Nice thing about Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra is that when you say it to someone, and they understand the reference, it confirms the point of Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.
"I am an android on a witness stand, pleading with you to believe in my personhood. Frankensteins monster in the forest. The silkie's child, her toes webbed. Enkidu cursing on his deathbed. I have seen the acorn before the oak, the egg before the hen but never the likes of this." That hit hard.
Roy Batty at the end of Blade Runner, accepting his mortality after having saved Deckard's life, when he had no reason to, and many reasons to let Deckard die.
Ok here’s the actual take: The second half of Gilgamesh is TNG. The FIRST half of Gilgamesh, aka “the adventures of king jackass and his advisor/boyfriend who doesn’t know how to human,” is obviously TOS.
Yes! I love that! Also, found you here specifically for this; you are intensely skilled at this communicating thing in this medium, probably even when you don't think you hit the mark. Thank you for putting this into words. Ogma of the Irish, his words carved in stone.
Whenever I tell my daughters things I always talk in tamarian. Time to go I say "Mirab his sails unfurled" shuddup sounds better saying "the River Tamarc in Winter!" Sounds far better.. much better.
… I’m in South Texas, the middle of nowhere, and I’m watching a segment you put up a year ago, called mythology, autism, and Star Trek’s Darmok… I think what you have to say is very insightful. I’m glad you’re so young to realize what’s going on in Star Trek. I hope you’re watching the new version with Captain Pike because many of those episodes are very deep…🖖🏼
Darmok was one of TNG's best episodes. ST always used the dodge of the Universal Translator so they could get right to the conversation, but establishing communication would have been the first and hardest chore with each new meeting. The alien language shouldn't have been that hard to decipher, but it gave a one episode, simplified experience of trying to work someone's language out.
@@willf.4590 I invite all my fellow Trekkers and you particularly to enjoy an unauthorized novel completely free. Just google Star Trek Lost Destiny Race.
"Really easy to speak and very, very hard to communicate." I think you just summed up one of my son's greatest struggles better than anyone. Thank you for that. :)
@@DrunkDoglol The State tends to do a better job than people ranting about the state in random TH-cam comments sections that have nothing to do with politics. Like, no. Parents SHOULDN'T have 100% control over their kids. That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Insane people have kids. Stupid people have kids. Sociopaths have kids.
I find it touching that this old tv show made probably before you were born touched you so profoundly. THis was an excellent video and thank you for making it.
I'm a film editor and also neuroatypical and I love the way you communicate through EDITING and it gets gears turning in my brain about how to represent the experience of people like us.
Wow. As a Star Trek fan, and a person who loves mythology, that was really...really good. You have a gift for story telling. I enjoyed this video. Thank you for making it.
I am a 37-year-old father from a small town in northeastern Brazil. I have no idea how or why the TH-cam algorithm brought me here. It was very strange, but I am extremely grateful because I loved your video and your personality. Consider yourself embraced! Peace! 🤗
"Darmok" is one of my favourite TNG episodes, and has moved me to tears many times. So often what is in our hearts and minds is betrayed by the limits of our ability to communicate. This fact is illustrated powerfully in "Darmok". Picard's eventual breakthrough is triumphant yet terribly bittersweet. Great performances all around. When Picard tells of the fate of the other captain- who had, in that short time, become his friend- "Shaka, when the walls fell.", the emotion in his voice is palpable. You are quite brilliant. I enjoyed this a great deal. Forgive me if I'm being shallow here, but I wish to respectfully state the obvious, that you are rather beautiful. There's the beauty one is born with, and there is the beauty one earns by what they become. You have both.
"...I have always found it really easy to speak, and very, very hard to _communicate."_ ...the most relatable thing I've heard in some time. The (di/tri)lemma I struggle with is: if I summarize too much, the "blanks" get filled in wrong by listeners who don't share my context - but if I clarify too much, I can't express a complete thought before the listener's attention span runs out. Either way, assumptions get made, and they're often the opposite of what I'm intending to communicate. I feel there _must_ be a middle ground, but it's hard to find on-the-spot in real-time.
I was brought here by my love for both Star Trek TNG and ancient mythology. Love your thoughts on this episode. It’s one of my favourites as well. My absolute favourite episode is “The Inner Light,” where Picard lives a whole other person’s lifetime. Thanks for your musings on this!
"I have found it very easy to speak but hard to communicate" is such a profound and important thing to hear as someone who very much has this issue. I could talk for hours but actually getting through to the other person can be like pulling teeth. You're definitely going to be someone I quote with what you said.
@@MegaLotusEater speaking your mind does not always mean you are understood. For some even a small gap can seem to be a large chasm. The goal of communication is to be understood.
@@MegaLotusEater It depends on the audience. You may have to adapt your speech in order to effectively communicate with the listener. My question is, are autistic people incapable or unwilling to adapt?
Thank you for helping me understand my autistic teenager's love of storytelling in his interests. I have always loved that episode of TNG and now I see it's another in a long line of things that have prepared me for the journey of understanding I've had with my son. ❤️
the comments on this video are so wonderful and touching, and this one is no exception. It’s an honor to be part of helping you understand your son ❤️ thank you
Your comments regarding the autistic’s view of human culture as an outsider echos Temple Grandin’s statement that she often feels like an “anthropologist on mars.” Thank you for sharing. It helps the rest of us non-autistics to understand better what it is like for you to feel like an outsider on your home planet.
This was my favorite episode as well…my favorite part of the episode is when Picard talks to the Tamarian ship at the end…he delivers the lines with such passion that you can tell what he means just through the his tone and emotion in the words.
Just watched Darmok on your recommendation, wrote like two pages of notes on it, then came back to re-watch your video about it. I also cried at the scene where Picard reflects on the Tamarian captain being willing to die for a chance to communicate.
This is beautiful. It reflects my own experience with folklore, Star trek, this specific episode, and discovering my own autism. This understanding of communication, of storytelling... It so resonates with my own understanding. And listening to you speak about things you find beautiful is, to me, beautiful.
Astrid, I am in awe of you. You are so intelligent, so earnest. I will watch this video over and over to grasp the full depth of what you are saying about language and mythology. I am also in awe of the writers of this episode who not only invented a new language but a new principle by which a language may be constructed. What you have put before me has my head spinning.
Maybe only Tuvok for me (if even, but I still highly admired Data and SoN, while definitely being able to get along well with SoN's highly autistic demeanor despite not being able to relate to her. Not surprising that I don't relate to them considering that I don't consider myself to have ASD at all. I just get along oddly well with such people.
I related to Spock from the beginning and when watching re-runs a admired this character even more in different ways. I also related to Data and 'Voyage' definetely became my favorite Star Trek series when Seven of Nine came up. She was the Spock and the Data that were missing. I relate to them everytime I feel isolated, not being part of aything and taking the view of an outsider.
I actually felt like the second have of Gilgamesh was sort of meant to be the beginning of Gilgamesh taking the lessons of Enkidu into his life. In the first half, Enkidu is tricked into the human world, and it's kind of spoken of as if he's done something you're not supposed to. It's a taboo or some barrier you don't cross. But, he did. And as a result, he found someone who loved him (even platonically) in a way that he was willing to die to protect. In the second half, as Gilgamesh mourns, I forget exactly what it is that the old hag says to him, but I believe it's something to the effect of "did you love him, or did you love what he provided you?" When she tells him "only the sun crosses the sea" and he makes his promise to cross it, I always felt like that was him saying he was going to do what Enkidu did and grow beyond the limits he was handed, but on his own terms. Ultimately, Gilgamesh is a meant to be a sort of tourist attracting pamphlet to show how cool his city is above all of his neighbors, but I like to think the writers were at least trying to tell a story with more weight to it than that. That the humanity of our ancestors was translated into the stories they told each other.
Growing up i always was able to see myself in doctor who and is the reason its stuck with me so long. So much of me is built from thousands of hours hyperfixating on the doctor and their maneurisms and social interactions obsessing over their morals and feeling seen when no one else saw me. I rarely do something without thinking of the doctor and rarely have a conversation i cant tie into doctor who somehow (something that has caused me trouble in the past). I dont know where im going with this so ill just say that this video means a lot to me and is so well put together and i absolutely love it ❤
first of all...I feel u... I also write (much longer, and much more confusing) such comments xD most of the time, just for me. To write it of my hugr. But one thing I want to know... How the heck does the doctor got u in trouble??? I mean, our entire discord channel thinks in quotes...omg...we r tamarians
An important part of doctor Who is change. The Doctor changes, now and then, a new body, new mind, new relationships, not so different adventures and a simple philosophy, it was always a Kid's show, it teaches things about life. We all change as we grow and sometimes we want to be someone totally different, but, like the Doctor, the most basic part of us, our root morality, stays the same, even grows stronger. The original doctor was a bit of a spoiled jerk, by the time we get to Max, the doctor's morality is set, but then comes Jodie and a totally different perspective and an overload of morality. I think the evolution of Missy is also about the evolution of the Doctor, he has loved the Master for a long time, but much like his own shadow, his own darker, inner self. Missy is allowed to be weak as the Master never was, and the Doctor in allowed to share her weakness and find long buried beauty. Aren't we all like that?
As soon as you explained the Tamarians' way of speaking, I realized how well it fits with current internet culture. A lot of us find it easier to connect with someone over a piece of fiction than over something like emotions or ideologies; it's sort of become the norm. We communicate via narratives and allegories. We might even literally go so far as saying "like when character A experienced this and that" in everyday conversation. Very cool video.
I don't think it is just internet culture. Historically well educated people of different backgrounds found it easier to communicate through references to classical literature. Think of how we communicate about things like computer "viruses": we use metaphors such as virus, worm and references such as Trojan [horse]. Orators through the centuries would use references to folklore, mythology and literature in their rhetoric talking of odysseys, describing colleagues as mercurial, foes as wolves in sheep's clothing, talking of the die being cast or the crossing of the Rubicon. Some of this is in-groupism, but more often the use of such references is because they are a much more succinct way of getting across a very particular point, a very well-refined semantic, to the person or people they were addressing. In that way modern meme culture is not revolutionary but evolutionary to a long-standing form of rhetoric.
shame this video has less than a thousand views I'm so glad the algorithm showed me it because this video was amazing I'm going to send that around as much as I can
thank you for this analysis, you perfectly put into words a feeling i've had deeply, of the disconnect in communication with others and the importance of shared stories. I've cried many times at star trek, and while Darmok wasn't ever my favorite episode, you've definitely shown me its importance. Also that point about having anthropology as an interest because we're learning how to be a person.
this is a beautiful video, just hearing you describe the episode made my eyes start to water. so eloquently spoken and explained in a way i could never be able to. thank you for sharing your amazing thoughts, you deserve more subscribers!
Shortly after this episode aired a friend was in her kitchen, I heard a loud noise, cussing and wailing. I went to see. She had dropped a large glass bowl of salad and it broke on the floor. I said... "Salaad...when the bowl fell". She had to quit cussing and laugh.
Science Fiction made a big difference to me. My favorite author was Robert Heinlein. Read Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh mistress and Time Enough for Love and you will see three books that had a profound effect on me. The Dune series and works by Isaac Asimov affected me too.
I only got my ADHD diagnosis two years ago but I also totally relate to being a huge fan of a thing and communicating with people through fanhood of things. I also love psychology and Star Trek.
Thanks for bringing us all together, one step at a time. Spock was my guide in childhood and his eyebrow raise 'Fascinating' about human life, amongst other things, offered me a doorway to understand myself. Cheers me dear!
Hey, first video I've ever seen from you and I love the analysis you did here. Darmok was always up there with my favorite episodes of Star Trek and legitimately has the ability to make me cry because the Tamarians' desire to form a connection and communicate, even to the point that their captain is willing to sacrifice his life, is just so deeply human, and their inability to do actually do so is so relatable. One way I've always been weird compared to normal people is that I've never really been all that much of a "music person" but I've still always appreciated it's ability to convey emotion, often much more so than words to the point that the words themselves are often unimportant or unnecessary, and the same is essentially true of the Tamarian method of communication. I hope that including a link to another youtube video is alright and doesn't cause this comment to be blocked, but here's a link to a song about the story of Darmok and Jilad (written in the style of a Tamarian, of course) that you should really check out because I think it's such an effective melding of and demonstration of the ability for both music and the Tamarian style of contextless metaphor to do what all language was intended to do at it's most basic, to connect with someone else and share that emotion. It's actually a music video too that has some absolutely incredible stop motion work for a youtube video that makes it worth checking out on it's own. It ends with five words on screen that summarize the meaning of the story of Darmok and Jilad, the episode "Darmok", and so much of the human experience that always really get to me, "arriving separately, but leaving together." th-cam.com/video/Jyrwlez9Lmo/w-d-xo.html Thanks to anyone who actually took the time to read all that.
For someone who may have been concerned about the ability to communicate an idea or series of ideas, you did a good job conveying those ideas in an understandable and concise way. I also never knew that people with autism were drawn to Star Trek. I learned something new.
Boy, I really get what you mean about Picard’s recounting of the Epic of Gilgamesh incorrectly , because that is exactly what I thought at the time - because I too care about the myth very much- But if you may be mistaken on that point… On the other hand, your perception of fandom in the way fans communicate to each other through cosplay, kabuki, and obscure references, that only they can get references to the stories in the characters that means so much to all of us Trekkies, Truly blew my mind and opened it to an entirely new idea InVision on the culture… Thank you!
Wow! This is incredible. Darmok has always been one of my favorite things in all of television. Your unpacking of it was fascinating and moving. Thank you for giving us your thoughts and feelings on it. You’ve got a new subscriber.
Darmok is one of my favorite episodes. Ironically (or perhaps not?), they predicted the rise of meme culture, of which ST:TNG became a primary wellspring people drew memes from. (I only have to say, "Data and Lore, in the hallway" and you instantly know I'm talking about words that are ordered ambiguously.) Incidentally, I was "Mr. Spock" as a kid, so I totally grew up with Trek-as-metaphor. Which is probably why I liked Darmok so much, because Dathon was me. Like you, the weird guy, trying to be understood. And now Trek has kind of become a meta-metaphor. (And you cannot tell me that the Thermians were not autistic, by Grabthar's hammer.)
Your script was immaculate. It's refreshing to hear someone speak so fluidly with intended words rather than by stumbling over words that don't mean exactly what the speaker wishes to say. Gosh, that TikTok hurt my soul, though.
Thank you, Astrid, for this video. I loved everything about it. It spoke to me deeply, in words I have trouble finding for myself. And I cried for all who struggle to communicate and person, but also found true hope.
In my opinion, Darmok was and still is one of the best episodes not only in the STNG but in the whole of Star Trek shows put together, and to see a lovely young lady not only that see it, but also liked it but understand what the story was trying to say and for you to be moved by it give me great hope and joy.
that part about fandom and finding your identity through stories resonated with me so much... i have never known how to connect with other people directly, through my own experience. but pointing at a character and saying "look, that person is like me" is currently the closest i feel i can get to being understood. maybe that's why i have been creating stories, a mythology of my own mind in a way, since i was little... it's the only way i can understand my own self as well.
Wow, OK, I don't know how I stumbled across this video, but I'm sure glad I did. What a fantastic video and such a deeply passionate study of that story.
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I am so thankful of finding this today. Building a boat on the edge of the earth is such a powerful image and brings me a degree of consolation. Thanks Astrid.
I always sort of viewed the Darmok story as a planet of aliens that speak jive, which often is metaphors within metaphors, and they often would change over time, much like slang does, or cockney. Films like "Airplane" often depict people speaking mid 20th century Jive with regular people, and its pretty funny. I also recall an old 1940s cartoon 9tho I can't remember if it was by Disney or Warner Bros) in which a character is narrated entirely in Jive, but in the literal sense depicted in the imagery while telling the story, and when he's saying "I can't cut the mustard" which is an idiom meaning "I can't achieve my intended goal/result" but depicts the cartoon character literally trying to cut mustard on a plate and failing at it. However in Star Trek, they never made this commentary on language using humor nor comedy, they shifted it into a focus on the usage of language and ideas, and cultural differences, and made it more meaningful, and moving with a well written ending that's impactful, and philosophical. In some ways its like an Aesop Fable, but without animals, in uses Aliens and a Star Ship Captain to convey a kind of moral lesson at the end, and depicted the seemingly backwards alien culture to actually be highly advanced, wise, and high ideals of integrity, such as self sacrifice for a cause towards the greater good. its not surprising as to why people dislike religion, and prefer to look to Science Fiction, such as Star trek, as a sort of reverse Mythology that looks to an imaginary future for inspiration, rather than an exalted past of heroes, or saviors, or Golden Ages.
But alas, you also have shrewd people who use that exalted/mythological past for political gains, and it works (or they use SF to create a sect). I always loved that TNG episode and how the references had a positive meaning (because, after all, it was Star Trek), but at the same time I had a nagging feeling that it's the same kind of references certain political parties use to spread a message that's everything but positive. I know... I'm a party pooper...
Thanks for this. I recall being 48 years old playing the card game Eucre with my family. My partner was my niece, 25 yrs younger. We lost a hand in the game, and I whispered offhand “Shaka, when the walls fell”. At this, she stared at me, wide eyed, across the card table. Like I was staring into her soul., and uttered two words. “At Tanagra”.
This was a very interesting video. I had quite similar thoughts when watching "Darmok", although for me it takes on other meanings than neurodivergence and goes into the philosophy of communication and a kind of chomskian linguistics, when we speak, it is always through some kind of shared game/context/reference points. This episode is something that bubbles up in my mind repeatedly over the years.
Easy to speak but hard to communicate... boy can I relate. Darmok really got me thinking too. What is communication actually? why do we do it? sure, to organize mainly but there is a deeper level. somehow there is a desire to let others know what we think and feel beyond the need of survival and we try to convey those thoughts and emotions via sounds, gestures, facial expression and so on. i pondered so much about this. we can never be sure that the other person really gets what we are trying to say. we can never know if they accurately receive the information we where trying to send, if they feel what we felt, when we said XY. To me our current form of communication is like a futile evolutionary attempt on thought transmission. idk if this makes any sense to anyone but me but maybe it does. and yeah "how to human"... sigh... i gave up on that. what are we anyways? I kinda felt like I emulated personalities of characters from shows and movies i love, mixed with my own quirks and over time those emulated personalities became part of me. "For every person I've tried to be there's another ten inside" (KoRn). now i simply try to be. i dont care anymore if anyone gets me or if i come across weird nor do i want to be perceived as human. i am human after all. at least i guess so. so there really is nothing to try. nobody has a damn clue what tf we are doing here and what it means to be human so nobody can tell me and ultimately i dont need to know to be.
Pardons for going a bit off the trail, but I'm reading your comment over and over again and it got me thinking. One of the highest points of my life concerning communication was in an acting workshop and the guy running it told us the best actor listened to everything their partner said and felt and I took that to heart because I always felt I missed something in conversation with anyone I talked to and ruminated on an important detail I should've picked on. Even now, talking to a longtime friend, I hope I pick up on what they're trying to tell me and what I should say in return because the disconnect of understanding we have with each other is the biggest reason so many of humanity's problems persist.
Thank you for getting it, Astrid. For me, this has always been the most powerful of all the Star Trek myths which are always rich with mythology. To share a common story is somewhere near the heart of all communication and connection. "I think, therefore, I tell stories." Thank you for sharing your insights and poetic heart.
If Astrid ever checks up on Pastrid and seest this, I hope that when I say, "This brought me joy and made me think"... I hope that makes you happy. This is one of the very best things I've seen in a long, long time.
One of the rarities... a beautiful human being on the inside and on the outside. And also intelligent... and also a Scifi fan... come on guys... gotta love that last part! I wish her well, prosperity, and grace.
You are 100% a hero. You are my hero. Darmok hit me in a lot of the same feels as Elementary my Dear Data when Moriarty says he has changed and doesn't want to die
I was in college when Seasons 4-7 of TNG were on. There were 4 of us in the dorm who were really into TNG, and we began to create our own language based on snippets from 'Darmok'. We could have full conversations around "The beast at Tenagrah" and "The river in winter" and "Shaka when the walls fell" and "Gilgamesh, a King". Others dismissed us as 'nerds', but now, 30 years later, I am quite proud about how four of us had a language built out around the terms of this episode, that enabled us to say quite a bit outside of what normal English speakers could grasp. This was before the Internet, otherwise I am certain that we could have connected with other groups of people elsewhere who did the same thing. 'Darmok' remains one of the best episodes of TV ever created. Even for people who don't otherwise watch Star Trek.
"Easy to speak and hard to communicate" YES! I think I understand what that is like, at least as I experience it. Every therapist I've ever worked with has said, "You are so good at describing how your brain works, and what you're feeling. Most people can't do that; you're fortunate!" And I say, "Yes, but did you hear what I said? I'm describing a godawful mess in great detail. Any advice?" And they say, "No, not really. But at least you're eloquent."
This video is absolutely beautiful. I knew when I saw that episode there was a reason it has clung with me ever since. You have perfectly explained it, and done so in a way that seems uniquely "you" in all the right ways. Thank you, from a new subscriber.
Just wanted to mention that you are here, what I call a definition of 'articulate'. Choosing words and structures of sentences with such accuracy to the aim of what you're trying to communicate. Such command of language! Makes one transfixed to listening to you. I also find your musings fascinating and familiar. Thank you!
I just stumbled onto your channel, and this video. My goodness, this was/is *beautiful*. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts--and yes, I have indeed liked and subscribed. I look forward to whatever else you will be presenting. All my best!
You were one of my first TikTok subscriptions early in your time there, and I resonate a great deal with your descriptions of your interests and challenges. Your honesty and vulnerable strength of character inspire me. It reignited my own journey into understanding my own challenges with a new focus, but I've not had success finding nearby people who can help me better understand my own neurodivergence and the challenges I've struggled with throughout my life. Acquiring a diagnosis has been especially challenging given my age (late 50s). You've given me hope. Well done video! I wholly related to your idea of being outside looking in, and have always realized my interest in Psychology and then Anthropology is a means of learning how to "people", as well as appreciate different cultures. I'm looking forward to watching you expand and grow your skills into longer format videos.
This is what makes your content so fascinating. I could listen to your ruminations on Star Trek and literature & life every day and never be bored. Thank you.
Wow. A beautiful person who actually looks at things and engages at THINKS about what most would just dismiss entirely. So refreshing. Please don't let anything you call a disability slow you down or give you excuse. We're all born with the gifts/curses we carry through life.
I was already subscribed, so I hit the little bell thing. TH-camrs are also really into ringing the bell for some reason. I think it has something to do with a fairy getting its wings, but I could be confused.
Sokath, his eyes opened! I’m not autistic but according to a psychologist I dated and lived with for nine years, I’m on the Asperger spectrum. I have seen the episode Darmok a few times and it remains one of my favourites. I think you just explained why. I had never realized that I myself constantly try to understand the world outside and how to communicate with it-and why sometimes, my best efforts (not just at communicating) fail. Thank you!
Noticing the parallels between Star Trek’s mission to observe alien cultures from the outside looking in, and the tendency of some of its viewers to feel that they also participate in human society from a distance, is one of the most insightful things I’ve ever heard anyone say about Star Trek. It immediately resonated with me. If you’d given me 3 million monkeys typing at 3 million keyboards for 3 million years I wouldn’t have ever come up with this.
Delighted and grateful to have found this video and your channel! I, and I can't stress this enough, certainly Do Earnest. May you live what you love forever!
This was awesome! Please do more of these. Your TikTok videos are great, but I definitely prefer these longer videos when the material needs more time.
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Nice thing about Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra is that when you say it to someone, and they understand the reference, it confirms the point of Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.
Shaka when the walls fell
@@FraDonaghyMusictemba his arms open
Sokath, his eyes uncovered
Temba, at rest
❤😂😂❤
"I am an android on a witness stand, pleading with you to believe in my personhood. Frankensteins monster in the forest. The silkie's child, her toes webbed. Enkidu cursing on his deathbed. I have seen the acorn before the oak, the egg before the hen but never the likes of this."
That hit hard.
One of the most beautiful sentences I've ever heard.
8:47
I Juliet-on-the-balcony this so much.
Roy Batty at the end of Blade Runner, accepting his mortality after having saved Deckard's life, when he had no reason to, and many reasons to let Deckard die.
@@RamBam3000Like Tears in Rain. We are blessed that Hauer chose to edit and improve the speech to what it became in that moment.
Ok here’s the actual take: The second half of Gilgamesh is TNG. The FIRST half of Gilgamesh, aka “the adventures of king jackass and his advisor/boyfriend who doesn’t know how to human,” is obviously TOS.
Yes! I love that!
Also, found you here specifically for this; you are intensely skilled at this communicating thing in this medium, probably even when you don't think you hit the mark.
Thank you for putting this into words.
Ogma of the Irish, his words carved in stone.
...You're not wrong.
Whenever I tell my daughters things I always talk in tamarian. Time to go I say "Mirab his sails unfurled" shuddup sounds better saying "the River Tamarc in Winter!" Sounds far better.. much better.
Is there anywhere you've posted more about Gilgamesh? I would love to hear you infodumping about it.
So true actually
… I’m in South Texas, the middle of nowhere, and I’m watching a segment you put up a year ago, called mythology, autism, and Star Trek’s Darmok… I think what you have to say is very insightful. I’m glad you’re so young to realize what’s going on in Star Trek. I hope you’re watching the new version with Captain Pike because many of those episodes are very deep…🖖🏼
Darmok was one of TNG's best episodes. ST always used the dodge of the Universal Translator so they could get right to the conversation, but establishing communication would have been the first and hardest chore with each new meeting. The alien language shouldn't have been that hard to decipher, but it gave a one episode, simplified experience of trying to work someone's language out.
Watching Darmok got me interested in linguistics, which got me into playing Chants of Sennaar. It's not to be missed.
@@willf.4590 I invite all my fellow Trekkers and you particularly to enjoy an unauthorized novel completely free. Just google Star Trek Lost Destiny Race.
Google translate is so stupid it can't even get Spanish right.
@@user-qw5uc7fr6m Hopefully, it will get better in 300 years or so?
At tanugra, his arms wide open. One of Startrek's finest moments, so profound. Thank you
"Really easy to speak and very, very hard to communicate." I think you just summed up one of my son's greatest struggles better than anyone. Thank you for that. :)
This resonates SO MUCH with me too. ❤
I was literally just typing out this quote. I am wrecked.
That's what usually happens when you let the State raise your kids.
@@DrunkDoglol The State tends to do a better job than people ranting about the state in random TH-cam comments sections that have nothing to do with politics.
Like, no. Parents SHOULDN'T have 100% control over their kids. That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Insane people have kids. Stupid people have kids. Sociopaths have kids.
I find it touching that this old tv show made probably before you were born touched you so profoundly. THis was an excellent video and thank you for making it.
I'm a film editor and also neuroatypical and I love the way you communicate through EDITING and it gets gears turning in my brain about how to represent the experience of people like us.
Wow. As a Star Trek fan, and a person who loves mythology, that was really...really good. You have a gift for story telling. I enjoyed this video. Thank you for making it.
I am a 37-year-old father from a small town in northeastern Brazil. I have no idea how or why the TH-cam algorithm brought me here. It was very strange, but I am extremely grateful because I loved your video and your personality. Consider yourself embraced! Peace! 🤗
"Darmok" is one of my favourite TNG episodes, and has moved me to tears many times. So often what is in our hearts and minds is betrayed by the limits of our ability to communicate. This fact is illustrated powerfully in "Darmok". Picard's eventual breakthrough is triumphant yet terribly bittersweet. Great performances all around. When Picard tells of the fate of the other captain- who had, in that short time, become his friend- "Shaka, when the walls fell.", the emotion in his voice is palpable.
You are quite brilliant. I enjoyed this a great deal. Forgive me if I'm being shallow here, but I wish to respectfully state the obvious, that you are rather beautiful. There's the beauty one is born with, and there is the beauty one earns by what they become. You have both.
I think you said that perfectly.
3:56 "My ADHD and autism present that I've always found it easy to speak and very very hard to communicate." 😲😲😯😯
THAT hit me personally.
"...I have always found it really easy to speak, and very, very hard to _communicate."_ ...the most relatable thing I've heard in some time. The (di/tri)lemma I struggle with is: if I summarize too much, the "blanks" get filled in wrong by listeners who don't share my context - but if I clarify too much, I can't express a complete thought before the listener's attention span runs out. Either way, assumptions get made, and they're often the opposite of what I'm intending to communicate. I feel there _must_ be a middle ground, but it's hard to find on-the-spot in real-time.
My life in 3 sentences...
Keep trying
I was brought here by my love for both Star Trek TNG and ancient mythology. Love your thoughts on this episode. It’s one of my favourites as well. My absolute favourite episode is “The Inner Light,” where Picard lives a whole other person’s lifetime.
Thanks for your musings on this!
yeah. Star Trek TNG is sooooo fantastically good. exactly those episodes you mentioned were so great.
@@Siddich sure
"Inner Light" was remarkably well conceived and well written, it was brilliant conceptually.
The link between neurodiverse fandom and the mythology-based comunication of the Tamarians in Star Trek is bloody genius
"I have found it very easy to speak but hard to communicate" is such a profound and important thing to hear as someone who very much has this issue.
I could talk for hours but actually getting through to the other person can be like pulling teeth. You're definitely going to be someone I quote with what you said.
I think most of us humans have that problem, or something like it.
I dont get it. She communicates v well as far as I can see?
@@MegaLotusEater speaking your mind does not always mean you are understood. For some even a small gap can seem to be a large chasm. The goal of communication is to be understood.
@@HeatGeek1 But she's easily understandable?
@@MegaLotusEater It depends on the audience. You may have to adapt your speech in order to effectively communicate with the listener. My question is, are autistic people incapable or unwilling to adapt?
Thank you for helping me understand my autistic teenager's love of storytelling in his interests. I have always loved that episode of TNG and now I see it's another in a long line of things that have prepared me for the journey of understanding I've had with my son. ❤️
the comments on this video are so wonderful and touching, and this one is no exception. It’s an honor to be part of helping you understand your son ❤️ thank you
Your comments regarding the autistic’s view of human culture as an outsider echos Temple Grandin’s statement that she often feels like an “anthropologist on mars.” Thank you for sharing. It helps the rest of us non-autistics to understand better what it is like for you to feel like an outsider on your home planet.
This was my favorite episode as well…my favorite part of the episode is when Picard talks to the Tamarian ship at the end…he delivers the lines with such passion that you can tell what he means just through the his tone and emotion in the words.
Just watched Darmok on your recommendation, wrote like two pages of notes on it, then came back to re-watch your video about it. I also cried at the scene where Picard reflects on the Tamarian captain being willing to die for a chance to communicate.
HELL YEAH
Your works mean so much to me. You about had me crying two or three times watching this earlier. More people need to see this and appreciate you ❤
.
My most anticipated video of 2022
This is beautiful. It reflects my own experience with folklore, Star trek, this specific episode, and discovering my own autism. This understanding of communication, of storytelling... It so resonates with my own understanding. And listening to you speak about things you find beautiful is, to me, beautiful.
Astrid, I am in awe of you. You are so intelligent, so earnest. I will watch this video over and over to grasp the full depth of what you are saying about language and mythology. I am also in awe of the writers of this episode who not only invented a new language but a new principle by which a language may be constructed. What you have put before me has my head spinning.
Seven of Nine was always the most relatable character for me. She had emotions but she didn't get human culture.
Who really does? ☺️
Maybe only Tuvok for me (if even, but I still highly admired Data and SoN, while definitely being able to get along well with SoN's highly autistic demeanor despite not being able to relate to her. Not surprising that I don't relate to them considering that I don't consider myself to have ASD at all. I just get along oddly well with such people.
she also was the most capable of the bunch
she got shit done while the rest threw pajama parties
@@bobbobson6290 Well, they did all wear pajamas. 😄
I related to Spock from the beginning and when watching re-runs a admired this character even more in different ways. I also related to Data and 'Voyage' definetely became my favorite Star Trek series when Seven of Nine came up. She was the Spock and the Data that were missing. I relate to them everytime I feel isolated, not being part of aything and taking the view of an outsider.
"easy to speak, but hard to communicate" is the seemingly paradoxical concept I've been trying to figure out
“Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” is one of the best TNG shibboleths.
I actually felt like the second have of Gilgamesh was sort of meant to be the beginning of Gilgamesh taking the lessons of Enkidu into his life.
In the first half, Enkidu is tricked into the human world, and it's kind of spoken of as if he's done something you're not supposed to. It's a taboo or some barrier you don't cross. But, he did. And as a result, he found someone who loved him (even platonically) in a way that he was willing to die to protect.
In the second half, as Gilgamesh mourns, I forget exactly what it is that the old hag says to him, but I believe it's something to the effect of "did you love him, or did you love what he provided you?"
When she tells him "only the sun crosses the sea" and he makes his promise to cross it, I always felt like that was him saying he was going to do what Enkidu did and grow beyond the limits he was handed, but on his own terms.
Ultimately, Gilgamesh is a meant to be a sort of tourist attracting pamphlet to show how cool his city is above all of his neighbors, but I like to think the writers were at least trying to tell a story with more weight to it than that. That the humanity of our ancestors was translated into the stories they told each other.
Growing up i always was able to see myself in doctor who and is the reason its stuck with me so long. So much of me is built from thousands of hours hyperfixating on the doctor and their maneurisms and social interactions obsessing over their morals and feeling seen when no one else saw me. I rarely do something without thinking of the doctor and rarely have a conversation i cant tie into doctor who somehow (something that has caused me trouble in the past). I dont know where im going with this so ill just say that this video means a lot to me and is so well put together and i absolutely love it ❤
I dont know how much of this comment makes sense or if its appropriate at all ive had a rough day im sorry
So glad it spoke to you ❤ this is exactly why I talk about this stuff!
first of all...I feel u... I also write (much longer, and much more confusing) such comments xD most of the time, just for me. To write it of my hugr.
But one thing I want to know... How the heck does the doctor got u in trouble???
I mean, our entire discord channel thinks in quotes...omg...we r tamarians
@@AskanHelstroem How do you experience something new if every concept is meta referential?
An important part of doctor Who is change. The Doctor changes, now and then, a new body, new mind, new relationships, not so different adventures and a simple philosophy, it was always a Kid's show, it teaches things about life. We all change as we grow and sometimes we want to be someone totally different, but, like the Doctor, the most basic part of us, our root morality, stays the same, even grows stronger. The original doctor was a bit of a spoiled jerk, by the time we get to Max, the doctor's morality is set, but then comes Jodie and a totally different perspective and an overload of morality. I think the evolution of Missy is also about the evolution of the Doctor, he has loved the Master for a long time, but much like his own shadow, his own darker, inner self. Missy is allowed to be weak as the Master never was, and the Doctor in allowed to share her weakness and find long buried beauty. Aren't we all like that?
This was genuinely informative and beautiful Astrid. Thank you for sharing, can't wait for what you'll have installed
There's something familiar in the way you communicate. This was absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing.
Me too
Me three
As soon as you explained the Tamarians' way of speaking, I realized how well it fits with current internet culture. A lot of us find it easier to connect with someone over a piece of fiction than over something like emotions or ideologies; it's sort of become the norm. We communicate via narratives and allegories. We might even literally go so far as saying "like when character A experienced this and that" in everyday conversation. Very cool video.
I don't think it is just internet culture. Historically well educated people of different backgrounds found it easier to communicate through references to classical literature. Think of how we communicate about things like computer "viruses": we use metaphors such as virus, worm and references such as Trojan [horse]. Orators through the centuries would use references to folklore, mythology and literature in their rhetoric talking of odysseys, describing colleagues as mercurial, foes as wolves in sheep's clothing, talking of the die being cast or the crossing of the Rubicon.
Some of this is in-groupism, but more often the use of such references is because they are a much more succinct way of getting across a very particular point, a very well-refined semantic, to the person or people they were addressing. In that way modern meme culture is not revolutionary but evolutionary to a long-standing form of rhetoric.
Wojak, his skin red and eyes filled with tears
pepe, comfortable in a blankie
Our world, as it were, is informed by memes.
Isn't an emoticon the simplest form of allegory?
@@swedneck Dr. Jimes Tooper, his mind blown
Thank you for this. My son has autism and I am learning to understand him more every day. I love your videos. Keep up the hard work.
shame this video has less than a thousand views I'm so glad the algorithm showed me it because this video was amazing I'm going to send that around as much as I can
It is heartwarming that i'm not the only nerd dwelling on the philosophy behind star trek episodes... big heart for that
thank you for this analysis, you perfectly put into words a feeling i've had deeply, of the disconnect in communication with others and the importance of shared stories. I've cried many times at star trek, and while Darmok wasn't ever my favorite episode, you've definitely shown me its importance. Also that point about having anthropology as an interest because we're learning how to be a person.
this is a beautiful video, just hearing you describe the episode made my eyes start to water. so eloquently spoken and explained in a way i could never be able to. thank you for sharing your amazing thoughts, you deserve more subscribers!
There is a part of me in this video. I am autistic and I see myself in your words. Thank you, you made me cry.
Shortly after this episode aired a friend was in her kitchen, I heard a loud noise, cussing and wailing. I went to see. She had dropped a large glass bowl of salad and it broke on the floor. I said... "Salaad...when the bowl fell". She had to quit cussing and laugh.
Science Fiction made a big difference to me. My favorite author was Robert Heinlein. Read Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh mistress and Time Enough for Love and you will see three books that had a profound effect on me. The Dune series and works by Isaac Asimov affected me too.
I wanted to be like Maureen when I grew up.
Solid Gold choices there. Thumbs up.
I only got my ADHD diagnosis two years ago but I also totally relate to being a huge fan of a thing and communicating with people through fanhood of things. I also love psychology and Star Trek.
Thanks for bringing us all together, one step at a time. Spock was my guide in childhood and his eyebrow raise 'Fascinating' about human life, amongst other things, offered me a doorway to understand myself. Cheers me dear!
8:48 - 9:05 the most beautifully woven together piece of wordsmith wonder that I have ever heard. Thank you.
Yes that was one of the very best episodes. My daughter told me that they watched that episode and discussed it in one of her university classes
Hey, first video I've ever seen from you and I love the analysis you did here. Darmok was always up there with my favorite episodes of Star Trek and legitimately has the ability to make me cry because the Tamarians' desire to form a connection and communicate, even to the point that their captain is willing to sacrifice his life, is just so deeply human, and their inability to do actually do so is so relatable.
One way I've always been weird compared to normal people is that I've never really been all that much of a "music person" but I've still always appreciated it's ability to convey emotion, often much more so than words to the point that the words themselves are often unimportant or unnecessary, and the same is essentially true of the Tamarian method of communication. I hope that including a link to another youtube video is alright and doesn't cause this comment to be blocked, but here's a link to a song about the story of Darmok and Jilad (written in the style of a Tamarian, of course) that you should really check out because I think it's such an effective melding of and demonstration of the ability for both music and the Tamarian style of contextless metaphor to do what all language was intended to do at it's most basic, to connect with someone else and share that emotion. It's actually a music video too that has some absolutely incredible stop motion work for a youtube video that makes it worth checking out on it's own.
It ends with five words on screen that summarize the meaning of the story of Darmok and Jilad, the episode "Darmok", and so much of the human experience that always really get to me, "arriving separately, but leaving together."
th-cam.com/video/Jyrwlez9Lmo/w-d-xo.html
Thanks to anyone who actually took the time to read all that.
For someone who may have been concerned about the ability to communicate an idea or series of ideas, you did a good job conveying those ideas in an understandable and concise way. I also never knew that people with autism were drawn to Star Trek. I learned something new.
That was excellent!
Boy, I really get what you mean about Picard’s recounting of the Epic of Gilgamesh incorrectly , because that is exactly what I thought at the time - because I too care about the myth very much- But if you may be mistaken on that point… On the other hand, your perception of fandom in the way fans communicate to each other through cosplay, kabuki, and obscure references, that only they can get references to the stories in the characters that means so much to all of us Trekkies, Truly blew my mind and opened it to an entirely new idea InVision on the culture… Thank you!
I love your work and insight. This was one of your best. And yes I’m old enough to vividly remember that episode when it first premiered.
Wow! This is incredible. Darmok has always been one of my favorite things in all of television. Your unpacking of it was fascinating and moving. Thank you for giving us your thoughts and feelings on it. You’ve got a new subscriber.
Darmok is one of my favorite episodes. Ironically (or perhaps not?), they predicted the rise of meme culture, of which ST:TNG became a primary wellspring people drew memes from. (I only have to say, "Data and Lore, in the hallway" and you instantly know I'm talking about words that are ordered ambiguously.)
Incidentally, I was "Mr. Spock" as a kid, so I totally grew up with Trek-as-metaphor. Which is probably why I liked Darmok so much, because Dathon was me. Like you, the weird guy, trying to be understood. And now Trek has kind of become a meta-metaphor.
(And you cannot tell me that the Thermians were not autistic, by Grabthar's hammer.)
"I have found it very easy to speak but hard to communicate" says so much to myself at this very moment in time.
Astrid and Laura, watching Star Trek! I love you (and this!!!) so much friend!!
This is beautiful. Thank you for exposing me to so much information about myself and the world.
I keep watching this over and over and over again. It helps me to remember what is important.
Your script was immaculate. It's refreshing to hear someone speak so fluidly with intended words rather than by stumbling over words that don't mean exactly what the speaker wishes to say.
Gosh, that TikTok hurt my soul, though.
Thank you, Astrid, for this video. I loved everything about it. It spoke to me deeply, in words I have trouble finding for myself. And I cried for all who struggle to communicate and person, but also found true hope.
This longer format video served your topic well. Thank you ☺️
In my opinion, Darmok was and still is one of the best episodes not only in the STNG but in the whole of Star Trek shows put together, and to see a lovely young lady not only that see it, but also liked it but understand what the story was trying to say and for you to be moved by it give me great hope and joy.
that part about fandom and finding your identity through stories resonated with me so much... i have never known how to connect with other people directly, through my own experience. but pointing at a character and saying "look, that person is like me" is currently the closest i feel i can get to being understood. maybe that's why i have been creating stories, a mythology of my own mind in a way, since i was little... it's the only way i can understand my own self as well.
Wow, OK, I don't know how I stumbled across this video, but I'm sure glad I did.
What a fantastic video and such a deeply passionate study of that story.
I am so thankful of finding this today. Building a boat on the edge of the earth is such a powerful image and brings me a degree of consolation. Thanks Astrid.
The false starts at the beginning of this video were very endearing and relatable, thanks for choosing not to edit them out :)
Darmok was and still is one of my absolute favorite episodes, right up there next to Inner Light
I always sort of viewed the Darmok story as a planet of aliens that speak jive, which often is metaphors within metaphors, and they often would change over time, much like slang does, or cockney.
Films like "Airplane" often depict people speaking mid 20th century Jive with regular people, and its pretty funny.
I also recall an old 1940s cartoon 9tho I can't remember if it was by Disney or Warner Bros) in which a character is narrated entirely in Jive, but in the literal sense depicted in the imagery while telling the story, and when he's saying "I can't cut the mustard" which is an idiom meaning "I can't achieve my intended goal/result" but depicts the cartoon character literally trying to cut mustard on a plate and failing at it.
However in Star Trek, they never made this commentary on language using humor nor comedy, they shifted it into a focus on the usage of language and ideas, and cultural differences, and made it more meaningful, and moving with a well written ending that's impactful, and philosophical. In some ways its like an Aesop Fable, but without animals, in uses Aliens and a Star Ship Captain to convey a kind of moral lesson at the end, and depicted the seemingly backwards alien culture to actually be highly advanced, wise, and high ideals of integrity, such as self sacrifice for a cause towards the greater good.
its not surprising as to why people dislike religion, and prefer to look to Science Fiction, such as Star trek, as a sort of reverse Mythology that looks to an imaginary future for inspiration, rather than an exalted past of heroes, or saviors, or Golden Ages.
But alas, you also have shrewd people who use that exalted/mythological past for political gains, and it works (or they use SF to create a sect).
I always loved that TNG episode and how the references had a positive meaning (because, after all, it was Star Trek), but at the same time I had a nagging feeling that it's the same kind of references certain political parties use to spread a message that's everything but positive.
I know... I'm a party pooper...
Thanks for this. I recall being 48 years old playing the card game Eucre with my family. My partner was my niece, 25 yrs younger. We lost a hand in the game, and I whispered offhand “Shaka, when the walls fell”. At this, she stared at me, wide eyed, across the card table. Like I was staring into her soul., and uttered two words. “At Tanagra”.
"I've always found it easy to talk, but hard to communicate" Big mood.
This was a very interesting video. I had quite similar thoughts when watching "Darmok", although for me it takes on other meanings than neurodivergence and goes into the philosophy of communication and a kind of chomskian linguistics, when we speak, it is always through some kind of shared game/context/reference points. This episode is something that bubbles up in my mind repeatedly over the years.
Easy to speak but hard to communicate... boy can I relate. Darmok really got me thinking too. What is communication actually? why do we do it? sure, to organize mainly but there is a deeper level. somehow there is a desire to let others know what we think and feel beyond the need of survival and we try to convey those thoughts and emotions via sounds, gestures, facial expression and so on. i pondered so much about this. we can never be sure that the other person really gets what we are trying to say. we can never know if they accurately receive the information we where trying to send, if they feel what we felt, when we said XY. To me our current form of communication is like a futile evolutionary attempt on thought transmission. idk if this makes any sense to anyone but me but maybe it does.
and yeah "how to human"... sigh... i gave up on that. what are we anyways? I kinda felt like I emulated personalities of characters from shows and movies i love, mixed with my own quirks and over time those emulated personalities became part of me. "For every person I've tried to be there's another ten inside" (KoRn). now i simply try to be. i dont care anymore if anyone gets me or if i come across weird nor do i want to be perceived as human. i am human after all. at least i guess so. so there really is nothing to try. nobody has a damn clue what tf we are doing here and what it means to be human so nobody can tell me and ultimately i dont need to know to be.
Pardons for going a bit off the trail, but I'm reading your comment over and over again and it got me thinking. One of the highest points of my life concerning communication was in an acting workshop and the guy running it told us the best actor listened to everything their partner said and felt and I took that to heart because I always felt I missed something in conversation with anyone I talked to and ruminated on an important detail I should've picked on. Even now, talking to a longtime friend, I hope I pick up on what they're trying to tell me and what I should say in return because the disconnect of understanding we have with each other is the biggest reason so many of humanity's problems persist.
Thank you for getting it, Astrid. For me, this has always been the most powerful of all the Star Trek myths which are always rich with mythology. To share a common story is somewhere near the heart of all communication and connection. "I think, therefore, I tell stories."
Thank you for sharing your insights and poetic heart.
This is by far the best Star Trek episode ever made. I had always thought a follow up episode was appropriate.
Love the earnestness about mythology and science fiction!
Hope to see more stuff like this from you
If Astrid ever checks up on Pastrid and seest this, I hope that when I say, "This brought me joy and made me think"... I hope that makes you happy. This is one of the very best things I've seen in a long, long time.
"Really easy to speak and very hard to communicate" is something I can definitely relate to.
This video is very interesting.
Great video! You have a nice voice:)
One of the rarities... a beautiful human being on the inside and on the outside. And also intelligent... and also a Scifi fan... come on guys... gotta love that last part! I wish her well, prosperity, and grace.
You are 100% a hero. You are my hero. Darmok hit me in a lot of the same feels as Elementary my Dear Data when Moriarty says he has changed and doesn't want to die
That chain of metaphors you used at 8:48 was simply gorgeous
I was in college when Seasons 4-7 of TNG were on. There were 4 of us in the dorm who were really into TNG, and we began to create our own language based on snippets from 'Darmok'. We could have full conversations around "The beast at Tenagrah" and "The river in winter" and "Shaka when the walls fell" and "Gilgamesh, a King". Others dismissed us as 'nerds', but now, 30 years later, I am quite proud about how four of us had a language built out around the terms of this episode, that enabled us to say quite a bit outside of what normal English speakers could grasp. This was before the Internet, otherwise I am certain that we could have connected with other groups of people elsewhere who did the same thing.
'Darmok' remains one of the best episodes of TV ever created. Even for people who don't otherwise watch Star Trek.
The excellent Paul Winfield played the Tamarian captain. He was able to show such range in all of that makeup. Terrific video analysis!
"Easy to speak and hard to communicate" YES! I think I understand what that is like, at least as I experience it. Every therapist I've ever worked with has said, "You are so good at describing how your brain works, and what you're feeling. Most people can't do that; you're fortunate!" And I say, "Yes, but did you hear what I said? I'm describing a godawful mess in great detail. Any advice?" And they say, "No, not really. But at least you're eloquent."
Darmok, when the walls fell.
Romeo, when he found Juliet.
This was my favorite episode.
This video is absolutely beautiful. I knew when I saw that episode there was a reason it has clung with me ever since. You have perfectly explained it, and done so in a way that seems uniquely "you" in all the right ways. Thank you, from a new subscriber.
Just wanted to mention that you are here, what I call a definition of 'articulate'. Choosing words and structures of sentences with such accuracy to the aim of what you're trying to communicate. Such command of language! Makes one transfixed to listening to you.
I also find your musings fascinating and familiar. Thank you!
I just stumbled onto your channel, and this video. My goodness, this was/is *beautiful*. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts--and yes, I have indeed liked and subscribed. I look forward to whatever else you will be presenting. All my best!
You were one of my first TikTok subscriptions early in your time there, and I resonate a great deal with your descriptions of your interests and challenges. Your honesty and vulnerable strength of character inspire me. It reignited my own journey into understanding my own challenges with a new focus, but I've not had success finding nearby people who can help me better understand my own neurodivergence and the challenges I've struggled with throughout my life. Acquiring a diagnosis has been especially challenging given my age (late 50s). You've given me hope.
Well done video! I wholly related to your idea of being outside looking in, and have always realized my interest in Psychology and then Anthropology is a means of learning how to "people", as well as appreciate different cultures. I'm looking forward to watching you expand and grow your skills into longer format videos.
That is the most beautiful string of thoughts strung together, I have ever heard. Thank you for sharing that ❤
This is what makes your content so fascinating. I could listen to your ruminations on Star Trek and literature & life every day and never be bored. Thank you.
This has long been my favorite episode. I just think it embodies everything Star Trek is about.
Wow. A beautiful person who actually looks at things and engages at THINKS about what most would just dismiss entirely. So refreshing.
Please don't let anything you call a disability slow you down or give you excuse. We're all born with the gifts/curses we carry through life.
I was already subscribed, so I hit the little bell thing. TH-camrs are also really into ringing the bell for some reason. I think it has something to do with a fairy getting its wings, but I could be confused.
Sokath, his eyes opened!
I’m not autistic but according to a psychologist I dated and lived with for nine years, I’m on the Asperger spectrum. I have seen the episode Darmok a few times and it remains one of my favourites. I think you just explained why. I had never realized that I myself constantly try to understand the world outside and how to communicate with it-and why sometimes, my best efforts (not just at communicating) fail.
Thank you!
I've never seen anybody put it as well as you Astrid, your description of it made me tear up a bit. Thanks for posting, I love you as a person.
Thank you so much. My soul is touched. I am beyond thankful that you have voiced this. I feel like I know more about myself now.
Noticing the parallels between Star Trek’s mission to observe alien cultures from the outside looking in, and the tendency of some of its viewers to feel that they also participate in human society from a distance, is one of the most insightful things I’ve ever heard anyone say about Star Trek. It immediately resonated with me. If you’d given me 3 million monkeys typing at 3 million keyboards for 3 million years I wouldn’t have ever come up with this.
This is fascinating, I genuinely appreciate your insights
Delighted and grateful to have found this video and your channel! I, and I can't stress this enough, certainly Do Earnest. May you live what you love forever!
This was awesome! Please do more of these. Your TikTok videos are great, but I definitely prefer these longer videos when the material needs more time.
I would love to see more longer form content like this from you! You have such unique insights, and they really get time to breathe in this format.