Avatars And Profile

[Miss B]

I thought Enterprise was okay... I didn't think it was "great," but it was okay.

Mostly I think they were trying to show a NOT Utopian time period, thus all of the "angry" writing on the episodes, IMO...

You could be right, but that just turned me off.

I like Scott Bakula but hated him in Enterprise.

I remember first seeing him in Quantum Leap years ago, and I'm not sure if he, or the show, turned me off more. It might have been the show, because I've seen him in guest spots on other series and he was fine.

I just didn't like him on Enterprise at all, and also didn't like the show as a whole, which probably colored my opinion of him and/or his acting.

I do have to say, he's not too bad on NCIS New Orleans, but the writing for the 3 NCIS series is top notch, so that's probably making a big difference, though I think he'd be a little more believable if he didn't try so hard for the N.O. accent.

 

[Zaarin]

I think I'm the only one in all the world to love Star Trek: Enterprise!

To be honest, I've never watched a single episode, but what I've read about it has left me with mixed feelings. I like the idea that they had a linguist character (though I understand they criminally underutilized her) and I like the idea of Shran (aka Blue Weyoun ), but they seem to have taken too many liberties with canon (like the Borg and Ferengi showing up). And I don't trust the Trek writers after the abomination of Voyager.

 

[Gadget Girl]

And Dukat, Damar, and Garak were all such fantastic characters in their own ways.

So a funny thing just happened. I just recently picked up Crusader Kings II and a lot of it's DLC content because it was on a summer sale. Anyway, my king was trying to get better at Intrigue, and this story line came up where I 'heard' of a tailor who used to be a great spy master and did I want to seek him out to learn from him. When I found him he offered to make me tea, then snuck up behind me, asked who sent me, and eventually agreed to train me. It was a charming little homage.

It was supposed to be the precursor to the original ST series, but it didn't seem like it. Maybe the "bridge" wasn't as modern or futuristic looking as the other series bridge scenes, but it didn't seem like an "earlier" interpretation of the storyline to me.

I liked the first few seasons, when they seemed to be trying to be a prequel, but when they got into the big attack on earth and time wars and stuff like that, it just felt like they found it too hard to stay within what we knew of the Trek verse and I didn't like it as much.

 

[Zaarin]

So a funny thing just happened. I just recently picked up Crusader Kings II and a lot of it's DLC content because it was on a summer sale. Anyway, my king was trying to get better at Intrigue, and this story line came up where I 'heard' of a tailor who used to be a great spy master and did I want to seek him out to learn from him. When I found him he offered to make me tea, then snuck up behind me, asked who sent me, and eventually agreed to train me. It was a charming little homage.

That is fantastic! I've tried to get into Crusader Kings II a couple times; it has a steep learning curve. It probably didn't help that my first game I tried playing as a queen of Ireland. I couldn't get anyone to marry my character without taking over the throne, and she ended up being assassinated.

 

[Bonnie2001]

It probably didn't help that my first game I tried playing as a queen of Ireland

We haven't had ones of those since 1086, Queen Gormlaith I think.

 

[Zaarin]

We haven't had ones of those since 1086, Queen Gormlaith I think.

I worked on a research paper once on Granuaile (aka "Grace O'Malley"), Queen of Connacht. The paper didn't end up going where I wanted it to so I changed topics, but she was a fascinating woman.

 

[Miss B]

I had heard a reference to Grace O'Malley on an episode of NCIS once, where she was called an Irish Pirate. Just now I went to Wikipedia, and it said the trading business she inherited from her father was referred to as a piracy. Hmmmmm . . . .

 

[Bonnie2001]

Grace O'Malley is well used as a name here. We have a Grace O'Malley Park housing estate in Howth, County Dublin. There may be more, but I would need to check and it's after midnight and I'm only fit for bed now.

 

[Zaarin]

I had heard a reference to Grace O'Malley on an episode of NCIS once, where she was called an Irish Pirate. Just now I went to Wikipedia, and it said the trading business she inherited from her father was referred to as a piracy. Hmmmmm . . . .

Indeed, she's sometimes called "the Pirate Queen of the Irish" (though she was never technically "Queen of Ireland," just Connacht). She did lead a rebellion against the English, though, and once met with Queen Elizabeth (Tudor) to parlay. Those two hotheads in one room must have been quite something.

 

[Miss B]

Oh now, that I would've liked to see.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Which is probably why she's referred to most often as a pirate, while dudes like Sir Francis Drake were considered heros. Even though, they were pirates.

Indeed, she's sometimes called "the Pirate Queen of the Irish" (though she was never technically "Queen of Ireland," just Connacht). She did lead a rebellion against the English, though, and once met with Queen Elizabeth (Tudor) to parlay. Those two hotheads in one room must have been quite something.

 

[Zaarin]

Which is probably why she's referred to most often as a pirate, while dudes like Sir Francis Drake were considered heros. Even though, they were pirates.

Well, to be fair, Sir Francis Drake was a privateer, not a pirate--but granted the difference between a "pirate" and a "privateer" is a matter of perspective--the Spanish certainly considered Drake a pirate. But John Smith ended up hanging for piracy, at least.

 

[AlphinaNovaStar]

My avatar is Dory. Have I explained why I used Dory as my avatar? I forgot. What were we talking about? Oh avatars? Like the little picture of Dory I have. I am not as bad as Dory but I am not as good as Data. I like Data but wish I had his memory and skills. Oh I also have ADD I think but got to wash my dinner dishes first.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

True. He was a privateer to the English. But ... a privateer (as well as an Elizabethan Sea Dog) were pirates ... at least to their victims.

Well, to be fair, Sir Francis Drake was a privateer, not a pirate--but granted the difference between a "pirate" and a "privateer" is a matter of perspective--the Spanish certainly considered Drake a pirate. But John Smith ended up hanging for piracy, at least.

 

[Zaarin]

True. He was a privateer to the English. But ... a privateer (as well as an Elizabethan Sea Dog) were pirates ... at least to their victims.

Most definitely. But there was also a pretty strict code regulating privateers: there were generally specific (types of) ships from specific governments that they could target, as delineated in their letters of marque. In many ways a privateer was a lot like a mercenary--just a mercenary who was allowed to attack a rival during peacetime while the hiring government retained culpable deniability. A privateer who didn't follow his letters of marque could end up being hanged by his own government--the purpose of privateers was to harass a rival, not start a war, after all.

 

[Bonnie2001]

Most definitely. But there was also a pretty strict code regulating privateers: there were generally specific (types of) ships from specific governments that they could target, as delineated in their letters of marque. In many ways a privateer was a lot like a mercenary--just a mercenary who was allowed to attack a rival during peacetime while the hiring government retained culpable deniability. A privateer who didn't follow his letters of marque could end up being hanged by his own government--the purpose of privateers was to harass a rival, not start a war, after all.

That's all very confusing to me. I guess historians came about so they could clarify all that stuff to mere mortals.

 

[Zaarin]

That's all very confusing to me. I guess historians came about so they could clarify all that stuff to mere mortals.

Basically a privateer is a ship captain hired by a government to harass a rival's shipping (England was notorious for their use of privateers to plague Spanish and Dutch shipping, but most Renaissance governments employed them), whereas a pirate is simply a seaborn thief who works for himself (or, more rarely, herself) and plunders any ship (s)he comes across regardless of national affiliation.

 

[Bonnie2001]

Thanks Zaarin. So basically back in those days it was a government licenced thief versus a non licenced thief?

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Sounds good to me Bonnie!

 

[Zaarin]

Thanks Zaarin. So basically back in those days it was a government licenced thief versus a non licenced thief?

Pretty much!