tell their story without a framing reference.
Of course it's possible I've just missed a whole swathe that are written in third person, but there's definitely a major trend for first person. Is it because that this lets readers connect to the character more and young people need/want that? Is it that young adults don't like third person so much, or is that just what the publishers think? I'm honestly not sure, would be interested in any insights people have on this.

I do suspect that this is why no one can remember the names of main characters when talking about books at Teenage Reading Group, because it's all 'I' and 'me' in the text. Both staff and teens regularly have glance at the blurb to remind ourselves.

The Last Outpost

I'd like to thank Dave C. for his kindness in lending me his Next Gen DVDs, its certainly sped things up.

Episode: s1, ep 5

It's time to meet the Ferengi, an alien race with very different values to the Federation. If we learned anything from Code of Honour it's that other races are treated with respect and dignity, that certainly has nothing to do with how much they resemble humans... Oh, wait.

What Happens

The Enterprise is chasing a Ferengi ship that’s stolen an energy converter. The Federation hasn’t had direct contact with the Ferengi before and they don’t even know what they look like, though they’ve heard a lot about them. The Ferengi are compared to Yankee traders, which means they’re very mercantile, and it’s clear the Federation (or at least the bridge crew of the Enterprise) look down on this.

The Ferengi ship turns and fires, then the Enterprise is immobilised and the ship’s power is rapidly drained. Picard tries to surrender to the Ferengi, and the Ferengi try to surrender to the Enterprise; it’s clear that both ships are in the same predicament. The planet they’re near used to be part of a huge, advanced galactic empire that fell millennia ago. Both ships agree to a joint investigation of the planet.

The Enterprise away team is separated when they arrive on the planet, then they’re attacked and captured by Ferengis with energy whips. Meanwhile the Enterprise loses so much energy that life support systems start failing. The planet manifests a Guardian figure who tests the Federation and Ferengi away teams. The Ferengis loudly blame and accuse the humans while grovelling to the magical Guardian guy. The Guardian tests and approves of Riker’s mind, so everyone is saved.

Guest Star

This is retroactive, but it’s fitting that Armin Shimmerman plays one of the first Ferengi. His character unsurprisingly looks like a younger version of Quark from Deep Space Nine, presumably before he met Garak and learnt about tailoring.

Fringlish

Picard gets misty-eyed while talking about the French flag and seems to be moments away from saying something about liberté, égalité, fraternité, when Data interrupts him to talk about other flag colours.

When the Enterprise fails an escape attempt Picard swears in French.

I'm still waiting for the beard.

Riker: lover, adventurer, middle-management

Riker has to shoo some small children out of the lounge they aren't supposed to be in. William Riker: child-herder.
Riker leads the away team, finds his fellow crew members on the mysterious planet, fights the monkey-like Ferengi attacks, and then saves them all from destruction, with his brain. Less impressively he asks Geordie if he’s conscious, which is one of the stupidest questions you can ask a human.

Planet Of… Mysterious energy sucking and magical ancient tech.

The Prime Directive is a Harsh Mistress

It’s clear that the Ferengi see the Prime Directive as barbaric because it prohibits profitable enterprise. From a Ferengi point of view this makes a lot of sense.

No Magic Here

The Guardian of the planet appears as a floaty face in the sky, then as a robed and hooded man. He might as well be the Keeper of the Bridge of Death, or something. Like most mystic guardians he’s very powerful. He claims he could have destroyed both ships in orbit, and was clearly able to monitor their activities while sucking their power. He can also see into the minds of those on the planet as he tests and judges them.

At no point does he ask anyone about the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow.

Future Prejudice

From Picard’s throwaway comment in ‘Encounter at Farpoint’ it’s clear that the Ferengi aren’t well thought of, even before this contact.

Worf calls them pygmy cretins, which is harsh.

Riker decides that the Ferengi are like humans used to be and, with their current tech level, this makes them dangerous. He also very patronisingly says that they must be given the chance to learn. So basically it’s not that Ferengi are different, they’re just plain backwards.

Staff Meetings: 2

1. Bridge crew go to the lounge to discuss how they can get away from or combat the Ferengi. Surrender is decided as the best option.

2. Bridge crew got to the lounge  to discuss the planet, how it is holding them, and what they should do about it.

Won’t Somebody Think of the Children?

The Enterprise loses so much power so fast that life support is barely functional and families huddle together with blankets to keep warm. Dr Crusher tells Picard she almost gave Wesley a sedative so he can slip away peacefully. This is grim stuff, and clearly space is no place for children. Yet it seems that Star Fleet officers choose to enforce this dangerous lifestyle on their kids, rather than having them live in the utopian safety of the Federation planets.

The End

The Enterprise and Ferengi ship are allowed to leave, the Enterprise gets the stolen goods back. Of course everyone on the Enterprise is too tired to be happy about this because they’re still sleepy from the oxygen deprivation. Riker decides to cheer everyone up by sending the Ferengi some Chinese finger traps as a hilarious practical joke (you see how the Federation are much more advanced).

Behind the scenes at the musuem

Last week I was off work and had several very enjoyable days doing things and being social.

On Friday I joined some of my fellow volunteers on a behind the scenes tour of the new gallery at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. As the gallery isn't due to open until October there was still much work going on, and the artefacts had not yet been put in position.
The gallery is a long space that tracks the history of Bimingham, the 2nd largest city in the UK and one which is not generally considered to have that much history (for a British city, anyway). I volunteer at a Medieval site, so I know this assumption is incorrect and hopefully this interesting new gallery will show that to people.

One of the most impressive things we saw was a beautifully detailed model of Medieval Birmingham. It was a wonder to behold, and should impress those who like model making. Even those who aren't interested in history will be drawn in by the detail. It wasn't fully functioning when I saw it, it'll be partly interactive and have sound.

The rest of the gallery looked impressive with plenty of interactive things that children and adults can try and at least one other impressive (but very different) model. The gallery proceeds chronologically, with themes running through each time period.

It should be a great addition to the museum and to general understanding of Birmingham history.

Code of Honour

Episode: s1, ep4

I was expecting this episode to be about the Klingons, or Worf (who hasn’t had much to do so far). Frankly I wish it had been, instead there's a possible discussion about what is 'civilised' that doesn't seem to draw any conclusions.

What Happens

The Enterprise makes diplomatic contact with a less-advanced, very human-like people in order to get an urgently needed vaccine. They meet with Lutan, who beams aboard with his retinue using their own transporters (so they’re not that unadvanced then). After being amazed by a female Security Chief and seeing a holodeck combat drill Lutan kidnaps Lt. Yar.

Picard has to tread carefully, despite the kidnapping, because they need good diplomatic relations in order to get the vaccine. At a very polite meeting Lutan announces his intention to make Tasha his ‘first one’. His current first one, Yareena, is not happy about this and challenges Tasha to single combat, to the death!

Tasha accepts the challenge (for some reason) and the Enterprise crew try to find a way out of the situation. As Tasha strikes the killing blow both women are beamed aboard the Enterprise where Dr Crusher saves Yareena. Lutan must concede that Yareena is no longer his first one, but because she isn’t dead her land can pass to the man of her choosing (his assistant who actually cared for her). Lutan is demoted and the Enterprise can leave with the life saving vaccine.

Picard likes old stuff

After mentioning that Lutan and his people are similar to an ancient Earth culture 'we all admire' (See Planet Of…) Picard gives him an antique Chinese horse statue. I don’t think these guys are based on the Chinese however.

 

Fringlish

Data refers to French as an obscure language, leading to an immediate, grumpy rebuke from Picard. He points out that for centuries the French language was a sign of civilisation on Earth. Of course he sounds more English than I do (for those who don’t know/haven’t met me, I’m from England). I’m not sure what the state of France is if the names (and pride) survive but the language is obscure.

The Boy

Beverly persuades Picard to let Wesley on the bridge. Picard not only gruffly agrees but tells Wesley to sit with Geordie, Geordie is not impressed, he’s not a babysitter. I guess Beverly has told Picard:

a) that Wesley associates him with his father’s death.

b) that Wesley has few/no friends among the other children.

c) both of the above.

Later Riker lets Wesley on the bridge without a thought. Riker is more comfortable with children than Picard and probably realises Wesley needs some positive reinforcement or something. When Picard returns he is annoyed to see Wesley manning a station, but Riker says he asked Wesley to help. Picard gruffly says Wesley can come back again.

If the kid wants to play at operating a star ship why don’t they run a holodeck programme for him? I can’t imagine that untrained children are supposed to push buttons that actually do stuff, surely there’s a regulation somewhere? I can't decide if he's getting special treatment because his mum is the Chief Medical Officer or because his family are/were friends with the Captain. Either way, I'm getting the horrible feeling that he's actually meant to be a main character.

Planet Of… Middle Eastern Stereotypes

The actors largely seem to be Black, but the influences in costume and custom are mostly Middle Eastern -though there may be some African stereotypes in the mix for good measure. 

There are turbans, rituals, misogyny, formal customs, heavy eye makeup and a strong code of honour.

The kidnapping of a woman (by a lusty foreigner, no less) is a narrative convention that’s been at the heart of fictional East vs West relations since before Helen of Troy.

Lutan doesn’t actually say he wants her for his wife, but… well yeah, that.

 

Awkward Moment

Data tries to tell jokes to Geordie. Knowing what is coming, Geordie tries to escape but Data doesn’t let him. 

Data has learned (and presumably told his victims) over 600 jokes. 

The Prime Directive is a Harsh Mistress

Despite having greater technological and weapons capabilities the Prime Directive means Picard has to dance to the tune of kidnapper Lutan and the customs of his people. Otherwise the Enterprise could beam Lt. Yar out and an away team could seize the vaccine that will save millions of lives.

Staff Meetings: 2

1. Diplomatic meeting between Picard & Lutan and staff.

2. Picard & Dr Crusher discuss the desperate need for vaccine, and whether Wesley can have special treatment and go on the bridge.

The End
All ends reasonably happily, with Lutan put in his place and the vaccine secured. Lutan's former assistant (now the boss)points out that the Federation may have advanced tech but they are not as civilised. This seems like a very subjective point.

The Amazing Spider-Man

I saw the Amazing Spider-Man the other day, it was pretty good and certainly improved on the previous films.
I didn't nurture high expectations for this film as I don't think it's strictly necessary. I can understand the desire to do something different with Spider-man, use fresh cast and crew, but I don't think it needed to be rebooted at this point (even taking into account how silly Spider-man 3 was). Then again I guess the studio needed to keep a hold of the license.
It was a fun superhero film, which was all it needed to be.

I'm not going to spoil the plot or give detailed descriptions of scenes, but I will mention stuff that happens. It's up to you how pure you want to be if you haven't seen the film yet.

Not as angsty as this picture looks.

Good stuff
Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, even though he didn't actually say the full slogan and some of the dialogue he was given was a bit schmaltzy and unlikely given the context. However we love Martin Sheen.

Andrew Garfield had the right kind of gangly physicality that I didn't realise Spider-man needed until now. Also he was far more authentic and likeable than the previous version of Spider-man who was mostly a little bit sad (unless that's just Tobey Maguire). In fact there was refreshingly little angst.

Gwen liking Peter first and never actually meeting 'Spider-man' was a good move. I was glad there were none of the stupid alter-ego mix ups that superhero films (and TV shows) tend to indulge in, usually at the expense of the female character.
Admittedly I thought that the relationship felt underdeveloped, I never actually saw them forming a bond (I'm told this might have happened in deleted scenes, but don't know for sure). By halfway through the film they're supposed to have strong feelings for each other, but it all feels a bit rushed and artificial. Then again I don't expect the romances in superhero films to feel realistic, so it's not a major quibble.

The webslinging visual FX were great. I only saw it in 2D because I personally have difficulty seeing 3D. However even in 2D some of the web slinging was very well-done, and used different techniques to the earlier films.

The manufactured webslingers were good (it was a gripe that Marvel Boy had about the Raimi films) and using a web as a web was a wonderfully simple yet new idea.

The mystery surrounding the disapearance of Peter's parents was interesting, it's something that the comics apparently handled badly (there were clones, or maybe robots) and never dealt with again. It's clear that this film is setting up for sequels with some ongoing plot arcs and background threads, which will hopefully provide more depth and make the sequels worthwhile. Speaking of which...

Norman Osbourne is never seen and takes no action, but he is mentioned as someone in the background. My spidey senses detect foreshadowing.

No one stands like that, no one.

The following bit is likely to make more sense if you've already seen the film.

Things I thought while watching
I was so tempted to start singing Incy Wincy Spider at one point.

In OsCorp where the shadows are. Because that tower just needs a big flaming eye on top.

Of course Spider-man has a backpack, it's not like he has space for pockets in that outfit.

When the antagonist is breaking into the lab it sounds as though he has stepped on a piano, that was there for no reason. Then it happened again and I realised it was meant to be sound FX.

There was one moment when I was suddenly blindsided by the surrealness of what I was watching. This hasn't happened to me in a superhero film before, though it's a reaction that makes sense.
Spidey is talking to a particular police officer, who is holding him at gunpoint. The entire scene looks like a serious cop movie, except for the guy bent into an unnaturaslistic crouching pose wearing red and blue spandex. Just for a second Spider-man looked like a guy from a panto or a contemporary ballet production who had walked onto the wrong set. I think this may be the problem with "realistic" superhero films, they can't really reconcile how strange superheroes tend to look.

The Naked Now

Episode: s1, ep3

More interesting than the previous episode, the Naked Now is apparently trying to tell us something about temptation, but what we really learn is that precocious kids can get away with a hell of a lot.

What Happens

The nudist beach was less fun in winter

The Enterprise joins the research ship Tsiolkovsky to monitor a dying star. The other ship sends out strange messages before the entire crew dies in an apparent accident. The away team find the kind of mess normally associated with teenagers in US films who’ve thrown a party while their parents are out of town. Plus there are a load of naked frozen people.

On their return Dr Crusher checks the away team and confines Geordie to sickbay because he’s acting oddly and is surprisingly sweaty. However Geordie leaves, spreads his condition and soon most of the crew are too hot and acting intoxicated. A similar thing happened on Kirk’s Enterprise, but the cure used then doesn’t work this time.

Wesley has been recording the Captain’s voice in order to play at being a crewmember. He uses the recordings to trick senior staff and hijacks Engineering, where he pretends to be Captain while the crazy-drunk Engineers giggle and dismantle vital systems.

Meanwhile a piece of the collapsing star detaches and flies towards the Enterprise in the shape of a glowing rock. Picard, Riker, Dr Crusher and a blonde Engineer keep working to save the ship from destruction. Dr Crusher creates a working cure despite being infected herself. Wesley’s knowledge and quick-thinking eventually helps to save the day and everyone forgets that the trouble in Engineering was largely his fault.

Does Not Compute

Data has sex, I have no idea why. (See Awkward Moment)

I’m surprised he even knew what Tasha was getting at when she asked if he was ‘fully-functional’. Earlier in the episode he doesn’t understand the word ‘snootful’ after hearing it in context, and he was unable to guess what ‘snoop’ meant last episode. (Did his programmers miss out words beginning with ‘sn’? Were they distracted by all the sex programming?) This happens while Data is on duty, he ignores direct orders from Picard, and he knows Tasha has the intoxication infection. Since he doesn't have either libido or emotions I cannot fathom why he felt any need to ignore work for sex.

I’m not sure that it’s necessary to programme an android with sex skills, especially when you didn’t really programme it with other nuances of human interaction. It makes me suspicious of what Data is meant to be used for. 

I’m also confused about this from a character viewpoint. Data’s supposed to be slowly learning human interactions and social skills, yet when it comes to the most intimate human interaction he apparently doesn’t need to learn, he already has the necessary programming. It somehow feels like a huge cheat.

Data catches the intoxication infection, though presumably he doesn’t sweat. Picard seems to think that shouldn’t have happened and, funny though Brent Spiner’s pratfalls and facial expressions are, I have to agree. It seems like a massive design flaw.

The Boy

Wesley has been recording Picard’s voice and manipulating the recordings in order to more fully realise his personal fantasy of being a crewmember and receiving orders. Far from being ashamed of this stalkerish behaviour (which must be against regulations), he proudly shows what he’s done to Geordie. He also shows Geordie his science project. It isn’t actually explained why Wesley is showing his projects to his mother’s colleagues rather than being with children his own age, but I think it’s safe to assume the other kids don’t want to play with him.

It’s also safe to assume that Wesley has made some enemies in Engineering. Certainly blonde Engineer was very angry about being tricked and locked out of her own department. The crazy-drunk Engineers probably feel pretty stupid about the whole incident, first he tricked them, then he showed them up. I imagie they're feeling pretty resentful.

Worf is the voice of the audience at the end of the episode when he expresses shock that ‘the boy’ is given thanks. After imitating the Captain, giving fake orders and tricking senior staff into leaving their posts I personally think he should spend some time in the Brig.

Awkward Moment

Data and Tasha Yar have sex.

What? I don’t even…. Why? This makes no sense. (See Does Not Compute)

WTF?

Tasha (who talks about her traumatic childhood*) says she wants gentleness, joy and love. She’s not likely to get those things from the only crewmember who doesn’t have emotions. Then again she's crazy-drunk, so presumably any crewmember would have done. I'd assume the main reason for sex with Data is lack of emotional entanglement. Data says he’s programmed in a ‘broad variety of pleasuring’, probably making him the galaxy’s best sex toy.
I'm not sure why or how the sight of her torso and heavily-gelled hair inflames Data's passions, since the whole point of Data is that he doesn't have passions. It's highly illogical.

The whole cringing scene is made worse by his creepy smile as she drags him into her bedroom. It’s not like he’s actually happy, he doesn’t have emotions. I guess he caught the drunk-crazy infection really quickly.
At the end of episode there's awkward eye contact between them on the bridge, then Tasha tells Data it never happened. Wise move, if only we hadn't had to see the awkward, nonsensical preliminary.

Given what little I know of the Original Series I can only assume that there was a strict sex-to-episodes ratio required in Star Trek and this was the writers making sure they met the quota.

 
Future Fashion
Troi has trousers now, presumably the aforementioned trouser shortage is almost at an end. I noticed some female crewmembers in the background still have miniskirts.

Tasha's seduction outfit consists of a pair of full-length sleeves with just enough fabric to barely cover her breasts. Any full-blooded crewmember would react and apparently it's so alluring that it even works on ones without blood.

Security Breach

For someone confined to sickbay Geordie is able to leave really easily - he takes off his badge, does that make him invisible? No one attempts to test Lt. Yar, who dragged him back to sickbay. Frankly the quarantine procedures are terrible; people spread the drunk-crazy all over the place. Given the speed of the infection I’m guessing that Enterprise crewmembers are touchy-feely drunks.

This starship is not a toy.

Why would you let an unescorted child wander around Engineering? Why would you leave a child to look after Engineering without checking with someone first? If the Captain’s orders don’t make sense I’m sure you’re allowed to ask for clarification. Also, where is everyone else in Engineering, was it really just those two crewmembers?

Death by Space Misadventure

The 80 people aboard the Tsiolkovsky were either blown (not sucked) out of an airlock, or else frozen naked in their quarters. Their families don’t even get their bodies back as the Tsiolkovsky is blown up to shield the Enterprise.

Won’t Somebody Think of the Children?

The Enterprise is just seconds away from being completely destroyed by a glowy sun rock. Every soul on board would have died, there was no evacuation attempt.

Almost everyone is basically drunk, does this include the children and the people looking after them?

The End

Picard lives up to his previous promise, this adventure was more interesting than the last. He also concludes that the crew should avoid temptation. I wonder if there will be a lesson like this after every mission?

* Security Chief Tasha Yar is strong and aggressive. She had a traumatic childhood that included abuse and possible sexual assault, she is a survivor. If only there were some way women could be strong and tough and good at fighting without surviving traumatic experiences.