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Review Boy Polls

DISCLAIMER: These polls are completely non-scientific and non-binding on the powers that be, and are intended for entertainment purposes only. You may not always find the answer you'd like to give to a given question (as some of you have made clear to me). All I can say is, polls are like a box of chocolates. Sometimes, the kind you want isn't in the box.

PAST POLLS

Poll #30 (May 28-Aug 7): The obvious question. The season's over now, so ... what did you think? Did it meet your expectations? Exceed them? Send you fleeing in terror into the waiting arms of another TV series? Cast your vote.

The response is pretty definitive--among DELTA BLUES readers, at least, Season Six was a full-fledged success.

Poll #29 (May 7): The next series is already in the works. The latest word is that it's scheduled to begin in late 2001, a few months after Voyager wraps up its final season. Are you ready for it? Are you chomping at the bit for the next series to begin? Or would you prefer they let the franchise rest for a while before launching the next vehicle?

The results were overwhelming: you want more Trek, and you want it ASADP. The poor folks begging for a breather didn't stand a chance.

Poll #28: Who should be promoted first--Tom Paris or Harry Kim?

To my great surprise, Ensign Harry walked away with the victory. Sadly for him, I don't have the clout to make it stick.

Poll #27: Does it bother you when they get the science wrong on Star Trek?

The Ayes have it, followed closely by those who can be bothered, depending on how wrong the science is. But the opinions on all sides were quite passionate.

Poll #26: Season Six is now 2/3 complete. Some believe the "even season curse" has been lifted, thanks to episodes like "One Small Step" and "Pathfinder." Others point to "Fair Haven" and "Tsunkatse" and declare this the Worst Season Ever. Do you agree? Or does your opinion fall somewhere in between?

The short take: There's some strong negative reaction to season 6, but the majority of you are enjoying it. And quite a few insist there's no such thing as an "even season curse"--some have enjoyed every season, some think it's gotten better every year, and some think Voyager should be considered in terms of "The Kes Years" vs. "The Borg Years." One thing's certain--y'all aren't shy about expressing yourselves. :)

Poll #25: Simple question: how old are you?

Although the upper and lower ends cover broader territory, it's about an even split. It skews young; the halfway point seems to hit at around 25 years old.

Poll #24: After nearly three years and many episodes examining Seven of Nine's humanity, should she consider returning to her original name, "Annika Hansen"? Or does Seven of Nine still suit her best?

This one wasn't even close. By a two-to-one margin, "Seven of Nine" rolled to victory. As far as most of y'all are concerned, Annika Hansen is dead; long live Seven. It was good enough a name for George Costanza, it's good enough for the ex-drone. Personally, I agree--Seven suits her best.

Poll #23: Is there too much music on Voyager?

The winner by plurality is "just enough," though a straight majority think there's too much, and a bare 14% think there should be more music than we're getting now. The bulk of respondants would probably be happiest with just a minor toning down of the musical content. As far as the comments went, the opera mostly got a thumbs-down, though some liked it.

Poll #22: (Jan 16) Do you like the idea of Janeway dating a hologram generally, or Michael Sullivan specifically?

The Yeas came in a solid first, with the Chakotay Only vote leading the alternatives. But all the No options added up to a 2 to 1 vote of no-confidence for Michael Sullivan. Ouch.

Poll #21: (Dec 21) What do you think mankind will experience in the 21st century?

The turnout was high--over 5000 hits and nearly 3000 responses. My, what a pessimistic lot you are...almost a fourth of you predict we'll blow ourselves up real good within the next 100 years. The runaway winner was the colonization of the moon and/or Mars, which at this point seems less an issue of possibility than of human will. As for the cure for the common cold, someone sent me an interesting article--you never know.

Poll #20: (Dec 12) Where do you read my reviews?

"Home" was the runaway winner. Some got a bit more specific--right down to the wildly popular Porcelain Reading Room. (Those writing "for a good time, click..." on the stall walls, y'all quit...)

The reviews have also joined the Mile High Club, graced the Great Wall of China, hunkered down in a UK bomb shelter, snuck into NASA, corrupted the minds and hearts of the young who pass printed copies out like Pokemon cards, and sent employee productivity plummeting from sea to shining sea. I'm so proud...

Poll #19: (Dec 8) How should Voyager finally make it back to Earth? They might use multiple ways to get close--but what will finally get them through that final leap to home?

There were some write-in votes for "Starfleet gets them home," but the clear majority went with Voyager getting itself home through its own devices.

Poll #18: (Nov 28) When should Tom and B'Elanna get married?

Though other polls have pulled in more votes, they allowed multiple options. This one didn't--and wins the title for most active poll to date.

As with the "Janeway/Chakotay" poll, people weren't shy about offering relationship alternatives to P/T. The "Never!" crowd won running away, but the reasons were many and varied. But the number of folks who want to see them get married eventually still wins by a 3 to 2 margin, with sooner winning out over later.

Poll #17: (Nov 21) Do you belong to a Trek-related fan club?

Not even close. I must admit, I was surprised.

Poll #16: (Nov 14) Do you read Star Trek novels?

What I found most surprising: 36% of you don't read Trek novels at all. Quite a few report that they used to, but that they haven't been impressed with the current crop of books.

Poll #15: (Nov 7) Which Captain/Ship would you rather serve under?

Big surprise--Voyager won, but by less than you might have thought--only 42%, with Picard not a too-distant second. I see my Love Boat preference caught on with 4% of you.

Poll #14: (Oct 17) How do you think Season Six is going so far?

I'd say the season is off to a good start. With 76% voting either Excellent (50%) or Good (26%), season 6 has so far managed to evade the dreaded Even Season Curse. Some were disappointed with Alice, and others with Riddles--but the first four episodes were overwhelmingly popular. Another 12% couldn't comment--you live outside the US/Canada and won't see these episodes for a while--leaving less than ten percent who are either not impressed (7%) or really hate this year (2%).

Poll #13: (Oct 12) The "Next Week on Voyager" promos: love them or hate them?

The promos fared a LOT better than I expected. Close to 40% dislike or hate them, but nearly 50% either love or like them. And only 6% dislike them enough to avoid them altogether. The low vote count this week is probably due in part to the inapplicability of the poll to those who live outside the US/Canada, most of whom don't get the promos at all.

Poll #12: (Oct 4) Captain Janeway has proved to be a rather controversial character. Some love her, some hate her, some love AND hate her, some USED to love her but hate who she's become...you get the picture. Here's your chance to speak out on what you think of Janeway.

Color me surprised: You cut the captain more slack than I expected. Almost a fourth of you even place the Auburn Queen at the top of the Trek Captains heap. Of course, almost a fifth of you are ready to set phasers on Mutiny--but judging from some of the comments, a good number of those still haven't forgiven Janeway for demoting Helm Boy. (Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Rosie from Terre Haute.)

Poll #11: (Sep 27) Voyager has finally begun airing in syndication. However, instead of airing in original airdate order, allowing new viewers to get a rapid ramp-up to the present, they're airing in season-spanning "Theme Weeks". Do you like the Theme Week approach, or would you prefer they air the episodes in the same order they did originally?

Again, the results weren't too surprising. The vast majority of you who voted would rather see the syndicated Voyager in original-airdate order. If you fall into that category, and the station broadcasting Voyager in syndication is airing them "out of order," write to them and let them know your preference. I have a feeling that will work more effectively than complaining to Paramount directly.

Poll #10: (Sep 19) Spoilers--details about an upcoming episode that may surface weeks or even months in advance--have exploded in the Internet Era. Sometimes they're tough to avoid. What do YOU think about spoilers?

Although there was confusion among some respondents--I was NOT referring to my reviews, which are NOT SPOILERS--I think most of you understood the question. Either way, it wasn't a contest--the vast majority of you love spoilers. Some say you love AND hate them, or love TO hate them, sentiments I can certainly agree with. Anyway, here are the results.

Poll #9: (Sep 12) Who would you like to see Janeway have a Season 6 romance with? Chakotay; someone else already on board; a guest alien; None of the Above; or Nobody At All?

The [Chakot]ayes have it; Tattoo Boy got 50% more votes than the other options combined. The comments were...interesting. Every major character--male and female--got at least one Yea and Nay vote, with Chakotay and Seven of Nine leading in both pro- and anti- columns. The "Keep Janeway unloved" contingent was also highly vocal, and their reasons were many and varied--and not always kind.

Poll #8: (Sep 7-Sep 12) What is your favorite type of Voyager episode?

I wasn't too surprised by this week's results, though I did expect romance to come in third--the philosophical genre barely edged it out. Action and humor combined for nearly half the total votes cast. The big surprise was that "musical" beat out "crewman in peril." I guess if someone's going to suffer, they should do it through song....Many folks complained about being limited to only one choice--well, tough. I wanted you to pick a single favorite, and I wanted you to agonize over it.

Poll #7: (Aug 28-Sep 7) Vulcans undergo Pon Farr every seven years, so Tuvok is about due. How do you think the show should handle the inevitable?

This week wasn't even close. The show-don't-tell crowd captured a solid 70% of the vote--77% if you include the "tell all" vote--with half wanting an episode devoted to Tuvok's Pon Farr, and the other half wanting another plot to dominate that week. The remaining 23% came from the "Ignorance is Bliss" and "Spare Us the Details" folks.

Poll #6: (August 9) Following up on the previous poll, WHEN (in which century or centuries) would you like the series to be set?

The results here weren't too surprising, though I was pleasantly surprised by the number of votes. The vast majority want to stick with the familiar--60% want the next series to either stick to the real-time TNG calendar or jump ahead just a little. The remaining 40% was split evenly between pre-TNG, far future, and multi-era settings. I was surprised that the TOS era dragged in last, though -- so much for Captain Sulu.

Poll #5: (Aug 9-Aug 15) There is a lot of speculation about what the next Trek series will be about--but what would you LIKE it to be about? Specifically, WHERE would you like the series to be set?

Given all the hew and cry about the rumored Starfleet Academy focus of the next series, this option came in first--and by a wide margin, grabbing more than a fourth of the total. there was essentially a three-way tie for second: a new colony world, a quadrant other than the Alpha (home) quadrant, and a ship named Enterprise. Another Galaxy entirely came next, followed by the Alpha Quadrant with a respectable 10%. Dragging along in dead last were "a settled planet" and "a space station."

This just goes to show the value of specificity. #1 was Starfleet Academy, which is by nature also set (1) in the alpha quadrant, and (2) on a settled planet. It's also a good launching point to space stations (Nog, DS9) and a ship named Enterprise (Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan). Not that I'm endorsing the concept--but I do have a new appreciation for its potential to draw a crowd. Thanks, folks.

POLL #4: (August 1) (Multiple reponses allowed). What do you think should happen on Voyager this season? The results this week broke down into roughly three tiers of preference: a promotion for Harry and the return of Q led the pack, hovering around 20%; in the 13-14% range, a promotion for Tom, the return of Kes, and Voyager making it home; running close behind, those wanted to see Seven of Nine wearing less (cheeky monkeys). Lagging behind in single digits are those who want to see Seven of Nine less often.

The None of the Above folks chimed in; you'll have the chance to vote on those in future polls.

POLL #3 (Jul 24-Aug 1): If the only way you could get DS9 reviews with full episode summaries was to pay for them, would you consider it?

With nearly 400 votes counted on the question, "would you pay for DS9 reviews?" close to 2/3 of you said "no way." 20% of you said Maybe, if the price was right, and 4% said Money is No Object (woo hoo!). Another 12% (evenly split) would contribute for DS9 reviews if some--or all--went to charity. There were also a few write-in ballots--saying they'd pay for TNG reviews.

POLL #2 (Jul 17 - Jul 24): Where do you live? I'm not looking for specifics--just pick a continent. If you live in North America, do you get Voyager in your area?

This was also a bit of a surprise--I was anticipating a lot more North America folks who didn't get UPN/Voyager in their area. The other values came pretty close to what I thought they'd be--except for that "Other" category. Unless the respondents actually ARE from Antarctica (if so, email me!) or outer space, I'm not sure what to think. Klaatu berada nictu. What I found most interesting was that those who actually GET Voyager in live, first run form represent less than half of total responses.

Global audience. Way cool.

POLL #1 (Jul 14 - Jul 17): Which part of the Delta Blues reviews do you read?

I was surprised by these results--I didn't expect the "read both parts" response to be so overwhelming. The poll only ran for three days in the middle of the summer, so I was also surprised by the number of total responses.