I'm Ali, a proud geek based in Cambridge, UK. I have a background in science and now work in education. No doubt you 'orrible Americans will have your work cut out copyediting my contributions because they're littered with British spelling and punctuation conventions... sorry, force of habit!
Most of my contributions have been, and probably will be, related to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine... I'm a DS9 geek and proud of it. While I do like the other Trek shows, DS9 has the depth and substance to keep me watching and re-watching, make me think and question, and motivate me to write about it.
The Aliens of Deep Space 9 - a rogues gallery of the aliens seen in the background of the Promenade and Quark's on Deep Space 9
External pages[]
DS9 Season Guides - episode-by-episode summaries for all seven seasons of DS9 that avoid as many spoilers as possible, indicate which episodes are important for the arcs and character development, and indicate the "gold stars" and the "skip episodes" for each season (great for DS9 first-timers watching on DVD)
Pooh Borg - what do you give as a birthday present to a friend obsessed with the Borg and Pooh Bear? Easy! Just combine the two and assimilate Pooh!
Contributions[]
This many edits and counting. Click here for a list of my recent contributions.
Sadly, I don't get as much time as I would like to spend on Memory Alpha, but I do try to make contributions whenever I can. I've made a few significant contributions, and I'm proud of the articles on Quark's, the Promenade and DS9: "Rapture", all of which are now featured articles!
How I wish I could get away with editing the first paragraph of the article on Nog to read:
I own all of the following, so if you'd like me to check some detail for you or get a scan or screen grab of something, just let me know on my talk page or email me :o)
I also own The Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers, all of the Star Trek movies on DVD, Star Trek: The Next Generation seasons 5, 6 and 7 on DVD, and all seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager on VHS.
"Vortex" - The first tantalising hints about Odo's origin.
"The Forsaken" - For some reason, the combination of Odo and Lwaxana Troi, the introvert and the extrovert, the painfully private and the painfully attention seeking, works wonderfully and gives us insights into both characters that we wouldn't otherwise have had.
"Duet" - A masterpiece, for reasons that hardly need to be explained by me. Spectacular performance by Harris Yulin as Marritza.
"Heart of Stone" - Nog and Odo break down and reveal their innermost feelings, and a truly surprise ending.
"Improbable Cause" & "The Die is Cast" - Garak, Odo, Enabran Tain, and the events that not only set up the next season and a half but also sealed the Cardassians' ultimate fate.
"Things Past" - A companion piece to ""Necessary Evil"", and just as dark and affecting. A ground shift for Odo, as a mirror to the earlier one for Kira.
"The Ascent" - Lip smacking, arguing, dying wishes and a relationship of love played out on a mountainside years before Brokeback Mountain. Hillarious and touching.
"Rapture" - A milestone episode for Bajor and its Emissary, and a stunning lecture on courage for Kira from the Kai.
"The Darkness and the Light" - "You lived on our land and you took the food out of our mouths, and I don't care whether you held a phaser in your hand or you ironed shirts for a living, you were all guilty and you were all legitimate targets!"
"The Begotten" - Odo and Dr Mora lay their demons to rest on a journey through antagonism, anger, wonder, joy, forgiveness and heartbreak.
"For the Uniform" - How far will a Starfleet Captain go to fulfil a personal vendetta? Strong script, morally ambiguous actions, and a wonderfully performed manual launch of the USS Defiant.
"Call to Arms" - "Either you remove the mines, or we will take this station from you and remove them ourselves" - and so begins the Dominion War. Also, and without question, the best "Holy sh*t!" closing seconds of any Star Trek episode, ever.
"Rocks and Shoals" - One suicide in protest against a power, multiple in service of it. "A" and "B" stories both stunning, both important, and both affecting.
"Behind the Lines" - Shifting loyalties and betrayal. Powerful and exciting stuff.
"Who Mourns for Morn?" - Absolutely hilarious, a real gem of a light-hearted episode.
"Far Beyond the Stars" - A real departure for Star Trek storytelling, a work of genius and a stunning hour of television.
"Inquisition" - Intruiging throughout, and deeply disconcerting revelations at the end.
"In the Pale Moonlight" - Dark and insidious, and some disturbing actions by Sisko. Brilliantly directed and performed.
"Chimera" - If only there'd been time to follow this up with another appearance by Laas, nevertheless a good exploration of tolerance and acceptance and a brilliant turn by J.G. Hertzler.
"The Changing Face of Evil" - Attack on a faithful stronghold, destruction of a faithful starship, murder of a faithful servant and the beginning of an uprising by a faithful few.
"The Dogs of War" - The final romp for the Ferengi, and the beginning of the final push for victory in the War.
"What You Leave Behind" - The flashback scenes make me weep every time, and the departures, and the music, and the end. Oh DS9, why did it have to end?
