RIP: June Lockhart, Actress

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): June Lockhart in the television series Lost in Space. (20th Century Fox Television)

Actress June Lockhart passed away last Thursday at the age of 100. She had a storied career in both movies and television, including the 1960s television shows Lassie and Lost in Space.

Lost in Space was a somewhat silly story about the Robinson family migrating from an overpopulated Earth to a exoplanet orbiting Alpha Centauri. Of course, just like the story in Gilligan’s Island, the five-and-a-half year tour turned into a new adventure among the stars.

The show was best known for the robot always spouting “Danger, Will Robinson!” in reference to the son whose mother was played by June Lockhart. Of course, Star Trek premiered during that same period with some of the same silliness. It seems we did not achieve our darker sentiments about humans in space until somewhat later.

With regard to her time with Lost in Space, Ms. Lockhart stated to Fox News:

I was over the moon – pun intended. … I have been told that my contribution inspired many astronauts to pursue a career in space science and exploration … it is lovely to know that I touched so many people by doing things that interested me!

The 1998 movie Lost in Space did little to revive interest in the series (or space from what I can tell), but the Neflix television series of the same name did a nice job bringing the Robinson family back to life. If you are looking for a great updated adventure story about a boy and his robot traveling through space, you might want to start with the Netflix version.

You can read more on Ms. Lockhart’s life and career at these sites:

BBC
CBS News
The New York Times

Rest in peace.

Image (Credit): Poster for the 1998 movie Lost in Space. (New Line Cinema)
Image (Credit): Poster for the 2018 television series Lost in Space. (Netflix)

Movie: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Scene from the movie The Mandalorian and Grogu. (Lucasfilm, Ltd.)

While have waited long enough for a new season of The Mandalorian, it appears we will need to settle for a movie instead. The Mandalorian and Grogu will premiere in theaters on May 22, 2026.

The movie trailer dropped earlier this week. It is everything you might expect, but it almost has an Andor feel to it. Add to that the scene of a destroyed All Terrain Armored Transport, and you have everything you need to tie this into the best of Star Wars.

Here is the plot from Disney+:

The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu.

That’s not too deep, which is perfect. We do not need trade wars and such – that is too close to the newspaper stories today. We need something fun in a galaxy far, far away.

And maybe, just maybe, this new film can re-energize the Star Wars films again. Cute and simple is probably the recipe for films over the next few years, if only to give everyone a safe harbor from reality.

Credit: Lucasfilm, Ltd.

Did China Just Install HAL in its Space Station?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
image (Credit): The eye of HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Stanley Kubrick Productions)

Is it possible the space station engineers in China failed to watch Stanley Kubrick’ film 2001: A Space Odyssey?

I ask this because earlier this summer the Chinese government installed an artificial intelligence chatbot named Wukong on the Tiangong space station. It is designed to assist the taikonauts with navigation and tactical information planning.

A Wired magazine story noted:

Wukong AI assisted the crew on a six-and-a-half-hour mission, which involved taikonauts installing space debris protection devices during a spacewalk and performing a routine inspection of the station.

Doesn’t that sound a little like the situation in the movie involving the supercomputer HAL 9000, when HAL had a different idea about its role in the mission? I’m not sure I would be comfortable leaving the space station.

The same story also highlights how the International Space Station has its own computer helpers, including small flying Astrobees that can assist the astronauts with routine tasks.

Forbes magazine reported that NASA is already conducting “war games” with these Astrobee robots to see if they can be used for offensive purposes to protect the astronauts. What could go wrong?

These are interesting times with AI and robots on Earth and in space. I just hope the engineers have time to watch a few science fiction movies as well to prepare for that future.

Star Wars: Another Political Take on the Empire

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image(Credit): Senator Amidala from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. (Starwars.com)

While the libertarians at Reason magazine have their view of the imperial story-line in the Star Wars television series Andor, the liberal folks at Mother Jones magazine have a whole different take on the Star Wars universe.

In an article last month titled “How Star Wars Reveals Conservatives’ Authoritarian Fantasies,” we read about how some Republicans are showing support for the brutality of the Dark Side as illustrated in Andor. For instance, it quotes former Mitch McConnell adviser and GOP operative Scott Jennings defending the Empire’s elimination of Alderaan in the original Star Wars movie, stating:

I think some could argue that it was warranted, given their rebellious activities. I mean, he defended the Empire against unelected hippies and violent protesters.

You can see the entire Mother Jone’s YouTube clip here.

This is not an encouraging thought at this point in history. In an interview, George Lucas himself said the rebel alliance came from his reading of history and his understanding of the Viet Cong battle against the American empire. He saw the rebels as anti-authoritarian. He also thought of the American rebels as they fought Great Britain, the largest empire in the world.

Supporting the Evil Empire is more or less the same as voicing support for the wannabee Russian empire as it attacks democratic Ukraine. I think we all can do much better than to stoop that low.

Either that, or soon we will also be quoting the line “So this is how liberty dies.”

RIP: Ed Smylie, NASA Engineer

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Former NASA engineer Ed Smylie. (Bill Stafford/NASA)

Last month, former NASA engineer Ed Smylie passed away at the age of 95. He is best known for his efforts leading a NASA team that saved the Apollo 13 crew after the capsule experienced the onboard explosion of an oxygen canister. His quick efforts saved the crew, allowing them to return home safely. You can see it all in color by watching the film Apollo 13.

Mr. Smylie left Douglas Aircraft Company and joined NASA after President Kennedy made it clear that the nation would put a man on the Moon. Luckily, he was there at NASA when he was needed.

In a 1999 interview about his efforts to save the Apollo 13 mission, he was very self-effacing about his role in the entire effort:

It was pretty straightforward, even though we got a lot of publicity for it and [President Richard M.] Nixon even mentioned our names. I always argued that that was because that was one you could understand nobody really understood the hard things they were doing. Everybody could understand a filter. I said a mechanical engineering sophomore in college could have come up with it. It was pretty straightforward. But it was important.

You can also read more on Mr. Smylie’s life and career at these sites:

Rest in peace.