StillPaisleyCat
@StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website
- Comment on How IMDB Users Rate Season 4 of SNW 6 hours ago:
I find it interesting how much attention franchise fans give to crowd-sourced ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes when we know that they are brigaded. Why give any credence to manipulated data?
As I have been watching more content from China recently, I have learned that the manipulation of social media and streaming audience data, especially ratings, is a very high profile public discussion outside North America.
In fact, there have been repeated attempts to develop and patent algorithms in China to detect manipulated ratings and streaming audience data and correct for them. None have successfully proved they can clean up brigading and manipulation to the satisfaction of national authorities.
- Comment on Preview ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Puppet Episode With 13 New Photos From “Level-Five Transporter Accident” 5 days ago:
I think that I can almost enjoy how much people are getting bent out of shape by this on other social media. (I confess to scanning a few of the comments under that TrekMovie article.)
- Comment on Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 4x02 "Griffin Incident" 6 days ago:
Dropping in belatedly to say that my partner and I felt this was an improvement over the season premiere, and we felt it got things back on track.
- Comment on Favorite Trek episode that's not in the usual top 57 lists? 3 weeks ago:
The choices in this list are an odd mix of ones that almost everyone acknowledges as top ranked and others that are likely not.
A Mathematically Perfect Redemption as the only standalone Lower Decks episode to make the cut?
No TAS classics such as Yesteryear, The Slaver Weapon or the Counterclockwise Incident?
TNG Qpid but not Q Who?
Nothing at all from Prodigy — the best effort and most successful landing of a serialized season the franchise has achieved?
Thanks for the thought experiment OP.
- Comment on Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 4x01 "Valles Marineris" 4 weeks ago:
My spouse and I found this season opener disappointing, if for different reasons.
My partner couldn’t get past the bad science. More, something made them feel like they were watching low budget mid 20th century scifi.
I found the performances/acting off across the board. Given the strength of the cast one has to wonder why they were overwrought and unconvincing. The pacing and rhythm of dialogue definitely was part of it. The direction has to be part of it but the episode director has done a lot of better episodes in the this era.
I’m usually pretty forgiving on science and engineering as long as the process feels right. Without the actors selling it, I just didn’t get into the show in a way that allowed for suspension of disbelief.
The cast is saying they feel this is their strongest season yet. Based on episode one, I am unconvinced.
- Comment on ‘Star Trek: Khan’ Audio Drama Wins Scribe Award 4 weeks ago:
This is good news.
It was well done and might be something Paramount is willing to do more of even if the television franchise is on ice.
- Comment on Star Trek Actor Confirms Franchise Return After 7-Year Absence 5 weeks ago:
Unfortunately, that Instagram post seems unavailable now.
In any event, I would be happy to see both James Frain back as Sarek and Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson.
I was one of those who really liked their performances as those characters.
- Comment on ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Cast Talks Season 4, Improvising On Set, and Checking All The Boxes 1 month ago:
Yah, I was more ready to let go of new Star Trek by the time Enterprise was canceled — but that show finally felt like it was all coming together in season four so it was frustrating that it didn’t get a full run.
- Comment on ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Cast Talks Season 4, Improvising On Set, and Checking All The Boxes 1 month ago:
The miasma of sadness I feel knowing that the SFA and SNW sets have been ripped down in Toronto and Mississauga is making it hard for me to really get excited and embrace the marketing for SNW season four.
I know I will be watching with my spouse and engaging here, but it’s very really not a great feeling given I was around for TOS’ cancellation, TAS’ cancellation, Enterprise’s cancellation and now the closing of this era.
- Comment on Examples of roles where actors from Star Trek give better performances than they did on Star Trek? 1 month ago:
The Commitments.
- Comment on cdrama idol dreamcasting of classic Star Trek roles 2 months ago:
Wow, that’s a lot of negativity towards both fancasting and idols. But I appreciate your laying out your perspective.
This fancasting done with humorous intent, as one can tell by the original post text that I have included as well as the Chanel visor (since cdrama ‘traffic stars’ are known for being global brand ambassadors of high fashion houses).
So the joke is falling flat with you. The question is “Why?”
Star Trek fans always propose their ideas for new characters in the franchise and even for recasts. It’s nothing new. It’s done in the spirit of fun.
And it’s never taken particularly seriously by those who make casting decisions or we would have seen very different actors cast in all of the shows and movies over the past 50+ years of the continuing franchise. Especially, as many or most of the actors fancast are not any more skilled than idol actors — while on the other hand, the most recent Star Trek shows, that have consistently cast actors with good foundations and craft, have experienced the most fan negativity about casting.
What’s different about fancasting popularity idol ‘traffic stars’ from China vs the usual fancasting of A or B list American actors?
What I found different, and amusing, is that it’s a fancasting crossover from two very different entertainment contexts. It’s challenging assumptions with popular faces, known to the younger cdrama audience.
What’s also amusing to me is that it implicitly pokes fun at Star Trek’s baked-in tendency to cast at least some of the roles on the basis of physical attractiveness, despite its aspirational nature — and recognizes that there has been fan blowback when diversity in looks and body types are included.
I’m absolutely with you that Star Trek needs to be more inclusive of Asian actors, and generally inclusive of more non US actors to really have global reach.
The US-centric mindset of those at senior levels in charge of the franchise since Roddenberry, as well as the embedded American Exceptionalism, is a principal reason it’s cinematic features aren’t capable of making adequate profit margins.
Anime, kdramas and now cdramas, all are rising in global popularity, especially among GenZ and among young women. That’s a global trend affecting the audience that Star Trek needs to share in to survive. What’s the problem with considering what the franchise would need to do to compete with these?
Yes, there are other serious actors in Chinese film and television, as well as other Asian countries. And hopefully as the young audience that is interested in cdramas matures, they may broaden their horizons and taken productions that are more focused on quality than personal beauty.
However, it’s also true that very few, even among those who graduate from China’s top theatre and performing arts programs go directly into serious roles. Very few have the resources to create their own independent production companies. Most are contracted by agencies, with their careers managed by them — with enormous financial penalties if they seek to become independent or move agencies. Most are in their 30s before they can break into more serious film and television roles.
Let’s face it, Star Trek has historically put the most seasoned actors, with theatrical credits, in the Captain chair but the rest of the ensemble has typically been a mix of with less experienced actors included. Many legacy roles were cast with actors of an equivalent skill level to idols.
It’s very welcome to have an Asian actor of Michelle Yeoh’s calibre in a captain’s chair, but Sulu and Kim, in 60 years of the franchise, should not remain the only East Asian main ensemble characters. More, future casting of characters with Japanese, Korean or Chinese biographies should consider hiring actors who are from those countries rather than exclusively Americans with that heritage.
All to say, it’s an interesting discussion. Appreciate the engagement.
- Comment on cdrama idol dreamcasting of classic Star Trek roles 2 months ago:
As I said, the images were posted on Reddit by someone who loves both Cdramas and Star Trek.
I’ve checked privately with the creator and they asked to watermark the images. They shared the watermarked versions with me by private messaging and agreed to let me post here.
This person is a professional vfx specialist working in television who did this for their own amusement. They have asked me to avoid sharing more detail on who they are which I believe is fair.
- Comment on cdrama idol dreamcasting of classic Star Trek roles 2 months ago:
If you aren’t aware that there is a certain amount of directed compositing in many CGI engines for vfx and game design, I don’t know what to say.
Using generated render to rough up an idea can be part of the process.
- Comment on cdrama idol dreamcasting of classic Star Trek roles 2 months ago:
Pursuit of Jade reportedly cost the equivalent of $100 million for 40 episodes and certainly looks like it.
S-tier cdramas are quite well funded now. I just watched the current day 2025 science fiction thriller Mobius on Netflix. It was at the production level of any American or European show.
- Comment on cdrama idol dreamcasting of classic Star Trek roles 2 months ago:
The creator is a professional vfx artist who was playing, and has included a watermark for that reason.
Yes, AI is part of their toolkit, but these were not just a case of asking a gen AI tool fabricate something.
- Submitted 2 months ago to startrek@startrek.website | 15 comments
- Comment on New Star Trek Timelines Book Explores Trek’s Multiverse 3 months ago:
I’m down for this one.
The link has just gone to my partner for upcoming gift occasions 😉.
- Comment on Creation Announces First Philadelphia Star Trek Convention For November 3 months ago:
Getting into the panels / speaker sessions was always my top priority.
The vendor hall is always worth checking out and it’s fun to mill about and see the cosplayers.
Depending on whether you like that sort of thing or not, paying to meet and get a photo with a cast member or to get an autograph (usually two separate things) is a popular activity.
- Comment on Creation Announces First Philadelphia Star Trek Convention For November 3 months ago:
While I won’t be travelling to the US anytime soon, I think it’s great that Creation is getting back into regional cons.
I used to attend them in the late 80s and early 90s and they were a great entry point for newer fans and those who didn’t want the mass experience of something like STLV.
I think that they do more to build a franchise for the long haul than the megacons.
- Comment on The Star Trek Communicator Is Now a High-End Wristwatch 4 months ago:
It looks like a 1970s toy. . . Which makes sense given who their target market is.
I would take it as another sign that the franchise has aged out were it not for the fact that it’s always had awful merchandising and licensing.
- Comment on Review — Destination Star Trek: The Next Generation Board Game 4 months ago:
Appreciate having the review.
There are a lot of games out there. We used to buy games after trying them out at gaming conventions but we only get to the local ones now.
- Submitted 4 months ago to startrek@startrek.website | 2 comments
- Comment on Dif-tor heh smusma. A First Contact Day dinner of salmon and cheese pierogies. 4 months ago:
Пироги are always a great choice!
- Comment on Petition update | Petitions to continue *Starfleet Academy* break 30,000 signatures 4 months ago:
Amazon took on another 3 seasons of The Expanse with about 130k, Netflix did an additional full 20 episode season of *Star Trek: Prodigy with 35k.
More than that, 32.5 k is a lot for one of these petitions in this amount of time. We don’t know what it will level off at.
The rate of signings is accelerating, with nearly 5k in the past 24 hours.
- Comment on Petition update | Petitions to continue *Starfleet Academy* break 30,000 signatures 4 months ago:
I wished they’d used an official image. It’s really odd.
But it was the first petition up so it’s the one with traction.
- Submitted 4 months ago to startrek@startrek.website | 11 comments
- Comment on Star Trek Mystery and Escape Room Games: DS9 & Lower Decks by Beadle & Grimm's Pandemonium Warehouse - Kickstarter 4 months ago:
Cool. I think I’ll be supporting this one.
I’ve been having fun getting new and interesting games through kickstarter campaigns.
My partner is finding this eye rolling, as I’m roping them and one of our teens into play testing. But, I look forward to taking some of these to our regional gaming convention. It’s nice to be able to offer some fresh games with licensed media.
- Comment on 'Star Trek': Andy Weir Apologizes To Alex Kurtzman Over Podcast Remarks 4 months ago:
Meh
- Comment on "It's gone baby... it's all gone"| Sigh .....‘Project Hail Mary’ Author Andy Weir Says Paramount Rejected His ‘Star Trek’ Pitch: Their “Shows Are Sh**” 4 months ago:
Cerebral is definitely not the way I would characterize Weir’s writing.
Middle school or YA science fiction is more like it. I first encountered his work when it was recommended for one of our kids.
- Comment on "It's gone baby... it's all gone"| Sigh .....‘Project Hail Mary’ Author Andy Weir Says Paramount Rejected His ‘Star Trek’ Pitch: Their “Shows Are Sh**” 4 months ago:
Regarding Rick Berman or other showrunners of a large collaboration, my reaction is more complex, because there were so many others involved in the creation.
While a cinematic feature is a huge collaborative undertaking, Weir sells himself as a kind of lone-wolf type author and so invites reactions on that basis.
There’s also the fact that Berman’s abusive behaviour was kept largely secret while the shows were running. So, my love of the specific shows and episodes was already set before I had the full context.
I’d known from friends in the fandom, with close connections to production, that the early TNG years were generally miserable for all involved but hadn’t heard as much by season four. Berman made the other showrunners be the media frontman, spokespersons for production during most of the 1990s. He wasn’t an eminence gris in reality, but might have well have been for the amount of information available for viewers to know what was actually going on.
Watching now, knowing how the actors and crew were treated, hearing their sides to the story, definitely does impact my experience on rewatching, and I am not as likely to rewatch as frequently as I was.
As another comparison, to someone who made himself out as more of an auteur creator, I find that I really can’t rewatch Josh Whedon productions at this point, especially Buffy.
