Sci-Fi Tees Strike Again!

Since I don't have anything more exciting to share this wonderful day-after-St.-Patty's-Day Monday morning, I'll treat (?) you to another installment of my Sci-Fi T-Shirt Collection. These are all newbies that I've picked up since December.

Actually...I was attempting to do my first video blog today with my t-shirts as the subject, but our horrendously slow-to-the-point-of-being-ridiculous (I'm looking at you CenturyLink) internet speed would not allow me to email or download said videos, so we'll have to save my video blog debut for another time.

::: avoids urge to go on rant about horribly substandard internet service :::

Suffice it to say we're working on a solution that hopefully will let me begin video blogging in the near future, like just about every other author I know who doesn't have the distinct misfortune of living with CenturyLink DSL in the hinterlands.

[Do you get the impression I'm fed up? Why, yes. Yes I am.]

Okay, I snuck a l'il rant in there anyway, didn't I?

Enough grousing.

On to the T-Shirt Show and Tell.

Let's start at the beginning. Literally. heh

This new find may be one of my fave shirts of my entire Star Wars tee collection.

I've been looking for it forever--knew it had to be out there somewhere--and finally found it!

Sadly, my photo doesn't do it any justice, because it actually has bright blue letters that stand out boldly on that flat, black background and spell out the famous words...

A long time ago 
in a galaxy far, 
far away....

That needs no introduction.

In the sci-fi universe, it's a trademark in and of itself. And it doesn't even need the Star Wars logo in brilliant yellow or blazing red to form a frame of reference. You can hear the theme song fire up in your head as soon as you read those words, can't you?

Seriously, is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know what that vague scene-setter preamble is announcing?

*cue orchestra with iconic theme music*

Next up...

Quick change of universe and franchise.

Ooooooh.

Aaaaaaah

This one also lacks any sort of logo labeling, but it's pretty obvious at first glance what famous sci-fi ship is pictured in all it's ET-esque glory in front of that big, full moon.

Of course it's the Firefly-class starship Serenity. 

She's probably one of the more maintenance-challenged ships in the sci-fi universe, in spite of the best efforts of her uber talented ship's mechanic, but we love her anyway.

Or maybe, we love her more because of her quirks and failings.

In case you've never made her acquaintance--or even if you have but just want to be back on her shuddering decks one more time--here's a quick trip on the good ship Serenity.

Next I have a special find. Because in space, no one can hear you scream...for coffee! And if your ship happens to get hurled thousands of light years from home and coffee is a rare-but-very-necessary commodity for a certain commanding member of your crew, you can certainly appreciate the sentiments.

THERE'S
COFFEE
IN THAT
NEBULA
    --CAPTAIN JANEWAY

Well, I appreciate those sentiments anyway. I couldn't function without my coffee either, Federation directive notwithstanding!

I even have coffee mugs that match this t-shirt.

Do you sense a theme here? I love my coffee. It's something Captain Janeway and I have in common.

Another is I like it prepared the same way.

"Coffee. Black."

But here you go. Experience this little moment of sci-fi fandom history as it unfolded on the Federation ship Voyager, Captain Janeway commanding.

[You may need to turn your sound up for this one.]

I also have coffee mugs that match the t-shirt.

And finally, I have another t-shirt from the Star Wars realm that is quite a memento.

It features scenes from the entire spread of the franchise's three (okay, make that two-and-three-quarters) trilogies along with the signatures of many of the stars who played the iconic roles.

Harrison Ford.

Mark Hamill.

Carrie Fisher.

They're all there.

Who needs to chase down autographs? 
: grin :

I have four more t-shirts to reveal, but I'll save those for another blog--or even a future video blog if our venture pans out.

If you just happen to be tuning in and missed my Sci-Fi T-Shirt Collection trilogy of blogs in 2018, here are the links so you can do a quick review.

The Tees Have It: Wearable Statements of Sci-Fi Fandom

The Tees Have It: Take Two (Including Star Trek)

The Tees Have It: Final Edition

Let me know your fave to date. :D

Have a great week!

The Tees Have It: Take Two (including Star Trek!)

Happy December 2018! Can you believe it? Last month of a short, whirlwind year. And with it comes snow. Posole. Christmas cookies. Shopping. Wrapping. Parties. Holiday cards. Family get-togethers. Craziness. The holiday season and all that jazz.

BTW, did you happen to catch one of my latest tweets? 'Tis the season (for stress and hair pulling), and I'm offering some relief -- well, temporarily, at least!

I don't have a holiday story out this year, but what I can offer readers is 90 minutes of escapism. https://t.co/tQGT69g2Mp pic.twitter.com/dYUnijDhKl

— Laurie A. Green (@SFRLaurie) November 29, 2018

Continuing my Sci-Fi T-shirt collection blog from last week (which you can see by clicking here: The Tees Have It: Wearable Statements of Sci-Fi Fandom ), this week I'm featuring a few more including ~ta da~ a couple of Star Trek tees.

Yes, sadly, I have a limited number of tees and a sweatshirt that fall into the Star Trek Wear category, but they're monumental in my eyes. I'm very selective about the t-shirts I buy, so I've only found a few over the years that inspired me to start the purchase sequence. I'm still looking for my Captain Janeway t-shirt...and I may have recently found one. In fact, I've found several to add to my overall collection, so I'll do a t-shirt update blog at some point in the future.

So, yes, Star Trek. Make it so!

Of course my collection has to include a shirt that portrays the iconic opening phrases from TOS and TNG series. This one features the classic as Captain Picard would have articulated it: "...where no one has gone before."

You see, I'm really picky about that. I've actually passed on t-shirts that said "where no man has gone before" because, hey, we're a species that has (at least) two sexes and both are part of our current space program, why should anyone be exempted from the equation in the future?

(I know, I know. TOS was a product of the sixties, and I do give it a lot of credit for expanding the idea that the future of space didn't belong to only one gender and only one race. We know better now.)

So, readers, may I present my Iconic Star Trek Opening Narrative (Revised Version) T-shirt. Can't you just hear Picard enunciating that? :)

The next in my collection is one with a lot of emotion attached to it. (I will hug it and squeeze it and pet it and call it George.) First of all, the graphic of the Enterprise in space is absolutely gorgeous, but the quote is one of my series favorites:

"Let's make sure history never forgets the name Enterprise."

(If you want to see the clip where Picard says this from season three, episode 15 on YouTube, click here.)

I find this phrase inspiring. The Enterprise represents what science fiction can aspire to be--something that people remember, something that stays with them for a lifetime. Something that's embedded into our culture and our history, and even non-fans of the industry know the name.

The Enterprise has become an institution in our culture.

Name a great racehorse. Secretariat.

Name a great sci-fi starship. The Enterprise.

Even this huge Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, The Expanse (etc.) fan has to acknowledge that the Enterprise was her very first starship heartthrob, the vessel that's been with us the longest in her many incarnations...more than 50 years now. And look where her inspiration has taken us.

Science Fiction dares us to dream, and to reach, and to strive for things that may seem impossible at present but if we work at it hard enough, we know we can make it happen. We've seen it happen over the course of the last five decades. [ 12 Star Trek Gadgets that now Exist ]

Yes. Let no one forget the name.

My last t-shirt isn't actually a tee, it's one of my favorite hoodies. (Close enough!) Though it at first appears a bit generic sci-fi, the iconic Star Trek emblem on the upper left places it squarely in the Star Trek inspired group.

I wear this one a lot. :)

Though I don't think the series' female CO, Captain Janeway, ever uttered the words, she certainly could have. And I loved Janeway! What an inspiration she was as the first starring female starship captain of the franchise. The perfect blend of toughness and compassion, and always in pursuit of that perfect "Coffee. Black."

In my mind, she's the flagship of the thousands of female starship captains depicted in sci-fi and SFR. 

But I also love this hoodie because one of my characters utters a similar sentiment in Inherit the Stars. When Captain Drea Mennelsohn is confronted on the bridge of her prototype ship by an enemy military officer who declares, "If we ever meet again, I'll put you in your place!" She replies defiantly, "I am in my place."

For my last offering today, I'm going to segue into my Star Wars collection with the very first Star Wars t-shirt I ever owned.

This baby is ancient--probably well over 40 years--as the slightly worn material and the stretching of the neck may show.

Hey, it looks great for its age! And it has been much-loved over the past few decades.

This tee was produced not long after the original movies hit the screen by a company that created the Rebel Wear label. It doesn't feature some of the splashy, colorful graphics of later tees, but it was clearly part of the brand.

Almost everyone who saw it immediately knew what "Rebel Wear" was all about and what it referred to.

This t-shirt is also one of very few from my collection that features front and back graphics. Though the Rebel Wear brand may not be that familiar to you, I'm sure you've seen the image portrayed on the back many, many times over the years.

So that's it for today.

Next time, I'll blog about the balance of my Star Wars t-shirt collection, which account for the lion's share of my SF inspired tees.

Do you have any favorite SF t-shirts you haven't seen here? Tell me about them. (There just might be a bonus for one lucky commenter.)

Have a great week!

The Tees Have It: Wearable Statements of Sci-Fi Fandom

Good Monday Morning, all!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday, even if you OD'd a bit on turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings. Hey, 'tis the season! We had our dinner at a local restaurant this year, which is great for not having to clean up but not-so-great for being deprived of a plethora of yummy leftovers. So I'm cooking a turkey breast today just so we aren't cheated out of those lingering goodies. Plus, there's nothing like the aroma of a turkey cooking to fill the house...Mmmmm.

As a SF/R fan -- not to mention author -- anything Sci-Fi usually catches my interest. I thought it might be fun to show off part of my Sci-Fi t-shirt collection. Since it includes dozens of tees, I'll start with just a few of the generic ones today and save the "t-shirts on a theme" for future posts.

I enlisted my Stormtrooper buddy to help me model them, but discovered his head was too big for him to properly display the shirts (without horribly stretching the necks...nooo, my precious!), so I had to improvise. Fortunately, his ample shoulder made a nice place to hang the hangers. :)

This first one is one of my favorites and it seems to compliment my SFR series theme of Escape to the Stars, to boot.

"I'm Running Away to See the Universe" set in a block of starry, starry sky. It's a simple design that doesn't use color, just white on black (I think it was also available in blue, etc. but black is usually my go-to color, as you'll see), but it certainly works for me to convey the message.

As a reader, it also speaks volumes. SF/R has always been my brand of escapism, so what better way to announce it to the world galaxy!

As a writer, it also reflects where I spend a good chunk of my mental time...off among those distant stars.

I love this second t-shirt for its spirit. I think many of my fellow SFR authors, writers and readers will might agree with the sentiments.

I never dreamed of being a princess when I was young--in my head I always dreamed of hyperjumping off to distant worlds and engaging in galactic adventures I read about in books from the Science Fiction Book Club.

After all, who wants to be a pampered princess when you can command a swashbuckling starship!

To my way of thinking, "Starship Captain" was always much more glamorous and exciting than being something as mundane as a princess.

One of the things I especially like about this design is the use of the pink and the script font to "pop" the "Princess?" with the decidedly Trek-esque block lettering for "I'd rather be a Starship Captain!"

Nicely done!

T-shirt number three is probably one of the most loved phrases I've ever swiped from a popular sci-fi series. It is, of course, a phrase from the famous theme song of the icon of television sci-fi, Firefly.

In case you're not an afficianado of the short-lived but much loved series, here's a link to the 53-second YouTube video of the main theme. (And why yes, that's a starship spooking wild horses, which so encapsulates the space western feel of this fabulous show.) Firefly Main Theme

As an author, no matter how hard the going gets, and how difficult the industry becomes, for me, this phrase portrays a core truth: No matter what happens, no one can take away my imagination.

As a reader, it makes a statement about what sort of books and media really interests me.

But as a person in general, it takes on a deeper meaning. For most of my life (yes, right up to the present), other people have asked me why I'm interested in sci-fi and space exploration and astronomy, rather than the things that society says most females should find important--like the latest fashions or makeup or designer purses (*yawn*). Why am I so different? Well, I've always embraced my "differentness" even long before the "This Is Me" movement came along and instilled itself as a part of our pop culture. This is Me isn't just about having an appearance that's unusual, it's also about having a mindset that's not the norm for my particular peg hole. You Can't Take the Sky from Me, indeed.

And finally, I wanted to show off Donna's excellent creation--a t-shirt for her Interstellar Rescue series. I think she did a phenomenal job with the design, which looks every bit as professional as the "store bought" tees, which is why I love to include it as part of my collection. I love how Donna framed the theme of her series in a subtle but very effective way.

This design is also responsible for Sharon and I meeting Donna at the 2009 RWA Nationals in Washington, DC. We noticed this decidedly spacey design that Donna had imprinted on her tote bag and commented on it, discovering that she, too, wrote SFR.

Donna's Interstellar Rescue series tee is one of the few I have that carries the theme to the back of shirt, where her series log line is printed. (Donna also had a t-shirt done for the first novel in her series, Unchained Memory, with a similar design and the book's individual log line on the back.)

So there are a few of the more random examples in my collection. I'll be back with later blogs featuring my Star Trek and (more extensive) Star Wars tees.

Do you have any favorite science fiction themed t-shirts? Tell me about them in comments.

Have a great week.