A Grownup Gamer’s Guide To Kids And Video Games

Posted on April 9, 2013 · Leave a Comment

kids-internetAs a tech support specialist I’m often asked about kids and video games. To a non-tech-savvy parent, the world of video games is as confusing as a foreign language. What are they playing? With whom are they playing? Are they safe online?

So I wrote this guide as both a parent and a gamer. And what I’ve learned is that you don’t need to protect your kids from video games – you need to protect them from the violent video game culture.

Are all video games violent?

No, as those of you who play Words With Friends know. Some video games are fine for kids. I would even go so far to say that some video games are good for kids, and I’m one of those annoying parents who won’t let her kids have “screen time” except on weekends.

You may be interested in Seymour Papert’s book The Connected Family which discusses how families can benefit and learn from technology in positive ways. I like the Lego series, for example, because it encourages cooperative play and problem-solving. Little Big Planet does, too. Even good old Sonic has his place – there’s nothing wrong with letting your kids run a little hedgehog around mazes collecting rings. Studies have shown that playing video games has a relaxing quality to it, producing the same sorts of brainwaves as in deep meditation.

But I’m not about to let my kids play Bioshock Infinite or Call of Duty. Just as I would recommend your kids watch Doctor Who (TV-PG) but not Game of Thrones (TV-MA) even though I watch both, I wouldn’t recommend your kids play the more violent video games out there. It’s a matter of appropriate content.

How can I find out if games my kids are playing are appropriate?

Read up on the titles they like. A web search for “(name of game) parent guide” will bring up the info you need.

You can also go by the ESRB rating on the cover. These work just like movie and television ratings. There’s a nice ESRB Ratings Guide you can use as a reference.

How do I tell my kids that I don’t want them to play a particular game?

Don’t be afraid to say no. If you’re not sure if a game is appropriate, watch them play it. You might even play it with them! Your kids may try to tell you “everybody’s playing this” but I assure you, and them, that they can find games that are just as fun to play without the gore and violence. There are some things that simply have to wait until you’re an adult, and mature-rated video games are in that category.

Can kids talk to strangers through video games?

Yes. These games often involve speaking to other players via headset (voice) or in-game chat (text). That other player could be the kid next door, or some creep halfway across the world.

So how can I let them play with friends but not with strangers?

Um… you don’t, not if they’re playing a multiplayer game across the Internet. Most throw all the players into one big electronic arena. That’s why supervision is essential; it’s like letting your kid loose in a big city without a grownup.

You can, however, run your own game by connecting multiple consoles on your own network (called a LAN party; LAN means Local Area Network). That’s much safer because you know exactly who is playing, but you physically have to get together – oh no, human interaction!

What is the “violent video game culture” you mentioned?

You’ve probably heard of rape culture thanks to the recent high-profile cases that have been making the news. There has been a backlash in the geek community over geek women and the inappropriate comments and situations we often have to face. When geek women complain over sexist remarks in professional settings, we are frequently vilified and even harassed both on the Internet and in real life. It’s a sad state of affairs and, while many people are fighting against this, it is still a very real risk.

You can find more here:

As you can see this culture of misogyny and harassment is widespread in certain violent video game circles. In short, there are people out there who get their kicks through cyberbullying and continual harassment. This is not something to which you want to expose your kids.

How can I make playing video games both fun and safe for my kids?

Encourage your kids to play in a safe, supervised environment. Why not set up a rotating Game Night or LAN party with other parents? The kids can play the games that they enjoy, and you know they’re really playing with friends and not random Internet creeps. Who knows… you might even find yourself wanting to join in!

How do I set up parental controls for video games?

All modern gaming consoles have parental control features. Here are instructions for some of the most popular consoles.

On a computer, you can use the built-in parental controls for Windows and Mac, or you can use a third-party service like Norton Online Family (works on PC, Mac, and mobile devices). Bear in mind that parental controls can be bypassed by a savvy kid. If you really want to lock down your network, you can configure your router to block games. You’ll have to look at your specific router’s instructions for that.

How can I make my kids understand the importance of video game safety?

Your kids will probably feel betrayed that you don’t want them to play certain games anymore. They don’t understand why Lego Star Wars is okay but Bioshock is not.

Explain why these changes are necessary for their protection. Visit sites like NetSmartz together. Talk about online dangers and what they can do to avoid them. Explain that you’re going to follow video game ratings just as you do TV and movie ratings. (Put the onus on the ESRB, they won’t mind.)

Meet your kids halfway. Ask to join them in their world of video games so you can see what intrigues them about it. You might be surprised to find you enjoy video games yourself. There’s nothing wrong with Mom or Dad enjoying a game night of their own.

Speaking of which, the number-one question I get about video games is:

Wait… you’re an adult and you play video games? Why would an adult want to do that?

Why do adults like any hobby? Because it’s fun and stimulates the imagination. Many of today’s games are more like novels than arcade shoot-em-ups. You’re missing some good stories by not playing video games. (I’m thinking specifically of Dragon Age and Mass Effect, if you want to know. But there are many others.)

I’ve noticed that, for adults, video games are classified as socially acceptable or not acceptable. If I mention that I play FarmVille (which I don’t, simply because it’s not my cup of tea), that is socially acceptable. If I mention that I play Tales Of Graces (a Japanese fantasy role playing game) that’s not acceptable.

Part of it is that most non-gamers aren’t familiar with the latest titles. But another part of it is that grownups playing anything beyond a select few games is apparently weird. I don’t get that, but I never stopped playing video games. I’ve been gaming continuously since the days of my Atari 2600 and I still do so today.

Do you have questions about kids and video games? Ask in the comments!

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Fake Geek Girls? You Think Women WANT This Job?

Posted on December 6, 2012 · 1 Comment

Apparently the science fiction community is being flooded – FLOODED, I TELL YOU – by fake geek girls: women with insufficient geek cred who are only pretending to be geeks for the attention.

Say what? Being a female geek is a tough job thanks to the cretins who are put out that female geeks won’t, well, put out. Do you really think it’s likely that women are going to volunteer for this?

Do you think women are lining up waiting for their big chance to struggle with an uphill career? Face sexual harassment at cons? Get stalked online? Be treated like a maidservant or a cuddlebunny or an NPC instead of a peer of equal knowledge and experience?

Women aren’t supposed to be able to fix computers or name all 79 original episodes of Star Trek. It goes against the natural order of geekdom. The genre that prides itself in being “strange and unusual” thinks it’s too strange and unusual to include women.

What’s interesting is how certain levels of female geekdom, over time, have become reluctantly tolerated. I can remember when being a female Doctor Who fan was considered weird. Today, girls are allowed to be Whovians because it’s assumed they’re only doing so to watch David Tennant’s rear. (Clearly ridiculous. We’re ALL in it to watch David Tennant’s rear. Matt Smith’s, too.)

Similarly, girls are permitted to like comic books, but only if they emit the pre-requisite cooing over Loki and dress in provocative superhero cosplay for the benefit of the men around them.

As a geek woman, I like what I like and it just so happens that most of it is geeky. I didn’t start reading Hitchhiker’s Guide so I could impress my boyfriend. I haven’t spent 20+ years in technology because Windows is soooo cute when it crashes.

The idea that women would willingly subject themselves to the misogynistic crap that comes standard with female geekdom seems unlikely at best. Somehow I can’t picture a woman secretly fine-tuning her knowledge of python or Cerebus just so she can bask in the attention. Because the attention she’s likely to get is going to be negative – “You can’t like that, it’s for GUYS!”

Most female geeks I’ve met don’t want male geeks to know the extent of their geekdom. They hide it, because once people find out you’re a female geek, you’re never good enough.

Like when a male geek finds out that you, a female geek, like something he likes. Then you get subjected to the big interrogation – Which episode did this happen in? Who guest starred in season 2? How many spaceships are in the background in such-and-such scene? You have to prove that you REALLY know your geek in order to be accepted as a geek, and even then you’re never truly accepted.

It’s the same in IT. Women in technology are constantly having to prove we know our stuff even better than the men do. Yet we still have to put up with the doubt expressed by those around us: Why are you here? What makes you think you belong?

Geekdom is the love of something you’ve found, the adoration that makes you cry out to everyone around you, “YES! This is an AWESOME THING and you must experience it!” Why is that okay for men and not for women? And why are female geeks so threatening that some feel the need to invent the idea of “fake geek girls” so that any women who claim geekdom can be readily dismissed as Not Geek Enough?

Here are some blogs from people who are talking about fake geek girl syndrome and what it represents. Food for thought.

What do you think of the fake geek girl phenomenon?

image via I Can Haz Cheezburger

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Ten Doctor Who Hellos That Will Make You Smile

Posted on October 23, 2012 · 2 Comments

Since Amy and Rory’s farewell has put us in a melancholy mood (still crying? same here) I thought I’d cheer us up by talking about ten special “hello” episodes of Doctor Who.

Related article: Goodbye, Pond: Five Doctor Who Farewells That Will Make You Cry

10. Barbara and Ian in An Unearthly Child
Our first introduction to the TARDIS comes through schoolteachers Barbara and Ian, paving the way for fifty years of adventures in time and space. How can you not smile at that?

9. The Ninth Doctor in Rose
The first new Doctor Who in a decade? Christopher Eccleston? With Nestenes? Sign me up!

8. Sarah Jane Smith in The Time Warrior
The incomparable Elisabeth Sladen makes her first appearance as Sarah Jane Smith, with Third Doctor Jon Pertwee. Just think of all the things to come!

7. Captain Jack Harkness in The Empty Child
Our introduction to Captain Jack, the man who can’t say hello without flirting. Honorable Mention: the big reveal concerning Jack at the end of The Last Of The Time Lords. NO WAY!

6. The Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard in Storm Warning
This is the first of the Big Finish Eighth Doctor stories, and Paul McGann and India Fisher have a wonderful chemistry in it. A great way to say hello to the Big Finish episodes (and goodbye to your spare cash).

5. Donna Noble in The Runaway Bride
No one can resist Catherine Tate and David Tennant, and the natural rapport they bring to Donna and the Tenth Doctor. Best car chase scene OF ALL TIME. Honorable Mention: their pantomime reunion in Partners In Crime.

4. The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler in The Christmas Invasion
She wants to go with him. He wants her to go with him. YES!

3. Sarah Jane Smith (again) in School Reunion
“Hello, Sarah Jane.” The Tenth Doctor is reunited with one of his dearest companions. Don’t tell me you haven’t watched that scene in the gymnasium a million times while grinning your head off. Plus, K-9!

2. The Brigadier in Everything
We all smile when the Brig shows up, especially if he’s been gone a while, like when he meets the Fifth Doctor in Mawdryn Undead or the Seventh in Battlefield or alongside Sarah Jane in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

1. The TARDIS in The Doctor’s Wife
“I just wanted to say… hello.” Admit it, you’re sobbing and smiling at the same time.

What are your favorite Doctor Who hellos? Share in the comments!

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Fangirl Review: Doctor Who/Star Trek Assimilation2 #5: The Enemy Of My Enemy

Posted on October 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment

(Sorry this is late but, you know – PONDS. *sob*)

Despite last issue’s weaknesses, this one comes back strong with plenty of goodies for Whovians and Trekkers alike.

Spoilers!

The writing was positively spot-on. Combined with the art, I couldn’t help hearing Matt Smith and Patrick Stewart in my head again. And thank you for giving Troi and Crusher some dialog other than “I sense something” and “Yes, Captain”.

There were some nice presents for longtime fans in this issue. I liked the parallels between the Eleventh Doctor showing Picard how horrible the future will be if they don’t stop the Cybermen, and a Classic Who scene familiar to many: the Fourth Doctor showing Sarah Jane alternate 1980 a la Sutekh in Pyramids Of Mars. Given that we’ve had flashbacks of Four in this series, it made for nice continuity.

I also enjoyed Amy’s talk with Picard. It was very Amy to approach the situation that way, and I can see why she was the only one who could convince him to try it the Doctor’s way.

You Knew It Was Coming moment: Picard says “bigger on the inside”!

Bonus You Knew It Was Coming moment: “It also travels in time.”

Awww moment: Rory admiring Dr. Crusher’s sickbay. I could totally see him on her medical team. (Rory doesn’t need a redshirt to be a redshirt, he’s already an expert at dying in every episode — and that’s not even including Series 7.)

The Doctor appears to have answered the (multi)universal question as to who’s worse, the Cybermen or the Borg. Personally I suspect that answer is, “whichever one is the more immediate danger”. In this case, that’s the Cybermen thanks to their sliding technology… I mean, interdimensional capabilities.

Tune in next time, when hopefully Worf will have more to do besides growling and pointing phasers at things. (Wait, then it wouldn’t be TNG at all.)

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Why Is Gaming Considered Unprofessional, And What Can Gamers Do About It?

Posted on October 7, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Nerddom has achieved an unprecedented popularity of late, but there are still some aspects that remain anathema. Case in point: gamers, who are supposed to keep their video game playing in the closet.

Making the rounds is this tidbit about a Maine lawmaker who discusses her gaming in public instead of keeping it behind closed doors.

 Colleen Lachowicz is a Democratic candidate running for State Senate in Maine. She’s also a level 85 orc in the massively popular online game “World of Warcraft.” And for that, the Republican party says she is unfit for office.

[Lachowicz's response] “I think it’s weird that I’m being targeted for playing online games. Apparently I’m in good company since there are 183 million other Americans who also enjoy online games. What’s next? Will I be ostracized for playing Angry Birds or Words with Friends? If so, guilty as charged!”

Many gamers, myself included, have experienced That Look when we mention we happen to like video games. Ironically, it’s the complicated role-playing and strategy games that get the most grief. If you profess a love of Farmville or Bejeweled, you’re in the clear.

But if you like fragging enemies in Halo or strategizing your way through Mass Effect, forget it. You’re a weirdo, a loser who belongs back in your parents’ basement eating Cheetos and lamenting your lack of social skills. You can’t POSSIBLY be a rational human being with a job and a life.

BBC News, reporting on the Laschowicz incident, quotes a gaming researcher:

“In my work, I’ve spoken with many people who in their regular lives have roles of significant responsibility (as doctors, managers, or educators) but who choose carefully with whom they disclose their gaming activity,” she told the BBC. “And disclosing their gaming activity is often accompanied by a degree of apology or embarrassment.”

But, she added, having a gamer run for office was a “heartening” development. ”This would seem to run contrary to the other stereotypes that we love to assign to gamers: that they are lazy, antisocial people who don’t have a ‘real life’,” she said. “Maybe this will trigger some dialogue about our perceptions of gamers and the role that games can and should play in modern society.”

People can and do lose their jobs for being gamers – not for playing on company time but because their personal hobby supposedly shows they’re not “professional” enough. That’s when stereotyping nerds moves from simply not-funny into the realm of discrimination.

I was with a bunch of other parents at a school event recently. I didn’t know these parents well, and because I tend to live in a universe where gaming and cosplay and incessant watching of Doctor Who is considered “normal”, I sometimes forget that to other people, it isn’t.

One of the parents begins complaining about her teenage son. “He’s playing all these video games. I don’t know what to do.”

The other parents nod. I make the mistake of asking, “Which ones?”

She blinks. “What?”

“Which video games?”

“Um… some military ones. Call of Duty, I think. And some fantasy game.”

I give the wise nod of a gamer. “Skyrim, probably.”

“Huh?”

“Skyrim. It’s a very popular fantasy RPG.”

“What?”

“Role playing game. Skyrim is a popular fantasy role playing game. Not one of my personal favorites, I’m more into Dragon Age and Tales of Symphonia.”

By now the other parents are staring at me like I’ve got leprosy. The parent I’m talking to edges away. “So anyway,” she says to the other parents, “I’m trying to figure out how to get him to stop.”

I figure I’ve already put my foot in it, and it sounds like the kid needs some backup. “Video games are fun. As long as he’s meeting his responsibilities, why not let him play?”

Blank stares all around.

“Have you ever played a video game?” I ask. “A real video game, not Tetris or Scrabble. Not all of them are violent gorefests, you know. Not all of them are appropriate for every age level either, but that’s no reason to ban all games.”

The parent asks, “You actually play these games?”

“Yes. I actually play these games. They’re fun and I enjoy them. Your son probably does, too.”

Silence. The topic quickly turns to something else. I shrug and silently wish the kid luck because it sounds like he’s going to need it.

As a female gamer, I’ve noticed women are especially ridiculed for their gaming. Adults are not supposed to play video games. Women are not supposed to play video games. Middle-aged moms with kids are especially not supposed to play video games, much less brag about how they trounced the Arishok in single combat on nightmare level as an apostate mage in Dragon Age 2.

(Cone of cold, baby. I’m just sayin’.)

Honestly I think a lot of the problem is that people decide you’re supposed to give up all that childhood stuff when you become an adult. Unless you happen to live in the fandom world, which I suspect many of us do because it gives us the freedom to be kidlike about things like video games and Doctor Who and comic books.

Pure and simple, these people are jealous. They envy their fellow adults who are brave enough to embrace supposedly child-like things. It’s why people covertly read YA novels instead of admitting they like them. “I’m only reading Hunger Games because it’s so popular.” Uh-huh. Admit it, you keep a copy of A Wrinkle In Time under your pillow… and you STILL cry at the end.

What we as gamers need to do is make it known that you can be a gamer AND a professional (even – gasp! – a professional gamer). I’m a professional freelance tech writer. I’m also a level 35 spirit healer mage. Why is this a problem?

To my fellow female gamer Colleen Lachowicz I say: You go, girl. Kick some serious ass on behalf of gamers everywhere, in World of Warcraft and in the real world. We could use more of that.

 

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Goodbye, Pond: Five Doctor Who Farewells That Will Make You Cry

Posted on September 30, 2012 · Leave a Comment

If you’re like me, you spent your Saturday night bawling over the farewell of Amy and Rory, companions to the Eleventh Doctor. Here are five Doctor Who farewells that will make you cry your eyes out.

Spoilers for old episodes of Old Who and New (no spoilers for the current season):

The Caves of Androzani
This episode is so upsetting, I rarely watch it even though it’s one of Peter Davison’s shining moments as the Fifth Doctor. It’s also his swansong, in which he gives his companion Peri the only antidote to a fatal poison. Oh, the feels!

Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead
The Doctor meets River Song for the first/last time. If you can watch the final five minutes of this two-parter without crying, check your pulse because you’re probably dead. Or devoured by Vasha Nerada.

Doomsday
The Tenth Doctor loses Rose. Enough said. *sob*

Earthshock
Some people were glad Adric died. I wasn’t one of them. My nine-year-old self had NO IDEA he was going to die (remember, this is before Internet spoilers). And I had no idea that he was going to stay dead until Tegan and Nyssa suggested going back for him and the Fifth Doctor shouted, “Don’t ever ask me to do anything like that again!”

Because you don’t kill major characters, especially in what was/is ostensibly a children’s show. I cried for days (weeks! months!) because Full Circle, Adric’s introduction, was my first ever episode of Doctor Who. I was a total fangirl for the mathematical excellence. Hey, I was nine. The sight of a blue star still makes me teary-eyed.

Survival
I know what you’re thinking – why is Survival on this list? The Seventh Doctor and Ace save the day and go strolling off into the sunset!

That’s the point. If you’re an old-school Whovian, you remember when this aired. And you remember that awful sinking feeling: this is the last Doctor Who episode EVER.

This was before New Who, before the TV movie, before Big Finish audios. The show’s ratings had been fluctuating for some time and The Powers That Be decided it was time to retire the Time Lord for good. Doctor Who wasn’t cool, it was passé. And we had absolutely no hope that we would ever have more. The show had narrowly missed being canceled so many times in the past, we knew this was it. Seven Doctors. That was all there was ever going to be.

Thank goodness we were completely wrong! What are your saddest Doctor Who farewells of all time? Share in the comments!

Honorable mentions (tissues recommended):

  • The Dalek Invasion Of Earth (Susan’s farewell)
  • The War Games (Jamie and Zoe)
  • The Green Death (Jo Grant)
  • The Hand Of Fear (Sarah Jane Smith)
  • Resurrection of the Daleks (Tegan Jovanka)
  • Journey’s End (Donna Noble)
  • The End Of Time (the Tenth Doctor)
  • The Doctor’s Wife (the TARDIS)
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Fangirl Review: Doctor Who/Star Trek Assimilation2 #4: People In Funny Hats

Posted on September 18, 2012 · Leave a Comment

I’m not as impressed with this issue, and I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’ve been too busy fangirl-squeeing up until this point to notice any deficiencies, but several stood out to me in issue #4.

The major one is the art. Up until now the art has been excellent, but some of the faces seemed all wrong in this issue. It was distracting.

I also feel like we’re being hand-held though the plot, expected to drop our jaws at every Big Reveal. Not every scene needs to be a Big Reveal. Sometimes they can just be nice moments.

And there were a few, especially the scene where Amy and Rory explain their unusual relationship with the Doctor. The Ponds’ concern for their Time Lord friend is clear and poignant. As usual poor Troi doesn’t get much dialogue and is effectively a walking, talking ELIZA program. Sorry, Deanna, we know you’re better than that.

Fortunately the writing is still excellent. They’re doing a good job keeping to the style and tone of the characters’ voices. Watching Eleven and Guinan was fun. They each know more than they’re revealing, and they both know it. And they’re both willing to pool their considerable resources to help their friends.

“Gimme some Spock” moment: Amy talking about transporters. “That was cool! Hey, Doctor, why don’t you have one?” Rose would approve.

Awwww warning: Amy and Rory saving each other in typical Pond fashion.

Cliffhanger: Picard is more of a hardass than Eleven expected. What, didn’t the Doctor watch Die Hard Picard Starship Mine?

I’m reserving judgment until I read the whole series but I’m hoping the art picks up, the writing stays solid, and the TNG B-team gets some better quality air time.

Don’t miss my previous reviews:
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To My High School Classmates From The Nerd You Used To Tease

Posted on September 5, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Me, with sonic and sunflowers.

I received email recently from a former classmate requesting class news for the upcoming school alumnae newsletter. They should know better than to ask me. I’m far too likely to say something like:

Triona’s been busy with her new role as Champion of Kirkwall in the Dragon Age 2 video game. Between restless mages and the Qunari threat, there’s ever so much to do! After that it’s on to Tales Of Graces with its excellent graphics and catchy J-pop theme.

She highly recommends the new Captain Marvel comic as well as the Gambit limited series but says you can take a pass on AvX unless you’re a die-hard Marvel fan. Having finished A Song Of Ice And Fire (aka Game of Thrones) she’s excited about the latest book in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series.

It wouldn’t be a Triona update without mention of computers, so she suggests you install the most insecure version of Adobe Flash possible. Be sure to activate Java while you’re at it. And don’t run antivirus; nobody needs that.

She wants all of you to know that being a middle-aged nerd is WAY more fun than being a mercilessly teased nerd in high school, and hopes you have boring, boring jobs that strangle you with ennui while she has a rockin’ good time dressing up like Amy Pond for the Doctor Who premiere.

xoxoxo

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Fangirl Review: Doctor Who/Star Trek Assimilation2 #3: Blast From The Past

Posted on August 7, 2012 · Leave a Comment

When we last left our heroes, Jean-Luc Picard and the Eleventh Doctor were up against a creepy combination of Borg and Cybermen. And it looks like things are getting a little timey-wimey…

Spoilers!

This issue segues from “current” events in the 24th Century to “past” events of the 23rd involving the original Enterprise team: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, plus some curly-haired guy in a long scarf. Who? Right!

I’m pleased that the cover of Assimilation2 issue 3 wasn’t a marketing ploy, putting Kirk, Spock, and McCoy on a cover with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor just to sell more comics. It’s actually relevant to the plot. Good. Covers that show scenes that aren’t even in the comic tick me off – it’s like false advertising. (What do you MEAN Rogue doesn’t actually kiss Gambit in this issue?!)

The art continues to appeal to me. I like the segue from modern artwork to old-school as we move from Picard’s era to Kirk’s. I can’t help hearing Matt Smith’s voice in my head as I read Eleven’s dialogue, or Tom Baker’s as I read Four. Speaking as a fan of both Old Who and New, it’s not easy to pull off something that will appeal to both.

I still want to know exactly when this takes place in Four’s timeline. Circa The Deadly Assassin, perhaps? That might explain the lack of companion. Or maybe he just nipped out for a moment while Leela was swimming in the TARDIS pool (which at that time was not in the library).

In this issue, the timelines are changing and the Eleventh Doctor’s memories have been altered by Four’s Kirk-era encounter with the Cybermen. Yay for the timey-wimey! Still waiting to hear whether the Doctor has traveled to the Star Trek universe or if the Doctor Who and Star Trek universes are actually the same (temporarily? permanently?).

Set warp factor to “annoy”: Must we always hide in nebulae when the senior officers need to talk? For pity’s sake, Starfleet might as well install nebula generators in every starship for those emergency tactical debriefings during tense enemy encounters. “Fire up the nebula generator, Number One. Mr. LaForge and Mr. Data have some technobabble for us.”

LOL moment: “Don’t be ridiculous, Commander. I’m nowhere near 100.”

And the last panel… oooh, the last panel. I won’t spoil it, for those who haven’t read it yet. But of all the people in the Trek universe to meet the Doctor…! This is one you won’t want to miss.

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Fangirl Review: Doctor Who/Star Trek Assimilation2 #2: We’re Getting The Band Back Together!

Posted on June 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment

This series is outstanding. My fangirl giggles are echoing back in time, which must be confusing for my classic Trek-quoting, Fifth Doctor-obsessed tweenage self.

(Don’t miss Fangirl Review of Assimilation2 #1: The Doctor Who/Star Trek Crossover Begins!)

The art is great. The writing is great. The characters are in character, and I can’t emphasize enough how important that is when you’re combining two iconic series. It’s a little predictable — but it’s predictable in a “TNG on Saturday night” kind of way.

Because by the second page it really felt like it was Saturday night and time to gather ’round the TV for a new episode of TNG. We start off with a typical friendship-building conversation between Geordi and Data that made me want to beg for another season of the show. The rest of the TNG crew were in character but perhaps a little wooden. Crusher and Troi got short shrift, although I enjoyed Troi’s empathic description of the Doctor. Worf is as Klingon as ever, Picard and Riker are doing the Captain/First Officer routine. (No Wesley? I guess it’s too much of a risk that he’d tell the Enterprise crew to kiss off so he can cavort around the universe with the Doctor. After all, wouldn’t you rather be told “don’t wander off” instead of “shut up”?)

The whole issue felt like watching TNG, except when it felt like watching Doctor Who. I’m not sure I can envision any Doctor other than Matt Smith’s aboard the Enterprise D at this point. (Well, David Tennant. I can picture David Tennant anywhere.) In Assimilation2, Eleven is his clever and curious self. When he meets the TNG crew, naturally the first thing he’s going to do is examine Data’s head with scientific glee. And, as usual, his mouth is running faster than his brain.

Amy and Rory – “You see THAT, Doctor? They have WINDOWS in their ship and everything.” As Rose said, finally, a professional!  Also, I like Amy’s outfit. I’m half-expecting Riker to hit on Amy so Rory can go all Roman on him like Data did in The Offspring. Leadworth 1, Alaska 0.

Personally, if I saw a mixed fleet of Cyber and Borg ships coming my way, I’d pee my pants before grabbing some gold and a modulating phaser. Yikes.

But the best part of the whole issue wasn’t even part of the issue. It’s the cover for issue #3. I can’t describe the awesomeness, you have to see. As George Takei would say: Ohhhh My!

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