A Means to an End

“That’s insane!” — Jared Dirac, Special Forces soldier

*** This was originally a post on my “A View from the Right” blog earlier this year. I’m on vacation this week and needed something that wouldn’t take to long to prep ahead of time, and since the book being cited in this is sci-fi, I figured some of you might enjoy it here, too. ***

The following conversation — technically just half of a conversation — is an excerpt from the science-fiction novel The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi. Normally, I would be more likely to share something like this on my “Heroes and Aliens” blog. But, this section (and the book as a whole) touches on a number of issues and concepts that are relevant to this blog, e.g., science, politics, worldview, war, ethics, the nature of consciousness, self-identity, etc.

So, while I’m not going to comment on it (much), I thought some of you might find it interesting. A warning, though, for those who might want to read Scalzi’s book and the series it is a part of; this excerpt contains a few…

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Just to give the scene some context: Dr. Charles Boutin is a traitorous, human scientist — sane(?) but ethically-challenged and seeking revenge/”justice” against the Colonial Union (i.e, humans). He faked his death and has allied himself with one of the CU’s most powerful enemies, i.e., the mysterious and dispassionately brutal Obin race. Jared Dirac is not only a member of the CU’s Special Forces but also a clone of Boutin specially grown to help figure out Boutin’s plans. At this point, Jared has managed to find Boutin but got himself captured by the Obin. The two are now in Boutin’s secret lab, where Jared is physically incapacitated.

— — —

“That’s insane,” Jared said. “The Obin wouldn’t start a war just because you asked them to.”

“Really?” Boutin said. A sneer crept onto his face. “And you know this from your vast, personal knowledge of the Obin? Your years of study on the matter? You wrote your doctoral thesis on the Obin?”

“No species would go to war just because you asked them to,” Jared said. “The Obin don’t do anything for anyone else.”

“And they’re not now,” Boutin said. “The war is a means to an end — they want what I can offer them.”

“And what is that?” Jared asked.

“I can give them souls,” Boutin said.

“I don’t understand,” Jared said.

“It’s because you don’t know the Obin,” Boutin said. “The Obin are a created race — the Consu made them just to see what would happen. But despite rumors to the contrary, the Consu aren’t perfect. They make mistakes. And they made a huge mistake when they made the Obin. They gave the Obin intelligence, but what they couldn’t do — what they didn’t have the capability of doing — was to give the Obin consciousness.”

“The Obin are conscious,” Jared said. “They have a society. They communicate. They remember. They think.”

“So what?” Boutin said. “Termites have societies. Every species communicates. You don’t have to be intelligent to remember — you have a computer in your head that remembers everything you ever do, and it’s fundamentally no more intelligent than a rock. And as for thinking, what about thinking requires you to observe yourself doing it? Not a g_______d thing. You can create an entire starfaring race that has no more self-introspection than a protozoan, and the Obin are the living proof of that. The Obin are aware collectively that they exist. But not one of them individually has anything that you would recognize as a personality. No ego. No ‘I’.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jared said.

“Why not?” Boutin said. “What are the trappings of self-awareness? And do the Obin have it? The Obin have no art, Dirac. They have no music or literature or visual arts. They comprehend the concept of art intellectually but they have no way to appreciate it. The only time they communicate is to tell each other factual things: where they’re going, or what’s over that hill or how many people they need to kill. They can’t lie. They have no moral inhibition against it — they don’t actually have any real moral inhibitions against anything — but they can no more formulate a lie than you or I could levitate an object with our mind power. Our brains aren’t wired that way; their brains aren’t wired that way. Everybody lies. Everybody who is conscious, who has a self-image to maintain. But they don’t. They’re perfect.”

“Being ignorant of your own existence is not what I’d call ‘perfect’,” Jared said.

“They are perfect,” Boutin insisted. “They don’t lie. They cooperate perfectly with each other, within the structure of their society. Challenges or disagreements are dealt with in a prescribed manner. They don’t backstab. They are perfectly moral because their morals are absolute — hardcoded. They have no vanity and no ambition…. And they have no fear.”

“Every creature has fear,” Jared said. “Even the non-conscious ones.”

“No,” Boutin said. “Every creature has a survival instinct. It looks like fear but it’s not the same thing. Fear isn’t the desire to avoid death or pain. Fear is rooted in the knowledge that what you recognize as yourself can cease to exist. Fear is existential. The Obin are not existential in the slightest. That’s why they don’t surrender. It’s why they don’t take prisoners. It’s why the Colonial Union fears them, you know. Because they can’t be made afraid. What an advantage that is! It’s so much of an advantage that if I’m ever in charge of creating human soldiers again, I’m going to suggest stripping out their consciousness.”

Jared shuddered. Boutin noted it. “Come now, Dirac,” Boutin said. “You can’t tell me that awareness has been a happy thing for you. Aware that you’ve been created for a purpose other than your own existence. Aware of memories of someone else’s life. Aware that your purpose is nothing more than to kill the people and things the Colonial Union points you at. You’re a gun with an ego. You’d be better off without the ego.”

“Horse____,” Jared said.

Boutin smiled. “Well, fair enough,” he said. “I can’t say I’d want to be without self-awareness, either. And since you’re supposed to be me I can’t say that I’m surprised you feel the same way.”

“If the Obin are perfect I don’t see why they would need you,” Jared said.

“Because they don’t see themselves as perfect, of course,” Boutin said. “They know they lack consciousness, and while individually it might not matter much to them, as a species, it matters a great deal. They saw my work on consciousness — mostly on consciousness transference but also my early notes on recording and storing consciousness entirely. They desired what they thought I could give them. Greatly.”

“Have you given them consciousness?” Jared asked.

“Not yet,” Boutin said. “But I’m getting close. Close enough to make them desire it even more.”

“‘Desire’,” Jared repeated. “A strong emotion for a species who lacks sentience…. Why would knowing they lack consciousness matter to them?” Jared asked.

“Why did knowing that she couldn’t eat from the tree of knowledge matter to Eve?” Boutin said. “It shouldn’t have mattered but it did. She was temptable — which, if you should believe in an all-powerful God, means God intentionally put temptation into Eve. Which seems like a dirty trick, if you ask me. There’s no reason the Obin should desire sentience. It’ll do them no good. But they want it anyway. I think it’s possible that the Consu, rather than screwing up and creating an intelligence without ego, intentionally created the Obin that way, and then programmed them with the desire for the one thing they could not have.”

“But why?”

“Why do the Consu do anything?” Boutin said. “When you’re the most advanced species around, you don’t have to explain yourselves to the rock bangers, which would be us. For our purposes, they might as well be gods. And the Obin are the poor, insensate Adams and Eves.”

“So this makes you the snake,” Jared said.

Boutin smiled at the backhanded reference. “Maybe so,” he said. “And maybe by giving the Obin what they want, I’ll force them out of their egoless paradise. They can deal with that. In the meantime, I’ll get what I want from this. I’ll get my war, and I’ll get the end of the Colonial Union.”

— — —

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of Dirac and Boutin’s conversation. What caught your attention? Did either of them make unwarranted assumptions or some other logic error? (For example, Boutin’s strangely limited definition of “fear”.) Was there any seeming confusion of terms? Any point you particularly (dis)agree with? Let us know below…

And if anyone can tell me the correct pronunciation of “Boutin” (which I think might be French), I’d really appreciate it.

Review of Star Trek: Picard, Season 3

“I don’t want to set the world on fire…” — The Ink Spots, playing on the SS Eleos in S03 opening scene

Season 3 of “Picard” is over and done with as of nearly three weeks ago (from when I post this), and I actually finished watching it a couple days later. But, I couldn’t gather my thoughts sufficiently to put a review together last week, especially after having just finished a review on the third season of “The Mandalorian”. In other words, I needed some space, or time. Well, we’ll see how it goes this week…

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

I have to begin with commenting on how great it was to see (most of) the old crew… I mean, senior crew… well, both of those fit in more ways than one… the senior officers from the Enterprise D and E together again. And while they weren’t all there from episode 1, the organic way that each one was added to the story and joined the adventure worked well.

I remember when news of the “Picard” series was first announced, and there was concern that it would just be an excuse to throw all of the old crew back together again. I had my concerns, too. But, while Riker and Troi did have parts to play in the first season, and Guinan showed up along the way, I think it was indeed better to wait to gather them (along with Seven) for the series finale, especially as the plot hearkened back to previous events from TNG and VOY.

The opening scene and subsequent revelations about Dr. Crusher’s activities and 20-year estrangement from her friends was surprising but, I think, added some interesting “notes” to her character development — not to mention Picard’s. The whole situation with Picard discovering Jack’s existence and the two of them trying to work it out was understandably awkward and poignant for both, considering what we know of both of their lives (including Picard’s issues with his father).

On a side note, I had a bit of a hard time buying Ed Speleers (who played Jack) as only 20 years old. Sure, he played the part well enough. But, even aside from the fact that he was already in his mid-30s when “Picard” S03 filmed, the character was unusually mature (and knowledgeable) for his age. I guess living on the frontier as a thief and “underground” provider of medical supplies will force a lad to grow up quickly.

Back to our main cast… Yes, Picard’s story continued as expected. But, we got to see/hear some interesting twists regarding Riker’s existential questions and his and Troi’s marital issues — thankfully ending on a good note. We saw a somewhat transformed Worf — now a “pacifist” yet still deadly warrior. We found out what Geordi was up to these days and discovered that he is married with two grown daughters in Starfleet, one of which (serving on the Titan/Enterprise) decided to be a pilot rather than engineer. But, perhaps the biggest character development was that of Data.

Shaw & Seven (Todd Stashwick & Jeri Ryan)

Can we still call him “Data”, since his personality and memories are now a mix of Data, Lore, B4, and various Soongs? (And Lal?) But, Data and Lore did appear to be the most dominant minds in there, and Data even managed to subsume, or even eradicate, Lore in the end. But, not before a great “virtual battle” between them to see who would control the android body and save (or not) the Titan. This was “classic Trek”, and it was wonderful to see Spiner revisit those characters and associated TNG memories.

Both Seven and Raffi had significant roles again this season, as well as significant revelations and movement in their character arcs. They were mostly apart this time, but they found other “partners” to bicker with — Capt. Shaw and Worf, respectively. To be honest, much as I like Seven, I was a little dubious about her inclusion amongst the TNG crew in “Picard”, sharing in their story. But, I like what she brought to the show, and this season in particular was also her story. In the end, I approve of the character arcs that both Seven and Raffi had — as individuals, not as a “couple” (season 2) — and where they ended up.

Speaking of Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), I was going to include him among the season’s antagonists, but that isn’t quite fair. Yes, he was a hardass jerk and antagonistic toward Seven, Riker, and especially Picard. But, getting some of his backstory helped to explain that, making him a more sympathetic character. And, of course, as the plot progressed and he found himself working alongside our heroes and perhaps recognizing the necessity of taking “dangerous” actions in dire situations, he seemed to soften just a bit toward them. And, in the end, Shaw was himself quite the hero. I find myself wishing he could show up again, somewhere, somehow.

As for those other antagonists, I already mentioned Lore. That leaves the two big villains: Vadic & the Changelings and the Borg. The Vadic character was, as I understand it, written specifically for Amanda Plummer. I get it. She has always seemed a bit odd to me, and while circumstances kept her from practicing much or consulting with showrunner Terry Matalas, she knocked it out of the park. Her mix of quirky and menacing made for one very intriguing and unpredictable villain. Great character, great performance! It’s just a shame that she already met her demise…

Some have complained that this was yet another Borg story, and I admit I was fine with “Picard” season 2 being the last we saw of them on screen. But, this team-up was a very creative way to bring back both the Changelings and the Borg, each of whom had been given a raw deal by Starfleet and the Federation. (In their thinking, anyway.) I have to admit, I’m even more confused than I was before about what the time-traveling events in S02 did to the Borg and the Jurati/Borg Queen. Hopefully, this is just due to my own struggle to understand the events and concepts rather than a mistake by the “Picard” writers. Regardless, the “showdown” in the Borg cube and its final destruction was rather impressive. The Borg Queen was outwitted one final time — though not easily — and got just what she deserved.

Vadic (Amanda Plummer)

I was glad to see so many cameos of returned characters and of familiar actors in new ST roles. Among the former, we saw Laris (Orla Brady), Tuvok (Tim Russ), Moriarty (Daniel Davis), Adm. Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy), Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), and Q (John de Lancie). We didn’t see but did hear Alice Krige as the voice of the Borg Queen and Walter Koenig as the voice of Pavel Chekov’s son Anton, now President of the Federation. (A nice nod to the TOS character played by Koenig and to the late Anton Yelchin that played him in the Kelvin-timeline films.)

Among the latter, we saw Thomas Dekker (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”, “Swimming with Sharks”) playing Changeling terrorist Titus Rikka; Kirk Acevedo (“Fringe”, “Arrow”) as the Vulcan gangster Krinn; and Aaron Stanford (“Nikita”, “Traveler”) playing Ferengi crimelord/broker Sneed. Dekker once played Picard’s imaginary son, Thomas, in Star Trek Generations, as well as a guest role on “Voyager”. The aforementioned Stashwick once appeared in an episode of “Enterprise”. (Note: Matalas previously worked with Stanford, Acevedo, and Stashwick on “12 Monkeys”, which he co-developed.)

There were several new supporting characters, mostly on the bridge of the Titan, and they all did fine jobs. But there are two I want to take special note of. First, LeVar Burton’s daughter, Mica Burton, portrayed one of Geordi’s daughters, Alandra La Forge. Granted, she didn’t have a lot to do or say, but she did a decent job. The other is Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, who played Geordi’s other daughter, Ens. Sidney La Forge. She had a bigger role to play, both as a bridge crewman and in her interactions with Jack and others of the main cast. I enjoyed her performance a lot and hope to see more of her.

Lest you wonder if my review is overly rosy, there were indeed certain actions or plot points that bugged me. But, I was more successful in curbing my nitpickiness this time around. 😉

As usual, I have a few miscellaneous comments:

1) A shuttle named “Saavik”? Nice homage “easter egg”.

2) Worf sure knows how to make a dramatic, nick-of-time entrance!

3) Why wasn’t Vadic’s crew’s speech translated into Standard? Maybe they weren’t using Universal Translators but Vadic herself (and her “handler”) was actually speaking Standard? If so, why?

4) As with Patrick Stewart, I noticed that Michael Dorn’s voice isn’t as deep or strong as it once was. Age will do that, I suppose.

5) “Resigoo!” Why didn’t I think of that?

Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers)

6) Ro Laren’s final words to Picard — both in the ship’s corridor and from the shuttle — were just what we were hoping for, and secretly handing him her earring was a nice touch. A sad but satisfying way of wrapping up Ro’s story.

7) There were some very nice one-on-one scenes between certain characters (e.g., Seven and Jack, Riker and Troi, Geordi and Data).

8) There was also some greatly appreciated levity from time to time, but not overdone.

9) This season was another emotional wringer for our heroes, not to mention full of ethical challenges!

10) Cool VFX! The new ships and old ships alike were generally quite good, with the latter (especially the Enterprise D) getting nostalgia points.

11) Loved the finale end-scene with the TNG crew toasting, chatting, and playing poker at the old/new Ten-Forward. The end-credit scene with Jack and Q was fun, too.

Before I forget, I was a bit surprised that there were no opening credits this time, as they were all moved to the end of each episode, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked the computer screen graphics sequence (station readouts, etc.), the mix of new and old theme music, and, of course, the dedication to Annie Wersching at the end of the first episode. (Note: Matalas replaced composer Jeff Russo with Stephen Barton, Matalas’ collaborator from “12 Monkeys”.)

This third season was definitely the best “Picard” season and one of the — if not the — most old-school Trek-feeling plots in recent memory. (“Strange New Worlds” has some good stuff, too, though.) Part of this was because of the guest stars, I’m sure, but it was also the writing. In short, it was very much welcomed, enjoyable, and a fitting send-off for the majority of the TNG crew (plus a couple others). That said, I am totally in favor of a “Star Trek: Legacy” series following Captain Seven and her crew on the Enterprise G, which it sounds like the powers-that-be are seriously considering.

Make it so!

Review of Iron Fist, Season 2

“Chance always looks like fate in the tail lights.” — Colleen Wing

I have to say, I didn’t think it would happen. As far as I could tell, the reviews from Season 1 of Netflix’s “Iron Fist” were uniformly bad. The star, the story, the fight scenes, et al., just about everything was disappointing. Yet, for whatever reasons, the powers-that-be decided to renew it for another season. Now that Season 2 has aired and I’ve had a chance to view it, I’ve got a few thoughts to share….

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

Frankly, I didn’t want to see the Meachums or Davos again. I’d had enough of the Meachum family drama and Davos’ sulking in Season 1. I was hoping for someone new and exciting. But, once again the Netflix team decided to bring back the initial, surviving (pseudo-)villains for another go ’round. Of course, as the story picks up, everyone is dealing with the aftermath of the first season’s revelations and events. Joy and Davos have let their bitterness, jealousy, and frustration twist them, so that they are willing to put aside their differences and go to great lengths in order to get revenge on Danny Rand. Meanwhile, Ward is attending (though not participating in) N.A. meetings and trying… sorta… to be a better person. But, as his sponsor says, “You lead with @$$#0l3!”

Aside from the machinations of Joy and Davos, we have the threat of a nasty gang war, as the Triads vie for dominance following The Hand’s disappearance. It occurred to me that this seemed like a plot device borrowed from “Luke Cage”, where much the same happened over in Harlem. Another similarity was that one antagonist — Davos, in this case — is angry ‘cuz he feels like his birthright was stolen from him. Sounds a lot like the pain in Luke’s butt named ‘Bushmaster’.

I loved that Colleen Wing was such a big part of this story. Adding Misty Knight into the mix was like frosting on the cake. (These two ladies are lovely and bad@$$! Ahem…) I’ve mentioned before how much I’d like to see them spin off into their own “Daughters of the Dragon” or “Knightwing Restorations” series. So, Misty’s suggesting to Colleen about becoming an investigator — even though she was thinking “cop” — and then that talk near the end about “Knight… Wing… it’s got a little ring to it.” is all a very good sign.

Regarding Colleen “teaching” the injured Danny, I don’t get it. He lost strength and mobility in his leg; he didn’t lose his martial knowledge and skills. He’s supposed to be a better overall fighter than her, than just about anyone, anyway. What the heck is she supposed to teach him? Train with him? Sure. Teach him? Hmmm… Maybe the equivalent of a physical therapist forcing him to get back into shape, I suppose. Another thing I don’t get is why Danny and Colleen’s relationship was negatively affected by her training him or getting the Fist or… whatever. What did I miss?

Walker and Davos

The Mary/Walker character(s) was… interesting, but odd. While she was formidable, her fighting seemed somewhat brutish, lacking much style or grace. Maybe that’s because she was taught by the military, as opposed to in a “real” martial arts dojo or a mystical lost city like K’un-Lun? I dunno. Walker comes across as a bit “off”, certainly menacing, but not quite as skilled as one might think she’d be. I would not have picked Alice Eve for the part (though I’m not really that familiar with her work). Still, she did a decent job. Not as nutso as “Typhoid Mary” from the comics (though that version tangles with Daredevil, not Iron Fist), but there’s time for a psychotic break next season(?), I suppose. At least, Walker is now aware that she & Mary share headspace with a third, even more violent persona. Could be interesting, especially if she crosses over into the “Daredevil” series.

The new showrunner, Raven Metzner, appears to have recognized the pacing issues that other reviewers and I have spoken of re the Netflix/Marvel shows. This was mostly fixed with tighter writing, but shrinking the season from the usual 13 down to 10 episodes (as was also recommended) helped, too. Yay!

I have to admit, the Danny Rand character continues to improve. I first mentioned this in my review of Luke Cage’s second season (in which Danny cameoed), noting that he seemed a bit more mature and centered. This was the case for the first few episodes here, but then he wavered a bit as his issues both with Davos and with the Fist itself led him to giving it up. I didn’t care for the “addiction” angle, to be honest, but it did lend itself to a nice parallel (and empathy?) with Ward Meachum’s issues. Best of all, though, were the improvements in the fight scenes, especially Danny’s. I read somewhere that Finn Jones (who plays ‘Danny’) started training — martial arts, weights, yoga — 5 months before the season even began production. He and Jessica Henwick (who plays ‘Colleen’) were in great shape and did most of their own stunts, and it shows. Plus, the producers hired a new fight choreographer, Clayton Barber (fresh off of Black Panther), which led to marked improvements in the fight scenes over those in Season 1. Still not up to the level I would expect for the Iron Fist, but getting there.

Storywise, it seemed odd to me that the power of the Iron Fist — normally only given to the winner of a ritual combat, followed by confrontation with an immortal dragon — could be stolen/transferred the way that it was from Danny to Davos, and then from Davos to Colleen. I’m also somewhat unsure how I feel about Colleen now being the Immoral Iron Fist. Not that there is anyone more worthy. I suppose one could point out that the series is titled “Iron Fist”, not “Danny Rand”. Apparently, this change also gave Danny an opportunity to learn some new stuff during his travels in Asia with Ward. But, I trust that next season will at some point have Danny regaining the title — though, hopefully less painfully for both Colleen and him. (Note: She does look pretty cool with the white Fist, and the glowing katana, too.)

Speaking of Danny’s quest to discover the secret history of the Iron Fist, I noticed that the identity of the person whose remains Davos had shipped was “Orson Randall”. In the comics, this was the wielder of the Iron Fist prior to Danny. They met and had some adventures in the Immortal Iron Fist comic series, most of which I read in trade paperback. Randall is already dead in the Netflix/Marvel universe, but it could be interesting if the writers incorporate other aspects of that story into the show — e.g., other Lost Cities and their own defenders.

Misty and Colleen

Beyond the other positive aspects I’ve mentioned, the character development this season was impressive. I may not have wanted to see Davos or the Meachums again, but I have to give props to the actors and writers alike. In fact, episode 6 stood out to me as having some of the best dialogs between Colleen and Misty and between Ward and Joy, though there were more in the last couple episodes. (The bits with the guy leading Davos around the city from target to target were “fun”, too.) As for Davos, on the one hand, I don’t find him physically imposing at all, being on the short side (though perhaps slightly more muscular than Danny). On the other hand, his unpredictability, simmering anger, thirst for vengeance, and impressive fighting skills did make him a force to be reckoned with. As with Finn Jones, I would probably not have cast this actor (Sacha Dhawan), but he has brought this very driven, self-righteous character to life as written.

On a brief note, I appreciated the additional nods to the design and colors of the classic Iron Fist costume in the flashbacks and in the remains of the costume in the coffin. I have a feeling we’re never going to see Danny Rand in that costume, per se, but perhaps we’ll get a modified version. Someday…

Overall, I agree with the consensus that Season 2 of “Iron Fist” was a huge improvement over Season 1. In fact, whereas I gave that first season a grade of ‘C-‘ (at best), I’d give this season a ‘B-‘ … maybe even a ‘B’. This puts it, imho, just behind “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage”. (DD is still the one to beat.) 🙂