"It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it."
Mark Twain
Today, two astronauts conducted a seven hour twenty minute spacewalk in order to replace the wrist joints on the International Space Station's Canadarm 2. You have my sympathies, Canadarm - in my case, it's the knees that are showing signs of age, although I'm hoping to avoid any sort of similar replacement surgery.
- Sid
"A mobile suit's abilities don't decide a battle's outcome. I'll teach you that!"
Char Aznable, Mobile Suite Gundam
Wednesday night is Date Night for my lovely wife Karli and I, a tradition that we've maintained for over a decade, and this evening we decided on dinner at Zubu Ramen in Kerrisdale.
It's a busy neighbourhood at the best of times, and it took a couple of circuits of various side streets to find a parking spot. We ended up behind what I initially thought was a Toyota dealership vehicle of some sort, until I got out of the car and took a closer look.
The truck in question was a rolling tribute to the concept of "if you know you know". Its impressive iconography was derived from the Mobile Suit Gundam animated series, the polystyrene models of the various mecha in the Gundam franchise manufactured by Bandai Namco, and scale modeling in general.
Let's start at the beginning. The Principality of Zeon is the villain of the Gundam series, an association of Earth colonies which goes to war against the Terran Federation. Zeon created the first combat mecha, the Zaku I and Zaku II mobile suits, which led to the Federation's development of the Gundam in response.
We also have some references to Bandai Namco, the company that manufactures the various Gunpla line of Gundam models, the Tomica cast metal model car company, and the Tamashii line of toy figures.
The rear gate references Zeon once again, along with the Tamiya model company, and the Metalbuild modeling brand, which features a combination of metal and plastic components. (Not to mention a witty 1:1 scale reference.*)
But there were also a few just random non-Gundam stickers on the cab and fenders: VISA, KFC, Sega, Hot Wheels, Marlboro - cigarettes, in this day and age? - Los Pollos Hermanos, McDonald's, Shell, and so on. It's entirely possible that they were added post-production, so to speak, and were not part of the original design, but I didn't feel comfortable taking too close a look at someone else's vehicle just to establish provenance.
Research revealed that, in fact, there had been a marketing partnership between Toyota and Bandai Namco in 2013, but it was for a customized Auris hatchback, not a pickup, and it was nothing close to being as detailed and involved as this example.
Ultimately, I'm at a loss - the internet seems unaware of anything related to a Zeonic Toyota pickup truck, I didn't see any site links on the vehicle, and, as per my initial impression, to the casual observer it's just another branded pickup. It may well be that it's just the property of a really serious Gundam fan, in which case all I can say is well done, sir or madam, full points for proudly flying your fandom flag - I look forward to your future work.
- Sid
* Discussion with Karli revealed that not everyone is familiar with the conventions of scale modeling. Generally models are categorized by the ratio of model inches to real life inches. For example, when I was young, I built a lot of Airfix 1:72 tank models, which meant that one inch on the model equaled 72 inches - six feet - on the original vehicle, making a 20 foot** Sherman tank about 3 1/4 inches long.
** In the unlikely event that any WWII otaku stumble across this posting, I am aware of the minor variations in Sherman M4 and M4A sizing, with a range from 19 feet 2 inches to 20 feet 7 inches depending on the iteration. Twenty feet was simply a convenient compromise for mathematical purposes, no need to leave any angry comments.
This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one-off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.
BBC press release
"And so goodbye from me to Doctor Who."
Russell T. Davies
There's no easy way to say this, so here it is: Doctor Who has been cancelled.
Following the end of Ncuti Gatwa's last episode as the Doctor, speculation ran rampant as to how the upcoming Christmas special would address the cryptic results of his regeneration*. Would the regeneration would be permanent, or would it be another temporary substitute before the appearance of the actual 16th Doctor, as with David Tennant's unexpected return in 2022? And, if the regeneration was a temporary one, as per general expectation, who would ultimately be chosen to be the next Time Lord?
Then, yesterday the BBC unexpectedly announced that they would not be proceeding with the Christmas special - or, in fact, with the series itself. Production of Doctor Who is now on hold pending the results of a competitive tender for a new production partner to replace Disney+, with an expectation that the show might not return until 2028 at the earliest. And with the cancellation of the Christmas special, Russell T. Davies is also ending his connection with the show - a move which seems oddly appropriate, given that he was responsible for the show's return in 2005 after a fifteen year hiatus.
The question now is how long this new interlude might last, or if in fact it might not become permanent. Time, as they say, will tell. It would be sad to see the end of such a longstanding franchise, but it's important to remember that the character of the Doctor will certainly remain active in a wide variety of other formats: the wide range of radio plays from Big Finish, books, comics, games, and interactive events like the Time Fracture experience.
And, no pun intended, who knows? After all, the whole program is based around the idea of returning in a new form to cheat death, we may well see the Doctor back at the helm of the TARDIS sooner rather than later - to quote the Doctor, let's hope it's "allons-y" rather than "no more".
- Sid
* No spoilers here, my sister Dorothy may not been keeping up with the show.
