When Tweetworlds collide: Star Trek and my Sooners

We've come so far.

As a kid and teen in Oklahoma, your fandoms of football and Trek were almost never even allowed to intersect, much less thought of as even on the same plane—and it wasn't from a mainstream culture-vs.-geek minority standpoint, either. Many litfans I know zealously guarded their anti-sports reputation (and in Oklahoma that might as well have been anti-football). IDIC, schmIDIC—you got it both ways if you were caught in the middle!

No longer. The subject comes up from time to time—and, with a growing relationship between Trekland and trek.fm, the podcast/online empire of Alabama native and fan Chris Jones, Thursday's Oklahoma-Bama meetup in the Sugar Bowl was an inevitable Tweeparama in the making.

First off, I had to share when this graphic flashed across the screen of the pre-game show—and I knew any Vegas Khaaaaan veteran of more than 3 years could have told ESPN Something was Wrong with their captions!

But then I was blindsided by this gem that Chris Photoshopped:

(Apologies to the Rikers and to Late Season 2)

But them, as my Sooner crimson outplayed the Crimson Tide and shocked not only the whole world but their own fans as well ...thanks to the sudden blossoming of young quarterback Trevor Knight!... I had this exchange of Tweets with Chris that hopefully you TOS'ers will appreciate:

Followed up by a great touche from my gracious-in-losing target:

Finally, after a goofy, salt-in-the-wound fumble off 'Bama for a late touchdown that OU unexpectedly added on:

What can I do when they just keep slapping me in the face?

And if you are wondering just what that 47 is doing in my temporary Twitter avatar this weekend, it has nothing to do with Trek or even that play. You're welcome.



So—do you notice sports and geekery colliding more these days? Or is it ALL just becoming one big pastiche of enriching distraction?

RIP Ruth Roberts—and why she's more to us than a songwriter

We don't call this blog "Trekland" for nothing—in the end, amid all the fun stuff and funky facts, at heart it's all about the family with a Star Trek connection.

Today we got word of the passing of someone Trek fans may not recognize—unless you're a Mets fan, too!—but she had a pretty big hand in giving us everything from Locutus of Borg to Buck Bockai. And I just wanted to stop and mark the moment.

I'm talking about Ruth Roberts, 84, whose sizeable obituary in the New York Times actually cited her for her songwriting career, topped perhaps most famously by her co-credit for "Meet the Mets," the official song of that New York City National League baseball team since before its first game in 1963.

But the guy who preserved the wobbly writing of the "new" Star Trek during TNG's third season, allowed fans to submit scripts, hired the likes of youngsters Ron D. Moore, Rene Echevarria, Naren Shankar, Brannon Braga, and Ken Biller ... and yes, they guy who penned "The Best of Both Worlds" cliffhanger that propelled Star Trek to heights akin to Khan in 1982 and reboot Kirk/Spock in 2009 ... that guy, Michael Piller, was her son.

Roberts passed away Thursday of lung cancer at her Bronx home. Michael, ironically, died of cancer in 2005. Read about her life and, as with any parent, you can find out a little of what colored Michael's world—and thus, in turn what colored the universe he helped bring us on screen. It's all about the texture.

And so we remember Ruth Roberts. Even if we're not baseball fans.



But if you are...:

Star Trek/Super Bowl? Who dat say it couldn't be?

I just wish "AFP" had the photo of this guy to send along ... but, here you go:

New Orleans explodes with joy after Saints win
By Allen Johnson (AFP)

... Outside the Chart Room, a gritty French Quarter bar, a man costumed as a black-and-gold warrior from the Star Trek movie series, pointed to a "78" on his armored chest—the number of his favorite Saint, tackle John Stinchcomb. ...

With the poor reporter trying to bridge over to a realm he likely never covers, I'm guessing his "black-and-gold warrior" is either a Klingon (?) or an TNG-era security guard.

Either way, "Q'apla!" and "Boldy Geaux!"

Mainstream Trekland: Football edition

It's fall and football season—Boomer Sooner!—but even if you are not of the pigskin persuasion, little things like this mention should make you realize just how pervasive Trek is among today's sportswriters. Yes, sports!

This from an online Fannation column by Hugh Falk affiliated with SI/CNN, addressing the age-old illogic of human football poll voting—and no, he doesn't play the Vulcan card at all, and yes, that was his link I pass along:

... Of course, if Oklahoma beats Miami in two weeks…that's another story and a whole new set of problems for voters. Follow this hypothetical scenario if you can: Oklahoma beats Miami who beat FSU who beat BYU who beat Oklahoma….and they all have one loss! I don't even want to guess what the voters would do. They might shut down like one of Harry Mudd's android women from the original Star Trek when faced with illogical data. Okay, that's a lot of "if"s. Miami, FSU and BYU all have to win next week, and then Oklahoma has to beat Miami. However, that is just the type of scenario that proponents of a playoff should hope to see at the end of the season. ...

Michael's Tar Heels

I am hardly the biggest basketball fan around ... and if anything I too was pullin' for the underdog Spartans in the NCAA championship ...



But when North Carolina State came up the big winner Monday night, I know somewhere out there the late, great Michael Piller was a happy Tar Heel once again.