Captain Kirk and The USS Enterprise Vs Commodore Perry and the Black Ships - and Ballet and The Opera

So... there I was this past Saturday night watching my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs lose a hockey game to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shoot-out, when I began watching the movie Black Swan with my wife, who promptly fell asleep. Damn. That movie is hot. I never found ballet dancers particularly sexy before - but now I do. I like dancers, though. I've probably put more than a few of them through college and drug addiction clinics.

But that's not what this blog is about. After I finished amusing myself watching Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, I watched a couple of episodes of original Star Trek television series from the 1960s. What can I say? Natalie and Mila get me hot, and Star Trek helps take me over the top. I know. I'm such a nerd.

Anyhow... while I have another photo for you above from the episode Space Seed - the introduction of Khannnnnnnnnn! from Star Trek II movie - I present this because I am watching the Canadian SPACE television channel, and every time a sign appears, a Japanese translation appears on my screen.

I don't have it set to do anything like that, but the Canadian SPACE channel must be stealing the film from Japan.

So that's it above - Decompression Chamber.

But the real reason I am writing this - beside to tell you how much I now love the ballet, is that in the next episode of Star Trek (a space opera), I watched the episode: A Taste of Armageddon.

During the introduction, I heard a set of dialogue that made me think about Commodore Perry and the Black Ships, the United States government and Japan.

If you have been paying attention to anything I have written during February, you'll know that, although I am not yet finished writing about it, I have presented at least 10 old newspaper articles on the United States attempts to open up a port in Japan whom, back in the 1850s (and before - 1600s), practiced and was pretty good at being a nation in isolation.

The U.S. didn't care, and sent Commodore Perry to Japan to convince them that the U.S needed a port there to ensure sailors in the area that needed aid or supplies could get it from Japan.

Now that you have the background, the dialogue from the episode of Star Trek went exactly like this:

Ambassador Fox: Have you received an answer to your message yet, Captain?

Captain Kirk: Nothing yet, Ambassador. We are awaiting... a reply. Today's... the first time we've had any evidence yet that they've picked up our signal.

Lieutenant Uhura: Captain - message coming through from Eminiar VII... Sir,,, it's Code 7-10.

Kirk: Are you sure?

Uhura: Positive. It repeats over and over.

Ambassador: Is that supposed to mean something?

Kirk: Code 7-10 means that under no circumstances are we to approach that planet... No circumstances whatsoever.

Ambassador: You will disregard that signal, Captain.

Kirk: Mister Fox... it's their planet.

Ambassador: Captain, for the past 20 years, thousands of lives have lost in this quadrant - lives that could have been saved if the Federation had a treaty (for a year). We mean to have that port. And I'm going to get it.

Kirk: By disregarding Code 7-10, you might involve us in an interplanetary war.

Ambassador: I'm quite prepared to take that risk.

Kirk: YOU are... I'm thinking about this ship... my crew...

Ambassador: I have my orders, Captain, and now you have yours. You will proceed on course. Achieve orbit status and leave the rest to me.


And there you have it... does anyone else but me see it? Or am I going blind from too much Mila and Natalie? Ugh. I'm going to eat a bag of popcorn and smear butter all over it. The popcorn that is...

and thinking of you.


Cheers
Andrew Joseph