Here’s a list of the eight most interesting, Trek-related news and features we’ve found worth sharing with our fellow Trekkies in the Post-Geek Singularity.
Here’s the Star Trek distraction you need today …
by Mike Bawden
There seems to be a good deal of news and features hitting the Internet this week regarding Star Trek. I assume we can attribute much of that to the general rise in nostalgia brought on by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that has managed to crack the shell of some of nu-Trek’s most ardent opponents.
In less time than it takes for a tribble to become a grandparent, here’s a list of the eight most interesting, Trek-related things I’ve found worth sharing with my fellow Imagination Connoisseurs …
#8 How’s that Red Shirt fit you? Not great? Don’t worry, you won’t need it long …
John DiMarco’s video that catalogs all of the Red Shirt deaths in the original series is both hilarious and a bit disturbing.
You’ve got to admit, some of those death scenes are absolute gold.
#7 If at first you don’t succeed …
And while we’re on the subject of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them deaths in Star Trek, it now looks like Chris Hemsworth is interested in taking another turn as George Kirk. We assume he’ll last a bit longer than he did in Star Trek 2009.
#6 If it looks like Star Trek and feels like Star Trek, then it must be …
Vulture published this piece lauding the work to-date on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Most interesting is the comment from the Vulture TV critic, Angelica Jade Bastién who says “A fun Star Trek series? What a concept.”
Doesn’t that sound a bit problematic to you? It does to me.
#5 This doesn’t look like Star Trek, but it’s probably the most Trek-appropriate article on this list …
The Guardian asks why film franchises (like Star Trek and that other Star-series, Minons, Harry Potter, etc.) no longer look to the future. Most notable, to me, was this bit:
“And just think of the latest Star Trek series. Once upon a time, the whole point of the program was to boldly go where no one had gone before. That pioneering spirit infuses the sub-title of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which premiered on Paramount+ in May. But the series is set aboard the USS Enterprise as it was depicted in the pilot episode of Star Trek in 1965, which means that it covers the period before James T Kirk took the helm from Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), and when Spock (Ethan Peck) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) were still learning the ropes.”
And the capper …
“The only franchises with any momentum are the ones that are going backwards.”
#4 Speaking of retro-rockets, check out this episode of ST:VOY …
Are you a nostalgic Trekkie, pining for more episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series? Well, the last thing you probably expected to get was a FIlmation-style animation of one of the silliest Voyager episodes of all time.
Honestly, animating this story makes it much more entertaining and tells everything you need to know in about 5-1/2 minutes which seems about the right length of time.
#3 For those Trek fans who always wondered “What if …”
Star Trek never really seemed to handle “romance” very well – especially among ensemble characters. Seriously. The best they could do was hook Worf up to a couple of characters (either Dax or Deanna Trois), all of the other romantic interactions between established characters was as clunky as the arbitrary Tasha Yar/Data dalliance in ST:TNG.
That being said, Fansided came up with a list of three romances Star Trek fans deserve to see play out. Based on item #4 on our list, one of those relationships has already been consummated – albeit in amphibious form. The others … meh.
#2 And while we’re on the subject of romance …
The Nerdist website published this list of seven, ill-advised hookups by Star Trek captains. For the record, I think Capt. James T. Kirk is severely under-represented on this list. I mean don’t you people know what the “pulling on the boots” business in each episode was supposed to represent? LOL.
That being said, I was pleased that at least ONE Orion Slave Girl made the list.
But the best post I found all week (so far) was this one …
#1 Cinemablend’s article listing five ways Star Trek’s Star Fleet could p’own Star Wars Galactic Empire.
It’s hard to argue with author Mick Joest’s “bonus” reason why Star Fleet would win in a battle against the Imperial Navy.
And if you have your doubts (and don’t have time to read), here’s proof (or not) …
Does “stunt casting” work?
Imagination Connoisseur, ROBB, shares his thoughts on how Star Trek: Discovery handled its casting of Democratic politician, Stacey Abrams, as the president of a united Earth in the show’s finale. Personal politics aside, ROBB seems to feel Star Trek’s producers missed an opportunity to send a message about unity at a time when we could all use it.
Will Superman be returning in 4K someday?
Long-time PGS Member, Kenny Kraly Jr., writes in to the LET’S GET PHYSICAL MEDIA show to ask for their predictions on the possibility of getting more Superman movies out on 4k Blu-Ray.
On the topic of “Gatekeeping” …
Imagination Connoisseur, Jason Miller, writes a letter of support for ROBSERVATIONS host, Robert Meyer Burnett, who has recently proclaimed himself the Gatekeeper of Geekdom. Jason shares his experience defending RMB’s joke (made on Twitter) and arrives at an inescapable conclusion that everyone should probably take to heart.
Attention Star Command, there seems to be a problem with Buzz Lightyear
ROADTRIPPIN’ co-hosts Robert Meyer Burnett and Mike Bawden respond to letters from listeners proposing a variety of reasons as to why Pixar’s latest animated feature, LIGHTYEAR, didn’t meet expectations during its opening weekend. Was it a result of bad casting, a strained relationship between studios, convoluted marketing or stronger-than-expected competition? No one is sure – but it’s possible the problem runs much deeper than an origin story for an action figure might let on.
How to accept Star Trek now so you don’t go insane!
Imagination Connoisseur, Adam Talley, writes in to explain how he now views the Star Trek franchise – a way that acknowledges the “good old days” so many OG fans pine for and the new innovations we’re seeing in stores, online, and in theaters.
Why is Obi-Wan the most boring thing about the Obi-Wan Kenobi streaming series on Disney+?
ROADTRIPPIN’ co-hosts Robert Meyer Burnett and Mike Bawden discuss the broader implications of a question posed by an Imagination Connoisseur who asks why Obi-Wan Kenobi is such a boring character in his own series. In fact, one could ask why so many Star Wars series seem to be “running in place” and not really going anywhere with characters who don’t seem to be doing all that much. Is there a larger force at work here that no one seems to acknowledge? And where have we heard THAT before?
Does it make sense to remake good movies?
ROADTRIPPIN’ co-hosts Robert Meyer Burnett and Mike Bawden respond to a letter from an Imagination Connoisseur who asks why Hollywood seems content remaking and re-booting successful movies rather than making movies with “great potential” that might have not met expectations when they were first released to the public. As Rob and Mike point out, there’s a lot more involved in a successful remake than one might imagine.
Rob comes out and admits he’s THE Gatekeeper of Fandom
Co-hosts Robert Meyer Burnett and Mike Bawden discuss Rob’s recent revelation that he is, in fact, THE GATEKEEPER OF ALL FANDOM and what Imagination Connoisseurs can now expect of him serving as the judge, jury and adjudicator of all things geeky. Plus interesting letters from fans.
Making a case for LIFE after ALIEN
Imagination Connoisseur, S’wak Props, thinks Ridley Scott could have done much better when it came to making a sequel to his 1979 sci-fi/horror classic, ALIEN. Instead of Scott’s ALIEN COVENANT, S’wak recommends you check out Daniel Espinosa’s LIFE which includes Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds among others in the cast.
PGS Transmissions for June 13, 2022
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