The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 13th Day o' Christmas

Tuesday after Epiphany | Memorial of Saint André Bessette
Toby Keith, "We Three Kings" from the iTunes Holiday Sampler compilation (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.

"Born a Babe on Bethlehem's plain,
Gold we bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

"O star of wonder, star of might,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

"Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, all men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.

"O star of wonder, star of might,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

"We three kings of Orient are."

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Miri" (season one, episode eight; production code: 12; 27 October 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The Enterprise encounters a planet identical to Earth, a bizarre story element introduced, I suppose, so the producers could shoot on the Desilu backlot (the famous R.K.O. Forty Acres) without having to make it look "alien." This other Earth's human population was all but wiped out by a life-prolongation experiment, driving everyone above the age of puberty ("Grups," grown ups) to madness & a swift death; the children ("Onlies"), however, were granted greatly prolonged lifespans, aging approximately one month per every hundred years. The episode is sadly devoid of any commentary on the obvious parallels to Frankenstein, but there are several affecting dramatic scenes between the infected landing party stranded on the planet & the titular Miri, a young girl on the cusp of puberty.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 12th Day o' Christmas

Monday after Epiphany | Optional Memorial of Saint John Neumann
Mexicani Marimba Band, "Twelve Days of Christmas" from the iTunes Holiday Sampler compilation (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Twelve Days-link & Twelfth Night-link.

The Explorers' Club, № MCXXXII

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 4 (the "Scientists"), Part III
Joseph Peter Kerwin (born 19 February 1932), Captain, U.S. Navy—He flew Skylab 2 (1973); he was the first Science Pilot & the first American physician in space; after the Challenger disaster, he wrote a report on the deaths of the crew; after leaving N.A.S.A., he co-invented the Simplified Aid For E.V.A. Rescue (S.A.F.E.R.) jet pack for the proposed Space Station Freedom, still in use today on the I.S.S.

Commentary: As a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) during Apollo 13, Kerwin uttered the iconic line, addressing the doomed Lunar Module that had saved the astronauts' lives by serving as a lifeboat but was soon to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere:

"Farewell, Aquarius, & we thank you."

As of this publication, Doctor Kerwin is still alive, age ninety-three.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day!: The Scientists—Joe Kerwin
The Aquabats!, "Doing Science!" from The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary:

"Science will save the day!
Science, let's shout, Hooray!
Life gets better every day
'Cause of science!…"

The Wayback Machine Tour of Joe Kerwin
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLII: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 2, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLV: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 2, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № CMLX: The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 2, Part III

Semper exploro.

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Dagger of the Mind" (season one, episode nine; production code: 11; 3 November 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: It's interesting that "Dagger of the Mind" was produced directly after "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," as both episodes involve the introduction of a famous humanitarian, Dr. Roger Korby in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" & Dr. Tristan Adams in "Dagger of the Mind," who had turned to villainy out among the stars.

"Dagger of the Mind" introduces the Vulcan mind meld, which Spock uses on the troubled Dr. Simon van Gelder, though absent are the iconic words, "My mind to your mind, your thoughts to my thoughts." The visuals of the neural neutralizer device are classic & actress Marianna Hill looks like a million bucks as Dr. Helen Noel, but the episode doesn't really work because Dr. Adams lacks any apparent motive for his villainy.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Epiphany o' the Lord

The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
The Klezmonauts, "We Three Kings of Orient Are" from Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: The traditional observance of the Epiphany falls on 6 January, the twelfth day of the Nativity of the Lord (the famous though little-understood Twelve Days of Christmas), but in the dioceses of these United States the observance has been moved to a proximal Sunday.

It doesn't hurt that "We Three Kings of Orient Are" (or, "We Three Kings") is one of my favorite Christmas carols.

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"What Are Little Girls Made Of?" (season one, episode seven; production code: 10; 20 October 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" marks the first time that red-shirted security personal (Wikipedia-link) are killed on Star Trek. A number of crewman were killed by the Salt Vampire in "The Man Trap," but they all wore gold or blue shirts; all the security officers in "The Man Trap" survived.

"What Are Little Girls Made Of?" also answers some questions about the nature of man & the difference between man & machine that are relevent to later Star Trek. In the episode, our heroes encounter an android that claims to be Dr. Roger Korby, Nurse Chapel's long lost fiancé. Years earlier, Korby's body was failing & he transferred his memories—what he erroneously calls his "soul"—into an android body. The Korby android insists that it is Roger Korby, but Chapel & Kirk convince it that its plans for violent galactic conquest prove it isn't the pacifistic, humanitarian Roger Korby. The Korby android then destroys itself & a gynoid called Andrea, further proving the point.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

At the end of the first season of Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023), Jean-Luc Picard dies. His "consciousness" is than transferred into a Soong-type android body, like Data. The Picard android belives it is Jean-Luc Picard, just as the Juliana Tainor android did in the T.N.G. episode "Inheritance" (season seven, episode ten; 22 November 1993), but that's no different than the Korby android initially believing it was Roger Korby. Picard series creator Michael Chabon calls himself a lifelong Star Trek fan, but that is no more true than the Korby android's claim to be Roger Korby; if Chabon had paid the slightest attention to "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," he would have known his end to the first season of Picard was invalid.

Hollywoodland: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Operation AXIOM: The 33rd Anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Thirty-three years ago to the day, 3 January 1993, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) premiered in first-run syndication with the two-hour pilot episode, "Emissary" (not to be confused with the 1989 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Emissary"). DS9 is both my favorite television show & my favorite part of Star Trek. Even more than that, DS9 is an integral part of the bond I share with my best friend. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine debuted the first of its one hundred seventy-six episodes (actually, the first two, as it was later repackaged as "Emissary, Part I" & "Emissary, Part II") thirty-three years ago today, 3 January 1993.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Deep Space Nine
Dennis McCarthy, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — After 3:00 A.M. at Quark's" from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — After 3:00 A.M. at Quark's single (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 10th Day o' Christmas

Christmas Weekday | Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" from Barenaked for the Holidays (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light!

"Born a King of Bethlehem's plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign!…

"Glorious now, behold Him arise,
King and God and sacrifice,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Worship Him, God Most High!…"

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Balance of Terror" (season one, episode fourteen; production code: 09; 15 December 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Romulans! "Balance of Terror" introduces the Romulans, revealing them as an offshoot of Spock's Vulcans & gives us the first starship combat in all of Star Trek. 'Tis one of the best episodes of the series, full of tension, pathos, & moral instruction. Mark Lenard guest stars as the Romulan Commander; he later returned, more famously, in the role of Spock's father, Ambassador Sarek.

"Balance of Terror" is so highly regarded that it was the first episode released with the fortieth anniversary remastered visual effects.

In one of the most puzzling things I have ever seen, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds revisited "Balance of Terror" in the episode "A Quality of Mercy" (season one, episode ten; 7 July 2022). Captain Pike, still in command of the Enterprise in an alternate timeline, botches the confrontation with the Romulan Bird-of-Prey resulting in full-scale war between the United Federation of Planets & the Romulan Star Empire. What is the purpose of making an episode about how massively inferior Captain Pike, the protagonist of S.N.W., is to Captain Kirk? Why slag your own main character?

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 9th Day o' Christmas

Christmas Weekday | Memorial of Saints Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen
The Klezmonauts, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" from Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Christmas isn't over yet.

Rewatching Star Trek (The Original Series, 1966-1969)

Episode o' the Day
"Charlie X" (season one, episode two; production code: 08; 15 September 1966): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "Charlie X" is the second plot in eight episodes, starting with "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (which aired the following week), in which a human manifests god-like powers after encountering aliens or an astronomical phenomenon. Star Trek: Lower Decks lovingly lampooned this trope in "Strange Energies" (season two, episode one; 12 August 2021).

"Charlie X" is a great example of our heroes having to outwit their adversary, here the god-like but immature Charlie Evans, because they cannot overpower him.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the 8th Day o' Christmas

The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God | The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
The Daughters of Mary, "Mother Dearest, Mother Fairest" from De Profundis (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)