Super Fan Miriam

[00:00:00] Hey, thanks for listening to the BIG Sci-Fi Podcast. This is our in-between season shorts

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[00:00:23] Hey everyone, welcome to the BIG Sci-Fi Podcast in between season content

[00:00:28] Believe it or not, we recently wrapped up season six and are doing something entirely new this time

[00:00:35] behave over there Steve

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[00:01:04] Just like you and fans like the people who we'll be chatting with in our in-between season content this time around

[00:01:11] First up is a fan of the show but not just any old fan ladies and gentlemen

[00:01:17] She is I know this for certain one of the original

[00:01:22] First fans of the BIG Sci-Fi Podcast and how do I know that you might ask? Well, it's my sister-in-law

[00:01:30] One of my favorite sister-in-laws. I like to say because I don't know if I'm allowed to say favorite

[00:01:35] Technically especially in a public venue like this but Miriam Ballinger welcome to the show. Thank you. Thank you very much

[00:01:42] I'm so excited to be here

[00:01:44] We are so excited to have you sis. Yes, and I just want everybody to know

[00:01:49] Miriam is my sister-in-law, but in real life I refer to her just as my sister. So she's a pretty good sister-in-law

[00:01:55] All right

[00:01:56] Excited to have you on the show Miriam. I know that you and your whole family

[00:02:01] our sci-fi fans and

[00:02:04] Your eclectic in your taste you have you watch a lot and you're knowledgeable of a lot

[00:02:10] And so we're just gonna ask Miriam a few questions about her

[00:02:14] So that our listeners can learn about her a little bit and so I'll let you guys Steve and Edina

[00:02:22] Why don't you guys start Chris is

[00:02:25] Will jump in here in a minute if he gets in but right now it's just Edina Steve and myself with Miriam

[00:02:32] Well, the first place first. Oh sure. I mean the first thing to start really is Miriam

[00:02:38] What what are your top fandoms? There's like a whole world of science fiction

[00:02:41] So what are your top three favorites? My top three favorites from childhood are

[00:02:46] in no particular order

[00:02:49] Star Trek the original series

[00:02:51] Hmm space 1999

[00:02:54] And the original Battlestar Galactica with Lauren grin. Yes. Oh, wow

[00:03:01] In fact, my father has a nickname for me that he actually got from Battlestar Galactic

[00:03:07] I can't believe I'm actually gonna say this out loud. It's munchie. Oh really? Okay. Yes

[00:03:15] You're not allowed to call me I won't I will now would never

[00:03:19] Um, I am surprised the space 1999 thing. I don't think I knew that Battlestar Galactica might have guessed

[00:03:26] But the space 1999 that's pretty cool. Yes

[00:03:30] My dad is a huge huge sci-fi fan and he of course indoctrinated my sister and I

[00:03:39] my mom just kind of tagged along but

[00:03:43] Really, he was the driving force of our sci-fi

[00:03:47] experience

[00:03:49] Thank you for answering my question without me asking it because that was us gonna ask that. We're gonna do

[00:03:54] Sorry, no, no, no

[00:03:57] It's wait a minute was it a mind melt here? I don't know

[00:04:03] That's not the way it works. You got to touch the fingers on the head and everything only in Star Trek

[00:04:09] There's other remember, you know

[00:04:11] There's other ways to do it. That's thank you, Adina. Well, what's another question you'd like to ask Steve?

[00:04:18] well, I guess I'd like to know

[00:04:21] um

[00:04:22] Is there any well, you mentioned a couple different genres, but is there's the one particular movie that really

[00:04:29] Says this is what I love about science fiction

[00:04:33] Or even tv series if you'd like, um

[00:04:38] Wow, that's a really good question. Yeah, it's a hard question

[00:04:41] And it's not it's totally none of the three I've mentioned. I think my favorite sci-fi

[00:04:49] Movie would have to be et

[00:04:52] Okay, all right interesting

[00:04:54] I will tell you that my goddaughter when she was three saw that movie

[00:05:00] And that made her a big fan of movies and science fiction that she was so

[00:05:06] Taken by et then it touches a lot of people in the very very special way. Yes. That's great choice

[00:05:12] Confession time

[00:05:14] Uh-oh, I've never seen you. Oh my gosh. I've never seen et

[00:05:19] I have it. We'll come over we'll binge

[00:05:23] Sounds like a plan

[00:05:26] Maybe maybe we'll record a special side podcast episode two with us discussing et

[00:05:33] Oh

[00:05:33] You know, I keep thinking you're my age and then when you say things like that

[00:05:37] That's what I remember. You're actually like five years younger than me because because I was probably five or six

[00:05:43] When I saw it in the theater. Yeah, well, you know, you know though why I haven't seen it

[00:05:49] And I have been influenced by my father just like Miriam

[00:05:52] And so a lot of the sci-fi that I grew up loving

[00:05:56] Was sci-fi that he liked and he just didn't care for et

[00:06:00] And so we never saw it. We never rented it

[00:06:04] And in the process of growing up it just I just has never been I've of course been way aware of it

[00:06:10] It's on my radar. Of course, I just have never sought it out. So

[00:06:15] So with battle sargalactica, you know, you said the original

[00:06:19] Wind up ever watching the redone

[00:06:23] I started watching it, but I'll be real. I didn't care for it as much. It was darker. It was scarier

[00:06:31] It was sexier

[00:06:33] And it kind of I it felt like to me sort of a betrayal to the original

[00:06:40] Interesting interesting. Yes

[00:06:42] Miriam's got me to say interesting first like five times already guys

[00:06:46] Got a color I should come up with fascinating. Thank you. I was going to just say the same thing

[00:06:50] But it is

[00:06:52] Fascinating Jim. Yes. I know I agree with you Miriam because I started watching

[00:06:57] I guess it was the miniseries version like I didn't even know there was

[00:07:02] Like a miniseries and then a separate series, but with the same people in it. Am I right about that?

[00:07:08] So

[00:07:09] The one I saw was like it was I remember that. Yes. Yeah, I just was like man. I just

[00:07:16] They're just threw all kinds of stuff in and I was like just get to the good stuff, you know

[00:07:20] So I so so I watched about 30 minutes

[00:07:23] And I just wasn't quite hooked enough to keep going

[00:07:27] Exactly exactly and I was a huge starbuck and apollo fan. So

[00:07:32] seeing

[00:07:33] Not that katie sack off wasn't a great

[00:07:37] You know character. I love katie sack off. Yeah, I love katie sack off too. Um, but

[00:07:44] You know, I was in love with apollo and starbuck as a kid

[00:07:49] You know, and they were wholesome and you were okay to be

[00:07:54] Um, you know, I felt like it it was a more wholesome show, but it was a different time. So

[00:07:59] So if they drove a red torino, you'd be watching starski and hatch the way the two of them worked if we're

[00:08:07] Right along on the show, you know

[00:08:09] Duke boys. Yes exactly

[00:08:12] Oh, we are predating ourselves. Oh boy. I know right

[00:08:19] What would you say can you figure is this something this might be a question you might need to think about but

[00:08:24] Is there a favorite quote?

[00:08:27] From a movie or a series that resonates with you or is that just is it more just general?

[00:08:35] Well, I'll tell you and and then I'll tell you a funny story. Cool. Um, you know space the final frontier

[00:08:42] That's one that you remember

[00:08:46] And when we hell had to be washing our hands for coven

[00:08:50] That whole little spiel was long enough

[00:08:52] To fulfill the time you needed to wash your hands

[00:08:56] Yeah, I'm standing in the bathroom washing my hands going space the final frontier

[00:09:03] Okay, we have now officially replaced happy birthday. Well for me it's the alphabet

[00:09:08] I'm still singing the alphabet. Why haven't I thought of space the final frontier yet?

[00:09:14] I remember that wouldn't share that with you

[00:09:16] I remember that went around several you know during coped times that went around there's like a meme or something

[00:09:21] Really the starter group so yeah, so funny. That's so funny

[00:09:26] I

[00:09:28] Mariam you get to meet chris chris is able to drop in to this

[00:09:31] Miriam

[00:09:32] Hello chris

[00:09:34] Hello, how are you good? I hear you have an exciting new job

[00:09:39] Yeah, a new job downtown, Toronto. So now it's a very long commute to go take the subway then a go bus

[00:09:45] Uh, but yeah, it's going well. I'm glad to to meet you and to be here

[00:09:49] Well, I'm glad you made it back in time

[00:09:52] So chris what you what you missed was that Miriam's top fandoms are trekk of course the original series

[00:09:59] Yes, okay excellent space 1999

[00:10:03] I need to actually watch that give that a try

[00:10:05] Yeah, and the original battlestar galactica very cool the original battlestar galactica the original yeah

[00:10:12] I need to actually wash both

[00:10:14] And I've got I've got another question. Do we have time for another question?

[00:10:18] Make me a time for one maybe two more questions. Okay, cool. Is there a particular piece of music or soundtrack?

[00:10:24] From science fiction that gives you all the feel I knew you're gonna ask the music

[00:10:28] Anything by john williams. Okay

[00:10:32] All right, that's good. Like on family feud good answer good answer good answer

[00:10:37] Yeah, but we won't ask you which one of his pieces because there's way too many to work right

[00:10:43] Mm-hmm

[00:10:44] We have blossom music center up near us and they do a tribute to john williams in the summer and we go and we see it

[00:10:52] So it's pretty awesome

[00:10:55] It's the one thing about the star wars soundtrack for the first film new hope

[00:11:01] It is so

[00:11:03] Well done. That's probably I to me. I think that is his most iconic piece of music

[00:11:09] For sure. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, mm-hmm

[00:11:12] But I have to say for me it's like I like new hope

[00:11:15] For the music but empire is like

[00:11:18] For me where uh, the music just hits

[00:11:21] especially the asteroid

[00:11:23] Chase oh, yeah, yeah or escape whatever you want to call it. Uh, it's just so perfect

[00:11:29] Yeah, perfect. So the last question I want to ask is because you marim you mentioned your dad getting you into science fiction

[00:11:37] So what would you suggest to bring other people into science fiction? Where would you suggest they start?

[00:11:43] They had to start somewhere

[00:11:46] I'm gonna tell everybody to start with a book. Um, because I find that books

[00:11:52] There are very few books that I found that are eclipsed by their movies

[00:11:58] Um, you know, I've read dune. I've read a lot of dune. I've read I've read a lot of sci-fi

[00:12:05] I don't do horror or like scary sci-fi

[00:12:11] That's my sister's genre

[00:12:13] But um start with a book because there's just so much out there that everybody can find something

[00:12:22] That they're gonna like

[00:12:24] I like that answer. That's a good very good

[00:12:26] Very yeah, that's cool. I like that because I don't feel like science fiction books get the same love that the

[00:12:32] You know tv shows or movies do so that's cool to hear

[00:12:36] Not always and great mariam. It might be interesting mariam is a serious bookie. So how many books a year would you say you read?

[00:12:45] Um, I usually try to read at least between 100 and 150

[00:12:51] Oh my gosh. Wow. That's amazing

[00:12:54] I'm well my daughter's blowing me out of the water this year. She's just she really she's just way ahead of me

[00:12:59] I started the year off really slow. There was a lot going on. We had a new baby in the household so

[00:13:05] Wow, I congratulate you. Thank you

[00:13:09] Cool. If I can tell one more story

[00:13:12] just because we

[00:13:14] we didn't mention the collectibles but um

[00:13:17] My dad is a huge star trek fan huge just huge

[00:13:21] So when hallmarks started putting out star trek ships

[00:13:26] I started buying them for my dad. Okay

[00:13:30] and we got to the point where

[00:13:34] He couldn't keep them on the tree

[00:13:37] Because they dimmed the lights. Oh my and the year we discovered that I'm like dad you need to shore up your warp core

[00:13:44] um

[00:13:46] Just to keep it going but we ended up my husband and I built him

[00:13:50] A frame so he could display them and they weren't drawing all the power from the lights on the tree

[00:13:56] That way you can enjoy it year round then

[00:13:58] Absolutely, and I think the favorite thing the kids have is the little communicator. They just love that little but

[00:14:07] It says spock to enterprise spock

[00:14:10] I want to I want to give a shout out to maryum her husband wade their daughter joey

[00:14:15] They are some of they're some of that i'm telling you guys

[00:14:18] They have to be in the first 10 people that started listening to our podcast

[00:14:23] And uh and then also to our father richard or sister patty

[00:14:28] But but uh to richard for uh being such a big star trek fan. I didn't realize that so next time I see him

[00:14:35] Oh, we're gonna talk some trucks. So the first bhs tape we ever got

[00:14:40] Was the original star trek movie

[00:14:43] I believe it motion picture picture picture. Yep. Oh, that's awesome. I bought it for him and we won't discuss the price back then

[00:14:49] Yeah, right

[00:14:52] Well, uh speaking of prices this podcast is free. Don't you know

[00:14:56] so we would love to have you write a review and tell us where you're listening from and uh

[00:15:03] Make sure you stay tuned for more in between season content

[00:15:06] You never know who's gonna show up on our zoom call here at the in between season content

[00:15:12] Get ready for season seven guys because it's coming to you quick

[00:15:16] It's gonna be a fantastic season seven a lot of new things coming your way

[00:15:20] Stay tuned for the next episode of the big sci-fi podcast