Sci-Fi Quote: William Shatner Defends Starfleet Academy

Posted on by onespaceman2000

“Star Trek exists in more than one world. It exists in the fantasy of science fiction – weird and wonderful things that play unimaginable possibilities of exploration and human endeavor. But it also exists in the fantasy of human beings, the perfection of human beings, the exploration that human beings have made since the dawn of time and the continuing exploration – physically mentally and morally. It’s that aspect of Star Trek that I’ve always loved, to look at something physically that doesn’t exist now by these talented writers & designers but also to tackle the eternal human questions the agonies, the ecstasies. Star Trek should exist for a long time to come based on those truths. I for one would love to see its continuity. It’s with sorrow that I hear about the cancellation of the new Star Trek series.”

-William Shatner’s comments on Twitter/X regarding the recent announcement that Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy will end after two seasons. In a follow-up post, highlighting the criticism that the new series was too woke, he continued:

During the first airing of my Star Trek series where a kiss was objectionable; many southern stations pulled the episode & condemned the show. Using today’s vernacular it would absolutely be called “woke DEI crap” because it went against “norms” of society for its time. Not a lot seems to have changed.

Note: Andy Weir, author of Project Hail Mary, is one of the parties criticizing the new series and the direction of Star Trek, but some of it sounds like sour grapes.

Television: Starfleet Academy to End After Two Seasons

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Paramount+

Nothing gold can stay, Robert Frost once wrote. Just enjoy it while it is here.

And so it goes with Star Trek as well. The new television series Starfleet Academy will last for only two seasons and then disappear. While I had originally thought that promising a second season before the first one aired was premature, it turns outs it was brilliant given the fickle habits of today’s viewers. Now the series has a chance to bring some closure.

I have enjoyed the first season. While it was not perfect, it was finding its way to tell a new story to a new generation of Star Trek viewers. At a time that Star Wars seems to have run out of steam, the new series showed that Star Trek still had more to say with a whole new cast of characters rather than endlessly recycling the past. I am hopeful that it can continue to do so even with this ending.

The series co-showrunners and executive producers, Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, wrote a few words that also quoted this bit from Gene Roddenberry that says a lot in these times:

Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms. […] If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.

Television: Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy is a Solid Addition to the Franchise

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Paramount+

I am happy to say that the creators of Star Trek have done it again with the latest series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. It is a worthy addition to that ongoing saga.

The first six episodes of the first season form a good story arc that starts with Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) and Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) coming together in the initial episode, then leaves aside their drama for four episodes, and finally brings them back together for a memorable sixth episode. In the meantime, we watch the new cadets grow together at the academy under the tutelage of Nahla Ake, chancellor of Starfleet Academy.

In terms of what works versus what needs more work, let’s start with the positives:

  • Nahla Ake is a very likable and long-living character (half-Lanthanite) who becomes the mother-like figure overseeing cadet Caleb Mir. She has a cat-like way of sitting and a dog-like loyalty to the academy mission that make her the glue of the show.
  • The mix of instructors and cadets keep the show interesting, be it our well known Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager or the transformative Khionian cadet Darem Reymi. We have time to learn many of the character’s origin stories, including why a holographic doctor ages. This gives the show greater depth as we uncover the diversity of the academy.
  • The show has a light touch with plenty of humor. My favorite character is probably Lura Thok, who is a Klingon/Jem’Hadar serving as first officer of the starship Athena. She is married to Tig Notaro’s Jett Reno. Lura Thok is that ever-present drill sergeant who seems to terrorize the cadets while amusing the chancellor. She adds the perfect amount of levity to the show.

In terms of the negatives, there are quite a few, but none of them permanently hurt my overall impression of the show:

  • In the first episode, Paul Giamatti’s Nus Braka, part-Klingon and part-Tellarite, was a little over the top. I know the first episode has to capture the viewer’s attention, but Giamatti was chewing the scenery with his performance. He may have been having fun, but he was channeling Jack Nicholson from The Shining. It was good that he disappeared for a while to let the other characters shine.
  • Starfleet Academy looks more like a Miami mall than a Federation facility. And when you add in the annoying robots scurrying around the corridors as well as the floating traffic jams that reminded me of the Star Wars planet of Coruscant, it was all a little overwhelming as well as silly.
  • The fact that language has not changed in 1,000 years is odd. The cadets still say “bite me” while Nus Braka is stating “payback is a bitch.” Maybe this is how you attract new viewers, but does Star Trek really need to sound like every other teenage show?

Overall, it is a well done and expensive-appearing television series that breathes life back into Star Trek, thereby hopefully creating new Trekkies. This is something that the Star Wars franchise has tried as well, but almost all of the spin-offs leaned too heavily on key characters from the past or did a horrible job representing teens of the future (think of that Boba Fett series). That may be why Star Trek has two strong television series on the air this year and Star Wars apparently has only the second season of Ahsoka, which is a weak imitation of the original movies, and that’s saying a lot given that the last three Star Wars movies were a weak imitation of the first three movies.

I am glad we have at least one more season of Starfleet Academy ahead of us, and I expect many more it the creators can maintain the quality (and resolve some of the bumps) that we see in the first six episodes.

Television: Blade Runner 2099 Coming in 2026

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Gollancz

It seems two movies covering Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was not enough, so an entire television series is being readied by Amazon Prime for release this year.

Of course, Amazon Prime has been talking about this series since at least 2022, with the Motion Picture Association stating back then:

Blade Runner 2099 will no doubt continue these storylines, but considering it’s set a full 50 years after Villeneuve’s film, you can expect entirely new characters, plot points, and environments. Amazon has now proven itself successful working on a massively scaled genre series with the current success of its most ambitious project to date, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Blade Runner 2099 will provide the streamer with another major opportunity to continue the story of an already hugely popular franchise, with a fan base no less fervent than those who love Lord of the Rings.

I am not so sure that Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a good comparison since it was not a great success. Forbes magazine called it a flop, noting that:

Just under two-thirds of all Rings Of Power viewers quit watching the show before the finale, missing out on some truly ghastly television in the process. The big question I have is: Out of all the viewers who did stick around for all eight episodes, how many were hate-watching?

It also doesn’t help that (1) Blade Runner 2049 was a flop at movie theaters and (1) the main star in this new television series, Michelle Yeoh, was part of an already discussed movie flop last year with Star Trek: Section 31. Given that Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh did well in the series Star Trek: Discovery, I blame the film creators more than the actors.

The good news is that Ridley Scott will be back at the helm on this new series. Denis Villeneuve gave us the Blade Runner 2049 film. While he was brilliant with the two Dune movies he crafted from the books, for some reason he could not make it work when expanding on another director’s work.

I am not seeing any specific premiere date, but the industry noise seems to be pretty upbeat about a 2026 release.

The odds are not in Amazon Prime’s favor, yet I am rooting as much as anyone else that this series is successful.

Movies: The 2025 Golden Raspberry Awards

Posted on by onespaceman2000

It is that time of year to look back at the science fiction movies of 2025 and determine which ones were really bad. We might as well go through this process because I cannot remember any that were really good, particularly in the area of space adventures.

The 46th Golden Raspberry Award nominees for Worst Picture in 2025 are:

  • The Electric State
  • Hurry Up Tomorrow
  • Disney’s Snow White (2025)
  • Star Trek: Section 31
  • War of The Worlds (2025)

You may be surprised to see a Star Trek film among the contenders, but you would not be if you actually watched it. It was an embarrassment for the franchise to show something like this. The story line made no sense, the acting was horrendous, the special effects and music were subpar, and the only words that came to mind were “Section 8,” that retired military term for those diagnosed with a psychiatric condition.

Section 31 was originally planned as a spin-off television series from Star Trek: Discovery, but instead it was released as a film. I cannot image any of this as a series. At least with a movie it is once and gone, rather than a continuing open wound.

I am just happy that the Star Trek creative team spent its time and money on the new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. While the new series is not perfect, it has heart and closely follows the expected story line. In the case of Section 31, I cannot remember anything that tied it to the larger Star Trek story line other than one Starfleet character who was not really much of a character at all.

Of course, one could argue that the Federation entity Section 31 was all you needed as a tie-in, but the role of this group was never properly explained within the overall Star Trek universe. Anyone wandering into this film would not understand the basics and hopefully left the room before experiencing any real brain rot.

But wait, there’s more. If you thought that actress Michelle Yeoh would save the movie, you can forget that idea. In fact, she was nominated for Worst Actress. Section 31 was also nominated for Worst Supporting Actress, Director and Screenplay.

I think it would be best if we all pretend the movie never existed and get on with our lives. Looking back is just too painful.

Image (Credit): Some of the characters from Star Trek: Section 31. (Paramount+)