Star Trek vs. Star Wars

Google.com has put up a new Google Doodle that commemorates (a day early) the 46th anniversary of the television premiere of the original Star Trek series on NBC on September 8, 1966.

It's a great Doodle that actually allows you to follow along with a short interactive animated Star Trek storyline by clicking on various characters and objects in the scenes.  The characters (Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy...) are each represented by  a letter in the word "GOOGLE".  And in this case, one of those characters just happens to be a "Red Shirt"--a nickname for the mostly nameless, red-shirt-wearing security personnel who always seem to get killed during the Enterprise's adventures.

The Google-ized Crew of the Enterprise on the ship's bridge

Kirk and a "Red Shirt" in the transporter room preparing to beam down

Encountering the Gorn from the episode "Arena"

The Gorn, as it appeared in the original episode

Final credit sequence for the Google Doodle

It's all pretty cool for a fan of the show, like myself.  Stumbling onto this Google Doodle got me to thinking about something that I've been meaning to write about for some time now.  What better time than the anniversary of the first episode of Star Trek to finally sit down and get this out of my head?


A while back a friend who has known me since I was much younger posted a question that seemed simple enough--but it totally stumped me.  The question was: "Which do you prefer, Star Trek or Star Wars?"  I should have given a quick, two-word answer, but instead it got my head spinning around the question.  Let's take a look at the two contenders:

STAR TREK

I've been a fan of Star Trek ever since I was a kid in the 1970s watching re-runs of the original TV series that ran from 1966-69.  I never saw it during its original run because, well, I hadn't been born yet.  But I do consider myself a life-long fan of Star Trek (whether that makes me a "Trekkie", a "Trekker" or whatever...).  I've never written much about Star Trek in this blog (beyond some mention in Creation Convention--25 Years Later and Creation Convention Part II: Geeks on Parade), but it's always been a part of me.

I suppose if I had to pick a favorite version of Star Trek it would still be The Original Series.  I was very excited when Star Trek: The Next Generation started up in 1987.  I watched it throughout its run and loved it as well.  It's a close one, but I still have to go with the original.  After The Next Generation I seemed to become less and less interested in each of the subsequent Star Trek series (Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise).  I still have a lot of catching up to do on all those shows--even though they've all been off the air for a number of years.  I also liked all the Star Trek movies that featured the original cast.  "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982) would probably rank my favorite of all the Trek films, but I did enjoy all of the ones with the original crew (even "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" to some extent).  I liked the ones with the Next Generation crew too, but not quite as much.  J.J. Abrams' recent "Star Trek" reboot (2009) was interesting.  I go back and forth on whether I approve of its tampering with the Star Trek canon, but it certainly was a good movie and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Meeting Judson Scott from "Star Trek II" at a convention in 1985

Oh yeah, I also liked the short-lived Star Trek animated series produced by Filmation back in the 1970s.  This show continued the five year mission of the Enterprise that was prematurely interrupted by network cancellation.  It also served to bridge the period between the original show and the first theatrical film.  The animated adventures of Star Trek featured not only the voices of most of the original cast (as well as James Doohan performing many, many voices in addition to Scotty), it also had many of the writers from the original series.  Unfortunately, it was just too smart and serious to be a successful Saturday morning cartoon.  Luckily it's now available on DVD!

STAR WARS

The first "Star Wars" movie (or "Episode Four: A New Hope") was released in 1977 when I was seven years old.  It was a perfect age at which to be introduced to that galaxy far, far away.  Ever since seeing "Star Wars" for the first time I was hooked on that saga too.  In fact, in The Oak Street Drive-In I detailed how we had a backyard theater screening of "Star Wars" for my 40th birthday party a couple years ago.  As was the case with Star Trek, the original is still my favorite.  I loved--and grew up with--the original Star Wars trilogy.  All the merchandising that became a bit tiresome with the later movies was an important part of my childhood.  I collected as many toys and action figures as I could.

My original 1977-era Stormtrooper action figure
The same one I played with as a kid!

It was an exciting time in the 1990s when the second trilogy of prequels began production, but I never felt they captured anything near the level of magic that the original movies had.  And yes, I did have a big problem with new, annoying characters like Jar Jar Binks!  Add the fact that I'm no fan of CGI special effects and you can see why I prefer the first films.  I didn't get a chance to see any of The Clone Wars animated series (because I don't have cable), but do remember watching the Saturday morning cartoon Droids as a kid.  George Lucas' insistence on tampering with all six of the Star Wars movies and their seemingly endless re-releases on both the big screen and home video has become extremely annoying.  Still, the Star Wars universe will always be a favorite of mine.  Despite that, I really haven't written much about Star Wars as a blog topic either--other than the drive-in birthday party mentioned above and Star Wars Day at Higgins Armory Museum.

Meeting an Imperial Death Star Gunner with The Little Monster in 2011

AND THE WINNER IS...

Well I guess it's obvious that I do indeed like both Star Trek and star Wars.  So which one is my favorite?  Well, I believe that I do have an answer, but unfortunately it's not really a satisfying one.  Both Star Trek and Star Wars hold special places in my heart.  But as it turns out, those places are pretty distant from each other.  Both of them are space-based science fiction stories and might seem very similar at first glance, but the story lines are very different.  And it would seem that they both have fed off of each other in some way over the years.  While it would be a huge stretch to say that George Lucas ripped off Star Trek (which did come first) when he came up with the idea for Star Wars, it also seems likely that Star Trek did indeed have some influence on Star Wars--however small.  And if it weren't for the success of Star Wars in 1977 it's very possible that Star Trek wouldn't have been re-launched as a series of films on the big screen in 1979 with "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"--ten years after the TV series was cancelled.

Unlike most of the classic "Which do you prefer?" questions like: Elvis or the Beatles, The Three Stooges or Abbott & Costello, Ginger or Mary Ann, Betty or Veronica, Betty or Wilma, The Brady Bunch or The Partridge Family--the question of Star Trek vs. Star Wars really doesn't have an answer in my case.  The reason the question stumped me so much was that it had never occurred to me that one could be chosen over the other.  They simply represent two different interests of mine that can't be placed in order.  They're both very important to me.

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

AND

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Getting Around To It...

Not that there's a great uproar across the blogosphere about my lack of writing recently, but I still feel bad about my output (or lack thereof) over the past couple of months.  I still have a lot of ideas and topics for future posts floating around in my mind that I simply haven't been able to hammer out on the keyboard.  Most of this has to do with a perceived lack of free time caused by our impending move.  In about a week our little family unit will be packing up and moving from our little house in our little town to an even littler apartment in a big city.  Along with some other distractions over this summer the move has been hanging over our heads like a dark cloud.  At this time it almost feels "selfish" to take the time necessary to think out, write, edit new blog entries.  And that's not even mentioning the time involved with adding photos to those posts.  If all goes well I should lose this excuse in another month or so and be back to my old output of about a blog per week (on average).  We will see...

Not being able to get around to writing has reminded me of a little piece of my past (a VERY little piece).  Back when I was in the U.S. Army I was stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky.  Yes, there actually is an Army base by that name--it's not just a gold depository.  I was only in the service for two years, but in that time I managed to not write home nearly enough.  I should mention that this was way back in the "dark ages" of the late 1980s.  It was a time before the internet and before cell phones.  While it may seem difficult for someone growing up today, there was a time--not all that long ago--when people would actually write letters as a way to keep in touch.  And I'm talking about literally writing a letter on a piece of paper and using a pen of pencil rather than sending out an e-mail or a text or tweet.  We did make phone calls too (frequently from an ancient device called a "Pay Phone"), but letter writing wasn't quite the endangered art form that it is today.

This isn't to say that I never wrote, it just wasn't as often as it could have been.  During the first part of my time in the service I had a girlfriend and most of my writing involved letters sent to her.  After we broke up I spent a lot more time feeling sorry for myself than writing.  Either way, I never wrote home to my parents nearly as often as I wish I had.  It's true that we're talking about something that I did (or didn't do) nearly a quarter-of-a-century ago, but I still regret my laziness to this day.

At one time my mother sent me a package full of snacks and presents around the time of my birthday.  It was a wonderful little slice of HOME, and a great distraction from the daily grind of living in the barracks doing "Army stuff".  There was one little item in it which was probably meant mostly as a joke, but it also let me know the error of my ways (as minor as that error might have been).  It was a small cardboard box that contained a little wooden token.  The small circle of wood had one word imprinted on it: "TUIT".  My mother wrote on the box "In case you're waiting to write until you get around to it, here it is!"  Yes, she had sent me a "Round Tuit".  The obverse of this little novelty had the name of my father's personal company name, GUSCO, inscribed on it.

I've always remembered that little wooden token and thought about the fact that I should have written home more often.  I actually kept that box of gifts and sent it home when my time in the Army ended.  Along with some other stuff I packed into it there were still some of the original contents.  Not too long ago I found that same box my mom had sent me all those years ago at my parents' house while I was visiting them.  What a wonderful surprise it was to find the little "Round Tuit" in there!  I am now keeping it handy to remind myself that I need to keep finding the time to get around to keeping in touch with the people in my life, as well as finding the time to write this blog.  Hopefully I'll be more successful at doing that today than I was when I was a much younger man.

Worcester Movies on the Common 2012: JAWS

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

Worcester Film Works' 2012 summer film series Movies on the Common continued with it's second show on Thursday July 19th.  The film for the night was "Jaws" (1975).  While the movie might not have been quite as family-friendly as some of the other offerings from shows past, it was very appropriate for an outdoor summer movie series.  "Jaws" was, of course, one of the first of the Hollywood "Summer Blockbusters".  Nowadays summer blockbusters are a dime a dozen.  Every week from Early May right through August it seems like some new blockbuster opens in the theaters.  They're called "Blockbusters" before they even premiere and earn a single dollar.  Back in 1975 the idea of a movie that debuts during the summer and becomes a blockbuster was a relatively new concept.

This was the second of three monthly shows in the Movies on the Common series and follows the successful inaugural season in 2011.  On the third Thursday of each month through the summer (June, July and August) a classic movie is projected onto a huge screen set up behind City Hall on the Worcester (MA) Common.  Musical acts are now a regular part of the series and all of this year's shows actually feature two bands before each movie.  There are also vendors set up selling food, drink and ice cream.

Because I didn't think The Little Monster was quite ready to see some of the more intense stuff in "Jaws" I went to this show alone.  The program starts at 5:00 with the first musical act.  Iza Jane was the opener for this show.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to arrive until around 8:00 and missed Iza Jane altogether. By the time I got to the Common the second band, Heavy Horses, was already halfway through their set.  And what a great set it was (at least if you like covers of mostly 1970s rock and roll--as I most certainly do).  I'm not sure what I missed during the first half of the gig, but I did hear familiar songs from the likes of Foghat, Heart, Kansas, Bad Company, Styx, Jefferson Starship and the J. Geils Band.  It was a rockin' set of oldies but goodies!

Turtle Boy welcomed me to the Common

A cloudy sky threatened, but didn't affect, the evening

Heavy Horses perform

The crowd slowly builds as showtime approaches

Another view of the Common from the Soldiers and Sailors monument

Worcester.  You gotta love it.

After Heavy Horses finished up the stage was transformed into a movie screen.  But there was still quite a while to wait until it got dark enough to start the movie, so it was time to check out the vendor tables.  Worcester Film Works had their usual set up and were selling Polar soda (local company) and popcorn that was popped in their now-functioning popcorn machine (it never worked during last year's Movies on the Common series).

Worcester Film Works' table (and popcorn machine)

Also present were regulars Sweet Sister Ice Cream with their ice cream truck, and The Theatre Cafe with their hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches and veggie wraps.  They also offered the option of ordering anything from their regular menu, which would be prepared at their restaurant on Main Street and delivered to the Common.

Sweet Sister's ice cream truck

The Theatre Cafe's table

That's Entertainment had a table set up for the second straight show too.  They were offering some free comic books as well as fun Worcester T-shirts and funky Japanese candy for sale.  I picked up a comic to bring home for The Little Monster and bought a package of grape flavored candy.

That's Entertainment's table

Some free stuff, and my package of Japanese grape candy

There was also a new table at this show manned by folks from Next Step Living Inc. that offered free information and giveaways about going green and reducing your home's carbon footprint (see the magnet from them in the photo above).  You could sign up to get a free home audit and free CFC bulbs to replace old incandescent ones in your house.

I should probably mention here that I'm a geek (in case anyone didn't already realize that).  For this show I just HAD to bring along my November 1979 issue of TV Guide from the week that ABC had the network television premiere of "Jaws".  It made for some excellent pre-movie reading!

Appropriately enough, Finz, the Worcester Sharks hockey team's mascot made an appearance and handed out freeze pops before "Jaws" started.  Unfortunately, this would have been one of the highlights for The Little Monster.  She missed his appearance last year too.

Finz hands out some chilly treats to the crowd

Finally it was 9:00.  The sky darkened and it was time for the movie to start.  I munched on my popcorn from Worcester Film Works as John Williams' famous theme played over the opening credits of "Jaws".

The skies darken

The popcorn's ready

The crowd swelled as darkness fell and movie time approached

Can't you just hear the music?

Roy Schieder feeds some chum to the big fella

All good things (and movies) must end

A happy crowd files out of the Worcester Common

It was fun watching this great movie in an outdoor setting and hearing the reactions from the crowd to both the shocking moments and the most famous lines ("This was no boat accident", "You're gonna need a bigger boat"...).  A recent heat wave had just ended and the threatening-looking cloudy sky from earlier in the evening gave way to a clear and cool night that made for great movie watching.  I don't know how many people turned out for this show, but it certainly seemed like a good sized crowd made up of all ages (and a few dogs too).

Two shows are down and there's only one more left in the 2012 Worcester Movies on the Common series.  That one will be "The Princess Bride" (1987) and will happen on Thursday August 16th (with a rain date of August 23rd).  I'm hoping to be able to make it to that one as well and will try to get a report out soon after.  Until then, please keep out of the water!

Thank You Google! (And Happy Birthday Amelia Earhart)

...or, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Stats Page

I woke up to a bit of a surprise this morning.  First off, I had no idea that today (July 24, 2012) was Amelia Earhart's 115th birthday.  Second, I had no idea that that fact would have a huge and unexpected effect on my blog.  Let me explain...

Now I realize that this is going to be another blog entry about some pretty dry information, but once again I feel the need to report.  Hopefully it will be of some interest to someone other than myself, but if not then so be it.

Earlier this month I wrote a blog (Amelia Earhart--75 Years Later) about Amelia Earhart commemorating the 75th anniversary of her disappearance while attempting a flight around the world in 1937.  That post also talked about an upcoming expedition that was about to embark on a search for the wreckage of Amelia's plane.  Unfortunately (but not surprisingly) that search came up empty--as they usually do.

Around the same time I also wrote the very bland blog entry 2012 State of the Blog Address, which chronicled some of what went on behind-the-scenes at Monster Dad during the past year.  One of those things was my discovery of (and obsession with) the statistics portion of the blog.  Before then I didn't realize you could see and track all kinds of stats associated with Monster Dad--things like page views and traffic sources over the past day, week, month and all-time.

Monster Dad has never been much of an internet sensation, and I can't really say that I expected it to be one when I started it.  As mentioned in the State of the blog address I mostly see it as a place for me to write about things that I'm interested in.  Those things may or may not be seen by others, but at least they're out there in the blogosphere.

Well, a funny thing happened recently as I started to notice the numbers in the stats gradually increasing.  It seems like the longer Monster Dad's "stuff" is out there the more likely it is to show up in a Google search.  Recent blogs about The Titanic, Men in Black 3, The Incredible Hulk and Friday the 13th have gotten pretty impressive (by Monster Dad standards at least) hits at times when they were likely to be looked for in search engines like Google.com.  Up until now one of Monster Dad's biggest days ever occurred back on July 12th when the January blog Friday the 13th Part 2 caused a spike in page views from the normal average of around 200 to a then stunning total of 712.  Of course this was caused by people doing Google searches about Friday the 13th (which fell on the next day) rather than some sudden realization by the general public that Monster Dad is required reading.  I was happy to accept those numbers to make my stats look a little more respectable.  I know Monster Dad will never become a real big-time blog, but it's nice to think that even a modest number of people around the world are seeing your output.

I was okay with the fact that the numbers reverted to their normal pace after that July 12th spike, just as it had done after some of the other recent flurries of viewing activity.  I was also wondering if something else might become a "hit" in the future.  Well, it came as a bit of a surprise to log in this morning and see an obscene (once again, by Monster Dad standards) number of page views for the day.  Amelia Earhart: 75 Years Later was written on the day of the anniversary of her disappearance so I knew that it wouldn't become active on Google for at least a few days afterward.  It generated a few hits here and there, but nothing impressive--not until today anyway.

Today's Google Doodle

Like I mentioned above, I didn't realize that today is Amelia Earhart's birthday.  In honor of that occasion, Google has put up one of their Google Doodles which shows Amelia in front of her plane with the word "GOOGLE" written on the bottom of the wings.  When you click on a Google Doodle you get search results for whatever the subject of that particular Doodle is.  Apparently my Amelia Earhart blog registered somewhere in that search (though I wasn't able to find it myself while browsing the first few pages of results).  As of this morning the post has received over 8,700 views!  To put that in perspective, I have been averaging somewhere around 4,000-5,000 page views per month for the blog.  Thanks to the Men in Black and Incredible Hulk posts May had been the most successful month ever by far with 11,812 views for the entire month.  This morning's views have boosted this month's total to almost 15,000.  And there's still around nine hours left before today's stat window ends.  I'll update this post with the total number when it comes in.

This week's stats, including the Amelia Earhart oddity
Note the small bump in center was the previous daily all-time high of 712 views

So, to sum up, Amelia Earhart would have turned 115 today if she were still alive, the most recent search for her plane ended up not finding anything, and Amelia helped Monster Dad reach unheard of (for Monster Dad) numbers of page views.  Now you can return to your regularly scheduled day.  Thank you Amelia and thank you Google.