#Caturday – A Cat Named Spot

I never watched much of Star Trek – The Next Generation, although I very much enjoyed most of the episodes I did catch. I am especially enamored of Deanna Troi, on whom I have a shameless girl-crush.

Our #4 Daughter tells me that the android, Commander Data, had a pet cat named Spot, so I looked it up.

The cat started out as one kind of cat, but became, without explanation, a different sort of cat. The cat also started out as a male but became, again without explanation or apology, a female.

~Obi Wan finger wave~ This is not the consistency you’re looking for.

ANYWAY, there’s a piece about Spot, with a very nice picture, at this “non-canon Star Trek Wiki”.

Spot even has a fan site, and at least two Facebook pages.

Data wrote a poem about Spot and inflicted it on recited it to the Enterprise crew. Their reactions are priceless.

In case you can’t view video, here’s a transcript:

Ode to Spot

Felis Cattus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

  • Data, “Schisms”

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A non-poetic character attempts a poem.

MA

 

About

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but now live in the woods in southern Indiana. Though I only write fiction, I love to read non-fiction. The more I learn about this world, the more fantastic I see it is.

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One thought on “#Caturday – A Cat Named Spot

    • Author

      Marian Allen

      August 17, 2014 at 6:18pm

      I’ve only seen a few episodes of each, but enjoyed them. When are your kitties going to have a deep space adventure? 😀

      Permalink  ⋅ Reply
    • Author
      • Kiril Kundurazieff

        August 19, 2014 at 11:46pm

        LOL!

        The link in my last comment goes into it all with detail, including pics of the book and the first page of my contribution, and excerpts, among other thoughts.

        Star Trek kept me sane by being the birth source of a lot of my creativity during some of the most difficult years of my early life.

        Permalink  ⋅ Reply
        • Author

          Marian Allen

          August 20, 2014 at 8:31am

          Awesome! Except for the fact that you’re younger than I am, we could be twins! lol! Also, you’re Macedonian and I’m German-Irish. heee! I got in on the ground floor of Trek fandom, since I started fandom when the show did, in 1968. Had some stories and poems in Devra Langsam’s fanzine Masiform-D and Buck Coulson’s Yandro. Frequent commenter to this blog and bes’ frien’ Jane was the ring-tailed leader of it, though. heh. Star Trek was a wonderful release, escape, and training ground. I posted some of my stories and some of Jane’s illustrations on my old “weblahg”.

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