Television: Debating Putin’s Nukes

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was a guest on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher last Friday. During the broadcast he discussed his new book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization, which I commented on in an earlier post.

The odd part of the discussion came when Mr. Tyson was trying to explain that hydrogen bombs are not as bad as atomic bombs because they give off less lethal radiation. Bill Maher had earlier expressed his concerns about Russia’s Putin using a nuclear weapon and was surprised to learn that a hydrogen bomb was less dangerous in terms of radiation. He asked about this again, but Mr. Tyson went onto a different topic about the power of conventional arms and never did get back to Mr. Maher’s main concern.

Sadly, Mr. Tyson missed a chance to inform the audience about the dangers of nuclear weapons, be they hydrogen or atomic. As I had noted in an earlier post about nuclear risks, scientists have found that even a limited nuclear exchange can do great damage to the world because of the soot it throws into the upper atmosphere. A Columbia Climate School study on this issue, “Even a Limited India-Pakistan Nuclear War Would Bring Global Famine, Says Study,” found that even 50 Hiroshima-size explosions, which are quite small by today’s standards, would “…launch some 5 million tons of soot toward the stratosphere.” This soot would “…cause production of the world’s four main cereal crops—maize, wheat, soybeans and rice—to plummet an average 11 percent over that period, with tapering effects lasting another five to 10 years.” The impact of famine would lead to the loss of countless lives around the world.

The real risk today is a nuclear winter, which Mr. Tyson never explained. Instead, the audience was left with the impression that a nuclear explosion is not all that serious. Apparently, he was more interested in sharing all of his knowledge about World War II than addressing the question on the table. Mr. Tyson is supposed to be a good science communicator, so he really needs to correct the record. This is no time to be sloppy about nuclear war.

Television: The Upcoming Star Wars Series Andor

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Disney +

Enough about Star Trek. It’s time to talk about Star Wars.

On September 21, Disney+ (the second Death Star of online content after the demise of Netflix) will be releasing its next Star Wars series called Andor. It’s a prequel to the movie Rogue One, starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor five years before the events of the film. We learn more about how he went from a thief to a rebel against the evil Empire lead by Darth Vader and friends.

The trailer for Andor looks intriguing, with plenty of off planet action, something the series The Book of Boba Fett really needed. My favorite to Star Wars series to date is still The Mandalorian, with Obi-Wan Kenobi a distant second. I am just glad they are not making an Endor series. I had enough of teddy bears taking down the Empire.

I will let Disney+ give you the plot for the show:

In Andor, audiences meet Cassian Andor five years before the attack on the Empire takes place. The prequel series will cover the five-year period in two 12-episode seasons, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey towards discovering his full power. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story showed a loyal and ruthless Andor who spoke of his long-standing fight against the Empire — one that began when he was just six years old. This narrative left a lasting impression on Diego Luna, making it easy for him to sign on for this series. Referring to Andor’s statements in Rogue One, Luna wanted to know what it all meant, saying, “Why would a six-year-old give up his childhood to join a fight? When he talks about a dark past and doing terrible things for the Rebellion, what is he referring to? I think that story matters. There’s a lot of material there for us to play with, and I was excited to go into this journey and give these answers.” The series concentrates on Andor’s progression, looking back into his childhood, the fighter spirit that was always inside of him, and what he faced in his homeland that ultimately brings him to the Rebellion’s front lines. Luna explained that he wanted to tell this story to show “what needs to happen for a revolutionary to emerge.”

I have high hopes for this series compared to the last two. While HBO and Prime are battling it out over dragons versus elves, I am tuning into the Star Trek versus Star Wars battle. Luckily, there is something for everyone.

Pic of the Week: Captain Picard in California

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Star Trek panel at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2022. (Films that Rock)

This week’s image shows Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard) and Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher) discussing Star Trek at the 2022 Comic Con in San Diego, CA. You can watch the full panel discussion here. You can also watch the season three (and final season) trailer for Star Trek: Picard here, indicating our favorites from The Next Generation will be returning one more time.

RIP: Nichelle Nichols (aka Lt. Nyota Uhura)

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Lt. Nyota Uhura on the deck of the U.S.S. Enterprise. (Paramount)

This weekend we lost actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek television series. She was 89.

Back in 1966, her role as part of the crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise was a risky and eye-opening move by creator Gene Roddenberry in a nation divided by race (as well as many other issues – sound familiar?). In an NPR interview, Mr. Nichols noted how civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraged her to remain with the Star Trek series at a time she was considering leaving:

He complimented me on the manner in which I’d created the character. I thanked him, and I think I said something like, Dr. King, I wish I could be out there marching with you. He said, no, no, no. No, you don’t understand. We don’t need you on the – to march. You are marching. You are reflecting what we are fighting for. So, I said to him, thank you so much. And I’m going to miss my co-stars.

And his face got very, very serious. And he said, what are you talking about? And I said, well, I told Gene just yesterday that I’m going to leave the show after the first year because I’ve been offered – and he stopped me and said: You cannot do that. And I was stunned. He said, don’t you understand what this man has achieved? For the first time, we are being seen the world over as we should be seen. He says, do you understand that this is the only show that my wife Coretta and I will allow our little children to stay up and watch. I was speechless.

An impressive endorsement.

The last time I saw Ms. Nichols was on the History Channel special on the television series: The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek. I enjoyed listening to her stories about her time with the television series and related movies. I recommend the program as a way to learn more about Ms. Nichols as well as the other actors associated with the Star Trek phenomena.

Television: More Space Stories This Summer

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The eight plants of our solar system. (NOVA)

If you are looking for space series beyond the Moon, PBS has a few more shows for you. With the James Webb Space Telescope releasing the first photos next week, now is the time to brush up on the mission with a NOVA special. And check out the earlier NOVA piece on the planets as well. Dates and times may vary by region.

NOVA: Ultimate Space Telescope, July 13 at 9pm (28 minutes):

How did NASA engineers build and launch the most ambitious telescope of all time? Follow the dramatic story of the James Webb Space Telescope—the most complex machine ever launched into space. If it works, scientists believe that this new eye on the universe will peer deeper back in time and space than ever before to the birth of galaxies, and may even be able to “sniff” the atmospheres of exoplanets as we search for signs of life beyond Earth. But getting it to work is no easy task. The telescope is far bigger than its predecessor, the famous Hubble Space Telescope, and it needs to make its observations a million miles away from Earth—so there will be no chance to go out and fix it. That means there’s no room for error; the most ambitious telescope ever built needs to work perfectly. Meet the engineers making it happen and join them on their high stakes journey to uncover new secrets of the universe.

NOVA: The Planets, July 7 & 14 at 8pm (5 episodes)

Among the stars in the night sky wander the eight-plus worlds of our own solar system—each home to truly awe-inspiring sights. Volcanoes three times higher than Everest, geysers erupting with icy plumes, cyclones larger than Earth lasting hundreds of years. Each of our celestial neighbors has a distinct personality and a unique story. In this five-part series, NOVA will explore the awesome beauty of “The Planets,” including Saturn’s 175,000-mile-wide rings, Mars’ ancient waterfalls four times the size of any found on Earth, and Neptune’s winds—12 times stronger than any hurricane felt on our planet. Using unique special effects and extraordinary footage captured by orbiters, landers and rovers, we’ll treat viewers to an up-close look at these faraway worlds. We’ll stand on the dark side of Pluto, lit only by the reflected light of its moons, watch the sun set over an ancient Martian waterfall, and witness a storm twice the size of Earth from high above Saturn. And, we’ll reveal how each of them has affected our own planet: Earth.