Chairslinger

The entire Arrowverse has felt like a mess since the multiverse crossover. Arrow ended, Flash was already declining, and Supergirl was all over the place. Then they had the big crossover which was a pretty good finale for Arrow, but that was only 8 episodes into the season for the other shows so they had to continue their seasons and after the crossover their stories for the rest of the season felt like worrying about a fire cracker after a nuclear bomb had went off. Then to top it off the pandemic happened and goofed of the end of the season. Some of it too was also that I had the benefit of binging the earlier seasons on Netflix, but by the time I got to those seasons I was trying to keep up on the CW channel. And it wasn't interesting enough to keep me hooked so I would try to go back to it after a while and miss episodes because only 6 were up at a time. At a certain point I just said screw it and threw in the towel and decided I would wait until Flash was done and go through Arrow, Flash, Legends, and Supergirl again all at once. Maybe the weaker later seasons will be more palatable when I can binge them.

*5 minutes after he declares his candidacy*

It seems like the type of system that would be iffy for Action and Fighting games and the like, but pretty cool for JRPGs and Puzzle games. Even the cramped controls would be good for those genres because a lot of the best can be played in one handed mode, which is actually a plus with such a small control scheme. Did you see that someone is finally releasing a micro console that looks like it might be decent? Up until now everything even close to the Funkey in size has been little more than a plastic toy novelty. But Anbernic is going to be releasing the Anbernic RG Nano. It is even using the same custom Funkey OS, the Allwinner chip, and screen as the Funkey. So I am guessing it will be about on par for performance. It is basically a Funkey sized handheld that is a tiny vertical Gameboy style system instead of clamshell. Seems like it might be a bit more comfortable to hold, but I think I would still take the Funkey, If there is any handheld that I would want to be a clamshell it would be the one sloshing around in my pockets with a bunch of keys.

I enjoy Retro Game Corps, Retro Dodo, Taki Udon, and ETA Prime. The last two do a lot of more general tech hardware stuff like Mini PC's and PC handhelds, but still cover a lot of the retro handhelds as well. I don't even own any of the systems, but I love watching the channels because it's so cool to see the variety that has blown up just since 2019, really. Like the system that @Ghost_MH posted about. I don't even like vertical or clamshell systems in general, but that is such a cool little piece of tech.

....... Too soon?

He's saying it like it's some kind of old time folksy phrase that only sounds bad if you haven't heard it before. But what does Democrats being rare have to do with using dogs to hunt them down? Exactly which endangered species do we fucking hunt with a pack of beagles?

It's not shame that could ruin DeSantis for a 2028 run. It is being painted as a loser and a traitor by Trump to the base. And Trump, holding a grudge like he does, might spend the rest of his life making sure his hardcore base doesn't support DeSantis even if Trump is no longer on the ballot.

It's not that Republicans aren't horrible people, it's that you shouldn't underestimate the disengagement of most voters. Republicans love pwning the libs and ginned up outrage, but a classic case of a failure of basic politics is that independents and even Republicans are wondering, "Wait, I thought we were bullying trans people here. How did the main event turn into a showdown with the company that makes the movies my kids watch every night before bed?"

I don't think any of this is good for DeSantis. Instead of challenging Trump for the presidency he is stuck in a knifefight with Mickey Mouse. It is an oft repeated political blunder that Republicans go after public television funding. They are painted as "going after Big Bird" and even many Republicans don't like it. DeSantis is doing something similar. Only he's going after an entity even more beloved than Big Bird. Oh, and they are just about the most litigious business on the planet with the legal team to back it up. The violation of free speech Disney is claiming in their lawsuit is extremely hard to prove.....unless you are a governor dumb enough to write a fucking autobiography bragging about how you used the legislature to punish a private business for stating an opinion. Oh, and for good measure Disney just reminded Ron in that story CV posted that if he, somehow, gets everything he wants and is successful in court, and puts Disney in their place what exactly does he win? Chasing the biggest employer in the state out? How many jobs and tourist dollars lost? That is the win scenario for him here. Love him or hate him, Trump has the right idea about stuff like this. I don't think he is particularly smart, but I think it's an example of how he is the idiot whisperer for the Republican party. All his character vices and character flaws appeal to the GOP base not because Trump crafts it to be that way....but because that is who the GOP base is now. It's why you so often hear people love Trump for his "authenticness" and why DeSantis is having little success copying it. But anyway, in this case what Trump instinctually understands that has completely tripped up DeSantis is that these type of red meat, rightwing hobby horses are hit and run tactics. You come out there, you make a statement, get the base riled up, let the right wing news cycle make hay out of it...and then you move on claiming victory without having done anything of true substanc. Think about it. As many petty stupid, petty fights as Trump picked in office, how many times did he actually devote weeks of legislative wrangling trying to turn his scuffle into law? It's a bit crazy to think about it now, but this really did all start over one mealy mouth press release by Disney. The right move politically would have been to come out, make some cutting remarks about how Disney is against the law because they are worried it will hurt the sales of all their woke movies and moved on. Instead, DeSantis dug in, tried to actually punish Disney with laws, and every step of the way since then has just dug a deeper hole as they react and he is forced to lob one back. Not to mention Disney outright clowning DeSantis at multiple points.

I rewatched it recently and you know what struck me? Isn't it crazy that Futurama only has 150 episodes? I know, that is not exactly a small amount of episodes for a show, especially when compared to modern day shortened seasons, but for a show the stature of Futurama it surprised me. Especially when you consider that that 150 includes the 4 movies as 4 episodes each AND that is including the 10 new episodes that haven't aired yet. So really it's more like 124 episodes, so far. Compare that to other animated shows that would probably come to mind when you think of shows as significant as Futurama. Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, King of the Hill. They all have 2, 3, or even 4x as many episodes as Futurama.

Now we get to see the hoops the press will jump through to formulate a non-bias way of saying, "GOP presidential frontrunner and convicted sexual abuser Donald Trump...."

They trust teachers to carry a gun and determine when is a good time to start shooting at a student....but of course a teacher can't be trusted to, you know, teach....

Remember how people were wondering if the New York case would be as low as a misdemeanor or maybe 1 or 2 felonies at the most and then it turns out to be, what, 26 felony counts? I expect the Georgia case is going to be similar. It's going to be worse than people think. They were talking about a dozen people being indictmented at one point. I think this is going to be a full blown conspiracy case with it touching everything from Trump's "perfect" phone calls, the fake electors, Grahmn's phone call(s), and maybe even the Jan. 6th investigation, and probably stuff we still haven't even heard about yet. There is going to be so many more threads in this than just Trump making a couple clumsy calls to Georgia officials.

Full Picard S3 OST...... Man, there are are hell of a lot of bangers and heavy hitters in here. You can really tell just as much love and reverence went into the soundtrack as went into the rest of the season. As I mentioned before probably my favorite part is that original melody that was used and remixed in a few songs throughout. Probably my favorite Star Trek music piece since Voyager. In the soundtrack those songs are A New Family, Legacies, Evolution, and The Missing Part of Me. Legacies in particular turns the feels up to 10 because it is also the piece that uses DS9, TOS, and Voy themes mixed in. Then there is some driving stuff, like Make It So. It is the music piece that plays in large part during that final 10 minutes of ep 9 that is destined for Star Trek Mount Rushmore. Hearing it detached from the dialogue you get to really appreciate how much of a winding maze it is through TNG's classic theme and all the great new touches that Picard S3 brought us. Dominion is just a goddamn roller coaster ride. Longest song on the OST, completely original stuff(as far as I can tell) and man it is a ride. Names Mean Everything takes some of the familiar beats we saw throughout the OST and turns it into a minute and a half long, full orchestra classic Star Trek theme song. You could really see this one being the opener for a show. I have heard people quip that Discovery's theme sounds like the theme song for a show parodying Star Trek.....this song sounds like a theme song to a Star Trek show that should exist, but doesn't yet(maybe Legacy? ). I looked for the awesome piece from the Data and Lore showdown in Lower the Partition, but it is actually at the beginning of Get Off My Bridge. Which mixes that piece and the great piece when Titan torpedoes the Shrike. Family Reunion is, appropriately enough, the piece that plays towards the end of ep 8 when we first see all 7 of our crew back around the conference table again. It really luxuriates in the classic themes. I think there are its from Generations, main TNG, and Insurrection in there if I am not wrong. You know, while there were some great moments in this season like escaping the Nebula, the Data and Lore showdown, unveiling the D, and the raid on the Cube....but listening to the OST reminded me of what I think might be the moment that topped them all for me. It is both emotional and extremely well done storywise(which I think is the hallmark of this season and why it will be remembered so fondly). It is the part in ep 6 that runs from 25:50 to 31:23 when Legacies and Evolution is the background music. Starting when Jack sits down with Seven and concluding when Altan's message ends. In a way, I think this scene is the Nexus(no pun intended) of the whole show. Most of what come before runs to it, and what comes after follows from it. It has nostalgia, plot clues buried within it, reverence for the past, as well as looking towards the future all wonderfully symbolized throughout. When Soong is making his speech "Evolution is not an act of preservation, it's....addition", while we swing by the museum to see the NX-01, to the Enterprise-A, to the not quite yet Enterprise-G leading to the scene of Picard and Geordi talking about their kids and what they pass on to them.....I mean, that right there is just the best of what Star Trek can do.

You know, the more I hear from Terry the more I find he is exactly what I want from Star Trek. It's not just about Picard's third season being the best Trek we've had in many years, it's that he is saying pretty much exactly what I have been saying for a while now. Star Trek's future, at least part of it, should not just be about setting series after series involving Kirk's accountant's old college roommate. Give us stories that explore the richest part of Star Trek: the decades following TNG, DS9, and Voyager. Ever since season 3 was announced as the final season I have been saying that they should do kind of a twist in that it's only really a name change. Whether under a Captain Worf title or something else make it a spiritual successor that could almost be Picard season 4, but with TNG cast as guest stars. And whatever happened with season 3 really seems to have reignited the TNG cast's interest in the show. Hell, Brent asked to be killed off as Data 20 years ago and Frakes was having panic attacks during season 1 because he didn't know if he ever wanted to be an actor again....and now the whole crew seems excited to do whatever Terry has in store. In a way, it's really interesting to look at how season 1 started and how season 3 ended. I think something that doesn't get talked about enough is how Patrick signed on to do Picard not long after Logan was released and was such a critical success. I think Patrick initially came back to tie up the loose ends of the Picard character and send him off. I think he really liked the finality and, quite frankly, bleak realism of the way Logan did things. The first two seasons of Picard feel very much like that, wrapping up the Data and Q storylines. But whatever happened on s3, whether it was Terry's story telling and enthusiasm, or the fun of being around the old cast that he loves so much, it really feels like Patrick's view on things have changed. He has said that he is open to making appearances, if not even a whole season of something. Terry said the ending poker game was a nod to All Good Things, as he considers that the best series finale in history(if it's not, it's close imho), but in a way it bookends the 3 Picard seasons as well, in an interesting way. We see the full cast having such fun together, and Picard has that line about how "I have come to believe that the stars have always been in my favor". How different that is from the very morose card games that opened season 1........... Anyway, what prompted me to make this post is this article. It has the normal talk now of Terry cheerleading for Legacy, but a line is also in there that I found very interesting. Really love the part about DS9 and Voyager.

I just came here to post this. Of course Carlson's reign of terror would not end because of his racism or election lies. But on the whim of a billionaire irked by his own botched engagement.

Well, they could have named it the U.S.S. Organic Picard, but that doesn't really roll off the tongue🤣

This is an awesome bit of trivia, there was only one piece of the original set that was tracked down to take it's place in the recreated Picard set for the D. Hint, it's not just a random part of the set. It's something very unique and so cool that they were able to find it....

The scene with Picard, Riker, and Geordie on the Enterprise D as they shut the girl down was one of the moments that got me. I liked how Picard said, "Take care of her Geordie" and he answers, "I will, after all she's always taken care of us.". I seen an article pointing out this line is very similar to the memorable line that DeForrest Kelly delivered to Data during Farpoint, "Treat her like a lady and she'll always bring you home.". While watching it a great line occured to me. Even if they didn't intend to do anything with it in the future when they were shutting down the systems I would have loved Riker to say something like, "Keep a light on Geordi, never know when we might need her again".

The writing this season was so good. They juggled so many balls at once. They managed to make season 3 accessable to even people who haven't watched the first two seasons. They made a great season arc story while still making individual episodes feel special(a lot of serialized shows struggle with this). And so many clues and foreshadowing that make a rewatch worth it. Like for most of the season I think a fairly common opinion was that we loved Titan but it would have been cool if the season has taken place on an Enterprise. Then last week changed all that and we realized they had to set it on Titan so that was it would maximize the specialness of coming home to the D. And then this episode swerved us again. We were always on the Enterprise. The Enterprise G. Imagine if Star Trek The New Generation runs for 5+ seasons and all the stuff it could go through and how much we will all love that ship in 5+ years. And we'll always be able to come back and enjoy s3 of Picard knowing she was the Enterprise even before we knew she was

Stay out of the Picard thread and get caught up. Season 3 is the best Trek in 25 years.

Does anyone know the name of the music piece they play when Titan escaped the Nebula in ep4, then when the hologram of Alton Soong plays and the camera pans around the fleet museum in ep 6, and in this episode when Picard tells Jack about how they are alike? I think it is the best piece of Trek music they have made in 20 years. Most of the new stuff is alright but forgettable, but I quickly found that piece of music hitting me like some of the best in all of Trek.

You know, nowadays it is so standard to have character deaths in a finale or a big moment on shows that I think Terry did a great job by subverting expectations and making the most surprising outcome....well.....no one dies at the end! At least, not from the main cast. And the feints along the way were quite good. Going in, I was pretty sure everyone was going to make it, but halfway through the episode I was started to wonder if Picard was going to go out somehow. The Enterprise raid on the Cube was obviously the hightlight of the episode. I liked how they gave everyone something to do. Loved that Riker and Troi's connection saved the day once again(call me a sap, I thought it was a great touch). And what a hell of a shot, Picard looking up at the Enterprise as the Cube explodes around them But I think my favorite was Data. Man, talk about walking a razors edge between success and failure. Bringing back Data for this season was probably the biggest risk out of all of them. Could have easily been the stumbling block that left a bad taste on a huge part of the rest of the show. But they have done it so well that I think he might be the most interesting character I want to see more out of in the future. His speech to give him the chance was great, but he ride through the Cube will go down as one of the best action sequences in Star Trek history imho. Obviously the reason we have never seen a big ship move like that before in Star Trek is budget and SFX(at least in the older shows) but I like to think that in universe what we are finally seeing in the full potential of Data. His superhuman physical capabilities, but now combined with human traits like inspiration and intuition. I wonder if it was intentional that we got that one shot where he looked more like he was playing a musical instrument than piloting a starship. But even aside from any deeper meaning there might have been, it was just a badass action scene. The whole story thread of Seven and the Titan were definitely the weaker of the two this episode, but I don't think it was bad. Seven rallying the crew when they were pretty sure they were going to die was a high point. But I think most of that, plus the Enterprise G, and Q should all be taken as basically the back door pilot-lette for Star Trek Legacy. Which, now we know why Terry called it Star Trek Legacy(which always felt like a placeholder to me). Imho, any hiccups with how it flowed with the main story can be forgiven for the simple fact that it certainly seems like Terry already has his own show lined up, and it's set in the 25th century. I mean, that wasn't hinting, or ambiguous.....that is screaming from the rooftops that Legacy is coming And it is such a simple and good explanation for how Q is still around. Can't believe I didn't think of it. Hell, River Song hung around Doctor Who for years based on this concept and Q didn't just jump through time, he swam through it like an ocean so the possibilities there are endless.

I like how his douchebag buzz cut combines with his rapidly retreating hairline to give him a distinctive short mop on top look like Butters starring in Full Metal Jacket.