Television: For All Mankind

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Promotion for season two of For All Mankind. (Apple TV+)

While awaiting the return of the Star Trek and Star Wars televisions series (by the way, do not forget that the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery is slated to start tomorrow), I started to watch For All Mankind on Apple TV+. I am only halfway through season two, but I have enjoyed every minute so far. I am just surprised there has not been more press about this impressive series.

I was somewhat skeptical to start the series because I knew it was an alternate reality to our actual space program. Yet what I saw as a weakness was actually the show’s strength. The series re-imagines the space race with the Russians, having the U.S. set up a Moon base after the Russians are the first to step foot on the Moon. It just shows us what could have been if we did not stop the Apollo program 50 years ago and dither around until the Artemis program.

And while the series has plenty of action – almost as though your are watching multiple Apollo 13 movies – what makes it different is that it has heart. It is almost the Mad Men of NASA, showing the good and bad of that period in terms of human lives.

For All Mankind is honest about the period from the 1960s through the 1980s, showing that the real drama was right here on Earth as we dealt with Vietnam, racism, immigration, marital and family issues, and even a lesbian astronaut.

I did not expect all of this in one show, nor the superb acting that makes it all come to life. I am now hooked on the series, finding it strange that I already have nostalgia for an American lunar space program that never existed even though it could have.

The series continues with a Mars program in seasons 3 and 4, but I do not want to get ahead of myself. Let’s just say this other America gets to the Red Planet long before we do.

We are creating plenty of drama today with the real lunar program currently under way, as well as an eventual Mars program. It may in fact lead to some great television series down the line. I just hope we stick to the script and keep the current drama going for years to come.

Podcast: Chinwag with Paul Giamatti

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Treefort Media

If you saw the recent film The Holdovers, you witnessed Paul Giamatti at the top of his game as a private school instructor (which earned him an Oscar nomination).

But if you would like to learn about another side of Mr. Giamatti, then you may want to check out his podcast with Stephen Asma called Chinwag. It is by no means a science or an astronomy podcast, yet it is a fun collection of conversations that often touch on related topics and guests, be it topics such as UFOs and the Drake Equation, or guests including astronaut Mike Massimino, writer Ted Chiang, and actor William Shatner.

Yes, there is plenty here about the occult and mind-numbing drugs, but I recommend you sift though some of this to find the gems. Below are a few of the episodes you may want to try, but don’t expect William Shatner to talk about Captain Kirk and space travel. He is too busy sharing stories about spiritualism, drugs, and his early acting career.

—Chinwag Mailbag: The Drake Equation

Paul and Stephen dig into our Chinwag mailbag for this SETI-inspired question (that’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence to any novice listeners). The Drake Equation is explained and let’s just say there’s A LOT of math involved.

It’s been 60+ years since last estimates were made on the odds of finding intelligent life in the Milky Way, and Chinwag listener Rick B. wants to know, how long could a civilization broadcast its presence through technology, and what current factors might affect a civilization’s ability to remain detectable? Is there a ticking clock to our existence, and what’s Twinkie-lung got to do with all this?

—A Different Kind of Ted (Chiang) Talk

In this Chinwag, Paul and Stephen are thrilled to be subject to fascinating thought experiments by award-winning fiction writer Ted Chiang. Up for the discussion?

The difference between fact and fiction when it comes to the existence of alien life, and whether Paul is indeed an assassin because he played one in an action film Ted once saw. Imaginations are running amok and people can’t differentiate between what’s real and what isn’t. Is social media to blame or was The National Enquirer the social media of yester-year? Online echo chambers and the dangerous speed of information may be a culprit for conspiracy theories. And is belief in aliens and monsters in pop culture a direct response to higher anxiety levels and an externalization of neuroses? Then, what is singularity and was it born with the invention of the wheel?

Paul and Stephen are happy to learn that Ted’s not afraid that AI will take over, but the natural desire to do less work may lead to more romances between humans and AI robots. So buckle up and plug in your lady-cyborg and get ready for an all new fascinating Chinwag!

—Mooning with Mike Massimino

Paul and Stephen are obsessed with UFOs and life beyond earth–so who better to add to the conversation than a guy who’s been to space twice?

This week, our intrepid Chinwaggers are joined by former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, a man who decided that a fear of heights would be best overcome by a trip to space. In this week’s classified file: space toilets, robot arms, and why there should never be more than one comedian per space shuttle.

—Tripping with William Shatner

Stephen Asma and Paul Giamatti are giddy to speak with lifelong hero and Star Trek alum William Shatner on tequila tastings, space travel, bum drug trips, holding on to your inner child and that time he beat up an Australian Olympic swimmer on stage.

Television: 3 Body Problem Premiering on Netflix

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Netflix

We live in a time where we have plenty of science fiction options on television and at the theaters. Be it the Apple TV+ remake of Issac Asimov’s Foundation, the current showing of Frank Herbert’s Dune: Part Two at theaters, or the ongoing television series spinning more Star Wars and Star Trek tales.

And now, starting tomorrow, we will be treated to a Netflix series on the 3 Body Problem, one of the more recent science fiction series from the mind of Chinese writer Liu Cixin. The new series based on the Hugo-awarding winning book was created by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, as well as Alexander Woo from HBO drama series True Blood.

So what is it about? Netflix has a paltry summary, so let’s go to the book summary itself (and the trailer):

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

The reviews are mixed, though I am sure you will want to judge for yourself. But just in case you want some insights from others, check out these reviews:

Should you want to see the Chinese television series, you can find it here on Youtube. Or you may want to circle back to this version if you don’t care for the Netflix production.

Note: You can also find the Chinese version of the series on Amazon Prime. Rather than 8 episodes, you will find the Chinese version called Three Body has 30 episodes. I am working my way through the Amazon Prime series and so far prefer the slower-paced Chinese original. Netflix seems to rush through the ideas, whereas they are better developed in the longer series.

Credit: Amazon Prime

Movie: Rebel Moon on Netflix

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Movie advertisement for Rebel Moon. (Nexflix)

In an earlier post, I mentioned those movies you don’t need to see until they come to your television. What is even easier is when they start on the television, as is the case with Netflix’s Rebel Moon.

Released in mid-December, and labeled as “Part One: A Child of Fire,” you may be witnessing the start of an interesting new series or the creation of content for it’s own sake. I have yet to decide myself.

Here is the trailer, which tells you a good part of the story. That, and this teaser from Netflix:

When the ruthless forces of the Motherworld threaten a quiet farming village on a distant moon, a mysterious outsider becomes its best hope for survival.

The movie has some decent special effects to go along with the usual well-worn tropes:

  • An empire with troublesome planets at the edges, similar to Star Wars and Foundation? Check.
  • Desert planet hosting an individual important to the empire, similar to Star Wars? Check.
  • Desert planet with wild saloons where you battle bounty hunters and hire rogue ships and pilots, similar to Star Wars? Check.
  • Confused robot not sure about its path, similar to Lost in Space? Check.
  • Ragtag band fighting evil, similar to Guardians of the Galaxy? Check.

The list could go on and on, with elements of Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek’s Borg Queen, Vikings: Valhalla, and Firefly thrown in as well. Oh yeah, and an evil empire where the officers where Nazi SS uniforms and are followed by masked religious figures similar to the ones you see in Dune.

The only redeeming portion of this film comes after the first half when the battle scenes and reincarnation of a key character provide some interesting twists. It may not save the entire effort, but it did add to the fun.

Part Two: The Scargiver will be released on April 19th. It is supposed to be the second and final episode of Rebel Moon.

Will I watch it? Probably. Am I recommending you watch it yourself? Not really, unless you need to kill a few hours. It can be interesting, if only to create your own list of well-worn tropes.

Podcast: Romans in Space

Posted on by onespaceman2000
 

If you are searching for a good podcast to listen to on your next drive, you might enjoy a recent podcast from The Rest is History discussing the ideas of the early Roman Republic that may have informed George Lucas and his Star Wars films.

In the episode, “Romans in Space: Star Wars, Dune and Beyond…,” the narrators also discuss the influence of Rome on other popular series, from earlier stories, such as Issac Asimov’s Foundation, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and Star Trek, to more recent tales, such as Battlestar Galactica and The Hunger Games. The discussion also touches on the role of the Nazis, the American Revolution, Islam, and even the story of King Arthur in these science fiction stories.

No stone is left unturned in this 55 minute episode, with plenty of ideas to keep your head spinning and your mind guessing. After listening, I bet you will play it a second time just to be sure you took it all in (and wrote down some references you might want to research on your own).