I am sorry to all of my lovely family who also gave me wonderful gifts over the holidays, but I can only choose one favorite gift and it was given by Travis…
Perhaps the greatest gift of all time, Travis gave me the complete seven-season DVD collection of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ST:TNG is my absolute favorite television program… ever. I have been talking about getting it on DVD for years. It just makes me happy to watch it. Not only does it tell the story of a utopian human future, but it shows us how to get there. The story lines are overtly political/moral, with “evolved” human values (tolerance, anti-capital punishment, vegetarianism, the importance of constant learning and discovery…) being expressed in every episode. There is also tons of theoretical physics worked in, which I find fascinating even if it is only theoretical. The characters are all extra-ordinary in some way and completely brilliant. Of course, my favorite is Captain Jean Luc Picard. Kind, yet strong, he always makes the correct decision. You couldn’t ask for a better person to boldly lead you where no one has gone before.
Thank you, Travis. (Part of the gift was that he promised to watch every episode with me!)
Colby T-Shirt!?
ugh, i hate coming in second. i really thought “shirt for your future kid” would win it for me this year.
Pay attention in the early episodes and you can hear Data using contractions. That’s something the character isn’t supposed to have been able to master in later episodes.