Space Quote: The Megachurch Called Star Trek

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Gallery Books

“Yes. I see it very, very clearly and very strongly. It was about truth and fairness and honesty and respect for others, no matter who they were or what strange alien creature they looked like. That was immaterial. They were alive. And if they needed help, Jean-Luc Picard and his crew, his team, were there to give it. So, yes, in a sense, we were ministers. And I have heard now so many times from individuals who have been honest enough and brave enough to tell me aspects of their life, of their health, of their mental health, and how it was all saved and improved by watching every week.”

-Actor Patrick Stewart in an interview with NPR responding to a question about whether he has noticed the fans’ religion-like reverence for Star Trek: The Next Generation. The conversation follows the release of Mr. Stewart’s new memoir, Making It So.

Damn it, Jim! I’m a Doctor, Not a Spider!

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Dr. McCoy on the television series Star Trek. (CBS / Paramount)

The Star Trek name and characters have been thrown around in popular culture for years, but now scientists have locked onto them. A new group of spiders, part of the Roddenberryus genus (yes, that’s right), have been named Kirk, McCoy and Spock.

If you do not believe me, take a look at this article in the New York Times, “It’s a Spider, Not a Doctor, Captain or Vulcan.” The article quotes Dr. Bonaldo, a researcher at the Paraense Emílio Goeldi Museum in Brazil, who made this statement about the newly-named spiders:

They somewhat resemble Star Trek spaceships…Arachnologists have a long tradition of giving interesting scientific names for new genera and species, as most of us believe it is a great opportunity to acknowledge people or draw parallels with pop culture and local customs.

I expect Dr. McCoy would be yelling for weeks about this one.

Television: Singing with Star Trek

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Spock singing in the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. (Paramount+)

If you are following Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, then you may have already encountered episode 9 of the second season, titled “Subspace Rhapsody.” Should you have missed it, then you are in for a treat because this is the first Star Trek musical episode. And it is fun.

For just a taste, check out this clip with an emotional Spock singing his heart out. I do not want to give to much away and spoil the episode if you are not that far along in the series, but let’s just say Spoke is have relationship issues. You must admit that Ethan Peck has a nice voice, as do his crew mates singing other pieces.

The whole thing has the feeling of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer singing episode, which is fine with me given that I believe it was one of the better episodes of that show.

By the way, Spock also had a small singing part in the original series. In that case, he sang a serenade accompanied by a harp. It’s a short piece, yet enough to show that Mr. Peck beats Mr. Nimoy as a singer.

Last season, Strange New Worlds had the cast caught up in a children’s story. I did not find that one to be as enjoyable, but it was another attempt to have some fun with the series. I like the effort to keep it fresh.

Maybe another ballad could be fit into an episode down the road – maybe something similar to what The Orville did in its final two episodes. That too created two of the more memorable episodes of that series.

Television: Season Two of Foundation

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Poster for season two of Foundation. (Apple TV+)

If you are not watching Foundation on Apple TV+, I recommend you give it a try. Season two begins today.

We need it during a summer with very few if any films touching on space fantasies (without Marvel or DC Comics superheros). The season two trailer will show you what is in store this season, but you need to start from the beginning with season one. You do not want to miss a minute of this series.

The Foundation television series is a cross between Dune and Game of Thrones, with plenty of corrupt dynasties, rebel alliances, and moral dilemmas. However, you should not expect it to closely track Issac Asimov’s books. It deviates from and expands on the themes from the books, but this television story is its own creature. You should enjoy the book and television series separately.

Back in 2021, Belen Edwards wrote a good piece for Mashable called “How Apple TV’s ‘Foundation’ is different from the books.” You will not need it if you are new to the overall story or willing to trust Apple TV+ to give you a good show, but if you are curious about the variations on a theme then this will satisfy that itch.

I am just happy that we have a summer space blockbuster to keep us satisfied. And it is a welcome addition to the constant renewal of Star Trek and Star Wars series. Don’t get me wrong. I want all of it. But Asimov’s universe is another great place to travel if only to better understand the world back here.

Television: Black Mirror Has Another Space Episode

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett from Black Mirror. (Netflix)

While I recommend the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to anyone looking for a good program (now that the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard has ended), you can also tune into the new season of Netflix’ Black Mirror for a space episode.

You may remember the “USS Callister” episode from season 4 back in 2017, which played off of the Star Trek series. It was one of the better episodes of the series. Well, in season 6 that just started you get to see another space-related episode called “Beyond the Sea.” It is a strange story about astronauts living on a space station while their replicas live back on Earth. The astronauts can slip into the replicas at any time to be back on Earth with their families.

The story starts out well enough (as does with acting, with Josh Hartnett and Aaron Paul playing the astronauts), but then it gets weird, as one might expect with this series.

I do not want to give too much away, but the time period is very odd as is the ending of the story. It makes little sense to me and does not seem to be a completed thought. One would almost expect a follow-on episode, but it is not clear how that could ever correct what we just witnessed.

Hence, I am not recommending the episode, but instead pointing it out for the curious. Even poorly plotted episodes can have minor merits. You decide.

And then go back and watch the “USS Callister” episode to clear your head. That one I can recommend.