Nothing I did I could ever defend

[sovay]

My review of Star Trek: Voyager's "Jetrel" (1995) has been accepted for reprint by The Stellar Beacon. It will be the first time any of the reviews I have been writing for Patreon since 2015 have appeared anywhere other than this journal. I don't even normally write about television. I am delighted.

Speaking of which, remember how I said I thought there were more quotations in that script than I could catch? It turns out I transcribed one of them: "I slept no worse last night than I have any other night for the past fifteen years." From an article on Oppenheimer in Japan in 1960: "It isn't that I don’t feel bad. It is that I don't feel worse tonight than last night." At which point I realized I had been hearing a paraphrase whenever it came around on the iTunes in Oppenheimer Analysis' "My Guilt Goes On":

Will you forgive but not forget?
Ask me if I still regret?
Don't feel any worse today
Than I was feeling yesterday

It can be dangerous to remix history, but it does produce some wonderful artistic effects.

Speaking of history, Linear A has still not been translated, but it has been linked to Linear B. This delights me also.

Comments

[sholio]

How neat! Congratulations!

The Linear A/B article is also very cool.

[sovay]

How neat! Congratulations!

Thank you! I was not expecting it at all.

The Linear A/B article is also very cool.

I found out from a friend's comments. It would play hell with several long-standing metaphors, but I would love to see it lead to decipherment.

[starlady]

Congrats on the zine!

Super interesting about Linear A and B. The carrying over of the core signs makes a lot of sense.

[sovay]

Congrats on the zine!

Thank you!

Super interesting about Linear A and B. The carrying over of the core signs makes a lot of sense.

It reminds me (I don't imagine it's a new observation, but it wasn't mentioned in the article) of the relationship between Sumerian and Akkadian, in that I don't know Sumerian as a language at all, but because so many Sumerian logograms were carried over into the Akkadian use of cuneiform along with all the phonetic values and determinatives etc., I know a random handful of Sumerian vocabulary.

[selkie]

From fragments in the now itself fragmented Big Book of Questionable Things to Do in Haunted New England, I’m not surprised about Linear A and B, but it’s very satisfying to know it’s not just cockamamie c17 wishful back-attribution of the sort that’ll usually give you a Voynich-level headache.

Also you are very awesome and I reserve a small right (mine by adorability or calendar seniority since right by conquest does not apply here) to be smug and do a smug little dance.

[sovay]

From fragments in the now itself fragmented Big Book of Questionable Things to Do in Haunted New England, I’m not surprised about Linear A and B, but it’s very satisfying to know it’s not just cockamamie c17 wishful back-attribution of the sort that’ll usually give you a Voynich-level headache.

We should have beta-tested if your kid could read it back when the TV blew out every time.

Also you are very awesome and I reserve a small right (mine by adorability or calendar seniority since right by conquest does not apply here) to be smug and do a smug little dance.

*hugs*

[selkie]

I’ll put them on to it after religious school; just, like, one of the Khania fragments. I’ll wake you up if someone Minoan demands a hot beverage, because hospitality hasn’t died out with logograms and I assume mobile signal will hold out longer than our apartment’s fuses.

[sovay]

I’ll wake you up if someone Minoan demands a hot beverage, because hospitality hasn’t died out with logograms and I assume mobile signal will hold out longer than our apartment’s fuses.

I want to point out you said this and the TV blew out.

[selkie]

Yes, but they busted their knee so I never printed anything out!

(It ended up being seven times, alternating between static and a streaming news feed, and then I had to pack it in for the night...)

[minoanmiss]

1) it is an awesome review.
2) I am pretty delighted that 3 different people made sure to tell me the Linear A news, not least considering my username and all.

[sovay]

1) it is an awesome review.

Thank you. It insisted on being written.

2) I am pretty delighted that 3 different people made sure to tell me the Linear A news, not least considering my username and all.

It's a good thing to have friends who know you!

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, congratulations on the zine!

[sovay]

Aw, congratulations on the zine!

Thank you!

[phi]

Congrats!

I meant to comment my appreciation of the review on the original post, but lost track of my thoughts.

[sovay]

Congrats!

Thank you!

I meant to comment my appreciation of the review on the original post, but lost track of my thoughts.

It's not like there's a statute of limitations. You introduced me to the show; I would love to hear your thoughts whenever they regather. In the meantime, I appreciate the appreciation.

[asakiyume]

Congratulations--this is great! Always glad at the thought of your work reaching new readers.

[sovay]

Congratulations--this is great! Always glad at the thought of your work reaching new readers.

Thank you! I hope some of them also like film noir.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the magazine, too. I have very little interaction with gaming culture except at second hand.

[kathmandu]

Congratulations on the reprint!

[sovay]

Congratulations on the reprint!

Thank you!

[handful_ofdust]

So happy about the reprint!

[sovay]

So happy about the reprint!

Thank you! It really feels exciting.

[gwynnega]

That is wonderful about the zine reprint!

(The Linear A/Linear B thing is also awesome.)

[sovay]

That is wonderful about the zine reprint!

Thank you! Of all the things that would attract outside attention, I didn't expect a Voyager review to be it.

(The Linear A/Linear B thing is also awesome.)

I want to read the book!

[pameladean]

Like others commenting, I meant to express my appreciation of that review. I loved seeing your inimitable style, depth of analysis, and personal involvement employed to demonstrate the nature of my beloved show. It was awesome. I am glad the zine thinks so too!

I kept getting into excessive biographical remarks about Trek and my adherence to it, and couldn't tame them down. A more motivated journaler than I would just write a post about it all.

Also entranced by the Linear A/Linear B news. I hope it will beget more information soon.

P.

[sovay]

I loved seeing your inimitable style, depth of analysis, and personal involvement employed to demonstrate the nature of my beloved show. It was awesome. I am glad the zine thinks so too!

Thank you! If it helps, I had difficulty responding to this comment, because of the compliment of writing well about something that means so much to another person.

I kept getting into excessive biographical remarks about Trek and my adherence to it, and couldn't tame them down. A more motivated journaler than I would just write a post about it all.

I mean, I'd read it. I am always interested in people's relationships to stories and I would be interested in yours specifically. But also there is no time limit on leaving comments, even if that means six months from now I get an essay.

Also entranced by the Linear A/Linear B news. I hope it will beget more information soon.

Same!

[thistleingrey]

Congratulations!

it has been linked to Linear B

Yay! Glad to learn of this.

[sovay]

Congratulations!

Thank you!

Yay! Glad to learn of this.

It definitely improves my week.