Stars End S5E20

We start Asimov’s third (or second) Galactic Empire Novel, The Currents of Space, by discussing chapters 1 through 6. This nearly corresponds to the first installment published in the October 1952 issue of Astounding Science Fiction which covered 1 through 7.

“I remember my Podcast. I had a Podcast!”

A friend tells me that our episodes are better when we’re enjoying the stuff that we’re reading.

We certainly enjoy reading The Stars End Mail Bag! This time when we opened it up, it inspired a short conversation about My Living Doll starring Julie Newmar and Bob Something-Or-Other.

And we’re liking The Currents of Space so far! It hits the ground running with a threat of planetary destruction and a hero in the mists of amnesia! This is the Good Doctor’s take on race relations in the American South making it a nice companion to The Caves of Steel which tackled the issue in our northern cities. This gave us a lot to think about!

Like, what year was this written? It looks like the answer is actually 1952 and not 1951 like I, Joseph, thought.

We see parallels to three (count ‘em! 3!) Star Trek episodes! But which ones? Not “The Omega Glory,” I’ll tell you that much.

Is Ol’ Isaac reading comic books on the side?

And how does this compare to the other Galactic Empire Novels?

Plus, another round of “Where’s Daneel?“ Have we figured that out yet?

And more! You’ll have to listen to find out!

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My Star Trek Voyager Rewatch: S1E02

My #StarTrekVoyager Rewatch S1E02 “Caretaker Part 2”

The 2nd half of “Caretaker” starts with a log entry as the 2 ships enter a debris field. We meet Neelix. He exudes a real used car salesman vibe but knows stuff and will work for water. I laugh every time I see Neelix greet Tuvok.

Origin stories, like this one, can drag on, with introductions & statements of the obvious superseding the story. Still, I laugh when I realize the Ocampa live in a mall and that they brought Harry and B’Elanna to the food court. Are they building a climate change metaphor?

Tuvok, right out of the gate is the funny one.

Sigh. The Kazon. I don’t like the Kazon. Kes makes little impression at first, but it’s better when she starts playing Jiminy Cricket for Neelix. We learn the Ocampa are in decline due to over-dependence on the Caretaker.

Kes acts like the leader the Ocampa needs. Tuvok does the Spock thing and explains everything to the audience. Then it becomes a mad dash to leave the planet, with Janeway and Chakotay standing on what looks like the bridge that killed Kirk. The exchange between Paris and Chakotay on the bridge is kind of amusing but crosses a bit of a line. They still manage to defeat the killer bridge!

This show needs more Picardo. His mobile emitter can’t get here soon enough. The ship already looks pristine despite getting trashed on its way to the Delta Quadrant.

The Kazon are simplistic idiots, setting an unfortunate precedent for the show. We weakly cycle back to the climate issue with the obvious. The Caretaker’s tech destroyed the Ocampa’s environment. The language we use to discuss these issues has changed in 30 years.

Harry and B’Elanna go to the food court.

The Caretaker is abducting people and trying to procreate with them. We have new terminology for that too. Part 2 isn’t as strong as Part 1, leaving important issues on the table. Everything comes together too conveniently in the end.

Still, it’s a decent episode that does what it needs to do to set up the show. The whole of “Caretaker” is much better than this installment on its own.

#StarTrek

Images used under the fair use doctrine.

Stars End S5E19

We conclude our coverage of The Stars Like Dust ―, with chapters 15 through 22. That corresponds to part 3 of Tyrann, as published in The March 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.

The cover of a paperback edition of "The Stars, Like Dust."

“We the People… Do Ordain and Establish this Podcast.”

As we rejoin our heroes The USS Enterprise, trailer firmly attached by tractor beam, is approaching planet Omega 4. There they find the derelict USS Exeter in orbit. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Galloway beam over to the Exeter where the entire crew has mysteriously been turned into common rock salt, just like you can buy from any neighborhood hardware store.

No, wait. I’m confused. That’s the “Omega Glory,” S2E23 of Star Trek. I swear, sometimes these Star Trek references just write themselves.

A still from Star Trek: The Omega Glory. Fair Use.

Anyway, the beginning of the episode is actually pretty good, but the ending is very, very dumb. So dumb that it lands it in the “So bad you have to see it to believe it” category. Unfortunately for the episode, people only seem to remember that ending.

To Asimov’s credit, we know that he did not like that ending, Strangely he didn’t like it even some 15 years or so before the episode aired. How does that work? I guess you’ll have to listen to our episode.

Meanwhile, being of a certain age myself, I can’t seem to get this little earworm out of my head.

Let’s all sing along! “Ee Plannista, enor durtofo amo orper fectyoo nion…” Everybody!!

Stars End S5E18

And now we settle in for the second part of the Good Doctor’s second novel! Join us as we dust The Stars, Like Dust— with commentary like powdered sugar on a doughnut! Let’s chat about chapters nine through fourteen!

A 1980s book jacket for The Stars Like Dust—.

“The Podcast Was Located in a Little Niche Just Outside the Cabin”

If this novel was feeling a little non-Asenion for your tastes, this installment might be for you! If you love Golan Treveze or the version of Hari Seldon who inhabits the Foundation Prequels, you’ll like Biron Ferrill better as this installment goes forward! If you think that there is a bit too much buckling and swashing in the first section, there is a bit of action where Biron overpowers a guard, tying him up with a pair of pantyhose. But once Gil and Artemisia help steal a space ship things settle down to storytelling and discussing galactic goings on as opposed to any actual going or actually doing anything story-inspiring. Plus, it’s something that passes for a plot twist!

So, let’s go! Help us bust the stars like dust with the vacuum of space!

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Stars End S5E17

Let’s dig into the Great and Glorious Az’s second novel! Join us for The Stars, Like Dust—! In this episode, we sift through chapters one through eight.

“The Podcast Murmured to itself Gently”

The Stars, Like Dust is book #003 in the Asimov canon. That’s a little misleading. Book #002 I, Robot is a fix-up; most of it had been written years before. This was the second time the Good Doctor sat down to write a book and he intended to write a Novel with a capital “N.” He wasn’t having a good time of it. Walter Bradbury, Asimov’s editor, had liked Pebble in the Sky and wanted a follow-up but he also wanted an outline and a couple of sample chapters. Bradbury rejected the first two proposals. John Jenkins of AsimovReviews.net put it this way.

…now that he was a Novelist, Asimov was thinking he needed to write like one and was getting carried away. Rather than his sticking to his usual sparse prose, he was getting distinctly florid, and he needed to tone things down.

That’s what comes from trying to write a Novel with a capital “N” I suppose. To make matters worse, when Galaxy Science Fiction bought the right to serialize the novel Horace Gold insisted on a subplot that Asimov really didn’t care for.

But now it was time to sit down and write, which is what our good friend Isaac does best. Join us to see how the book turned out! This reading coincides with the installment published in the January 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction under the title Tyrann.

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