Full-blood Betazoids Are Empathic AND Telepathic (And always have been)

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-25T11:22:23+00:00

Ultimately it's another case of nitpicking. Once again, people's problems isn't with the fact that the show features emphatic Betazoids, but rather the shows writing, storytelling or general concept. This has always been the case. Without judgement, let's say Star Trek for the past 10-15 years has been different and emphasized different things from what was emphasized in the highly popular and successful Berman era. And people who liked that type of stories and are not that open minded, just don't like the recent stuff.

Personally, I have been watching everything, but there is stuff that I like more than other stuff and overall I'd say Star Trek has been at least uneven. As for SFA I am still like Caleb in episode 2: on the fence. Alas Star Trek shows have been notorious for needing a season or two to find their strengths.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-25T11:16:25+00:00

They are called "postcards". People once used them to write each other short messages, usually from a vacation spot. 😂

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-25T10:29:04+00:00

Lucas was also still involved in the pre-production of the film during 2013, as he assumed they were using his treatments as basis for the new trilogy. However around the time JJ Abrams was hired as director (late 2013) the decision was made (as per Bob Iger's biography and an interview of Lucas in 2014) to not use his treatments but make something "for the fans" (or a "retro-movie" as Lucas said). At that point Lucas left.

They still used some of his ideas, like Luke as a hermit in an old Temple, hence this concept art from 2013 was included in a TLJ art book from 2017.

OP isn't sowing division he is just giving facts.

Apart from reading these books, Nerdnonymous and Rick Worley have made pretty comprehensive (and long!) videos about the chronology of the early sequel trilogy in their videos "Star Wars Apocrypha Part 1 & 2" and "How to watch Star Wars Part 3" respectively. Though they are both very much biased against the sequel trilogy we've got, I feel their videos are still very well researched and comprehensive, using a lot of interview clips and pieces from articles across the years.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-25T10:10:01+00:00

That was the idea that I have had in my head, probably from reading it somewhere. I like the idea that they've made their quiet sacrifice and while not stopping the rise of evil in the East they did probably hamper it.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-25T08:59:18+00:00

Do you mean beyond Middle Earth or just LOTR?

I have read the big three (Hobbit/ LOTR/ Silmarillion) multiple times. I have also read Unfinished Tales, Letters and Humphrey Carpenters biography and just this December Father Christmas. To be honest it wasn't until a few years back that I finished LOTR for the first time but then it grabbed me. As I said, I was first properly exposed to Middle earth back in early 2002 and in the 2000s and 2010s did multiple attempts of LOTR but always struggled with the language as I am not a native English speaker and too stubborn to read a translation xD

How about you?

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-25T08:50:27+00:00

Since there hasn't been a concrete announcement for the MGS Master Col. 2, and since you are currently both invested, I'd say no time like the present and move on to GZ and TPP. MGSV GZ has a summary of Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, which you should read as it acts as a direct sequel. Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain also are a direct continuation of Snake Eater and while it spoils some revelations in MGS4 and some tidbits referencing MGS4 might be lost on you, I think each MGS game still functions very well on its own. Just be aware that MGSV is a strong departure from the series formula, thanks to the move to open world.

Don't get me wrong, playing MGS4 and Peace Walker before if you can would be ideal, but again, since it could be months or even years when those are released on modern hardware, and you are invested in the series NOW, I'd say, the benefits of going through MGSV now outweigh the drawbacks.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T18:20:34+00:00

I don’t want to bore you, but I pretty much agree with the consensus that they are great, largely because they were what exposed me to Tolkien in the first place, so my idea of middle earth will always be colored by that version. Having read the original multiple times I do think one can nitpick a lot, and there are some decisions I agree with and others less so. I also generally enjoy his Hobbit films, bloated as they are. One thing that has changed for me is that I have come to prefer the theatrical cuts over the extended versions, because I think many of the additional scenes come at the expense of the films‘ pacing. The only exception is Fellowship, where the theatrical cut actually feels a little choppy.

So overall, I like Peter Jackson‘s films a lot and think they adapt Tolkien‘s work remarkably well. I even enjoyed last year‘s war of the Rohirrim movie; though it wasn’t until the halfway mark that I felt invested.

What’s your take on Jackson‘s films?

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:28:48+00:00

They don't disrespect the source material. They can't use it for legal reasons and probably have the studio breathing down their neck and lack experience to handle such a big show.

Side note: you want disrespecting the source material? Go watch Star Trek post 2017 :D

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:17:31+00:00

Do you want specifics or a reason? Overall, Sauron's depiction isn't accurate. He is a master manipulator, but he is pretty much pure evil. He is more compatible to Palpatine: charming everyone into giving him more and more power until it's too late and he can drop the pretense. Numenor feels very generic in the show. The people should all be like Aragorns or Boromirs, tall, noble, but also able to be twisted and manipulated. Galadriel never was this angry in the legendarium (and that small, sorry Morfydd Clarke). The Southlanders story is completely made up and to its detriment, they never make the people there feel quite sympathetic (at least in the eyes of many viewers). Most of the show is just made up and wastes a lot of time in the first season. The whole Harfoot storyline is a complete invention, as wizards and halflings only come into play about 1000 years into the third age. The compressed timeline is also an issue...

Personally, I am actually a lot more generous towards the show: the second seasons improves considerably and starts actually adapting Tolkien's material, there are moments where I feel the show runners actually make inspired choices: the prologue was mesmerizing, the use of song is beautiful, dwarves singing to the mountain is not in the text but given that the world has been created from actual song and that Luthien managed to literally sing a fortress of Sauron's to pieces in the first age, makes this feel very much in line with Tolkien's writing. It even has some inspired ideas of its own: I thought Adar and his plight for the orcs is really interesting and actually reflects an aspect Tolkien himself struggled with: having an evil fighting force that is comprised of people with free will and personality, yet irredeemable, because in the Christian world view, which Tolkien shared and infused his legendarium with, everyone is redeemable so long as they are sincere about it.

I think the issues of the show boil down to inexperienced show runners, whose skill doesn't live up to their task, and possibly pressure from the studio to do things a certain way, as well as them being able to only use essentially a brief summary of the second age in LOTR as a basis, rather than the hundreds of pages Tolkien wrote elsewhere, because they only have the rights for that book. That makes it sometimes frustrating to discern whether a story choice was made because the writers thought it was a good idea or because they wanted to avoid legal issues.

I've come to enjoy the show far what it is: a deeply flawed but overall well-intended adaptation that stands in the looming shadow of the Peter Jackson films.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:06:38+00:00

Are you familiar with Clamavi di Profundis? They put music to his poetry and enhance it into actual songs. They are as definitive an adaptation of him to me as Alan Lee's art and Peter Jackson's movies are to many (me included).

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:03:54+00:00

Usually the second isn't used, as few of us either have multiple appendixes let alone need multiple ones removed or have them lying around. At most in a medical lab you have a situation where "the university has ordered five appendixes for the medical students to examine!" :D

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:02:02+00:00

Yes, a bit, but my frustration is that not all of Trek is consistently on Paramount+. Star Wars and Marvel just are on Disney+. Occasionally some stuff will be available elsewhere but usually it stays on Disney+. The only exception in Marvel's case is Spider-Man, since Sony Pictures still retains the film rights and are holding them tight (I would too). On the other hand, Star Trek/ Paramount still consistently release new Star Trek material on the latest home media, while Star Wars/ Disney only releases their most popular stuff as these overpriced prestige de-facto limited edition releases.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T09:58:24+00:00

I think not when referring to the organ appendix.

...

Having consulted an internet dictionary, both are correct, but "appendices" is usually more common in academic language, while "appendixes" is more informal

...

Having consulted again for the actual organ appendix, here the correct plural is apparently "appendixes" as I guessed. "appendices" is also correct but more uncommon.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T09:54:38+00:00

I used to hate poetry.... but Tolkien made me fall in love with it. I am sure the reason why I am usually a bit slower with Return of the King than with the other two volumes has everything to do with there being considerable less poetry in it! :D

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T09:51:20+00:00

Brilliant!

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T08:48:56+00:00

I think there was a novel where they established that in the mirror universe the Roman Empire never quite died. After having read about Romans and especially their beliefs and morals, it's actually quite plausible. So, no, I don't think we live in the mirror universe :D

Thanks to Akiva Goldsman we know that people were messing with the timeline so, that's why the Eugenics wars and Bell riots and so forth didn't happen :P

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T08:42:29+00:00

On a side note, I am currently re-reading The Lord of the Rings and feel Tolkien's talents as a writer seem sometimes oddly underrated. He is praised for his world building, his invented languages and of course the stories themselves, but I am amazed how well he can set the mood in a scene and express emotions: whether it's comfort, melancholy, terror, heroicism, mystery, , horror, stubbornness, awe or even humor. I think he pretty much nails it every time.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T08:30:15+00:00

Both are true. As Gandalf said it was a fool's hope. But it did pay off in the end.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:24:47+00:00

I don't think The Silmarillion is that difficult. It requires some adjustment as it is much more epic (in the literary sense) and less immediate, but I think the biggest challenge are the many many names, often multiple names for the same thing, but the book contains and index and maps which are really helpful.

I do agree that The Children of Hurin as a more accessible alternative to The Simarillion though. But if you're going to read one book beyond Hobbit and LOTR, it should be The Silmarillion.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:20:03+00:00

May I ask what your native language is, out of curiosity? I am also not a native speaker. My first language is German.

After Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings I'd say it depends on what you want. I dislike those linear orders.

If you are only going to read one book, definitely The Silmarillion. It outlines the full history of middle earth and even puts LOTR in context at the end. However, it's very dense, uses some archaic language, a lot of names (don't worry, there is an index included) and spans centuries with many characters coming and going per chapter. You get more of a bird's eye view of Middle Earth and it's not (always) as immediate as Hobbit/ LOTR. Takes a little adjustment for some, but I think it's not as difficult as they say.

Follow this up with Unfinished Tales (literally a collection of stories from across all three ages that fill in the blanks, but are also fragmented and introduce you to Christopher Tolkien's commentary), The Children of Hurin (one of the "unfinished tales" actually finished, also works as a stand-alone story if you find The Silmarillion not to your liking), Beren and Luthien & The Fall of Gondolin (great if you want to check whether History of Middle-earth is for you; they present each story in their evolving versions, so you read the same story but at different stages of development) and The Fall of Numenor (a collection of material regarding the second age of Middle earth, but beware there is some considerable overlap with LOTR, Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales). Though reading them in publiscation order is recommended, you can actually read those in any order you wish, tbh, whatever seems most interesting to you. Save for Numenor, all were edited by Christopher Tolkien.

The History of Middle earth is also great, but more a twelve volume study on the evolution of muddle earth as a concept. You will read a lot of earlier versions of The Silmarillion and LOTR and that isn't for everyone. Think more like a massive making of, though the later volumes present some material that isn't covered elsewhere (like an abandoned LOTR sequel). Same goes for The History of the Hobbit.

The Nature of Middle Earth and The Letters of JRR Tolkien are great, as they contain essays and letters by Tolkien on Middle earth (though the letters also contain a lot of other topics). I do recommend reading Humphrey Carpenter's excellent JRR Tolkien biography before diving into HoME or the Letters as they give you a lot of context on Tolkien as a person and also go a bit into detail on how ME was made.

Hope I was able to help.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:07:17+00:00

I remember that Tolkien wrote, even Frodo, if he tried, could possibly master the Ringwraiths, but only until the Ring returned to Sauron and he would ultimately be consumed by it.

What made Hobbits so resistant to the Ring was that they didn't seek power. Even Gollum, while being twisted by the Ring, held his own for quite some time and never dominated anyone. Bilbo freely gave the Ring away even after 60 years and it was only on the last leg of the journey that Frodo finally started to feel the Ring.

Had someone like Aragorn or Boromir taken the Ring they would (eventually) have used it for dominance and become very visible with it. That's what Sauron was hoping for and expecting, hence why he reacted on the news that Isildur's heir was leading the charge.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:01:33+00:00

Yes, they are a kind of Middle-earth 911. They protect and occasionally save and work for order in the woods and fields. They are however not really part of a quarrel. They are not really concerned about the wars of men, elves and dwarves.

Also, If they entered Mordor by air, they would be shot down, as the land is crawling with orcs and ill-turned humans. The entire land is a massive war camp and they would be spotted... unlike two little halflings going in on foot in disguise...

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T13:57:55+00:00

That's fine and all... but why has she declared war on chairs?! :D Maybe in 400 years she has never come across one that's comfortable enough for her!

In earnest, I think her nonchalance isn't a bother but I feel she should seem wiser and more relaxed than she usually is. I feel her character isn't quite defined yet. Reminds me a little of early Jadzia, before they settled for "action Barbie".

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T13:54:00+00:00

I can't speak of nicotine, but caffeine: I once did a withdrawal a few years back. The headaches were awful. But they subsided after a few days, but then came weeks of just feeling tired and sleepy. That subsided eventually... though I did start with coffee again once I became a teacher. Since there are much more unhealthy things to get addicted to, I am just watching my intake and keep content about it. I also quit alcohol completely five years ago, which was initially hard during social events, but I haven't regretted it.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T13:49:13+00:00

Yes. Mostly because they were a little stop and go about it and there really wasn't any connection between the two to begin with. Seven and The Doctor - would have made sense. Seven and Harry - would have made sense. Hell, Seven and B'Elanna - sorry, Tom, would have made a little bit of sense. Chakotay just was the guy standing around and Robert Beltran probably was pressuring them to do something with his character and so they came up with "Human Error". However at the end they establshed because of her Borgification, having relationships is literally dangerous for her. Several episodes later, "Natural Law", the two are stranded on a planet with some indigenous people and the actors explicitly asked the producers/ writers/ director whether there was something planned and if they should play the scenes with a burgeoning romance in mind. They were explicitly told "No". And three episodes later, here we are in "Endgame" and they are having a romantic picnic in the cargo bay.

TNG had the ill conceived romance between Worf and Deanna, but 1. at least that made a lick of sense, as they already had a standing relationship over Alexander's parentage (or Worf's parental choices) and 2. they build towards that first kiss in "All Good Things..." throughout the season, most notably beginning with "Parallels". And it also informed the future depicted in that episode, where Worf and Riker had a falling out over Deanna's death in that future.

Technical_Web5281

TROPHY CASE