I won't be writing anything super lengthy in these update posts; I'll just be jotting down some things that stand out as funny and/or interesting.
The Physics of Your Magic:
(Sci-Fi/Fantasy Lit Track)
John Ringo admitted he once cured a case of writer's block by pulling out his dice and his Dungeon Master's Guide and turning to the random tables. He also made a map for the March Upcountry series by jiggling around a map of Earth in the Cretaceous period. LOL! He certainly has no pretensions of being the next J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Military in SF: A Crutch, or Good Planning?
(American Sci-Fi/Fantasy Media Track)
I spoke on this one. I pointed out that the first science fiction shows and movies to hit the mainstream consciousness - the shows and movies that established many of the tropes for American sci-fi media - were originally conceived at or near the beginning of the age of space exploration, a time when most - if not all - of the astronauts were drawn from the military. Another panelist expanded on this by adding that the military was also at the vanguard of exploratory endeavors during the Age of Sail. I further observed that many of the shows under discussion involved interaction with clearly hostile alien forces, making the heavy military presence a necessity, not a crutch. My favorite audience comment: "When the other guy wants to eat you, there is no common ground."
One panelist tried to use this panel as a soapbox to air out his pacifist views, but two of us were former military and three others - myself included - were military brats, so we didn't let him get away with it.
After the panel, a member of the audience approached me and asked me which show, in my opinion, does the best job portraying the military realistically. I mentioned Heroes, the two-part episode of SG1 that may in fact be our most favorite episode of Stargate EVER here at Right Fans, and naturally, I couldn't stop myself from tearing up when I started talking about THE scene. (SABR Matt, I'm sure, knows which scene I mean.) Everyone thought I was cute.
Stump the Geeks:
(American Sci-Fi Classics)
Joe Crowe of Revolution SF headed up this game. He asked various members of the audience to identify sci-fi movie quotes and answer other trivia questions and handed out prizes for correct answers. What makes this event a hoot is what Joe does to the losers. Last year, he brought a bottle of Incredible Hulk Cologne (yes, there really is such a thing), and sprayed all the losers with it. This year, he used Goofy Cologne (yes, apparently this also exists, and I can confirm from personal experience that it smells like wet dog). People, for obvious reasons, were afraid of Joe's Goofy Cologne. One audience member actually started scrambling over the chairs to get away from it, which was hilarious. Also hilarious was the moment when Joe accidentally sprayed himself. "It burns!" he exclaimed, to which an audience member responded, "If it burns, pee on it!" I laughed so hard during this game that my face was hurting by the end.
And thus endeth my Friday round of highlights. Stay tuned!
Heroes...I cannot wait to review that episode. :) I have more than one "THE scene" moment in that show, but I do know which scene it was...and it was truly one of the best moments in my entire TV watching life. There are about five places where that two-parter makes me cry EVERY time.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I would have also mentioned:
ReplyDelete- The Siege of AR558 (DS9)
- Early BSG episodes like the pilot miniseries and 33 minutes
- Firefly 1:14 - The Message
- Band of Brothers (OK...not sci-fi, but a must-watch)
The idea behind many of my choices when I tell people what they should watch when it comes to military sci fi is to show them stuff that hammers home both the frail humanity of the men and women defending our freedom, and the impossible strength and compassion with which they do their thankless jobs.
Basically...I want people to understand why the media periodically reports about bad things done by military personnel (they're still human and not perfect) but at the same time, I want them to see the nobility and moral strength of the vast majority of them.
Although, I would have also mentioned:
ReplyDelete- The Siege of AR558 (DS9)
- Early BSG episodes like the pilot miniseries and 33 minutes
- Firefly 1:14 - The Message
- Band of Brothers (OK...not sci-fi, but a must-watch)
Well, Heroes was the first thing that popped into my brain, but of course you are right about all of the above.
Basically...I want people to understand why the media periodically reports about bad things done by military personnel (they're still human and not perfect) but at the same time, I want them to see the nobility and moral strength of the vast majority of them.
My summary comments at the end of the panel pretty much went along these lines. I acknowledged that the military - like any other large organization - has its bad seeds, but also stressed that most in its ranks are extremely competent and committed to making the world a better place. They don't just kill people and blow things up; they also pass out food to civilians, build bridges, provide disaster relief worldwide, etc.