August 27, 2007
GWC Podcast #60
After a brief jaunt through some off-topic fun — an explanation of why we don’t have an 800 number, our favorite Fresh Prince episodes, Sean’s Poison-capable haircut, and Run-DMC Adidas — we land on a sort-of-on-topic visit to the Fort Worth Museum of Science’s Star Wars exhibit (way cool). Incredibly, we do get around to discussing one of our favorite episodes, too: Flight of the Phoenix. Highlights: We discuss Mary McDonnell’s special look when they unveil the Blackbird, enjoy Gaeta’s big-ball moment, love on the Chief’s screw-you-guys-I’ll-do-it-myself, wonder why Jammer doesn’t have a real name, hate on prequels, and again mention Chuck’s hero, Buckaroo Banzai.
Galactic Watercooler 
Modern Geek 
Save Eureka 
Eff This Week 
FitSmart
I saw the Star Wars exhibit in 1999 when it was the the Air and Space Museum in DC. Awesome is the right word.
–Buck knife? If two bits is 25 “cent”, doesnt tha make it an eight bit knife? Or hundred cubit? Betcha 4 quarters…
Besides being on Trek, Adm Cain was in “Swimming With Sharks” w Kevin Spacey (awesomeist actor!) and Frank Whaley. That movie rocked. Total psych job and dark humor.
Who saw it?
I prefer the Millenium Falcon and a Wookie. Sure, you might get an imagined world with a Luck Dragon, but the Falcon will take you to many worlds… Well, maybe if I get out and push.
Colin
Hey, Timbuck was that you? I also saw the Star Wars exhibit at Air and Space back in the day. One of the best things about living in DC is the Air and Space museum. I spent many a Sunday afternoon as a kid (and then as an “adult”) pretending to throw up off the aircraft carrier. Never got old for me, although the staff, I’m sure, thought differently.
A buck knife? Makes me think of Robin Hood Daffy – “actually it’s a ‘buck and a quarter’ quarterstaff, but I’m not telling him that”
I watch too many cartoons.
Timbuck/Fair Melissa: Believe it or not, we think it’s actually a “Buck” brand knife. Yeah, Sean and I are tool geeks, too. We can’t help it.
Speaking of tool-geeking, I have a pair of Blaklader work pants that look for all the world like the bottom half of the Chief’s orange jumpsuit — except that they’re tan and black instead of orange and black.
I got carded when I was 32 at a baseball game. When I showed the kid behind the counter my I.D., he said “wow, you are remarkably well preserved”. Still not sure if that was a compliment or not.
The Fair Melissa: Oh heck yeah, I got the “you just don’t look your age, sir” the other day. Sir?! Sir?! I felt insulted to my very core!
Though I did feel like exploding about the “sir”…”you are remarkably well preserved” takes it; like you are some sort of mummy or a painting in an art gallery or something that the paint hasn’t cracked on yet. I hate that.
Whippersnappers 😉
I must also say the while I love Bugs, Roadrunner and Wylie Coyote (super-a-genius) are my absolute favorites. I love the way Wylie never gives up but manages to screw it up somehow. It always made feel better when I watched him.
Let me say I have yet to listen to the podcast but I was watching new robot chicken on my DVR and found a wonderful gem, here’s the youtube link.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WmuK3ECUc7k
Michael Hogan, Katee Sackhoff, and Tahmoh Penikett are credited in the show. Eddie is not but Joss Whedon is but probably for something else entirely.
I also always thought the issue with the shooting range was reduced O2 concentration and not reduced atmospheric pressure. I figured the window exploded due to the explosive round. Did they refer to air pressure or O2 pressure? It’s been a while since I rewatched it though (couldn’t help getting too far a head).
I too saw the original version of the Star Wars exhibit back in the Nineties at the Air and Space Museum. Sounds like they’ve added quite a bit of prequel stuff to exhibit. Yeah, I also basically grew up at the Air and Space museum: Skylab, Powers of Ten video, the Eagle, original USS Enterprise model etc. I never knew why Pachebel’s Canon was my favorite until I remembered its what always played between screenings of ‘To Fly’.
Buckaroo Bonzai would be tough to pull off. You’d need a good ensemble cast, which is tricky. Even more importantly, you’d need some very clever writers. It’s probably just as well to leave it be.
Post-BSG BSG is going to be interesting. If the show ends decisively, there may not be much room for the fanfiction (and now fanfilms) etc. that keep the SW/ST/FF franchises alive.
No hating on the prequels! I’m so envious of all you guys who get to see the various Star Wars exhibits that are on tour. They don’t swing by the capitol of Florida too often, but we might be getting a huge new Star Wars (“Lucas Land”) section at Disney World in Orlando if ABC/Disney lands the new TV shows.
Timbuck, Melissa, did I run into you guys at that exhibit? The Star Wars exhibit at the Smithsonian in 1999 was the first time I ever travelled to Washington. Little did I know at the time that I would end up marrying a girl from one of its suburbs and living there for a few years, then building part of my career, so far, there.
Good times!
13, I’m with you on the prequel love. Though I am well aware of their flaws as movies, I can’t help but love ’em. What can I say?
“Lucas Land…”I don’t know. The fan boy in me loves this idea, but it sounds a bit tacky. I just hope they come up with a better name for it.
Armando- Yes! The only real complaint I have with the PT is that there’s no Han Solo/Chewie characters, but the story is about the golden age of the society and there’s really no need or room for the scoundrels to slip about. And Lucas Land (or LucasLand, since they make everything one word) is what Jim Hill (the Disney tabloid man) calls it- basically it’s for Indy and Star Wars. More stores, new themed restaurants, updated stuff, etc.
Okay, here’s the deal (thanks to Wikipedia). The Star Wars exhibit will be in Fort Worth until September. After that, it moves to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul and ending up at the Franklin Institute in Philly (some time in 2008). So, Timbuck – start organizing that meet-up!
Sean – I remember watching the Wile E. Coyote/Roadrunner cartoons as a kid – the uncut versions. My family (parents and siblings included) would laugh our heads off watching him explode, crash, drop hundreds of feet and still keep going, courtesy of the ACME corporation. It’s a shame to see them now, if you can even find them on TV, because they’ve been edited beyond recognition.
Oh, and when I get carded now (and it still happens every now and then)? I just smile and say thank you, you made my day.
Armando – I knew you looked familiar…..
I had some posting “issues” earlier – anyone else? No? Just me? Nothing to see here, move along.
THAT’S NO MOON…..
Don’t forget to check out the total lunar eclipse tonight (Tuesday, August 28 – early AM). Those of us on the West Coast will have to stay up a little late (rewatch, anyone?), but you East Coasters can see it tomorrow morning (starts at 5:52 AM)
Here’s a great story – the University of Central Florida is offering a course for non-science majors regarding physics in film. Check out the first post, Sean. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear your name was Robert Baker. You are not alone.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlEAST03082707.htm
Speaking of prequel hatred, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIMEYe5WLJ8
Oh frak yeah TFM! That guy does sound like my evil twin. THough since Chuck is fond of saying I can’t grow the full evil goat… I guess he is my half evil twin. 😉
Sean – maybe you’re just the small “e” evil twin. 🙂
My favorite Wylie Coyote moment was always the little poof of smoke as he hit the dirt way below in the canyon. My dad and I used to crack up until we were crying watching it over and over. 🙂
I always loved how he would never fall off the cliff until he looked down and realized he was walking on air. lol And you would think he would quit buying the shoddy ACME products after a few hundred tries.
As to the re-imagined Flash Gordon…it has very little relation to the historical Flash Gordon. Try filing the serial numbers off Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and Sliders and setting the show in Maryland rather than somewhere on the west coast. Then again, Anna Van Hooft as well as Gina Holden are easy on the eyes. I like it and…frankly…it seriously looks to me like the Earth that the Galactica might end up finding. That would be an interesting cross-over.
And as to Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems…that’s where the evil Red Lectroids worked! The Banzai Institute backed up Buckaroo…
“Sean – maybe you’re just the small “e†evil twin. ”
He’s the Diet Coke of evil. Just one calory…not evil enough!!!
heh-heh.
13th-I think we may be the only prequel likers around here. I’m with you that they needed a Han Solo character. Not necessarily a scoundrel, but someone who had his tongue on his cheek about everything going on around him. Occassionally, Ewan McGregor’s Obi Wan served that purpose (towards the end of Ep II and throughout the beginning of Ep III), but for the most part, I missed that. In the interest of full disclosure, though (I suppose), I should admit that I think Ep II is a horribly made movie. The editing’s a mess, the soundtrack is lazy (most of it is cuts from the soundtrack to the previous film, and not even re-recorded cues at that!), the acting is atrocious (but then, I think that’s on purpose), and the digital fx don’t blend completely convincingly with the real elements to my eye. And yet, I still enjoy the thing. Go figure!
“Lucasland” sounds awesome to me. I’d so go check out other Star Wars and Indy rides! If they put them in Disney Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM…or have they not made that change yet?) it might make that park actually worth the price of admission!
Hey Audra, as an almost doctor, you should know a buck knife from a fiber optic cable. DUH! 😉
(As a doctor with no idea how to tell a fiber optic cable from a hole in the ground, I just HAD to write that.)
For those in the mid-west area here’s the link with dates for the Star Wars exhibit at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago: http://www.msichicago.org/temp_exhibit/starwars/index.html
I’m game for anyone wanting to do a meet up for the Chicago exhibit…I’m in Peoria so it’s not that bad a drive up. 🙂
I think for meet ups it would be cool to have a Galactica Watercooler shirt to identify one another. Anyone else think so?
Hey guys-on Flash Gordon (which, I have to say, the 70s film version of was totally awesome cheese with a corny ass over the top soundtrack by Queen! It’s such a guilty pleasure!), the movie review site http://www.pajiba.com had a review of it a couple of weeks ago. Apparently it’s produced by the hack responsible for those corny NBC fantasy miniseries from the late 90s like “Merlin” which are now constantly playing on SciFi. It apparently sucks as much, if not more, than what you fear.
Yaaaay–Audra mentioned my observation of Roslin’s burning file…reaction…thingy….
Still – yaaaayyy!!!
Anyone wanna do meetups in West Los Angeles, lemme know yo, fo sho.
Dave
I so TOTALLY have the GWC meet-up recognition apparel:
http://www.cafepress.com/fantasyhorseart/1993056
I saw the star wars exhibit last year when it was in Boston at the Science Museum. AWESOME! Favorite part was the landspeeder and the Millenium Falcon model.
Remake of Buckaroo Banzai, well that would be tough to do well. Part of what it makes it great is the 1980’s camp factor. I agree with whoever said the writing would have to be very clever. Although I don’t think you will ever top the name “John Bigbooty” or was it “Bigbootaaay”?
david
On whether I would want my very own Luck Dragon– much as I had an irrational love for The Neverending Story I and II (so much so that I own them both on DVD and was totally sad when Jonathan Brandis committed suicide), I always thought Falcor looked like he smelled bad. I’d rather have a ship, Millenium Falcon or otherwise, than a smelly Luck Dragon. Sorry, Audra.
For those of us who are not former physics majors and ever even took physics in high school, but still like understanding the S in SF, I just finished the DVDs of Physics, the Elegant Universe. They were pretty good. A bit cheesy, but that’s how science DVDs should be. The professor who hosts it is also rather pompous, but in an enjoyable way. I’m one of those people who likes to learn about the ideas and history of the sciences but is not particularly interested in the practical applications, so this was perfect. I always intended to finish my science credits with Physics 100: Einstein’s Century, but the course wasn’t offered my senior year. This was like the grade-free equivalent.
Are there other DC people here, since we’re talking location? The Fair Melissa… anyone else? I’m wicked jealous of the Philly people and their numbers. So close and yet too far to actually join in.
Starbuccaneer, I split my time between upstate NY and DC and spend about ten days every month there (this year will be an exception because of my wife’s pregnancy). Pike and I have been discussing doing a DC area meet-up sometime while I’m there. Since I’m due for a trip down from September 18-29, it might be time for us to start planning something, if it’s going to happen.
Speaking of Star Wars, http://www.floridatoday.com/floridatoday/blogs/spaceteam/2007/08/luke-skywalkers-lightsaber-gets-shuttle.html.
I too am in the DC area, yet not during the time when the Star Wars exhibit was… but yeah, I would be interested in a meet-up.
Everyone:
We weren’t going to announce this until a little later — so look for a full post soon — but we have a number of things in store for GWC’s one-year anniversary next month including a total site re-design (with some new features) and a full set of GWC merchandise from Cafe Press (at almost zero markup to make it as affordable as possible).
You’ve probably heard us mention before that Sean’s a professional artist. Well, you’re finally going to get to see some of his art. It’s just a taste, but you’re going to love the new site, and the Cafe Press materials will be sweet.
(Audra and Sean will be pissed at me. We were going to wait for this announcement, but since you seemed to be going down the same road, I couldn’t keep the secret.)
More later!
Starbuccaneer – I’m a former DC metro denizen, but I moved away in 1999. Saw the Star Wars exhibit and said “okay, I’ve seen it all” and left. I’ve been on the West Coast since 2000. Also wicked jealous of the Philly Crue, mostly because that’s my original home turf. Some of us grow up and move away and some of us (*cough* Timbuck *cough*) don’t.
Hey, Chuck — is the new site “awesome”?
Armando- Ep II is also my least favorite, but I still like it better that 99% of the other movies out there. If they had made Geonosis a cool planet, then I’d be a much bigger fan of it.
And new a redesigned site is very exciting!
Fair melissa – whereabout on west coast are you? Near los Angeles perhaps?
And will the new site be *awesome* or *the coolest*??
Prequels—still…so….mad…at …Lucas….
Meh, I bet it’ll be some two-bit redesign…
I haven’t seen anyone post this yet. On the Sci-Fi website ( http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/razor/) You can vote for the cover art for the upcoming DVD release of Razor and get to watch a new preview of the same. Afterwards, you can sign up for updates to the DVD’s release and view another cool preview! I hope I’m not repeating old news.
Hello Guys,
Greetings from Glasgow in Scotland (no meetup for me then!!!!), ive been listening to your podcasts for a while and made a couple of comments elsewhere on the blog, but really I just wanted to thank Chuck, Audra and Sean for keeping us entertained and informed every week, I normally listen at 7am on a Monday morning here (GMT), gives me a laugh before the dread of work sets in. firstly can I just say the foreboding music Audra was referring to in The Farm and Pegasus was the Sharon (Athena) theme. we dont get cool star wars exhibitions here, thou I did go to a star trek exhibition in Edinburgh many years ago and stood next to the Launcher thing that sorin fires at the Veridian sun in Generations and it was oh so dissapointingly wooden lol, so I cant help but feel im missing out.
On an unrelated note im thinking the final five are responsible for maintaining the cycle of time as eluded to in the scriptures, both the cylons and the colonials are getting nearer to earth, the activation of the four seems to suggest some sort of failsafe to ensure both parties are kept in check.
Anyway enough from me, keep up the great work guys, oh and call yourself gentlemen, never let Audra stand alone again, shes way too cool, and you never know when you might need a doctor
David
I dont get Audra’s obsession with defending Ellen. Shes a slut…she goes around sleeping with other guys. Im sure the good brother didnt exactly have to whip out a gun and hold it to her head to get her in bed, and of course Ellen could have brought the idea up herself. This whole Lifetime movie “the woman is always the victim’ nonsense is getting old
Racetracksman, just one word: stay away from MY girl!
Oh…and welcome!
(Damn! That’s TWO words… okay, more like six…DAMMIT!)
Armando: The Flash Gordon movie with the Queen soundtrack is from 1980…and out on DVD now. 🙂 I love it for the soundtrack and cheesiness.
Pike: Funny….do they come with Llamas on them?
Chuck: Cool with the merchandise coming and the site reimagining. Looking forward to seeing some of Sean’s art.
A. Ace, you just have to understand, Audra’s got a Cavil obsession, hence an Ellen obsession. She did a very telling poem early on…
Gryper, No, they come with Alpacas on them. They’re like a short llama…
Armando,
changed my name, is that better 🙂
Awww….you did that for me?
Hey, if Tyrol and Helo can set aside their differences, so can we! Besides, it’s BSG. Threesomes are in! And I’m sure Racetrack won’t mind. She’s probably open-minded that way.
Did I take that too far? Please, gods, tell me I didn’t!
Pike Says: Audra’s got a Cavil obsession
ahh-HAA!!! I knew I was the only one who saw it.
Audra Looooooves Cavil
She wants to daaaaate him
She wants to kiiiiiiiss him (makin’ kissy noises)
heh heh heh 🙂
Dave
That Athena asked Dee for her dad’s pocket knife got me thinking: Can a cylon download while still alive? And then a parallel cylon could be created with all the original’s memories up to that point. That could be how Athena knows Boomer’s friends and their details, but still is different than Boomer (like not quite as screwed up as Boomer seems to have gotten). Also, it would make sense that cylons would want a complete debrief of their deep cover agents before the attack and that could account for Athena not knowing what happened to Boomer.
Am I the only person who is having issues downloading this episode? Whether through Itunes or directly, I am getting all kinds of lovely and fun errors.
Pike said: Meh, I bet it’ll be some two-bit redesign…
hehe.. 🙂
Airborne Ace said: This whole Lifetime movie “the woman is always the victim’ nonsense is getting old
Despite your caustic tone, I’ll attempt to explain. Generalizing a single defense of one person doesn’t, I think, qualify as Lifetime movie “nonsense.” I’m not even sure how my comments relate to that. I don’t think Ellen Tigh is a victim very often; she’s usually most comfortable manipulating other people. But what I said about Cavil “using” Ellen is also true. She may have been a loose woman with questionable morals, but that doesn’t mean treating her like trash is acceptable, either.
It is an observable fact that in our (Western) society, sleeping around still often earns women derogatory titles like “slut” and earns a lot of men high-fives and a sort of admirable, virile persona.
And when it comes to discussing women as victims, feeling bored, offended, or irritated with the subject isn’t justification for obfuscating the facts. When Sharon is nearly raped on Pegasus, she is a victim. And Ellen Tigh falls victim in her own ways, if even from her own flaws. These topics are rarely discussed despite their undoubted significance among the weightier issues in BSG. So, I think bringing it up once in a podcast is a far cry from harping on some tired old feminist agenda. In fact, it does the issue little justice in the face of a none-too-subtle backlash against feminism that, as we can see, still rears its head now and then.
Speaking as someone who actually *is* ordained (and not out of the back of a magazine, ahem ), I will say that conducting weddings is not all it is cracked up to be. In my experience, the bride and groom were generally great to work with, but then the wedding rehearsal comes and you realize how almost everybody there except for you is more concerned about how much booze there will be at the reception than planning a meaningful ceremony. Oh, well. Just thought I would throw that in. 🙂
Audra, I’d like to add some to your (excellent) commentary on feminism, victimization, and BSG women: part of why I love BSG is that it’s one of the few shows on tv that truly reflects feminist values without having a feminist archetype character to prove it. Many of you probably ask, “Huh? But there’s no Gloria Steinem character yelling “Gotcha,” and none of the women harp about having been kept back because of their gender.” Duh. That’s what I’m talking about.
Feminism has changed since its 1970s high point as a force in popular culture. Feminists today aren’t as united in their goals and it’s less a political movement than a system of values by which to live. Those values include recognizing that many social forces have had disproportionately negative effects on women, and that women are valued less than men in too many part of our lives, and (most crucially) the conviction that this should be reversed to create a more equitable world. In the Galactica universe they have a society where the underlying values don’t seem to systematically preference men over women, and where people inherently value humans of both genders equally. It doesn’t mean there’s no gender differences or that some women must repeatedly remind everyone else that things aren’t perfect.
Within the context of the show, the fact that Sharon is nearly raped is not about her gender but about her species, and Ellen’s faults aren’t the faults of a treacherous woman but those of a person with an addictive personality and an inability to anticipate consequences. Starbuck is remarkable because she’s the best Viper pilot, the best nugget trainer, the best marksman, one of the best in hand-to-hand combat, and can drink her jacked husband and an entire squadron under the table as soon as she’s done with her workday– not because she is a lady who can do any one of those things. Similarly, Roslyn is initially doubted by the populace not because she is a she but because she doesn’t have real leadership experience.
I don’t understand feeling tired of feminism– how do you feel tired of valuing people of both genders equally? No one says you have to join NOW or go to a rally. And believe me, few feminists OR non-feminist women want to be treated like a woman on Lifetime. Airborne Ace, in your post I see almost nothing but an echo of the pop culture backlash against generation-old aspects of a vibrant movement that has changed a lot in 30 years. I don’t get the sense that you have a particularly informed opinion.
Anyone else have thoughts on BSG and feminism ? I’d love to hear some other perspectives.
Audra, you’ve just demonstrated why you are, indeed, the coolest. Rock on!
“Anyone else have thoughts on BSG and feminism ? I’d love to hear some other perspectives. ”
I think you and Audra have made some remarkable statements and there’s not much that I, at least, can add to them. As a man, I can’t really say that I understand the transformation of the feminist movement over the last 30 or so years, but I understand how that happens. What I don’t get is the persistence of views that would hold women to secondary status. Perhaps it’s so endemic to human culture that it has become almost genetically ingrained. It took me staying home with our daughter for a year to understand exactly how much work a stay at home mom does each day. It was the toughest year of my life so far as well as the best, and it certainly taught me to appreciate my wife’s role in our household, regardless of what role she chooses (she is no longer a stay at home mom, though she is planning on returning to the home for the first year of our second daughter’s life starting this winter). If anything, I am heartened by what I notice in some feminist circles as the acceptance that making a choice to stay home is a valuable decision (though even so, it seems that this is a difficult choice for many feminists to make).
Then there’s the whole double standard of sexual mores which Audra brought up. Talk about a long road towards change there!
Anyway, like I said, I am a man so I do not have first hand experience with the issues women face daily. I am, however, the father of girls who will grow up to be women. I certainly do not want them to grow up in a world where the only options available to them are limited by the chauvinistic views of a small portion of a small portion of the population. I would hope that in 21st century western society issues like gender would be secondary to a person’s value and ability to contribute to society, something the writers of BSG are able to show us in their society (an interesting thought: it’s a Cylon, Simon, who suggests that Starbuck should give up her career as a pilot in order to have children given her healthy reproductive system. A question not just of gender roles, I know, but an aspect of that episode, “The Farm,” which I had not thought about till this argument came up).
Starbuccaneer, you point out that the issue of Sharon’s near-rape was one of species rather than of gender, and this is true. Others in the thread on the Pegasus frak party have addressed this issue as well. Although, one can’t help but think it would be very strange indeed if we were dealing with a male Cylon nearly being raped by female guards. We could still truthfully call it a species issue, but there’s no denying that in the audience of BSG it would be so bizarre that it’d create much greater waves. What I mean to say is, though within the world of the show, it’s only a species issue, it still resonates strongly within gender issues of the audience.
Starbuccaneer wrote: “part of why I love BSG is that it’s one of the few shows on tv that truly reflects feminist values without having a feminist archetype character to prove it.”
I absolutely agree with this sentiment. It’s nice to see “true” feminism, which is defined as the equal treatment of men and women, in the show without some militant feminist character beating us about the head with the issue.
Armando, thanks for your thoughts!
Hello all, longtime firstime here…
I cannot recall what podcast this one on, but you were throwing around the question ‘Which ship you would want to be on’ – well a very fine answer occurred to me…
I would want to be on one of the rebirth Cylon ships that would be filled with 6’s.
HOLY FRAK CHUCK! I think Owen Wilson heard what you said about Starsky & Hutch. I heard he slit his wrists in a failed suicide attempt. I guess money isnt everything.
I saw the star wars exhibit in the early 90’s in San Francisco. It was chinese new years so my wife & I went the night before, stayed in a hotel after the parade and got up to go see the exhibit in the morning. It also happend to be gay pride day so there were many people dressed a little odd.