Star Grind: The Adventures of the Gemini Cricket.

[EDanaII]

I think this time I'm gonna borrow from Cmdr Starstone's book and post all of my videos in one thread.

UPDATE: 2025/07/06: And the Deja vu continues... Yet another "updated" Cricket episode for anyone who has nothing better do to with their life.

Remastered Episode: #5 - Charon's Stepchildren (The Director's Cut).

Commander Jones takes a routine passenger mission to a tourist beacon on a distant high-gravity world. What could possibly go wrong? Besides the cryptic warnings, a near-death descent, and passengers who definitely have an ulterior motive...

Previous Episodes​

#12 - How Sharper than a Spinster's Boot	#11 - The Chap Trap
#10 - And the Credits Shall Lead	#9 - Worst Contact
#8 - Who Mourns for a Dumb S	#7 - Where No Jones has gone Before
#6 - The Wrath of Dumb	#5 - I, Beauregrad
#4 - Charon's Step Children (The Director's Cut)	#3 - Errand of Futility (RELOADED)
#2 - The Doomsday Incident (REDEUAX)	#1 - Whom God's Annoy (REMASTERED)

 

[Arioch]

I’m glad The Voyages of the Starship Gemini Cricket are continuing - it was a pleasant surprise to see the latest video pop up in my subscriptions yesterday

As with the other episodes, thanks for the laughs - sorely needed these days!

 

[EDanaII]

Glad you enjoyed it. And I'm guessing you're happy about where I pulled the title from.

 

[Arioch]

Glad you enjoyed it. And I'm guessing you're happy about where I pulled the title from.

 

[EDanaII]

Well, dayum. Just checked the latest video's performance for the week only to find out I lost two more viewers. I guess I gotta stop even "threatening" to sing!

 

[Kamiyoda]

Well, dayum. Just checked the latest video's performance for the week only to find out I lost two more viewers. I guess I gotta stop even "threatening" to sing!

You make videos? I thought this was a screenshot thread for some reason. Well I am a dumb.

 

[Arioch]

Well, dayum. Just checked the latest video's performance for the week only to find out I lost two more viewers. I guess I gotta stop even "threatening" to sing!

Or maybe they were disappointed at being denied their tuneful treat….go full-on musical for the next episode!

Kill or Cure!

(actually, no, please don’t )

 

[EDanaII]

Or maybe they were disappointed at being denied their tuneful treat….go full-on musical for the next episode!

Kill or Cure!

(actually, no, please don’t )

LOL!

You make videos? I thought this was a screenshot thread for some reason. Well I am a dumb.

No, you're not dumb. They are screenshots. They're just displayed very quickly with some audio added and some editing for good measure.

 

[EDanaII]

Well, it's been a while. That is to say, life got busy and I got distracted. But recently I've been playing with our good ol' friend the AI--who of course has promised not to take over the world--and decide to "remaster" my old videos using some of the more promising technologies.

So, here is "Whom Gods Annoy" reworked using AI to make the animations more fluid. The original technique kept them pretty stiff, only animating their heads while their bodies were kinda motionless. This definitely looks better although maybe a little too animated given my typical dry delivery.

Regardless, for any who want to enjoy a bit of silliness, here's my first video "remastered" with better animations. I think I'll work on updating the others as time allows.

 

[EDanaII]

And a new (redone) episode with updated animations:

When Commander Jones unknowingly hauls a cargo of illegal deck mats across the galaxy as a favor to the Commodore, he finds himself face-to-face with galactic customs — and completely unprepared. With Blue, his ever-logical AI, offering less-than-reassuring advice from the Smuggler’s Guide to the Galaxy, Jones panics, improvises, and pulls off the worst “casual” docking maneuver in station history.

Sadly, I'm discovering that even though the AI tool I'm using does a better job at animating than the original toolset, it still kinda does what it wants. If I tell it to make the character look left or right or stare at someone off screen, it still does whatever. Hopefully, it will improve with time.

 

[EDanaII]

And now, the "reloaded" episode #3, with 50% better animations!

Disaster strikes the Pleiades, and Commander Jones rushes to help with rescue efforts at Obsidian Orbital. There’s just one problem: no passenger cabins. And regulations. And pointy-headed bureaucrats. Lots of them. As the station burns, Jones learns the hard way that in space, bureaucrats can hear you scream.

 

[EDanaII]

And here a new version of episode #4 "Charon's Stepchildren -- The Director's Cut" with "deleted scenes".

Commander Jones takes a routine passenger mission to a tourist beacon on a distant high-gravity world. What could possibly go wrong? Besides the cryptic warnings, a near-death descent, and passengers who definitely have an ulterior motive...

As my experience with these AI tools grow, I've come to the realization that they really are nothing more than a novelty. They can do some pretty amazing stuff but the lack of control makes them pretty hit or miss in what you can do with them. I often spend a lot of time asking it for a particular scene before I finally get something that is kinda close to what I actually want. They definitely need to evolve before they're truly useful.