Star Trudge

[emo_snal]

The Original Series   Hark! Last night I achieved a cultural accomplishment 66 hours in the making! I have watched the entire Star Trek Original Series. As a fan of science fiction I'd felt for awhile like it was something I should do. I fondly remember watching The Next Generation in the 90s. Since that time I haven't been as fond of the later

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[emo_snal]

Oh which reminds me another book I'd meant to write a review on, focusing on the theme of unlikeable characters is David Donachie's John Pearce series, which is another one of those series following characters in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars a la Master and Commander and Horatio Hornblower ... but what's interesting in this case is I found the protagonist very unlikable but I don't think they author actually intended that. After careful analysis and consideration of what made it clear the author didn't realize how unlikeable his character was I hit on the fact that in the series all the other characters who are good like his character and only bad evil characters dislike his character. I think if he had known his character was in fact bad and dislikable himself he wouldn't have it quite like that. Generlaly his protagonist is an argumentative asshole. He wrote him to be likably "rebellious" but he comes it too strong and just seems disagreeable.

Also as a major plot element in one book (like, it's literally the title, "The Flag of Truce") he comes into a french town under a white flag and then pulls out weapons to rescue some people, taking the mayor hostage. And having read many books about the era, I'm pretty sure the Royal Navy would have found this behavior absolutely anathema and reprehensible. A flag of truce was sacred. Yet in his book not one person criticizes him for the exploit. Compare that to Horatio Hornblower who is captured, given his parole (ie, swears on his honor that he won't escape and is then free to stroll about town), is picked up by a British ship when he gets swept to sea trying to rescue some fishermen, and asks to be delivered back to the French because he has given his parole.

[lookfar]

Honor, gentlemen, was a big deal!