Television: The USS Callister is Back

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Crew from the Netflix series “USS Callister: Into Infinity”. (Netflix)

It’s hard to believe that we first met the crew of the USS Callister back in late 2017. The Black Mirror episode was a dark parody of the Star Trek universe where one twisted employee trapped the DNA clones of other employees in his make believe world. It was a typical twisted warning about technology in a way that one Black Mirror can deliver.

Well, the USS Callister crew is back in season 7 of the series in a new episode called “USS Callister: Into Infinity.” It do not want to give too much away, but most of your favorite characters have returned – both copies.

Some critics are skeptical about the returning episode, claiming the creators of Black Mirror have run out of ideas, yet I bet many will agree that it was a great idea back in 2017, and catching up with our old friends is fun.

A lot has changed in the real world with the rise of AI, so the central plot may be a bit out of date, but that make it more of a retro future, if that makes sense.

If you forget some of the first episode, check out this recap from Netflix.

And if you still want more, don’t worry, there is a chance that a third episode will be produced to complete the trilogy at some point, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

So sit back and enjoy the second episode. We can only hope we don’t need to wait another 7-8 years for the final episode to drop.

Note: Check out this video from Netflix as well showing the actors returning to the set for the second episode so many years later.

Movie: Star Trek: Section 31

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Paramount

While we await the return of the series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a new Star Trek film will premiere later this month, and this time it focuses on the dark side of the Federation.

On January 24, Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere on Paramount+. If you anything about Emperor Philippa Georgiou from the television series Star Trek: Discovery, you will know she came from a mirror universe and found her home in the United Federation of Planets’ black ops division where she thrived. Later in that series, she was sent to another timeline and disappeared from the show. Well, she is back, this time running a night club.

The trailer for the new film promised plenty of action, as well as the trademark humor that follows Philippa Georgiou. She was one of the brighter spots in the Discovery series, where everyone else was usually too stressed out to have any fun.

The idea of another film or series involving the secret Section 31 has been rolling around for some time now. While a new series may have been preferable, a film is better than nothing. Moreover, maybe it will lead to more.

Just expect some fireworks from Trekkies because the film plays with the Star Trek timeline and emphasizes the dark side of the United Federation of Planets. I am not so concerned about the timeline since that was destroyed sometime ago when the films were rebooted, but the critics may have a point about the focus on the dark side. That said, we have at least two more seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to look forward to with its hopeful vision for the Federation.

I am okay with the balance. We all need some escapism, but we cannot banish the real world forever. It will leak in one way or another.

Space Quote: Naming the First Space Shuttle

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Space shuttle Enterprise. (NASA)

“NASA has received hundreds of thousands of letter from the space-oriented “Star Trek” group asking that the name “Enterprise” be given to the craft. This group comprises millions of individuals who are deeply interested in our space program.”

-Statement in a September 3, 1976 letter to President Richard Nixon from the Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Affairs regarding the naming of the nation’s first space shuttle. If they space shuttle had been delayed until after 1977, maybe the “Millennium Falcon” would have been on the list of top names as well.

Television: Season Three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Scene from season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. (Paramount+)

I am eager for the third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds after season two ended back in August. In season two, we had a chance to meet Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, one more piece of the original Star Trek crew.

For a taste of what is to come, take a look at this preview clip of season three. Its shows a fun turn of events as members of the crew find themselves embracing the Vulcan ways for a mission. Of course, nothing is that easy. The interplay between human and Vulcan mindsets continues to entertain, much in the way The Next Generation enjoyed the interplay between human and android mindsets.

It is still unclear when season three will premiere in 2025, but the good news is that Paramount+ has already promised a fourth season, so the fun will continue. More importantly, Trekmovie.com reports that the series will eventually run into the first episode of the original series from 1966, so we can expect more original characters such as Scotty to populate the Strange New Worlds series.

With only one live action Star Trek series still on the air after the end of Star Trek: Discovery earlier this year, it is important for fans that the series continues to live long and prosper.

Fortunately, a few more Star Trek series are the in pipeline. More on that later.

A Day in Astronomy: Happy Star Trek Day!

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Today we remember the beginning of the Star Trek phenomenon that started back on September 8, 1966 with the introduction of the Star Trek television series. Created by Gene Roddenberry, the series initiated books, movies, and more over the years that provided a positive vision of our future in space, though it came after some rough lessons (world war) and still posed constant challenges (Klingons, Borg, Cardassians, and others).

Gene Roddenberry once said:

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.

Wise words during the turmoil of the 1960s as well as the turmoil of today.